HRB 112

Marquis Rivalt sighed deeply. Perhaps his older brother was sighing the same way.

The world had already forgotten the Hero once, and now it was forcing him to make sacrifices again because the Demon King had revived. They couldn’t even offer him a welcome, let alone the same benefits they had given the fake Hero for being real. Now, they were pushing him out to defeat the Demon King once more.

He must have felt ashamed, and embarrassed.

But he also knew that there was no other way. Just as Eddie knew.

“……”

Eddie’s expression naturally darkened.

Of course, Ketron believed he had to “defeat the Demon King.” He thought it was his duty, both in the past and now.

In the original story, he was always like that. He believed that if it was something he could do, and if it had to be done, then he must do it.

That was why he was the Hero. A protagonist with a sometimes cold and decisive personality, who simultaneously did not neglect his duties, and ultimately sided with justice.

That was why Lee Jeong-hoon had fallen for such a protagonist. Because he cherished that protagonist so much, he had been angry seeing him meet such an ending.

He knew there was no one else.

But still, Eddie felt uneasy.

Furthermore, Ketron had said this to Eddie.

“Because it’s the world you live in.”

“……”

“Because it’s a world I want to live in with you.”

So, he would eliminate him.

What could one say to someone who spoke like that? Eddie could only nod in the end.

An unavoidable expedition was approaching. It felt like it was right around the corner, incredibly close.

Arthur had refused to eat or drink since that day.

He refused the meals provided, no longer voiced his pleas of injustice, and instead huddled in a corner of the prison, burying his head between his knees, unmoving.

When he started acting like this, precisely when the world’s memories returned, the guards who had inwardly pitied him and worn uncomfortable expressions while claiming “I didn’t do it” changed their attitude the moment they realized he was the fake.

A traitor who stole the glory of the true Hero.

And on top of that, a criminal who murdered Marquis Rodrigo.

Everyone looked at Arthur with contempt. They openly criticized him, asking how a person could be like this. Of course, Arthur showed no reaction, even though it was obvious he could hear them.

To get straight to the point, no matter what Arthur had done, since he was refusing even meals without a word, and several days passed with him refusing food, the trial was fast approaching, and the guards were in a difficult position, fearing the prisoner might starve to death before then.

“Why isn’t he eating?”

“Who knows, maybe it’s because if he’s convicted, he’ll be banished from the empire in his current state.”

“What is this situation for us? It’s annoying enough to suddenly have to act as jailers.”

“This place is hardly ever used as a prison, so what can we do? The trial is soon anyway, let’s just endure a little longer.”

Whether Arthur heard them or not, the guards, who had been chatting amongst themselves, left with the untouched food tray. Even as the prison door closed with a creak, Arthur didn’t lift his head once.

Arthur’s eyes, which remained lowered, were filled with burst blood vessels.

In his mind, since the day the Demon King had visited, the same voice had been echoing. A voice that only Arthur could hear, not others, constantly impressing one fact upon him.

— Must break it

— Must break it

— Must break it

— Must kill

— Must kill

— Must kill

That he must break and kill. The voice did not explain what he needed to create.

Because of the continuously echoing voice, Arthur could not think of anything. He could only pass the time blankly, listening to the voice etched like a brand.

— Go now.

And then, one day, the voice that had only repeated the same words said something like that. Just before Arthur completely lost his mind.

‘Whom?’

Arthur asked reflexively. Whom should he break and kill?

Then, an excessively handsome face naturally surfaced in his mind. It was a face he had seen only once, but it had left a strong impression for various reasons. He couldn’t help but know who it was.

A man with magnificent silver hair and jewel-like purple eyes. The moment he recalled that magnificent face smiling gently, Arthur’s head shot up.

Creeeak—

Simultaneously, the prison door, which had always been tightly shut since he was confined here, opened with a chilling creak.

And at the open door lay the Holy Sword, which had been immediately repossessed after the incident.

Arthur sprang to his feet.

There was no hesitation in Arthur’s hand as he walked over and grasped the sword.

Arthur naturally walked out of the prison.

No one stood in his way.

The Holy Sword, after moving into the mansion, occasionally manifested in human form quite openly.

Now that he shared a room with Ketron, there was no reason to refrain from humanization, and since everyone now knew he was the true Holy Sword, there seemed to be no reason to hide it.

Eddie couldn’t understand the preceding story, but since the Holy Sword claimed it was so, Eddie had no room to question it.

The Holy Sword, who was a chatterbox even in sword form, was the same when humanized. He stayed almost glued to Eddie for the entire duration he could maintain human form.

At first, Eddie felt burdened by the man with the excessively flamboyant appearance who embraced him from behind, but after it repeated several times, Eddie grew accustomed to it. Of course, Ketron looked at the Holy Sword with a displeased gaze.

Still, Eddie liked the Holy Sword chattering by his side. Ketron was not a man of many words, and the presence of the Holy Sword, who prattled on when everyone else was busy, was a considerable comfort to Eddie.

Of course, being embraced from behind with two long ribbons dangling was still a bit much.

The Holy Sword would chatter about the minor incidents of the day or ask Eddie pointless questions, but sometimes he would bring up serious topics.

“Ketron needs to make companions.”

For example, something like that. Eddie, who was being gently embraced and serving as the target of a storm of chatter, suddenly turned his head back at the remark and, meeting the uncomfortably flamboyant face, instinctively turned his head back again.

“Companions?”

“Yes. No matter how much stronger that guy has become than before, facing the Demon King is not something he can do alone.”

Moreover, the Demon King seemed stronger than before. The remark made Eddie’s insides feel even more complicated, but the Holy Sword, clumsy with human emotions, brought up a frustrating topic.

“But what to do~ Two people betrayed him and are now in prison, so they’re no help. He won’t be able to do anything with just Augustine, so what will he do?”

That was indeed a point Eddie also wondered about. It was also the reason Ketron couldn’t immediately set out to eliminate the Demon King.

Arthur, though lacking in skill, was still decent and clever, making him a useful addition to the party. Boram, needless to say, was a powerful Magician.

Frankly, while Arthur was important in adventures, he wasn’t of much help in the Demon King’s Castle. Thus, the absence of the powerful Magician Boram was significant.

It wasn’t that the empire lacked powerful Magicians, but were there many who could compare to Boram?

Marquis Evans was one, but considering his age, and the current situation where his daughter was imprisoned, it was uncertain if he would even act for the Hero, who was the primary cause of his daughter’s imprisonment.

“He feels the need for companions too.”

“……I suppose so.”

“He must be thinking a lot. The Demon King has revived, so he has to deal with that.”

After a moment of hesitation at the remark, Eddie asked.

“Does it have to be Ketron?”

That was Eddie’s honest feeling. Does it have to be Ketron?

“If it’s not him, no one can.”

But the Holy Sword was resolute. If it wasn’t Ketron, there was no one capable. Eddie couldn’t hold back a sigh and let it out.

“It’s dangerous.”

“……Is that love?”

At the sudden question, Eddie, with a puzzled look, turned his head back to see the Holy Sword with, for some reason, sparkling eyes.

“I didn’t quite understand human love, but I can see it when I look at you all. You’re worried about Ketron, aren’t you? That he’ll get hurt, or that he’ll suffer?”

“……Yes.”

It was always a point of concern. He worried about physical injury, but no, surely Ketron and those who would accompany him would suffer injuries, big or small… Eddie was most worried about whether Ketron might struggle due to memories of the past.

“He believes it is his duty. Because he possesses great power, he naturally believes that power must be used for good.”

“……”

“That’s why he became the Hero. Because he is the kind of person who can.”

The Holy Sword calmly explained why he had chosen Ketron as the Holy Sword, stating that he was chosen for that reason. It was a story Eddie had never heard, even in the original work.

“But there was a time when he almost broke for the first time.”

Eddie could easily understand which time the Holy Sword was referring to. He was talking about the time Ketron collapsed in front of his inn.

“You were the one who approached him then.”