Interlude: The Hero’s Epic Tale

Interlude:
The Hero’s Epic Tale

 

“SMOKED MOTARICAMEL MEAT! I’m packing it in early today, so I’ll sell it at a discount!” A cheerful voice rang out across the marketplace. I followed the sound to a stall hung with meat and locked eyes with the merchant. He flushed, scratching bashfully at his head.

“Y-you’re the hero Illusia! I didn’t know you were here!” A few other people stopped in their tracks, turning to look at me.

I smiled and waved at the merchant. His face lit up and he bowed his head respectfully, again and again. Turning aside, I continued down the road. My smile slid off my face, and I cracked my neck. I knew I was in public, but I really wished merchants would stop doing that. I glanced over my shoulder. He was back at it, trying to get people to buy his meat. Several shoppers were gathered around the stall. Guess it was working.

I snorted. Was it just me, or were there more people in this country than there used to be? Returning to your hometown after time away really gave you a new perspective. There were so many things I could comment on…but most of all, the greedy parasites.

This was the desert Harunae, chock-full of predators and low on resources. A crappy place to live, at least until powerful magicians constructed the magical barrier to ward off the monsters. That, combined with resources received from neighboring countries, made this a viable city. And the only reason they went to all that trouble was due to the legend that this land was a place where heroes were born.

Heroes like me.

Eighteen years ago, I was born in this city as a hero and brought to the temple. They raised me, never telling me the names of my parents; I was too young to even remember them. The bishop was the one to call me Illusia.

In all honesty, my hidden past didn’t bother me much. The bishop let it slip once that I had been the oldest son born to a very poor family. I was lucky to be a hero.

Here in Harunae, the difference between the rich and poor was stark. The bishops took the temple donations for themselves and then created reasons to distribute them to their own families, pocketing the money meant for the church. The underclass remained that way because mobility was nonexistent—the city was surrounded by a desert filled with dangerous monsters. The rich took advantage of that. Since there was no way for the poor to escape, they could use them however they wanted.

No, I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to grow up in a poor family. What would be the point of even living?

I was probably the only person who could walk freely through the desert, since I had the protection of the gods. Just the other day, I met an idiotic slave trader who whined about all his merchandise getting eaten by a monster. He had a pair of good horses, but they were no match for the desert.

There were safer routes, but they required passage through a country that forbade the enslavement of demi-humans. Obviously, he couldn’t take his slaves that way.

When I was fourteen, I’d followed tradition and set out to explore the world. I’d seen countless terrible things across many kingdoms, but when it came to rotten rich people, nowhere held a candle to Harunae. Still, whenever I was nearby, I always came back for a visit.

“Illusia! I heard rumors you were back in town!”

“Look, the hero!”

Envious stares followed me even as I walked around town. Inwardly, I sneered. I wondered how their tune might change if they ever discovered I’d been born in poverty.

Regardless, today I was here for a reason.

I plastered on a smile and waved at the greedy fools. That was all it took for them to start screeching like a bunch of monkeys. As tiresome as this place was, at least they knew how to appreciate me. My name wasn’t widely known elsewhere. At least, not yet.

“U-um, excuse me. I’ve always wanted to talk to a hero…!” A little girl scampered over from the side of the road. I stopped to look at her. A woman—her mother, I assumed—appeared behind her, offering me a wry smile.

“I’m so sorry.” She grabbed the girl’s hand, trying to pull her away. The little girl wouldn’t budge.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I touched the woman’s arm, urging her to let the girl go. She grinned brightly up at me. I kicked her in her stomach.

“Oof!” She landed on her side, coughing. The crowd went deathly silent. Their faces grew troubled as they stared at me.

Whoops, my leg slipped. It’s a bad habit of mine.

There were two things I really hated. Stupid kids, and someone getting in my way.

A potentially reputation-destroying action, but I wasn’t worried. I was the symbol of our country; speaking badly of me was blasphemy against the church. No story would get very far.

Luckily, fewer people were milling around than before. I needed to be on my way.

The detention camp was right next to the temple. The church ran it to maintain law and order in Harunae, and I had business there.

Ordinary citizens were not allowed to enter, and even those permitted had to fill out extensive paperwork. Mostly it was only jailers inside. I was, of course, the only exception.

When the jailers saw me, they hastily bowed their heads. I strode down the hallway and stopped before a cell.

“Been awhile, Knight Commander Adoff. Or should I say, former Knight Commander.” I grinned at the large, muscular man behind the bars. He glared at me. “You’re having a pretty rough time, aren’t you? Accused of killing both your fiancée and your younger brother.”

Adoff’s title of Knight Commander had been stripped from him when he was arrested and thrown in jail. They’d barely investigated, since the case also concerned misappropriated funds from the church. The bishop just locked him up and threw away the key—he was that sort of guy.

“Are you just here to laugh at me?” Adoff asked in a low, harsh voice.

In the past I’d known him to be someone who chose his words carefully, but the time for delicacy had passed. Anyone would be angry over the deaths of their loved ones, let alone someone bringing it up so flippantly. No wonder he was furious.

“Don’t be ridiculous, not even I would do that. All that stuff in the past…I know now that it was all my fault. I feel terrible about how conceited I was. I’m ashamed I never apologized before today, Knight Comm—Sir Adoff.”

His expression turned pained. I liked it.

“I truly believe that you were falsely accused, Sir Adoff. I can tell good people from bad people.” Well, if they were incredibly obvious about it, that is. But I’d invented this special power for myself a while ago. A convenient skill.

“Stop calling me Sir.”

“Hm? Come on, don’t put yourself down. I know they took your title, but…”

“It means nothing to me coming from your lips. The only thing different from four years ago is your appearance.”

I felt a scowl forming between my eyebrows. I reached up to touch it, hiding it under a smile. “You’ve become awfully short-tempered, haven’t you? So be it. As much as it pains me, I’ll just call you Adoff from now on.” I feigned distress, letting it bleed into my voice. “I told the bishop that you couldn’t possibly be capable of killing your fiancée and brother. And I asked him to release you.”

“As if he would! He’s the one who framed me in the first place!” Adoff aimed a punch at the cell wall. The theatrics made me want to laugh, but I bit the inside of my cheek.

“You’re understandably suspicious, I get that. I assure you that the bishop would never do such a thing. As a matter of fact, he agreed to let me chaperone you around for the day. Of course…you’d have to be cursed to restrict the freedom of your own actions.”

“R-really? But what could I do in just one day…?”

“Why, you could perform meritorious deeds to regain everyone’s trust! Then we’ll get the bishop to offer you more time, and we’ll catch the real killer. Let me help you. Please.”

“What…what sort of deeds could I perform…?”

I lifted my hand to cover my smile. He’d always been such a simple man. I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t changed in four years.

“Come to think of it, I heard a rumor that a merchant’s carriage was attacked by a Dark Dragon. People are even saying that it’s a Plague Dragon. If that’s true, it could lay waste to Harunae if nothing is done. The church’s scouting regiment is looking into it, but who knows how long that will take. Think about it…if you slew the Plague Dragon, that would change everything. I’ve heard you’ve been pleading with the jailers to let you investigate your family’s deaths. If you killed a dragon, maybe they’d listen.”

Adoff stood up and swallowed hard. I turned my back to the cell.

“I’m going to a lot of trouble for you. I’ll speak to the bishop and bring you news.”

“I-Illusia!” He yelled my name. “I’m…sorry I doubted you. I’m very, very grateful for this.”

“Of course, but I’m only doing the right thing. I’m a hero, after all.” With those final words, I turned and left him in his cell, more quickly than was dignified. I had to. I couldn’t stop the laughter.

Four years ago, Adoff and I set to resolve a dispute in mock combat. He beat me in public, absolutely humiliating me. Then he lectured me, correcting my form in front of everyone. I’d never forgotten that shame for a moment. It was the worst day of my life.

I didn’t want them to execute him. That would be boring. I needed him to realize that what he did to me was wrong. I needed to humiliate him like he’d done to me, and leave him to die with regret and hatred in his heart. That was what he got for setting himself against me.