Arc 6. A seemingly endless loss
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 38. Isekai built land
Jong, rushing down the hallway of Walgonia’s castle, is heading right to the knight's quarters which is an area on the fourth floor that is inside of one of the various towers on the sides of the castle.. While running down the hall filled with paintings of Walgonia, lit by various golden chandeliers, is the sixty-year-old man slowly dying of a mana disease. He stumbles around, contemplating a simple yet destructive and obviously stupid idea, which takes him a second to follow through. He makes it down the stone stairs, over the neatly made blue and black rug with a white version of the Walgonian chest.
He then stops in his tracks while right outside of the wooden door leading to the Knight's quarters. He takes a second to look around while still thinking about his plan, one that would make the dumbest of men sigh, which he understands. So he walks into the quarters and is met with a hoorah from his men. They all shake their swords and spears in the air at the sight of their long leader, which causes him to smile, and take a drink they had quickly made for him. In such a room, it’s almost entirely wooden and lit by candlelight. Due to its placement in a three-story tall tower, its room width is small but its length is very large, housing multiple areas within its stories. The top is the common rooms filled with bunk beds, and then it’s the armory, which reminds Jong that he’s wearing common wear, not the knightly attire that he feels is suited for giving orders.
The bottom floor, the one Jong’s on, is in the style of a tavern. Wet, filled with people and even more booze, with pictures of past commanders up, the most recent one being Jong when he was twenty-seven, and had the same deep gray hair he has now. Though every commander before him had their own living area within the castle, ever since Jong was given his title, he’s lived within the knight's barracks. Though for a bit of privacy, he has his own room, which is on the top of the tower, but with his old joints and dying body it’s a difficult climb up the long ladder, though with his will he’ll still push on. After he makes it up to his room, holding down the immense pain he feels with every movement, and looks around it. No wife, no kids, nothing left behind except the memory that he was there, and the people he saved, but no real connection except for the one he made with his bisento. He had once left such a weapon behind for a brief period when Arthur had fired them all, but even in his old age he was quick to pick it back up and fight, but that led him to the position he’s in now. His large armor sits on an armor stand in front of him, the light blue plating, long white cape with a black Walgonian crest, and the large bisento to its side. He equips his attire and finally decides on his decision. He then grabs his clothes and stuffs them into a suitcase. He then heads down the ladder and steps onto one of the various tables in the bar area.
Jong: “I WILL BE EMBARKING ON POSSIBLY MY LAST MISSION! I WILL LEAVE A DAY AHEAD OF YOU, AND WILL TRAVEL TO INSTAL WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE! I WANT YOU TO PICK A LEADER AMONG YOURSELVES AND GATHER MATERIALS AS WELL AS TRAVEL GEAR! IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO GO TO THE OTHER KNIGHT'S QUARTERS OR EVEN THE BUREAU AROUND THE CAPITAL THEN DO SO! THEN GO TO CONSTAL! GRAY KYOJIN AND THE REST OF WALGONIA’S HEROES MAY NEED OUR HELP! SO WE WILL BE THE ONES TO DO IT!”
Jong is met with a roar of cheers all chanting for Jong to go, and so he does, going against Gordon and Jong's wishes for him to stay behind. He runs out of the castle and runs across the castle grounds to the stables close by, putting his bags atop a drake, and rushes off, embarking on the three-week journey all on his lonesome.
In Constal, Gray, Rosemary, Soku, Peter, and Edward are all walking to the great Victoria Museum, a building grand in both scale in design. It takes an hour to get there by carriage ride, and everyone is hit or miss about it. Edwards is excited to learn about the history of Constal, Soku is a bit bored by the idea, Gray doesn't think much of it he’s just happy to leave the cottage, Peter would rather work on the Silver Chariot, and Rosemary’s excited to get to see one of the only buildings in all of Saga that’s built to look fantastical. They’re still enamored by Constal itself, the shining river, bustling cityscape, and the history made into the ground, all said before but still need to be repeated. Even before they arrive they can see it from a distance, a building that almost scrapes the sky and covers the ground below in a great shadow. It’s the green stone that was used to create the large dome roof. It is a spectacle in itself, but the golden arches on all four entrances almost take away from it. Other than that, the white stone is the only eye-catching part, mainly focused on its size compared to its detail.
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But the extra detail within its large columns, being small carvings of dragons add that bit of Valatrositce flair that’s missing from this almost out-of-place piece of architecture. Walgonia is built on, Athens was military focused, and Valatrositce is structured, but this building fits Ravoria’s idea of spectacle over practicality. Once they finally make it a bit more down the main road, they’re right at one of the four entrances, and all other main roads lead to one of them, making it seem that the city was built with the museum in mind.
Gray: “That…is so cool. I’ve been to New York City and those buildings were big…but this is just…grand…”
Edward: “You can say that again…and what's New York?”
Soku: “...Don’t ask…you never get an answer.”
Rosemary: “No matter that…how do we get inside!?”
Rosemary jumps out of the carriage and begins running towards the city block-sized building, bulldozing through the crowd whilst pulling Gray along, grabbing his hand with a tight grip. They reach the two-story-sized doors, amazed by their detail, and on the inside it’s much greater. They pay a staggering five gold coins and enter, finding mainly aristocrats in the lobby.
But once they enter, it’s truly amazing. Everyone else wanders around, but Gray and Rosemary use it as an opportunity for the date, looking at all the art. Self-portraits, failed invitations hung up and placed on stands, a hall of armor from the generations, and so much more. Gray sees how the weaponry, armor, and other military means have grown and different not only in Valatrositce, but Walgonia, Ravoria, Athens, and even Oni’mas, the Dark Elves of Gaia, and the Navy in the Southern Islands. Valatrositice’s is dark and heavy, Athens is light and open, Walgnia was a more basic knightly attire, and Ravoria’s is a bit over dramatic, having large shoulders and helmets with spikes. Now across the sea, Oni-mas is no different from a generic samurai, which confuses Gray, the navy wears a long navy blue short-sleeved coat with hints of red, brown leather armor on the shoulders and chest, and possesses the crest of a golden bird, and the Dark Elves wear armor similar to the native Americans.
Gray: “All this armor, art, but no bones. Wear the monster bones?”
Rosemary: “They don’t last, after you kill a spirit animal, either you eat it fast or you leave it be because in a day or so it’ll be pure spirit energy and work its way back to being alive after reforming. It’s why we can’t just kill off all the dangerous ones, they just come back every fifty or so years.”
They continue to look around, but it’s just more of the same. Paintings of famous people, a hall for all of the Heslings, the Gods of War, letting Gray get a good look at the only God of War he hasn’t met, Virgil. He has straight tan hair, a small mustache, and a chipped canine tooth. shining green eyes, and a smirk. Though the photo’s been remarked to be sixteen-seventy, it’s a bit old.
Gray: “Virgil…where’s he at?”
Rosemary: “Nobody knows. He was working with the Demi-humans and the four nations, and they all converged into the battle at gods fall. The he got into even more trouble with King Cornelius and he’s never been seen since, but it’s said he’s still alive."
Gray: “Cool. What’s his story?”
Rosemary: “He was a thief turned knight, using his skills to help Valatrocitus in the Demi-human war. He wasn’t immensely strong but he was tactical, and it led to various victories and was the leading factor of the Battle of the Gods…”
Gray’s confused by Rosemary suddenly stops her relaying of history and turns her attaching to the ceiling, which Gray does as well, and he’s astounded. It’s a giant painting that spans across the domed roof, of what looks to be a holy knight impaling a dragon with dark veins and black eyes with a sword glowing gold, though he’s missing the cross on his chest.
Gray: “What is this the Sistine Chapel?”
Rosemary: “The Holy Land, that’s who made it. The nameless knight…I can’t believe it…in that underground building…it’s true.”
Gray: “Iseakai built land.”
Rosemary: “Eh?”
End of Chapter Thirty-eight