The Bald One
I had already mentioned this before, but the fact that all the Heroes are my disciples must remain a secret for the time being. That was why, when I slipped into the crowd of Garam's followers alongside her, I put on a suitable act. I presented myself as one of the people who followed the Sword Hero with similar intentions.
“Do you really have to do this? Just seeing those bastards treat Master so disrespectfully… I feel like I’m going to lose my mind, kaeng.”
Garam’s rather eerie concern came back at me, but I didn’t change my decision. Honestly, there was no reason to suddenly shout I’m the master of the Heroes! right here. The fact that the Heroes are my disciples is such a powerful card—why would I waste it for no reason? If I was going to use it, I should at least drop it in front of nobles or royalty and make them bow their heads to the ground.
“Endure it, Garam. This is all part of your training.”
“If it were that ‘Enemy’s Will’ thing Master keeps talking about, I could understand. It’s everyone’s enemy, after all. But these humans who claim they’ll follow me are being rude to Master? How am I supposed to hold back?”
“She’s right, she’s right.”
“If I saw that scene, I’d probably rip their heads off… Ahem. Excuse me. Anyway, I’d get so angry I’d lose control and just start beating them senseless.”
“She’s right, she’s right.”
“…Iris. Stop agreeing with her from the side. You’re only making Garam worse.”
This disciple of mine should be helping her master by calming down her senior sister. Instead, she keeps chiming in with agreement, which only encourages Garam to get even more worked up.
“I’ll say it again, Garam. Right now, we are complete strangers. If it gets out that I’m your master, things will become incredibly noisy. And I absolutely hate that kind of thing. I want our journey to be as quiet and comfortable as possible.”
“But you can’t keep it hidden forever.”
“I never said I’d hide it for the rest of my life. I have no intention of doing that.”
I’m still just a human being. I want to look better than others, and I want to crush arrogant bastards. There’s no way I’d hide the fact that my disciples are Heroes until the day I die. It’s simply that Garam’s followers aren’t worth revealing that truth to.
“…Understood, Master. I’ll follow your wishes.”
In the end, Garam yielded to my decision and returned to her group, keeping a slight distance from me. The followers of the Sword Hero immediately burst into cheers, welcoming her return. Anyone listening would think she had already saved the world.
“It seems the respect they hold for Senior Sister Garam is enormous.”
“It’s not just respect. They’re leeches trying to attach themselves for their own benefit. What you’re seeing might simply be relief that the person who makes that possible has returned.”
If everyone in this world were like the Heroes, the nightmare-like progression of Season 2 would never have happened. Season 1 had been a rather cheerful, gentle, and tranquil game. But the moment you entered Season 2, that atmosphere vanished as if it had never existed, replaced by a sudden reversal.
The Demon God Worshippers, who had stayed silent until then, rose up everywhere, setting the entire continent ablaze. The monsters they summoned devoured even the worshippers themselves, growing stronger by the day. In that situation, even if everyone worked together, it still wouldn’t be enough. Yet many humans didn’t hesitate to sacrifice others just to save themselves.
External threats were one thing, but the internal division that was laid bare in the opening was even worse. It made you wonder if this was really a game made by the same developers. The fans who had loved the peaceful Season 1 couldn’t endure it and all left.
“Master, you seem extremely sensitive to people’s malice.”
Of course I am. This is all based on experience. I only played up to the beginning of Season 2, but even that introduction made it painfully obvious where the game was headed. And that same story would repeat itself in this world.
“It’s because those foolish and ugly things don’t stop at just ‘thoughts,’ my disciple.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
Iris slowly nodded at my words. It almost felt like she understood everything even without me saying it. Or was that just my imagination?
“What’s this? Never seen these faces before?”
As I mixed into the group pretending to be a newly joined follower, a few people approached. They could be genuinely happy to have new comrades, or they might be the type to boast about having followed the Sword Hero first. Or perhaps they were wary, wondering if we were spies for the Demon God Worshippers.
Or maybe one of those worshippers is putting on a disgusting act.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the ability to distinguish such spies. And since such minor details never appeared in the game, there was no way to know. The only thing I could rely on was what Master had taught me—looking into someone’s eyes and reading the true intentions hidden within.
“They look like the ones who joined us in the last city.”
“The Sword Hero stepped away for a moment, and in that time it seems she took care of more monsters.”
A Hero had indeed taken care of them. It just wasn’t the Sword Hero, but the Last Hero standing right here. When I glanced at Iris, she surprisingly wore a calm expression. I had expected her to be displeased that people were crediting Garam with her own achievements. I thought she would at least look sulky, but that wasn’t the case. Was she acting mature for once? Was it thanks to Garam? Or did she think maintaining a dignified appearance was necessary if she wanted to lead these followers? Whatever the reason, it was a positive sight, so I decided to let it pass quietly.
“Haha! So you two have also completely fallen for the Sword Hero’s martial prowess!”
“Anyone who wishes to follow the Hero is always welcome.”
From here and there, people who looked like they could swing a sword pretty well greeted us. I was about to give a casual nod and slip away to a quiet corner when a muscular bald man came sauntering over from the front.
“What’s this? A newbie?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then you’ll have to go through a basic test. You okay with that?”
Yes, this was exactly why I hated these spy bastards. The real leader, Garam, hadn’t said a word, yet some random nobody who crawled out of who-knows-where was acting like he was in charge.
“That guy’s at it again. Hey, why don’t you knock it off?”
“Idiot. Don’t you remember last time? The ones who were useless in battle. It’s fine to respect the Sword Hero. But at the very least, you need the skill to actually help her!”
“So why are you the one deciding that? If they’re weak, they’ll die on their own. If they’re useful, they’ll stick it out like us and follow the Hero. Stop wasting time and get ready to move out.”
That friend over there seems to have a decent head on his shoulders. When the man with the scar snapped at him, our bald friend kept grumbling in dissatisfaction.
“…Tsk. I was going to chase off that pretty boy and try to cozy up to that fine-looking woman instead.”
Aha, so that’s what it was. The whole “test” nonsense was just an excuse. A guy with a scholarly face who looked like he’d never struggled a day in his life suddenly shows up with a stunningly beautiful woman at his side, claiming he wants to follow the Sword Hero. Must have looked like an easy target, huh?
But what are you going to do? I spent years suffering under the Heavenly Demon, you know. I usually try not to mess with bald people. They already have a sad enough life without hair—I figured I should at least show them some respect. After all, they’ve already lost one precious part of their body; it felt wrong to take away anything else.
But I guess you’re the exception. You crossed the line just now, didn’t you? You probably thought no one could hear that little mutter to yourself, but this big brother has pretty good ears.
“Hey, baldy.”
The effect of a fact-based nickname was tremendous. The guy immediately widened his eyes and stared at me.
“Baldy?”
“Yeah, baldy. I never heard anything about a test. The… ahem. The Sword Hero herself said that as long as we don’t get in the way, anyone can follow.”
“Hah! That’s just because from the Hero’s perspective, we’re all more or less the same. But even among equals, there are still differences. Plenty of guys like you who fell for the Sword Hero ended up causing trouble and putting the rest of us in danger.”
“Aha. So this test isn’t for the Sword Hero—it’s for you guys, is that it?”
“The way you talk is a bit strange, but thanks to us, the Hero gets to be a little more comfortable! So the higher our level, the better it is for the Hero too. Therefore…”
“Enough. So what exactly is this test?”
I acted as cocky and confident as possible. That way our baldy would take the bait without hesitation.
“Nothing much. You just need to earn my approval.”
“Who the hell are you to be giving approval?”
“I am! The one hundred and first sword that follows the Sword Hero! My name is Dreng!”
“….”
Why is he saying something as lame as “Garam’s lackey number 101” in such a cool way? It’s been a while since just listening to someone talk made me this irritated.
“So to summarize, I just need to fight you once, right?”
“Hey, buddy. Don’t fall for it. The guy talks like that, but he’s actually pretty skilled. It’d be nice if he only messed with newbies, but he’s already kicked out over ten people here with his nonsense.”
“Hey. Don’t interrupt. The kid just said like a man that he’ll fight this Dreng.”
“Save that bravado for when you’re fighting monsters or demons, you bald-headed bastard.”
When the scarred man who had been mocking the bald guy earlier said that, Dreng the Bald started huffing and puffing. But he didn’t talk back, which meant the scarred man was probably stronger than him. Classic strong-against-weak, weak-against-strong. This was getting even more interesting.
“So, what’ll it be, newbie? You gonna give it a try?”
“My skills are being questioned. What choice do I have? I’ll just have to prove myself.”
“Oh ho. You’ve got some confidence. Guess you really are a man! What, are you some kind of knight? Is that woman over there your servant?”
Servant? She’s a Hero just like Garam, you moron.
“That’s none of your business. What does it matter if she’s my servant or not?”
“Well… in this harsh world, not many women follow weak men. This big brother is just worried you might get abandoned.”
Oh, is that so? Worrying about others—how very kind of you. Dreng gripped the handle of his sword and faced me. His attitude and behavior were trash, but his skill seemed decent enough. His stance alone showed he had swung a sword quite a lot.
“Iris. Take this.”
“Huh? Eh? Ehh?!”
Using Master’s sword against a guy like this would be nothing short of an insult. So I untied the sword from my waist and handed it to Iris. Naturally, Dreng looked utterly dumbfounded, as if asking what the hell I was doing.
“Hey, what are you—”
Crack.
Ha, you noisy bastard. Before you could spit out anything even more disgusting, I decided to smash your mouth first. Even though Garam maintained a very free-spirited atmosphere and there weren’t any strict rules among the followers, they were still people who followed my disciples. How could they show such poor upbringing like this?