The Last Hero (1)
Wow. Even a guy like this gets to be a Hero?
I learned from the newspaper that a man named Jacks Eners had been named Hero.
Honestly, I didn't know much about the guy. Judging by the surname, he was probably some scion of the Eners family. I'd heard they had a wastrel of a young master, but that was about the extent of it.
Even so, I knew perfectly well how absurd this whole thing was.
I had once given everything I had as the Empire's Hero. Naturally, I'd done everything in my power to recruit the Empire's most promising talents into the Hero's party. Granted, the reason I'd ended up recruiting the party members I did was because none of the Empire's candidates had impressed me — but still. Anyone in the Empire with even a shred of real talent, I knew about.
The fact that I'd never so much as heard this man's name was proof enough of how worthless he was. Probably just an ordinary nobody. The Eners family might have been something in the distant past, but they sure weren't now. Having a great ancestor didn't mean the descendants were anything special. Sure, there was always a chance — but it was a slim one at best.
This guy was definitely just a regular person. And there was a high probability his head wasn't screwed on straight, either. An ordinary guy wanting to be a Hero? You'd have to be out of your mind. Being a Hero wasn't some neighborhood dog's name. He probably had some fantasy about the title, or about the Hero's party.
The real problem is the Empire, though.
Still, the biggest issue was the Empire itself. How blind did you have to be to recruit a man like that? Maybe if they came crawling to me right now and begged — ah, not that it would matter. My heart had left that place a long time ago.
At this point, even the Empire itself had to know it was circling the drain.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing..."
I'd been staring at the newspaper with such a dumbfounded look that Aji started tilting her head. Maybe I'd been reading it a little too intently. I closed the paper as if it were nothing.
"Aji. Let me tell you something in advance — stay away from the Empire for a while."
I shoveled food into my mouth as I said it. If she had any thoughts of heading that way, she needed to drop them now.
"Huh? Why?"
"Sparks might fly."
"Sparks...?"
"Yeah."
Aji didn't look like she understood, but she said she got it anyway. I gave her a pat on the head.
Yeah. Best to stay clear of the Empire if at all possible. No matter how I looked at it, the Empire's situation was dire. It was a miracle the place was still standing. I honestly couldn't figure out why the Demon King hadn't just wiped it out already. She hadn't struck me as the merciful type.
I'd met the Demon King once before. An immensely powerful woman of the demon race, with an arrogance to match — a being of pride and dignity who would stop at nothing to protect both. But that didn't mean she was kind. As Demon King, she barely regarded humans as living creatures at all. Anyone who got in her way, she would crush without a second thought. That was the Demon King.
So why hadn't she made her move yet?
Hmm... I really don't get it.
I had no answer. My guess was that she should have invaded the moment Herald was named Hero and then got himself killed. And once she learned what kind of man the newly appointed Hero was, she'd have known the Empire was falling apart — one clean strike and she could have taken the whole thing. Sure, she might have suspected a trap at first, but after Alex showed up and got wrecked too? She had to know by now.
There was no way she didn't know. So why wasn't she invading?
Don't tell me... is it because of me?
As I turned it over, a memory from the past surfaced. The first time I'd fought the Demon King, I'd told her something — that I'd come back, and that next time we'd settle things for good. Was she waiting for me? Was that why she hadn't finished off the Empire?
Nah... that was back when I was still the Hero.
No way. That had been something I'd said as the Hero. I wasn't the Hero anymore — why would I go charging at the Demon King? We hadn't signed any treaty or made any formal promise. It was just something I'd said. And why would she stubbornly wait around for me over that? The idea that she was sitting in the Demon King's Castle refusing to invade the Empire because of me was pure self-importance on my part.
Well... it doesn't matter either way.
Whatever the reason, one thing was certain: the Empire's days were numbered. The Demon King wasn't going to wait a thousand years. I guaranteed she'd invade sooner rather than later. She hadn't exactly struck me as the patient type. And when that day came, the Empire was finished.
As for me, I'd just keep living my own life.
"Aji. Let's head to bed."
"Okay."
Mealtime was winding down. Time to wash up and get some sleep. I took Aji upstairs to the second-floor inn rooms.
"We've got training tomorrow, too."
"Okay."
Aji trotted after me without a word of complaint.
Will he even take us into his party?
A new Hero had been appointed. Jacks Eners — a scion of the Eners family, and a distant descendant of the Sword Saint who had once fought alongside a Hero of ages past.
Looking at this Jacks, the members of the Hero's party couldn't help but hesitate. They barely knew anything about him. They knew he came from the prestigious Eners family, but nothing beyond that — and until now, they'd never felt any need to. Their paths had simply never crossed.
Now, though, they felt that need keenly. The authority to staff the Hero's party rested entirely with the Hero. Recruitment and expulsion alike were his decisions alone. And the party members had already been expelled once. The previous Hero, Alex, had cast them out. They were no longer members of the Hero's party.
If they wanted back in, they desperately needed Jacks's help. But would he even accept them? The worry was impossible to shake. In the past, they wouldn't have fretted over it — but things were different now. They were a failed Hero's party that had passed through Lee Hansu and Herald without ever defeating the Demon King. They'd already been thrown out once under Alex. Would Jacks really take people like that?
They couldn't be sure.
"Let's just go see him."
"Yeah..."
They'd just have to try. Even if he refused them, they had no other options right now. They had to persuade him somehow. At the very least, they could talk and look for common ground.
With that resolve, the former Hero's party approached Jacks.
"Hero Jacks, good day to you."
"Hm...? And you ladies are?"
"Ah — we're members of the Hero's party."
When the party members greeted him, Jacks received them brightly, much to their relief. Even after they identified themselves as former party members, he showed no particular aversion. A better reaction than they'd dared hope for. Emboldened, they cut straight to the point.
"Um... the reason we've come today is... well, we'd like to help you, Hero Jacks. Would you consider taking us on as your party members?"
"We're really capable...! More than you'd think."
"We'll work hard at whatever you ask of us."
They were asking to be taken back in. Each of them desperately made their case for why they were needed. Would he accept them? Hearts pounding, they waited for Jacks's answer.
"Truly? If beauties like yourselves are offering to help, I'd be honored."
And the answer was yes. He accepted their proposal with a bright smile, looking them over and welcoming them into the party.
Really?
The party members couldn't help but rejoice. They'd been so worried he might turn them away, but nothing of the sort had happened. Being restored as members of the Hero's party was an enormous relief. Maybe this Jacks would turn out to be a decent Hero — nothing like Alex.
"Then let's set out right away."
"Yes...!"
The party members followed behind Jacks with light hearts. From here on, they would follow Hero Jacks, and this time — this time for sure — they would bring down the Demon King...
That was what they were telling themselves when it happened.
"Why... are we coming here?"
"Huh...? An inn?"
Why here, of all places? They'd barely started their journey, and already Jacks had stopped at an inn. Why begin at an inn? It was still early afternoon. None of them were tired. No matter how they looked at it, there was no reason to be here.
Unable to make sense of it, the party members asked him.
"Well, we're the Hero and his party members, aren't we? Shouldn't we check our compatibility first?"
"Excuse me...???"
What did this lunatic just say?
For a moment, the party members could only stare at him in shock.