This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 202

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Chapter 202

Near the Frost Dragon tribe village on the coast, a lively feast was unfolding.

Wahaha-

Boisterous jokes and laughter echoed.

Human soldiers were mingling with the demi-humans, pouring alcohol and meat down their throats incessantly.

Amidst the coast covered in ice and snow, associating with the demi-humans of various appearances would be a very special experience.

The military discipline, class distinctions, and racial boundaries were rapidly fading away.

Yet the commanders, who would usually keep a close eye and maintain order, didn’t bother to restrain them.

No, they even encouraged it.

“For the Heroes of the North!”

As Duke Wellington raised his glass, knights and soldiers cheered for several names.

Even those far away, so distant their voices couldn’t be heard, roared in excitement.

“We will remember their bravery to the end!”

“Their sacrifices and determination!”

“…To eternal glory!”

The fallen warriors from past battles.

The children of Rosenstark who showed remarkable feats.

And the names of the Heroes followed.

In the midst, Lucas’s cheeks turned red at the sight of the duke subtly inserting his own name.

“…Father, please stop.”

“Heh heh… isn’t it natural for a father to enjoy the glory achieved by his child? Is there a problem?”

Pfft, next to him, Yussi let out a snicker.

The duke glared disapprovingly at her.

Ignoring him, Yussi emptied her glass.

The absence of the Hero in the drinking circle was not particularly enjoyable.

He had kept his seat until the beginning of the feast, but quietly disappeared midway.

It was a fiercely fought battle after a long time.

Yussi wanted to enjoy the company of the Hero and reminisce, but she couldn’t bring herself to hold him back.

“……”

Yussi’s intense blue eyes glanced at another empty seat.

It belonged to Cuculli.

‘Ah, it seems age brings leniency.’

Yussi chuckled as she picked up her glass again, looking at the boy beside her.

…Lucas, the dropout student.

His gaze was fixed on his peers throughout the feast.

He seemed to want to approach them, but couldn’t bring himself to do so.

“Let’s have a private talk later.”

“…Yes?”

Lucas’s body stiffened.

Probably because his guilt was severe.

From the accident in the Forest of Martial Arts to kidnapping children in Dream Haven, it was all on him.

Lucas looked at Yussi with anxious eyes, but her expression was too ambiguous to guess her intentions.

“W-What’s the matter?”

“Geez, do you think I’m going to eat you?”

Yussi shook her head, then took a sip of her drink.

…The Hero had given her a separate instruction about that boy.

“Hehehe.”

The duke, who had been alternating between the two, seemed to have guessed the situation and burst into laughter.

.

.

.

Clearing my throat, I spoke up.

“Why do you look so serious?”

“…Ah.”

Cuculli, who had been sitting on the coast, turned her head.

A posture unbecoming of a chieftain.

Her hair, shining like silver under the moonlight, swayed as she turned.

Even though she must have heard me coming by the sound of footsteps, Cuculli pretended to be surprised naturally.

“Hehe, what brings you here amidst the feast?”

“Just wanted some fresh air.”

“You might catch a cold. The winds from the north are very chilly.”

“I know.”

Azure eyes.

Her words were as usual, but the mischievousness that always shone within them seemed faint.

I stood beside her.

…And repeated the question.

“What were you looking at so intently?”

The answer came after a moment.

“…The things we’ve protected.”

We gazed silently out to sea.

Less than 24 hours had passed since Cuculli’s baptism, yet the Arctic Sea had regained its former appearance.

The endless ice from the beginning to the horizon seemed to have covered everything.

In the space where solemn silence descended.

The auroras emitted fantastic light and flickered.

“…There won’t be any more invasions by the Demon Army, right?”

“Yes, it seems the invasion route has been blocked for sure.”

I nodded.

Cuculli had achieved the first ‘complete baptism’ among the chieftains.

Thanks to that, the sea had frozen even more solidly than before, and the cold blocking the invasion route had become much more severe.

Even if they were resilient creatures, it would be difficult for a large army to break through such harsh weather conditions.

The tribes of the North had once again united under one banner.

As long as she was alive, there would be no chance for the Demon Army to set foot on the mainland through the Northern Sea.

Cuculli’s lips trembled slightly.

“The North will be peaceful again.”

“Because you’re exerting your leadership, that’s why.”

“Haha….”

Silence again.

Although the conversation’s rhythm was choppy, it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

Huuuuung-

Amidst the loud roaring of the northern sea wind, Cuculli’s voice pierced through again.

“That’s right.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s customary for those scheduled to receive baptism to not venture outside the North. They’re afraid they might get hurt or die, or perhaps develop unnecessary… attachment to the outside world.”

“Did Dorempa tell you that?”

“Hehe, I just knew.”

The ego, strength, memories, and power of the Frost Dragon tribe and past recipients of baptism were slowly digesting within her.

Cuculli explained the current state like that.

“But Father willingly sent me to the academy. Why did he do that? The opposition from the tribal elders must have been strong.”

Cuculli rambled on, and I just listened without responding.

“Frost Dragon said so. She said it might be possible if it were me. At that time, I didn’t understand what she meant, but now I think I do.”

A shallow sigh followed.

“Baptism exists for the sake of the North… for the sake of the North’s tribes. It was a fact that no one doubted.”

Cuculli’s eyes trembled fiercely.

“But did Frost Dragon’s power really exist only for the sake of the North?”

Cuculli retraced the inherited ‘memories of Frost Dragon.’

And she realized how the Frost Dragon tribe came to be.

Half.

In the dark past, the union of the dragon species and humans was their origin.

“So baptism was a half-hearted… lump of side effects. We’ve been fighting for the well-being of the North all this time.”

…Indeed it was.

The alliance between these beings and humans was relatively recent.

‘It was after Dorempa ascended as chieftain and unified the North.’

Before that, the concept of ‘cohesion’ was weak, and the North was always in turmoil.

The demi-humans were hostile to the suddenly arriving humans, and the North was a dangerous place for humans to venture into.

Dorempa changed many things.

“My father once told me an old story about his first human friend, whom he met in his youth.”

…Wait a minute.

I found myself holding my breath unknowingly.

Cuculli continued without noticing and spoke.

“He heard many stories about humans in the cave during a snowstorm. Very diverse and warm… stories that made him positive about humans.”

“…What?”

“It seems it left quite an impression on him. I wonder where the portrait of the person he drew is? Well, he couldn’t find anyone who looked similar.”

Her words took me back to decades ago, to the caves of the North.

On a day when a particularly severe snowstorm raged in the North.

Trying to avoid it, we coincidentally met in a small cave.

Relying on just one campfire, we shared various stories.

The continent where humans were dominant.

As a demi-human, he was an easy-to-relate-to companion for me.

With the certainty that we would never see each other again once the snowstorm subsided, I could honestly share my thoughts.

“Let’s meet again, friend! The Great Snow Sea is vast, but the bond of fate is strong, so we’ll see each other someday!”

The day after the weather cleared.

The figure of Dorempa leaving with such a light farewell was still vivid.

“…Maybe that’s why he sent me to the academy? Hoping that I would love humans?”

I looked at Cuculli, speechless.

I reflected on this encounter, which might have been led by my past self.

An indescribable emotion wriggled in one corner of my heart.

“…Professor?”

She looked back at me with a belated smile.

Her transparent and clear azure eyes.

The tongue that had been wandering aimlessly in her mouth finally found its place.

“Let’s go back.”

Even though it was a sudden remark, Cuculli didn’t ask about the destination.

She just smiled broadly and jumped up, straightening her body.

“Yes, let’s go.”

We returned to the bustling coast where the feast was in full swing, walking ahead and behind.

Under the light of the towering central bonfire.

Aooh-

Shadow, the young wolf cub who had been devouring food in the midst of admiration, spotted Cuculli and ran over happily.

Even the stern-faced children waved their hands as we approached.

“Hey, where were you? You’re here now!”

“Oh, even the professor is here! Would the feast be complete without the protagonists!?”

“Here, since you’re late, three cups for you!”

Cuculli dashed towards them with a face closer to a student than a tribal chief.

I paused for a moment to take in the scene.

“Help my daughter to enjoy many things. Whether it’s small happiness or anxiety, all intense emotions.”

…Surely that would happen.

Destiny.

In the words of Dorempa, the bond is strong.

* * *

The Hero decided to return straightaway.

It was the day after the victory celebration.

People clicked their tongues when they saw that he was still fine after emptying several bottles of traditional Frost Dragon tribe liquor, and licked their lips.

“…Please stay a few more days and let’s depart together.”

With a hint of disappointment in her voice, Yussi spoke, but the Hero shook his head.

“There’s urgent business. I’m sorry.”

Let’s summarize the plans and current situation briefly.

First, the military.

The majority of them decided to stay for a while longer.

The Frost Dragon tribe suffered a devastating blow, leaving the defenses of the North weakened.

There didn’t seem to be much concern about the gap in central military forces.

Thanks to the success of Nyhill’s demolition unit, many key stakes were destroyed.

The wounded were naturally sent to the rear for treatment.

Since it would take a few more days to thaw out the frozen sea route, Cuculli needed to stay.

The children and Yussi would rest a bit longer before returning with them.

“…Ahaha, looks like we won’t be able to make it for the start of classes.”

“But, it’s for the sake of saving the North, so it won’t count as unauthorized absence, right?”

“Oh, how many demerits did I have again…?”

When Yussi threatened to assign the entire building’s bathroom cleaning to the kids, everyone’s expression turned pale.

Among the despairing kids, there was Lucas, awkwardly smiling and nodding gratefully when our eyes met.

…And Cuculli.

Of course, she couldn’t leave because she had to handle the aftermath of this situation as the tribal chief.

She planned to take a leave of absence for the second semester and return depending on the situation.

At first, she seemed to be considering dropping out altogether…

“To drop out, a guardian’s consent is required.”

“…Huh?”

“And your guardian right now is me. I don’t remember approving your dropout.”

Easily thwarted her attempt.

Lastly, the Hero himself.

He intended to return as quickly as possible on his own.

‘I’m comfortable alone.’

Whether by boat, horse, or transforming and flying, it was slower.

His plans were disrupted by the events in the North.

Thanks to that, he had a lot to do.

‘…First, I need to visit Rosalyn.’

He needed advice on the data obtained from Depikio Lugo’s lab.

And the comments from Iris of Laplace pointed to a new destination.

And above all…

“Yeah. To die without knowing anything.”

The Hero remembered the words of the Demonic Church Leader.

A jumble of complex images flashed through his mind.

The broken bio-reactor he saw in Depikio Lugo’s lab.

The experimental paper labeled as a transplant experiment failure.

The comment stating “Rotten roots”…

There were piles of questions to ask.

‘I haven’t even reviewed the third memory left by Zero.’

All compasses were pointing to Rosalyn.

He had to meet her to receive the next waypoint.

There was no more time to waste.

“Alright, everyone, be careful on your way back.”

Just as the Hero was about to bid farewell and depart…

Thud-

An old woman with a staff suddenly appeared and blocked his path.

Due to her stooped posture, her head barely reached his waist.

There was no apparent coercion in her appearance, but the Hero stopped in his tracks.

It was because her wrinkled eyes were squarely focused on him.

“…What’s this?”

Looking for an explanation, he turned to Cuculli, but she whispered in his ear as she approached.

“She’s a Snow Rabbit tribe prophet.”

Ah, the Hero’s expression contorted slightly.

“…I’m tired of prophecies.”

Behind the old woman, a familiar young Snow Rabbit tribe member was rushing towards them, panting.

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