This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 83

—————

Chapter 83

The hero left the inn with Nyhill.

All the necessary belongings were already packed.

However, the direction he headed towards wasn’t the village’s exit.

“Let’s stop somewhere.”

“Yes… Where do you mean?”

“I plan to persuade Noubelmag to go with us to Rosenstark. I need you.”

Nyhill blinked her large eyes for a moment.

It was a habit that came out when faced with unexpected situations.

“…Can I be of help?”

“Very much.”

“Alright. I’ll do my best.”

The hero nodded and set off on the path to the mine.

It was all dirt roads when he first came, but now it was quite green.

Summer seemed to be approaching.

* * *

The sky cleared of rain clouds.

The warm sunlight shone even in front of the gloomy mine.

As usual for the past three years, Noubelmag sat in front of his son’s grave.

“…Daig.”

Then, systematically, he swept away the grass and flowers that had grown around the grave with his hands.

Last year’s fallen leaves had turned into fertilizer, giving rise to new branches and leaves.

The unceasing cycle of life.

The only thing that stood still in this space was one thing.

“Father, do you regret?”

“I, Daig, I…”

“…We should have lived our own lives, right?”

The projection of desire.

He realized too late that it was the most heinous form of violence a parent could inflict on their child.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Regret it. I hope you regret it, pounding the ground and crying.”

He already knew he would.

“When all that regret is over…”

“…”

“Live ‘your own life.’ Don’t have pointless thoughts. Such things don’t suit you, Father.”

Since then, three years have passed.

He left the knight order, put down the hammer.

In front of his son’s grave, inside the mine, he lived like a living corpse.

In the end, he never listened to his son until the end.

‘Live your own life….’

Rustle. Rustle.

At the sound of hooves approaching, Noubelmag turned his head without igniting the pipe, and carefully searched his pocket.

When he took out the processed Blessing Stone and the unlocked Wolf Statue, the hero and Nyhill dismounted from their horses.

He reached out, handing them to the hero.

“The requested items are here. Just put the Blessing Stone in the refining process, and when you activate the Wolf Statue, it will automatically show you its contents.”

“Thank you. You’ve been through a lot.”

“…”

Even after putting the items in the saddle storage, the hero didn’t leave.

It was as Noubelmag expected.

It was the moment he was about to speak.

The hero made a move.

“Don’t say you’re not going.”

“I… ”

Noubelmag’s mouth twitched.

His tongue felt as stiff as lead.

He knew that simply rotting away in Lonkers wasn’t the right answer.

But he didn’t have the courage to go further.

He didn’t have the confidence to handle new challenges, encounters, uncertainties, farewells, and sorrows.

“…”

As he had been doing for the past three years, Noubelmag tried to escape to the cabin.

It was at that moment.

Thunk.

A small, warm hand, tinged with heat, grasped his wrist.

A few days ago, just like when he guided the girl’s hand in the mine, this time Nyhill took the old man’s hand and led it to her open palm.

“This… ”

A hand covered in wounds.

A few sweet-looking snacks were crackling on top.

In this backward village, they were precious items that were not easily obtained.

Nyhill added an explanation.

“The residents are grateful… They prepared these for you to eat on the way.”

“…I see.”

“It was amazing to receive them. Really.”

It could be understood without words that such an experience had never happened to the girl before.

Nyhill looked at Noubelmag with pitch-black sparkling eyes.

It was a nostalgic and painful gaze.

“Can I ask a question?”

“…Go ahead.”

“Can’t we go back together?”

“Haha.”

Noubelmag opened his mouth, shook his head, and finally turned his gaze to his son’s grave.

A cool breeze blew, shaking the surrounding flowers.

‘…Ah.’

Why didn’t I know?

The fallen leaves turned into fertilizer, creating the greenery of the following spring.

After Daig died, he regained his senses and helped someone else make the right choice.

And now, she was guiding him again with her own hands.

In the end, there was nothing stopping him here.

…There was nothing that could stop.

“Haha….”

Noubelmag finally burst into laughter.

After laughing for a while, he bit the pipe and mumbled.

“Looks like I’ll be the blacksmith for snotty brats”

The hero, who had been quietly observing the conversation between the old man and the girl, finally chuckled as well.

“…They’re not just any snotty brats, so you can expect something good.”

It was the conclusion everyone had hoped for.
.
.
.
▼
The understanding of Noubelmag deepens.
Understanding Level: 2 / 100 -> 10 / 100
▲

* * *

Tap, tap.

The bonfire flickered.

Nyhill and Noubelmag had just fallen asleep.

It must have been quite exhausting.

I was worried about being away from the academy longer than planned, so I ran without stopping.

Thanks to this, I thought I would be able to pass through the main gate of Rosenstark before lunch tomorrow.

Tadak-tad-tad-

Anyone who has ever made a fire with firewood will know that crackling embers have a strange magical power that attracts people’s attention.

I absentmindedly followed the embers with my eyes and thought back on the past ten days.

It started from a conversation 30 minutes ago.

“Give me the Dagger.”

Examining Nyhill’s Dagger with a magnifying glass, Noubelmag, who had been tapping it for a while, spoke.

“I have both good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

“It seems like a meaningless question, but I’ll start with the good news.”

“Hmm… I didn’t used to have this kind of personality.”

Noubelmag, who had been tapping away, spoke.

“The good news is that the spirit hasn’t completely left. There’s still a trace of its presence.”

Nyhill’s expression subtly brightened for a moment.

Normally, I might have overlooked it, but after spending a few days with the girl, I could now notice those subtle changes in expression.

“That’s really good news. I wanted to talk to the spirit again.”

“…Is that so? Anyway, now for the bad news.”

Noubelmag, without the magnifying glass, squinted his eyes, staring intensely.

“I don’t know when this fellow will wake up. He used too much power in an incomplete state. Moreover, during the battle, it seems he only used the power of the earth.”

“Yes, isn’t he the earth spirit?”

“Originally, the spirit stone had two attributes: earth and darkness. Let’s hope that none of them is permanently lost. The power difference between handling two attributes and handling one is like night and day.”

After sharing such a conversation, they soon shared some snacks provided by Lonkers amicably and then fell asleep.

‘…Looks comfortable.’

Nyhill, who handled tasks stoically and expressionlessly, felt much more mature than her age.

Seeing her sleeping so peacefully made her seem even more like a younger sister than Rosenstark’s children.

‘…This journey must have been somewhat helpful for her too.’

Just as I gained a lot from this trip to Lonkers, I think Nyhill must have gained some significant benefits as well.

The Nyhill from when we departed from Rosenstark and the Nyhill now were certainly different people.

‘Well then….’

It was time to check the gains I obtained.

▼
The flames simmering in the new furnace,
Will drive away the darkness and cold of this land.
Salvation Ritual – ‘2nd Form: Nova’ has been unlocked.
▲

I have undeniably become stronger.

Rising understanding level.

With the opening of the 2nd Form and the growth of Polymorph’s stage, now I can fight on par with high-level demons.

In the past, when the Dawn Knights first ventured into the world, the condition for admission was whether one could individually suppress a high-level demon or not.

Of course, the current members of the Dawn Knights can easily handle high-level demons, but gaining power comparable to the early heroes and their comrades was a significant achievement.

Just a few months ago, even facing low-level demons was challenging, making this growth quite remarkable.

…And, more comments appeared after this.

The reward for subjugating the stake and demons and saving Lonkers was revealed.

▼
Sturdy stone formed the foundation of the furnace
Related to ‘Zero Requiem’s Memory’
Through the recorded individual ‘Rosalyn Requiem,’
you can now access some of the previously restricted memories.
You can now read ‘Zero Requiem’s Memory’ mentioned by Rosalyn.
▲

Surprisingly, the title of that memory was found within the information repository.

Commonly known as the 1st Era – Part I.

The moment I confirmed the title, a shiver ran down my spine.

“……”

The 1st Era.

The golden age of humanity, where magic, divinity, medicine, science, and more developed to an extent incomparable to the 2nd Era I currently live in.

However, this splendid era disappeared into the backroads of history with the emergence of demons.

Just by tracing the traces of the 1st Era, humanity could regain tremendous power, but unfortunately, most related information was currently lost.

This was due to the records and legacies left behind in the eastern region, which had transformed into the Demon Realm.

Only those who occasionally entered the Demon Realm and succeeded in archaeological exploration could experience a part of it.

One example was the key to Valber, which proved useful in Lonkers.

‘…But to see that time from the perspective of Zero Requiem.’

I never dreamed that the memories stored in Rosalyn were related to the 1st Era.

Perhaps the way of accessing memories was similar to the Library of Memories.

You can become the person who left behind memories, that is, Zero, and look at the First Age.

…Accessing the ‘Secrets of the World’ that no one else knew.

‘It’s the memories left by the Archmage. It shouldn’t be something trivial.’

Perhaps some clues about Zero’s origin or his incredibly powerful abilities could come to light.

Or maybe some magical or technological clues that could propel the current era forward might be revealed.

I couldn’t even guess how significant this benefit was.

‘Once we return, I need to find Rosalyn right away….’

Anyway, the gains mentioned in the comments ended here.

Next was the list of items that Noubelmag had crafted.

Since the usage and purpose of the Blessing Stone were clear, I’ll skip it…

The problem was the Wolf Statue.

I proceeded to dismantle the Wolf Statue directly in Lonkers’ abandoned mine; what I found locked in that space was…

‘A treasure map….’

I pulled out a dense brown-textured paper from my pocket and examined it in the light of the campfire.

It was indeed a treasure map.

The map seemed untouched by human hands, clean, and the written text, lines, and numbers were clear.

Moreover, it appeared that whoever crafted the Wolf Statue was quite confident in its security, as the location of the hidden treasure was intuitively marked on the map.

And the moment I looked at it…

▼
A flame to illuminate the path to the beginning flickered.
▲

Comments related to flames appeared in the Iris of Laplace.

▼
The flame rises when humans restore what was taken away by the demon.
▲

In other words, it was almost confirmed that the original owner of the Wolf Statue was a demon associated with the Demonic Church.

The problem was…

‘The marked location is in the middle of the Demon Realm.’

I couldn’t go there immediately.

But someday, when I had the strength to explore the Demon Realm, I was determined to go and find it.

▼
A dangerous treasure left by an ominous adversary is here.
▲

…’The ominous adversary’ I felt like I somehow knew who this being was.

Moreover, the comments were quite significant.

A flame to illuminate the path to the beginning flickered.

There was a distinct difference in tone compared to the uplifting comments that had appeared so far.

It seemed like another turning point.

‘Now it seems like everything is settled.’

I put the items into the key of Valber, replenished the firewood, and closed my eyes.

It was time to enjoy the brief peace that had returned.

‘From tomorrow, I’ll be busy again.’

…It was the midterm exam season.

—————