94. Great Power for Great Responsibility
94. Great Power for Great Responsibility
When a faint light finally hit the tent and the chirping of birds drifted in, I barely managed to slip out from between the two women who had fallen fast asleep. I plopped down by the campfire and gave myself a moment to breathe.
Damn, it's still unbelievable no matter how many times I think about it.
It's hard enough handling just one of them, and last night they both wanted to sleep with me. Why the hell did I go along with that?
"A fine morning to you, young man."
Just as I was sitting by the fire alone, trying to calm my mind, a shadowy figure emerged from the thicket beyond the hill.
I tensed up for a second, but I quickly realized it was the old man who'd agreed to oversee my training, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Had he been keeping watch all night and was now coming to wake us because it was time to get moving?
"The two young ladies still seem to be asleep in the tent... but you're awake this early. I'd say the burden was quite heavy on you."
"Haha... well, both of them are far too charming for someone like me."
"And those charming ladies came all the way on this arduous journey looking for you, didn't they? I thought if the situation called for it, you'd naturally get along with them. Or was this old man just sticking his nose where it doesn't belong?"
"...No, I'm not blaming you, sir."
I was grateful for what he did for me, but ironically, that kind of consideration couldn't fix this.
The reason they fought over me was because their feelings for me were that serious.
And the guilt I felt whenever I saw it... it hit even harder because I knew the heart and commitment you should give one person can't just be split in two.
"It's just me being wishy-washy. If only my heart had some loyalty, I'd be able to make a clean decision."
"...So your worry is that you can't make a clear choice."
"It can't be helped. That's just how human relationships work."
No matter how deep a bond you've formed, you always hesitate to close the distance because you're considerate of each other's circumstances.
Even if I want to repay someone who sacrificed so much for me, the moment I'm true to that feeling, I'd have to give up on the other person.
And that would mean hurting the other one.
I'd already reached the point where the idea of cutting one of them out of my daily life was something I couldn't even bear to consider—I just couldn't bring myself to hurt either of them.
"Having to hurt one of them... of course I'd be scared, right?"
"Scared, you say..."
Just as I was starting to find my own predicament pathetic, the old man poked the campfire with a stick of kindling.
That casual action somehow made it look like he already knew the answer to my serious dilemma.
"Well now, it seems to me the young man is overthinking it."
"Overthinking? What do you mean?"
Right, if you've lived a long life, you'd naturally have some wisdom.
As I asked him back with a sliver of hope, a faint smile soon spread across his face before he answered.
"If it's too much to choose between them, why not just aim for having both from the start?"
"...Excuse me?"
"It's not that strange. Even the most dutiful head of a household can end up having an affair, you know."
An affair.
Even if I was agonizing between the two of them, wasn't this going a bit too far?
If it weren't a joke, I might have even been offended, but his voice carried a certain calmness and weight.
"Ordinary folks might find it hard to be with multiple people, but even among nobles, political arranged marriages happen, and they often keep mistresses on the side. Heck, in beast packs out in the wild, the alpha usually monopolizes all the females in the group."
"That's... I mean, those cases exist, but aren't those worlds too different from mine?"
"What does a different world matter when the whole world is going to ruin? If anything, to adapt to this kind of world, you'll have to get used to breaking the common sense you used to know."
As if that disconnect was no big deal, he let out a hearty laugh and slowly turned to look at me.
His wrinkled face betrayed nothing, but his piercing gaze felt like it could see right through me.
"Young man. I think highly of your upright character as well. In this chaotic world, that kind of mindset could honestly be called a 'virtue.'"
The gravity I felt from him told me immediately.
That what he was about to say next was no exaggeration—it was an aphorism forged from all the years he had lived.
"But what you're following is nothing more than an 'artificial concept.' It's merely inheriting morals and ideas created for the sake of convenience, and depending on the circumstances, they can break at any time."
"Are you saying the more chaotic the world gets, the less I should cling to common sense?"
"If it harms you, then you'll have to. In fact, there are already plenty of people who think that way and step onto the path of depravity."
It was a story I could understand.
Fallen Heroes, Murderers, and the like....
The reason they keep acting out so recklessly, as if adding fuel to the chaos, is because they firmly believe that this is how you survive in a world like this.
"That almost sounds like you're pushing me to cheat."
Just like he said, society maintains order through artificial concepts.
And in a world where those concepts are gradually being destroyed, a stubborn refusal to turn a blind eye to common sense might actually be poison.
I felt that sharp advice blend with my current indecisiveness and plunge me into deep self-loathing.
"It's also telling you to become a hero."
But the words that followed uprooted my self-deprecation entirely.
"...What?"
"Young man."
-Crackle.
The campfire was still burning away.
I had even forgotten to add more firewood for a moment, but the old man paid it no mind and simply continued in a solemn voice.
"Even if humanity truly loses its place to live, I believe that those who try to uphold the same attitude as you will still remain. And if such a world really comes, I believe society will be rebuilt around those with a character like yours."
"No, that's too high a compliment. How could I possibly..."
"Because everyone will definitely long for the past."
I felt confused by his cryptic words.
But when I actually looked at him, for some reason there was a hint of regret showing in his eyes.
"Because they'll want to return to a time when common sense existed, and they'll want to protect the traces left behind to get back to that era."
"...Sir."
"And no matter how chaotic the world gets, a man who has something to protect will never easily fall into depravity. Do you know what all those who strive not to walk that wicked path have in common?"
The embers gradually died down until only the cinders remained.
He pulled his gaze away from the pile of ash that now had nothing left to burn, and quietly turned to me to speak.
"Power."
With an intense gaze that held a presence even stronger than the brightly blazing campfire from before, he stared at me without a hint of restraint.
"Power...?"
"Yes. If you can seize greater power, then no matter what world it is, no matter what happens, you'll be able to shoulder the responsibility that comes with acting beyond common sense."
It was so simple and, in a way, almost vain...
But that's exactly why it was no exaggeration to call it a truth that permeated this world.
And for me, who had felt my powerlessness firsthand over and over, that advice hit even closer to home.
"So if you have worries, no matter what they are, just focus on building your strength first. If you do that, you'll create a foundation solid enough to handle whatever you desire."
-Chirp.
The birdsong gradually grew clearer.
Along with it, the rising sun beamed down on the scene as if to replace the extinguished campfire. The old man took in the light, then rose from his seat and turned his back to me.
"It's about time, so I'll go and catch us some breakfast. You go wake up the young ladies."
"Ah, yes. Be careful out there."
Tap, tap.
The moment the sound of his cane tapping the ground slowly faded into the distance.
I, who had been listening, quietly looked down at my own hands after he'd gone and took a moment to engrave his earlier advice into my heart.
"If I..."
If, as he said, I could seize power.
"If I could become a hero..."
If I truly grew strong enough to become a hero.
I could feel the belief blooming in my heart that I would no longer be bound by all the worries I had at this moment.
*****
After finishing our morning preparations, the journey resumed.
Naturally, the cramped cargo hold was just as tight as before, but the journey that followed didn't feel as stifling as it had in the beginning.
His earlier advice hadn't offered a clear solution, but it did help calm some of my awkwardness toward the two of them.
"Um, Hyosung...? I think this might be a bit too much for you..."
"It's fine. Compared to when I worked as a porter, two people are pretty light."
Airi asked with worry in her voice, but I paid it no mind. I sat them both on my legs and pulled their bodies toward me as much as possible.
This way, they'd have a bit more space and feel less cramped, and above all, if I intervened directly like this, there'd be less reason for them to fight.
"We're going to be doing harder things than this once we start training anyway, so I might as well get used to it now. Marilyn, are you okay with this too?"
"..."
"...Marilyn?"
"Huh, what? Did you just say something?"
Marilyn flinched in surprise and turned to look at me.
But her usual bright smile was nowhere to be seen.
In place of that trademark smile, all that remained was a deep blush coloring her stiffened face.
"No, I just... I was asking if you were okay traveling like this."
"Y-yes. I'm fine."
Marilyn answered passively, placing her hand over the arm I had wrapped around her body.
Even her usual mischievousness had subsided in this moment, making it seem like she hadn't expected me to take the initiative like this at all.
Come to think of it, was she always like this whenever I was the one being assertive?
"Um..."
Just as I was mulling that over, Marilyn, who had been eyeing my expression, carefully leaned her weight toward me to close the distance.
"If it's not too rude... could I, maybe, come a little closer?"
"Ah, yes. As long as it's fine by you, Marilyn... Airi?"
The moment Marilyn began to close in, Airi immediately buried her head in my chest.
After that, she fidgeted with her fingers for a while, then squeezed her eyes shut and quietly whispered from within my embrace.
"Th-this much is... okay, right?"
-Gulp.
I forced the saliva down my parched throat and silently pulled her in even tighter.
"Yes, yes. It's fine."
Yeah, I had to get used to this from now on.
If I gained more power in the future, I wouldn't have to give up on either of them, and if that happened, I'd get the chance to form even closer bonds than just hugging like this.
So just to steel my resolve for that, I had to start being more proactive in my relationship with the two of them from here on out.
"Halt!"
That heart-pounding journey came to a halt when a shout rang out from outside the wagon.
Thinking we had finally arrived, I stepped out of the wagon ahead of the two women and took in the figures blocking the road to assess the situation.
There was a checkpoint on the path leading to the garrison zone. Heavily armed soldiers guarded its front.
"This is a garrison zone currently under the control of the Imperial Army! Entry is restricted to those with unverified identities. If you have not been granted authorized access to this area, turn back quietly now!"
Standing at the vanguard and shouting was an old veteran clad in red armor.
Despite his apparent age, his fighting spirit was so clear that his voice echoed throughout the valley.
But within that commanding voice, for some reason, I felt a vague sense of familiarity.
"That person...?"
It didn't take long to figure out why.
The man stationed at the checkpoint was Legion Commander Marcus Cradle.
As one of the leaders who commanded the Imperial Army's core force, the 'Legions,' he was someone I'd seen once before while accompanying a hero on a request.
Back then, I was just a lowly porter who could only watch from afar, but he was one of the Empire's key figures whom someone like me couldn't afford to take lightly.
"Hoho, well now. Here I was trying to sneak inside by taking on a delivery request that didn't even suit someone like me."
The old man rose from the coachman's seat without a trace of fear and approached the man of such high status.
"If I'd known you were stationed here, I wouldn't have bothered with a cargo-hauling request... This is why old friends should keep in touch more often, I suppose."
"...Is that you, Jang?"
"Indeed, it's been a long time, Marcus."
The old man leaned on his cane and closed the distance with Marcus.
In the nostalgic greeting that followed, a name was revealed that even an eavesdropper like me couldn't take lightly.
"A long time isn't quite enough to say it, is it? I believe it's already been over 10 years since I last saw you."
"Hoho, it's already been half a century since we were both following Tachia around, and 10 years have passed just like that? Time really does fly."
Tachia.
Did he mean he was following the Tachia I know half a century ago?
...Or did he mean that child?