“Is there some kind of festival going on…? The city seems rather lively.”
Upon entering the city of Golsametra for a brief resupply and rest, the first thing noticed was how large and incredibly bustling it was.
On the map, it was only marked as a small mining village, but this place was almost on par with a small city, wasn’t it?
Listening carefully to the voices echoing around, they seemed both excited and tense, leading one to momentarily mistake it for a festival. All the voices heard were filled with anticipation.
“I wonder how much they’ll bring this time. Please, come to my shop,” most people were saying, as if something good was about to happen.
“Idiot, did your world have festivals where the guards moved busily? Clearly, something’s happened. With them heading outside the walls, it looks like some kind of monster is coming. Or maybe that so-called blessing will tell us something else? At least all I hear is the loud command of some bald guy yelling louder than a pig being slaughtered.”
However, after hearing Akashi’s sharp remark piercing directly into his eardrums, it was clear that calling it a festival was indeed strange.
Well, it’s true that guards do move during festivals, but not this intensely while wielding weapons.
“It doesn’t seem like a festival. It looks more like a battle against an invasion or an enemy attack.”
Yuna also rarely agreed with Akashi, stating that it didn’t seem like a festival. Still, what could possibly be coming that would mobilize such a significant force?
And why does everyone sound so excited? With these puzzling questions set aside, they decided to head to the Adventurers’ Guild to fulfill their original purpose.
At this scale of mobilization, I probably wouldn’t be much help anyway.
“Sorry! The Adventurers’ Guild is temporarily closed! If you’re here for ranking-related business or to use the guild facilities, please come back in about an hour… Wait, that emblem and that strange weapon… Could you possibly be Hero Koluscia?”
The Adventurers’ Guild was unusual as well.
Despite being a branch in a remote area, it was extravagant enough to rival the branches of any decent-sized kingdom. Inside, at least Silver-ranked to Gold-ranked adventurers were armed and exuding a menacing atmosphere.
“…It seems the Adventurers’ Guild isn’t unaffected by the events outside either. What could possibly be coming…?”
Yuna whispered softly, expressing her doubts. Certainly, they had encountered many ferocious monsters on the way here. It wasn’t strange to see creatures attacking civilian homes.
…But still, aren’t the guards usually insufficient for such situations? Are each of these guards quasi-Gold ranked or something?
As the questions mounted, they responded to the heavily armed receptionist’s inquiry.
“Yes, though humble, my name is Myungho, known as a hero. This is Yuna, an archer, and this is…”
“The greatest blessing bestowed by the heavens and an unprecedented genius, Mr. Akashi. Though not the original, the worn-out body over there can go screw itself.”
“…Anyway… Yes, that’s correct.”
Without a magic tome, he couldn’t properly cast even a single spell, yet his self-awareness pierced through the heavens.
“Ho? Mi-young-ho…? Hmm, that’s hard to pronounce… Can I just call you ‘Hero’?”
“Whatever.”
“Thank you! Anyway, Hero, we need your help. Something monstrous is about to descend upon the Adventurers’ Guild, and we’d like you to help prepare for any emergencies with the people here. We’ll definitely compensate you!”
An emergency? The situation seemed to be taking shape, yet remained vague. Still, since they were offering money, there was no reason to refuse.
“Yes, I’ll help.”
In my homeland, which summoned me… well, they treated me pretty harshly.
In this world, ‘hero summoning’ wasn’t exactly rare. In the distant past, when humanity faced existential threats from demons, the Goddess took pity on humans and bestowed the ritual for summoning heroes.
In such fantasy worlds, the summoned heroes defeated the Demon King. However, the problem arose because the ritual given by the Goddess continued to work even after the Demon King’s death.
While challenging a classic game king challenge and falling asleep suddenly, waking up to see a beautiful yet weary woman was quite a shock.
Thus, whether it was a kingdom or a relatively large city-state, they all had at least one hero. Though compared to the original hero, these subsequent ones were more like mercenaries, qualitatively inferior.
So, the blessings and powers that should’ve concentrated on one person were now diluted among many, making them all weaker.
Anyway, heroes summoned from another world receive certain benefits: enhanced physical abilities and basic magical aptitude.
By this world’s standards, their bodies are roughly equivalent to Silver Tier 3, and their magical aptitude is about 3rd Circle. While impressive compared to ordinary people, it’s far from deserving the title of ‘hero.’
However, the ‘blessing’ and its corresponding holy sword are what make a hero truly worthy of the title.
A hero’s usefulness could be judged by their blessing.
For instance, there were blessings that made one invincible under the sun, or those that created bone-chilling winds capable of tearing flesh. Such heroes were celebrated as national icons.
Me?
My blessing was none other than the ‘Blessing of Language.’ It allowed me to understand any language and convey my intentions to all living beings. My holy sword took the form of a massive brush.
Good in its own way, but heroes are typically summoned to fight, not negotiate.
Moreover, the country that summoned me was a not-so-prosperous island nation, so I received meager support and was essentially exiled under the guise of a ‘mission.’
That’s why I’m in this situation. As I was moping about my predicament, the guild door suddenly opened.
And a girl walked in who looked like she could rival a goddess in beauty.
Her horns and tail clearly indicated she wasn’t human, along with her sharp claws, slit pupils, and attractively tanned brown skin.
Her revealing outfit raised questions about modesty, and her cloak, adorned with fur that seemed out of place, added to the mystery.
“…That’s… I’ve only heard rumors about it before. A half-dragon… I never thought I’d see one in person.”
Even the noisy and irritable Akashi grew serious, indicating that she was undoubtedly something extraordinary. Yet, I didn’t know what a half-dragon was.
“…Akashi. Sorry to interrupt your admiration, but what exactly is a half-dragon?”
“This is why ignorant kids are such a pain… Listen closely, kid. Do you know what a dragon is?”
Today, I’m seeing rare sights one after another. Nodding silently, I waited for Akashi’s explanation.
“Great. That makes things easier to explain. Dragons received power from the gods but also inherited their duties. And the gods gave them a means to play without going insane from boredom while performing their tasks. This is the entertainment those storytellers love so much—hiding their forms and identities to mingle with lesser beings. But there’s one rule to this game. Just one.”
“…What’s that?”
“True to form, you ask right away. Here it is: clean up your own mess.”
“What? Explain that in simpler terms.”
“Stupid kid. You got the Blessing of Language and still don’t get metaphors? It means that whatever you create during your playtime must be settled when the game ends. If you built a trading company, dissolve it; if you founded a noble house, end it; if you established a nation, dismantle it. Don’t leave traces of yourself in this world. And this is why half-dragons are special.”
“…Sorry, could you explain why?”
“Fucking hell. Why am I traveling with such an idiot? Hell, even the dungeon would’ve been better. Didn’t I say clean up your own mess includes family and offspring? When dragons produce children with such strong draconic traits, they’re usually killed at birth because they become too dangerous later. Surviving such odds means the child has likely killed their dragon parent. To put it simply, they’re insanely powerful.”
I see. Half-listening to his story, I observed the girl. Is this the terrifying presence the receptionist mentioned? She seems too beautiful for that.
Despite Akashi’s passionate explanation, she didn’t appear that powerful to me. Rumors tend to exaggerate things, after all.
And Akashi isn’t exactly the most reliable source.
“Akashi. Speak more politely. Aren’t you concerned about the surrounding gazes?”
“Oh, not at all. They all look like monkeys to me. Hey, you, why are you staring so intently? Have a problem? Then you should’ve learned some manners.”
Ignoring Akashi’s provocations, which Yuna stopped with a punch, I watched what the girl was doing.
She pulled out a lot of items from her sack and handed them to the receptionist, who then calculated and handed her a hefty amount of gold coins.
Speaking to her at a level appropriate for her language skills, the receptionist visibly sighed in relief the moment the girl left.
“…Everyone, thank you for your hard work! The auction will start in ten minutes, so those who wish to participate, please stay behind. Take your compensation first!”
The stifling atmosphere from earlier disappeared, and the guild returned to its usual bustling noise.
The compensation amounted to a full 1 gold piece. For doing nothing but standing around, it was quite a substantial sum.
We might have booked a guild-affiliated inn under normal circumstances, but it didn’t seem necessary at the moment.
Rather, I wanted to keep an eye on that girl. I didn’t know why, but I felt compelled to follow her.
“…Yuna, stop fooling around. Let’s tail that kid from earlier.”
“What? How is a bow-wielder so strong… Did you not hear me? Extremely powerful, remember? Strong enough to split heroes in half? Hey, hey! Damn…”
Taking Akashi’s advice, we decided to follow her from a distance. Exiting the guild, I noticed others were also following her.
“What? Are you guys after her too? Sorry, but I called dibs!”
“Is that… a half-dragon you’re talking about?”
“Yeah, what else? Isn’t it ridiculous that everyone’s trembling in fear of what looks like a weak girl? Still, her heart is real… shouldn’t a man take a shot at it? Hey, isn’t that right, Jake?”
“…Umm, I don’t think it’s a good idea, Pin. Is it really safe? I’ve heard rumors that even Gold-ranked adventurers were completely bisected by her…”
“Nah, rumors are just rumors. What kind of power could such a girl have?”
Their attire suggested that Pin, the one boasting with arrogance, was likely a noble’s son, while Jake appeared to be a freshly graduated mage from a magic academy. Both were Silver-ranked.
“Yeah, yeah. A man should have such ambitions! Absolutely.”
“This guy knows what he’s talking about! So let’s go, nameless ones! You there, consider it an honor—I’ll include you in a line of my autobiography someday!”
Inspired by Akashi’s foul-mouthed encouragement, Pin and Jake’s group rushed ahead of us toward the guards surrounding the girl.
“…I wonder how those idiots will fail and fall flat on their faces.”
Apparently, there was a reason to follow the girl.
To gauge her strength and intervene if they tried to harm her—or if she tried to harm them.
Using them as bait felt a bit off, but it would surely teach them a lesson.
With that thought, I followed behind Pin and Jake.
