Agares fell silent, never expecting that his fate in this new world would be so tragic. He got the job as a Saber, but it threatened his life.
"No! There must be another way besides wandering around, it's too dangerous," said Joe, Helderic shaking his head.
"With his job as a Saber, he has no choice but to wander. If he's seen doing anything in a major city within the Great Empire, I'm afraid they'll arrest him, explained Helderic.
Joe fell silent, as did Livia and the others. There was nothing they could do to help Agares. He was truly unlucky to have gotten a job as a Saber.
"Don't worry, Agares. I'll help as much as I can in Solaris. Maybe we can change their perception of Saber job people," replied Joe, calming Agares down a little.
Helderic turned his head, asking Jonathan and the others to prepare themselves. He also said that the staff from the Magic Research Building would prepare basic equipment for them. They nodded.
Livia stepped out of the room, followed by Secilia and Aaron. Jonathan initially refused, saying he would leave with Agares. But Helderic insisted because he had to tell Agares something in private.
Finally, Jonathan cleared his throat and agreed. He stepped out, leaving Agares alone with Helderic. Helderic sighed, admitting that he was reluctant to do this.
"When do I have to leave?" Agares asked.
"I can't provide you with any equipment. A saber's equipment is different from other jobs. It will make many people suspicious," Helderic replied.
Helderic gently patted Agares' shoulder, feeling sorry and sympathetic that he couldn't help him. Whatever was destined for him, Agares had to accept it no matter what happened.
"Perhaps… the gods have their own plans for you."
"Jonathan and the others will leave this afternoon. I suggest you leave Caer Vireth Castle at night. That's the best time for you," explained Helderic.
Agares sighed, then cleared his throat in agreement. He would follow Helderic's orders, heading to Stormgarde while learning saber combat techniques. He was confident that he would be able to survive with his saber job.
"Good. I pray to the gods to always grant you health and safety. Your life is now in your own hands, Agares."
The man took his leave. He stepped out of the job testing room and left the Magic Research Building. Helderic was the last to exit, one of the staff members came over with a shocked look on his face.
"Archmage. Is it true that Agares's job is—"
"We cannot disobey the emperor's orders. However, we cannot do it while he is still inside the palace complex," Helderic interrupted, feeling heavy-hearted about having to make such a decision.
"Do it at night," Helderic replied, glaring at the staff member beside him.
Without asking any questions, the male staff member knew what he had to do. He returned to his office and began informing the special team about the mission given by Helderic.
The old man stepped out of the Magic Research Building, then turned his eyes to the side to see Agares walking back to the chosen hero's house compound.
Agares wasn't stupid. Occasionally, he glanced back and saw Helderic's gaze fixed on him. It wasn't a friendly look, but one filled with ambition and seriousness.
The man didn't say or do anything until he arrived at the chosen hero's house. The door opened, Jonathan was the first to greet him.
Agares' suspicions were correct; there were many palace soldiers focusing their eyes on the selected hero's house, even though there had been no such troop deployment earlier.
Jonathan noticed Agares' restless demeanor. He asked him directly without hesitation.
"What's wrong? You look anxious, Agares," asked Joe.
"If you were Helderic, what would you do if one of the strangers who came to your place had a saber job?" Agares asked, making Jonathan think.
"Helderic seems to obey the rules. He also explained in detail that saber jobs are prohibited throughout the Empire. So, I would probably obey the rules to save my life and my future," Jonathan explained.
Agares fell silent upon hearing Jonathan's opinion. Jonathan did the same. However, his expression changed in shock when he realized the meaning of his words. His opinion was Agares' current anxiety.
"Wait! Don't tell me you—"
"The sudden deployment of troops after Helderic found out about my saber job was enough to make me suspicious," replied Agares.
"Then what are you going to do?" Joe asked anxiously.
The man shook his head, unsure of what to do because the situation was truly dire. Perhaps the best option was to flee as quickly as possible from Caer Vireth Castle.
"I can't help much, Agares. I hope you can survive in this world, no matter how difficult it gets," Joe replied, and Agares smiled.
"Thank you, Joe."
Now, it was time for Jonathan and the others to go to their destination, leaving Agares alone in the house. The staff from the Magic Research Building gave them equipment according to their jobs.
"Take care of yourself, Agares," Joe replied.
"I'm good at taking care of myself. You don't need to worry."
Jonathan cleared his throat. They stepped outside and left with a new destination.
However, it was different for Agares. He was still inside the house, waiting for his time to leave.
The clock ticked, silence filled the place, there was nothing Agares could do but wait. But one thing confused him: the attitude of the palace soldiers.
From outside, he heard the sound of horses neighing in their stables, not far from where he was.
"Maybe I can leave this place using that horse," Agares thought.
Fortunately, he had joined the US Army's reserve forces. This gave him some self-defense skills. He could use these skills to take down a few soldiers—but not all of them.
Agares came up with a plan to escape. He lit a fire and set several parts of the house ablaze, especially the flammable areas like curtains, sofas, windows, and wooden walls.
The red flames burned brightly inside the house, accompanied by black smoke billowing out of the windows. The scene attracted the attention of many soldiers.
"HELP! FIRE!" Agares shouted from inside the house.
The soldiers heard the shout. They opened the door and saw the entire house burned in a huge blaze. The soldiers shouted, trying to find Agares.
Agares peeked through the window and saw that the number of soldiers outside the house was decreasing, a sign that they were now focused on the inside. This gave Agares time to escape.
As the palace soldiers entered one by one, Agares took the opportunity to go to the stable. Fortunately, no one was guarding it.
Not only horses, Agares saw a set of equipment there, such as armor, spears, and swords. However, due to time limitations, Agares only took the horse and rode away from the chosen hero's house compound.
The soldiers saw a man in a green uniform with an abstract black pattern speeding away from the place. Many of them shouted Agares' name and asked the gate guards to stop him.
"Stop him! Don't let him escape!" shouted one of the soldiers, drawing everyone's attention to Agares.
Helderic saw the chaos ensuing. He turned and ordered his special team to get ready.
"Once he leaves the palace gates, kill him and get rid of his body!" Helderic explained.
"Yes, sir. We understand."
Agares managed to get past the palace guards, causing chaos inside Caer Vireth Palace. This immediately caught the attention of Princess Leonor.
"What's happening?" Leonor asked.
Helderic arrived in front of the woman and explained in detail what was happening. They were trying to arrest a high-level fugitive wanted by the Kingdom of Caer Vireth and the Great Empire. Princess Leonor immediately asked about it.
"Who exactly are you talking about?" Leonor asked.
"A chosen hero with the job of saber."
"Saber job? I didn't know that job still existed," said Leonor.
"Catch him quickly before the Great Empire finds out he's from Caer Vireth!" ordered Leonor firmly.
"We're doing it."
The front gate of Caer Vireth Palace was breached. Agares was completely outside the palace and had the chance to escape. However, he didn't know where to go.
Agares didn't know the location of Stormgarde City or any other city. That meant he had to go without a destination.
STAB!
"Akkhh!"
He groaned in pain after feeling his back being hit by a sword. When he turned around, he was being chased by five wizards flying in the sky.
"Stop and surrender, Saber!" they said.
'Damn! They must be Helderic's men,' replied Agares.
With no other choice, Agares continued to spur his horse at high speed along the main road of the city. The road connected one city to another, until his journey ended when royal troops blocked the road ahead of him.
In front of him were 20 fully-armored soldiers. Behind him were five wizards targeting him. At that moment, Agares was on a forest road with dense trees, he had no idea where the forest ended.
"Surrender and accept your death, Saber!" threatened the commander of the soldiers.
"You summoned me to this world just to kill me? What kind of joke is this?!" Agares shouted, still sitting on his horse while watching the area ahead.
His back was still wounded from the sword thrust, his body was so tired and weak. Agares could only think of one way to escape: to pass through the dense forest.
"Blame yourself for choosing the saber job!" they said sternly.
"That makes me even more convinced to continue living with this job!" said Agares.
The man spurred his horse to quickly enter the dense forest. The soldiers and wizards followed him into the forest.
The wizards continued to shoot their sword magic at Agares. The man tried to dodge, but the swords were so fast that they managed to injure several parts of Agares' body, such as his arms, waist, back, and cheek.
[WARNING!]
[Host HP drastically reduced]
[Heal immediately!]
A system panel appeared in front of Agares, explaining that his HP had decreased due to the sword magic attacks from the five wizards of Caer Vireth Castle. But Agares had to keep going.
He thought he would arrive at a village or town, but luck was not on his side. There was only a steep cliff at the end of the forest, with a fast-flowing river below. Agares was trapped.
Agares turned around and saw the soldiers and wizards from Caer Vireth Castle surrounding him. They were still trying to persuade him, as if asking Agares to return. Agares knew what it meant if he returned.
"If you want to kill me, why don't you do it now?!" Agares snapped.
STAB!
"Akh!"
A magic sword flew from their direction, piercing Agares's stomach. Agares vomited blood as his hands gripped the golden blade of the magic sword.
It wasn't the five wizards who attacked him, but Helderic. The man arrived with a beautiful woman in a dress beside him. Agares didn't know who she was.
"Helderic?" asked Agares.
"Forgive me, Agares. The Imperial Edict is absolute for us. We can't do much for you," Helderic replied softly.
"Death is good for you and the Great Empire. Don't worry, I'll always remember your name, Agares," Helderic explained.
"Nonsense!" Agares shouted.
"Damn the Imperial Decree! I will continue to live with my saber!" threatened Agares.
"I will not let you continue to persecute people like me!"
"I WILL FIGHT!"
Helderic sighed. He drew his magic sword and slashed Agares' stomach, causing blood to flow profusely, turning his face pale and causing him to vomit blood.
Agares lost his balance and fell off the cliff, his body sinking into the swift current of the river, too far for them to reach.
"Is he dead?" Leonor asked.
Helderic looked down and saw blood on the river's surface, a sign that Agares was dead.
"He's dead," Helderic replied.
"Should we look for his body?" asked the commander of the soldiers.
"No need. The crocodiles in that river are known to be vicious. You won't find anything at the bottom of the river," Helderic explained.
After confirming Agares' death, Helderic and the others left the area. Now, Agares was truly finished!