If one were to look only at his outward appearance, he was extremely ordinary.
However, his audacious smile carried a lightness that seemed to look down on the world, yet within it was an absolute confidence.
He was the kind of man who would make observers wonder, “What makes him so self-assured?”
The Master of the Fourth Sword.
Felix, the candidate for the Hero.
He carefully observed the man before him, Rishe,
the new Master of the Holy Sword.
“…”
Felix’s expression as he looked at Rishe became very subtle,
fully revealing his current state of mind.
“Felix. What do you think of him?”
It was Fohena, his Holy Sword, who posed the question in his mind.
‘Hmm, doesn’t seem like a bad guy…’
Had Felix met Rishe in a normal setting, he would have undoubtedly received a purely positive impression.
That warm and welcoming aura was more than enough to inspire goodwill in others.
However, the problem was that this man was supposed to be the new Hero of Advancement.
Felix remembered the previous Hero of Advancement.
An abundance of ambition and an imposing presence that matched it—a man who truly embodied the name “Advancement.”
But what about the man before him now?
He could barely handle the energy of the Holy Sword, living with his sword bound to his hand by bandages due to his inexperience.
There was no trace of the dignified aurabefitting the name “Hero.”
Could someone like this possibly shoulder the destiny of advancement that the previous hero couldn’t handle?
Hm.
A skeptical smile surfaced on Felix’s face.
“The Sword of Advancement… Why did it choose someone like him, Fohena? Do you have any idea?”
“The Sword of Advancement, Jalk, gives the most attention to potential when choosing its master. Perhaps there’s something about him that we don’t know about?”
“Potential, huh… It’s too well-hidden, if you ask me.”
After a moment,
Felix arrived at a conclusion.
“Perhaps Jane should be the proper Master of Advancement after all?”
“I agree. The power of advancement isn’t something just anyone can handle.”
The Sword of Advancement was one of the Holy Swords known for being particularly difficult to wield.
It was hard for them to imagine this man, who hadn’t even properly adapted to the energy of advancement, mastering its power.
This made them curious about Jane’s earlier comment, “He’s an incredible guy, not even comparable to me.”
Could it be that the admirable hero had willingly handed over the Sword of Advancement to Rishe?
“Have you two introduced yourselves?”
Just as Felix was lost in thought while facing Rishe, Jane approached. Felix finally spoke.
“I’m Felix. I heard about you from Jane. I gather you must have displayed something extraordinary during the Holy Sword trials?”
“I’m most grateful for your kind words. My name is Rishe.”
Still, Felix’s gaze lingered on the Holy Sword tightly held in Rishe’s hand. He reluctantly shifted his gaze to Jane.
“So, Jane, what do you plan to do? Did you give my proposal any thought?”
“Hmm… So, is your visit to Bondales related to that?”
“While Bondales was chosen primarily due to the ‘oracle’ like you mentioned, my current main goal aligns with it. Initially, I thought of discussing things with an information collector staying in Bondales or the Frozen Breath, or even broach the subject with the Gray Mage Tower—but with you here, there’s no need to go far.”
“…”
Jane mulled over Felix’s words before turning her attention to Rishe.
“Then, while we’re at it, why not also ask Rishe for help?”
“What?”
Felix turned toward Rishe and let out an exasperated laugh.
“Jane, I already told you. This isn’t something that should be shared with just anyone. I only shared it with you because I trust you.”
“I’m grateful for that trust. And that’s why I’m telling you—Rishe is a trustworthy person. Both in terms of credit and capability.”
“Trustworthy? Didn’t you say you just met yesterday?”
“That’s right.”
“And what makes you so sure?”
“…”
Jane chuckled faintly as she remembered.
“Will you believe me if I tell you?”
“Come on, how grand of a story are you about to tell?”
In high spirits, Jane recounted the events of the previous day.
“…He wielded the power of Advancement without the help of the Holy Sword and nearly caused an explosion during the Purity Trial?”
“Ah.”
And then, she realized her mistake.
Now that she had recounted it aloud, it sounded like a far-fetched tale, hardly believable.
Jane glanced at Felix’s disbelieving expression and nodded in understanding.
If she were in his shoes, she would have reacted the same way.
It should have gone through the process known as “Reinforcement” to anticipate such a reaction, but clearly, that was a miscalculation.
“What are we going to do…”
The enhancement ability that Rishe had used looked like it would come with some severe side effects just by appearance alone.
There was no way to simply say, “Show me that thing you did once, and I’ll trust you.”
Ultimately, Felix had no choice but to go with the second-best option.
“Anyway, I’ll vouch for Rishe’s abilities and credibility.”
“…”
When the Hero of the Extraordinary says something like this, there’s bound to be some truth to it.
‘Rishe…’
Once this matter is over, the first thing I should do is look into that name.
Felix resolved to commit that name to memory and nodded his head.
Only then did Rishe ask Jane what had happened.
“Jane. What’s the story here?”
“To put it simply, Felix’s party found an ancient artifact in the dungeon, and now they’re looking for someone to use it together with them.”
“An ancient artifact… and they’re looking for someone to use it together?”
“The artifact is called the ‘Asking Left Hand.'”
Felix interjected.
“It’s an ancient artifact that grants the user’s wishes through the power contained within it.”
“So… are you saying you’re looking for someone to make a wish with you right now?”
Rishe gave Felix a sidelong glance.
It was the kind of expression you’d see if someone said to another, “Wouldn’t you like to make easy money?”
“Of course, that’s not all there is to it. If you’re going to make a request to this Asking Left Hand, you first have to solve the problem it gives you.”
“Oh, so you’re looking for someone to share the risks and rewards, huh?”
Now, that doesn’t sound as much like a scam.
Rishe nodded in understanding.
“Actually, the risks aren’t really that big anyway.”
“Excuse me?”
“According to the information we’ve gathered, the problems given by the Asking Left Hand are generally manageable. The likelihood is high that we’ll just do our thing while the person tags along and does nothing more than watch. No need to talk about sharing risks.”
“So why are you asking for help then?”
“Just to be thorough, in case something unexpected happens. And, incidentally, it’s a rare opportunity to get a glimpse of an ancient artifact.”
“Ah.”
What are you going to do?
Felix looked at Jane.
To which Jane gathered her party members for a quick discussion.
Their deliberation didn’t take long.
“Our party will join. Both Belotta and Kalia say it’s a rare chance to see such an ancient artifact. They really want to check it out.”
Now, both of them turned their eyes to Rishe.
‘The scholars and elves of the Hero Party are curious about this ancient artifact.’
Upon hearing that, Rishe felt his curiosity piqued as well.
Perhaps there’s a chance to gain something unexpected from this process.
“Jalk. Now, how are you feeling? Is your body in good enough shape for me to participate in this?”
– …Yes! It seems fine! I think I may even remove these bandages soon!
“Great, then let’s go.”
Rishe carefully unwrapped the bandages and sheathed his holy sword. Felix watched this and gave a faint smile.
‘Is he seeking the holy sword’s approval every time he does something?’
What exactly did Jane see in this man named Rishe?
Felix pushed aside his growing curiosity about Rishe and headed back, leaving the manor where Rishe and his companions were staying.
—
A little while later, Felix returned to the manor with his party members.
In his hand, he carried a long object wrapped in a purple cloth.
Rishe and his companions had already prepared a space in the manor and guided them there.
The spacious room had a large table placed in its center.
Felix placed the item on the table and unwrapped the cloth.
The Asking Left Hand.
The object, resembling the twisted hand of a monkey, was revealed.
The members of the two Hero Parties and Rishe gathered around the object.
“Are you ready?”
In response to Felix’s question, everyone nodded in agreement. Upon that, Felix signaled one of his fellow mages.
—
A small-framed woman pulled her hood back as she approached the Asking Left Hand.
Her enigmatic silver hair and eyes, as if holding the reflection of the stars, were revealed.
“…”
She began to chant in an unknown language with her small lips.
All rituals proceeded in a normal atmosphere, based on the investigation that suggested the tests given by the Asking Left Hand were mostly harmless.
Finally, the woman’s spell came to an end.
Creak.
The Asking Left Hand began to move.
Creak.
Crack.
The joints of the object emitted sounds akin to dry twigs breaking, one after another.
Continuing.
Continuing.
Endlessly.
“Um, excuse me—”
The woman, who had maintained composure throughout the strange ritual, now showed signs of bewilderment.
“What’s the matter, Tila? Is there a problem?”
“Something… something’s off!”
“What?”
“This reaction…”
“This power… It’s different from what was written in the documents!!!”
The air of the place grew heavier by the minute.
The asking left hand.
Until just moments ago, it had been as empty as a dry branch, but now it began to fill with power.
-“Your wish has been granted.”
Eventually, the hand began to speak.
In the language the previous woman had used during the ritual.
It was a language unfamiliar to Rishe and his companions.
Nevertheless, they were able to understand it.
-“As you wished, the city has been cursed and met its end.”
They could grasp the severity of the content contained within that language.
“Wait… What does that mean!?”
Despite the woman’s cries, the left hand continued its story uninterrupted.
-“Now, it’s your turn.”
The immense demand of the previous user.
It began to state the price associated with it.
-“Bring before me a being who wields a sword in the morning, masters the mysteries of magic at noon, governs nature in the evening, and illuminates the surroundings with holiness at dawn.”
***
[Title: What? Why is the Felix hero party all wiped out?]
Content: Could this be because of the asking left hand?
-: Yeah yeah
-: What do you mean “ask”? Like questioning? No, burying someone!
-[Author]: But according to the investigation, it was nothing serious…
-: There was a document they referenced during their investigation
Turns out it hadn’t been updated
Because the country had been destroyed
-[Author]: ???
-: The last wish granted by the asking left hand
Was the destruction of the nation
-: Oh
-[Author]: But what does that have to do with the hero party’s annihilation?
-: The difficulty of the questions posed by the asking left hand isn’t random
It’s proportional to the scale of the previous wish
So they ended up being hit with an extreme bomb toss
-[Author]: Shit, lol
-: The question given in exchange for the destruction of the nation < How are you supposed to solve that?
-: If you actually try to use the asking left hand
It's just impossible
Pretty much suicide
***
An unknown power emanating from the asking left hand was floating amidst them.
Though the situation was critical, their bodies and thoughts were frozen in place.
"So... It means we need to bring a being who can handle all four powers!?"
Hastily moving around would have been meaningless.
This was the price for destroying an entire city, and as such, the outrageous demand was clearly in the realm of impossibility.
"Gurk...!"
At that moment, the woman who had conducted the ritual clutched at her throat and collapsed. Black marks were spreading across her body from her neck.
"Gyuck...!"
Eventually, Felix furrowed his brow and examined his left hand. The black marks spreading across the woman’s body were now infecting him.
That inexplicable power was gradually spreading to everyone present in the area.
"Damn it...!"
Instinctively, they realized that if they failed to meet its demands, they would face a catastrophic consequence.
But what were they supposed to do? How were they supposed to fulfill such an absurd demand?
'Damn it, think! Think of something! Maybe it's some kind of riddle. No, it has to be a riddle! They wouldn’t make a demand that’s impossible to fulfill! Felix! Figure it out! Figure it out!!!'
Just as Felix was struggling to find an answer amidst the impossible, someone spoke up.
"Hold on, Rishe!?"
Rishe hesitantly raised his hand.
'Could it be? Did he figure out the answer to the riddle!?'
Felix’s trembling gaze fixed on Rishe, waiting for the answer to the riddle to come from his lips.
...
Hm.
The asking left hand let out an uneasy sound.
"Eh...?"
Felix glanced at his left hand. The black spots were fading.
'What is this? But we haven’t said the answer yet...'
Felix struggled to understand the situation.
