Voice of the Hero

"Hey—how much longer am I supposed to stay here? I'm a hero, aren't I? What I should be doing now is driving the undead monsters out of the city, not lying on a bed playing games with you. That would disgrace the name of a hero. Don't you agree, big sisters?"

At the inn where Tiadam and Denolan were staying, the maids of Grand Duke Veir Nas had firmly bound the bandit Tiadam to the bedframe with mithril threads and blades.

"Hey—at least say something, big sisters..."

"Shut up," Kui, the head maid, said softly. "It isn't your time to act... You have to stay here..."

"So you can talk..." Tiadam glanced sideways at Kui. Her blue-black hair was like ink, while her light brown eyes carried a cold air beneath the room's dim light. Her rough hands tightly gripped a mithril dagger.

Tiadam's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and the maids tightened the mithril threads in their hands another notch.

"Um... big sisters... I need to use the bathroom..."

"Piss the bed," Kui said quietly.

Points of starlight glittered in the pitch-black night sky. Denolan stood on the commercial street of the upper district, gazing up at the heavens. Canfor residents knelt all around him, praying to the High God, while the road leading to Salat Church was packed with people.

"——Messenger of the High God, please descend quickly, descend quickly, and wipe out that evil in one stroke—"

"***?" Denolan murmured. "In just a few hours... the savior had changed from Tiadam into ***?"

Denolan lowered his head and knelt with the believers, singing the newly composed hymn. Though Denolan's parents had never believed in the High God, though Denolan himself had never believed in this so-called High God, though the so-called *** had never appeared in the doctrines of the Ouston Church, still—

He wanted to believe in this so-called deity, even if it had merely been fabricated.

"Denolan... if you can... find somewhere safer to hide..." Tiadam's earlier words began echoing through Denolan's mind.

"I... don't even know whether I'm really some kind of... hero..."

Tiadam's figure resurfaced before Denolan's eyes. The dark-red sky reflected upon Tiadam, and for that moment, Denolan had actually thought he looked rather like a hero.

"As for driving back undead monsters... I don't have any confidence at all. If you keep hanging around with me... I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from dragging you to your death with me..." Tiadam said with a bitter smile.

"If you're not a hero, then... why not run away with me?" Denolan asked.

"I don't know." Tiadam's answer was both bewildered and blunt. "Maybe it's because the blood of the first-generation hero runs through my body... Or maybe I simply don't want to retreat..."

"Why?" Denolan asked. "You don't want to retreat... Do you know how terrifying the curses those monsters carry are? Do you know the misery of being unable to live or die?"

"I don't." Tiadam let out a soft breath. "But someone has to stand up against the monsters... Since those mages, witches, martyrs, and the rest refuse to step forward, since they all want to flee using teleportation arrays, then—I'll step up."

"Catch."

As he spoke, Tiadam tossed the money pouch at his waist to Denolan. Inside were five Kralimaya Gold Coins and twenty Kralimaya Silver Coins. "I robbed you of a pouch of gold coins and two rings before. Consider this your compensation—"

"That money and those rings... weren't mine," Denolan said.

"Fine, then." Tiadam jumped down from the windowsill. "If I really do drive back the monsters, just give the money back to me—"

"Tiadam... I-I'm sorry... I'm a coward..." Denolan's hands trembled without stop...

"Um... big sisters, you haven't made things difficult for my brother, have you..." Tiadam cast a glance out the window.

"No," Kui said.

"That's good." Tiadam let out a long sigh. "I was really afraid you'd deal with that kid the same way you dealt with me. You know country folk are easily frightened."

"Quiet." Kui's voice grew even colder.

"Then answer one last question, and I'll stop talking," Tiadam said.

"Ask."

"Did Dilanna and Eliyi think I might run away, so they had you escort me to drive back the monsters?" Tiadam asked.

"No."

"Then why are you holding me down?"

"You've finished asking your questions." Kui pressed the mithril dagger against Tiadam's face. "You can shut up now."

"How much longer will it take for these undead monsters to break the witch's barrier? I'm already tired of waiting." Grand Duke Veir Nas swirled the wineglass in his hand.

"Judging by the situation, another one or two hours..." Yetara, who had just regained his youth, sat atop his mansion's tall tower with Veir Nas, watching the monsters invade Canfor.

"XX, have you set up your teleportation array? You're talking about being impatient, but you're just sitting here." Yetara looked disdainfully at Grand Duke Veir Nas. This sixteen-year-old boy made the lord feel uncomfortable all over.

"I set up a teleportation array leading to Alderbu three days ago..." Veir Nas took a small sip of his wine. "What about you, Samara? Is your teleportation array ready?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Samara. I abandoned that name long ago—" Yetara drained his wine in one gulp. "And thank you for your concern. Ben's teleportation array has long been ready. I hope we never meet again!"

"Mmm~ Your answer wasn't elegant at all~" Veir Nas said half-jokingly.

"I wonder what the northern gods will think when they discover that something so terrible has happened in Canfor under your jurisdiction. Will they dig up what happened a thousand years ago as well, pile on the charges, and make an example of you—"

"Veir Nas, you!"

"Just a joke... Don't take it too seriously—traitor Samara."

"Hehehe—"

Yetara and Grand Duke Veir Nas exchanged smiles.

"This power should be the real thing—"

At this moment, the slime Talatala and its kin occupied the ruins of Labi Village. The slimes were clearing away silt and curses. The yellow-green rotten soil passed through Talatala and its kin, its decaying energy becoming part of them, while the soil stripped of that decaying energy turned into ordinary black earth.

"Tatapila, we haven't seen each other in a long time—I thought you were dead." A gigantic humanoid spider arrived from the direction of Canfor.

"Honored Webweaver, Lady Risala." Talatala twisted its body and bowed to the gigantic humanoid spider. "The Pipitala you mentioned was my father. I am his eldest child, Talatala, and these are my kin. We were ordered by the Demon King to cleanse this village of its curses."

"Lingering memories... truly characteristic of slimes..." Risala returned Talatala's bow. "I, too, was ordered by the Demon King to lead my kin here and take charge of repairing this place."

"Then where are your kin?" Talatala could not help asking when it saw that Risala had come alone.

"My kin are still hiding beneath Canfor. The decaying power in this forest is simply too strong for them to endure, so I came here first to observe your cleanup work and prepare to bring them here," Risala answered.

"Forgive my boldness, but I have a question..." Talatala twisted its form. "Since your kin are still beneath Canfor, then who is responsible for the decaying power emanating from within the city? Could it be the Demon King himself..."

"That decaying power is powerful, but it has nothing to do with the Demon King. It was produced by the new god manipulating causality, mainly for future plans."

"A new god?" Talatala asked.

"Yes—it is a new god born from within the Ancient One, meant to awaken the other Ancient Ones."

"In that case... thank you for clearing up my confusion." Talatala twisted its form.

"No need for thanks," Risala said, returning the gesture.

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