Tale of the Fake Hero - Chapter 230



Only Noblemtl

Season 3: Episode 38

“Melene, you annoying Demon King brat, didn’t you say you didn’t properly greet my disciple yesterday?”

When there is a topic or person she does not want to talk about, Melene raises the height of her chair.

Then the opponent will helplessly squeak from below. Melene has always overcome crises like that.

But that was only true for ordinary people, and it was a no-no when the opponent was a sorcerer.

“Haha, where are you running off to? Do you know someone who can’t use telekinesis?”

“… … Ugh.”

Melene registered all the characters in her head’s ‘Dictionary of Laziness’.

This toad guy (Delfred) is the worst kind of person and will keep nagging you until the end if you don’t give him the answer he wants.

That’s why it’s best to answer the topic as quickly as possible.

“… … It seems like it’ll disappear soon anyway, so I hate wasting my energy on useless things.”

“Disappearing soon? Who? John?”

“Both… … If we really have to be picky, it’s more likely that he’s Laminea’s disciple.”

The difference in stress between a sorcerer who defeats enemies from a distance and a swordsman who slaughters enemies from close range is like the difference between heaven and earth.

There the payquerier is… … .

Those people who are pushed into blood feuds more than any other inspector are not suitable for a sensitive character like that kid.

“The two of them have equally weak personalities… … . Just looking at Lamine, I feel a sense of inferiority and helplessness every time a battle ends… … . The disciple seems to have a weaker personality, but… … . There are many, but not few, disciples who give up their dreams after their first expedition… … .”

Your scent, first departure (4)

Even today, if I close my eyes and try to recall, I can miraculously remember the sword dance that my teacher performed that day from beginning to end.

It was to that extent… … .

The next day, it wouldn’t be strange at all if I saw the Master’s sword dance even in my dreams.

“Are you okay? Your eyes are blurry.”

As I was finishing a light morning wash, Johan, who was washing his hair at the barracks sink, spoke to me.

“Your eyes are getting blurry?”

“I read in a book that everyone who experiences combat for the first time has the same eyes. The eyes of a killer.”

John would sometimes describe a phenomenon in such a chilling way, as pale and sharp as ice.

The eyes of a murderer… … .

Of course, before the other person could take it seriously, his/her characteristic timid mode kicked in and ruined the mood… … .

“But a murderer? Well, I admit my eyes are blurry… … I don’t think I can properly harm anyone with magic yet… … .”

I asked, gently patting the moisture from my face with a towel.

“Hey, did you meet Uncle Delfred after the battle yesterday?”

“Uh. You?”

“I haven’t met him. Yesterday, after everything was over, I tried to go to the teacher’s side, but he looked really, really sad, or should I say, tired.”

“Who can be happy in a battlefield where life is lost and dying like that?”

John answered, tying his long hair back in a ponytail. His eyes were as clear and deep as a winter lake.

“You have to be on the front lines of the scene, so it’s natural that you feel different pain than others.”

“… … .”

“But isn’t it true that warriors shine because they always go to battle one step ahead of others? Maybe that’s why people admire warriors.”

If I read a lot of books, I wonder if I will be able to say such cool things. I couldn’t say that.

“You sometimes talk like you’re really smart.”

“No. What’s wrong with someone like me? I always get scolded by the teacher.”

“Master, when the fight ended, you looked sad, but also lonely. Is that because a warrior is always a few steps ahead of others in battle, as you said?”

John thought about those words carefully and then answered:

“It’s only natural that the only people who can fight alongside a warrior are other warriors.”

“Is there any way I can help you?”

John.

From the first moment we met until the last moment, he is the guy who always understands and solves my worries in an instant.

I told you this back then too.

“If that’s the case, you should walk beside Laminea. Who else would there be besides you?”

* * *

Since last night, my heart has been pounding without rest. When I close my eyes, they come to mind. They come to mind and mix, tossing and turning.

continue.

continue.

continue.

The light that dyed the battlefield with a fragrance that could not exist, and the light of loneliness that fell upon the Master’s eyes after the battle was over.

– I am Laminaria Alter Aradmantel.

Every time that happens, I feel at a loss.

– Please convey your fragrance through me today too.

Do I want to leave that place that smells exactly like the day my mother died, or do I want to stay there?

“Kami, did you sleep well? Are you feverish? Kami looks even cuter when she’s wet, just like a puppy.”

And it’s so amazing… … .

All those dreams, worries, questions, impulses… … melted away in an instant the moment I saw my Master again.

It’s just like light, it lets me know exactly what’s really in my heart that was dark and gloomy and I couldn’t see it.

‘I don’t want to be on the battlefield.’

But I want to be by this person’s side.

So that you do not groan and suffer in the irreversible past… … .

So that you will never again be immersed in the loneliness you saw yesterday.

“Yes, Master. What about you, Master?”

Am I a dreamer?

Am I being greedy?

“Hmm~ I had a bit of a fever, but I feel better after seeing Kami.”

Whatever you call it, it’s fine.

It doesn’t matter what you call it.

My teacher, whom I respect more than anyone else in this world, who came to me first and shed light on me when I was dying in the darkness.

“Ahem~ Yohan and I slept together in the same room yesterday. Didn’t anything happen? We’re both going through puberty?”

“If something had happened, John would have been half dead by now.”

“Phew! Why, John will be sad if he hears this.”

That’s why.

I will be by your side now.

So that the Master does not fall into darkness.

“Master.”

“huh?”

“You know what happened yesterday when you pulled out Aradmantel?”

“Ah, the origin of the sword?”

“Yes, Sharon did that in the past at the Prosecutor’s Office. Is it something that all pay queriers do?”

“huh.”

“Can I learn that too?”

The teacher who was so brave and fearless yesterday was now filled with sadness, but he returned to his usual self and was smiling.

“The origin of the sword is said to be putting your heart into the sword, but in reality, that is not true. It is talking to the sword.”

“What are you talking about with the sword?”

“Well, like relationship advice?”

“That’s a serious question!”

“This is no joke. Look at Kami’s sword. Kami always takes care of it with love and care. You can feel the sword being happy.”

“Well, this is, uh, well, it’s a gift, so I can’t just use it carelessly.”

“That’s just the beginning. Even with plants, there’s a huge difference between a plant grown with warm affection and one grown with dryness.”

Why?

When you are with your teacher.

It seems like every moment of everyday life has a fragrance.

“Now then, Kami, would you like to grab the handle of Aradmantel?”

“Hey, how do you lift this? It’s said that four or five grown men can barely lift it.”

“Now, don’t be afraid. I’ll support Aradmantel’s weight from behind. Did you hold on well?”

“Yes, well… … for now.”

“Then, now Kami, tell Aradmantel what you want to say. If you are still embarrassed to say it, just keep it in your heart.”

“Just the heart?”

“A warrior, right? He must have a confession of life. What kind of being do I want to become, what do I want to achieve through this sword? This is training to speak honestly about that.”

I am a clumsy, shy, and dishonest dreamer.

I can’t express my feelings freely.

So that day, I quietly asked the Master’s Ultimate Sword, which I held in his arms for the first time, ‘in my heart’.

‘Hello, Aradmantel.’

Did you know?

When you are next to the teacher.

The reason why even the smallest moments of everyday life are filled with fragrance.

‘Will I be able to make my teacher’s daily life like that someday?’

To that shy trembling of the heart, you answered with a quiet echo.

Red… … .

Warm and… … .

zippy…….

I also clearly remember the Master getting excited as the sword pulsed and a mist that sounded like breathing came out.

“Hey, look at this! I can’t believe how much Aradmantel loves Kami.”

“Is this what you like?”

“Then! Originally, the disciples of Payquerier practiced communication with the sword through a mass-produced holy sword called Diale. But Kami succeeded in communicating with Aradmantel from the beginning!”

Master, how is it that your praise is always so generous and kind?

It’s so thick… … .

Also, you are so kind… … .

If I think about it a thousand times in the distant future, tears come to my eyes a thousand times.

“… … Even after seeing such a tragedy yesterday, you still want to be a warrior?”

My teacher who cried and prayed at the end of every battle. My teacher who asked me that question with the same tearful voice.

“To tell the truth, I didn’t want Kami to come to a place like this. I didn’t want to bring her.”

“yes?”

“Still, still, seeing Kami work hard and grow little by little, I wanted to keep him by my side… … .”

Why that day?

Did you ever smile in a way that made you look sadder than when you were crying?

“I am not qualified to be a teacher.”

At that time, I actually wanted to answer like this. No, you came to me.

You helped me find my worth.

But I was young at the time and didn’t have the eloquence or courage to say that. Instead, I asked.

“How was it, teacher?”

“huh?”

“You never told me one of the three reasons why you became a warrior before. Can you tell me that?”

“Ahaha, I’m embarrassed to be honest with you… … .”

“If you don’t like it, then don’t worry.”

“Your aunt and uncle Mir, you know. They always suffer from overwork. Ever since I was a child. But they never complain.”

Just hearing such trivial stories.

In every single one of your actions.

I think I know why there was a scent even when you were swinging the sword.

“My father was always here, fighting on the battlefield for those two. When I saw that when I was young, I thought, if I worked harder, wouldn’t I be able to ease the workload of those three? Then, wouldn’t they have some time to rest?”

The world smiles brightly at someone’s happiness, and cries more sadly than anyone else at someone’s sadness.

My respected teacher.

My beloved teacher, whose light is infinitely dazzling and whose fragrance is infinitely fragrant.

“While trying to become like that, all my hair turned white before I knew it. Now that I’m a grandmother, I’ve all gotten married.”

I made up my mind then, laughing at that pun.

Me… … .

I want to be like you, Master… … .

I don’t want to be a ‘warrior who has to fight on the battlefield’ because it’s scary. But I want to be a ‘warrior like you’ who can shine a light on someone’s life.

“That’s great! I don’t want to get married either, so please teach me how to be a good grandmother like you, Master! First, the origin of the sword!”

* * *

The light of the clear voice finally connected to the dream.

‘The dream of pure white’ is like a lake.

A landscape with a crystal clear lake covering the horizon in pure white, and the World Tree rising in its center.

‘How strange.’

The endless lake surface becomes a window reflecting the world.

Hundreds and thousands of futures appeared on the surface of the water, pointing to the future.

Some windows show a vague path to the future but clear results, while others show the opposite.

‘What happened?’

These are all world lines.

The point where these world lines intersect is called a world point.

The more world lines intersect, the higher the possibility of formation, and the less they intersect, the lower the possibility.

‘It’s unprecedented that the process is not clearly visible in any worldline.’

The world dots were all predicting the same clear and fearful future.

The fall of the continent.

The decline of humanity.

The end of civilization.

We had no choice but to arrive at the inference that some absolute being capable of accessing causality itself was hiding the entire world line.

‘If they hide the future… … they are trying to prevent us from being prepared for that moment, so there must be some huge plot going on.’

Something terrible, almost intuition or premonition, stirred in the depths of my heart.

We have to figure out that plot.

But I couldn’t concentrate on my thoughts. Cold sweat? Can a body be soaked in cold sweat inside this pure white dream?

‘What on earth is happening in the world right now… …?’