The Extra Can't be A Hero

Chapter 95: The Generation of Luminaries (1)

Amon returned to the Solfea and the Solaris House almost immediately after killing the Blood Demon.

Unsurprisingly, the Solaris House would be curious after his victory over one of the most ancient and powerful Demons. How did he know of its existence, how did he manage to kill it and the other details of the Blood Demon?

To do so, they had summoned him to a tribunal to investigate his actions. The tribunal consisted of the Solaris Patriarch, Alrock. The Black Order’s Commander, Carmen. And the Knight who was present when Amon killed the Blood Demon, Horus.

Standing at attention in front of the three mighty Solaris Knights, Amon waited for them to give the first word. He’d been standing still for about a minute now while Alrock and Carmen read their reports. Only Horus wore an amicable smile that unnerved Amon, who didn’t know what his fate would be.

Ultimately, the Solaris Patriarch was the first to break the silence.

"You know, when you’d volunteered to aid the tragedy in Mistwood, I’d thought you’d learnt how to stay out of trouble. But you really can’t help yourself, huh?"

Alrock frowned and admonished the young man. Although his scolding wasn’t stern, Amon could sense a sense of helplessness and dread in his defeated voice.

"Coming across an ancient Demon, not only that, one that the Solaris House had sealed. Young’un… I’m starting to question if you’re just a magnet for misfortune or if you’re planning all this deliberately."

"..."

Of course, the latter was true. However, Amon couldn’t just tell him that. He remained silent as the Patriarch closed his binder and requested a proper report:

"Tell me everything."

"Like I mentioned in my report, I noticed an irregularity…"

"I’m not interested in that," Alrock stopped Amon mid-sentence and stared into his soul. "Tell me how you defeated the Blood Demon. Horus recounted that it’s not an enemy you could face."

Alrock cut straight to the point. Even after being damaged by the Holy Sword, the Blood Demon wasn’t a foe that a mere Three Sun True Knight could take on. Even after knowing Amon was hiding his strength, it was still hard to believe this eighteen-year-old could defeat a monstrous entity such as the Blood Demon.

Knowing the panel wouldn’t take a superficial answer, Amon told half-truths.

"Honestly, I was lucky. After being cracked by the Holy Sword, the Blood Demon’s soul weakened greatly. And when it trapped me in its barrier, it had expanded most of its mana. From then on, it was a battle of attrition. I focused on defending myself while forcing the Blood Demon to leak mana. That’s how I won."

"Is that really all?"

Alrock frowned, obviously not buying into the whole story. Given the stories he’d heard about the Blood Demon from Horus, it was right of him to be sceptical. Fortunately, Amon had another scapegoat.

"... To tell the truth, I received help from the Elune House, or in particular, Yue. She’d given me a protection artefact as a gift, and I have it on my body ever since. It saved my life multiple times when I was trapped in the barrier."

"Hoh? Was that how you resisted the Blood Demon’s domination?"

"Precisely."

"And where is this artefact now? May we see it?"

"I apologise, but I cannot do that. At least, without the Elune House’s permission."

Amon was forced to tell this lie. The best way to get out of this predicament was to put all the blame on Yue. After all, no matter how powerful the Solaris House was, they couldn’t just pressure another mighty House to present evidence and break the goodwill between them.

Hearing that, Alrock didn’t wish to push the matter further. It wasn’t a secret that the heir of the Elune House was obsessed over Amon, so it was normal for her to invest a fortune into protecting him. He was thankful for the fact that Yue was smitten with Amon. Otherwise, the Solaris House would have lost a valuable Knight.

"Hoh, the Elune Princess sure treasures you."

Carmen broke her silence with a half-impressed, half-annoyed snort. In her view, Yue was both a valued asset and an annoying hindrance. It was no secret that Yue showered Amon with gifts, and an inside joke within the Black Order called her Amon’s sugar mommy. However, at the same time, Yue was the reason for Amon’s tendency to go AWOL, even jeopardising his perfect mission record.

So, for Carmen, Yue’s existence caused quite a problem for the Black Order Commander, who wished for Amon to inherit her position.

"... I am fortunate."

"Haha, I saw it first hand. That young girl does love our Amon."

Horus continued his amicable presence with a hearty laugh. All the while, he had no intention of questioning Amon and had every intention to back the young Knight if the other two became boisterous. Being the only one present on the panel during the Blood Demon’s demise, Horus had no doubts about Amon’s capabilities. If anything, there was one thing he was gunning for…

"Shall we move on to the next topic, my Lord? Amon did us a great service by killing the Blood Demon. We shouldn’t question him too much. Everyone has their secrets to keep."

Horus advised his longtime friend while sneaking a wink in Amon’s direction.

"Horus, you… Fine. This young’un sure knows how to make alliances."

Amused by his friend’s minor betrayal, Alrock brushed the reports aside and interlocked his fingers. Resting his chin on the bridge made by his arms, the Solaris Lord covered his mouth as a severe tone escaped his lips.

"The Demon Cult… Is it real?"

Hearing Alrock’s demeanour switch so suddenly brought a spine-tingling chill into Amon. He knew that this was a critical crossroad for their plans. They needed to force the Solaris House into action if they wished to deal with the Demon Cult and prevent future Calamities. The slumbering giants eradicated in the future had to be triggered awake before they could be blindsided, making them the most potent ally in Amon and Yue’s arsenal.

And hence, without hesitation…

"Yes."

Amon replied resolutely.

That answer was enough for the Solaris Lord to exude a deep sigh. Standing up from his position, he stared at Amon, unable to detect a single ounce of falsehood in his voice. Not that he needed to check.

Alrock knew Amon’s character well. He had watched the boy grow and was responsible for many events of the young Knight’s life. Alrock even considered Amon his disciple, even though they hadn’t formally completed the inception process.

So, for Amon to make such a declaration…

"The Demon Cult. Since it exists, we must eradicate them."

Alrock declared without a shred of hesitation.

Demons were humanity’s enemies. Many centuries ago, they invaded Hyades with swift ferocity, were merciless in their execution, and utterly vicious. They sought to eradicate all of humanity and take over the planet for their nefarious means. Everywhere they went, they left destruction and death in their wake, and their threat alone was enough to unite the divided human race.

It took the combined efforts of the Solaris Saint, humanity’s greatest hero, and the innumerable heroes of the past to drive out the Demon invasion and bring peace to the corrupted realm.

The only reason why humanity was so united now was precisely because of the Demonic threat.

The Hyades Republic, a united front where no country or organisation could tower over the other, was formed after the Great Demon War. The numerous peace treaties that bound the planet were signed in defence against the Demons. Due to humanity’s common enemy, many more technological and cultural advancements were made.

So, when Alrock heard that there was an organisation plotting to bring Demons back into Hyades, he didn’t hesitate.

"We’ll need to hunt the Demon Cult actively. Carmen, could I leave the investigations to you?"

"Leaving the dirty work to us again, huh?"

"I’m sorry, you’re the only one I can count on for this."

"Hah, don’t be sorry! The Black Dragon Order has historically been doing the dirty work of the Solaris House."

Carmen didn’t protest much and let out a rare, beaming smile. Like a predator that had found its prey, the beauty licked her lips with her arms folded. The Black Order was built for moments like this, and it had been a while since the Super-inheritor had seen some action.

"Thanks…"

"My Lord, I do have one concern."

Horus interrupted the cordial exchange with a serious statement. He drew the attention of his fellow panel mates and continued:

"Investigating the Demon Cult may prove difficult, particularly since we do not have jurisdiction to scour other regions. The Solaris House may be able to search Solfea and all the nearby regions, but anything further than that would be challenging."

"You’re right…"

Even though the Solaris House was a monolithic organisation, it was ultimately bound to the same rules as any member of the Hyades Republic. They couldn’t force their way into another autonomous region and forcibly request those governments to comply with their investigations.

If they had concrete evidence, that would be another story. However, right now, they only had Amon and Yue’s testimonies. That was hardly enough for governments to follow the Solaris House’s requests.

"Can’t we just investigate secretly? My Knights are specialised in it, after all."

Carmen raised her hand and questioned.

Historically, the Black Order was used for covert operations such as espionage and spying. Additionally, they were trained to move in the shadows and take on multiple opponents at once, making them the perfect choice to investigate the claws of the Demon Cult secretly.

"That should be our last resort. If we can obtain permission diplomatically, our investigations would be much smoother."

For a hammer, everything was a nail. Being the Black Order’s Commander, Carmen could only solve situations with her fists. However, Alrock was a skilled warrior and an excellent statesman.

"Can we count on the Elune House to join our investigations?"

Alrock asked out loud, not to anyone in particular. However, only one person could give him an answer.

"... I’ll ask Yue."

Amon replied half-hesitantly. Yue had long forced the Elune House to scour through Eshon, eradicating any signs of the Demon Cult. Due to her efforts, Eshon was likely the most secure region in Hyades, at least from the nefarious claws of the Demon Cult.

As for the Solaris House, Amon knew that some traitors and several secretive bases were hidden throughout Solfea. Therefore, he could only weed them out with Carmen’s help.

But surprisingly, Horus had other plans.

"If possible, I would like to start an elite task force."

The distinguished gentleman spoke out with a faintly-lit smile. All the while, Horus’ eyes never left Amon’s body as he gave the Solaris Lord a bold request.

"An elite task force? What for?"

"If we want to hunt Demons, shouldn’t we create a task force specialising in that? Free from the burdens of an Order and given the freedom to do whatever they want in the name of eradicating Demons."

"That sounds good. But why are you bringing that up now?"

"Well… Wouldn’t it be good if we had members that hunted Demons before? Members that are powerful, hungry, but most importantly… young?"

"You can’t mean…"

At that moment, everyone in the room realised what the Pillar Knight was getting at. Alrock and Carmen pivoted their heads straight to Amon, who was wearing a slightly stunned expression.

"I suggest we create an independent task force… with Amon as its leader."