Chapter 17

Fragment 4 Eight years passed after that fateful day. The forest hadn’t changed. Not the massive, oppressive trees that covered the sky, nor the vaguely unsettling atmosphere. It was as if time stood still. The Demon Lord was no more, and yet monsters continued to swarm the place. There was no human traffic, and the road through the forest had been laid to waste. Relying on my dim memory, I looked for where I’d put Ares’s body to rest, but to no avail. I’d lacked the strength or stamina to dig a hole and bury him at the time, so I’d just covered him with a cloak. Even if I found the right spot, nothing would remain of him now. “What are you doing, Ares? You’re not supposed to be loitering around here. We have to get back to the capital and tell everyone the Demon Lord’s been vanquished. Plenty of his followers still remain, too. We need your strength,” Leon called out to me, having noticed I’d strayed from the path. He was in a hurry to get back home. He’d just achieved a great deed as the next in line to his house. He probably wanted to make a proud declaration at the royal palace—it was only natural. Maria and Solon would earn a lot of clout from this as well. “Leon, Maria, Solon. Let’s part ways here. Tell everyone that Ares the Hero died.” Their eyes peeled wide at my words. “What nonsense are you spouting, Ares? We finally beat the Demon Lord. We’re going back together! You’re going to marry the princess and become the king, right? You’ll be the king, and I’ll be your support!” Leon cut himself off there. After a bit of thought, he resumed: “Wait, don’t tell me you’re nervous about taking the throne? Sure, some nobles might oppose a commonborn king, even if you are the Hero. But don’t worry about that—I’ll back you up! My house will lend you its full support. We won’t let anyone bad-mouth you.” When we first met, Leon had been ruthless with his insults, always disparaging my commoner background and huffing about how he would be the Hero and the future king. He’d come a long way since then, but he hadn’t changed at his core. Leon never wanted anything for himself; he was a virtuous knight and nobleman who truly cared for his country. “He’s right, Ares. Becoming king is part of the Hero’s trial. Are you really going to give up before you try? That doesn’t sound like you.” Maria flashed me her benevolent smile. “I have the church under my thumb, so let’s rule the world together.” Except what she was saying was not benevolent at all. “Why, Ares?” asked Solon, trying his best to stay cool. “Give us a reason.” “Sorry, guys, I’m not Ares. I wasn’t actually the Hero.” I finally said what I’d kept bottled up for so long. Leon looked bewildered. “What are you saying? If you’re not Ares, who are you?” “Zack. That’s my real name. Sorry…for lying to you all.” I lowered my head. Solon still had questions. “‘Zack’? Why’d you fake your name?” “Because Ares was the name of the real Hero.” Then I recounted my past, about how the Prophet had appeared in my hometown, how I went on a journey with Ares, how we were attacked by a demon on the road, how Ares got injured, how I stabbed him to finish him off. Then I spoke of how I’d gone to the capital alone and enrolled in the academy… “He beat a demon at age fourteen?! Who knew there was a guy like that…?” Leon was impressed at Ares’s bravery. Yeah, Ares was amazing. He’d managed that feat at just fourteen years old. If only he’d lived, we would have defeated the Demon Lord that much sooner. “I get what Ares meant to you, but why’d you pretend you were him?” Solon was leaning against a nearby tree. Maybe he thought this would be a long story. “Because I killed the Hero. I had to carry on his legacy. That was my responsibility.” I’d come this far so I could atone for his murder. “Ares died because of the demon. I don’t think it was your fault,” said Maria. “No, he died because of me. My hand still remembers what it felt like to pierce him with his sword. Besides, I didn’t defeat the Demon Lord as Zack. I did it as Ares. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if I’d stayed as Zack.” “Even though Ares is long dead?” Solon had his arms crossed and was tapping his fingers. He seemed irritated. “Ares’s mother…Shella… She raised me. She was a nice person. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that Ares died without ever becoming the Hero. She never really wanted him to be the Hero to begin with.” “So your plan is to give all the credit to Ares and then go off somewhere?” Anger laced Solon’s tone. “It should have been Ares’s accomplishment, not mine.” “Are you a complete buffoon?!” Solon finally snapped. He always did have a short fuse and a foul mouth. “You’re the Hero! Ares died on his journey! That’s a fact! And you know what the Prophet said. Just because they said the Hero would come from your village doesn’t mean they singled out Ares. You were always meant to be the Hero!” As one would expect from a guy called the Sage, Solon’s argument was on point. I understood the logic of his words. “I’m just an average guy who couldn’t even use a sword or magic. I didn’t have it in me to be the Hero. To me, the Hero will always be Ares.” Yeah, I wasn’t cut out for this role. All I’d been doing this whole time was chasing Ares’s shadow. “That’s right! You are average!” Solon spat. “You were the most talentless guy at the academy! And it was you who defeated the Demon Lord! We know better than anyone how much you poured into your training, how much you sacrificed! You worked day and night without free time or sleep, and you never stopped even when you didn’t get the results you wanted. Maybe you didn’t have a Hero’s qualifications. But you’re still the one who saved the world! I refuse to see anyone but you as the Hero!” Solon covered his face with his hood as he spoke. His tone was harsh, but his words were kind. “Thanks, Solon. Hearing you say that is enough for me.” All that time, I thought I’d been getting nowhere, but it paid off in the end. And my three friends were there to acknowledge my efforts. I couldn’t have asked for more. “Are you really going to leave us, Ares…no, Zack?” Maria asked. She didn’t plaster on her usual Holy Maiden facade. She showed me her true face, one with genuine and heartfelt concern. “Please don’t go, Zack. I’ll stop you, you know. Refusing a request from me is a blasphemy against God.” “Thanks, Maria.” Maria’s true face—the one she hardly ever showed anyone—was, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing in the world. “But don’t say that,” I told her. “You’ll weaken my resolve. I have to go. If we continue any farther together, someone will see me. Then they’ll know I’m alive. That’s the one thing I want to avoid. To be honest, I meant to leave a little earlier, but I wanted to keep traveling with you guys for just a little longer.” It’d been a harsh and difficult journey, but the days I’d spent with my friends were fond memories of mine. “Where do you plan to go?” asked Leon. “First, I’ll return to the village. I’ll tell them Ares defeated the Demon Lord and give his sword back to his parents. After that, I’ll leave this country and go on a journey.” My idea was to cap things off by visiting Shella before departing this land. If I lingered, my secret could get exposed. “His Majesty isn’t that old yet,” said Leon. “There’s no rush to find his successor. You’re welcome to come back any time. I’ll accept you with open arms.” “Thanks, Leon. I think you’d make a great king.” “But of course.” Leon cracked a smile. “No one’s better for the job than me. Although, I’m not such a laggard that I need to piggyback off your achievement.” He really was an upstanding guy. It was a pity that he didn’t want to be king. “Okay, I’m off now.” I turned my back on my companions. “Wait.” Solon chose that moment to call out to me. “Who are we to you? I mean… Who am I to you? Um…” He sounded a little hesitant. “You’re my best friend, of course,” I told him. We’d been together through thick and thin ever since the academy. There was no better way to describe us. Solon hesitated again. “I…see. You’re as impudent as ever, calling a genius like me your best friend. But I suppose we are friends, yes.” He smiled slightly. “Good for you, Solon. You’ve finally made your first friend,” Maria teased. Solon shot her a reproachful look, and then he said to me: “No matter where you go, I’ll find you and bring you back with me. Because we’re friends.”