Chapter 101

Chapter 101 — Heroson’s Report

Imperial Year XXXX, September 22.

I, Heroson National, Knight of Patience, received His Majesty the Emperor’s command and, following the Indomitable Hero’s request that we give him a day to prepare, waited for one day before heading to the café operated by an Otherworlder whom the Indomitable Hero had summoned us to meet at.

As expected of a shop run by an Otherworlder, the building had an extremely foreign atmosphere.

However, the interior was neat and orderly, while calm music played in the background. After seeing the place, I could understand why the Hero had chosen it as one of his bases.

Security magic had been installed, although it remains unclear whether the proper authorization for installing said security magic had been obtained.

“Oh! You’re here, son?”

“My father is Alro Grand National, the Great Hero of Insight.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I just couldn’t remember your name.”

Before meeting the Indomitable Hero, I had heard several things about Kim In-gwang from my father, Alro Grand National, the Great Hero of Insight.

According to him, the Indomitable Hero Kim In-gwang was a rather strange individual.

He was timid and disliked making eye contact with others.

He hated troublesome things and had no interest in unnecessary formalities.

And apparently, he did not bother remembering names longer than three syllables.

Seeing him in person, I could only conclude that the description was remarkably accurate.

“Greetings! Monastery Class 1034! I am Aien de Yustria, Knight of Diligence! It is an honor to meet you, Senior!”

“Ah, there is no need to be so formal with me. Please treat me comfortably, Junior.”

“…Kuh. As expected of the son of a Great Hero…!”

Aien de Yustria, the Knight of Diligence, is faithfully carrying out her responsibilities as the Indomitable Hero’s observer.

She also performs an excellent role in restraining the unpredictable Indomitable Hero when necessary.

Her only weakness would be her young age.

However, in my opinion, that same childish innocence may actually be one of the reasons she is able to restrain the Indomitable Hero so effectively.

Therefore, I believe the recently discussed proposal to replace his observer should be reconsidered carefully.

“Aien… You really haven’t changed at all.”

“You haven’t changed either, mister.”

“Ha! This mister has become a magnificent Hero now! I’ve changed! Why don’t you start worshiping me too?”

“……”

“What? You’re not going to? Keep that up and I’ll take away your promotion potion!”

“I already drank it.”

I ask that serious consideration be given to the Great Hero of Insight’s opinion that, should Aien be forcibly replaced as his observer, there may be no remaining method capable of restraining the Indomitable Hero.

“Indomitable Hero. May I ask why you gathered us here?”

“I thought we should at least introduce ourselves before going to Karantlia.”

“Is that not something we could do while traveling to Karantlia?”

“Isn’t that my choice?”

From what I have observed, the Indomitable Hero possesses a somewhat childish side.

However, remembering the look in his eyes when he stood before His Majesty the Emperor, I do not believe he is merely childish.

At present, he intends to travel to Karantlia and act for the benefit of the Empire.

But I suspect that his true objective may lie elsewhere.

“All right. Introductions are done. Now, about what we’re going to do from here.”

After the Indomitable Hero’s rather playful introduction, we proceeded with a relatively ordinary discussion regarding our plans in Karantlia.

Through the discussion, it became clear that the Indomitable Hero considered far more possibilities than I had expected.

I also realized that the companions traveling with him support him much more firmly than the rumors suggested.

Whenever the Indomitable Hero proposed something excessively unstable or radical, the entire group would immediately correct him.

More importantly, the Indomitable Hero accepted their corrections without taking offense.

After witnessing this relationship, I believe his companions may simultaneously be the Indomitable Hero’s greatest weakness and the one thing he would never tolerate others touching.

“Then it looks like we’ve decided what present we’re giving Karantlia. Aien, I’ll attach my kids to you and this guy’s son, so go visit the Abyssal Pit.”

“Without you, mister?”

“I’ll send Mallang and Jjikjjik with you, so don’t worry.”

“…What are you planning to do after sending me away?”

“Nothing! I’m just going to finish talking with the Orca Emperor while you’re gone. The Village Chief is coming with me too. Don’t be so sensitive!”

The attitude he displayed was quite different from how he behaved in the audience chamber.

However, I suspect this may actually be closer to his true personality.

The discussion itself did not last very long.

Unfortunately, no one was able to stop the Indomitable Hero when he decided to try one of the café’s new menu items.

As a result, our departure was delayed by two hours.

The Indomitable Hero then suffered throughout the entire journey to Karantlia, continuously suppressing the urge to vomit.

The slime named Mallang, who possessed healing abilities, refused to assist him on the grounds that his suffering was entirely self-inflicted.

“…By the way, what happened to that village afterward?”

“Hoho. I called in specialists and helped with the reconstruction. The villagers may still receive some unpleasant looks, but I doubt anyone will openly reject them.”

“Ohhh. As expected of the Village Chief. I knew I could count on you~”

“Hohoho! It was only possible because In-gwang-nim had stockpiled such an enormous amount of bamboo. We have now established a separate bamboo trading company, and for the first time in quite a while, we are operating at a profit.”

“…Mister?”

“Huh? Uh… well, I don’t really know anything about that.”

The elderly man whom everyone in the party refers to simply as the Village Chief remains an individual whose true identity I have been unable to determine.

It became obvious very quickly that he is responsible for procuring the majority of the supplies consumed by the group.

However, I have yet to discover why the Indomitable Hero places such extraordinary trust in him.

Imperial Year XXXX, September 24.

Arrival at Prophecy Village.

Prophecy Village, which had previously collapsed due to an accident, had been rebuilt.

No.

It was now considerably more lively than it had been before.

Large numbers of travelers and merchants could be seen constantly entering and leaving the settlement.

The Indomitable Hero also appeared surprised by the change at first.

However, he soon encountered someone he knew.

Considering that he had already encountered several acquaintances during our journey toward Prophecy Village, I suspect his social abilities may be considerably better than rumors suggest.

The person’s name was Kang Taegong.

He is an Otherworlder like the Indomitable Hero.

According to the Indomitable Hero, Kang Taegong possesses an almost absolute advantage against merfolk, to the point that merfolk are practically helpless before him.

Recruiting this individual may be worth consideration.

“Oh my, it has been a while.”

“Oh, Kang Taegong-ssi. Ah! About what happened last time… I’m sorry.”

“Things like that happen in games. Are you going to the Undersea Dungeon again? No, I suppose it’s called Karantlia now.”

“Yes, yes. And you, Kang Taegong-ssi? Fishing again?”

“Yes. After the village was reconstructed, the place became prosperous again. A lot of useful goods started coming in.”

“Ohhh! Catch lots of fish!”

“Sure. You have fun with the game too.”

The Indomitable Hero I saw in the audience chamber seemed somewhat prickly, yet rational enough to understand the situation around him objectively.

The Indomitable Hero at the café seemed more like an immature adult with a childish personality.

But here, he showed yet another side of himself.

A surprisingly ordinary, common-person-like attitude.

Therefore, I believe it would be dangerous to define him using any single description.

For that reason, I also believe leaving the monitoring of such a person entirely to Aien de Yustria may be insufficient.

“Hmm. Looks like the village really did recover.”

Prophecy Village, which had once been half-destroyed following the mysterious bamboo forest explosion incident, had recovered at an astonishing speed.

A considerable number of Otherworlders were also visiting the village.

I confirmed that every ship currently traveling toward Karantlia had originated from Ipot.

It is obvious that Ipot has been making far greater efforts than the Empire to establish relations with Karantlia.

As the Indomitable Hero previously stated, I do not believe dispatching a Great Hero to this location would be a wise decision.

However, if only to keep Ipot in check, I believe the Empire must urgently establish friendly relations with Karantlia.

“Yes, next… Ah! The human Hero!”

“Huh? You know me?”

“Of course! How could I not know the lifelong benefactor who saved our merfolk?!”

“…Right! Hahaha!”

At the trade station built by Ipot, a merfolk responsible for managing transportation to Karantlia immediately recognized the Indomitable Hero.

If the Empire intends to establish friendly relations with Karantlia, it will be necessary to handle the Indomitable Hero carefully.

Should even a misunderstanding arise that he is being mistreated by the Empire, forming friendly relations with Karantlia may become considerably more difficult.

For example, the Indomitable Hero was allowed to board the ship to Karantlia without undergoing any inspection whatsoever.

Meanwhile, every member of his party, myself included, was subjected to a complicated and strict inspection process.

Even that inspection was only permitted after the Indomitable Hero personally asked them not to be excessively strict.

Considering Karantlia’s relationship with him, creating hostility between the Empire and the Indomitable Hero would provide no benefit whatsoever.

“Hoh. The inspection is far stricter than I expected. Now I understand why the Otherworlders outside the trade station were complaining.”

“The fact that they’re only complaining means there must be other ways to get inside besides this place. You should probably be grateful they’re only complaining for now.”

I do not know precisely how much information the Indomitable Hero possesses.

However, it appears that illegal entry services are currently being provided to Otherworlders within Prophecy Village.

Ipot, which currently sponsors Prophecy Village, appears to be turning a blind eye to this activity.

At the present rate, it is likely that the entire village will eventually fall under Ipot’s influence.

Prophecy Village itself exists as a location intended to reduce friction between the Empire and Ipot.

Therefore, allowing it to fall completely into Ipot’s hands is something that must urgently be prevented.

“Oh! Welcome, Human Hero Kim In-gwang!”

“Feels like it’s been a while. Ah, I’m a real Hero now too.”

“Hahaha! It truly pains me that I could not witness that moment! Had Karantlia’s Hall of Heroes still been intact, I would personally have taken you there!”

“If I’d known something like that existed, I would’ve helped way more seriously… You should’ve told me earlier!”

“Hooh? Then would you be willing to help even now?”

“As long as the reward is properly paid, I’m willing to help as much as you want.”

“Of course! If anyone refused to properly reward the lifelong benefactor of the merfolk, that person would have no right to call themselves a merfolk!”

The merfolk’s attitude toward the Indomitable Hero was far more favorable than I had expected.

No.

It surpassed mere favor.

Their emotions toward him seemed closer to admiration or even worship.

I do not know exactly what the Indomitable Hero accomplished for them.

However, every merfolk who recognized him expressed sincere goodwill toward him.

As we traveled through Karantlia, he received so many welcoming gifts that he could barely carry them all in his arms.

“I’m going to visit the Orca Emperor now. I’ll leave the great journey to retrieve the Great Hero of Hope’s spear to you future Heroes.”

“…I’ll be fine underwater because of the equipment I received here, but what about Heroson, Sir?”

“I will be fine, Miss Aien. Indomitable Hero, however, does Karantlia know why we intend to enter the Pit?”

“Yeah. From what I heard, they hate having that creepy thing sitting underneath them too. When I told them we’d remove it, they were pretty happy about it.”

Thanks to the overwhelming support and trust the merfolk showed toward the Indomitable Hero, I was able to head toward the Abyssal Pit alongside Aien de Yustria, the Knight of Diligence, Mallang the slime, and Jjikjjik, one of the Indomitable Hero’s summoned creatures.

We were told that beneath the Abyssal Pit existed a twisted region known as the Black-and-White World.

Sound did not travel there.

Color itself could no longer be perceived.

The person assigned to guide us through the region was Spotco Oxytopoda, the court archmage of Karantlia.

“I thought all humans were either disgusting like Kang Taegong or absurd like Kim In-gwang-ssi, but apparently there are some surprisingly normal humans too.”

Spotco Oxytopoda does not appear to possess particularly positive or negative feelings toward the Indomitable Hero.

Under her guidance, we descended into the Black-and-White World.

The environment resembled the Demon Realm said to exist at the center of the Maze Forest.

Even Leviathan, the legendary great sea monster known from ancient tales, was apparently not the highest predator within that ecosystem.

Horrific monsters incapable of satisfying their hunger endlessly devoured one another.

It could only be described as a true Demon Realm.

[This way. Follow me.]

Thanks to Spotco Oxytopoda’s guidance, we safely located the deep pit where the Great Hero of Hope had met his end.

There, a pile of crumbling dark ash remained alongside the skeletal remains of the merfolk Great Hero.

Four spears belonging to the Great Hero of Hope remained, exactly as the Indomitable Great Hero had previously stated.

Two were Holy Spears believed lost according to historical records.

One was the Spear of Great Unity, forged through the combined efforts of dwarves, elves, and humans.

And finally, there was the Spear of Hope.

It was said to have been crafted from the Great Hero of Hope’s own flesh and bones.

[Can you pull them out? We merfolk tried before, but they would not come out easily.]

Among the four spears used by the Great Hero of Hope, Aien de Yustria, the Knight of Diligence, managed to pull out one of the Holy Spears.

Jjikjjik, the Indomitable Hero’s summon, managed to retrieve the Spear of Great Unity.

However, there appeared to be some kind of qualification or condition required to pull out each weapon.

When I attempted to approach them, I experienced an intense sensation of rejection.

Mallang the slime found it difficult even to move near the spears.

Ultimately, we were unable to retrieve the Spear of Hope or the remaining Holy Spear.

We returned to Karantlia and reported the results to the Indomitable Hero.

“Hmm… So that’s what happened?”

Perhaps exhausted from his discussion with Karantlia’s Emperor, Keiller Wael Olsa, the Indomitable Hero appeared considerably tired.

The three individuals accompanying him appeared similarly exhausted.

As discussions concerning the relationship between the Empire and Karantlia were still unfinished, it was decided that the remaining members of the party, excluding those who had entered the Abyssal Pit today and the Indomitable Hero himself, would descend into the Pit the following day.

We then ended the day.

Imperial Year XXXX, September 26.

“It! Is! Over!”

After spending approximately three days negotiating with various levels of Karantlia’s ruling class, the Indomitable Hero announced that he had successfully obtained a positive response regarding friendly relations with the Empire.

From Karantlia’s perspective, they were already actively interacting with Ipot, another human power.

Therefore, they questioned whether establishing relations with the Empire was truly necessary.

They also criticized the Empire for waiting so long before returning after the initial contact with Karantlia.

Apparently, these issues were the reason the negotiations required so much time.

No matter how great a Hero the Indomitable Hero may be in the eyes of the merfolk, those responsible for protecting Karantlia’s interests still applied rational standards when dealing with him.

Having personally participated in one of the discussions, I believe the Indomitable Hero’s contribution to the negotiations was enormous.

However, the merfolk have stated that they intend to send representatives to the Empire in order to establish a more formal relationship.

Therefore, further discussion regarding this matter will be necessary.

“So, what? One spear is still left?”

“Yes. The most important one, the Spear of Hope, still cannot be removed.”

An elven girl named Leviingera, who possessed a somewhat mysterious atmosphere, retrieved the remaining Holy Spear without even touching it.

Thus, only one weapon left behind by the Great Hero of Hope remained in the Black-and-White World.

The Spear of Hope.

A spear created from the body of one of the greatest figures in human history.

A weapon known as the symbol of hope itself.

At this point, I wondered whether anyone among us possessed the qualifications to retrieve it.

Many people had already failed.

The only person remaining who had not attempted it was the Indomitable Hero, who had spent most of his time participating in long negotiations.

However, no one appeared particularly hopeful about his chances.

“Madness being hope? Those two things really don’t match at all.”

“Hey! I’m the Indomitable Hero now! Come on! A Hero! A Hero!”

“Mister, ever since becoming a Hero, you keep emphasizing it more and more. Do you like the title that much?”

“…Nobody actually treats me like a Hero….”

The Indomitable Hero, myself, and Spotco Oxytopoda, who served as our guide, descended together into the Abyssal Pit.

Although the Indomitable Hero had already entered the Black-and-White World once before, he appeared reluctant to return there.

[If even In-gwang-ssi cannot pull out that spear, does that mean we will have to leave that ominous thing underneath our people forever?]

The Indomitable Hero seemed unusually frightened of Leviathans.

However, once he stood before the spear, he smiled confidently.

He raised his thumb toward Spotco Oxytopoda before bravely placing his hand on the weapon.

I had originally believed him to be someone strongly connected to madness.

His rumors were also far from favorable.

Therefore, I did not expect him to successfully retrieve the spear.

However—

The Indomitable Hero pulled the Spear of Hope free as though proving all of us wrong.

Then, as if suddenly possessed by something, he began digging through the ground where the spear had been embedded.

There, he discovered the Stake of Patiens, the Great Hero of Patience and former companion of the Great Hero of Hope.

[As expected! In-gwang-ssi truly is someone the merfolk have much to thank for!]

I cannot say this with certainty.

However…

I have the strange feeling that, during that brief moment, I saw the Indomitable Hero secretly take something.

If I was not mistaken…

One enormous rib bone belonging to the merfolk Great Hero appeared to have disappeared.

Afterward, the Indomitable Hero decided to return to the Empire with his companions and continue future discussions there.

This concludes the report.

“Son, my daughter said spears really don’t suit her. Want to use this?”

“This is… a Holy Spear, is it not? I even failed to pull it out myself.”

“Things should be used by people who actually need them.”

This is merely my personal opinion.

However, I can now confidently agree with the assessment that the Indomitable Hero is an utterly unpredictable individual.

I have also come to understand why my father, the Great Hero of Insight, has been keeping such a close watch on the Indomitable Hero while attempting to draw him toward the Empire’s side.

The Indomitable Hero is unquestionably a dangerous individual.

Furthermore, because he is an Otherworlder, the Empire possesses no reliable method of keeping him tied to us.

The Indomitable Hero does not easily become attached to people.

However, judging by the way he treats those he considers his companions, I believe he is the type of person who will endlessly give to those he regards as his own.

I ask that you carefully consider the damage the Empire may suffer from keeping him close—

and the damage it may suffer from pushing him away.

[Separately from the Indomitable Hero, I will later submit an additional report concerning an Otherworlder witch named Lucy, who conceals her face and whom the Great Hero of Insight specifically instructed me to observe.]

“The son of a Great Hero really is different.”

Heroson sat there with a blank expression, apparently having lost consciousness under Pie’s magic.

I took the report about Pie from his hands and began reading it.

The only thing he should have known about the Witch of Corruption was whatever Grandpa Alro had told him.

Yet somehow, he had figured out quite a lot.

If Grandpa Alro read something like this, his suspicion that Pie might be the Witch of Corruption would probably turn into certainty.

That would be troublesome.

If Grandpa Alro truly became convinced of it, then in the worst-case scenario, he might even use his wish right to force me into a confrontation with Pie.

Seriously…

I thought I had somehow managed to get through everything safely.

But life really never goes the way you want it to.

“Rather than him being the son of a Great Hero, don’t you think the bigger problem was you constantly calling me Pie?”

“I thought I was being careful. Guess I need to be even more careful.”

Whenever I spoke with Pie, I was pretty sure I always checked whether anyone else was nearby.

Yet even those conversations had ended up written inside his report.

“We can manipulate it now, but we don’t know if we’ll be able to do the same thing next time. Someone might even discover that we erased his memories this time.”

“Come on. Until this happened, he was having fun hanging around with us. He probably won’t suspect anything.”

Maybe his good-natured personality came from Grandpa Alro.

Even though he had plenty of reasons to find me annoying, he seemed surprisingly happy whenever I called him “son.”

The report even contained a line saying he suspected I might be under Pie’s control.

That alone said plenty.

At least nothing particularly bad had been written in the report regarding the recovery of the spears.

He had not known there were originally five items either.

So when I made up some nonsense about the extra one being a stake or whatever, he simply accepted it.

At worst, this incident might result in more people monitoring me.

That much, I could tolerate.

“Then I’m going to alter it, okay? You’re sure this is fine?”

“Of course. It’s perfectly fine. Just be careful so no one notices. Even if something goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility, so don’t worry.”

Watching Heroson sit there with unfocused eyes and drool dripping from his mouth was starting to make me feel slightly guilty toward Grandpa Alro.

I couldn’t keep this going for long.

We should finish quickly.

“I do feel a little sorry about this, Sir Heroson.”

Next.