After the accusations against him were dropped, Raid spent the rest of the Assembly explaining the details of the deal. Then, once everything was over, he returned to the Verminant estate to fill in his companions from the First World.
“With this, we’ve secured all the aid we need.” Raid looked at the provisional aid list in his hand and nodded firmly. “From Legnare, two special-class magicians and a large-scale magicians’ brigade. From Celios, a magicians’ brigade of similar scale, Lufus, and her four Guardian Dragons. From Vegalta, several former special-class candidates and financial aid. Other nations similarly offered combat forces, as well as their specialty resources and materials. It’ll take some time to inspect it all.”
Valtos harrumphed. “Dare I say that amount of aid is the bare minimum, considering they will be receiving former Altanian land as a reward!”
“Well, yeah—land that’s thoroughly polluted and will take god knows how long to purify,” Raid said, shooting him a glare. “I’m just glad they accepted it as a reward at all. It’s not like the meager population left in the First World can make use of all that land... Fortunately, we were able to use it in the negotiations.”
“Hey, old man.” Across the table, Dian lifted his chin from his hand and asked, “Do you think the First World can get back on its feet?”
“Who knows? At the very least, there’s definitely more to the Sage’s Codex than meets the eye, so it’s our best bet at the moment.”
“So...” Dian squinted. “You managed to extract all this support from all these nations...without any solid proof?”
“Hey, I didn’t trick them, okay? If the Sage’s Codex ends up being a dead end, then we’ll just have to shift to a more long-term plan of studying the pollution and coming up with our own solution. Either way, we’ll need more people and resources, so the nations of this world will have no choice but to help us if they want their rewards.”
“You... Are you sure you’re a Hero? You’re startin’ to sound more like a sleazy old scammer to me.”
“Well, you got the ‘old’ part right. And with age comes wisdom, no?” Raid smirked. “Anyway, once preparations are complete, we’ll go back to the First World, reclaim the western archipelago, set up a base, and look for the Sage’s Codex. Then, we’ll decipher its contents—and if we’re lucky, it’ll tell us how to get rid of the polluted mana in that world and finally save it from destruction.” He turned to the three Heroes and smiled. “What will you guys do when the First World is back to normal?”
“Er... What do you mean?” Ariel asked.
“I mean, Altane has been dismantled, so you’re no longer tied to it. I’m sure you’ll have your hands full once the polluted mana’s been cleansed, but only for a bit; at some point, you’ll have more time to yourself. Why not take this chance to think of what you wanna do then?”
“Hmm, well...” Ariel reluctantly spoke up. “I’ve spent all my time on the front lines, so I would like to stay somewhere calmer instead—to surround myself not with barren wastelands, but with lush trees and maybe a beautiful lake.”
“A lake, huh? Not bad,” Dian said. “Staring blankly at the water, rod in hand, and slowly nodding off to sleep... Honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Ariel gasped. “Speaking of, I saw your recording! You were just leisurely fishing over here while I was working so hard on the front lines and getting so worried about you!”
“Hey, I’m a prisoner of war over here. Not much else I can spend my time on... Besides, wouldn’t the people over here feel better seeing us messin’ around by the lake, rather than looking all grim and glaring at nothing all day?”
“B-But...it’s just not fair!”
“‘Not fair’...? Aren’t you an aristocrat? One of the lower-class ones, sure, but I didn’t think you’d care about fishing.”
“You think I don’t care about fishing? Well, you...!” Ariel froze, then instantly deflated. “You...would be right. No, forget fishing—I had no hobbies to speak of whatsoever. Every day was spent training. Since becoming a Hero, I’ve spent my days charging into the battlefield and battling Offspring. Furthermore, since you left for the Second World, I’ve been drowning in a pile of my own work... Whatever meager free time I had was spent on baths and sleep... Ha ha ha...”
Dian groaned. “Okay, my bad. You should go on vacation as soon as you can.”
“Okay... I will...”
“Well...do you wanna try fishing? Seems like we’ll be staying here for a while longer... Since the tiny headmaster will take care of everything else for us, we’ve got some free time on our hands right now.”
“Okay... I wanna try fishing...and anything else...” Ariel muttered, her eyes dark and lifeless. Beside her, Dian awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. It seemed like she was in desperate need of some R and R.
Suddenly, Valtos spoke up. “Freeden, will I also be free once everything is over?”
“Well, that depends on how hard you work,” said Raid. “Of course, as a Hero, you won’t ever be completely free. You’ll need to be monitored in some way, at least.”
“Tsk... Will I be stuck with that girl forever...?!”
“Why do you ask? What do you want to do if you’re free?”
“That goes without saying—I want to travel the Second World! The food here is incredibly fresh, allowing for a wide variety of dishes. I feel like I could go on a culinary tour and still never run out of things to try!”
“Huh. A surprisingly mundane dream for the former crown prince.”
“I am also simply irked that the girl mocks me every time I try to ask about the food here! ‘Why, Valtos, you don’t know about this?’” he said, mimicking Millis. “How in the world would I know what a ‘panna cotta’ is?!”
“Well, who knows? Once we fully decipher the Sage’s Codex, we might even be able to undo the Hero spell. What would you like to do then?”
“I wouldn’t mind giving up the Hero’s power if it means gaining freedom. I never excelled in the martial arts to begin with, nor have I ever desired to stand upon the battlefield!”
“By the way, if you’re not a Hero, then you’ll be reduced to a needlessly huge civilian who’s also broke.”
Valtos clasped his hands together. “I swear I will give my utmost, so please! Please return my hidden stash!”
“All that comes after you do your part as a Hero,” Raid reminded him. “Relax, I wouldn’t toss an ordinary civilian into the streets with nothing but the clothes on his back.”
Ariel nodded. “That sounds appropriate. If you don’t hand him some money, then Valtos would likely die on the streets before he could even attempt some sort of crime.”
“Agreed,” Dian piped in. “The guy spent his life lazing around in the capital. He’ll just drop dead like a fly if you just kick him out.”
“Indeed! I will probably die!” Valtos agreed proudly.
Raid shrugged. “All right, then. If you work hard, then I’ll return your savings and give you a reward. Use it to eat all the food you want for the rest of your life.”
As the conversation progressed, smiles began to appear on the three Heroes’ faces. With the Second World’s aid set in stone, their salvation was starting to look less like a pipe dream and more like a foreseeable reality. Even if they failed to find anything from the Sage’s Codex, the aid of the Second World was as good a foundation as any to start working toward another solution. The future they had only ever spoken of in fear and despair now became a topic of such hopeful and whimsical conversation.