Chapter: 617
People believed that the Hero was the one who led the gods’ civil war to victory for the Divine.
They praised him as the savior who blocked the continent’s destruction and brought hope for the future to humanity.
Yet, the Hero himself felt uneasy about such remarks. He knew that the victory he achieved was merely a postponement of misfortune.
“I’ve heard people call me a foolish and reckless human, but even a fool like me can’t forget a certain sight.”
“What is it?”
“The misfortune of others.”
There was a time when a child gnawed on their parents’ corpse to survive.
There was an era when cries of wanting to die rather than live in such conditions went unheard.
Everyone was more accustomed to death than life, and the only reason to endure a miserable life was a hope that had no basis in reality.
The days that the Hero lived as a Hero were darker with despair than any other period in history.
“After experiencing a certain level of misfortune, one tends to get used to it, but I simply couldn’t. The misfortune that people felt struck me anew every time.”
The Hero, despite knowing how stupid it was, engraved the misfortune of everyone into his heart.
He held onto the despair they must have felt within him. To become someone else’s hope, he smiled and raised his weapon high to prevent such misfortune from happening again.
“The reason I became a Hero was to eliminate misfortune in this world. But knowing that all I have done is delay it, how could I just stand by?”
“That’s foolish. You really are a clueless old man.”
“I’ve heard that plenty, but I can’t change who I am.”
Even against the endless despair, the Hero’s resilience became a beacon of hope during the civil war, but things changed after the war ended.
Most of those who survived the long and horrific war simply wished for rest.
“They’re not wrong. The strange one is me. It’s foolish to act when a disaster is coming hundreds of years down the line right after a war has barely ended.”
Thinking about the far-off future was difficult when the immediate reality was grim.
The land had become far too barren to sprout life after the long war.
The forests that should have borne fruit were mostly burned, the beasts that could become meat had disappeared, and there was a shortage of young people to work.
Additionally, many skills necessary for daily life, like farming and livestock, had faded during the long war, so reality couldn’t easily improve.
The biggest problem was that the gods had left humanity.
Those who were used to living alongside the gods found it hard to get used to a situation where they had no one to turn to for advice.
The war might have ended, but the misfortune of reality did not. Life for humans was still hell. Who would rise in such a situation to think about a distant future?
“There were indeed people who said I should follow my opinion because I’m the Hero, but I thought that would only cause trouble. So I left on my own. This is my stubbornness; isn’t it right to find a way by myself after that?”
“You failed miserably, didn’t you?”
“…How did you know?”
“You’re the kind of clueless old man who’s not great at anything other than being nice. You probably stuck your nose into trivial matters and got nowhere near your goal.”
Just from listening to Grandpa’s story, it wasn’t hard to guess the magnitude of his failures.
How many failures must have piled up for such a positive person to crumble like that?
In truth, the obliteration of the Evil God was also an unanswered issue.
As long as the concept exists in this world, they won’t disappear.
The only answer would be to strip the position, as Erginius suggested, but if an incompetent person takes that divine position, they’ll become just another Evil God, tainted by the concept of evil.
…Now that I think about it, the best way to deal with the Evil Gods might be to maintain the seal just as it is now? Isn’t trying to do anything more just going to make things worse?
“Well, as you guess, I failed a lot. I even caused trouble for my comrades. I once thought that I could someday replace my existence with the divine position, but that’s not something a human mind can bear! I nearly caused a huge disaster!”
The mere fact that he nearly caused a disaster implies he tried!
Doesn’t that mean he could have been crushed under divine pressure if things hadn’t gone right?!
Ah! That must have been when I half-wittedly sought out Grandpa!
He must have done something strange while still under the influence of the divine!
I thought he was despairing after failure, but he just had a mental breakdown!
How could Grandpa’s worries be anything! I misunderstood him!
“Erginius said that if humans can’t bear it, why not create something that can bear the divine position, but just saying it doesn’t make it possible!”
“Actually, it is possible.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Even though it’s a spot you don’t deserve, it’s still true.”
“That… can’t be! Erginius himself concluded that it was impossible after trying it!”
The Hero, who had shown no major agitation until now, seemed shocked by the reality of having seized divine power.
It’s natural to be disturbed when something thought to be impossible suddenly becomes reality.
Hmm. But isn’t that also a matter of coincidence? The Fairy Queen said that if she hadn’t shared the burden of the divine, it would have been difficult.
“Indeed. The Fairy Queen is someone extraordinarily close to the divine. If Erginius’s mind melds with hers, it wouldn’t be strange for a miracle to occur.”
When I conveyed such facts, the Hero easily accepted it as if the earlier shock had been a lie.
“By the way, it’s Erginius and the Fairy Queen, huh? If I ever meet them, convey my congratulations.”
He even expressed regret for not being able to go himself and tears flowed as he said how glad he was that Erginius’s wish was being realized even in this manner.
“Ahem. Regardless, I had my fair share of thoughts and dilemmas, but the conclusion I reached remains unchanged. The best method is to leave the Evil Gods sealed as they are. As long as the seal doesn’t break, there isn’t a safer way.”
“Are you really that naive? Think about it. Is there such a thing as an unbreakable seal?”
“I agree with you there. No matter how powerful the magic, it’s powerless against time. There’s no such thing as a seal that will never break. So what should we do? After pondering and thinking, my solution was that if an unyielding mind becomes the seal, we’d be fine.”
The Hero’s words weren’t hard to understand. This man has chosen to become the seal himself. He decided to fulfill his duty, even if it meant being alone for hundreds of years.
“What I am guarding here is the core of Evil God Agra. Even if all the other Evil Gods awaken, as long as Agra, their core, doesn’t resurrect, there won’t be a disaster like before.”
It may be impossible to prevent all disasters, but isn’t it right to do what one can do? Looking at the smiling Hero, I felt a mixture of admiration and complex emotions.
Being a Hero doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable to endure alone for a long time. He’s an outgoing and generous person who cares for those around him.
Unlike Erginius, who would be fine as long as there was a place to research magic, he wouldn’t be at peace in solitude.
Still, he probably chose solitude because he believes in what he must do.
“You know, the dungeon you broke through was actually a trap designed by the great Lord Jushin and Erginius working together. They say it can siphon power from Agra’s seal, which allows for such a bizarre dungeon.”
“…Are you morons? You’re saying that if this idiot wakes up, he’ll create such a dungeon?”
“That’s true too. It’s just given me another reason to keep the seal.”
“No.”
“What? Someone like you coming to conquer this dungeon isn’t a bad thing, right?”
As I listened to the clueless Hero, I thought about it.
I hereby acknowledge that there is a certain nobility in the conclusion he chose.
I also understand that his sacrifice makes this world a little bit safer.
However, I cannot agree with the Hero’s actions.
Why? If I must state it.
A peace constructed upon the sacrifice of one person is an unstable peace that could collapse with the fall of that one person. Or…
It’s wrong to use misfortune as a price.
There might be other ways.
But all this is just a weak excuse.
The reason I disdain the Hero’s smile is simply because I don’t like the idea of a Hero acting all high and mighty.
“Thanks to our little chat, I’ve gained the strength to endure for another five hundred years. Thanks for indulging an old timer’s boring story.”
The Hero is human too. The emotions piled up in his heart must be countless. And those are likely more negative than positive.
Yet, he still smiles without a complaint, which likely isn’t much different from when he smiled as a Hero.
He’s forcing himself to act strong to reassure me.
Such a cocky old man…
As I pondered how to break through that mask, suddenly, the Hero smiled and decisively cut off the conversation.
“You still have many things to do, don’t you? You shouldn’t waste time on a phantom-like opponent.”
His words were a resolute command.
“What does it matter how I spend my time? Are you worried about me? Even you were just a beast, huh?”
I intentionally poked at him, but the Hero’s smile didn’t waver.
“Just so you know, what you saw at the end of the dungeons was a voice from within you. I don’t know what you saw, but I hope that the inner voice helps you.”
I was about to say I’d stay a bit longer, but before I could, my body started to blur slightly. Since the Hero was the master of this space, I was being pushed out.
“Say hi to the ones dwelling inside your weapon. Ah, and I’ve put a bit of my power inside your weapon, so check that too.”
Watching the Hero wave goodbye like he was seeing off a child leaving home made my irritation boil.
Why does he have to be so bossy?!
I’m going to do as I please!
How dare a failure reject my pity!
Hey! Shoddy God! You called me here, right?! Shouldn’t you have something for me to do?!
Speak up! Right now!
I wanna smack that grin off his face!
– Ding!
Just as I was about to scream out my command, a familiar notification sound swiftly appeared before me.
And curiously enough, what was written there delighted my heart.
[Please get back at the Hero.]
My blurred body regained its form, and an abundance of divine energy enveloped me.
Wow! Finally, the God is doing something heroic! Now this is the type of praying that feels rewarding!
“O great God, why…”
“Well, it seems like I wanted to chase away the trash old man who’s afraid of the outside world♡”
It’s Mesugaki-style counseling. Please pour out your heartfelt anger along with that rage.
A proper education? Just try it if you can.
You clueless fool~
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