The Hero's Mortal Enemy
The silence was deafening.
My brain had frozen solid.
If an enemy were charging at me right now, I could at least grin and knock them away. But how the hell was I supposed to respond to the bewildered gaze of this model-tier beauty whose eyes were wide and sparkling like that?
"You were... the instructor's assistant, right?"
Laiet spoke first, and Almiraj responded with a bright smile.
Unlike me, her reaction was lightning fast. She planted a loud smack of a kiss on my cheek, then pulled away.
"See you at school, Instructor."
With that, she left the room with completely relaxed steps.
...Well, sure, it was a little embarrassing, but we were all adults here. Nothing to be ashamed of, right?
Wait. Hold on. Wasn't there some kind of ethical issue with an instructor and his assistant doing that?
"Um..."
"I'm sorry for entering without knocking."
"N-no, it's fine."
Laiet bowed politely at the waist.
Then she gestured toward the hallway outside.
"Today is your discharge day, correct? Shall we go?"
"Where to?"
"To the Heart family estate. Your assigned room should be decided soon, but it hasn't been finalized yet. It just so happens that the heir's discharge is today as well."
"I see."
"You might still be feeling unwell, so I will escort you to where the Heart family's heir is waiting."
Now that we were outside, Laiet was addressing Gold with proper respect, calling him the heir.
"Understood."
As the two of us walked down the corridor, I kept stealing glances at her.
She was wearing a school uniform, yet there wasn't a single wrinkle on it. Normally she walked with her arms crossed, but perhaps because she was beside me, she kept her hands politely clasped in front of her.
It wasn't exactly the kind of demeanor you'd expect from a duke's daughter...
Anyway... she was beautiful.
"By the way, Instructor."
"Ah, yes."
"So you and your assistant were in that kind of relationship."
"Uh... well... it wasn't like that from the beginning."
"I see. I understand."
She understood?
"Your eyes are different."
"My eyes?"
"Even at first, they were full of goodwill, but now..."
......
......
Why the hell did she stop mid-sentence?
Laiet had just pulled off the single most infuriating thing a person could do—leaving someone hanging—and then smoothed it over with a smile. The fact that I couldn't even get mad because she was such a beautiful girl made it even more infuriating. Or wait... did that mean I was mad?
"Congratulations."
"On what? Getting injured?"
When I asked with a playful smirk, Laiet shook her head.
"On becoming a viscount."
".....?"
Who?
Me?
"I... became one?"
"Yes. It was officially announced at the royal palace yesterday. Whether or not you were eliminated from the Hero's Gaze is still under review, though."
"Huh..."
"Brat from the Great Forest Gate was strongly against your re-entry."
"Ah. That son of a... guy."
I almost called him a bastard but held back.
So that bastard was still alive.
"However, the other participants praised you until their mouths went dry, and the Ten Great Families who are hosting the event seem to be reviewing your participation positively. It looks like you'll be able to join."
"......"
I wasn't planning to, though.
"For some reason, after that incident, Winte said she wanted to meet with you, Instructor."
"......"
I could guess what she wanted.
"By the way, Instructor."
"Yes?"
"When would be a good time for that consultation?"
"Hmm..."
When would be best?
Whatever the consultation was about, if it were something she could handle herself, she wouldn't be asking. It must be something difficult. That probably meant it would be a long session.
Kaits had said things were about to get busy, so the sooner the better.
"There's a rumor going around that you're attending the Divine Descent Festival. Would after the festival be alright?"
"Divine Descent Festival..."
I'd heard about it from Kaits, but I still didn't really know what it was.
What the hell is that?
"It's the day the Chief God descends to the mortal realm and blesses all creation. It's a holy day for the Holy Kingdom."
"......"
A bad feeling washed over me.
Nanar's holy day. No wonder Kaits had been so uneasy.
If that bastard was going to pull something, it would definitely be then.
After the Divine Descent Festival, my reputation would probably take a nosedive, and Laiet might find it difficult to ask for a consultation.
"...Alright. Let's do that."
That's why I answered that way.
I had no idea what kind of consultation it was, and with the situation so unpredictable, I wasn't confident I could give her a proper answer. It would be better for her to find someone more reliable. If it was something so serious that she came asking for advice again, I'd think about it then.
"Thank you. Hehe."
Her laugh nearly made me stop breathing.
The gap between her usual cold beauty and that warm smile was incredible.
It was then.
A group of people came around the corner, and I recognized their faces.
"Gold."
"Brother."
I'd run into the very person I was going to meet.
"Then I'll see you soon, Instructor."
"Yes. See you soon."
I had no idea when the Divine Descent Festival was, but I prayed I'd forget about the consultation by then.
But those idle thoughts vanished quickly.
The sight of Laiet's retreating figure was so graceful and beautiful.
What snapped me out of it was my little brother.
"Brother. You've probably already heard, but for now, come with me to the Heart estate. I think it's best if you stay at our mansion until things calm down."
"Yeah. Got it."
A small stir rippled through Gold and his retainers.
Come to think of it, there were two faces I hadn't seen before.
Besides Refelt and Kaitsir, there were two more.
Gold noticed my gaze and gently placed his hands on their shoulders, guiding them forward.
"You probably haven't met them yet. These are our knight captains. Pelis of the 3rd Division and Orkots of the 5th Division."
Pelis was around 170cm tall with an androgynous appearance that made it hard to tell if they were a man or woman. Orkots was easily over 190cm with quite prominent dark circles and a gloomy impression. Still, despite the dark circles, he was handsome enough.
Both of them bowed to me.
"I am Pelis."
"I am Orkots. I apologize for not coming to greet you sooner. I was away on a mission."
"Nice to meet you both. And there's no need to apologize."
So they were knight captains on the same level as Refelt and Kaitsir.
"They were conducting business investigations in the frontier, but Father was so insistent after this incident that I had no choice but to call them back. There really wasn't any need..."
"Not at all, Young Master!"
"That's right. The heir must understand just how precious his own well-being is."
Pelis and Orkots spoke sternly, and Gold just shrugged.
I could clearly see how much his retainers adored him.
Which was exactly why it was such a thorn in his side.
After all, Gold had lost his arm because of me.
"Thank you, Gold."
"......"
Gold's eyes widened in surprise.
I'd said it because I thought "thank you" would be better than "I'm sorry," but... had I really not said thank you to him much before? I didn't think that was the case.
"Dre, you..."
"Lord Dre..."
Both Kaitsir and Refelt looked shocked.
"Uh... have I really not been good at expressing gratitude before?"
"No, that's not it."
"Speaking so casually to the Young Master..."
"......Ah."
Now that they mentioned it, I had naturally slipped into casual speech.
The truth was, my real way of speaking had always been like this. The polite speech had been forced at first, but it had eventually settled into something else.
Gold stood with his arms crossed, staring at me quietly.
Well, sure. Even if it was fine when we were alone, casually speaking to the head of a family in front of others might come off as disrespectful.
Orkots kept a neutral expression, but Pelis looked somewhat displeased.
"Sorry... I mean, my apologies, Gold. Should I... use polite speech from now on...?"
"Absolutely not! If anything, it's taken far too long already."
Gold broke into a wide smile, grabbed my shoulder, and gave it a few solid pats.
"It was strange for a big brother to speak politely to his little brother."
"Hmm... Then should I keep speaking casually...? Huh?"
"Yes. That's better. Doesn't it mean you've finally opened your heart to me?"
When he put it like that, my face burned so badly I almost wanted to go back to polite speech.
"Honestly, the fact that you've been using polite speech until now actually felt worse. It felt like you were drawing a line somewhere."
"Ah, I see."
If he was going to put it that way...
"I didn't mean to. It's just that at the beginning we were employer and servant, so it was hard to change my speech patterns."
"Hahahahaha!"
Gold laughed heartily and patted my shoulder again before pushing me forward.
"Let's head to the Heart estate. I want to hear all about your heroic exploits this time."
"......"
He was holding one of my shoulders with his hand, but the other side only had an empty sleeve resting on it.
The absence of his hand there made my chest ache.
"They said it can't be regenerated?"
Apparently not wanting the topic to go there, Gold made a slightly troubled face.
"Well... we'll have to look into it more, but since even Mullin failed... it will probably be difficult."
"Mullin?"
"She agreed surprisingly easily for someone with her personality. But even when she regenerated it, it collapsed right away, so she eventually gave up."
"......"
Just like Nanar had said—if the person trying to regenerate it was on a lower level than the one who destroyed it, it wouldn't work.
Even my perfectly attached limbs still throbbed painfully in the places that had been destroyed before.
"I'll find a way."
"Hm? Just hearing you say that is enough to make me grateful."
In truth, I already had a plan forming in my head.
The only question was how long it would take to reach that level.
The knight captains followed behind us in perfect step.
I glanced at them and asked.
"They say Mullin's personality is trash, but she's an incredible priest. So who should we ask?"
"The Saintess. Father is currently negotiating with her."
"The Saintess..."
But hadn't Nanar said even the Saintess wouldn't be able to regenerate it?
"Thanks for worrying about me."
"No, it's..."
I didn't tell him there might be a way.
If I failed after raising his hopes, the disappointment would be devastating.
"I'll find a way."
That's why I couldn't say it out loud.
I swore to myself that I would make it happen—for the little brother who had risked his life for me.
"By the way, Brother."
"Yeah?"
"What was that consultation Laiet mentioned?"
His ears were sharp.
So he'd caught that.
"Ah, that? She just said she had something to consult me about later. I don't know the details yet."
"Hmm... Her, of all people?"
Gold looked puzzled.
"Why?"
"While we aren't particularly close, Laiet gives off a very strong 'I handle things myself' vibe. She's someone who values etiquette and proper procedure, so I doubt she would suddenly ask for a consultation like that."
"Really? She values etiquette that much?"
During our first meeting, she'd been utterly cold and showed zero etiquette... Though I suppose she had been drowning in depression back then.
Just how heartbroken had she been because of Holland?
I should've made her even more miserable back then.
"Indeed. It's only natural, but whenever she enters a room, she always knocks first and asks if it's alright to come in. She never speaks down to people just because their status is lower..."
But earlier she had just burst in without knocking?
"Also, I think I heard something about the Divine Descent Festival."
"Yeah. She said if we're doing the consultation, it should be after the festival. I'm not some amazing person who can give out consultations, and I'll be busy soon anyway, so I wasn't planning on it."
"Hm?"
"So I figured I'd just stay quiet and let time naturally solve whatever she's worrying about..."
"Brother."
"Yeah?"
When I turned my head, I saw Refelt making a pouty face for some reason.
Gold hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"The Divine Descent Festival... is in two days."
"......"
"Laiet must have known that you lack some common sense and that you would soon become extremely busy..."
Why?
Why did I suddenly get the feeling that I'd been...
[Because you were tricked.]
...You motherfucker.
What the hell is she trying to consult me about?
And why the hell am I getting turned on at the same time...?
[Kid.]
What the fuck.
[It's time to start harvesting the seeds you've been sowing.]
What the hell are you talking about, you bastard?
[Kekekekeke...]
Why don't you just change your name to "Edgy Middle School Syndrome" while you're at it?
The vibe is fucking perfect.
"By the way, where's the family head? I thought you were getting discharged today too."
I asked Gold to change the subject, and he made a slightly awkward face.
The fact that that man—who loved his son more than anything—hadn't shown up meant he must be handling something important.
"He's in a meeting."
"What kind of meeting?"
"An important meeting... between the Ten Great Families, I suppose?"
A laugh escaped me.
The image of Leor looking incredibly uncomfortable was crystal clear in my mind.
BANG!!
The sound of something shattering echoed through the space.
There were eight colored shadows in total.
The brown shadow—Hest—had made the noise.
The rage coming from someone who usually maintained a gentle demeanor was so intense that even the other family heads fell silent.
"Graise... explain yourself."
"......"
Leor said nothing.
He simply stood tall, staring blankly ahead.
Most of the family heads glared at him with open hostility at his brazen attitude.
Hest slammed his staff into the floor once more. BANG!!
"Explain yourself, Graise!! Just what the hell were you thinking when you orchestrated something like that?! Finally, someone suitable for Prunar has appeared, and yet you—!"
"It seems his heart has already left us."
Dirgr's bitter words only fueled Hest's anger further.
"Graise!!"
"...I will offer no excuses."
That was all Leor said.
Even Blizzard and Void, who were relatively close to Graise, remained silent.
In the cold silence, it was Heart who spoke.
"He said he would withdraw from the Prunar qualification matter."
At Gold's words, all the family heads turned to look at him at once.
"Is that true, Leor?"
"......"
"Ah, how did I know? Well, unlike some people, I have eyes and ears scattered everywhere, so I hear things."
It was blatant sarcasm.
Graise still didn't respond. Instead, Hest exploded with rage.
"...That is unacceptable."
Hest had slammed his staff into the floor so hard that it shattered.
"We must force him to proceed. Otherwise..."
"Force him?"
Gold snorted.
Hest glared at him fiercely, but Gold didn't flinch in the slightest.
There was none of the usual merchant-like caution or calculation of profit and loss. Instead, he carried himself like a true head of one of the Ten Great Families, which left Hest looking puzzled.
Heart looked around at the other family heads and raised his voice.
"The mighty Graise, despite summoning countless monsters, ended up suffering utter humiliation instead. Even with the Hero present, the Stranger—no, Viscount Yeo Dre—defeated them all single-handedly."
Seeing the quiet audience, Heart practically shouted his opinion.
"Who could possibly force someone like that? Yes... perhaps if we all worked together it might still be possible, but can we even unite right now? From the beginning, weren't you planning to leave everything to those of us inside the barrier, Hest?"
"We are holding back the outsiders—"
"I know that very well. Extremely well. You lot hold back the outsiders while we provide the supplies to support him!"
Not only did he cut Hest off, but his tone was dripping with mockery.
Hest's voice naturally grew harsher.
"This is the time to join forces. This is no time for division."
"Join forces? Since we're on the subject, even if Graise hadn't pulled his little stunt, that man would have eventually grown disgusted with us. Do you want to know why?"
Snorting, Gold pointed a finger at Hest.
"Because that fake benevolent earth monster tried to completely bury Loveyarte! Do you really think a man so close to Loveyarte would have stayed quiet?"
"You..."
Gold sneered through his nose at Hest, whose voice trembled with rage, and continued.
"Moreover, that man truly brought about Loveyarte's rise... And from what I hear, he is estimated to have achieved resonance with not one, but three artifacts."
A stir ran through the family heads.
Resonance with an artifact was incredibly difficult even for the current owners, the family heads themselves. Handling another family's artifact was twice as hard.
And a man who wasn't even from the bloodline of the Ten Heroes had done it with three?
"When will we ever find someone more suited to the name Prunar than him? We should have supported him with everything we had, catering to his every need and setting aside our petty calculations and emotions. But an idiot went and ruined everything."
The arrow had now turned toward Graise.
Leor stared expressionlessly at Gold's yellow shadow.
"If you want to change his mind, Graise, then you take responsibility. The Heart family will help him with anything he desires, but we will not speak a single word about Prunar."
"Heart."
Though Wy Katz called out quietly, Gold ignored him completely.
He was burning with a rage so intense even he could barely contain it.
His precious son's arm... that precious arm!!
He hated Leor. He hated the monsters. He even hated Dre, who had made his son sacrifice himself.
But picking a fight with Dre would bring no benefits whatsoever.
In that case, shouldn't he pour all this rage onto the true culprit?
There had been a reason he had been elevating Dre until now.
Gold composed his expression and spoke in a solemn voice.
"And Graise. Step down from the position of leader."
Another stir rippled through the group.
Even among the families currently blocking the outsiders' invasion.
Although they had shown anger toward Graise, the support and work efficiency they provided had been impeccable.
"Heart."
"That's..."
"He has a point."
Unlike the scolding Hest and the shaken Winte, Blizzard quietly agreed.
"If the Graise who orchestrated such a foolish conspiracy remains in the leader position, there is no way that man will agree to take on the Prunar matter."
"......"
Heart was burning with rage, but Blizzard was driven by desire.
The head of Blizzard wanted his own family to rise to the position of leader...
Hest unknowingly let out a lament.
"...We shouldn't have gotten rid of Brave."
At least back then, they hadn't engaged in such ugly power struggles.
At those words, Leor's eyes sharpened.
"Didn't everyone agree back then?"
"I never expected you to do something this stupid."
At Hest's dignified rebuke, Leor ground his teeth. His poker face was cracking. On top of that, Heart continued to mock him.
"You must have suffered quite a loss. Isn't this actually a good thing? One of your proud Six Scales is dead, and another is so heavily injured they won't be able to move for a year, right? It might actually be good for reorganizing the family."
"...Neither of them died, nor were they injured."
"What nonsense."
Leor looked at Heart with icy eyes.
The head of the Heart family, Gold—who would normally have lowered his head—glared back at him fiercely.
It didn't matter that they had ignored his warning—that touching Yeo Dre would bring nothing good.
It was something Graise would have to bear anyway.
But because of that incident... why did his precious son have to suffer?
"Our true artifact, the Yellow Bracelet. Every time I handed it to my son, he would wear it on his right wrist. Now he can no longer do so."
Growling, Gold poured out his true feelings.
"When you think about it, do we—the Ten Great Families—really need to cooperate with each other any longer? That stale connection from thousands of years ago?"
"Hey. Heart."
At the statement that crossed the line, Void frowned.
"Graise. If your political power and our commercial rights were to clash, it would be quite entertaining."
"Heh heh heh."
Leor let out a hollow laugh.
"Have you gone mad over a little bit of wealth, Gold?"
"Mad? If I could, I'd grind your daughter's arm to dust."
"...Do you truly wish to die?"
As the atmosphere grew uncontrollably hostile, Gold laughed.
"It seems further discussion is impossible. If you wish to call me again, do so only after Graise has stepped down from the leader position. And Leor."
Gold's face was filled with mockery.
"Do I wish to die? I will make sure to relay your exact attitude to Lord Yeo Dre without missing a single detail."
"......"
Realizing that Graise was flustered, Gold felt deep satisfaction in his chest as he cut the connection.
The remaining family heads stayed silent, and that silence continued for a long time...
"A storm is truly about to hit..."
Hest's lament.
Everywhere, people would be curious about this incident and about Yeo Dre.
If anything else happened on top of this, it would truly spiral out of control.
Hest hoped no further incidents would occur, but that was a wish that could never come true.