Before Becoming a Hero (4)
"This is what they call the Holy Sanctuary! If Salen ever comes under attack, it's the place where the citizens evacuate to!"
Perhaps because it had been so long since she'd been outside, Yuliana was bursting with excitement as she personally guided Isaac and Zeek around the territory. The problem was that she was revealing every last military secret along the way. The saving grace was that Zeek had no idea these were military secrets, while Isaac was erasing every word from his memory the moment he heard it. Not that remembering any of it would have mattered anyway.
"What's that?"
"That's a beacon tower. If anything happens in the territory, they light a fire there to alert everyone. It's such a wonderful system!"
"I see!"
She talks exactly like a kindergarten teacher.
He had known from her character profile that she loved children, but seeing it in person made Isaac realize just how obvious that trait really was. The other residents were the same. Everyone living in Salen seemed strangely full of ease and generosity. Merchants on the street would press fruit or bread into their hands, insisting they try some. At the smithy, the blacksmith even gave them a newly forged weapon for free.
What had he said? Something about commemorating the first hero to set foot in Salen. It was all because of Salen's special nature. This was a land said to contain every resource in the world, where any crop planted would yield a bountiful harvest. A blessed soil that could be farmed every single day without ever needing to lie fallow.
That was why people called it the blessed land.
But was it truly a blessing for everyone?
Swallowing his private thoughts, Isaac continued following Yuliana. By the time the tour of the territory ended, the sun was already sinking low in the sky.
Isaac let out a sigh. "I'm tired."
"I'm exhausted..."
"So, what do you think of this land?"
"Everyone looked happy. It felt like paradise."
Yes. Like paradise. It couldn't be anything else. When you considered the size of the land and its resources, it wouldn't have been strange for an entire small nation to rise here, yet only eight hundred people lived in it. Of course, by the standards of this era, eight hundred was already a substantial population. But given the scale of the land and its riches, something about it felt undeniably strange.
Still, everything had its reasons.
"By the way, you remember the request, don't you?"
"Of course! It was to drive out the pests!"
"Then shouldn't you be keeping a close eye on the target of that request?"
"Huh? What do you..."
Zeek trailed off and looked around. Her golden eyes suddenly widened to the size of dinner plates. She shot to her feet in a panic and began frantically scanning the area.
"No matter how hard you search, if it's not there, it's not there."
"M-my sister disappeared!!!"
"I can see that."
Until just moments ago Yuliana had been resting right beside them, yet now there was no trace of her. Of course, Isaac had noticed her slipping away. He had simply chosen to let her go. There were several reasons, including his desire to see Zeek grow, but the biggest one was simple: Yuliana wasn't in any danger.
I will not harm others with my concept.
That was Isaac's creed. A concept that harmed others wasn't true concept-playing. A genuine concept-player never inflicted harm on others for the sake of their own idea.
Isaac said, "From now on, never take your eyes off her. Understood?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"Good. As long as you understand. It's not dangerous anyway."
"But... didn't you call them pests?"
"You'll understand once you see it yourself."
Isaac refused to give her the answer. This stemmed from his belief that spoiling things was a sin, but to Zeek it felt like strict, thorough education.
Fortunately, finding Yuliana wasn't difficult. She had been walking openly through the streets, so when they asked the people nearby, the answer came immediately. Thanks to that, Isaac and Zeek witnessed the scene.
On the sparsely populated outskirts of the territory, Yuliana was kissing a stranger.
Isaac quickly reached out and covered Zeek's eyes.
"Huh? What is that? Their mouths are touching..."
"Forget it. You're still too young for this."
"What the hell was that?!"
"Ahaha, I didn't expect you to find us so soon."
While Yuliana laughed awkwardly and responded with perfect composure, the man who had been kissing her jumped in surprise and stared at Isaac and Zeek. Gray hair, scars, and a massive greatsword on his back. There was no mistake. This was Kain, the protagonist of the spin-off The Wanderer and the Saintess.
Kain possessed the fiery personality described in the side story.
"Who the hell are you people? Were you following Yuliana?"
"You could say that."
"You bastard, if you've laid a single filthy finger on Yuliana...!!"
"That's not what this is! Kain!"
"I received a request. From her father."
"Her father? You mean my father-in-law?!"
Yet at the same time, the side story had described him as possessing a pure nature like clear water. True to that description, Kain simply accepted Isaac's words at face value even though the man might have been his enemy.
"Father-in-law, huh. So you've already promised your future together."
"W-well..."
"The request I received is to eliminate the pests approaching Lady Yuliana. You understand what that means, right?"
......
The somewhat light atmosphere grew heavy. Kain glared at Isaac with a serious expression, and Isaac met his gaze without flinching. Right at that razor-sharp moment—
"Can't you just leave us alone?"
"It's no use, Yuliana. Heroes are all like that. Scum who only follow the money..."
"It's not like there's no way at all."
"There's a way?! Really?!"
Kain shouted in genuine astonishment. As a wanderer, he had traveled to countless places. Every hero he had encountered had been nothing but trash who coveted money. Trash who could cut down innocent people if it meant getting paid. To them, there was no such thing as compromise unless you offered even more gold. That was what he had believed.
But Isaac was different.
"Lord Fragah was worried that some scoundrel had attached himself to his daughter, so he issued the request. In other words... if you receive Lord Fragah's approval for your relationship, there won't be any problem."
In the side story, the hero hired by Lord Fragah had been portrayed as utter garbage. He had tried to capture Kain without listening to any explanation, only to be overpowered instead. That incident had driven a wedge between Kain and Yuliana. From Kain's perspective, it must have felt like a trap. Only later would the misunderstanding be cleared and their love rekindled.
"Y-yeah! There was a way like that! We can do this!"
"That's right! Father will definitely give us his blessing!"
"I don't really understand what's happening, but has it been resolved?"
That was how it looked to Zeek, who had been watching from the side. Even to her young eyes, it was clear that the two of them truly cherished and loved each other.
Isaac opened his mouth.
"Well."
His expression was uneasy. Because the ending of The Wanderer and the Saintess was ultimately a sad one.
Kain and Yuliana's steps held no more hesitation. The two of them truly loved each other with all their hearts. Besides, Lord Yulis wasn't the type of lord to be unreasonably stubborn.
When Kain and Yuliana arrived hand in hand to see Yulis, the first thing the lord did was question Isaac.
Why had he ignored the request?
To that, Isaac answered, "How could I do anything about two people who genuinely love each other instead of it being a pest?"
"...I see. Yes, that's how it looks to me as well."
"Father-in-law! No, Lord Father-in-law! Please grant me your daughter's hand!!"
For a moment, a vein bulged on Yulis's forehead. Was it Isaac's imagination, or was the man truly that angry?
Yulis took a moment to steady his breathing, then let out a long sigh.
"I had truly hoped it wouldn't come to this."
"What do you mean?"
"Come inside first. I'll tell you everything."
Kain and Yuliana followed Yulis into the mansion. That had been an hour ago. Isaac and Zeek had been left outside because they were not directly involved.
BANG!
"Ah, he's finally out. Kain... sir?"
"......"
The sound of the door being thrown open echoed. Zeek smiled and started to greet him, but Kain ignored both her and Isaac completely and simply sprinted forward without a word.
"You've worked hard. Thanks to the two of you, I was finally able to bring up the conversation I've been putting off for so long."
"......"
"I'll consider the request successfully completed. I've doubled the reward, so please return safely."
Before they knew it, Yulis had followed Kain out and was smiling bitterly as he handed Isaac a pouch of coins. Just as he had said, the pouch contained twice the originally stated reward.
"The request ends here."
"Ends here? Just like this?"
"Yes. You've received your payment, and the client has declared the request complete."
"So we can just go back like this?"
"You could say that."
An indescribable emotion raged like a storm inside Zeek's chest. The Kain who had just run out had been biting his lip. The feelings she sensed from him were rage and despair.
Why? The request was clearly over, yet Zeek's instincts screamed that it couldn't end like this. But how was she supposed to explain this feeling to her Master?
"Is it really the job of a hero to wrap things up like this and walk away?"
"Yes. That's how all the heroes of Gideon operate."
"......"
People who thought only of their rewards and the achievements they would accumulate. People who wouldn't spare a single thought even if innocents died. That was what most of Gideon's heroes were.
"Still, I can't accept it."
But Zeek rejected that truth head-on. The hero she wanted to become wasn't like that. She wanted to be the kind of hero from fairy tales, the one who defeated monsters and saved people.
"The request isn't over yet! Nothing has been resolved!"
"Are you going to deny the ways of Gideon to my face?"
"...Yes! Even if that means it's not the path of a hero!!"
Compared to the countless heroes who soared through Gideon, Zeek was, frankly, nothing but a loud-mouthed child. But even so, this was one thing she could never yield.
Unable to contain the emotions surging from her heart, Zeek ended up shouting at the top of her lungs.
Isaac watched her for a moment, then placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Well done."
"Huh? You're not going to scold me?"
Zeek had been certain she would be reprimanded and had squeezed her eyes shut. But what returned to her was praise. Her brain went blank, unable to process the situation.
"Of course, your way would be considered heretical in Gideon."
Impractical. Emotional. Unable to simply walk away when faced with someone carrying a story. Someone who couldn't even take care of herself yet still worried about others. A truly foolish idiot.
But.
"That, too, is a hero."
Let's go. To save them all.