Chapter 9: Before becoming a hero(4)

“This is called the Holy Sanctuary! If Sallen were ever attacked, the citizens would take refuge here!”

Perhaps it was the excitement of being out after a long time, but Yulina was eagerly leading Isaac and Zeke on a tour of the domain. The problem, however, was that she was revealing military secrets without hesitation.

Fortunately, Zeke didn’t realize that what she was saying was confidential. And Isaac? He was deleting the information from his memory as soon as he heard it. After all, it was of no use to him anyway.

“What’s that?”

“That’s a signal fire! If anything happens in the domain, we light that to alert everyone—it’s like a helpful teacher for the whole region!”

“I see!”

‘She talks like a kindergarten teacher.’

Isaac had read about her fondness for children, but seeing it firsthand made the setting all the more apparent. It wasn’t just Yulina—everyone else in Sallen seemed unusually carefree as well.

As they walked down the street, vendors would offer them fruit or bread, urging them to try some.

At the blacksmith’s, a smith even handed Isaac a brand-new weapon for free, saying it was to commemorate the first hero to set foot in Sallen.

This generosity stemmed from the nature of Sallen itself. It was a land praised for having every resource imaginable, where even the fields, when farmed, always produced abundant harvests.

The land was so fertile that they could farm endlessly without needing a break.

Because of this, people called it:

The Blessed Land.

But was it truly a blessing for everyone?

Swallowing his thoughts, Isaac followed Yulina as they continued the inspection of the domain. By the time they finished, the sun was already setting. Isaac let out a sigh and spoke.

“I’m exhausted.”

“I’m tired too.”

“So, what do you think of this land?”

“Everyone seems happy. It’s like a paradise.”

Yes, like paradise. It had to be. For a land with enough resources and space to house a small country, only 800 people lived there.

While 800 was a decent population for the era, given the size and resources of the land, it still seemed strange. But, of course, there was a reason for everything.

“By the way, do you remember the request?”

“Of course! It was to get rid of pests, wasn’t it?”

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you keep a closer eye on the target?”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Zeke trailed off, glancing around. His golden eyes widened as big as saucers. He quickly stood up and frantically looked around.

“No matter how hard you look, she’s not there.”

“N-no! Yulina’s gone!!!”

“I can see that.”

Up until a moment ago, Yulina had been resting beside them, but now she was nowhere to be seen. Of course, Isaac had noticed when she slipped away, but he chose to remain silent.

There were several reasons for this, one of which was to allow Zeke to grow. But the main reason was that Yulina wasn’t in any danger at all.

‘Do no harm to others with my concept.’

This was Isaac’s principle. If your concept causes harm to others, you’re not a true concept maniac. A true one pursues their concept without causing trouble for others. Isaac spoke.

“Next time, don’t take your eyes off her. Understand?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“As long as you’ve learned your lesson. Besides, there’s no danger anyway.”

“Huh? But didn’t you say there were pests?”

“You’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

Isaac never revealed the answer. It stemmed from his belief that spoilers were a sin, but Zeke saw it as part of Isaac’s thorough training.

Luckily, finding Yulina wasn’t difficult. She hadn’t gone far and was walking around the streets openly. After asking a few people, they immediately found out where she was.

Thanks to that, Isaac and Zeke saw her. In a secluded part of the domain, far from people, Yulina was kissing a strange man. Isaac quickly reached out and covered Zeke’s eyes.

“Huh? What is that? Their lips are…”

“Forget it. You’re too young for this.”

“Whoa! What’s going on?!”

“Haha, I didn’t expect you to find me so quickly.”

Yulina chuckled awkwardly, acting calm. However, the man she was kissing seemed startled as he turned to look at Isaac and Zeke.

He had gray hair, scars on his face, and a massive greatsword strapped to his back. There was no doubt about it.

This was Cain, the protagonist of the side story The Wanderer and the Saintess. Just as in the side story, Cain had a fiery personality.

“Who the hell are you? Were you following Yulina?!”

“You could say that.”

“You bastard, what are you trying to pull with Yulina—”

“It’s not like that, Cain!”

“I received a request. From her father.”

“H-her father? You mean from my future father-in-law?!”

“But at the same time, it described him as having a pure heart, like water. True to that description, Cain just believed Isaac’s words, despite the possibility that he could be an enemy.

‘So, a father-in-law, huh? Sounds like you’ve promised your future together.’

‘W-Well…’

‘The task I was given was to get rid of any pests trying to approach Lady Yulina. You understand what I mean by that, right?’

The slightly lighthearted atmosphere suddenly turned heavy. Cain stared seriously at Isaac, and Isaac met his gaze without flinching. The moment felt tense, as if a confrontation was imminent.

‘Isn’t there a way to just leave us alone?’

‘It’s no use, Yulina. That’s just how heroes are. They’re filthy, greedy–’

‘There is a way.’

‘Wait, what?! Really?!’

Cain shouted in genuine surprise. As a wanderer, he had traveled to many places. And in all his travels, the heroes he encountered were always the same – nothing but trash, driven only by money.

They were the kind of people who would cut down innocents just for a paycheck. In Cain’s experience, there was no negotiating with such people unless you offered them even more money. But Isaac was different.

‘Lord Fragach is simply worried that a worthless man might get close to his daughter. In other words… if you get his approval for your relationship, then there should be no problem, right?’

In the side story, the hero hired by Lord Fragach was depicted as nothing but trash. He never bothered to listen to Cain’s circumstances and tried to capture him, only to be overpowered by Cain in return.

That incident caused a rift between Cain and Yulina. From Cain’s perspective, it must have felt like a trap. Eventually, though, they worked through the misunderstanding and fell in love again.

‘R-Right. That’s it! That’s what we need to do!’

‘Yes! Father will surely give us his blessing!’

‘I’m not sure what’s going on, but is everything resolved now?’

From where Zeke was standing, watching the whole situation unfold, it certainly seemed that way. Even a young boy like Zeke could tell that Cain and Yulina genuinely cared for and loved each other. Isaac spoke up.

‘Who knows.’

Isaac’s expression remained uneasy.

After all, the story of the Wanderer and the Saint ended in a tragedy.

Cain and Yulina moved forward without hesitation. They truly loved each other. And Lord Fragach wasn’t a completely unreasonable man either.

When Cain and Yulina went to meet Lord Fragach, the first thing he did was question Isaac. ‘Why did you ignore the request?’ Isaac answered calmly.

‘What was I supposed to do? They weren’t pests; they were two people who truly love each other.’

‘…I see. Well, I can’t deny it, judging from what I’ve seen myself.’

‘Father! Or should I say Father-in-law! Please, I beg of you, give me your daughter’s hand in marriage!’

For a moment, a throbbing vein seemed to pop up on Lord Fragach’s forehead. Was that a sign of his anger, or was he just annoyed? After taking a deep breath, Lord Fragach sighed and spoke.

‘I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Come inside. I’ll tell you everything.’

Cain and Yulina followed Lord Fragach into his mansion. That was over an hour ago. Isaac and Zeke had been left outside, since they weren’t directly involved in the matter.

BAM!

‘Ah, finally. Cain… sir?’

They heard the sound of a door being thrown open, followed by hurried footsteps. Zeke had been smiling, ready to greet Cain, but Cain ignored both him and Isaac, running forward without stopping.

‘Thank you for all your hard work. Thanks to you, I was able to bring up a topic I’ve put off for far too long.’

‘…’

‘I consider the request completed. I’ve doubled your payment, so please return safely.’

Sometime after Cain had run off, Lord Fragach appeared with a bittersweet smile, handing Isaac a pouch of money. Just as Fragach said, it contained twice the agreed-upon payment.

‘So, this is the end of the request.’

‘This is the end? Just like that?'”

“Yes, we’ve received the payment, and the client has officially ended the request.”

“So… does that mean we’re just supposed to leave now?”

“You could say that.”

An indescribable storm of emotions swirled in Zeke’s chest. Cain, who had just rushed out, had been biting his lip. The emotions Zeke sensed from him were a mix of anger and despair.

But why? The request had been completed, and yet… Zeke had a gut feeling that it shouldn’t end like this. But how could he possibly explain these feelings to his master?

“Is this really what a hero does? Just finish up and walk away?”

“Yes. All heroes in Gideon are like that.”

…

Heroes who only think about their payment and the glory they’ll achieve. And if they aren’t like that, then even the death of an innocent wouldn’t bother them in the slightest.

That was the reality of most of the heroes in Gideon.

“I can’t accept that.”

But Zeke outright rejected that notion. The kind of hero he wanted to become wasn’t like that. He wanted to be the hero from a fairytale — the one who defeats monsters and saves people.

“The request isn’t finished yet! Nothing has been resolved!”

“Are you saying you intend to deny Gideon’s way outright?”

“Yes! Even if that means it’s not the path of a hero!!”

Compared to the countless seasoned heroes of Gideon, Zeke was nothing more than a kid who was all talk.

But even so, there was one thing he would never back down from.

Unable to control the emotions welling up inside him, Zeke shouted. Isaac, who had been quietly observing him, placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Well said.”

“H-Huh? You’re not mad at me?”

Zeke had been sure he was about to get scolded and squeezed his eyes shut. But instead, he was met with praise. His mind went blank, unable to process the situation.

“Of course, your approach would be considered heretical in Gideon.”

It wasn’t practical. It was driven by emotion, by the inability to just walk away from people with a story to tell.

Someone who couldn’t even take care of themselves but still cared about others — a truly foolish, sentimental idiot.

But…

“That, too, is what it means to be a hero.”

Let’s go.

To save everyone.