A Heavy Resolve
Yohan had wondered what kind of grand, solemn confession was coming, but it turned out the guy was just agonizing over how to ask to join their journey.
"Oh, sure."
Unlike Billy, who had summoned all his courage to speak, Yohan merely gave a nonchalant shrug.
"Uh... you're not surprised?" Billy asked, looking thoroughly bewildered.
Yohan exchanged a brief look with Falco, and both of them let out a simultaneous chuckle.
"Well, it's just..."
How was he supposed to put this? Yohan worried that telling him it was painfully obvious would hurt the half-troll's feelings.
"It was way too predictable," Falco blurted out, crossing her arms and throwing a direct fastball. She had spoken the exact words Yohan was thinking, down to the very syllable.
"Good grief."
"Ugh..."
Yohan slapped his forehead, while Billy let out a small groan.
"I won't get in your way. I'm confident in my strength, and I've got great stamina," Billy insisted, clearly determined to tag along as he pitched his value as a companion.
"We don't really mind either way. Honestly, traveling with just the two of us does get pretty inconvenient at times."
Just splitting the night watch into three shifts instead of two would be a massive upgrade. Both Yohan and Falco knew that well.
"But are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Pardon?" Billy tilted his head at Yohan's question.
"You can finally stretch your legs and live in peace here."
Yohan glanced at the villagers as he spoke. Every single one of them was nodding in agreement.
Until now, Billy had lived in isolation, belonging neither to the human village nor the troll tribe. Hidden behind his resilient mindset was the harsh reality that living alone while being hated by everyone around him was anything but pleasant.
"Old Man Jack would be thrilled to know you're using his house," Yohan added.
"Exactly," Falco chimed in.
Jack had told them to tear the house down for firewood if necessary, but the best outcome was undoubtedly for Billy—who had finally become a true member of the village—to inherit Jack's home.
"Mmm... you're right, but..."
Billy still seemed intent on following them.
"Then let me ask you this. If you just want to travel around, you could easily go alone. Why do you want to go with me?"
Rather than trying to persuade him otherwise, Yohan decided to ask for his reasoning.
"The Goddess told us, didn't she? To do good deeds."
"Well, yeah, she did. But what about it?"
"Isn't the fact that you two saved us one of those good deeds?"
Yohan finally understood Billy's train of thought. The Unnamed Goddess and her two followers had risked their lives to wipe out the man-eating troll tribe. Billy wanted to follow them to help others across the continent who might be suffering in similar plights.
"Mmm."
Yohan let out a low hum. Honestly, at this point, it made perfect sense to accept Billy as a new companion. There was no reason for them to reject a strong, capable young man. But the path of an Apostle was far from comfortable. They never knew when they would have to face dangerous demons or wicked villains, and they had to delve into trap-infested dungeons to search for the Goddess's Sacred Relics.
That was why, even though Yohan wanted to accept Billy, he also wished for him to live a peaceful life in the village. Despite being only in his twenties, Billy had already endured more suffering than most people experience in a lifetime. Now, by driving out the trolls that terrorized the villagers, peace had finally returned to Billy's life.
"I understand what you're thinking," Yohan said after a long silence.
Billy swallowed hard, his face tense with anticipation.
"But you still can't come with us."
Billy's face fell, a look of deep disappointment washing over him as Yohan shook his head.
"Why not?" Billy asked, barely suppressing the emotions welling up inside him.
Instead of answering immediately, Yohan turned his head to look at the surrounding villagers.
"The outside world is harsher than you can possibly imagine. There are people out there who make those man-eating trolls look like saints."
"I-I can handle that. I'm not so weak that I can't protect myself."
"That's not what I mean. You'll be fine, Billy. But what about the other villagers?"
Billy fell silent. He had finally realized the true reason behind Yohan's refusal.
"You've lived in that cabin all this time, doing everything you could to prevent innocent people from getting hurt. When you think about it, what you've been doing isn't much different from what your father did."
In their desire to protect the innocent, Billy and his father were cut from the same cloth. At least, that was what Yohan believed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The matter of the man-eating trolls was completely resolved. Yohan had wanted to leave immediately, but he quickly realized that things weren't quite finished. Since the villagers had joined the Church of the Unnamed Goddess, Yohan had a duty as an Apostle to look after them.
Freed from the threat of the troll tribe, the village felt entirely different from when they had first arrived. Most notably, the people were finally starting to look toward the long-term future. Previously, paralyzed by the fear of being eaten at any moment, their living conditions had been reduced to the bare minimum required for survival. In short, it was too bleak to be called a place for living.
But now, things had changed. People who had once grown crops solely to survive were now asking Billy for advice on how to grow flowers as a hobby.
Inside Jack's house, which now belonged to Billy, Yohan sat with the village elders to discuss the overall management of the community.
"Alright, so Billy takes Old Man Jack's house. No objections, right?"
"Couldn't you keep it for yourself, Sir Apostle, and use it whenever you visit? Billy mentioned he felt a bit burdened living there all by himself," one of the elders suggested.
"I told you, didn't I? This continent is massive. How often do you think I'll actually pass through here on my travels? Instead of leaving a house empty for someone who might never return, it's better to give it to someone who actually needs it."
"Well, if you put it that way..."
Honestly, the thought of owning a home—even in another world—appealed to Yohan. But leaving a perfectly good house to sit empty felt like a waste, so he had to refuse.
"And here's the really important part," Yohan continued, drawing the elders' full attention. "We might have wiped out the trolls, but that doesn't mean the outside world is suddenly full of nice people."
"He's absolutely right," agreed the elder who had previously accompanied them to Billy's cabin. Having claimed to be a traveler in his youth, he easily resonated with Yohan's words.
"In fact, if clueless country folk go wandering around carelessly, they're bound to get swindled and stripped of everything they have."
Yohan absentmindedly rubbed his lower back as he spoke. Beside him, Falco silently massaged her wrists.
It was a world where a single misstep could cost you your life. You could get stabbed in the back in the blink of an eye, or find yourself buried alive with your hands and feet bound. In that sense, Yohan was relieved that most of the villagers chose to stay put.
"On the flip side, bad crowds might come to the village to shake you down. Before, everyone got eaten regardless of whether they were good or bad, but that's not the case anymore."
The elders nodded in silent agreement.
"That's why I want Billy to stay here."
It was similar to what Billy's father had done in the past. It also brought to mind Wilhelm, the sheriff of Junk Town.
"You heard that, right? That's how things stand," Yohan said, turning to the new homeowner, who had been leaning against the wall quietly listening to the meeting.
"I understand," Billy replied with a solemn expression. He seemed to grasp the weight of his new responsibility.
"My father always told me when he was alive... since the blood in my veins makes me much stronger than ordinary people, I shouldn't waste that strength. I should use it to help others," Billy added.
His words drew nods of admiration from both Yohan and the elders. Billy had always strived to follow his father's teachings. That was why, despite being shunned by the villagers, he had stubbornly lived in his cabin to keep innocent travelers from falling prey to the trolls. And now, just like his father before him, he would protect the safety of the village.
After spending so long belonging to neither world, he had finally become a true member of the community—and had risen to a position of respect.
"Alright. Now my job here is officially done," Yohan said, pushing himself up from his seat.
"Are you leaving already?"
"Yeah. If I stay any longer, I might actually grow attached to this place," Yohan joked, walking toward the door. Falco followed close behind.
"Wait, you're leaving?"
"Hey! The Apostle is leaving!"
As they stepped out of Billy's house, the villagers spotted them and began gathering in small groups.
"Ah, damn it. I wanted to slip out quietly, but look at this crowd. What a pain," Yohan grumbled, though his lips twitched upward into a wide grin despite his complaints.
"Hey there, did you wait long? We don't have a carriage anymore, so this might actually be better for you guys."
Yohan walked over to the two horses waiting outside. Recognizing their master, the horses let out soft whinnies.
"Up we go."
Yohan and Falco mounted their respective horses and began slowly riding toward the village entrance.
"Come back soon!"
"Thank you so much!"
The villagers followed them out to say their goodbyes. Some waved their arms enthusiastically, while others closed their eyes and offered silent prayers.
"Mmm..."
"Well, this isn't so bad."
Yohan scratched his cheek awkwardly, while Falco offered a rare, soft comment.
Just as they were about to leave the village boundaries, someone came running up and blocked their path.
"What the—?"
Yohan blinked. It was the young man who had gotten into a scuffle with Yohan's group earlier. He was holding a small bundle, and Yohan's eyes naturally drifted toward it.
"Pant... huff... t-this. Please take this to eat on your journey."
The young man held out the bundle. Tilting his head, Yohan took it from him.
"Hah."
Inside were steamed potatoes. Yohan let out a chuckle.
"These aren't rotten, are they?"
"O-Of course not! I picked the freshest, plumpest ones we had!"
"Alright. I'll have some when I get hungry on the road."
Yohan offered his thanks. The young man's expression softened into something complicated before he quickly turned and ran back.
"Man, why is everything so troublesome?"
"Yohan. In times like this, it's better to just say an honest thank you."
"Shut up."
In any case, it was finally over. Maybe they should head back to Junk Town first and brag about their exploits to that muscle-bound sheriff. Or perhaps they could stop by Balifield to see how Charles was doing.
Yohan and Falco slowly made their way up the mountain path, leaving the village behind. They had traveled about a few hundred meters when—
"W-Wait a minute!"
Billy's desperate shout echoed from a distance. Yohan let out a heavy sigh and pulled his horse to a stop.
"Huff... huff..."
Billy had run the entire distance without stopping. He came to a halt in front of Yohan, panting heavily.
"What? What is it now? What do you want?"
What could possibly be left to drag this out? Yohan shook his head.
"Whew..."
Billy finally caught his breath, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
"N-No matter how much I think about it, I still want to go with you. Please take me along!"
The look in Billy's eyes was filled with unwavering resolve.