Chapter 42

Interlude Leonard “I’m scared, Luke.” Luke smiled when I said that. He wasn’t making fun of me or anything. His was a gentle smile, one that accepted even the pathetic side of me. “I mean, it all goes to nothing if you die. You know, I became an adventurer because I wanted to be cool like you, not to fight for the sake of the world or humanity or anything like that. I wanted to be rich and popular with girls. That’s it.” Luke listened to my shameless spiel and still gave me a quiet nod. “I mean, hey, isn’t that what adventuring is about?” I went on. “It boils down to taking on jobs for money. That whole business of protecting the country or the world is usually up to those pompous kings and nobles, y’know? They live off the taxes of peasants like you and me ’cause they’re meant to get their asses into gear at times like this. We might work for money, but we don’t have to put our lives on the line.” “I suppose so.” Luke looked as if he didn’t quite know how to respond. “See, you agree with me! So yeah, why don’t we just run? We’re toast if we go in there! We’re crazy outnumbered, and we wouldn’t be up against just small fry, either. There’s so many powerful demons on their side. Even you know we’ve got no shot at winning, right? Now’s the time to scram. For sure!” I respected Luke. He was the strongest and coolest guy in the world, without a doubt. He shouldn’t have been throwing his life away in a place like this. “Listen, Leonard. It’s easy to run. It’s easy to do what you say. I’ve run away from things, too, like tough monsters, difficult situations—all kinds of stuff. It means you can have another shot later. You can beat a powerful monster if you get stronger, and you can overcome a tough dilemma with the right kind of preparation. But listen…” Luke looked me straight in the eyes. “This isn’t that kind of situation, Leonard. If we run, there won’t be a next time. If the Demon Lord’s army pushes through here, nothing will stop their momentum. I’m sure you know that, too.” Yes, even I knew this was a vital battle. Losing here meant the end of the Kingdom of Malika. The surrounding nations had joined forces with the adventurers to curb the Demon Lord’s army, but if they fell, then it was very likely the other countries would collapse one after another. But what did any of that matter? It wasn’t my problem to deal with. If the country was going to fall, why not let it? It was their fault for being weak. Besides, the Demon Lord’s army wasn’t endless. You could live to see another day and snipe at your pursuers from a corner. Not to mention… “Luke, you have Zack! You can’t just die and leave your kid behind. Rei’s here, too! If both of you die, who’s gonna be there for Zack? Shouldn’t your first priority be looking out for your son?” Even I had to admit I was twisting the screws here. Luke and Rei, my fellow party members, were a married couple. They had a kid together, a boy named Zack. He was probably around six or so. I’d met him myself—he took after his parents, and he had kind yet willful eyes. “I’ve left Zack with Rei’s family. Nothing to worry about.” Even as Luke said that, though, his eyes were downcast. Clearly, there was something to worry about. “You should all just live together as a nice, happy family—you, Rei, and Zack! You have enough strength to look out for yourselves, right? And I bet you’ve saved enough money, too. You don’t have to sacrifice yourselves here. All the nobles and wealthy merchants are fleeing like fugitives, you know. That’s the normal course of action. If you can run, why not do that?!” People without any means were stuck where they were, but everyone with money and connections had already escaped from Malika. It was human nature to flee where they would be safe while abandoning the people who were fighting for the greater good. Was it justified for noncombatants to run away? Or did that just make things unfair? “Leonard. I told you about my old man, remember?” “Yeah…” Luke’s father was a guy named Vince, aka the Hero of the frontier. He was something of a local celebrity, famous for being an oddball. He wasn’t even an adventurer, but to keep the residents of the frontier lands safe, he’d agreed to slay monsters for a bit of cheap change. I was pretty sure he’d come from the Kingdom of Malika. “My father’s hometown, Retin, was destroyed a while back. But he fought until his last breath to ensure the villagers escaped. I heard from a survivor that it was thanks to him so many villagers were saved.” Luke’s expression was a mix of sadness and pride. Maybe that was a noble thing for his father to do. Maybe it was worth calling him a hero. But… “I don’t get it, Luke. I could never sacrifice my own life for others. Isn’t life about living?” “I loved my dad. You say you became an adventurer because you wanted to be like me, but I became one because I wanted to be like my dad. You hit the nail on the head, Leonard. Putting your life on the line to fight for other people… It’s not something that makes sense to do. But that’s what made my dad so cool to me.” Luke smiled. There was no sense of fatalism in that grin. “…I hated my dad,” I said. “I never once thought he was cool, ever. He wasn’t the kind of guy people spoke fondly about.” I hadn’t seen my dad once since leaving my hometown, and we didn’t keep in touch, either. He was an arrogant prick who only thought about himself. He wasn’t evil or anything, but he never spared a thought for a soul around him. He’d given my mother a lot of grief back when she was alive. “Listen, Leonard. You should run.” Luke gently put his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t think you’re a coward. We adventurers have the right to decide where we die. Doesn’t matter whether it’s the battlefield or our beds. But something tells me this isn’t the place where your time should end. Call it adventurer’s intuition. I just know you’re not meant to die here. Leonard, find somewhere you can make the best of your life.” “C’mon, Luke. I just don’t wanna die. I don’t have a cool-sounding reason for wanting to escape like the one you made up!” Luke was overestimating me. I was nothing but a hopeless layabout who couldn’t bring myself to fight for other people. No way would I ever find somewhere to make the best of my life. I was pretty certain when I croaked on my bed, I’d be all snively about it. “Leonard, it’s fine if you feel that way right now. You’re not the pathetic man you think you are. So go. Leave this place to me. We need adventurers who will survive.” We need adventurers who will survive. Those words were my justification. Almost all the adventurers here were at the peak of their game. If every single one of them got wiped out, then nobody would be left to do the hard jobs. Someone would need me. It was reason enough for me to survive, even if no one else did. I turned my back on the battlefield. “Sorry, Luke. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I have and always will be the son of a worthless blacksmith. I got a bit cocky in my skills and became an adventurer, but I’ve got the same selfish ego as my old man. I don’t have any heroic blood flowing in my veins, not like you.” I was self-deprecating right to the very last word. I never stopped being a sniveling, self-pitying wreck. “Leonard, I can take it from here.” When I turned back around, Luke had one of his arms raised as he strode back to the campsite—probably to make it easier for me to get away. Long story short, I ran. Almost every adventurer at the scene died at that battlefield, Luke included. Still, they managed to buy enough time for the royal army to arrive and push back the Demon Lord’s forces. It only happened because they put their lives on the line. The outcome wouldn’t have changed if I’d stayed. There would’ve been just one more dead body. But sometimes, I had dreams. What if I’d stayed there and fought with Luke, side by side? Over ten years later, that what-if still haunted me.