Hero's Party Porter - 2

I dreamed the same dream again. What was I doing? Ah. Right. I was blankly staring at the sleeping porter's face.

"Nngh……."

"Hehe."

The porter's face, dozing off with his head nodding by the campfire, was so cute. I was even worried he might get burned by the flames. Well, he was sleeping in a pretty stable position with him arms crossed, so he should be fine. Still, just in case, I quietly sat down beside him so I could grab him anytime.

Was he that exhausted?

I felt sorry and grateful toward the porter who had stuck with me through the grueling journey to the end.

'How did we end up traveling together again?'

My memory…… Ah. Right. That's how it was.

The porter and I were childhood friends. It was so obvious—why had I forgotten even for a moment? I'm such a scatterbrain.

The porter's childhood dream was to become a hero.

He had made that childish promise to protect me as a hero. But the one chosen by the Star's Choice to become the hero was me. The stars didn't care about kids' promises when deciding fate, yet the porter followed me anyway, saying he had to keep his promise.

Sheesh. Who was protecting whom, anyway?

He couldn't even fight properly, but that confident attitude of his was so adorable.

'Well, he did protect me. From bugs.'

Come to think of it, traveling was so comfortable thanks to the porter.

His combat skills were abysmal, but he was thoughtful and skilled in so many ways. He chased away bugs, set up beds, cooked delicious meals, and always looked after every little thing, making the whole journey enjoyable.

Of course, any trip with the porter would have been fun, even sleeping in the dew and eating grass. Ah, but probably not the bugs.

'Ah. She's about to wake up.'

The porter's body trembled slightly, and the air around us grew a bit clearer.

Strangely, whenever the porter woke up, the world felt a little sharper, more vivid. Was it because I liked him that much? Ahh. Thinking that made me embarrassed somehow. Did the porter know how I felt? Dense little thing. Well, he seemed to like me just as much, so it was fine.

Anyway, it was clear we both liked each other.

"Porter. Dozed off for a sec? Puheuh."

"Ah. Hero."

So, after defeating the Demon King…… Yeah. Let's go back home and live happily. Together.

No. No.

This is wrong. Why. Why did the porter have to die instead of me──.

"Hic──."

Eh? What? Was it a dream? When I came to, I was lying in bed. My body was drenched in cold sweat. It felt like a nightmare. A really horrific one, but……?

What…… was the dream about?

"Haneul. You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah?"

"You were trembling and mumbling in your sleep. Even screamed."

"Ah……."

The memory from last night came back late.

Right. I got chewed out by the guild master, drank with Oppa the manager, told him to crash at my place. We trashed the guild master together, I shoved him into the guest room when he insisted on the couch, practiced sword aura with a cutter knife until I fell asleep, and…… yeah.

Dreamed.

A dream from my time as the hero.

"Haneul?"

"I…… don't remember."

"Huh?"

"I shouldn't forget, it was important, I need to remember, but it won't come back……."

It was an incredibly important dream. About someone precious.

But no matter how hard I tried to recall it, it slipped away. Even clawing at my head, it poured out like sand between my fingers. What was the dream? Think. Remember. Bring it back.

Why do dreams fade so fast after waking?

"Oppa. You said I was mumbling, right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember what I said?"

"Mumbling? Uh, it was more like sobbing than words, so I couldn't make it out. Was it important? Related to that dream where you learned sword aura maybe?"

Sobbing. Right. I was crying.

In the dream, I clung to someone and sobbed for a long time. Why was I crying? If I could just grasp a bit more…… but the more I thought, the clearer my mind got, and the dream drifted further away.

Yeah. Maybe if I sleep again──.

"Oppa. Let me sleep just one more hour."

"Huh? Uh, sure……. Sleep well. I'll watch over you. And for the mumbling…… should I set up a recorder if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it happens again?"

"Yes. Please."

"Got it! Leave it to me!"

Not so much a dream…… more like a memory.

As if engraving a dream I'd had once before, unfamiliar memories surfaced one by one.

The porter and I were childhood friends.

The porter always proudly declared his dream of becoming a hero. I didn't care about heroes or anything. I just followed him around because it looked fun, because I wanted to be with him.

But I had talent for swordsmanship.

Just a week after starting to learn from the porter, I caught up to months of his practice. After a month, the skill gap was so wide that even though he was much stronger physically, he couldn't beat me. After a year, I could finally use sword aura. The village celebrated—a knight-level talent from our small village. There was a feast that day.

And a few days later, the oracle came down.

The oracle that I was the hero chosen by the stars.

The porter didn't despair.

Instead, while I trained swordsmanship at the temple, he prepared everything and became my 'porter.' All to help me.

Even after his lifelong dream was taken by his childhood friend.

How could he do that? What an idiot childhood friend.

Thanks to him, the journey was truly comfortable.

The porter was capable in every way.

Whenever he did something, bugs magically vanished from around us. He found whatever we needed right away. Even while camping, we always ate delicious food.

Sometimes his preparedness was so thorough it surprised me. Especially in labyrinths—it was practically thanks to him that we cleared them. Alone, I'd probably have smashed the whole thing in frustration.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The promise to become a hero and protect me.

I was happy he remembered that offhand promise, but sorry that I was the one who became the 'hero.'

It was a promise that couldn't be kept, after all.

Yeah. So we promised.

That I'd protect him. Since his dream had become my reality, even that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠promise had to become mine. I promised to protect him. Yeah. I promised──.

I woke from the dream there.

"……Porter."

Porter……. What was his name again.

It felt like I'd watched a long movie with a lingering aftertaste.

This is why I love lucid dreams.

I need to write in my dream journal so I don't forget this feeling. Dreams fade fast if you don't record them.