Chapter 9: The Fugitive (Part 1) – The Hero Party I Admire
Well then, it had been a truly enjoyable time.
I had spent the day wandering around with Milan until sunset, and now I was on my way to escort her home.
It was during this journey that it happened.
“Hey, big brother! I just realized that I accepted those four gold coins earlier without thinking, but I really think it’s too much!”
“I don’t mind. More importantly, can I ask you for a favor again tomorrow?”
“You say ‘I don’t mind’! But I do mind! What should I do? It’s definitely too much—”
Despite being a cheeky kid, Milan was surprisingly honest and sincere, which moved me in a way. She was fretting, placing her hands on her hat, but then she suddenly grabbed my sleeve as if she had an idea.
“Hey, big brother! Since you haven’t decided on an inn yet, why don’t you stay at my house? My mom and little sister would be so happy!”
Looking back, I should have refused this offer. No matter how fun it was, I should have wrapped up my business quickly and returned to Sena right away.
At that moment, I was undeniably elated.
It was my first time back on the surface in a while. The energy of the people. The silly shopping.
And Milan, calling me “big brother,” reminded me of my little sister whom I had left back on Earth. Every time I did something foolish, my sister would laugh and say, “Good grief, my big brother is such an idiot,” and Milan’s carefree expression of “Seriously, big brother, that’s just how you are!” overlapped in my mind.
But no matter how many reasons I could list, I couldn’t change the outcome.
It all started with a casual conversation.
“Speaking of which, big brother, you spent over a hundred gold coins today, right? How on earth did you earn that much?”
“Do you think you’d believe me if I said I’m a noble and that’s why I have money?”
“Of course not! There’s no way a big brother like you is a noble! That’s a terrible joke!”
Right? I know! I get it!
“Because your clothes don’t look fancy at all, your mannerisms and attitude are far from refined, and most importantly, your eyes look a bit dead,”
That’s too much! The last part was downright rude! As I hesitated, contemplating whether to give her a taste of my Iron Claw grip to teach her a lesson,
“But I like you more than those pompous nobles!” Milan exclaimed. “You’re just so silly!”
That was one remark too many. Should I really teach her a lesson?
“I’ll give you this!”
“I don’t want it! Big brother, you act like a nouveau riche!”
Huh!? I was about to unconsciously give Milan a gold coin instead of teaching her a lesson. Was I really that happy to be complimented? But still, come on…
As I felt a chill from the dark side of wealth creeping in,
“More importantly, how did you become rich, big brother?”
“Believe it or not, I’m a pretty decent Seeker. I’ve got some skills, you know?”
“Whoa! A Seeker! That’s so cool, big brother! Whoa-oh!”
Upon hearing I was a Seeker, Milan suddenly became excited, her reaction almost exaggerated.
“Wow, so you’re interested in Seekers, huh?”
“Of course! All my friends want to become Seekers too!”
Milan was moving around energetically, showing just how popular Seekers were.
“Everyone admires the Hero!”
My face froze in shock.
Calm down, me.
Even if there are Heroes, there must be plenty of them out there. I mean, just in Dragon Quest alone, there are over ten!
And there are side stories, like Abel and Dai. They must be talking about some other Heroes living far away.
“Oh, really? So you admire Heroes, huh, Milan?”
“Yeah!” she replied cheerfully.
“But, well, Heroes are a rare class. It’s tough to become strong like Hero-sama,” she continued.
“Well, there are other jobs considered excellent too, and even if you don’t get a good job, you can still—”
Milan eagerly interrupted me.
“Exactly! You always say good things, big brother!”
At that moment, I couldn’t gauge where Milan’s excessive enthusiasm was coming from, but then she added,
“Heroes are the most popular, but among my girl friends, the most popular jobs are Mages, Sword Saints, and Saintesses!”
A bad feeling began to surge within me like a runaway truck, heading straight for me.
With Heroes, Saintesses, Mages, and Sword Saints all mentioned, it felt like she was listing members of some Hero Party.
“Heroes and Saintesses are unique jobs, so everyone can’t just casually say they want to be a Hero or a Saintess.”
“Ah, I see…”
As I responded with a sigh, she continued,
“On that note, Mages and Sword Saints are admired by everyone because they teach that effort is important.”
Milan’s eyes sparkled as she passionately spoke.
“Even little girls love the dazzling Saintess, and as friends get a bit older, they all admire the Mage known for her hard work.”
The Mage known for her hard work… Please let this be a misunderstanding!
“I respect the Sword Saint!”
“Why’s that?”
“Don’t you know, big brother? About the Sword Saint!”
“No, I don’t. Please tell me.”
As I desperately sought her explanation, Milan puffed out her thin chest and said, “Well, I guess I have to tell you.”
“First of all, the Sword Saint is said to possess talent, humility, and effort all in one.”
No way, no way, no way, no way, Eris────.
“There’s an essential episode when explaining the Sword Saint, and that is—”
“What is it?”
“The episode of ‘Sixteen Hours of Training’!”
Her passionate speech began, and it was about how some Sword Saint spent sixteen hours every day training at the Guild Training Grounds, a story I had heard somewhere before.
Oh no! It’s almost identical! What’s going on!? This is bad! This is really bad!
The runaway truck of bad feelings was now right in front of me. Ignoring my inner turmoil, Milan proudly puffed out her chest as if boasting about her own achievements.
“Seeing that training scene, an S-Rank Seeker named Orphelia, who happened to be working in that town, said at the tavern, ‘There’s no way I could do that!'”
It matched perfectly!!
What does this mean!? Even after fleeing to this remote area, they won’t let me escape!
Then, a thought struck me. Instead of letting it slide, I had to ask something unnecessary.
“Hey, is that Sword Saint you’re talking about, Eris?”
“What? You know her, big brother!?”
The runaway truck of bad feelings was now barreling straight toward me. With Milan puffing her cheeks in frustration, I asked,
“There was another guy in the Hero Party, right?”
As I spoke, my tongue momentarily stiffened. Perhaps it was a sign from God to stop digging deeper.
“Yeah, the Holy Knight.”
“Oh, right.”
“What about him?”
Milan’s expression clearly showed disdain.
“There’s nothing to say, big brother! Because that—”
The word she uttered was precisely the embodiment of my bad feeling, and in that moment, it hit me head-on.
“—was about Yamada the Fugitive Holy Knight, right?”