Before I could say anything, my grandfather’s self-imposed answer to the tax was disappointing.
He was planning to move my body in case the plan failed.
Why is he so unnecessarily noble like this! It’s so irritating! He should just be more true to his desires!
If that were the case, even if he had doubts about carrying around a mace, it would have been fun to tease him!
‘Why did you try to hide it? You got my hopes up for nothing.’
<...I can’t say.>
‘Did I say something strange when I borrowed your body?’
<Oh. How did you know?!>
Ah, I see. This is the curse of the Mesugaki Skill.
It’s disorienting when it’s distorted at first. Even now, though I’ve somewhat adapted, I still can’t help but say, “Why is it translated like that?!” Yeah. Yeah.
‘Once you adapt, it’s actually pretty fun.’
If you can’t avoid it, just enjoy it, right?
The Mesugaki Skill still has the potential to provide insults all day long, but it’s not without its advantages.
Blaming this skill, it’s quite fun to joke around with.
‘Even you, grandfather, must have enjoyed calling Erginus “a pity fool,” right?’
I said it expecting an answer, but no response came from my grandfather.
‘Oh. Grandfather. No way.’
<I’ll answer! I’ll answer, so don’t question me any further!>
‘It’s okay, grandfather. Everyone is shaken by temptation. I can accept that.’
<Don’t dig any deeper!>
Hearing his self-loathing cry, sadistic feelings surged, but I stopped. I thought my grandfather might actually start crying.
Truly terrifying! The power of the Mesugaki to corrupt even a holy knight!
‘Then why hide it? If you had told the truth, none of this would have happened.’
<...How could I proudly say I parted ways with my old friend after a fight?>
‘You fought?’
<As you know, our fight never truly reached a conclusion. What we chose was merely a temporary fix. It wasn’t something I could confidently speak about for future generations.>
The heroes of the mythological age won battles but never achieved their wishes. The evil gods couldn’t be erased by their strength.
<Others called us heroes, but we didn’t think of ourselves as such. In fact, we thought the opposite. We considered ourselves sinners.>
The heroes were indeed deserving of the title.
They possessed the nobility that made them worthy of divine selection. Therefore, heroes were extremely strict with themselves.
Even though the world praised their achievements, the heroes never forgave themselves.
<Given the circumstances, could there have been a good relationship between us? Of course not. We smiled in front of others, but behind closed doors, we didn’t even exchange a word. The moment someone spoke, a fight would break out.>
Erginus lamented with self-loathing, blaming himself.
Garard shouldn’t have given up, should have stopped yelling blindly... Luell fell silent at Ruell’s scolding.
In truth, Luell, who had scolded Garard, had similar thoughts in his heart. So to hide his own self-loathing, he raised his voice even higher.
And the hero...
Kept silent.
They said nothing.
In official settings, they smiled and talked as usual, but behind the scenes, they tightly sealed their lips, staring at their broken sword with hollow eyes.
<Now, looking back, I think it’s pitiful, but at the time, there was nothing else I could do. We overcame every trial with the single-minded goal of saving the world from the evil gods, only to end up leaving burdens for future generations. Everyone felt so ashamed of themselves that they couldn’t bear it.>
The lament of the holy knight was truly brutal.
After sacrificing so much and overcoming countless trials, the sole goal of saving the world from evil gods led to this outcome. How could anyone laugh at that?
<I would have preferred to have fought a big battle. If I had shouted at those who ascended to the heavens, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. I wouldn’t have had to spend nights wondering if there was something I could have done.>
But the heroes couldn’t do that.
They were far too pure.
They were noble enough to step forward and give up all their glory for the sake of saving the world.
They were foolish enough to rush into something everyone else thought impossible.
That’s why they couldn’t say anything. They chose to endure it all.
<Well, even with all this, they were still human. Their wounded hearts created thorns aimed at each other, and we naturally grew distant. When we faced each other, the things we wanted to forget would keep resurfacing, so we ran from each other.>
‘But in the end, grandfather, you and your companions faced what you wanted to forget, didn’t you?’
<Hmm?>
‘If not, you wouldn’t have left something behind for future generations, would you?’
Leaving something behind for future generations meant thinking about what they would need, which meant facing the nightmares they wanted to forget. The heroes may have fallen, but they didn’t collapse.
‘Grandfather?’
<...Ah. Yes. I’m sorry. Just a moment.>
His voice seemed to carry a sense of moisture, and I tilted my head. Did I say something wrong? I thought I had said something good?
<Anyway, about five years after we scattered, the hero came to find me again. I didn’t even recognize him at first because of how pitiful he looked.>
Luell, facing the hero caught by the guards, was shocked by his appearance but also tried to apologize for past mistakes.
At that time, he regretted not seeing his companions as companions due to being swayed by temptation.
And if the hero had any lingering feelings, Luell had intended to hear his confession as a priest.
<But our reunion ended in the worst way.> ‘...What did the hero do?’ <Did you think I did something wrong?> ‘Someone who would do something wrong wouldn’t think of apologizing.’ <Haha. You’re right.>
Grandfather chuckled lightly but stopped midway, letting out a long sigh. After more than a minute of silence, he broke it.
<He said we should bring the gods down to earth.> ‘...What?’ <He literally said it. The hero said it was time for the gods to disappear from this world.>
If light makes darkness deeper, and darkness makes light brighter, then shouldn’t both just be gone? The hero told Luell this.
<Logically, there was nothing wrong with what he said. If Erginus had been there, he would have gotten angry, but he wouldn’t have called it wrong.>
‘What kind of person is the Erginus inside grandfather?’
<Explaining that would take more than a day, so let’s move on. Anyway, the hero’s words, though logically sound, were impossible to accept emotionally. No, looking back, I can say now that they weren’t even logical. He was a madman. Saying to get rid of evil by eliminating good? It’s like burning a village to stop a plague.>
Luell initially tried to explain calmly, but the hero wouldn’t listen. Not even when his rationality broke down.
<So I drove him out. I sent the one clinging to me outside the holy grounds. After a while, when my anger cooled, I went outside, but the hero had already disappeared.>
After that, grandfather traveled to achieve what he had decided, but he couldn’t gather any information about the hero.
<That’s all I know. A truly trivial story, don’t you think? I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure if I should have shared it...>
‘Where did you last see the hero?’
That’s enough. With just the last known location, I can narrow down the search significantly. Grandpa’s story was far from trivial!
<...Sigh. Yes. You would answer like this, wouldn’t you?>
‘Why are you suddenly saying that?’
<Lucy, I hope you don’t search for the hero. Even if the fairy song is eerily close to prophecy, it’s not something you should continue to pursue, especially when the madman’s legacy of wanting to bring down the gods is involved.>
His voice carried deep worry.
Having seen the hero’s tragic end, grandfather believed that what the hero left behind would harm me.
Yet, the efficient part of me couldn’t help but suppress the urge to complete this quest.
Saying such things wouldn’t reach him anyway.
The person I need to speak to isn’t the rotten soul of the Soul Academy. I’m the next generation of heroes, inheriting the legacy of those who lived in the mythological age.
‘Grandfather, I just told you, didn’t I? The heroes didn’t run away. They faced what they considered sin.’
<Yes. You did say that. But, Lucy, don’t think my words encapsulate everything. I left out a lot to protect my old friend’s honor.>
That’s probably true. The hero Luell saw was likely far more hideous than I imagined. It’s probably so terrible that even now, I can vividly picture it in his eyes.
‘But he’s still a hero.’
Even so, he is a hero.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
More noble than Archmage Erginus. More so than Knight Garard. More than even Holy Knight Luell. He was a hero chosen by the gods—purer, more righteous, and filled with hope.
‘A bird that flies high has to fall longer. But even so, it’s still a bird. Even if it falls to the ground, it will fly up to the sky again. The hero would have been the same. He just needed some time, didn’t he?’
<That’s too optimistic...>
‘But he’s the one you recognized as a hero, right? I just trust your judgment.’
I can’t say that the crappy deity’s judgment was correct. If I found out the hero was actually a cute girl, I’d seriously hate the deity.
I hid these thoughts and responded, and my grandfather let out a chuckle.
<Ah, how quickly children grow up.>
‘Did I grow? Or did I rise in rank because of some miracle, and now my height has grown...?’
<That’s not what I meant, little one.>
‘Little one!? Did you just call me a little one?!’
I can accept a lot of things, but I can’t stand being called a “little one”! It’s war! Luell!
<Hahaha. If it’s war, I’ll gladly accept it, but before that, I’ll answer your question. The place the hero was last seen was the island we went to together before.>
‘...The island?’
<Yes. The place with that bizarre dungeon.>