Before Becoming a Hero (5)
Isaac had no trouble locating Kain. After all, he remembered every detail from the spin-off story. He knew exactly where Kain would be holed up. Of course, to Zeek—who had no idea about any of that—it simply looked like Isaac had tracked down Kain's trail. Oblivious to the surge of respect in Zeek's eyes, Isaac glanced around.
The boundary between the forest and the lake shimmered like jewels under the moonlight. Just as the novel had described. At its center sat a dark figure. A man with gray hair, a massive build, and a face covered in scars—Kain, the very person Isaac and Zeek had been searching for.
Without turning around, Kain spoke in a dry voice.
"Weren't your requests all finished?"
"You could say that."
"Then get lost. I'm not in the mood to deal with anyone."
"…Could you tell us what happened?"
Kain had lived a rough life as a wanderer, but it seemed he couldn't bring himself to speak harshly to a child. He pressed his lips shut. Isaac nodded.
"I thought as much."
"What? You expected this?"
"Kid, I'll ask you again. What did you feel about this place?"
"Well, obviously it's a paradise……"
Zeek caught something odd in her own words. A paradise? Had such a thing ever existed in this world? Isaac nodded, affirming her realization.
"A land where every resource flows freely and every harvest is bountiful. Do you really think a place like that can exist?"
"Even so, Salen exists. That means they obtained it through some foul means, doesn't it?"
"Exactly right. And the price for that is probably……"
"……"
"Human lives."
Nothing in this world came free. To maintain such abundant resources and fertile land, the offering had to be human lives. That was Salen's secret.
"How could anyone allow something like that?! We have to stop it right now!!"
"Interesting kid. Do you even know who you're up against?"
"W-well……"
"There's only one answer when you put all the facts together."
Kain was inwardly shocked by Isaac's reply. Had he really figured it out? Just from connecting the dots? Of course that was impossible. Not even the greatest detective could manage that.
'He's bluffing. He knew everything from the start.'
Isaac was such a devoted reader that he had bought the entire setting collection and spin-offs just to own them. Naturally, he had known the mastermind behind everything all along.
"One of the Three Great Calamities, known as the Tyrant of the Earth."
"……!!"
"Behemoth is slumbering in this land, isn't he?"
"……More precisely, a fragment of Behemoth has been sealed here."
Realizing that denial would change nothing, Kain sighed and began to speak. He recounted what he had heard directly from Yuliana's father, Yulis, just a few hours earlier.
"What are the Three Great Calamities?"
"They're disasters incarnate. The moment they appear, they can easily destroy an entire nation."
"Yeah, that's true. But what's truly terrifying about the Three Great Calamities is that no matter how many times you kill them, they always return someday."
The Three Great Calamities were disasters themselves, yet heroes who could bring even such calamities to their knees had always existed. Still, the calamities kept appearing. No one knew why. They simply resurrected and returned no matter how many times they were slain. That was why people both feared and revered them as the Three Great Calamities.
"Behemoth appeared sixty years ago and was defeated by the commander of the Holy Knights at the time."
"That's what I heard too. But the truth was different."
The Behemoth that appeared sixty years ago hadn't been slain. It had been sealed away by the Holy Knights, who refused to pass the calamity on to future generations.
Kain let out another sigh.
"As long as it's sealed, Behemoth won't appear again. After all, he isn't truly dead."
"Even if it's only a single piece of flesh?"
"That's what Yulis said."
Even sealed, Behemoth was still alive. Therefore, he would never appear in this land again. Zeek, who now fully understood, spoke up.
"Is this incident connected to Behemoth's seal?"
"……Behemoth is sealed, but if he rampages, the seal could break. That's why offerings must be made—so Behemoth remains satisfied and stays asleep."
"…………Don't tell me."
"The offering is Yuliana."
With an expression that screamed denial, Kain finally voiced the truth he had wanted to turn away from. Zeek was horrified. Sacrificing a person just to maintain a seal?
"How could anyone allow that?! Peace bought with a human sacrifice……!!"
"Then what are you going to do about it?"
"What……?"
"Behemoth has already been gathering strength even while sealed. They say one wrong move and the seal will shatter."
Of course, this went against everything Zeek believed. Could peace obtained through sacrifice truly be called peace? But Kain only answered with a bitter, mocking smile.
"Why do you think you, me, and that so-called hero behind you are even alive right now?"
"That's……!!"
"Just lucky? Well, you're not wrong. It's because those damned Three Great Calamities haven't awakened yet!"
A colossal disaster capable of destroying nations. If it opened its eyes and moved again, who could confidently claim they would survive?
"If we don't offer the sacrifice and the calamity awakens, countless people will die. Can you bear that responsibility?"
Kain was looking at Zeek, but his gaze wasn't truly on her. A few hours earlier, he had raged at Yulis just like she was doing now.
"Are you out of your mind?! You're going to offer your own daughter to that monster?! How can you still call yourself a father?!"
"The sacrifice isn't chosen by me."
"……What?"
"That disgusting monster decides. Isn't it laughable? To keep the monster sealed, we have to keep it happy?"
But the moment their eyes met, Kain could no longer argue. Yulis's dead gaze spoke volumes about the suffering he had endured.
"……Is there no other way……"
"Of course there is."
"Then what is it……!!"
"The lives of the eight hundred people living in this territory."
Behemoth was as cunning as a serpent. It had lured humans here with abundant resources and land that promised endless bountiful harvests, just like a carnivorous plant. Eight hundred lives versus one life. Only the worst and the lesser evil remained—a hellish choice. And Yulis had chosen the lesser evil. As a lord, he had to protect his people, and as a Holy Knight, he had a duty to seal the calamity.
Yuliana had simply nodded at his words.
"I understand."
"Yuliana, you……!!"
"Father must have done everything he could to save me."
Her words were true. Yulis had tried everything to avoid this outcome. He had reported to his superiors that Behemoth seemed to be growing stronger and begged for help. But no one listened. They only sent back the indifferent reply to offer the sacrifice. The answer was simple—Salen was filling their pockets.
"I…… can't bear that responsibility…… So……"
"……How could you……"
Accepting her own death so easily. He couldn't understand any of it. Yet the crushing sense of powerlessness weighed him down. There was nothing he could do.
"In the end, I just ran away……!!"
He wanted the person he loved to live. But how many people in this world could throw away hundreds—perhaps thousands—of lives like scrap paper for the sake of their loved one? If Kain had been even slightly more selfish, if he had thought only of himself, he wouldn't have agonized over this at all. Who could truly mock his choice?
"So you abandoned the person you love? For the sake of the world?"
"……"
"What a magnificent hero you are."
"Shut up. What the hell do you know……!!"
But there was one person who did mock Kain's choice—Isaac. Something inside Kain snapped. Who was this guy to laugh at their decision?
"Do it before you become that great hero!!"
Just as Kain was about to lose control to his rage, Isaac's sharp rebuke snapped him back to his senses. In that moment, he saw it clearly—Isaac's unwavering gaze fixed on him.
"First, become a man."
At the very least, he should be someone capable of protecting the person he loved. That kind of man.