Frilian: Starting by inheriting the title of the Southern Hero

Chapter 59 The Old Man's Past

That evening, the city lord's mansion in the Northern Border City was brightly lit, and a grand victory celebration banquet was being held.

The hall was filled with the aroma of roasted meat, and the soldiers ate heartily and drank heartily, celebrating their hard-won victory.

Lynn and the other three were assigned to stand next to Earl Hurst.

"cough."

At the head of the table, Earl Hurst cleared his throat.

The ruler of the North had removed his sword-scarred armor and donned a deep purple velvet tuxedo.

He stood up, holding the wine glass in both hands: "Brother Lynn, and the three powerful mages, on behalf of all the people of Northern City, I raise a toast to you!"

"You flatter me, Your Excellency."

Lynn also stood up, raised her glass in response, and said, "We were just there because it happened to be there, and we did what we were supposed to do."

At that moment, Laofen was taking small bites of a roasted lamb leg, while Isa smiled and swirled the red wine in her glass, her gaze occasionally falling on Lynn.

Old man Cromwell had long since drunk his way off and was now hugging a pillar, trying to reason with it.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the banquet became increasingly lively.

Count Ster waved away the servant who came to refill his wine cup, and his gaze fell on Isa and Laofen. He said, "The magical skills of the two ladies are truly breathtaking, especially this lady's defensive magic, which is absolutely crucial."

"You flatter me, Lord City Lord."

Isa smiled modestly.

"Speaking of which, there's something the two ladies might have some clue about."

Hurst suddenly lowered his voice.

"Please speak, Lord City Lord."

"On a cliff thirty miles east of the city, there is a huge magical barrier that is shrouded in perpetual darkness. I have asked many mages to investigate, but they have all returned empty-handed."

Hurst slowly said, "According to the notes passed down from my father, there is a magical artifact left behind by a great mage within that barrier. However, no one knows who that great mage was, nor does anyone know what that magical artifact is."

His words carried a hint of expectation: "As you all have seen, the Demon King's army's offensive is becoming increasingly fierce. Although the Northern Territory managed to hold out this time, its defenses are now in grave danger. If we could obtain that legendary magical artifact, or the method for applying that barrier, we might be able to stabilize the city's defenses."

Therefore, I would like to ask a few of you if you could investigate that barrier?

"That sounds interesting."

Isa downed her drink in one gulp and looked at Lynn: "Want to go take a look?"

Before Lynn could answer, Cromwell, who had been clinging to the pillar and rambling incoherently, suddenly interjected:

"go."

Lynn froze, then turned her head.

Why would this old man care so much about a strange barrier?

Moreover, at this moment, the old man's cloudy old eyes showed an unprecedented clarity.

This clarity made Lynn feel inexplicably uneasy.

……

The next morning, Lynn came to wake Cromwell, but there was no response for a long time.

When I opened the door, the room was empty.

I reached out and touched the sheets; they were ice-cold, indicating that the person had been gone for a long time.

"What's wrong, Lynn?"

Laofen walked over.

"The old man has disappeared."

Lynn said.

Isa yawned and leaned against the door frame, stretching lazily. "Could he have gone to that barrier by himself first? I saw the old man yesterday, and he seemed quite concerned about it."

"I'll go take a look."

Lynn left those words behind and continued walking out of the mansion.

……

When Lynn arrived at the edge of the cliff, a cold wind was blowing in his face, carrying snowflakes.

Beneath our feet lies a bottomless abyss.

Right at the very edge of that cliff, an old figure stood against the wind, wielding a spiked club as if fighting an invisible enemy.

Lynn approached quietly and called out:

"Old man."

Cromwell stopped what he was doing, slowly turned to look at Lynn, and gave him a kind smile: "Hello, child."

The unfamiliar address made Lynn's heart skip a beat.

Oh no, he's forgotten about himself.

"What are you doing, sir?"

"I'm training."

"train?"

"Yes, training."

Cromwell stared at the spiked club in his hand, his gaze somewhat unfocused. "I used to always train in magic, but now, I'm trying to live like a warrior. I've realized I should have thought of that sooner; I'm suited to be a warrior."

"You've startled me, sir."

Lynn looked worried.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, child. Once I've practiced enough, I'll be able to stand in front of you."

Cromwell's gaze passed over Lynn and looked into the distance. "The hero has set out to defeat the Demon King and become a hero sung by all."

But I am not that kind of hero.

His tone was calm. "However, experiencing the feeling of fighting against demons like this is not bad either."

"Grandpa, stop practicing."

Lynn advised, "This place is too dangerous. What if you slip and fall? Let's go back to North City. There are training grounds there too."

Cromwell suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with a sorrow Lynn couldn't decipher: "Children, you should be the ones inside the city. I must stay outside, in the most dangerous place. The hero's companions must be very reliable, right? How enviable. But I can't; I am alone."

"How can you be lonely? Raofen, Isa, and I are your companions."

Upon hearing this, Cromwell looked at Lynn with confusion: "Young man, this is our first meeting, isn't it? You can't treat me as a travel companion, because I am someone who ran away from the demons."

Lynn frowned even more deeply.

I never expected that the old man's dementia would suddenly worsen to this extent.

"Old man, that's enough, stop fooling around."

Lynn stepped forward, trying to grab his arm. "We still have to go to the Demon King's Castle, and we can't do without you."

Cromwell, however, seemed not to hear, remaining motionless and stubbornly gazing into the distance.

As Lynn watched his increasingly frail figure being buffeted by the cold wind, a sense of helplessness welled up inside her.

His throat moved, but he finally managed to utter only two words: "Please."

Cromwell's body trembled slightly before he slowly turned his head to look at the undisguised worry on Lynn's face, a struggle flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"I'm sorry, young man, I made you worry."

He whispered, "But don't worry about me, I'm very strong."

"Old man, come back with me."

Lynn took another step forward and stood in front of him.

Their eyes met, and Cromwell remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, turning to point to a flat area covered in ice and snow on the edge of the cliff, where the air seemed slightly distorted.

"I set up this barrier."

The old man began to slowly recount:

"That year, I formed a hero's team with the dream of defeating the Demon King. Our team was closer to Endai, so we were among the first to fight the Demon King's army."

"It's just one war..."

Cromwell's voice began to tremble, "That big, dumb warrior, and that always-boastful genius mage, they're gone right under my nose."

I was the only one who escaped the Demon King's army's pursuit.

Lynn's shoulders trembled.

This doesn't sound like nonsense; perhaps it's a story from the old man's past.

"After the demons left, I retrieved their mutilated bodies. This barrier is their grave."

Cromwell's gaze fell on the barrier, his eyes softening. "I was afraid the demons would find this place and disturb their peace, so I set up this barrier."

As she spoke, she pulled out a stone she had picked up on the road earlier from her bosom. "My magician companion, although a genius, was like a child who loved these shiny, broken stones. I always treated her like a daughter, but unfortunately, I couldn't protect her in the end."

"Is her name Lorraine?"

Lynn remembered the daughter the old man had been searching for.

The old man nodded.

Lynn couldn't help but smile bitterly. So, the real Lorraine wasn't the old man's biological daughter after all?

Then the old man looked at the spiked club in his hand. "This spiked club belongs to my warrior teammate. If he hadn't held off the demons, I would have died long ago."

"...Later I thought, since I survived, I should live out their share too."

Lynn fell into a brief silence after listening.

No wonder a mage with such profound magical skills would use such a crude weapon; no wonder this old man always has a bag of broken stones—it's all an obsession.

"My dream is to defeat the Demon King, but I'm afraid I won't have the chance."

He muttered to himself, "But I heard about a hero named Simmel on my journey. Everyone is always happy when they talk about him. I think... he can definitely defeat the Demon King."

"That's great, isn't it?" Lynn said softly.

"Yes, that's great."

Cromwell nodded, his expression becoming serene.

Before long, the sound of snow being crushed underfoot came from behind.

"Found it."

It was Laofen's voice.

Lynn turned around.

The girl held a staff in one hand and waved the other at Lynn.

Isha followed behind, complaining, "You two came all this way so early in the morning, are you trying to watch the sunrise here?"

Her gaze then froze on the distorted air at the edge of the cliff, and she instinctively squinted.

"This barrier..."

Isa stepped forward and gently tapped the transparent barrier with the tip of her staff.

hum.

The air vibrated, creating ripples that quickly subsided without leaking even a trace of magic.

"That's amazing."

Isa leaned closer, her face almost touching the barrier. "It's a complex defensive spell that's not only effective against demons, but even humans can't set foot in it."

"...This level of barrier is usually only used in two situations. First, to seal away a highly destructive monster. Second, to protect a particularly precious treasure."

"Let's go, let's go back." Lynn was too lazy to listen to her guessing.

Isabella was taken aback: "Huh?"

"go back."

Lynn turned around and tugged at Cromwell. "I haven't had breakfast yet. I'm hungry."

Isa grabbed Lynn's sleeve. "There might be a legendary magical artifact inside! Don't you want to take a look?"

"The owner of this barrier is right here, so stop daydreaming."

Lynn pointed at the old man, then started walking back. "The things inside are far beyond what legendary magical tools can compare to."