The Hero's Commandments

"I asked who you are."

When silence hung between us, the maid before our eyes pressed the question once more, her voice laced with sharp suspicion.

Should I introduce ourselves?

"My name is Kang Yugeon," I replied, keeping my voice level. "And this is my younger sister, Kang Eun-ah. We were traveling together... or rather, fleeing as refugees, and seem to have lost our way."

I had nearly said we were on a trip, but considering two goddesses were waging war out there, claiming to be tourists felt absurd. Passing ourselves off as displaced refugees seemed far more plausible.

"Ah, did you flee from the Federation?"

The Federation, huh?

"Yes, that's right."

"Goodness, you must have suffered terribly to make it this far," she said, her expression softening into sympathy. "Still, count yourselves fortunate. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠From here onward lies the Märchen Kingdom—the very last domain that still reveres the Goddess Raffy."

So that goddess was named Raffy... At least there was still one uncorrupted kingdom left standing. For now, the priority was getting past the gates and gathering information.

"If you don't mind my asking, how should we address you?"

"Oh, please call me Kotori."

The distinctly Eastern name made me hesitate for an instant. Kotori caught my momentary pause and smiled gently, as if thoroughly accustomed to such reactions.

"Because the Märchen Kingdom is the final sanctuary, people from all manner of tribes and nations have gathered here," she explained. "Reacting like that inside the capital might come across as rather impolite, you know."

"My apologies. I'll be more mindful."

Accepting Kotori's gentle reprimand, we followed her lead as she guided us toward the Märchen Kingdom.

"Do the two of you happen to carry identification cards?"

At the mention of ID, Eun-ah and I exchanged a quick, unsettled glance.

"We lost our identification while fleeing," I answered smoothly. "Will that cause a problem?"

"Not at all," Kotori said dismissively, offering an easy wave of her hand. "With so many refugees arriving these days, they can verify your identity right at the main gate and reissue your documents on the spot."

Though Kotori treated it as nothing out of the ordinary, a strange prickle of dissonance ran through both Eun-ah and me. Eun-ah leaned in close, whispering under her breath.

"Oppa... wasn't this supposed to be some medieval fantasy world?"

"That's what I thought too," I muttered back. "Maybe only their fashion looks antique, and the society itself is actually modern? We don't have enough information yet, so let's just watch and see."

Having drawn close to whisper, Eun-ah naturally looped her arm through mine, leaning her weight against my shoulder.

"Whatever it is, I don't care—as long as you're by my side, Oppa."

She murmured the words with a shy, sweet smile that tugged at my chest.

Following Kotori for about half an hour brought us to a large pavilion erected beside the towering city gates, where a handful of people stood waiting in line.

"Yugeon-ssi, that pavilion over there will reissue your identification cards," Kotori said cheerfully. "Since I brought you this far, I'll wait with you."

She shared a few helpful tidbits about life within the kingdom while we waited, until a guard waved us forward.

"Next. State your business."

Kotori stepped up beside us before I could speak.

"These two are refugees who lost their identification along the way. I found them wandering lost near our pasture, so I brought them in myself."

"Ah, Lady Kotori brought them personally? Understood. I'll process this immediately."

The guard pointed toward a small, translucent slate resting on the desk.

"Place your palms flat against the surface, please."

Following his instructions, we pressed our hands against the plate. A glowing pattern resembling a magic circle pulsed beneath the glass, scanning our palms with a soft chime.

"Aha, we have matching biometric records on file. Yugeon-ssi, Eun-ah-ssi. Please step to the counter on the left to collect your new identification cards."

Once our cards were handed over, the soldier started to offer us lodging in the kingdom's temporary refugee shelters, but Kotori intervened, politely declining on our behalf and explaining that her merchant guild would provide quarters instead. Under her guidance, we made our way to the guild's private dormitories.

The room Kotori led us into was modest and clean, arranged dormitory-style with a pair of single beds.

"The kingdom's temporary shelters force everyone into large communal halls separated by gender," Kotori explained with a warm smile. "So I arranged special permission for you two to stay at our merchant guild's quarters. You should be able to remain here for the time being. It must have been an exhausting journey, so please make yourselves comfortable and rest. I'll come call for you once dinner is ready."

I wondered whether she was naturally this kind or had some ulterior motive, but before I could ask, she hurried out of the room, clearly pressed for time with her guild duties.

"Oppa, I'm so tired... I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me up when it's time to eat, okay?"

Eun-ah's fatigue finally caught up to her; the moment her head touched the pillow, her breathing evened out into deep sleep. With Kotori gone and Eun-ah asleep, heavy silence settled over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the room.

Now that I had a quiet moment to breathe, I needed to sort through the facts.

The guard had stated without hesitation that our fingerprints matched existing records. The clothing, the masonry, the surroundings were unmistakably medieval fantasy—so how did that make sense? Identifying individuals by fingerprint was a plausible concept in any world, but the execution was shockingly reminiscent of modern digital bureaucracy.

Furthermore, nobody batted an eye at the distinctly modern Korean clothes Eun-ah and I were wearing. And most baffling of all: why were our fingerprints already registered in this world's database to begin with?

Just as my mind churned through these mounting questions, a translucent window materialized in midair before my eyes.

Startled by the sudden floating interface, I quickly gathered my wits and addressed it.

"Are you that corrupted goddess?"

An absurd laugh caught in my throat.

"You kidnap me into another world and call yourself a guide?"

Talking to this thing felt like conversing with an infuriatingly literal chatbot.

"Fine. So what exactly can a 'Guide' do?"

"I get the general idea," I muttered. "So how do I become stronger? Are you going to dispatch a martial arts master to train me or something?"

"I get stronger just by following rules?"

As if deciding that visual demonstration was more efficient than words, the Guide projected a detailed decree onto the luminous pane.

"Calling these mere 'rules' feels like an understatement—it looks like a contract full of restrictions and conditions," I said, scanning each line with a critical eye. "Are you telling me I genuinely receive power just by adhering to these?"

A deep sense of skepticism prickled at the back of my neck. Is there a trap buried in here?

"I still don't understand how simply keeping a set of behavioral codes grants superhuman power. Is this truly safe?"

If previous heroes wielded the combined might of two goddesses and still failed, there has to be something else at play...

"Understood for now," I said, leaning forward slightly. "Tell me: is it possible to remove or alter any of these rules?"

The translucent pane flickered erratically for a second before a prompt appeared.

"I want to change the final rule."

The screen pulsed with a rapid stutter of light, processing an unseen exchange.

It was eerie—it felt as though those so-called deities were peering directly through this interface, voyeuristically watching my every move.

A chance to fulfill the secret dream of building a genuine harem had dropped right into my lap. There was no way I was turning it down.

"Yes," I said firmly. "I want a harem. If that clause can be amended, I'll accept the role of Hero."

A brilliant, opalescent bead of light condensed out of the floating window, shooting forward before I could react. The orb passed through my skin effortlessly, sinking deep into my chest until it settled right over my pounding heart.

"Oppa, wake up! It's time for dinner. Why did you sleep on the floor when there's a perfectly good bed right there?"

Waking up to Eun-ah's voice felt warmly familiar. Then my memory clicked into place. Right... how did I end up asleep? Seeing that I had collapsed onto the wooden floorboards, the orb must have knocked me unconscious the moment it merged with my body.

When I didn't get up right away, Eun-ah leaned down and began poking my cheek with a playful finger. She looked so adorable teasing me that I kept my eyes closed and played along, until a knock sounded at the door and Kotori peeked inside.

"Yugeon-ssi, Eun-ah-yang, it's dinnertime!"

We followed Kotori to the dining hall. Over our meal, I asked if there was any work Eun-ah and I could take on to help around the guild. Kotori waved her hands, insisting we were guests, but taking free shelter and food without lifting a finger went against everything I stood for.

In the end, Eun-ah agreed to assist Kotori with milking the dairy cows at the pasture, while I was assigned to load and unload heavy cargo crates for the merchant caravans. To think I crossed into another world only to do warehouse logistics labor...

With our stomachs full and tomorrow's duties arranged, Eun-ah and I returned to our quarters. I considered taking her out for that proper date we never finished back home, but sorting out our current predicament had to take precedence.

Sitting side by side on the edge of the mattress, I explained everything—how I had been designated as the summoned Hero, the existence of the two rival goddesses, and the terms of our situation. Rather than panicking or blaming me for dragging her into danger, Eun-ah beamed and clapped her hands in delight.

"My Oppa is a legendary Hero? That's so cool!"

Despite her cheerful praise, the exhaustion of the sudden transfer must have caught up with her, or perhaps she simply craved comfort—she leaned against me, burying her face into my chest. Wrapping an arm around her small shoulders, I stroked her soft dark hair. My fingers brushed against the familiar accessory holding her ponytail together.

"That hair tie... I bought that for you back when you were in elementary school, didn't I? You're still wearing it?"

"Of course I am!" she replied instantly, looking up with fierce pride. "I'm going to keep using this until the day I die."

It was a cookie-shaped hair tie, far too whimsical and childish for a twenty-year-old college student to wear. But because it had been the very first gift I ever bought her with my own allowance, she cherished it above all else.

"I'll buy you a much prettier one next time."

"No, don't," she whispered softly, her fingers tightening around my shirt. "This one is precious to me just the way it is..."

The single bed was far too narrow for two adults, but the warmth of Eun-ah pressed against my side and the soft cadence of her breathing brought an overwhelming sense of peace. Hoping that she felt the same comfort in my embrace, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep beside her.