“Heeey~ Do you mind?”
“Whoa, what’s up with your room?”
The desk Kyle was facing had books spread everywhere. Everything surrounding his desk was filled with books as well.
Books dealt with topics ranging from legends, heroes, knowledge on magic, and lifestyles of demons and historic battles.
Kyle closed the book he was reading.
Seran sat on the bed and popped the question.
He replied without looking at Seran.
“That’s why I’m struggling…do you have any idea how I can become a hero?”
“Well~ defeat the demon king and you’ll instantly be a hero!”
Kyle let out a big sigh.
“Of course….you need strength…right?”
“Well…obviously…In my opinion, it’s money, connections, and luck.”
“First, money. This is because heroes shouldn’t expect anything in return. For example, let’s say you’re in a rural village that’s been attacked by demons and you’re coincidentally there. What would you do?”
“You’re off from the start. You’d need to ward off the attack. When you do, you’d most likely receive compensation. But what if you don’t receive the award? What if you say that helping those in need is your obligation? And just walked off?”
“A courageous act without demanding anything in return. Doesn’t that sound heroic? This can’t be done without any spare money though.”
Seran nodded in agreement.
“Ah, I see. Being backed by respected people in power would help a lot.”
“You’re slowly moving away from your goal of becoming a hero.”
“So the last thing you need is luck?”
Kyle said this was the hardest part.
“And plain luck won’t suffice. The luck a hero needs is different from ordinary luck.”
Also, the worse the situation is, the brighter they shine.
“Are you saying…………”
“I know….but to be placed in those situations is completely dependent on…luck…You can’t do much about it can you?”
Kyle flapped the thin notebook that was on his desk.
Other than large-scale invasions that can’t be helped, there are some things that can be prevented with adequate preparation.
Heroes always act swiftly when something comes up.
“I will do anything to be a hero. Even if it’s unfair.”
“Don’t worry. I’m only say this kind of stuff in front of you.”
“I suppose you’re curious huh?”
If that was the case, then Seran would have fully supported Kyle. But it was different.
“I can sense that you’re serious about this, but for some reason, I sense that your goal isn’t to become a hero; rather, you’re trying to be a hero to achieve some other objective.”
There will be a time when Kyle will confess his true intentions. But it’s too early.
“If you say so.”
“Well, good luck my friend. I’ll always be supporting you.”
“…Why does he sound like he doesn’t care?”
“Whatever. I’ll deal with money by doing this and I want to meet that guy too. In terms of fame and reputation, I’ll just prevent the Arcane incident ….but my schedule is really tight.”
Kyle looked out the window. He knew he had to embark on a journey soon.
“A trip…?”
“Did you tell Seraiya about this?”
“She is overprotective….what did you tell Lowell?”
“Show some respect. I do think that going around on a trip is a good idea. With your current strength and power, you’d be able to handle most problems along the way. By the way, take Seran with you.”
“Use him to block arrows or magic. He has other uses. He can be your substitute and you can sacrifice him if you feel like.”
“You’re seriously debating this right in front of me? Give me a break.”
“What about my opinion?”
Kyle knew that regardless of anybody’s intentions, he would be forced on a journey within a year.
“You had no future in this town anyways.”
“Tell me then.”
Leila pretended not to see her son who was being very serious.
“I suppose I can use him in a lot of ways.”
Leila let out a big sigh, knowing she failed in raising Seran. Kyle comforted her saying he was born with the weird personality.
Just as he was about to go home after experiencing some muscle pain, Lize stopped by.
Kyle saw that Lize was just out of it.
“I’m really sorry about my mom. I really am.”
“So. Is it true that you’re leaving on a journey?”
“Where are you going?”
The capital city of Mallad is about a five day walk away from where they currently live.
Lize’s face turned serious.
“I have no intentions of bringing you along.”
“Why?! Seran’s going with you right?”
“I won’t be obstructive!”
Her actual power is very strong. Especially these past few days.
Lize was skilled. Not as much as Kyle, but to make up for it, she worked diligently.
Lize’s father died in a war before she was born, so her mother definitely would have wanted Lize to live a more peaceful life.
When Lize heard that Kyle was going on a trip, she couldn’t stand it.
“If it’s about your mother, I’ll apologize.”
Kyle thought about the moment Lize died in his arms.
“Listen to me. I also need a home. Knowing I have a home to return to empowers me.”
Kyle grabbed both of Lize’s shoulders and looked at her straight in the eye.
“Kyle…I….”
“ah….”
“I knew you’ve changed. You weren’t using these tactics before. Now….I have…no choice…but to listen…”
“We’re the same age.”
Kyle looked at Lize in a friendly way and squeezed her. Lize didn’t resist.
“Relax. I’m not going to be gone forever. And I won’t do anything crazy.”
“Ok…”
Lize seemed reluctant at first, but she grabbed Kyle’s hand.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
(The first time I kissed someone was when I was 18…I was quite shy…)
The sun was setting when the two were walking down the main street of Rimaze.
The stores along the road were trying to grab their last customers before closing.
Some journeyman was gathering a lot of attention.
Nobody seemed to care.
The elf was walking towards Kyle and Lize.
There were no nearby elf villages, so it was quite rare for an elf to be strolling the streets here.
She looked straight forward. Her eyes were filled with determination.
“I knew elves were beautiful. If Seran were here, his eyes would be glued to her.”
But Kyle wasn’t paying attention at all.
“K…Kyle….?”
Kyle didn’t answer.
And then he whispered.
“Exes…”