Chapter 9. The First Hero (3)
Now that I’ve chosen the path of a chef, there’s probably no one more reassuring to have around than Inaye.
Kim Seongchan had been watching Inaye talk with Kosdal when their eyes met.
“Um... should we move somewhere else?”
She clearly wanted to change locations.
Kim Seongchan agreed.
This wasn’t exactly a good place to have a conversation while all the villagers stared at them.
“The village chief’s house would be good.”
Kim Seongchan spoke to the man who appeared to be the group’s leader.
However, the man refused to guide them.
“Just because you’re carrying a subspace pouch doesn’t mean you have the trust of a noble. It’s not good for a Hero to go around pretending to be one.”
Now that he had been given a little time to think, the leader seemed to have come up with something that sounded convincing.
The first part was true.
But the second part was nothing more than a ridiculous assumption.
Even so, the villagers seemed to believe it.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
“I never said I was a noble.”
“That’s why I said you’re pretending to be one!”
Even after being corrected, the man stubbornly twisted his words.
Rather than arguing, it would be faster to prove that he truly was someone trusted by nobles.
“If. Ella.”
For the first time, the Fire Spirit If and the Water Spirit Ella appeared in response to Kim Seongchan’s call.
I produced mana before going to sleep.
Some of the black mana he had encountered before regressing still remained inside his body, even after the regression.
It was black mana that would naturally disappear from his body after a few days.
When he had reached his hundredth regression, he had found it wasteful to simply let all that black mana vanish.
After trying countless methods, he eventually discovered a way to handle mana.
[You have learned Chaos Dragon Mana Cultivation Technique (S)!]
After several more regressions beyond his hundredth, it had become a skill he could learn within an hour before going to sleep.
Thanks to the Chaos Dragon Mana Cultivation Technique, his body now contained an abundant supply of mana.
With that mana being provided to them, Ella and If were able to cross over from the Spirit Realm into this world.
If appeared surrounded by brilliant flames.
Ella emerged amid a spray of glittering water.
Spirits are special.
To those who couldn’t handle mana, the existence of spirits inspired both mystery and fear.
The moment the leader saw the spirits, his tension became painfully obvious.
“You don’t even know what I came here to do for you, so why are you treating me like this?”
“What could you possibly do for us?! There’s nothing left for you people to take!”
The leader’s eyes were filled with bitterness.
Kim Seongchan could feel his anger toward nobles and Heroes.
Looking at him, Kim Seongchan answered casually.
“Something good.”
His voice was light, but at the same time, his expression turned serious.
The hostility in the leader’s eyes wavered.
His gaze slowly fell toward the ground.
Eventually, he looked away completely.
“I’m late with the introduction. My name is Taylor.”
The appearance of the spirits had weakened Taylor’s confidence.
Kim Seongchan’s expression finished the job.
“So you’re Taylor, the village chief’s son.”
“How did you know?”
“From how confident you were acting.”
He had been boldly acting like the village leader.
How could Kim Seongchan not figure it out?
Apparently remembering what he had just done, Taylor quickly turned around and started walking toward the houses.
“I’ll guide you.”
Kim Seongchan stopped him before he could leave.
“What are you going to do with the Wild Pigs?”
“What do you mean? We’ll burn them.”
“Then gather them all in one place.”
“Why should we do that?”
“If you don’t want to do something you’ll regret later, I suggest you listen.”
Kim Seongchan didn’t explain any further.
It was a kind of test.
When these people had first seen Kim Seongchan, they had distrusted and suspected him.
If they still refused to listen even after he told them this much, Kim Seongchan wouldn’t help them.
If they listened, he would.
If opened his mouth and released a burst of flames.
Whoooosh!
The flames were powerful enough to burn a person without any trouble.
Through their emotional connection, If could understand Kim Seongchan’s feelings and thoughts.
And right now, the flames he released carried one very strong message.
Please, just listen to him.
He really knows how to read the situation.
After finishing his display, If looked at Kim Seongchan with expectant eyes.
“For now, I’ll guide you first.”
Kim Seongchan stroked If’s head and sent him a wave of pleased emotions.
“Kyaaaar~”
If let out a delighted cry.
“Hii~”
Ella, who had been watching from beside them, began whining.
Kim Seongchan stroked her head as well.
“You both came out right away when I called. Good job. The people are scared, so could you go back now?”
If and Ella nodded before disappearing.
Ordinary spirits would usually want to remain outside a little longer.
Yet these two listened exceptionally well.
If a Spirit Master had witnessed the scene, they might have desperately asked Kim Seongchan for his secret.
Everything had gone so smoothly that it was almost absurd.
Inaye stared at them in fascination.
“Your spirits listen to you really well.”
“That’s because I’m good at it.”
Kim Seongchan climbed down from his horse.
He looked toward Inaye, who had approached him at some point.
Her voice carried a trace of nostalgia as she spoke.
“The guild master who died while fighting the Demon King’s army used to control a Wind Spirit. It never listened and constantly sent wind flying everywhere, so the guild members suffered quite a bit.”
“I see. Wind Spirits do tend to be energetic.”
“You seem to know a lot about them.”
“I’ll take care of the horses.”
Taylor interrupted them even though they were still talking.
Apparently, Inaye really was disliked around here.
Kim Seongchan handed his horse’s reins to Taylor.
Taylor also took Kosdal’s horse before walking away.
Naturally, their conversation came to an end.
Inaye looked as though she wanted to continue talking, but Kim Seongchan didn’t say anything.
There will be plenty of time to talk later.
Inaye had been talking while remembering the past.
About the Wind Spirit.
One of the reasons Kim Seongchan had deliberately summoned If and Ella was to attract Inaye’s interest in the first place.
They opened the door to the village chief’s house.
The kitchen was immediately visible from the entrance.
There were chairs around a table, with cups and a kettle sitting on top.
Pourrr—
Hot water was poured into the cups, and steam rose from them.
“I am Berureo, the chief of Tolkan Village. We have such distinguished guests, yet all I can offer you is water. Please forgive me.”
“It’s fine. Even the water of the Positk Kingdom is more than enough to count as generous hospitality.”
Kosdal’s answer practically overflowed with pride in the Positk Kingdom.
Kim Seongchan tasted the water.
This isn’t water from the Positk Kingdom.
They were currently in the Terk Kingdom.
However, this village was close enough that getting water from the Positk Kingdom wouldn’t have been difficult with a little effort.
If they had wanted to prepare it, there was no reason they couldn’t have.
Kim Seongchan hoped Kosdal had only said that to avoid embarrassing Berureo.
Kosdal, who was more loyal to his king than anyone else, took a sip.
“The water tastes a little different. This isn’t it.”
“Please keep that thought to yourself.”
Kim Seongchan’s warning failed to reach Kosdal.
“We’re close enough to obtain the finest Positk water. How could they not use it?”
Kosdal said exactly what was on his mind, looking completely unable to understand.
“Hohoho. If I had known such distinguished guests would be arriving, I would have prepared some. My apologies.”
“He probably doesn’t know they charge money for the water.”
Kosdal instantly reacted to Kim Seongchan’s words.
“No! That’s impossible!”
The Positk Kingdom did not sell its water.
Daltan believed that water was the same as life itself.
To take money in exchange for water was, in his eyes, no different from cutting off someone’s life.
That was why he provided water for free.
Kosdal understood Daltan’s beliefs better than most, so the revelation visibly shocked him.
Kim Seongchan spoke again, making sure Kosdal understood.
“If you try to take more than a certain amount, you have to pay before they let you leave with it.”
Kosdal finally seemed to understand what Kim Seongchan meant.
There was indeed a charge for people who greedily tried to carry away excessive amounts of water.
“That only applies when someone loads enough water onto a wagon to take as much as physically possible. Normally, no one does that. A person can take enough drinking water to last an entire week.”
“Maybe that was how it worked at first. Now they charge you even for filling a single bucket.”
Kosdal looked toward Berureo, apparently unable to believe Kim Seongchan.
Berureo gave him a bitter smile.
It was the kind of smile that confirmed Kim Seongchan wasn’t lying.
“What?! Then... more importantly, how did you know that?!”
“Are you asking me? You’ve been watching me this whole time. There aren’t many things I don’t know.”
They had only been together for one full day and were now on their second.
Yet Kim Seongchan had repeatedly known things even Kosdal didn’t.
Kosdal still looked as though he found it difficult to believe.
Berureo, who had been listening to their conversation, carefully studied Kim Seongchan.
If someone this important treats him so casually, he must be a fairly successful Hero. At least he didn’t scold me for only serving water.
When Kosdal first mentioned the highest-grade Positk water, Berureo had felt nervous and even thought him selfish.
His village was already struggling just to survive.
Being told to spend money on expensive water to entertain guests made him feel suffocated.
But after listening to the full conversation, he realized Kosdal hadn’t said it with malicious intent.
The knight before him simply possessed enormous pride in the Positk Kingdom.
“It seems I unintentionally caused an argument between the two of you. My apologies.”
“It’s fine. As long as the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”
“May I ask who this knight is?”
Inaye, who had been listening to the three of them, answered.
“This is Sir Kosdal, Captain of the Knights of the Positk Kingdom.”
Inaye introduced Kosdal casually.
But to Berureo, those words carried such weight that he almost forgot how to breathe.
Cold sweat began running down his face.
If the man before him was the captain of an entire kingdom’s knight order...
Then who exactly was this Hero who could speak so casually with him?
Maybe he isn’t actually a Hero.
Not everyone carrying a high-grade subspace pouch was a Hero.
There were nobles who pretended to be Heroes as well.
Some cruel nobles even tormented villagers who dared to treat them like ordinary Heroes.
Once his thoughts reached that point, Berureo hurriedly stood up before dropping to his knees.
“To think Your Majesty would visit such a humble place. It is an honor to meet you.”
Kim Seongchan silently looked toward Kosdal.
Kosdal stared back in confusion.
A moment later, he finally understood what had happened, and his expression turned unpleasant.
“What part of him looks like His Majesty?”
“Th-that is...?”
“WHAT PART OF HIM MADE YOU THINK HE WAS HIS MAJESTY?!”
What were the chances Berureo had ever personally seen a king?
Probably close to none.
And what were the chances he had seen the king of another kingdom?
Even lower.
“B-but if someone with this much charisma isn’t a king, then who could he possibly be?”
“Charisma?! That’s just a scary-looking face! His Majesty doesn’t look like that!”
Kim Seongchan had been sitting there quietly, yet somehow ended up having his appearance insulted.
“I’m Hero Kim Seongchan. Sir Kosdal, why don’t you step outside for a moment and calm down?”
“Do I look like I’m in a state where I can calm down?!”
“I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry! I made a terrible mistake because I did not recognize His Majesty!”
Berureo immediately began apologizing over and over again.
Kosdal faltered slightly at the sight of the village chief sincerely begging forgiveness for his misunderstanding.
Kim Seongchan smoothly stepped in.
“Because he feels so sorry, he promised that if Sir Kosdal ever has a request, he’ll help as much as he possibly can.”
“Thank you! Thank you very much, Sir Kosdal!”
Berureo immediately accepted the arrangement before Kosdal could even speak.
“You’re not going to accept that, Sir Kosdal?”
“Do you even understand what you’re doing right now?”
“You’ll be playing an important role in something that’s going to happen later.”
“You’re saying that because of your future-sight ability, aren’t you? I refuse.”
Kosdal rejected him in a firm voice.
After glaring at Berureo with an intensity that made it seem like he might kill the village chief on the spot, Kosdal left the house.
The room suddenly became quiet.
Kim Seongchan picked up his cup.
Sip.
He calmly drank the water.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward him.
“He said he won’t do it. Will that really be okay?”
Hearing the concern in Inaye’s voice, Kim Seongchan helped the village chief back to his feet.
“It’s fine. This isn’t the first time Sir Kosdal has acted like that.”
“I heard some of your conversation outside because things were rather noisy. My son behaved rudely toward you. I apologize.”
“It’s fine. I understand that he acted that way because he didn’t know the circumstances. What I’d like to hear is why everyone treats Hero Inaye so poorly, and why the people of this village have become like this.”
Berureo coughed awkwardly several times at Kim Seongchan’s direct question before drinking some water.
Once he had calmed himself, Berureo began going back through the events of the past, searching for the proper place to begin.
Perhaps memories of everything they had suffered were returning to him one after another.
His voice trembled.
“Whenever Wild Pigs invaded in the past, soldiers from the Terk Kingdom would immediately come running. But one day, they stopped coming. The damage grew worse and worse... and only when we were on the verge of death did Hero Inaye appear and kill the Wild Pigs for us.”
Berureo’s voice shook.
“Truly... Hero Inaye came when we were about to die.”
Kim Seongchan finally understood why the villagers had looked at the knights with such hostility.
The knights had abandoned the people they were supposed to protect.
And instead of those knights, Hero Inaye had come alone.
They must have felt abandoned.
Village Chief Berureo lowered his head as he continued speaking.
His hands were trembling.
