Episode 210: A Hero on an Unnamed Island in the Western Continent
.
It is a name that is only a hope for some, a mere object of envy for others, and a hateful name for others.
A person who casually transcends the limits that a criminal can never escape.
That’s why he has to shoulder the loneliness and live his whole life.
that’s a hero
Of course, the definition of a hero is not absolute.
Some people consider a person who defeated the wandering demon king in an old picture book to be a hero, while others call a person who does not compromise their beliefs with irrationality a hero.
Then, who on earth is worthy to be called a hero by everyone?
The answer is simple.
Only those who are recognized by everyone deserve to be called a hero.
“Haa…”
The dark-haired young man closed the book.
There was such a good book in the run-down common library in the village.
Why haven’t I been able to find it yet?
He sighs again and murmurs.
“Whew… Yeah… No matter how much God acknowledges it, what kind of hero is that if he’s not recognized by everyone?”
I tried talking to people around me, but no one listened, so of course I didn’t hear an answer.
However, the young man’s muttering did not stop.
“It would be better if I could just go outside like this… and I can’t break the village order…”
It seems that there were two outcasts in the past, but the incident has made the rules stricter.
There probably won’t be any changes in the rules in the village for the next hundreds of years.
That’s why the taste was more bitter.
“It is said that hardship and adversity are well-meaning in the village… but I will never be a hero with this.”
With a wry smile, ‘Isn’t it?’ Then, as he struck the sword attached to his waist, the sword let out a long resonant sound.
Uuuuong-
I was sitting blankly by the riverside basking in the sun to shake off my gloomy mind when a woman with outstanding short hair approached me.
“ha ha ha. Are you lamenting your life here again? Let’s practice at a time like this.”
“Hessiah.”
It sits on a nearby rock, shaking off any visible dirt.
“okay. Why are you crying again this time? Did you hear what the village elders said?”
Jeore-jeolre-
“Umm… I was hungry and stole food from the kitchen?”
Hessia’s words made him frown.
“Do you know I am you? That’s what you do.”
“So I give it to you too. Tell me, are you our accomplice?”
“Whew… I shouldn’t be talking.”
He picked up a stone and threw it into the river.
Seeing that, Hesia laughs weakly.
“…Are you talking about that hero again?”
“…”
Seeing that no answer came, he must have hit the point.
My heart tingles as I picture her soon-to-be-disappointed face in my mind.
Contrary to what I thought, unexpected words came from Hesia’s mouth.
“…ha ha ha. It would be nice to be absorbed in something or have something to think about… Yes, sometimes I envy you for that.”
His head naturally turned toward her at the serious voice he hadn’t heard before.
“You…”
“Now, the small talk ends here!”
She immediately got up from her seat.
He straightened the sword that was randomly placed on his back and smiled.
“You’d better devote yourself to training to the point where you can’t even think about anything right now.”
He shuddered and joked, waved his hand, and quickly disappeared.
He looked at the rock on which Hessia was sitting.
Somehow, it seems that the last words she left were not to herself, but to herself, as if to promise themselves.
* * *
A middle-aged man stands with his hands behind his back in a dense forest.
In front of him, more than thirty children were kneeling.
The middle-aged man’s expression is so terrifying as to what makes him so angry.
It looks similar to that of an idiot who wants to hit the head of a treacherous criminal right away.
“To draw such a poor swordsman! How can you fight against danger like this! You guys have been neglecting your training!”
“….”
“….”
“With you guys now, even a bandit can beat you! What is this!”
He raised his sword and pointed it to the ground.
There, as if there had been an earthquake, the cracked earth was reflected.
“The distribution of power is messed up, so the sword skills are violent. It’s not effective because the sword is brutal. Learning is so slow, where can I use it!”
“sorry!”
“Next time I won’t let you down. When I’m your age! With the skills I have…”
From then until dinner began, the middle-aged man’s stories of his youth flowed non-stop.
Small sighs could be heard all around.
‘It’s started again… It’s very endless.’
‘I have to improve my skills and close that snout…’
‘This is why I hate swordsmanship classes.’
This alone has been repeated for thirty years.
If you were a young middle-aged person, you’ve already heard scabs sitting on your ears.
In my head, every phrase has been memorized.
Even so, they are those whose talents due to their lineage double that of criminals.
In addition to that, he was blessed by God, so his memory is indescribable.
That good talent and ability are only used to memorize the past history of a middle-aged man!
If Ray had heard it, he would have grabbed the middle-aged man by the collar and pinned him to the ground.
After the afternoon swordsmanship class, I sat down on a tree with a piece of faded bread.
My whole body was already covered with sweat.
“In the past, it wasn’t this hard…”
Even during the first class 40 years ago, there was no feeling of difficulty.
Receive the sword and wield the sword.
It was a day when training continued to the extent of lifting the sword and running with the sword.
It was fun to feel refreshed after moving the body, and the difficult thing today changed easily tomorrow, so it was time to heat up.
But thirty years ago, classes began to change.
Separate from the children and start class with the older children in their own way.
Although moving her body has decreased, on the contrary, she learns to move her mana swiftly.
It was so difficult that at first I suffered quite a bit by causing a runaway mana.
Well, it’s about now, so I’m quite used to the controls.
He poured the bread soaked in the night dew into his mouth.
I don’t like the fact that water seeps out every time I chew.
Then Hesia walked out of the bush with her back to the moonlight.
“Ouch, there was a passenger.”
Pretend to be surprised by exaggerated gestures.
“How else did you know this place?”
“Um… well? You’ve been good at finding your place since I was little.”
Saying nothing, he took out a piece of hard bread and took a bite.
It is said that monsters distinguish each other’s smells and identify friends, so they are exactly the same.
In fact, isn’t Hessia a monster?
Thinking that, I glanced at her, and a fist flew to my head.
Baka-!
“Aagh! why!”
“Umm… For some reason, I thought I had to hit him without even realizing it…”
Did he read my mind!
He rubbed his head after being beaten with such force that if he were a criminal, his head would have exploded all at once.
Hesia looked up at the night sky and asked.
“…Hey, why do you think we exist?”
“…quite abrupt? Besides, it’s an uncharacteristically deep question… Did you drink alcohol?”
“What do you mean you’re drunk with moonlight?”
“You mean you didn’t drink after all.”
“Because that’s what happened.”
“….”
Well… about existence.
I hadn’t thought about it until now, so the answer didn’t come right away.
Hessia looked up at the sky and waited slowly, as if she was being considerate of herself.
After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth.
“…isn’t it because God made it in the past?”
“…”
“Sorry. I have never really thought about it, so I have nothing to say.”
“no. It’s my fault for suddenly asking something strange.”
“….”
“….”
The cool summer night wind passed by stealing sweat.
Silence passed between the two again.
It was Hessia who broke the silence first.
A small smile appeared on her lips as she only showed her side profile.
“…if God made us… why did he forsake us?”
“…God abandoned us?”
“That’s right, we’re nothing more than an army in case danger strikes the world. The life up to that time prepares for danger, and the life afterward will perish with the crisis. As if being abandoned… The people who are protected are the chosen side, and those who keep them are the abandoned side.”
Make a gesture as if dividing the area with your left and right hands.
He smiled and gave an answer that was neither positive nor negative.
“You might think so.”
“Besides, since God never spoke to us… the thought of being abandoned…” Her
mouth was smiling, but seeing her look depressed made my heart ache.
Hessia, who was always full of energy and gave her strength, so she wanted to be her strength in the current situation.
“Still, since you gave us a blessing, it might not have been completely abandoned. Because God made us, it means God needs us.”
Hessia turned her head to look at him.
As if he had never had a depressed expression, his expression was lively again.
“You can say some pretty cool things, right? Yes, as you said!”
Crumpling the remaining bread into her mouth, she stretched out her arms.
“Well, if you train hard, the answer will come out!”
Seeing Hessia like that, I felt something.
‘…I’m going to put aside the theory of heroism that I can’t achieve right now and focus on training.’
The desire to become a hero remains the same, but I also thought that I should put in the effort to match my circumstances instead of blaming the environment.
No matter what kind of person you are, you will not be able to choose your family even before you are born.
How can you become a hero who is recognized by everyone if you complain about not being able to go outside?
He got up from his seat as well.
“Hesiah, starting tomorrow, I will also join your training.”
“huh? I hate it so much, why all of a sudden? Have you been drinking?”
“ha ha ha. The moonlight seems a bit strong today. I see you getting drunk.”
At his joke, Hessia smirked.
“It’s good for me.”
In a quiet forest, two figures turned side by side.
