Heroes and Their Qualifications (5)
Long ago,
the world faced a perilous situation.
It was because the first Demon King had appeared.
After his emergence, the sky was always shrouded in gloomy gray clouds, the once-fertile earth was overrun with the tracks of monsters and demonic beasts, and it was an era where hope was nowhere to be found.
But that wasn’t all.
The Great Forest was set ablaze, fog began to envelop the Dragon King mountain range,
the once-mighty kingdom was fractured into dozens of states due to internal strife.
The repository of all knowledge, the first Tower of Magic, was lost, its traces nowhere to be found.
The age of chaos had arrived.
Everyone who laid eyes on the Demon King’s banner fluttering in the distance perished.
Children and the elderly, all of them.
No human could survive.
Even if they resisted, they could only buy a moment’s time. It was impossible to stand against his army, no matter how powerful a warrior emerged.
There was simply no one who could properly resist the Demon King.
There was no one to lead and be the focal point for everyone.
The massacre continued and seemed as if it would last forever.
Then one day, a hero appeared.
The Goddess, pitying the people suffering under the Demon King, personally sent a hero from another world.
The hero said to everyone,
“I will defeat the Demon King for this world.”
At first, everyone ignored those words.
The situation was too desperate for them to believe in such vain hope.
It was impossible for humans to stand against demonkind.
But the hero from another world was powerful.
He could contend with the demonkind, who could annihilate the armies of humanity in an instant.
He vanquished countless demonic beasts and monsters with the power of the Goddess.
Even if an unbeatable demonkind appeared, he somehow overcame and ultimately defeated them.
After the hero appeared, the tide of war quickly turned.
The scattered armies began to rally.
The counterattack had begun.
However, even such a hero faced an enemy he could not defeat.
Even the hero, who would rise again tired and weary to cut down his enemies, had such moments.
Therefore, to aid the hero in crisis, the strong began to gather, and under the Goddess’s choice, four companions started to assist the hero, pushing back the Demon King’s forces.
When he lacked strength, he sought enlightenment from others. He was not afraid to learn where he was lacking.
Thus, he learned martial arts from a master.
He learned the sword from a mentor.
With the help of companions and teachers, the hero grew stronger, not only defeating the demonkind but also advancing to defeat the Demon King. For the world to become better, the Demon King had to die.
Before leaving, he promised his love to a princess of a small kingdom, and the hero set out towards the Demon King.
If a demonic beast charges, the swordsman cleaves it in two.
The demonkind lurking in the distance, the archer pierces through.
When injured and battle-worn, the saint’s power heals.
And the overflowing foes, the mage destroys with their magic.
After shaking off countless dangers, the hero finally stood before the Demon King.
The Demon King was formidable.
A monstrous strength.
He boasted a might that could overwhelm dragons, and his magic could erase continents, cornering the hero.
The power gained from the hero’s mentors and teachers was not enough.
The hero could not withstand the Demon King in a contest of strength.
But the hero had companions.
As long as they stood by him, the hero would continuously rise and confront the Demon King.
‘Is this truly your choice…, oh Goddess…….’
The battle between the hero and the Demon King lasted for 13 days, and at last, the Demon King was pierced by the hero’s sword, uttering a brief death rattle before dying.
With the Demon King’s demise, the weakened demonkind either perished or vanished, and the demonic beasts and monsters, no longer under demonkind control, were slowly reduced in number by the soldiers, eventually disappearing from the continent.
An era of peace had arrived.
But the aftermath of the battle was still present.
The surviving human population was roughly half of what it once was.
The nations were too devastated to care for the victims of the war.
The first Dragon King, who had led the harmony with humans, had used too much of his power opposing the Demon King and ultimately lost his life.
Moreover, the Eastern Continent, once called the continent of pleasure, was torn away from the Central Continent due to the aftermath of the battle between the hero and the Demon King, and thereafter, it came to be known as the Cursed Continent.
The land was diminished, and even fewer were those left to work it.
The kings who had fled first when the Demon King’s forces invaded were the quickest to return to their nations, trying to exploit their citizens.
They needed the power of the people to rebuild their shattered nations as quickly as possible.
The citizens resisted.
They, who had contended with demonkind, were not afraid of the royal blades.
There were no people left to kneel to the treacherous royalty.
Conflict among humanity,
A moment when chaos might return once again─── that’s when the hero spoke to everyone.
‘Please, unite your strength as long as I, who have received the Goddess’s power, exist.’
The hero, who had killed the Demon King but did not boast, humbly asked this of everyone.
The kings agreed.
They would follow his words, as the hero had slain the Demon King.
The citizens also agreed.
They would follow his words, as the hero had saved the world.
To stabilize the turbulent political situation, the nations were unified.
Food was distributed to the poor, and fields were tilled alongside the farmers.
Those too impoverished and turned to thievery were reformed.
Occasional demonkind that appeared were repelled with the help of companions, and the hero worked diligently.
The world was gradually stabilizing under the hero’s aid.
Then, one day, it happened.
The hero disappeared.
Without informing anyone of his whereabouts, he vanished during his usual daily routine.
People searched for the hero, but ultimately, it was impossible to pinpoint his location.
Even after several years, not a whisper of him was heard.
Even when the saint earnestly inquired of the Goddess, there was no response.
Then one day, perhaps moved by the saint’s devotion, who had continued to pray without a sip of water for years, the Goddess spoke.
“The hero has returned to his original world. Do not worry, for when the next danger arises, another hero will appear.”
According to the Goddess, the hero had returned to his original world.
That he had returned to his original world after dedicating himself to this one.
That he had gone back without receiving any reward for his deeds.
The hero’s companions were deeply shocked.
All they had done was to help him.
But more shocked than them was a princess from a small kingdom, who had promised her love to the hero.
He had promised to return to her side no matter what.
He had promised upon the name of the Goddess.
He had vowed to protect her no matter what…
After the hero vanished, the princess could do nothing but lie in bed, unable to eat or drink.
She had done much by the hero’s side.
Thanks to her, her kingdom had grown from a small border nation to become the largest kingdom.
Perhaps that was why? As the princess ceased her duties, the kingdom itself began to decline.
The courtiers pondered how to restore the princess.
But the answer did not come easily.
The hero’s companions were also worried.
Since they hadn’t done much for the hero, they decided to comfort his lover themselves.
It was the least they could do in honor of the hero.
They decided on a song.
As the minstrel began to recite the tales of the hero’s adventures with a sweet voice, the princess’s condition gradually improved. Eventually, she overcame her despair and rose again.
The hero’s companions also found some solace in the song.
Soon, the citizens too began to sing along, honoring the hero who had departed before them.
Thus, the story for the hero filled the nation.
A song for the hero who would undoubtedly appear to save the world when it was in peril again.
*
The tale of the hero.
Children who heard the story would each ignite a small spark of the hero within their hearts for their own reasons.
After all, a hero is stronger, cooler, and more virtuous than anyone else.
It’s something to be naturally longed for.
But once they learn the rule that all heroes come from another world, such wishes are naturally forgotten.
Yet, some people didn’t care. All the heroes so far had been from other worlds, but anomalies could happen at any time.
…And so, that story also ignited a small spark in the heart of a certain girl.
The half-dragon of the Dragon Kingdom.
A girl who wanted to be a hero more than anyone else.
A hero is a being of noble stature.
So I will become the hero,
For I alone can bear that pain.
Such a spark,
A little like the others,
Yet a little different.
A tiny spark of a crack.
* * *
The territory of the Dragon Kingdom is vast.
It’s hard to believe that it was established by those chased by humans because of its enormity.
They were the only ones who could have cultivated the western edge of the unexplored continent. It was land where only the powerful dragons, with their strong bodies, could survive. So it can be said that it was fate for the Dragon Kingdom to emerge in such land.
The vastness of the land, having consumed the entire western side of the continent, naturally meant a massive territory.
Although the land that is actually livable is limited… still, when considering the overall size, it’s quite expansive.
And I am walking across such a vast expanse of land.
For a full two hours.
Damn it.
If only the land were a little smaller.
Or if I had secured lodgings a bit closer to the city center.
The place where we, under Nicola’s escort, secured our lodgings is the West End District.
The place I’m heading to now is the capital of the Dragon Kingdom, Dragon Capital. It’s fair to say it’s akin to an imperial capital. Still, it takes over half a day to walk from the West End District to Dragon Capital.
Well, the place I’m going to is a bit out of the way, so it doesn’t take quite that long.
Hmm, so what was it that I decided to do first when I got there?
I chose to deliver a letter.
A letter left by Troka. I decided to deal with that first.
Delivering the letter is simple.
And then it’s over when you come back later.
So I planned to do it alongside other tasks.
For example, going to meet Bella.
That was the plan.
Well, it’s just a simple change of heart. Everything will be over soon anyway. I thought it would be better to just deal with things one by one rather than trying to do everything at once.
If I have to walk anyway, it’s not bad to get a head start, right?
It’s good for your health too.
After a long walk, I arrived at a secluded shop.
From the outside, the building looked like it might sell antiques or some other relics of the past, its facade worn with age. However, the interior told a different story. When I first came here, I even wondered if it might be an abandoned ruin… That’s what I thought. I remember thinking Troka must have lost his mind, calling such a place a shop. Honestly, wouldn’t it be strange not to have such thoughts upon seeing its appearance?
At the very least, there wasn’t a store that looked like this in the autonomous district.
Well, despite its appearance, I heard the business was doing quite well, so it probably hadn’t gone out of business.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the letter, the one Troka had written to me. With the letter in hand, I opened the door and stepped inside the shop.
I have a feeling no one is going to end up happy in this story