"Hoo..."
I had a dream after a long time.
'Evan. Evan.'
Some old man had been calling out to me.
At first, I thought he was just some old man I'd never seen before, you know?
So I was going to ignore him, but he kept calling my name, so I couldn't exactly not go.
So I approached him without a thought, planning to strike up a conversation.
But then, out of nowhere, that fucking old man turned around.
'Stop sleeping and get up to work. Yongshik.'
He said that to me, can you believe it?
'Yongkki-yaaaack!!!!!'
And that's how I just woke up. Yeah.
When I woke up, my body was still a bit stiff.
I'd clearly gotten hurt while working, so why was there no insurance, and why hadn't I received any treatment besides what the Hero had given me?
Well, come to think of it, after drinking the potion the Hero had given me, I probably looked almost completely fine on the outside, so they might have just assumed I was okay and not done anything for me.
It's not like I'd reported that I was in pain, either. Hmm.
Right, let's talk to him at least.
That Gordon fellow is an educated man, after all.
Maybe he'll feel something like compassion?
- Thump, thump.
I trudged down to the first floor, drooping like livestock being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
"Huh, he's not here?"
But unlike usual, Gordon wasn't on the first floor.
Since Gordon was the type to come find me first when there were instructions to give,
it was the perfect opportunity to rest for now and later ask why he hadn't come, making excuses like, 'You didn't come, so I assumed we had the day off.' But,
unfortunately, my wretched conscience wouldn't allow that.
It's true that dungeons grow more dangerous the deeper you go, but I want to survive through my own strength by overcoming all that danger.
I had no desire to survive by fleeing miserably.
'Let's go outside and look for him once. If he's still not there, then I'll rest.'
With great resolve, I moved to step outside,
- Squeak.
A very familiar person came in through the inn entrance, looking around here and there.
"Bell?"
It was Bell, who had returned to Rotten first, saying some personal business had come up.
"Evan-nim!"
The moment she saw me, Bell raised her hand high and waved.
"What brings you here? I heard you'd gone back to Rotten."
"Ah... well. I was the one who asked to be taken back first, but you just left a letter on your own and went back first... But then I thought that wasn't right... so I came back as soon as I finished my business..."
As expected.
Just as I'd predicted, Bell was feeling very sorry toward me.
"I see..."
"You must have been quite bewildered...?"
"No. Well, these things happen."
Bell raised her hand and showed me a basket of herbs.
"Do you have time today...? Since we couldn't do it last time, I was hoping today..."
"Ah..."
I scratched my head as if troubled.
"You know I came here for a commission, right?"
"Yes."
"I don't know if there's work today or if I can rest, so I have to ask about this first."
"Ah..."
Bell's expression changed to that of someone with a guilty conscience.
"D-Do we really need to do that? I think it would be okay for you to just rest..."
"Huh...?"
Something... was strange.
I hadn't known Bell for that long, but going by her personality as I'd seen it so far, she should have told me to just go and ask.
Or she would have suggested we go together.
Because... we don't even know if there's work today or not, so of course the proper thing to do is check and then rest.
It's not like she thinks I'm moving around voluntarily on my own.
She should know that there's someone who hired me.
Yet she told me she thought I could just rest.
As if... she knew Gordon wasn't here.
Still, I didn't know for sure yet. Was it too early to tell? Maybe she just really wanted to spend time with me.
Unfortunately, we hadn't been able to go herb-picking together last time. I decided to speak politely.
"I like to be sure about things... I'll check quickly, so you can wait here, but if you don't mind, would you like to come with me?"
"Y-Yeah!"
I described Gordon's appearance to Bell.
"I have to ask this person. In case we run into him while walking together..."
But,
"Ah, if it's this old man, I saw him on my way here! He seemed to be leaving somewhere in a hurry!"
Once again, Bell answered immediately the moment I finished speaking, as if she knew where Gordon was.
"...."
At this point, even a fool couldn't help but be suspicious.
Honestly, I'd started thinking it might be the case since yesterday. Combined with today, it had practically become a certainty.
"Bell."
"Y-Yes?"
"It's an important matter, so would it be okay if we talked in my room?"
"Uh..."
Many worries were reflected in Bell's eyes.
She seemed to know.
What I was about to say.
"Okay."
A hint of resignation could be heard in Bell's voice.
Silence lingered for a moment.
From climbing the stairs together... until we arrived at the room and closed the door.
- Click.
I closed the door.
Any ordinary woman would naturally be somewhat nervous here.
We weren't that close yet, and it hadn't even been a month since we met, let alone half a year.
The time we'd purely spent meeting and talking was even shorter than that.
From Bell's standpoint, she could have suspected whether I harbored ulterior motives.
But she wasn't nervous at all.
Of course, the reason she wasn't nervous at all could be that she trusted me that much, or that Bell was simply too pure and innocent.
But I believed the reason she wasn't nervous was because she had confidence in herself.
Because she possessed overwhelming strength—the kind that could overcome anyone who came at her.
What I was feeling from Bell right now was a unique composure only felt from the strong.
"Hoo..."
I took a breath and spoke directly to Bell.
Using the exact words she had once said to me.
"Were you surprised or flustered?"
Upon hearing those words, Bell's eyes widened for a moment, then soon gently closed.
Having just heard that, she seemed to have completely resigned herself to something.
"Yes, it seems so."
When she admitted it honestly, I continued.
"Since when?"
"The day when the tournament wasn't far off, since you were helping people near Rotten."
Hearing it, she'd been watching me for even longer than I'd thought.
"Someone was doing the work I was supposed to do. And without hoping for any reward. Someone like you was the first I'd ever met in my life, so I became interested."
"There should be many people besides me who help others without wanting anything in return...?"
"Uh..."
She suddenly stammered, greatly flustered.
"T-That... I don't think I can answer that."
What the...?
Suddenly, Bell—no, Veronica's face turned red.
I didn't know the reason, but seeing this, she wasn't the Hero Veronica at all. She was undoubtedly nothing more than an ordinary girl named Bell.
Anyway...
Besides that, I asked her various things.
Whether her personality and way of speaking had been an act.
"No, no! That's not it! It's just... somehow, in front of people who think of me as the Hero, my tone just turns out like this."
Since she would have come to Gideon Village anyway, why had she arrived here first with me?
"Because dungeons are dangerous. You don't know what might happen if you enter alone."
Finally... most importantly, I asked about the future as well.
She answered with an even more serious expression.
"I got a definite answer from the royal family. Even if you stop now, Evan, there won't be any penalty."
"If that happens, what about the supplies being provided to the mercenary group I belong to?"
"Probably... it seems that support will only continue until this month and then be cut off."
"Then I must continue this work."
Veronica asked with a worried expression upon hearing my words.
"Why...? Acting as you are now will be much more dangerous than ordinary mercenary work. We are a party formed to defeat the Demon King. We have no choice but to always walk a thorny path."
It didn't seem like she was interrogating me; it felt like pure curiosity to know my circumstances.
You could tell from her eyes. The person named Bell was an extremely transparent person.
I summarized the situation of the mercenary group for her.
"I see... so there was such a situation..."
She clenched her fist.
"They say everyone has a story... but hearing it directly hurts."
"It's fine. Everyone... carries something and lives."
"...."
The atmosphere suddenly became strange.
Slightly... moistened, perhaps?
"I've said this before, but please don't think of it as something natural. A day will come when you can live happily without worries. That's why I'm here..."
Hearing those words, I felt anew that this person was not an ordinary girl but the Hero.
Empathizing with others' pain and living to save them as much as possible.
She was living... a life that held nothing but others, I thought.
'But... it's a contradiction that you worry about me while living such a life yourself.'
That's why I asked her.
"I won't think of it as natural. But, Hero, when you spoke of living happily—that includes you too, right?"
"Of course!"
She answered without a moment's hesitation.
Was it because the answer came too immediately?
I suddenly became curious about what she planned to do after defeating the Demon King.
"Then, Hero, what do you plan to do after defeating the Demon King?"
"Uh... after defeating the Demon King... I think I'll need to give it some more thought."
What's that supposed to mean, Hero?
If you plan to live happily, shouldn't you have some plans laid out?
"Hehe."
*Sigh*... Really.
....
Anyway,
I'd finished asking her everything I wanted to.
- Thud.
I sat down heavily in the chair and looked out the window for a moment.
Having received no small shock today as well as yesterday, I needed some time to rest.
"Um..."
Veronica cautiously approached me.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know it would get so complicated like this. Because of my selfishness..."
"Selfishness...? What selfishness...?"
"Well..."
Veronica fidgeted with her fingers, unable to continue.
"I wanted to get a boyfriend."
????
"Excuse me?????"
The moment I heard that, my brain briefly froze.
At my reaction, Veronica seemed to belatedly realize the strangeness of her own statement.
"No, no!!!!! Not that romantic kind—a friend who's a guy!!!!!"
With a red face, she fervently explained herself for quite a while.
***
"Haa... haa...."
After the commotion subsided.
The two of us, having momentarily calmed down, steadied our ragged breathing.
"Hoo..."
Veronica placed her hand on her chest and exhaled.
"I know you must still be plenty confused, but may I say one more thing?"
There's more...?
- Gulp.
I forced down a heavy swallow.
What terrifying thing was she going to say, drawing it out like that?
I steeled my resolve and nodded twice.
Veronica, understanding my signal, cautiously spoke.
"You said you can't quit this work now... right? Then... how about officially joining the Hero's party? Instead of acting alone like you are now, you would travel together with us."
.......
................
..........??????
What?????