Diol stared at him with a solemn expression and murmured.
“A hero?”
“You may laugh if you wish.”
“Had we been somewhere else, I might have mocked you and asked whether you still had not abandoned that dream. But Ian, here, I asked you a serious question. You must have understood that when you answered, so how could I treat your response lightly? More importantly, it is not as far-fetched as wanting to become a Champion, is it?”
He was right. A person could become a hero through talent and effort, but only someone chosen by a Lord could become a Champion.
Therefore, becoming a Champion was essentially impossible.
Although, perhaps not.
If someone became overwhelmingly powerful and defeated an Outer God or one of its Apostles, the Lords might be impressed enough to appoint that person as a Champion.
“That does not mean becoming a hero is easy.”
“I know.”
“You must accumulate countless experiences, improve your abilities, and make your name known. You will need luck as well. Yet you have not accomplished even one of those things.”
Ian scoffed.
“How many people possess all those qualifications while they are still in their teens?”
“They do exist.”
“Yes, they do. However, I trust that the example you are about to give is not one of the Pillars.”
The term Pillars referred to the seven individuals who sustained the world.
They had been extraordinary from birth and had continued to weave tales bordering on myth to this very day. They were heroes among heroes, respected by all.
Diol was left speechless.
“Were you truly going to compare me to them? Honestly, is that not a little too much? Or what? Are you telling me to give up?”
Diol scratched his head.
“I only meant that you must work much harder than you do now. I also wanted to tell you that there are other paths.”
“Other paths?”
“Those who fight the beings of the Outer Sea in dangerous places are not the only ones worthy of being called heroes. Those who train talented people in the rear, supply and distribute resources where they are needed, or earn the funds required to support those efforts are also indispensable heroes. Of course, unless you become the best in that field or possess abilities that distinguish you from everyone else, you will merely become another mediocre man. However, the same is true of any path.”
“……”
“Ian, you can follow any path you desire. You are the third son of House Berger. If you speak to Father, you could enter an Academy or take charge of one of the family’s merchant companies. You do not necessarily have to stain your hands with blood and risk your life like our eldest brother and me. Therefore, you should think carefully—”
“No.”
Ian interrupted him.
“I know you are saying this because you are worried about me, but unfortunately, that is far removed from the kind of hero I wish to become.”
“What kind of hero do you wish to become?”
At Diol’s question, Ian recalled what he had experienced immediately before his regression.
There had been nothing he could do during the final battle against the Outer God. All he had managed was to stand against the Monsters surging toward them.
The reason was simple.
He had been weak. That had been the best he could do.
Yet he had failed to accomplish even that simple task properly.
Should he ever face such a situation again, he did not want to stand behind the others and merely watch. He wanted to stand beside them, or perhaps even in front of them.
“A hero capable of protecting those by my side, no matter what happens.”
He would never allow them to die such futile deaths again.
They were people who should never have died in such a place or in such a manner to begin with.
To prevent that, he had to become stronger.
That was Ian’s goal and his dream. Becoming a hero was merely one means of proving that he had achieved it.
“…It will be a difficult path. However, if that is truly your desire, there is nothing more I can say. I will support you. Tell me if you need my help.”
Diol glanced at the incense burner and placed another cigarette inside it.
“I will wait in the carriage. Stay a little longer if you wish.”
Ian nodded as Diol placed a hand firmly on his shoulder and walked past him.
Now that he was alone, Ian found himself wondering whether he and his brothers were so close because of the words their mother had always repeated to them.
-Be good to one another.-
Perhaps because of those words, the bond between the brothers was stronger than that found in most other noble families.
In truth, bloodshed between siblings was exceedingly common in noble society, and House Berger was no exception.
Even Ian’s father had faced bitter hostility and conflict among his siblings.
Ian had heard that Granod had resolved everything through his overwhelming talent and martial prowess, but no one could deny that a great deal of blood had been spilled in the process.
‘Perhaps we might have ended up the same way.’
Fortunately, Berdan, the eldest son, had been the only one who desired the position of family head.
‘I was never interested in it…’
Diol had also relinquished any claim to it early on, saying that he had no desire for such a troublesome position.
That was likely why they had never needed to fight and had remained close despite rarely spending time together.
Ian silently watched the cigarettes burn before kneeling in front of the gravestone.
He placed a finger over the words “three beloved sons” engraved upon it and slowly channeled his mana into them.
At first, nothing happened. A moment later, however, a faint light shimmered across the letters. With a metallic click, the section beneath his hand tilted backward.
A small compartment was revealed behind it.
Inside were three Mana Stones.
“…It was true.”
Ian had learned about the mechanism hidden within the gravestone from a letter his eldest brother had sent him before the regression.
‘Then again, he was never someone who would lie about something like this.’
Ian stared at the three Mana Stones in his palm.
They were Grade 5 Mana Stones.
They were not exceptionally rare, but neither were they common. In Ian’s current state, while he remained only at Level 2, they were more precious than any amount of gold or treasure.
If he could consume and fully absorb all three of them, he might be able to advance through Level 3 and even set his sights on Level 4 within a short period.
He wanted them.
However, that would be excessive greed.
Had either of his brothers discovered them, they would have divided the stones without a moment of hesitation.
They cherished their brothers, after all.
Ian released a long breath and looked at the gravestone.
“Thank you. I will put them to good use. And… I will come again.”
He then left the Garden of Rest.
“You are back?”
Diol had been sitting inside the carriage with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He spoke the moment Ian climbed aboard.
Ian sat down, leaned back, and answered.
“Yes. Take this.”
“What is it? Did you buy something?”
Even as he spoke, Diol remembered that there was nowhere nearby that sold food.
He extended his hand without giving the matter much thought, only to receive a Mana Stone.
“…What is this?”
For a moment, he wondered whether he had seen it incorrectly. He blinked several times, but the object remained unchanged.
A Mana Stone rested in his palm.
Moreover, it was a high-grade stone that could not ordinarily be obtained.
Diol stared at it in bewilderment.
“Why is this…? No, where did you get it?”
“From Mother’s gravestone.”
Ian gave him a brief explanation.
Perhaps wishing to verify the story himself, Diol flung open the carriage door and hurried outside. He returned a short while later and asked in a somewhat agitated voice.
“There was no letter inside?”
“The three Mana Stones were all I found.”
“…I see.”
Diol turned the Mana Stone over in his hand for a long time.
He said nothing as the carriage departed and carried them back to Lampas. Just as Ian was about to return to his room and rest, Diol called out to him.
“Ian.”
“Yes?”
“…Thank you.”
He raised the Mana Stone he had held tightly in his hand ever since they left the Garden of Rest.
Ian nodded and headed toward his room.
***
Knights clad in black armor rode through the wide-open castle gates atop warhorses.
They looked dignified and imposing.
The people waiting along the streets cheered, while flower petals prepared in advance were scattered from the windows of the surrounding buildings.
“Long live the Black Spear Knights!”
Someone shouted, and the others soon joined in.
The Red Spear Knights were the most famous knightly order in the eastern region of the El Karda Empire. However, the Black Spear Knights of House Berger were regarded as the finest.
There was good reason for that.
Whether in popularity or ability, they surpassed the Red Spear Knights in every respect. As a result, they were regularly assigned to far more dangerous missions.
Their latest deployment had been intended to subjugate Monsters and Magical Beasts from the Outer Sea that were dangerous enough to require immediate extermination.
The fruits of that expedition followed quietly behind the knights, loaded onto wagons.
The sight made the people cheer even more loudly.
“……”
Granod Berger was the captain of the Black Spear Knights, a Level 7 warrior of the Completion Realm known as a Completer, and the head of House Berger.
He led the order from the front of the procession, yet his expression remained indifferent despite the glorious welcome.
It no longer thrilled him as it had the first time he stood in such a position.
He had grown accustomed to it.
However, that did not mean he felt nothing.
It still pleased him. There was likely no one in the world who disliked being praised by others. Even the proud Dragonkin did not dislike being worshiped.
Granod slowly guided his horse along the road until he reached the inner castle of the great city of Lus.
His son, Berdan Berger, was waiting at the main gate with the family’s vassals.
Granod glanced to the side.
The vice-captain following a short distance behind him seemed to notice his gaze and looked over.
“Damian.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Take command of the unit.”
As always, the vice-captain would handle everything properly.
He would also oversee the processing of the Magical Beast and Monster materials obtained during the expedition. Granod only needed to review the report later.
Granod dismounted.
Berdan immediately attempted to bow his head. He would probably say that he was relieved by his father’s safe return.
Granod had not suffered enough to deserve such words, so he raised a hand to stop him.
Immediately afterward, the black armor covering his entire body transformed into glittering light and was drawn into the Armament Ring on his finger.
In the blink of an eye, he was dressed in simple clothing.
He headed inside, with only Berdan following silently behind him.
“Is there anything to report?”
“Yes, there is.”
Granod furrowed his brow.
“Tell me.”
“Ian returned from the villa yesterday morning.”
“I doubt it was of his own accord.”
“Diol reportedly sent his subordinates to bring him back.”
“…Diol brought Ian back? Why?”
“He said he could no longer allow Ian to waste his life. He told me that, as his brother, he intended to make a proper man of him.”
“He did something unnecessary.”
Berdan flinched.
His father had shown no particular interest despite his son returning home after several years.
Berdan had vaguely expected such a reaction, but Granod’s cold attitude still left him unsettled.
Nevertheless, he calmly continued.
“However, while Ian was traveling to the main estate, he witnessed an Outer Gate between Grades 4 and 5 opening in front of Dioble Village. He responded immediately and exterminated the pack of Hyullang that crossed through it.”
Hyullang were troublesome opponents that could not be underestimated.
They might have belonged to the weaker category of Monsters, but they were still beings born in the Outer Sea and could not be treated lightly.
“Hyullang? Who had been sent to escort him?”
“Mael and Marie of the Fourth Squad of the Red Spear Knights. They became full members last month.”
“Mael and Marie… Were they the children of Viscount Londria?”
“Yes. According to them, the moment Ian encountered the Hyullang, he fired his bow and killed half of those that had emerged from the Outer Gate before the battle even began.”
“Hmm.”
Granod found Mael and Marie’s testimony suspicious.
Perhaps they had decided to share the credit with Ian because he was the third son of House Berger, hoping that some reward might fall into their hands as a result.
“What is more interesting is that Mael and Marie intended to retreat as soon as they confirmed the Outer Gate because they were concerned for Ian’s safety. However, Ian insisted that they could not abandon the situation and stepped forward himself. They claimed that they had no choice but to advance in order to protect him.”
“……”
“Not long after the Outer Gate was dealt with, a Dark Mage appeared. They confronted and killed him.”
“How many appeared?”
“One.”