“D-did you say the study…?” The insidious old man’s voice was unusually shaky. Cale found that odd. Was there a reason he couldn’t go to the study?
“Yes,” he replied.
He needed to go plan, but there was no desk or even paper in his bedroom. Just lots of expensive-looking bottles of alcohol.
“A word, my lord?”
Cale glanced at Hans. “What is it?”
The deputy butler looked anxious. “Um, we haven’t been able to clean the study yet this morning.”
“You haven’t? Well, it’s fine if it goes a day uncleaned.”
For some reason, Hans was vehemently against that. “No, sir. We cannot let that happen.” Then he beamed, holding up his pointer finger. “Just wait one hour, please! I will stake my reputation on ensuring the study is completely clean—as if we were accustomed to your using it daily, not one time a whole decade ago!”
“Sure. Whatever.” Cale didn’t mind waiting an hour.
“Thank you. I shall report this to the master.”
“I don’t see a need for that, but go ahead if you want to.”
“Yes, Lord Cale. I’ll be off, then.”
“Okay. Sure.”
The well-trained deputy butler appeared resolute as he closed the door without a sound and disappeared. Cale knew that three deputy butlers were vying to become the head butler; perhaps that was why Hans seemed so passionate.
“Ron?”
“Yes, young master?”
“Why are you spacing out?”
“My apologies.”
“That’s fine.”
Ron had another peculiar expression on his face as Cale placed the precious check in his inner pocket. It dawned on him that with this whirlwind of a morning, he’d forgotten to ask what day it was.
“What’s today’s date?”
That question would’ve seemed odd to anybody else, but Ron answered in a gentle voice. “It’s the 29th day of the third month in the 781st year of the Felix Calendar.”
“Hmm. That is a problem.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing.”
Cale pulled out the ten-million-galleon check from his inside pocket, clutching it in his hand. Money was the only thing he could trust.
The 28th day of the third month in the 781st year of the Felix Calendar—not today but yesterday—was the date when a group of unknown assassins murdered all the townspeople of Harris. The very town the main character, Choi Han, had gone to after escaping the Dark Forest. It was there that Choi Han felt human affection for the first time in this world. He’d met people whom he could call friends, creating a found family. Those people were slaughtered without mercy.
Even Cale, who’d read up to Volume Five, didn’t know the true identity of the secret organization that had murdered the townsfolk. Reading about this situation, some readers might’ve thought something along the lines of, I thought Choi Han was really strong. What was he doing while the townspeople were being murdered?
Right—it was only natural to think that. Yet there was a reason this series was called Birth of a Hero, not Strength of the Hero or War of the Heroes. “Birth” was the key word. It was the story of a man who overcame all kinds of trials and tribulations, suppressed the pain of his past, and became a hero. Love and friendship emerged along the way as Choi Han made enemies and friends alike.
His awakening was the crucial element to the story. Choi Han may have had explosive talent and survived decades in the Dark Forest, but he was ultimately a gentle, innocent man who couldn’t bear killing other people. Although he had no issues killing monsters, Choi Han was weak against his fellow human beings.
To turn someone like Choi Han into a hero, the novel created a scenario where he was forced to venture into the Dark Forest. Only there would he find the rare medicinal herbs to heal a woman who’d treated him like her own son.
He had to travel deep into the forest for the herbs. When he finally found them and returned to the town, all that remained were the townspeople’s corpses, burning houses, and the assassins on their way out.
Seeing this, Choi Han went mad and killed people for the first time. The people he slayed were members of a secret organization, which clashed with Choi Han every so often throughout the series.
Choi Han only regained his sanity after killing all the secret organization’s assassins. Unable to glean any information from them once they were dead, he fell into a pit of despair. He buried the townsfolk’s bodies and made a vow to himself.
I will kill them all. I will kill every last one of them for what they did to the town.
At that moment, Choi Han discovered the sadness evoked by death and slaughter. It poisoned his mind and made him twisted. Later on, he made allies and learned to care for mankind again, which helped him evolve into a true hero.
“Ron…”
“Yes, young master?”
“A glass of cold water, please.”
“Certainly.”
When Ron left, and Cale was alone in the room, he covered his face with both hands.
The problem was that the city of Weston, which the twisted Choi Han visited after leaving Harris, was right in the middle of the Henituses’ territory. It was the place where Cale ran into Choi Han, annoyed the hero, and got the crap kicked out of him. At that point, Choi Han gained his first supporter and ally, the reliable chef Vicross.
I was going to head for Harris in advance and help them repel the assassins, but…
The best scenario to avoid Cale’s beating was no longer possible. He had cared more about potentially saving the townspeople who’d loved Choi Han, but there was nothing he could do about that at this point.
All that was left was to ensure he avoided getting trounced by the furious Choi Han, who was moving at breakneck speed and would arrive in Weston by tomorrow.
Well, simply avoiding the main character isn’t a bad strategy either.
The problem was, Cale needed to run into Choi Han for the hero, Ron, and Vicross to meet. That way, the three would leave this region and officially begin their journey. Which left just one course of action.
Have them run into each other, then get out of their way.
And, if possible, make the best possible first impression on Choi Han.
“Here, young master.”
“Ah. Thanks, Ron.” Cale sipped from the cup Ron had brought, then furrowed his brow. “It’s not water!”
“It’s lemonade.”
Ron really was an insidious man. He knew that the original Cale hated sour things, just like Kim Roksu. Still, he’d chosen to bring lemonade out of spite, which required more labor than water. Cale wanted to lash out at the sour taste, but he couldn’t for fear of the old assassin. All he could do was drink the lemonade mechanically.
“Thanks. That’s good stuff.”
“My pleasure, young master. The study should be available soon.”
“Great.”
Ron’s benevolent smile gave Cale chills. He once again clutched the ten-million-galleon check.
Money really was the only thing you could trust.