NEW HERO
My teacher was quick to inform my father that I had received the Hero title.
Shortly afterward, my father summoned me home, so I left the school to return to the royal castle.
This is my first time coming home in ages.
But my mental state is nowhere near stable enough to spare a thought for that right now.
Trying to calm my swirling thoughts, I meet with my father.
Instead of the audience room, I head toward my father’s office.
It’s a large room with documents scattered everywhere.
Besides the two of us, several others have gathered.
“Schlain. I’m sorry to call you here like this.”
My father speaks gravely when I enter the room.
Even though I’ve actually met him only a handful of times, I can tell that the tone of his voice is heavier than usual.
It’s far more solemn than it was even at the Appraisal ceremony.
“First, please allow me to have you Appraised to confirm you have the Hero title.”
“Of course.”
My father is holding the same Appraisal Stone that was used in the ceremony.
As soon as I agreed, I felt an uncomfortable sensation begin running throughout my body, like I was being licked all over.
This was the same feeling I had when I first met my teacher.
It must be the discomfort of being Appraised.
“…You really do have it.”
My father’s voice grows even heavier.
Then he covers his face with his hands and begins to weep.
“Julius…”
My older brother’s name escapes my father’s lips.
As soon as I hear it, I feel the tears welling in my own eyes.
I try to control myself, to remember where I am, but I can’t stop it. My vision blurs.
I feel a hand on my shoulder.
It’s the third prince, my next-eldest brother, Leston.
He embraces me gently and strokes my hair.
I haven’t seen Leston very often, either.
But he’s a good-hearted person, and the brother I was closest with after Julius.
It’s too much for me to bear: I’ve passed my limit.
I cling to my brother Leston and sob uncontrollably.
For a while, the cries are all that fill the room.
“Father. I know we are all mourning Julius. However, we must think to the future as well. Let’s begin talks, shall we?”
The person who speaks up to dispel the dark atmosphere is the first prince, our eldest brother, Cylis.
To be honest, I’m not super-comfortable with him.
He’s always immersed in his work with a sour look on his face. I’ve never seen him laugh once.
Aside from my older sister, who I’ve never met, since she married into another kingdom, he’s the only sibling I’ve never felt an attachment to.
“Brother Cylis, Father and Shun are clearly in pain. Surely we can give them a little more time to grieve?”
“It’s all right, Leston. What Cylis says is true.”
“But, Father…”
“Restrain yourself, Leston. Father has spoken.”
“Brother Cylis…”
“All right. As a family, the depths of our sorrow know no bounds. But before we are individuals, we are royalty. And as such, we must fulfill our duties to the people. Only once that is done may we grieve.”
My father wipes his tears away with his sleeves.
His eyes are red and swollen from crying, yet they are filled with a powerful light.
Is this what it means to be a king?
Amazing. I wouldn’t be able to even come close to imitating it.
“The fact that Schlain has inherited the title of Hero…must mean Julius is dead.”
Tightening his lips, my father lays out the words that no one had spelled out yet.
Hearing it said aloud, I feel as if I’m being confronted with the reality of Julius’s death all over again.
“It is unthinkable that the next hero after Julius should hail from our kingdom again, never mind being his own brother. Perhaps fate does not smile favorably upon us…”
My father looks far from pleased by the fact that I’ve become the next hero.
It might just be because he’s mourning Julius’s death, but he seems genuinely bewildered that I was chosen.
It’s very rare for the hero to come from a royal family.
The qualifications that determine who’s chosen are unclear, but they have nothing to do with a person’s rank or social status.
It’s said that the title is given to a human with a pure and honest spirit, but no one knows for sure if that’s true.
When Julius was chosen as the hero, there was a lot of dispute over it because of his status as royalty.
A second hero belonging to the exact same royal family might cause unnecessary chaos.
That must be what my father is worried about.
“Schlain, this hasn’t been made public yet, but we received word that the demon army has finally begun its invasion. More likely than not, Julius lost his life fighting against them.”
The demon army.
I have heard lots of talk that the demons were becoming more active, but I guess the time has finally come.
So even Julius couldn’t defeat them…
“No information on the outcome of that battle has arrived yet. We sent a talented Spatial Magic user to investigate, but—”
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
I don’t remember the name of this person, but I think it’s one of the generals of our kingdom.
The man slowly walks to the middle of the room and kneels.
“I have come with intelligence regarding…the battle between the human army and the demon army.”
“Perfect timing. What’s the situation?”
“Sir… The battlefield is still in chaos, so I don’t know all the details, but it seems that our side has narrowly managed to drive back the demon army, at the cost of massive casualties.”
“I see. Go on.”
“What we do know now is that several fortresses have fallen. According to our reports, this includes Fort Kusorion.”
“What?! That enormous fortress?!”
“Y-yes, although that has not been confirmed. That area is in chaos, so many baseless rumors are flying about. There is hearsay and speculation afoot claiming that the demon army has summoned a massive monster or that the forts were blown away with the largest spell man has ever seen, but it’s difficult to confirm how much of that is true.”
“I see. But it’s been confirmed that the demon army has withdrawn, correct?”
“Indeed. That I can say without a doubt.”
“Understood. Thank you for your report. Please continue gathering information.”
“Yes, sir! Then, if you’ll excuse me…”
The general leaves the room.
My father closes his eyes and furrows his brow, pondering something deeply.
My brothers and I wait for his next words.
“It seems Julius’s death is not assured.”
“Indeed. There is still a great deal of confusion on the battlefield. What shall we do?”
“For the moment, let us keep Julius’s death and Schlain’s acquisition of the Hero title a secret.”
Not a soul could object to my father’s decision.
I don’t really understand politics myself, so I figured it best not to run my mouth.
“We still don’t know for sure whether the demon army has fully withdrawn. If we were to announce that the hero has died, we could cause needless anxiety among our people. I’m sure word will spread from the battlefield eventually and Julius’s death will become widely known, but until then, let us keep it to ourselves.”
“Father, what of Schlain?”
“Unfortunately, in light of today’s events, Schlain will have to withdraw from school immediately. And, Schlain…please be prepared to announce yourself as the new hero at a moment’s notice.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I know this is all very sudden, but from now on, you are the hero. You must carry on in Julius’s footsteps and take up arms on the front lines of battle as humanity’s greatest hope. Now, you may not be prepared for that just yet. We have little time until word gets out about Julius’s death, but…you will have to steel yourself in that short period.”
Humanity’s greatest hope?
I…I won’t suddenly be ready to shoulder something like that.
“You will need time to sort out your thoughts, I’m sure. Take the remainder of today to rest.”
My father’s voice has become gentle.
I suppose I should take him up on his offer.
“Thank you. Excuse me.”
With a few short words, I leave the room.
My father and Leston look after me with concern. Cylis’s eyes are cold.
I close the door behind me to cut off their gaze.
I feel like I could collapse on the spot, but I manage to keep walking forward.
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