Before Becoming a Hero (3)
Yulis was kind enough to guide them through his castle personally. To be exact, there were no butlers or servants available to show them around, so he had no choice but to do it himself. Of course, Holy Knights were stationed in the castle, but in Yulis’s view, that would have been improper.
Zeek looked around the castle’s interior. There were no decorations whatsoever, and it seemed the place wasn’t properly cleaned—dust had piled up almost everywhere. The entire building felt incredibly desolate, like an empty castle abandoned and left to rot with no one living inside.
“I apologize for the state of things. I’ve been occupied with important matters, so I haven’t had time to clean.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, I don’t see a single servant. Has something happened?”
“I don’t employ servants. If cleaning is needed, I do it myself. I’ve simply been too busy lately to manage it.”
Yulis’s statement was shocking. It was extremely rare for a noble to perform menial chores with their own hands. Perhaps that was why the castle was far from spotless.
After walking for roughly fifteen minutes, Isaac and Zeek finally reached the reception room. Cold tea, biscuits, and bread had already been laid out on the table.
Yulis offered an awkward smile.
“My apologies. It’s been so long since we’ve had guests that I seem to have prepared far too early.”
“It’s quite all right. We’re grateful simply for the warm welcome.”
“Okay! Let’s eat well!”
“Don’t be so tense, kid.”
Perhaps because this was his first official request, Zeek’s reply was stiff with tension. Isaac sat down, gently calming the boy as he did.
Yulis’s eyes sparkled with interest. “Is that child a newcomer?”
“He is. However, I guarantee he can carry his own weight.”
“That wasn’t what I meant. I was simply curious.”
“Curious? In what way?”
“It’s unusual to see someone bringing along such a young child.”
There was a subtle barb hidden in Yulis’s words. As he said, heroes in Gideon usually had to complete requests alone if they wanted to make a name for themselves. Senior guild members sometimes offered help, but such cases were extremely rare. Most of the time, newcomers were simply left to fend for themselves. People liked to preach that those who couldn’t stand on their own would suffer later, but in truth it was a way to suppress anyone who might stand out too quickly. At the same time, there was also the petty psychology of I suffered like this, so there’s no way I’ll let him have it easy.
At Yulis’s remark, Isaac took a slow sip of tea.
“Protecting a growing sprout is the duty of a great tree. So it won’t be uprooted by storm and rain. So it won’t wither beneath a sun that burns too fiercely.”
“But what if that sprout one day swallows the great tree whole?”
“It doesn’t matter. If it can become the foundation for a new era, then so be it.”
As he answered, Isaac reached out and gently stroked Zeek’s head. Still young, Zeek couldn’t fully grasp the meaning behind their exchange. He simply closed his eyes and savored the warm touch.
“…It seems you are quite different from any hero I’ve met before.”
As both leader of the Holy Knight Order and lord of the land, Yulis had encountered countless people. He could easily tell whether someone’s words were genuine or mere pretense.
“That is why I feel I can trust you.”
From what Yulis could see, there was no trace of falsehood in Isaac’s behavior. He truly meant every word.
To think I would meet a hero who thinks this way.
Inwardly, however, Isaac was wiping cold sweat from his brow. Phew, I managed to answer. I really need to keep my signals on next time. No matter how obsessed he was with maintaining his concept, he didn’t have every perfect line prepared in advance. That had been a response he barely squeezed out while stalling with the tea.
“That’s fortunate. If it’s you, I can entrust my daughter without worry.”
“Indeed. Could you tell me the details of the request?”
“It is exactly as written on the parchment. Recently, some sort of pest has been approaching my daughter.”
The core of the matter was simple: whenever his daughter left the castle to visit the territory, they were to keep any pests from getting close to her.
Yet Zeek, listening to the explanation, couldn’t help but feel doubtful.
“Um… so you’re saying pests on the same level as demons that crawled up from hell with unknown origins are targeting your daughter?”
“Precisely. What a clever child.”
“In that case, for the sake of her safety, wouldn’t it be better to temporarily restrict her outings…”
“That is absolutely not allowed.”
Yulis shook his head with firm resolve. His unyielding attitude made Zeek flinch in surprise. Isaac, however, simply nodded as though he had expected it.
Zeek asked, “Is there some reason behind that decision?”
“I don’t wish to stop my daughter from doing what she wants. I intend to let her experience everything her heart desires.”
…Why?
They were clearly the words of a loving father.
Then why do they sound so lonely?
Like autumn leaves that looked ready to fall at any moment.
Zeek received the full details of the request from Yulis. Although Isaac was present, he kept silent and simply observed so that Zeek could handle the request on his own as much as possible.
Once their discussion in the reception room ended, Yulis informed them of the location of his daughter’s room. That was when Zeek felt another question arise. Why would a father who claimed to treasure his daughter so much avoid going to her room himself?
Sorry. I’m rather… busy.
By now, even Zeek could tell that Yulis was hiding something. Yet he didn’t seem afraid. Just what could the reason be? Zeek pondered it carefully.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Master… it’s just that… I get the feeling the lord is hiding something.”
“Hiding something? What?”
“I don’t know exactly. But… his words and actions seem contradictory.”
On the surface he appeared to be a caring father who cherished his daughter above all else. Yet he avoided meeting her directly. There had to be some unknown cause linking those two facts.
“Caution is good, but digging too deep can become poison.”
“Huh?”
“It means it’s not too late to think after you’ve seen and heard everything.”
He was right. If Zeek relied solely on his immediate impressions and jumped to conclusions, it would become difficult to make objective judgments. Thanks to Isaac, Zeek finally realized his mistake.
The two of them headed toward the room Yulis had indicated. It was located on the third floor in the sunniest spot. Unlike the rest of the castle, even the door here was beautifully adorned.
Isaac stopped Zeek, who was about to fling the door open, and knocked politely instead. A moment later the door opened, revealing a girl. She was a beautiful young woman with pure white hair.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Yuliana Fragah, the first pride of the Fragah family.”
“A pleasure. I am Isaac Silvertehr.”
“There’s a cute little guest as well! Please feel free to speak comfortably.”
“I-I’m Zeek! Big si… I mean, sis.”
“Sis?”
Yuliana tilted her head briefly at the word, but soon clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling. Those shining eyes were directed straight at Isaac.
“So you two are the heroes my father spoke of?!”
“You could say that.”
“Wow! That’s incredible! This is the first time I’ve ever seen a real hero!!”
Yuliana had never once left Salen. Naturally, since the land was occupied by the Holy Knights, heroes never visited. The two groups did not get along. Holy Knights scorned heroes as nothing but money-hungry mercenaries, while heroes in turn cursed the knights as pretentious pretty boys. Therefore, if she had remained here her whole life, it was inevitable this would be her first time meeting one.
“If it isn’t too much trouble, could you tell me some of your stories?”
“It’s not difficult, but… will you have time?”
“Oh dear, where is my mind? It’s already time for my inspection rounds!”
“Inspection?”
Still too young to know the word, Zeek tilted his head with a visible question mark hovering over him. Yuliana smiled, knelt down, and met his eyes at the same level.
“Inspection means touring the territory in person. The lord must check whether the people are living well, whether any problems have arisen—every single detail must be examined.”
“I-I see. Thank you for explaining.”
“Not at all. This is nothing.”
Her gentle voice contained not the slightest trace of anxiety or worry. She really is a pretty and kind person, Zeek thought, but his gaze quickly shifted back to Isaac.
“Is something wrong?”
“N-no, nothing!”
Why do I feel so relieved…?
Watching Isaac stand there with his usual calm expression, showing no particular reaction, Zeek let out a small sigh of relief. He suddenly questioned his own behavior. There was no reason for him to feel this way.
“Please wait just a moment! I’ll get ready right away and be out soon!”
Yuliana hurriedly opened the door again and slipped back inside. While she prepared, Isaac and Zeek stood motionless before the door like a pair of stone guardians.
“Kid, what is your impression of her?”
“I’m not sure. When I look at Yuliana sis… she doesn’t seem like someone with any problems.”
“Keep watching. The answer will come to you eventually.”
As expected, Isaac already knew the full truth behind this request. Technically it had been a side story rather than part of the main plot, but as a devoted reader there was no chance he would have skipped it. Even so, the reason he remained silent was simple.
Spoilers are a sin.
Zeek, however, interpreted it differently.
This is the request I received. I can’t just keep relying on Master’s help. He’s telling me I need to solve it myself.
Well, in the end, good was good. That was enough.