HRB 58

After Ketron awakened, he struggled toward the Empire after hearing that the hero’s party was heading there.

The war had destroyed many teleportation points. The desert where he first opened his eyes was in a distant foreign country, a journey of about a month even riding horseback without stopping.

With all his gold coins, he still couldn’t afford to travel comfortably using the remaining teleportation points, so he had no choice but to ride on horseback despite his injuries. This slowed his healing considerably.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Arthur was enjoying himself at every city, being grandly welcomed with parties, so Ketron’s slow pace wasn’t much different from Arthur’s return speed to the Empire.

The closer he got to the Empire, the more he confirmed that all glory was focused on Arthur, and Ketron couldn’t help but realize,

Arthur had betrayed him.

His companions had betrayed him.

They had stolen the glory that was rightfully his.

By the time Ketron finally reached the Empire, he gained nothing except the miserable realization of his own betrayal.

Where should I go now?

What should I do?

…What am I now?

He was no longer Hero Ketron. All his history, escaping the orphanage, learning swordsmanship among mercenaries, being chosen by the holy sword, single-handedly stopping monster waves in neighboring kingdoms, changing the course of the war, and finally defeating the Demon King, had vanished.

No, it had become someone else’s.

He no longer knew who he was. If not for the lingering pain in his side and the heavy weight of the holy sword on his back, he might not have known if this was even reality.

Among people rejoicing and celebrating, throwing flower petals and silver coins, Ketron walked alone in gloom, staggering until he slumped against a wall.

He belatedly realized that he was in pain and sorrow.

“Ketron really is bad at expressing emotions, isn’t he?”

“Well… what of it? It suits a hero.”

“Hahaha! True! Heroes are typically taciturn, Arthur!”

The voices of his companions discussing him suddenly came to mind.

“That hero thing…”

Arthur’s voice grumbling at the two people seemingly defending Ketron’s awkwardness scattered in his mind.

Drip, drip.

Tears fell from Ketron’s eyes.

From resentment? From injustice? From physical pain? From the agony of being forgotten? Why am I crying?

He couldn’t tell himself, but what was certain was that he was in pain. He couldn’t breathe properly. Harsh, labored breathing sounds came from his throat.

“Hey, you!”

The person who shook Ketron’s body and spoke to him then was a young man he’d never seen before. A person with clear eyes. In that moment, Ketron was drawn more to that than to his striking appearance.

“If you need a quiet place, want to come in?”

He needed a place to breathe. No, he needed a place to escape. He needed somewhere to turn his eyes away from the glory that had distanced itself from him.

So he accepted it. That man’s kindness.

He had planned to leave soon. Once his mind was somewhat settled, once he determined what he needed to do, he would leave this place and never return. That was his resolution.

But being by the man’s side, Ketron found peace of mind. Even while being bewildered by the man’s eccentric behavior, even while finding him somehow unusual and suspicious, he would look away, telling himself it had nothing to do with him.

But at some point, he became completely captivated by that man.

Enough to tell him about his forgotten past, which he had resolved never to tell anyone.

“…”

Eddie, who had listened quietly to Ketron’s long story without a single interjection, couldn’t speak for a while even after Ketron finished.

He already knew this story from reading it.

Ketron’s life, conveyed through text, was both tragic and fascinating, a perfect story for consumption.

The coming of age tale of a talented but unfortunate boy.

But that was only entertaining when it was purely fictional, it was far too cruel a story for someone Eddie knew to experience.

And how desperate was its ending? Eddie couldn’t begin to define the emotions Ketron must have felt when he realized the betrayal. He couldn’t dare claim to understand.

So instead of offering verbal comfort, he hesitantly reached out and embraced Ketron.

Pulling someone larger than himself into his arms. Ketron, buried in Eddie’s embrace, didn’t reject his touch.

Eddie held Ketron and caught his breath for a moment. Somehow, his breathing felt heavy. At first, he didn’t know what that feeling was, but he later realized it was a jumble of emotions, pity, anger, sadness.

‘Ket, I… want to restore your glory.’

Eddie silently spoke words he couldn’t say aloud to Ketron.

‘I want to restore your glory and lead you to a happy ending.’

And then, and then… when Eddie’s role as a helper ends.

Eddie’s eyes grew slightly sad without him realizing it.

‘I don’t know what will happen to me, but that’s what I want.’

“You’ve been through so much, Ket.”

Eddie stroked Ketron’s hair and spoke those words instead of the many complex thoughts welling up inside. Ketron, still quietly nestled in Eddie’s arms, softly asked,

“Do you believe me?”

Most people would call it a far fetched story. They would laugh it off, telling him to stop writing fiction. But Eddie knew better than anyone that this story was entirely true.

Eddie couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Of course. You’re not the type to lie.”

“Isn’t it a difficult story to believe?”

“Maybe, but…”

For anyone other than Eddie, it would have been an unbelievable tale. Even if they did believe it, they might have harbored some doubts.

But Eddie wasn’t like those people.

“I believe you.”

Even if Eddie hadn’t known the original story, he would have believed Ketron’s words. Knowing the original work, there was no question.

Eddie didn’t have the confidence to pretend he knew nothing of such stories, to act as if he was hearing it for the first time.

So instead of showing an exaggerated reaction to the story, he tried to empathize with Ketron’s feelings.

He wanted to express that he believed Ketron’s story completely.

That was all he could do, but for Ketron, that ‘all’ would be precious.

“I believe your story. …Honestly, you don’t seem skilled enough at lying to make up such a tale anyway.”

The latter part was a light joke. Eddie laughed, and Ketron, nestled in Eddie’s arms, smiled too, albeit slightly. For having just shared such a difficult story, the mood wasn’t so heavy. That was fortunate.

“So, Ket, what do you want to do from now on?”

That question was essentially asking if he wanted revenge. After a moment of silence, Ketron responded.

“I don’t want to talk about something as grand as revenge. He’s too pathetic to become the goal of my life.”

A merciless assessment.

“But…”

Ketron closed his eyes in Eddie’s arms as he spoke.

“That doesn’t mean I’ll stand by and watch him occupy my place.”

It was the coldest voice Eddie had ever heard from Ketron.

“I will pull him down.”

After those words, Ketron was silent for a while. Eddie had expected it to be a painful topic, but Ketron’s face looked surprisingly peaceful.

“By chance…”

Eddie, gazing down at that face, asked.

“Is the old friend you met… Arthur?”

Ketron answered without difficulty.

“Yes.”

I knew it. Though Eddie had been inwardly certain, hearing it from Ketron himself made him feel worse.

How hurt must this vulnerable person have been, seeing the betrayer with his own eyes, even if he didn’t speak of it? Eddie stroked Ketron’s hair with gentle concern.

Ketron closed his eyes, yielding to the now familiar touch.

“Are you okay with Arthur noticing your existence?”

“Since he’s noticed my existence, he’ll try to reach out somehow, but I’m not particularly afraid.”

After saying that, Ketron made an “Ah” sound as if just remembering something.

“I hope this won’t cause problems for the inn. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Don’t worry about it. Gerold will handle most general issues.”

With Ketron nearby, there wasn’t much to fear. And if needed, Gerold was there too. And Sebastian, though he probably wouldn’t be much help.

“Still, just in case, I’ll stay by your side always.”

As he said this, Ketron looked up at Eddie while lying down.

For some reason, Eddie’s heart jumped at that moment.

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

Before he knew it, Ketron was lying with his head on Eddie’s thigh. Looking down at his face, Eddie was somehow very conscious of this angle.

Isn’t looking up from below an extremely unflattering angle?

Even in his days as Lee Jeong-hoon, he’d never particularly cared about such things with his girlfriends, but for some reason, at this moment, it bothered him greatly. Especially when Ketron was staring up at him so intently.

Moreover, that gaze somehow reminded Eddie of Ketron’s intense stare at the communal bath in Sandern’s inn, a lingering gaze that made Eddie awkwardly avoid eye contact.

“Well, I’ve been completely forgotten.”

At the sharp sound, Eddie’s body jumped. Ketron’s upper body, which had been resting on Eddie’s thigh, also jerked.

Eddie hurriedly looked back to see the long ribbons attached to the holy sword’s handle dragging on the floor.

As if confessing to being the source of the sound, the ribbon struck the floor again with a sharp tap!

In a manner that seemed extremely displeased.