Hero's Adventure Chronicle (2): The Hero Plunges into Chaos!
“Whoa! Your body is seriously amazing! Even Jack, the guy from our village famous for his strength, doesn’t have muscles like that! Honestly, Jack’s half muscle, half fat, so it feels like he got strong just to carry all that weight around, but anyway, he’s the strongest guy in our village! Oh shoot, this isn’t the time for that! Welcome! To Dawn Valley Village! It’s not that big, the population’s small, and aside from being on the road to the temple of the Life Goddess, there’s nothing special about it—it’s just your average village! Still, since pilgrims pass through here often on their way to the temple, safety is guaranteed! Monsters showing up around here? That only happened once a few years ago, and it was just a puny little one at that! That’s how safe it is!”
Whoa. My ears are about to bleed.
“Uh, that’s…”
“We only get pilgrims heading to the Life Goddess’s temple pretty regularly, or maybe a wandering merchant once a month, so visitors like you are super rare! Back in the day, lots of people came through because of the Hero’s Sword, but a few years ago, they just… stopped. Weird, right? I heard the Hero’s Sword got pulled, but if that happened, whoever drew it would be out there slaying every monster in sight and bringing peace to the world, so probably someone pulled it and then hid away. What do you think, sir?”
“Th-that’s…”
Is this what they mean by beating someone with words…? The hero looked like he was taking massive mental damage, barely holding on.
Alright, time to help out a little. Let’s see… In situations like this… I snapped my fingers, designating the airspace above Dawn Valley Village, and conjured a small rain cloud. Then, raindrops began to fall, one by one.
“Ah, rain…”
“Oh my, rain all of a sudden? It was clear just a minute ago! Come on, sir! Let’s move before you get soaked! The village is too small for an inn, but the village head’s house has some spare rooms, so all visitors stay there! Come on! This way!!”
Ah… That backfired.
I figured just making it rain would make them split up naturally… But maybe this works out better. Being alone with me all the time probably stunted that kid’s social skills, so this’ll be good training—meeting new people and building some.
Just…
“Hurry! If we stay out here, it’ll pour and we’ll be drenched! We’re not so stingy that we’d let an out-of-towner get soaked!”
“Uh, uh-huh…”
I’m not sure the hero’s mental fortitude will hold out that long.
Grabbing the hero’s hand and dragging him into what looked like the village head’s house, the girl rummaged through every corner like it was her own home and set out a very simple meal.
Hmm. Actually, this might be her house? She pulled stuff out with such practiced ease.
The hero seemed to think the same, watching her carefully before speaking up.
“You seem pretty familiar with the place.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. It’s my house, after all. And when visitors come from outside, welcoming them is the village head’s daughter’s job. That’s why I was hanging around the entrance doing odd jobs. Not that being the head’s daughter comes with any perks or anything! Honestly, it’s just a hassle! No real benefits! Dad’s proud of being village head, but to me, it looks like nothing but a bothersome hat. I wish he’d pass this annoying duty to someone else, but he’s stubbornly proud. What a pain.”
A casual question, and she unleashes a waterfall of words. No wonder he’s hesitant to ask anything.
So she’s the village head’s daughter, huh. Makes sense—she knew all about staying at the head’s house and such. Guess it’s from personal experience.
“Anyway, really, weird stuff happens. Clear skies one minute, and then a downpour. Rain’s not bad, but this sudden? Something’s off. I’ve heard rumors of strange monsters popping up in other villages lately—maybe that’s it? Or did the heavens decide to prank you with rain? Who knows. Sorry the spread’s so meager. As you can see, it’s a small village—we’re not rich or anything. Enough to get by, but… Still, it’d be rude not to treat a visitor right! Just plain soup, some hard bread, and a bit of salad! If the hunters have a good day, we get meat, but the last few days have been slim pickings. This is the best I could do.”
“Ah, uh… Thanks. I’ll dig in.”
“Yep! Enjoy!”
Oh. The hero’s growing. He actually responded! Holding out against that verbal tsunami and even replying. I can feel his progress.
“So, where are you from, sir? You came from the direction of the Life Goddess’s temple, but you don’t look like a pilgrim.”
“Ah… I spent a few years at the temple.”
“The temple? Hmm… Training to become a pilgrim?”
The hero hesitated at her words before answering.
“Something like that. I trained for a few years… then, uh… something came up, and I ran off.”
Hmm. Spilling personal details to a stranger like that?
“Ran off? Must’ve been some big problem.”
“If it’s a problem… it’s me. I fell short of the expectations of the precious one who raised me. If I’d been stronger… I wouldn’t have disappointed her.”
Huh? My expectations? Wait, what? Fell short? I just told him to quit because he looked worn out…
Urgh… Should I have talked more? Didn’t realize he’d take it that way. Guess he jumped to conclusions and ran away because of it.
“Fell short… I don’t know the details, but how about staying here a while to sort your thoughts?”
“Here in the village?”
“Yes! We’re short on people, so every hand counts. A sturdy guy like you, even temporarily, would help a ton! And with that greatsword, you could handle monsters too! Not that any have shown up in years! But you’ve gotta prepare for if, right?”
The hero pondered her words, then slowly nodded. Better than wandering aimlessly—staying somewhere he could return to the temple from anytime, maybe.
“Ah, of course, I can’t decide alone, so I’ll have to talk to Dad and the other adults later! But they’ll probably say yes!”
She beamed. Caught up in her energy, the hero just nodded along.
The hero slowly blended into life in little Dawn Valley Village.
Well, I only taught him fighting stuff, so it’s no surprise he struggled with village chores. Hilarious, though—using his hero’s sword to till the fields because he didn’t know how.
Still, he bumbled through rural life, crashing into things left and right.
Watching him, I couldn’t help but wonder: If he hadn’t pulled that sword, if he’d met proper parents… what kind of life would he have led? Kinda curious, just a tiny bit.
If I rewound time to save his parents, could I see that future? But then I’d have to let go of the hero I’d made. Sounds selfish, but I don’t want to.
Rewinding means repeating everything. Nothing more annoying.
Putting those idle thoughts aside, as I watched the hero settle into village life, a nagging unease crept in.
Is that kid… forgetting about his hero duties? Nah, no way. I drilled it into him for years. Told him humans couldn’t handle strong monsters without huge losses. That’s why he had to step up.
Hmm. Let’s trust the hero. He’s not irresponsible enough to shirk his duty.
So… trust him. The kid I raised. The hero.
That not-quite-deviation of his didn’t last long.