What kind of comfort suits a Hero who has lost everything?
Eddie, a former web novel addict, naturally conjured up a few impressive and touching scenes in his mind, but those were mostly actions that characters with deep bonds to the protagonist would take.
A devoted lover, a foster parent who raised them their whole life, or a mentor who taught them everything.
Hugging them, taking them to a place of memories, and delivering lines that inspire awe—that was the role of such people, not something a stranger who met them for the first time today would do. It was too grandiose.
In the end, it meant that the things he could do were extremely simple.
Of course, banana milk couldn’t replace all that comfort.
The man, whose sorrow was disturbed even as he tried to suppress it alone, wandered in a vortex of confusing emotions even after settling inside the inn. Soon, as if choosing to no longer seek a way out, he sank into a dull stupor.
The way his black eyes, which had seemed to flicker like flames, died out and turned pitch black was ominous.
The banana milk that Eddie had gone to the trouble of inserting a straw into and handing over didn’t even receive Ketron’s gaze. Perhaps because it had been in a cold place, a round water stain formed beneath the banana milk bottle where droplets had gathered.
He had brought him in on a whim, but as he had said repeatedly, Eddie wasn’t that great of a person. Not in this world, nor in Ketron’s world.
He couldn’t offer great comfort, nor was he in a position to do so.
“Hey, are you hurt, by any chance?”
The faint, metallic smell of blood, which couldn’t be hidden when they were quietly together in the silent space, wafted over, and Eddie asked quietly.
Especially since Eddie already knew about Ketron’s injuries from the novel, and had confirmed the blood that had stained his hand when he shook Ketron awake outside, he was certain.
Ketron still didn’t respond. He didn’t even look at Eddie.
Eddie, who was quietly watching the other man who showed no reaction, to the point where it was a miracle he had even dragged him inside, sighed softly.
Right, how important could an injury be to you right now?
But Eddie, an ordinary citizen, was concerned about the injury. If his palm was covered in that much blood when he touched him, how much pain must he be in now?
He already knew from reading the novel how many life-or-death situations Ketron had been through, and how many times he had been injured, but that didn’t mean the injuries didn’t hurt.
Eddie quietly got up and left Ketron to head downstairs.
The convenience store that Eddie ran was open 24 hours a day. That meant he could legally sell medicine.
Band-aids and pain relief rubs could be sold anywhere, but some medicines, including oral medications, could only be sold at 24-hour convenience stores.
That meant that modern medicines were openly sold in Eddie’s convenience store.
“Hmm.”
Eddie paused in front of the medicine corner, resting his chin in his hand as he pondered.
Eddie wasn’t a doctor, nor had he examined the wound, but even to him, Ketron’s injury looked like that of someone whose wound had festered. If there was any medicine sold at the convenience store that could help, it would be good.
It would be great if he could use the Holy Water from the temple, but that was the exclusive property of nobles, and the cost was something that Eddie, a not-so-successful innkeeper with a small and precious income, couldn’t even dream of affording.
So, it would be right to visit a local clinic, but surgeons in this era were closer to the idea of, ‘There’s a wound, so it hurts! That means we remove the wounded area!’ so he didn’t want to get close to them.
-A great surgeon in the Middle Ages was said to be one who could amputate quickly.
Eddie shuddered as he recalled a piece of trivia he had seen on YouTube. He vowed to be careful so that he would never break a leg or anything.
Gerold seemed to be able to use a variety of Sorcery, so he probably knew healing Sorcery, but Eddie decided not to confirm that fact this time.
If the wound healed immediately, he would lose even the excuse to keep Ketron at this inn. Unless it was a fatal wound, a little festering was probably okay.
If he left this inn, he seemed like he would start a journey to die, having lost even the will for revenge. Look at him now, with those lifeless eyes.
He was worried that the protagonist would undergo Darkening, but he also didn’t want to leave that young man, who was more alone than anyone else in the world right now, by himself. Anyone who was a devoted reader of “The Hero Doesn’t Hide His Strength Enough” would feel the same.
So, there was only one thing Eddie could choose.
Just as Eddie came out with an armful of medicine, Gerold was serving a plausible bowl of soup in front of Ketron.
Even Eddie, who wasn’t particularly hungry, couldn’t help but salivate at the savory smell.
“Thanks, Gerold.”
Eddie greeted him, and Gerold nodded and quietly stepped back. He probably had a lot of questions, but like a loyal subject, Gerold was always faithful to Eddie.
Eddie placed a few of the medicines he had brought on the table where Ketron was sitting and sat down opposite him.
“Aren’t you hungry? Eat quickly. After you eat, let me take a look at that wound.”
The pitch-black eyes briefly turned to the soup before returning to Eddie. Judging from the descriptions in the novel, he probably hadn’t eaten or slept properly for days, but even when looking at the appetizing food in front of him, Ketron didn’t show any particular desire.
Instead of eating, he slowly opened his mouth.
“Why are you helping me?”
It was a very heavy and low bass voice for a twenty-year-old. A detached voice, as if he had experienced all the hardships of the world.
Indeed, even if you combined all the hardships that ordinary twenty-year-olds in Eddie’s world, or even twenty-year-olds in this world, had experienced in their entire lives, there probably wouldn’t be anyone who had experienced as much hardship as Ketron.
Ketron was a character who had grown up experiencing so many trials from a young age, as if that was how protagonists were supposed to be. He fought the Demon King with the fate of the world at stake, and won, but… even that glory was taken away from him, a tragic protagonist.
“Just because.”
Such an answer might be rude to such a protagonist, but.
“…Isn’t that okay?”
Eddie laughed out loud, “Haha.” It was an extremely awkward laugh. It was suspicious, but he couldn’t help it. What could he do when his heart just went out to him?
“You just looked like you had a story to tell. I’m really good at sensing things like that.”
No, he had been told many times that he was oblivious. He had just read the original work diligently. Of course, he couldn’t say that, so Eddie vaguely glossed over it.
If he said it was because he felt so sorry for him, he was afraid he would be told to take his cheap pity and shove it, so Eddie lightly glossed over the reason for his pity.
“In a world where everyone seems like an idiot if they don’t shout out that they’re happy and doing well.”
In fact, unlike the quiet interior of the inn, the outside was noisy. As if everyone was really happy.
“I’m not so heartless that I can’t offer a bowl of soup to a guy who’s all alone.”
With those words, Eddie forcibly placed a spoon in Ketron’s hand. Holding a spoon in his large hand, calloused from holding a sword through so many events, made him look like a child playing with a toy.
Unfortunately, Eddie didn’t have any legitimate reason to help Ketron.
Because Ketron was the forgotten Hero. He couldn’t say, “Because you’re the Hero,” and he couldn’t say, “Because I’m a devoted reader of this novel,” so it was only natural that he didn’t have any plausible excuses.
This was a crude and pathetic act of pity.
But even such a crude thing was probably necessary for Ketron right now.
“I won’t ask what your story is. You probably won’t tell me, and I’m not curious either. …Fortunately, there’s one room left. Until then, feel free to stay here.”
He wondered if he would refuse, but Ketron, who was penniless with no money left, injured, and even forgotten by others, clearly didn’t have much of a choice, so he probably wasn’t in a position to refuse.
No, to be precise, he didn’t seem to have the will or anything to refuse. His dead eyes, showing no attachment to life, didn’t respond at all.
Whether he understood Eddie’s flimsy reason or not, he didn’t react much.
He had even given him a spoon, but Ketron didn’t seem interested in eating at all. Originally, Eddie was going to stick around and take a look at his wound after Ketron finished eating, but what should he do?
Eddie pondered for a moment before deciding to suggest treating the wound first. He couldn’t just leave the blood flowing.
Alright, Eddie decided and spoke to Ketron.
“If you’re going to eat later, can I take a look at your wound? Believe it or not, um, I have some famous medicinal herbs from the East.”
With those words, Eddie began to take out the things he had been gathering in a basket one by one. They were all unfamiliar things that didn’t fit in a fantasy world.
“This is medicine that makes wounds heal faster, a bandage to wrap around the wound to prevent infection, and medicine to relieve pain.”
Mdeca Sol, a large dressing sheet, and Tlenol.
Those were the three medicines that Eddie had taken out. Eddie had a brazen expression, but if he had shown these medicines in Korea and said these words, he would have been immediately treated as a scammer.
But Eddie was confident now.
It’s true, isn’t it? My convenience store was in Korea, so it’s from the East, and these are famous brand medicines made by doctors and researchers putting their heads together.
Eddie, who had been making excuses even though no one was listening, smiled brightly.
That smile was definitely that of a scammer.