Chapter 205
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Heroes' Night - 1
At first, I considered just renting out a large room, but I quickly changed my mind.
Considering the number of people Adwin was going to summon, even a fairly big room wouldn't be enough.
So I went down to the first floor and talked it over with the innkeeper.
"Is there anyone else staying here tonight besides us?"
The innkeeper replied as if he were about to prostrate himself flat on the floor.
"No one but you, Hero, and your companions. I deliberately turned away other guests."
Don't say it with a face like he's fishing for praise.
I scratched my head and said,
"Then, could I rent out the entire inn for the night? For this amount."
"Th-this is troubling."
"Ah. I suppose it's too little."
"No! I mean I can't accept this."
He politely pushed the pouch of money back.
"If it weren't for you all, there'd be no Empire, no me—and no inn either."
"......"
"You protected humanity, which means you protected this inn too. Please use it freely."
"Th-thank you."
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"No. Actually, I'd appreciate it if you cleared out. We're expecting a crowd at the inn."
The innkeeper bowed deeply, saying of course he would.
Before he left, I slipped the pouch of money into his bag.
Neril noticed and said,
"You've changed a lot from before. Back when we first met, you'd have grumbled about wasting retirement funds."
"If you're improving so nicely, what's the point if I stay the same?"
"You like what you see?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Hehe."
Neril smiled happily.
Serein, on the other hand, looked deeply uncomfortable as she spoke up.
"Shall we get started? You're veering off track again."
"Right. Adwin."
Adwin nodded.
He no longer chanted any spells in particular.
Just like Phirensia had, he simply snapped his fingers with a light *snap*.
And with that alone, the inn's hall filled up.
Thanks to Adwin's spell, we could already see souls.
But these souls looked a bit different from the ones we'd seen before.
Jenia whispered,
"Who are they? Those people."
"Hm? The souls you requested, obviously."
"Sounds just like what a server says when bringing out the food."
"Only my sister could come up with a comparison like that."
"What I mean is, they don't look like the usual souls. Not bluish flames, but proper ones with eyes, noses, mouths, arms, and legs."
Exactly.
The only hazy part aside, these souls took the form of people.
Adwin explained,
"The souls necromancers summon look like flames because that's the closest they can imagine to what a soul should be."
"......"
"But my fame has grown lately, deepening my understanding of souls. Now, summoning them in their living forms is no big deal."
"Huh."
"Plus, you should be able to communicate with them without me as a medium. Try talking to them, bro."
I scanned the summoned souls once more.
They were all faces I'd only seen in history books, but there was something more approachable about these ones.
The first hero, Grade.
Second hero Repia and hero Iori.
Third hero Leon and hero Byond.
Suddenly summoned, they all looked quite bewildered.
*Clap.*
I clapped my hands lightly.
"Everyone. Attention, please."
"Maide! Long time no see."
"You rascal. Summoning your lord first, of all things."
"Hey, good to see you. Treating the kid right?"
I smiled at the particularly welcoming heroes and continued.
"As you can see, everyone gathered here is a hero or legend who once saved humanity."
"......"
"I'm the rookie hero Maide Mohan. These are my companions beside me."
I nodded to my party members.
They'd grown thick-skinned going through all sorts of ordeals with me, but even they seemed a bit tense before these names drilled into their heads since childhood.
They introduced themselves a little stiffly.
Everyone except Neril, who kept her usual attitude no matter who was in front of her.
Once the introductions were done, I spoke again.
"I've gathered you all because I have a humble request to make."
"Hold on."
Grade raised his hand then.
"Yes. I'll arrange a private meeting with Risel later."
"Thanks... wait, that's not why I interrupted."
"Of course you'd say that."
"Heh. Can't even call you cheeky anymore. You've gotten ridiculously strong. I can't even touch your toes."
At that, the eyes of the seventeen heroes and legends excluding Grade turned to him.
Grade continued,
"Anyway, what I wanted to say was this. How can we have a gathering like this without drinks?"
"Pardon? Ah... can you even drink?"
"No idea. Let's find out—bring some booze."
Unexpectedly, Repia chimed in agreement with Grade.
"I'm not much of a drinker myself, but I think Sir Grade has a point."
"Repia."
"What we're doing here is nothing short of a miracle."
"......"
"Only you could make this happen, Maide. It never occurred in the past, and probably never will in the future."
She's right.
Repia continued in her usual gentle, warm voice toward me.
"Let's commemorate this moment properly, Maide."
"Quite right, Lady Repia. You've made me fall for you all over again today."
"Don't say that in front of people, Iori."
"Y-yes......"
"No need to look so down about it."
Byond laughed as he joined in.
"The second party's vibe is so different from ours. Leon."
"Ours was pretty heartwarming too, wasn't it?"
"Heartwarming? Sure, if you count doting on kids like they were by the water's edge."
"Come on. Our party didn't have any kids."
"You're the kid I'm talking about."
Then Risel's voice came from somewhere.
She was already greeting the first party's members.
She had been one of them, after all.
"Then I suppose I should prepare some food."
"Hehe. Lady Magna's cooking—it's been ages."
"Not sure if Hermes can eat it, though."
"Just looking will be enjoyment enough."
And just like that, a feast was unexpectedly prepared.
I placed gold coins on the counter for the drinks and hauled whole barrels out from the kitchen.
Risel whipped up simple dishes while the rest of us grabbed plates and utensils.
Once the bustling preparations ended, everyone stared at me.
*Thud.*
Neril tapped my back.
"What are you doing? Say something."
"Huh? Me?"
"You're the host. Of this feast."
"......"
"What's wrong?"
"Just... feeling a bit overwhelmed."
I'd started out as a mere mercenary.
Before my regression, I'd just played my role in Keld's party, planning to kill the Demon King, claim my retirement funds from the Emperor, and bow out.
But now, from Trail onward, I was a hero with excellent companions.
And here they were—past heroes and legends with drinks in front of them, waiting for me to speak.
I lifted my glass.
"Everyone got their glasses filled?"
"Hmm. But I doubt we can actually drink."
"That's fine. Drink with your hearts."
"You're asking the impossible."
I called out,
"To the tireless efforts of all of you who devoted yourselves to the world."
Cheers.
The feast went on for quite a while.
I was careful not to ruin the mood as I gradually revealed the world's secrets bit by bit.
They were all shocked.
They were all baffled.
They were happy, they were sad.
Maybe because the whirlwind of emotions was so intense?
Though only our group actually drank, the atmosphere grew as heated as if everyone was plastered.
"Ugh. That bastard Padania... no wonder I couldn't find him anywhere in the afterlife."
"We trusted and relied on him so much."
"Honestly, he was always a bit off. Like his heart was somewhere else."
"People on the continent won't revere us anymore. Not that we did it for that, but it's bittersweet."
The fourth party's heroes' table was like a funeral home.
Repia comforted them.
"Don't think that way. Fake hero or not, it doesn't change that you fought the Withering Demon King."
"That Demon King turned out to be fake too."
"But your desperate fight to protect people, risking your lives—that was real."
"Ugh. Lady Repia, can I hold your hand? Just once? I've always admired you."
"You're dead."
"Iori, stay put. Here."
Over at the third party's side, Leon was slumped like a drunkard.
Byond rubbed his forehead and said,
"You're still weak to booze."
"Didn't drink any? *Hic*."
"Then you got drunk on the smell alone."
"Can I join in for a bit?"
"Come on over. Whoa, isn't this Lord Ort? Hey, get up—senior's here."
"My head's killing me......"
"It's fine. Let him rest."
I quietly observed the commotion among these heroes and legends.
It felt fresh.
No—everyone on this continent grew up hearing these people's names from childhood.
Great figures who'd achieved feats too monumental to even look up to.
'But.'
Of course, they were human too.
Their character and talents were extraordinary, but fundamentally, they were just people like us.
Feeling the heated energy of the drinking party wash over me, I thought,
'The heroes from eras before Impellium must've been like this too, the ones I never met?'
No, not just them.
There must be heroes in worlds I don't know. Their party members too.
Going back through time, infinite heroes would emerge.
And ahead, infinite more across endless eons.
For a moment, I felt a profound vertigo.
'Is this right? Is this system correct?'
I paused that train of thought for now.
I'll set it aside.
Time for the main point.
"Everyone. Attention for a moment, please."
"Hey, quiet down. The junior's got something to say."
"Junior? Isn't he the senior-most now? According to what Maide explained earlier."
"I'm still kinda dumbfounded, honestly."
"Maide isn't just a hero to begin with, right? He's the god of this world or something."
"With that guy's personality, he couldn't handle god stuff. Probably got demoted back to hero for it."
Who's the last one?
Grade, huh.
[Heh. Yeah, how could you manage running the world with your personality? Too lazy.]
'......'
[Come to think of it, what happens to you after this fight's over? Back to ruling the world?]
'Dunno.'
Truth be told, a thought flashed earlier, but now's not the time to reveal it.
Anyway, I said,
"During the feast, I've told you all the world's secrets—at least everything I know."
"......"
"Anything else you're curious about?"
They all looked at each other.
Soon, as if by agreement, they shook their heads.
Repia spoke for them.
"Not really. Ah, if I had to pick one thing..."
"What is it?"
"What are you going to do now? You said you need ten million fame to kill that Acteon guy."
"Good question, Lady Repia."
I took a light breath.
As heroes and legends themselves, they knew better than anyone how crucial fame was.
That made it even harder to say.
"That Demon King Belosian I mentioned earlier—he can deceive the world with his power and steal fame."
"Pardon?"
"You all haven't gone to other worlds, so you still hold high fame. So, what I'm asking is..."
"......"
"Lend me your fame, just for a little while."
I bowed deeply as I said it.
But before I could even bend at the waist, Grade's voice rang out.
"Sure, why not."
"Of course it's too mu—huh? What?"
"I'll lend it."
Grade continued nonchalantly.
"I was wondering what big drama you were building up to. That's all?"
"......"
"I'm dead anyway. No need to cling to fame from my living days."
His voice held no particular detachment.
Just simple matter-of-factness.
Grade wasn't grandly resolving to hand over his fame after deep deliberation.
To him, 'I'm dead now, so I don't need fame' was just an obvious fact that needed no fanfare.
'As expected......'
This is the kind of hero I should emulate.