Heroes, Live There

She had woken after a mere three days, but reality had not changed.

The century cactus had plummeted to delisted-stock status, and the open ground of the nest was piled mountain-high with the once-precious plants.

Century cacti brought by the heroes outside.

She picked one up, shook the dust off, and took a bite. The taste was exactly the same as before.

"No. It's even better."

"Century cactus is sweet. People use it in cooking, too."

"It is good."

"Agreed."

"…If only it tasted bad."

If the effects had been the same — or even a little better — but the flavor terrible, at least she could have taken some comfort in that. This was a perfect upgrade over the old century cactus. There was nothing left to say.

She chewed the remaining root and looked outside.

Heroes still thronged beyond the nest. By a rough count, there had to be about five hundred of them. She rose a little higher, and the heroes who spotted her started waving their arms wildly.

"It's been three days — when is she finally going to wa— oh?!"

"Oh!"

"She's out!"

"Lea! We've got century cactus right here!"

Hasn't thinned out at all.

It had only been three days, but she'd expected at least a few of them to peel off in the meantime. Even after all that chaos, this many heroes were still here.

She settled onto her usual rock. The heroes buzzed louder at the sight of her, but she closed her eyes and thought in silence.

Heroes.

Immortals. Proxies of the Goddess. Saviors of the world. Fearless. Immune to pain…

Even the heroes of the previous generation, and the one before that — the ones she had never met — had never been quite like this. Heroes who operated with this kind of reckless abandon were a first.

She had tried blasting them with her breath to keep them away. She had handed out difficult quests (that were, in truth, easy). None of it had done much good. If anything, word that she gave out easy quests had hardened into established fact, and heroes had poured in by the droves.

Further persuasion was pointless. She didn't even feel the need to tire herself out trying.

"Don't any of you have anything better to do?"

"Huh?"

"Please give us something to do!"

"So cute!"

"Lea! Lea! Lea!"

They clearly had no intention of leaving, so…

"Fine."

She decided to keep it simple.

She swallowed the last tip of the century cactus and stood.

"You heroes live there. Lea's leaving."

"What?"

"Clean up the nest while you're at it. If it's a mess when I get back, you're dead."

With a rustle of wings, she shot into the sky.

"Nearby mountains, huh…"

At the nest Lea had left behind, Haring closed the gallery and unfolded a map.

Lea's shocking disappearance had stunned not only the players outside the nest but her disciples as well. And no wonder — the moment she woke up, she had eaten a single century cactus, lingered for a moment, and then vanished without a trace.

She had said she would come back, true. But dragons lived for hundreds, even thousands of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠years. Lea had mentioned more than once that she planned to sleep for years at a stretch. The next time they saw her would almost certainly be at least three years away.

"Absolutely not!"

Not seeing Lea for three whole years. Was such a nightmare even allowed to exist? She got Lea-withdrawal after three weeks, never mind three months. Three years was simply out of the question.

More than that, as a dragon's disciple she needed a steady stream of quests and instruction to keep growing. A three-year gap was far, far too long.

Haring sighed and headed to where the other disciples had gathered. They all seemed to be in the same state of mind, earnestly guessing at where Lea might have gone.

"Where do you think she went?"

"She won't have gone far. Not with Lea's personality."

"Yeah, that tracks."

Lea was a dragon who hated leaving home with a passion. There was no way she would travel as far as another continent or the outer reaches of the central continent. And she had flown off in human form rather than as a dragon — probably to hide her location. In human form, she couldn't have gotten very far.

"Maybe another mountain or a canyon?"

"A mountain…"

"Yeah. Sleep is what Lea needs most, after all."

"I think that's right too."

Everyone nodded. There were any number of variables, but the most suspicious candidates were still the mountains nearby — places with few visitors, perfectly suited for Lea to sleep.

"Then let's each pick a destination. There happen to be three mountains nearby, so we can split into pairs."

"I'll take this one."

"I'm going this way."

"Nya-nya and I will take this side!"

"If you find her, do not reveal the location. She might just move again."

"Obviously."

"Okaaay~"

And so Lea's disciples split into pairs and left the nest, determined to find the dragon who had vanished without a word.

Countless players who had reached the same conclusion set out as well. Three months passed.

"Where is she…"

"Leaaa~"

"Please just come out already~~~!!"

Lea was still nowhere to be found.

Three months later.

Legion Royal Capital, the training grounds of the Royal Knights.

Evan — the only player-hero to finally earn the rank of knight, a ranker, and a member of the Prollasia Gallery's vanguard — clenched his fist.

Nearly a year of grueling progress. He had poured more than sixteen hours a day into Prollasia, grinding relentlessly. After the Ogre Lord fell and the main quest opened, he had cleared it and grown steadily stronger.

He now had two mana cores. His ranking had climbed back into the top five, and he was no longer a mere hero but someone recognized by the knighthood itself.

Most important of all: he had won the trust of the Royal Knights' commander — Adela Measis.

Unable to hide his smile, Evan bowed his head and dropped to one knee.

"You are now a knight of the Royal Knights. But understand that your knighthood is provisional, granted only because you are a hero. Do not grow arrogant. Strive harder ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still."

"Yes, Commander!"

"Follow me. I will show you where you are to stay."

Evan trailed after the commander, taking in his surroundings. He had seen parts of the royal palace while running various quests, but this was the first time he had been allowed to look around inside so openly.

A golden corridor overflowing with ornate decoration. Something stranger still seemed to be at work — he could feel a mysterious current of mana flowing along the hallway itself.

It almost feels… warm.

As he walked behind Adela, he noticed maids bustling about in the distance. They were ferrying covered silver trays of food — five-tier carts, every level packed full. And there were six such carts.

If this hadn't been the royal palace, he would have sworn they were prepping for a restaurant service.

Evan glanced at Adela ahead of him. She seemed used to the situation; she stepped aside to let a maid pushing a cart pass. Given Adela's rank, the maid should have been the one to yield — yet Adela pressed herself against the wall of her own accord.

"Please, go ahead."

"Forgive us."

Evan followed Adela's lead and flattened himself against the wall as well. The maid bowed her head and hurried the cart past.

"Looks like there's a banquet being held."

"……"

"With that much food, it must be for the whole royal family and the nobility…"

"It is not a banquet."

"Pardon? Then what is all that food for…"

"…It is none of your concern. Just follow me."

"Ah — yes, ma'am."