The Hero's Call and My Farewell
I wondered when it had started.
That I had been at the orphanage.
It must have been right after I was born. If not, my first memory in this life would never have been the orphanage.
Of course, that meant there were also benefits. At least I never cried over missing my parents the way other kids did.
It's better to have never had something than to have had it and then lost it. Without the faces of my parents, their voices, the memories of being held, I had nothing to miss even if I wanted to.
In that way, the girl beside me was the same as me.
Arien.
That girl with her radiant blonde hair and jewel-like green eyes had also been abandoned by her parents the moment she was born, just like me.
Since we were the same age, we had always been glued to each other from childhood—wherever we went.
When eating, when sleeping, when sneaking out to play outside while avoiding the director... always together.
We even fought over small things sometimes, turned our backs on each other saying we wouldn't talk, but within a few hours one of us would sneak back over and apologize first.
That's how we lived—laughing, playing, crying, making up. With no parents and nothing, we had at least each other, so we never once felt lonely.
As those days stacked into years, before we knew it we had become the most precious thing to each other.
And that kind of life didn't change much as we grew older.
It was one day when we were already fourteen. Arien walked around me in a way she never did before, finally stopping right in front of me.
She hid both hands behind her back and chewed her lips for a long time.
If it had been any other day I would have teased her, but seeing Arien's face flushed red like that made me swallow my words and just wait.
How long had it gone on like that?
Arien finally lowered her head and spoke.
"I love you."
"...What?"
I thought I had misheard.
I never imagined my most precious friend and family would suddenly say something like that to me, so I stared at Arien with my mouth hanging open.
Maybe my reaction displeased her.
Arien's face, which had been bright red just moments ago, slowly turned sad, and tears welled up in her jewel-like green eyes.
"...Do you not like me?"
She looked anxious, as if she was afraid I might actually dislike her.
Seeing her like that, I answered faster than I thought.
"I love you too."
I didn't understand love yet at that time.
But I liked Arien. I wanted to stay with her forever, and I wanted her to like me more than anyone else.
So if this was love, I must love Arien just as much.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Truly?"
"I said so."
After confirming it several times, Arien's face, which had looked like it would cry, broke into a bright smile.
Brighter than when the director first handed out the candies, she ran and hugged me tightly.
"I do too! I really love you!"
"I heard you."
"Even so, I'm saying it again."
Nothing about our relationship changed after that day. We still slept together, played together, fought over small things and quickly made up.
The only difference was that sometimes, when no one was looking, we would secretly hug each other, and little kisses happened more often.
Before long, we secretly collected all the money we had hidden and headed to the market.
There weren't many things we could buy with that money. In the end, we chose two cheap necklaces hanging in a corner of the street stall.
They looked completely ordinary. No gems, no precious metal—just a small metal charm dangling from a simple chain.
Still, we debated for a long time before choosing them.
One I would put on Arien, the other Arien would put on me.
"You must never lose it."
Arien who put the necklace on me repeated it again and again.
"You must never lose it either."
"I definitely won't lose it."
"I won't lose it either."
After fastening the same necklaces on both of us, we even linked our little fingers.
Even if one day we were separated for some reason, and even if years passed and we no longer recognized each other's faces because our looks had changed so much.
One day when we met again, we would use these necklaces as proof so we could recognize each other.
At the time, we were smiling while making that promise.
We thought there was no chance we would ever be separated.
We would keep sleeping together like this, and when it was time to leave the orphanage we would find a small house and live together forever.
Then, once we had a little more money, we would get married, and someday make a family that we had never had before.
So I thought that day would never come when the necklace would really be needed.
But the day I hoped would never come arrived sooner than I expected.
It was an ordinary day, like any other.
The sky was clear and a gentle breeze blew. Arien and I were talking about what we would do that day—some insignificant conversation.
Until those people arrived at the orphanage, it had been an ordinary day.
"...Nobles?"
I muttered quietly, looking at the fancy carriages stopped in front of the orphanage and the people stepping out one by one.
Their clothes were completely different from ours. Behind them were knights in armor and swords, people wearing clothes and accessories that I couldn't even guess at the price of.
Without anyone explaining, I could tell what kind of people they were.
Nobles.
Even as an orphan who hadn't learned much, I knew you shouldn't mess with nobles.
The kids all kept their mouths shut and watched their eyes, afraid of being noticed and doing something wrong. Arien and I slipped into a corner and held our breath.
But the leader-looking man in the group stopped his gaze on us.
Exactly on Arien, who was beside me.
Before I knew why, the man started walking slowly toward us, and the knights around him moved as well. I felt my whole body freeze instinctively.
Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, my heart was beating wildly.
Still, I stepped forward instinctively and blocked Arien's path. My legs trembled with fear, but I couldn't step aside—I didn't know what they might do to Arien.
The man looked down at me for a moment, then spoke.
"Move aside. I need to check the girl behind you."
I didn't answer and spread my arms slightly to block Arien.
"Did you not hear me?"
His voice grew a little lower.
Still not moving, the man's expression hardened. Then he slowly raised one hand.
That's right.
I was about to close my eyes instinctively when Arien's voice came from behind me.
"Riven."
Arien slipped out from beside me.
"Hey, Arien...!"
I panicked and tried to grab her arm, but I forgot how to move my hand because of what was happening in front of me.
Just moments ago the noble who had been looking down on us was now kneeling in front of Arien.
What...?
I stared with a dazed expression as the man loudly bowed his head.
"I have come to greet the Hero!"
Before the words were even out, the nobles and knights behind him all dropped to their knees at once.
"I have come to greet the Hero!"
In the blink of an eye, voices echoed through the orphanage, but I couldn't understand a single word they were saying.
Hero?
Why was that word coming from Arien?
I looked at the Arien standing beside me, but she looked just as confused and scared, clutching only the hem of my clothes.
After that, everything happened far too quickly to properly answer the one question I had.
The noble leader went into the director's office to talk with him alone. Before long, Arien was called inside too. I offered to go with her, but I was refused without hesitation.
I waited outside the closed door of the director's office, doing nothing.
I pressed my ear to the door many times, but I couldn't hear what was being said inside. I wanted to ask the director but the door wouldn't open.
Just pacing the hallway trying to calm my thumping heart, the sunlight streaming through the window slowly turned red, and only after the sun had completely set did the door of the director's office finally open.
"...Arien!"
The moment I saw Arien come out first, I jumped up and ran to her.
But something was wrong.
Arien didn't answer my call. Her eyes were swollen and red, and her lips were tightly bitten like she was holding something back.
"What's wrong?"
When I asked, Arien grabbed my hand without answering and led me away from people's eyes to a small storage room inside the orphanage.
The moment the door closed, she threw herself into my arms.
"Riven..."
It wasn't the usual playful way she would cling to me.
She held my body tightly with both arms, clinging as if she would never let go.
"Arien?"
"Sniff...!"
She started sobbing.
I hugged her back without knowing what was wrong.
"What's wrong...?"
"...Riven, I... snif... I have to go to the capital."
"The capital?"
"I... I'm the Hero of this generation."
For a moment I didn't understand what Arien was saying.
"...What?"
"The Holy Sword... said it chose me. Because I'm the Hero's bloodline... the Holy Sword chose me..."
Hero? Holy Sword? Those were things you only read in fairy tales.
The stories the director told us before we went to bed.
A shining Holy Sword defeating the Demon King and saving the world.
I couldn't understand why such a story had suddenly appeared in front of us.
"What does that mean...?"
"I don't know either... I don't understand anything..."
Arien shook her head, teary-eyed.
"They said I can't go alone... I have to go with you... but it can't be helped."
"Why?"
"If you're there... I won't be able to focus on training. I have to learn how to handle the Holy Sword and fight as fast as possible, so I have to go to the capital tomorrow..."
As soon as I heard those words, my mind went blank.
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
Finally I couldn't hold it in—the voice echoed inside the storage room and Arien's shoulders trembled.
I wasn't angry. I wasn't even angry at Arien.
I just couldn't understand.
We hadn't wanted anything. We had wanted to spend time together until we left the orphanage, and find a small house and keep living like this forever.
But today, strangers had suddenly appeared and said they were taking Arien away tomorrow.
I just couldn't understand it.
"...If I don't become the Hero..."
Arien said in a trembling voice.
"You die too."
"..."
"If I can't stop the Demon King, the whole land will become a battlefield... and everyone here will die."
Arien's hand tightened.
"The world you live in won't exist..."
I couldn't say anything.
I wanted to deny it. It had nothing to do with me. Whether the world ended or not, I wanted to tell her to stop going.
But I couldn't.
Stopping her would be the same as leaving her to die.
"At least... I asked for some time before we part ways."
Arien swallowed her sobs again.
"But it's urgent. They said I have to leave immediately tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah..."
It was too fast.
I had just heard the word "Hero" for the first time today, and she was leaving tomorrow.
"I... I don't want to go."
Arien's voice broke.
"I just want to be with you..."
I didn't even answer—I just listened to Arien.
"I might never come back... so they asked me to say goodbye."
After saying those words, Arien could no longer hold back and burst into loud sobs.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Riven... snif... I'm sorry..."
"Why are you sorry...?"
That was all I could manage.
I hugged the Arien who was holding me just as tightly, and only then did the tears I had been holding back finally spill.
"Why are you sorry...?"
"Even so... I'm sorry..."
We hugged in the storage room for a long time, crying.
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell her not to go, and I couldn't say it would be okay.
All I could do was hold her a little longer in my arms.
At some point, Arien buried her face in my chest and spoke in a small voice.
"Riven."
"Yeah."
"...Forget me."
At first I thought I had misheard.
"...What?"
"Forget me."
Arien looked up at me, her face messed up with tears.
"And live happily."
"What are you saying?"
"I might never come back again."
"Still..."
"Don't wait for me your whole life."
"How can I forget you?"
My voice trembled.
Arien smiled at me with a face that looked like it would cry again.
"Still, forget me... Live forgetting me at least."
I didn't know what to say to that.
"I don't want to," I wanted to say. "I won't forget you ever," I wanted to say. "I'll wait for you forever," I wanted to say.
But if I said that, Arien would feel even more pain.
After a long time of just moving my lips, I finally managed to speak.
"Even so... I'm going to keep this."
My hand reached for the necklace around my neck.
Arien's gaze naturally followed.
"So you keep yours too."
I gently pinched the same necklace around her neck with my fingers.
Arien, who had been silent for a moment, eventually laughed with a faint sound. Even while tears kept falling.
"What is that... You still say you'll never forget."
"...Yeah."
I couldn't lie.
Arien stared at me for a long time, then buried her face in my arms again.
"Idiot... I really won't forget you... won't abandon you..."
"Same here."
"So..."
Arien's hand squeezed my necklace tightly.
"When we meet again someday, you must recognize me."
"Of course."
That day we slept separately.
Normally we would have slept side by side without thinking, but not that night.
If we slept together until morning, I wouldn't be able to let her go.
And the next day I stood in front of the orphanage watching Arien, who had finished preparing to leave.
She was wearing clean clothes that the nobles had brought instead of the old ones she had worn yesterday, but to me she still looked exactly like the Arien who had always been beside me every single day.
"I'm going."
"Yeah."
"Take care."
"You too."
There were so many things I wanted to say, but nothing came out.
Arien kept looking back many times, and I waved my hand each time. I stayed rooted to that spot until the carriage disappeared from sight.
The person I believed was my past, my present, and my future... was leaving me.
But I had no intention of staying quietly here.
How could I let the person who had always been beside me since I was born, the person I first said I loved, the person I had promised to stay with forever, go to the battlefield alone?
That night I slipped out of the orphanage without telling anyone.
My luggage was nothing but a few old clothes and the small change I had left, and the cheap necklace was still around my neck.
Fortunately, at the village square a mercenary group was setting up a tent to recruit new recruits for the front lines.
When the recruiter asked my age, I lied and said I was a little older.
When asked if I had ever held a sword, I lied and said yes.
When they asked if I was okay with dying, I didn't need to lie that time and just nodded.
That way I boarded the wagon without even learning the name of the mercenary group properly.
It wasn't that I wasn't scared.
I didn't know what war was, I hadn't seen monsters, and I didn't even know how to swing a sword properly.
But it didn't matter.
If I was going to risk my life, I would. If that meant meeting you one day sooner, I could accept anything.
I held the necklace around my neck.
Let's meet on the front lines again.
Arien.