This World Needs a Hero

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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This is a story from a distant past.

“Hey, Ravias. Have you chosen your first weapon?”

“I’ve picked this one. I like its weightiness.”

“A mace? That’s a good choice.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll go with a sword.”

Ravias looked puzzled.

“There are plenty of other weapons that can make you stronger much faster, why choose a sword?”

“Well…”

Ravias confidently presented his chosen weapon.

“Just by practicing with this mace for three hours, you could break the bones of a sword master who has trained for a year.”

“But even with that, you’d be no match for me.”

“….”

“Just kidding, loosen up a bit.”

Ravias’ journey to becoming a mercenary wasn’t much different from that of other mercenaries.

He didn’t want to die a boring farmer.

He wanted to make money, achieve success, marry a pretty woman, and live comfortably.

So he left his hometown and ventured into the city… with a friend by his side.

They grew up together, but they were very different.

‘…Yes, quite different.’

Though both were born into humble peasant families, he was somehow different.

He admired and pursued virtues, beliefs, and principles related to mercenaries, and he even succeeded.

Thanks to his remarkable talent with the sword, which made Ravias’ talent seem insignificant.

‘Despite being born with such talent…’

He retired faster than anyone else.

Getting married to a woman he met during a mission.

She was the daughter of a rural noble that they rescued, and also the woman Ravias fell for.

But she chose his friend over Ravias, and the two settled in her estate.

He chose to be a mere captain receiving a meager salary.

Ravias couldn’t understand.

If it was his friend’s talent, he could surely amass wealth and fame, so why settle for that?

Fool.

And the foolish woman who chose that fool.

It was from then that an indescribable feeling began to bloom in Ravias’ heart.

“I hope we’ll meet again someday, Ravias. I hope you’ll leave this stinking battlefield soon too.”

What nonsense.

Ravias chuckled.

‘Yes, the day we meet again has come.’

Several years later, a dungeon containing artifacts of immense value was discovered on the estate where his friend stayed.

It was right after a massive band of thieves raided the place.

His friend, who had long laid down his sword, couldn’t confront the band of thieves.

When Ravias arrived with his mercenary band, everything was already over.

The guard captain’s mansion.

Under the bodies of the couple lay a crying newborn.

A noisy, squirming little boy, struggling to survive.

‘…Looks just like him.’

Black hair, a straight face, dark eyes, and a large build.

Ravias chuckled at the sight of Luke beyond the falling Black Hope

Dying in front of his own adopted son.

What a ridiculous and pitiful situation.

People would forget how he lived.

They would only remember this absurd death.

‘…Come to think of it, that’s not such a bad thing.’

That was Ravias’ final thought.

.

.

.

The news of Luke’s remarkable victory spread slowly but surely.

The one who disposed of the parents at a school event.

There were brief ominous rumors at the academy, but they quickly faded away.

Thanks to the extreme children patrolling the streets.

“….”

But they were struggling with how to treat Luke.

Should they congratulate him?

Offer words of comfort?

Or just keep their mouths shut?

In the face of hesitant friends’ consideration, Luke simply smiled.

The fierce and sharp feeling from the boy was fading away.

But he was exuding a stronger, sturdier atmosphere.

…Like a hero.

Having faced life and death, achieved victory, he seemed to have gained new accomplishments.

It was a congratulatory occasion.

He began to settle Ravias’ legacy a week later.

When applying for Dellum, each contestant sets conditions for each other.

Luke, who would fight for his life anyway, demanded full authority over the Aureum Mercenaries and Ravias’ entire estate.

Surprisingly, Ravias agreed.

Even Luke couldn’t fully understand what he was thinking.

Only…

‘He probably thought it would be better for me to inherit the estate.’

As someone who viewed his subordinates as mere pawns, it might have seemed natural.

But Luke didn’t want to lead the Aureum Mercenaries.

He had found his calling in the life of a mercenary.

He passed on the position of the next leader to one of the officers of the Aureum Mercenaries.

The new leader was a man named “Delheim,” a rare mercenary with principles who had strong support from the lower-ranking members.

He might be able to fill Ravias’ vacancy well.

‘Of course, participating in the Eastern expedition is out of the question now…’

As his comrades wouldn’t lose their limbs, it might be for the best.

‘It’s like everything is being resolved as if following a predetermined procedure.’

It was truly fascinating how everything seemed daunting until dealing with Ravias.

The last task was to sort through the belongings Ravias left at the parents’ lodging.

‘…Luxuries.’

Considering he wouldn’t stay for more than a few days, why did he bring so many expensive items?

Hourglasses, jewels, accessories, and so on.

Selling them immediately could fetch hundreds of gold.

Luke collected them all.

Surely there would be a useful purpose for them.

‘Huh?’

It was then that Luke discovered a notebook in Ravias’ bag.

It was an unbelievably ordinary and worn-out notebook amidst all the flashy items, making it even more conspicuous.

Luke slowly read the title of the notebook.

“…Memoirs.”

The expression in the boy’s eyes as he looked down at the cover became momentarily complex.

But the hesitation didn’t last long.

-Whoosh

It didn’t take long for the memoirs, piled up next to the fireplace in one corner of the room, to burn and turn into ashes.

‘It’s time to let go of the past.’

Luke emerged from the parents’ lodging with a much lighter expression.

…It was the end of a long wander.

Simultaneously, comments appeared in front of the hero’s eyes.

▼

Prepared logs were stacked in the fireplace

▲

▼

Understanding of Luke Selsood deepens.

Understanding Level: 30/100 -> 50/100

▲

* * *

Meanwhile, the hero had been busily dealing with matters that had been delayed due to the invitation event and Dellum.

The urgent issues to address were as follows:

First, identify the traitor.

Second, welcome the injured Dawn Knights.

Third, spar with Zion Hiyashin.

Fourth, resolve the curse, “Dark Impulse,” and so on.

Truly, there was a plethora of work to be done.

The hero decided to tackle them in order of urgency.

‘First, let’s identify the traitor.’

…But things don’t always go as planned.

The task of identifying the traitor, which was expected to proceed smoothly, encountered difficulties from the start.

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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“No members meeting the criteria?”

With a perplexed expression, the hero asked Mother Ghost through the communication bead.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, we’ve investigated all retired members as well… there was not a single member who met the criteria you mentioned.”

Laplace’s prophecy had been as follows:

“If you fail to complete the seasons within 18 days, you will die at the hands of a traitor from the Dawn Knights, along with some of your disciples.”

Thanks to this prophecy, the hero was able to narrow down the conditions for the traitor.

Someone with enough power to threaten him and his disciples.

And someone who was near the northern region at that time.

During the height of the Eastern expedition, most of the members were heading east.

Naturally, they should have been easy to find… But…

‘…What on earth happened? Could the prophecy have been wrong?’

As the hero pondered, Mother Ghost cautiously spoke up.

“How would you like to handle the injured members who are currently heading to Rosenstark?”

Originally, they should have arrived at the academy several weeks ago.

However, due to various injuries, some of them had stopped in a city in the central region.

Only Felson had rushed to Rosenstark due to the invitation event.

They were now on the brink of arrival, just a few days away.

…It was a rather difficult situation, considering the location of the traitor was unknown.

“…Are you asking whether to let them in or not?”

“The likelihood of the injured members causing trouble is low, but it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.”

Injured members who had fought against the Demon army would undoubtedly foam at the mouth if they heard, but the statement wasn’t entirely untrue.

It was undesirable for another traitor to enter the place where the children stayed.

However…

“There’s no justification for opposing the transportation of injured members.”

“There are other ways to redirect them to different territories.”

“There will be considerable resistance. And I don’t even have the confidence to justify the bad treatment of heroes.”

Mother Ghost replied quietly.

“It seems you’ve made up your mind to let them in.”

“Yes, we need to keep our enemies close.”

The hero narrowed his eyes.

Thinking in reverse, this was indeed high risk – high return.

‘…It doesn’t matter who the traitor is anymore.’

He had defeated Ivar 1v1.

There would be no one among the injured members who could trouble the hero.

Although he was worried about the safety of the children…

As if reading the hero’s mind, Mother Ghost added.

“I think I’ll be fine. There’s nowhere with more keen eyes than Rosenstark. Filtering out suspects through the academy’s tight surveillance network would be a solution.”

The hero reached a conclusion.

“Let the members in. And gather all available personnel to come to Rosenstark as soon as possible.”

“I’ll take your orders.”

Mother Ghost bowed politely and ended the communication.

Since revealing his identity and boarding the same ship, she had been surprisingly cooperative.

The efforts to sabotage Nyhill were completely abandoned.

The hero was extremely proud of Nyhill’s improving expression.

Swoosh—

Just in time, Nyhill entered the laboratory through the window for her regular report.

She was currently tasked with monitoring Zion’s movements.

‘…Since she’s staying at the academy for a while.’

The confrontation between Zion and the hero didn’t happen immediately.

Having laid down her swords for a long time, Zion demanded some time to hone her skills.

The hero naturally agreed.

“It seems like she’s experiencing various facilities at the academy one by one. She also imparts teachings to the children she encounters during the process.”

“…Quite an unusual situation. Any contact with Leciel?”

“No. They’re avoiding each other. It’s been noted that she spends the most time with Professor Labin.”

“…Professor Labin Hawk?”

The image of the fearsome bald professor briefly crossed his mind and vanished.

They clashed quite a bit at the beginning of the semester, but there hadn’t been any conflicts recently.

“…An unexpected pairing.”

“They both graduated from Rosenstark at the same time.”

Were they classmates?

The hero nodded without much concern.

‘In truth, the real issue is the spar.’

The duel against the former Sword Master in front of Leciel.

He couldn’t afford not to prepare for the blend of swordsmanship and experience that once dominated an era.

Past data from Avatar duels alone wasn’t enough.

‘I should watch them train soon.’

Perhaps the Salvation 5 ritual might not suffice for the kind of duel he desired.

Of course, he could win… but winning alone would lose its meaning.

Satisfactory content was needed for both himself and Leciel during the spar.

‘I should also develop the Infinite 2nd Form.’

The children’s understanding was steadily increasing.

There was progress in the Infinite Form, which blended the advantages of replicable targets.

The Annihilation, which was the 1st Form, was proving extremely useful.

Even if he wasn’t sure what form the 2nd Form would take, it would undoubtedly make him even stronger.

‘And once all of this is settled…’

He would go meet his ‘brother,’ Homunculus.

There was the curse to be lifted and many questions to ask.

‘But for now, I’ll have to stay focused at the academy.’

With his plans sorted, the hero dismissed Nyhill and left the laboratory.

Around the corridor corner, long silver hair fluttered in the still air.

“……”

The hero froze in place.

In turn, the figure carrying baggage turned around to look at him.

“Hello, secret friend.”

“…Yeah, hello.”

It was Larze, whom he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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