This World Needs a Hero

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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Roar-

Between the Hero and the swindler, Ailmar’s belongings were placed.

They were various artifacts that he used to act as a “skilled person.”

Quite valuable items.

But the Hero passed them by.

‘That must be it….’

A long, slender shape wrapped in paper, resembling a staff.

Tiny letters were densely written on the wrapping paper, making it difficult to read.

The Hero understood its meaning at once.

‘…Seal? Disguise?’

The Hero reached out without hesitation.

The moment the body of the staff was revealed, a comment came to mind.

▼

Recorded Artifact: Eye of God

A staff used by the Pope of the Holy Church.

It is presumed to have been lost during the “Exodus” as the high-ranking members of the church fled to the west after the fall of the east.

▲

While reading the comment, the Hero pulled out the staff.

It had a simple appearance.

A pure white body with a red diamond embedded at its tip.

The gem attached to the staff’s head is called the “Heart of Light,” an item that every generation of pontiffs steadily cultivated for generations.

It is officially one of the highest-grade relics.

The Hero’s eyes shook.

It was because he realized it was an incredibly valuable item.

He continued to read the comments.

…Omitted.

Miracles can be manifested on earth through divine power.

The Hero repeated the last explanation.

It was an item that instantly made sense to understand how a mere Canis swindler could accomplish such a tremendous feat.

This staff, the “Eye of God,” is not merely an object where divine power is stored in the form of energy like an artifact.

If his guess was correct, it could manifest stored divine power outwardly…

“A gateway… perhaps.”

As the First Age passed, it was known that divine power disappeared from this world.

But strictly speaking, divine power itself did not disappear.

In objects like Holy stones, divine power was blatantly left behind.

What disappeared was the humans who could manifest it.

Whether enraged by humans who opened the “door” to another realm and brought demons to this world or not, the gods took that power away from humans.

‘But this staff is different.’

Miracles can be performed through divine power.

The staff itself was nothing less than a priest.

The Hero looked at the engraved inscription on the entire body of the staff.

Stand where this points to.

This is my eye seeking a new covenant.

Remember and move forward.

The red jewel at the end of the staff was slowly flickering like an eye blinking.

The Hero turned to Ailmar.

He was burying his face in deep regret but quickly put on a smile.

…There was something he needed to confirm with him.

“I hope you’re not lying.”

“W-Why would I dare to lie about any safety.”

The Hero held onto his speculation.

“It seems like you had quite some fun with this staff. Healing some, getting cooperation from others?”

“W-Well…”

“Write down in detail the scale and members of the illicit forces you’ve worked for.”

“I-Illicit forces? I… ”

Thunk-

Without waiting for an answer, the Hero forcefully placed the paper in front of Ailmar.

For swindlers, writing was more efficient than speaking.

With trembling hands, Ailmar picked up the pen and began to write something.

The Hero’s mouth opened again as he watched him.

“You collected Holy stones to perform healings until you ran out of divine power, didn’t you?”

“T-That’s correct. Because divine power is needed to activate the staff’s abilities.”

“How effective is your healing ability?”

Over the past few months, enough data must have been accumulated for Ailmar.

Ailmar answered straightforwardly.

“E-Even if you gather the maximum amount of divine power, you can’t save someone on the brink of death. However, it was possible to restore some to walk again.”

To make them walk again….

The Hero fell into thought for a moment.

“What if you cast it several times?”

“What?”

“Have you ever cast it several times on one person? Then, could you go beyond making someone walk again and restore a severed limb…?”

“I-It seems possible. Although not to the extent of restoring a severed limb, I have fixed deformities in hands before.”

When the Hero’s eyes narrowed, Ailmar hastily added.

“Hahaha, do you happen to have someone you want me to treat? Don’t worry. I’ll heal them right away. Well, I haven’t collected, I mean, not really collected them. Anyway, I’ll use all the Holy stones I have, even if I have to!”

It was a greedy inner thought.

It seemed like greed had engulfed reason.

The Hero smirked.

“Seems like you want to claim ownership of the staff?”

“Ahaha, well, it’s my item obtained through exploration. Just. Yeah.”

“Your former colleagues from Canis who might reluctantly follow your opinion if they heard it would be pleased.”

…Was the Hero threatening?

Ailmar was about to close his open mouth.

“No, there’s no need to go that far. Just ask the rigid laws of the imperial empire. Whether your exploration was indeed justified or not.”

“I-I now think that I am too inadequate to become the owner of such an item.”

Ailmar shut his mouth.

The Hero looked at him with cold eyes, then stood up from his seat.

The Hero left the interrogation room with the staff in hand.

Shadows entered in his place.

Amidst Ailmar’s panicked breaths, a shadow hesitated before following the Hero’s footsteps.

* * *

It was the moment when the seal of the “Eye of God” was about to be completely removed.

Nyhill felt a strange vibration from her waist.

[…Ugh, it’s dazzling]

A clear voice, as if it belonged to a child, echoed in her ears.

A voice only she could hear.

Nyhill was startled and her body shook slightly.

But the voice paid no attention.

…Just like a few months ago at Lonkers.

[Huh, hi Nyhill]

Feeling an inexplicable sense of warmth, Nyhill responded.

“You….”

[Have you been well? Fixed some of that gloomy and moist stuff?]

Nyhill had to think about how to respond for a moment.

“…No.”

[Phew~ I thought so. Still worried about that oversized head that doesn’t suit your size, huh?]

Nyhill was grateful that this conversation couldn’t be heard by others.

Sneaking a glance at the Hero, who was focused on Ailmar’s interrogation, Nyhill cautiously spoke again.

“…But why did you suddenly wake up?”

[Don’t like it? Want me to sleep again?]

“N-No, it’s not that, I was just curious….”

[That old man kept knocking, and, crucially, that!]

Nyhill looked at the staff emitting warm light.

[Ugh, it’s hot. Can you hide me behind your back for a bit?]

Nyhill’s eyes flickered for a moment.

“…Could it be that divine power is harming you?”

Noubelmag told her that this spirit possessed earth and… had a dark attribute.

Could that darkness be it?

Sensing suspicion in Nyhill’s voice, the spirit burst into anger.

[This fool! Thinks everyone who dislikes that power is evil!?]

“…And?”

[Ugh, humans. Thinking their fleeting insights gained through experience are everything]

The murmuring spirit continued.

[That power only allows those it deems worthy from the start. It easily nullifies the kind of magic you humans love so much, doesn’t it?]

“…I see.”

[And you, who have only lived in this era, wouldn’t know that. Well, anyway…]

The spirit looked at the Hero.

By some means, it could communicate with the one embedded in the dagger, but regardless, the spirit looked at the Hero, and Nyhill felt it too.

[That guy is the key to this dilemma]

——————

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Join our Discord for release updates!

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“How do you know that?”

[I can know everything. Because you’re my companion!]

By the time the spirit said that, the interrogation was nearing its end.

The Hero left the interrogation room with the Eye of God and Nyhill followed, clumsily trailing behind.

.

.

.

It was now the dead of night.

Thud-

Nyhill chased after the Hero, suddenly recalling a conversation from a month ago.

It was when the Hero realized her anomaly and asked questions.

“…Mother Ghost, isn’t it?”

She couldn’t answer.

So, it must have been the answer.

…The Hero knows that Mother Ghost issued some kind of command to her.

But why?

He didn’t distance her.

No, he entrusted her with more tasks than before.

It seemed like he was constantly giving her things to report to ensure she wouldn’t be reprimanded.

…Just like now.

“Ah….”

Nyhill spotted the Hero and stopped.

“…….”

The Hero leaned against the village wall, facing towards Rosenstark.

The only illuminated night view in the dark surroundings was that of the academy.

Nyhill stood a few steps behind.

It took her a little time to choose her words.

“…The weather is cool.”

A moment of silence.

The spirit whispered faintly in Nyhill’s ear.

[Is that small talk for real?]

“…….”

But the Hero simply nodded slowly.

Then, he uttered unexpected words.

“It feels like the weather when we first met at the beginning of the semester.”

Nyhill naturally recalled the past at his words.

…The starting point where she was treated as a human rather than a tool.

It was a very precious memory, and as she recalled it, her tense body relaxed a bit.

The Hero spoke gently.

“I suppose you can guess, but I’ll continue to collect Holy stones.”

“I see. Are you considering the principal?”

“For now, yes.”

In fact, Nyhill did not miss a single conversation between the Hero and Ailmar, even while conversing with the spirit.

It was only natural to record everything and report it to Mother Ghost.

“I intend to heal the retired members, starting with Yussi and then the others who retired due to injuries.”

“…I see.”

“It’s been a long time since they left the battlefield, so it would be good for them to rehabilitate at Rosenstark.”

The Hero was revealing his plans without being asked.

Nyhill stared at him intently.

A moment of silence.

Even though their gazes undoubtedly crossed, the Hero simply smiled awkwardly.

Crack-

The Hero touched the sealed staff enveloped in divine power and spoke.

“By the way, I guess I’m repaying my debt a bit late.”

“Debt…?”

“It’s Yussi. She’s helped me a lot ever since we came to the academy.”

…Isn’t that just a duty as a comrade and member of the Dawn Knights?

She didn’t say it out loud, of course.

But as if reading her mind, the Hero answered her question.

“Some might simply call it a duty. But I know that goodwill and kindness are included in that process. It’s something to be grateful for.”

“…….”

“So are you.”

Nyhill blinked.

“…Me?”

“You’ve also been a great help to me. Was it simply because of your mission?”

Watching over and guarding the children all night.

Gathering information.

Facing the monsters of Lonkers.

Performing pole-blasting operations.

…Of course, it was all part of the mission.

But it wasn’t just that.

Goodwill and kindness.

In the Hero’s words expressing emotions she hadn’t realized herself, Nyhill bowed deeply.

The Hero’s calm voice was heard.

“So I’ll also repay the favor to you.”

…Favor.

It wasn’t long before Nyhill understood the meaning of that word.

* * *

As time passed, it became increasingly difficult to find the children on campus during weekends.

As the Hero expected, the children were deeply immersed in the fun of requests.

It couldn’t be helped.

They trained hard, risking their lives.

While utilizing this, they could earn money, build connections, and feel fulfilled.

It was only natural for other students, not just the Extreme ones, to be eagerly focused on requests.

Of course, the fact that the top prize was Blessing played a role as well….

-Anyway, that’s for the Extremes….

└I heard they solved another big problem this time.

-Are we in the same grade? It’s disheartening to see the gap widening.

└We should aim for a transfer instead of Blessing.

└Yeah, if we accumulate a lot of points, we might catch the professor’s eye.

The final point calculation is at the end of the semester.

There was still plenty of time left, but the Extremes were overwhelmingly ahead in points.

Even the top student of the Department of Mysticism, Beatrice, who was taking various research-related requests, had a significant difference compared to the top Extremes.

1st place, Luke.

2nd place, Leciel.

Following closely behind were Ban and Gerald.

Especially Luke received favorable evaluations from the requesters in all the requests he undertook, establishing himself firmly in first place.

‘…If only there were more requests like these, it would be worth being a mercenary.’

Thanks to the Hero’s selection, the contents of the requests were all good.

It wasn’t just about talking about compensation.

Requests that brought fulfillment by helping people in difficult situations… It was the kind of good request that came with satisfaction.

Since becoming a mercenary, Nyhill had never performed requests so comfortably.

…After all, the values pursued by the Aureum Mercenary Corps were only ‘gold’.

“Oh, thank you. How could a student handle work so deftly?”

“…You’re too kind.”

It was the moment when Luke, who had just completed a request to retrieve stolen cargo from thieves, was about to return to the academy.

Beep-

The communication bead, which had not rung for months, emitted a sharp alert sound.

It was connected to the Mercenary Corps.

[It seems like we’ll have some time soon. Drop by.]

Reading the message from Ravias, Luke tilted his head.

One statement raised two questions.

‘It seems like they’ll have some time?’ How?

Currently, the Aureum Mercenary Corps was in a very busy situation, supporting the Eastern Coalition.

They had to fend off demons coming intermittently from the Great Mountain Range, and some members of the leadership, including Ravias, were carrying out special missions by traveling through the demonic realm.

In such circumstances, how could there be any spare time?

‘…And they’re dropping by.’

Could it be that they’re coming to Rosenstark?

Luke’s expression stiffened.

And a few days later.

Unexpected news struck the western continent.

“T-T-The Eastern Coalition!”

People found it hard to believe such news.

“T-They’ve won!”

A victory report from the demonic realm.

For the first time since the beginning of the Second Era, humanity succeeded in reclaiming territory on the eastern continent.

They completely demolished the stakes of the 1st Sector of the Demonic Realm and purified it.

Beep-

The Hero’s communication bead, which hadn’t rung, made a sound again.

[…How have you been?]

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Join our Discord for release updates!

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