THE HERO AND THE KING
“Here, for you. This is liquor local to the Boudier region.”
“Oh, excellent. I’ve never had this before. I’m excited to taste it.”
The room was clean, but full of documents and papers.
That was where I gave my father the liquor I’d bought him as a gift.
My father was a big drinker. So big that it had become an open secret that he liked to drink on the sly when he was working alone.
So, whenever I came back to the kingdom, I always brought some rare alcohol as a souvenir.
As the king, my father couldn’t simply leave his domain whenever he pleased, so this was always greatly appreciated.
By now, it was our custom to have a drink together whenever I brought it.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t be working, Father?”
“Oh, it’s not a problem. Even if it were, I could just cut down on sleep to make up for it. Spending time with my son when he comes home is far more important than work.”
The only response I could muster was a wry smile.
The work of a king could hardly be so easily dismissed, after all.
“Besides, Cylis has gotten quite good at his work. Even if something were to happen to me, the kingdom would be in good hands.”
“Father, I’ll be the first to admit that my elder brother is very talented, but the kingdom still needs you. Please don’t say such ominous things.”
“Sorry, sorry,” my father apologized lightly, and I sighed.
Father produced two hidden glasses from a shelf and poured liquor into each of them.
“Hmm. What a unique aroma.”
“Agreed. In fact, I purchased it because I took such a liking to the scent. I’m sure it will taste just as pleasant.”
A mellow fragrance filled the room.
After clinking our glasses together, my father and I quietly sipped from our glasses.
“Mm-hmm. What a pleasant mouthfeel. Why, I could drink this all day.”
“I was told it’s popular among women there, too. They say it becomes even more flavorful if you drink it with fruit. Which is why I brought these, too.”
I presented the fruits I’d brought with me. My father took a bite of one, then another sip of his drink.
“It’s very good. Normally I prefer strong drinks, but this sort of thing is nice from time to time, too.”
“I agree.”
He seemed to enjoy my latest offering, much to my relief.
I had been a little worried about whether my father would like this drink, since he usually preferred hard liquor.
But I hadn’t needed to worry.
The two of us continued drinking in relative silence for a while.
Then, I remembered the afternoon’s events, and my lips formed a small smile.
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s just that I saw Sue and Shun earlier today. I suddenly started thinking about it again, that’s all.”
My two younger siblings showed so much promise that it even surprised a hero like me.
When I practiced with Shun, pretending to be totally unfazed was actually very difficult.
I shouldn’t have tried to show off by fighting him one-handed.
Next time we sparred, I’d have to fight normally with both hands.
“I see. What do you think of them, Julius?”
“I’d say they’re incredibly talented. Especially Shun. If he had been born a little sooner, it might have been Shun who received the title of Hero instead of me.”
It was an honest opinion.
In fact, in terms of pure talent, I felt that Shun and Sue far outpaced me.
Really, the only reason I outstripped them was that I had the stat-enhancing effects of the Hero title.
I probably wouldn’t lose to them without it just yet, but they would best me soon enough.
They had the talent for it.
They might still catch me and surpass me yet, Hero title and all.
Hopefully not, though, since that would annihilate my pride as an older brother.
Shun, especially, seemed to look up to me, so if he became disillusioned with me, he might not recover from the shock.
This is a serious situation. I should probably train a bit more so that my younger brother and sister don’t beat me. Yeah, let’s do that.
“What are you muttering to yourself and nodding about?”
“Oh, I was just thinking that it’s hard to preserve my dignity as an older brother.”
Come to think of it, Shun seemed to have a certain level of pride as Sue’s older brother, too.
He was certainly succeeding there. She was distinctly attached to Shun, to the point where her jealousy included me.
She’d probably grow out of that soon enough, but for the time being, it was amusing how she seemed to see me as a threat to her relationship with her beloved brother.
“I didn’t do right by those two.”
Regret shadowed my father’s face.
The two of them were born just after the previous Hero had met his demise. That was when I inherited the Hero title, too.
The sudden death of the missing Hero, whose whereabouts and actions were unknown at the time, was a mystery.
I became the new Hero, and the forces of evil rapidly increased their activity.
With so much happening, my father had no time to spare for his two young children. He cared deeply for his family, but above all, he was the king. He had no choice but to put his kingdom first.
My father was very concerned about this.
“You had no choice. There was so much going on back then, you didn’t have time to do anything differently.”
“But they still won’t embrace me. I suspect that’s their response, a very clear one…”
“It’s all right. I’m sure they’ll understand your position in time.”
“I certainly hope so.”
My father stirred his drink morosely.
“If I may speak honestly, there are times when I resent my position as king. I don’t just mean with those two children, either. Julius, I feel I should have done more for you, too. I never wanted you to have to bear the burden of being the Hero. But as king, I have no choice but to send you forth to do a Hero’s duty. It may be the right choice as a king, but it makes me a failure as a father.”
After admitting his pent-up feelings, my father breathed a truly heavy sigh.
“Father. I am proud to be a Hero. So please, don’t say such things. From my point of view, if the title of Hero were taken from me, I would be nothing.”
“That’s not true at all.”
“That’s how I feel. I’m not educated in political matters like my older brother, confident in myself like Leston, or able to form a connection to another kingdom through marriage like my older sister. The only thing I can do is wield my sword on behalf of our people, and all people, as a Hero. So don’t worry about me, Father. I am only doing everything I can for my own sake as well as others’.”
“Are you sure you don’t mean ‘willing to do whatever you want’ Leston?”
“That’s certainly not wrong.”
My father and I shared a smile.
From my point of view, you’re more than enough of a great father.
So I’ll keep working hard as a Hero so that I can be of some help to you.
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