Chapter 124: Heir (4)

The cabin sat haphazardly in the middle of the woods, seemingly uninhabitable.

Pushing past the crude wooden fence and into the cabin, Kaen grabbed the kettle on the table and gulped down some water, then trudged upstairs.

Bang.

As she opened the door and entered the room, there was a middle-aged man inside.

The man, who was sitting in a chair drinking tea, seemed momentarily speechless when he saw Kaen enter the room with a stranger on her shoulders.

“Who is that?”

With a hint of embarrassment in her voice, Kaen replied nonchalantly, “I don’t know.”

“…” the man fell silent.

“I went east and found him collapsed and unconscious. But I couldn’t just leave him there,” Kaen said as she laid the collapsed person on the bed.

Watching the scene, the man rubbed his forehead in pain and got up to check his condition.

After taking a quick glance at the stranger’s condition, he immediately diagnosed, “It looks like he’s suffering from magic exhaustion.”

“Oh, did I bring him here for no reason then?”

If it was just a simple magic exhaustion, he would recover on his own over time.

The man shook his head. “No, it’s not that. It seems he forcefully raised his magical power to an extreme degree. If you had left him in that condition, he would have died.”

He rolled up his sleeve and snapped his fingers.

“Go to the warehouse and get some root powder and pepperia leaves. Also, boil a cup of water.”

Kaen went outside without asking any questions and brought back what the man had asked.

The man immediately started to mix a simple medicinal concoction on the spot, and Kaen watched him as if she were familiar with his actions and asked,

“Where did this person come from? Father.”

The Ramon Mountains were located in a place completely isolated from cities or towns where people live.

There were naturally no passersby on the road, so for Kaen, humans outside the mountains were unfamiliar and strange existences.

The man also knew that she was curious about this outsider.

“I don’t know.”

The man replied briefly and focused on the treatment.

Kaen also leaned against the wall with her arms folded without asking any more questions.

An outsider who fainted from severe magic depletion. When he regained consciousness, she would be able to ask him directly what his identity was.

***

Rodiven, a professor at the Imperial Academy of Elphon.

The reason why he took a long vacation and came to this remote mountain range of the empire was simply to collect research materials.

One of his specialties, Taming Magic, required samples of many monsters.

In that sense, the Ramon Mountains were the perfect place. The untouched wilderness was a sight full of unknown creatures.

“Will you really go alone? Still, it would be better to bring a few assistants…”

“It’s okay. Why bother bringing people and make it into such a big deal?”

Rodiven couldn’t have imagined it.

He hadn’t expected to find himself in danger of losing his life in these mountains he had so lightly climbed.

In the deep parts of the mountains, he discovered a structure like an altar, where countless monster corpses were piled up beyond count.

And in the midst of it all, there stood a monster, covered in blood from head to toe, standing still.

Rodiven, who held the position of Professor at the continent’s largest academy, Elphon, was undoubtedly an outstanding wizard.

But he had never encountered such an ominous display of magic in his life.

“Human? A wizard? What an unlucky fellow to come all the way to this remote place to die.”

Rodiven knew instinctively that he was a demon, or at least a contractor for one.

There was no time to think about what such a being was doing in this place.

All Rodiven could do in the sudden attack by the monster was to escape with all his might.

The difference in power was evident, but Rodiven managed to survive by using a magical tool that he had received as a gift from the academy’s principal.

With a random teleportation spell engraved on the magical tool, he barely managed to escape the monster’s clutches. But…

“Um.”

Rodiven regained his senses and sat up in surprise.

Looking around, he realized he was in an unfamiliar space.

“Where is this…?”

Rodiven tried to recall what happened before he lost consciousness.

He was attacked by a monster; he managed to escape, and then he blacked out from exhaustion.

He checked his physical condition first.

The magic that had been completely exhausted before he fell was somewhat restored.

As he looked around the room with mixed feelings, the door opened.

“You’re awake.”

Rodiven looked at the unfamiliar man, who entered the room and asked tentatively.

“Who… are you?”

Was he the one who saved him?

At Rodiven’s question, the man replied simply.

“The owner of this cabin.”

…A cabin? In the middle of a mountain range?

Was there someone living in this rugged mountain range?

Seeing Rodiven’s confused expression, the man calmly explained.

“My daughter found you collapsed in the woods and brought you home. So we gave you some simple treatment.”

“Ah… thank you.”

Rodiven expressed his gratitude first.

The man asked, “How’s your condition?”

“Thanks to you, I think I’m okay. But…”

Rodiven sorted through the questions swirling in his head, wondering which one to ask first.

Who was this man and how did he manage to stabilize his condition so cleanly, given that it was clearly a serious case of magic depletion?

On the other hand, the man did not ask Rodiven anything.

He just nodded his head and walked back outside the room.

“I’ll bring you some tea, at least. Rest for now.”

The man went out and soon came back with a teacup.

Rodiven stared at the tea that the man had brought him, took a sip, and then put it down on the table.

The man saw this and said with a smirk, “I didn’t put anything strange on it. There’s no reason to. You can drink it without worry.”

“……”

Rodiven cleared his throat in discomfort.

From his perspective, he was just being cautious in a completely defenseless situation, but from the other person’s point of view, it was certainly a disrespectful action.

If there had been impure intentions from the beginning, he wouldn’t have been treated like this.

“Sorry, things are still confusing. But are you someone who lives in this mountain range?”

The man nodded his head.

Rodiven thought the man might ask him something, but he got up from the road without saying anything.

“If your body recovers, please leave. If you need more stability, you can stay for a few more days.”

With that, he walked away, as if he had nothing more to say.

Rodiven thought of him as a strange guy and looked at the closed door for a moment before turning his gaze to the window next to him.

Outside the window, he could see the surrounding woods and front yard.

And in the front yard, a girl was lying on a tree with her eyes closed.

“Is that girl his daughter?”

Rodiven decided to go outside first.

The man was nowhere to be seen inside the house.

Coming out to the front yard of the cabin, he walked toward the tree where the girl was.

The girl had opened her eyes by then and was staring at him.

“You’re awake.”

Kaen, who had jumped down from the tree, looked at Rodiven up and down and asked, “Are you someone from outside the mountain range? Where are you from? Why did you come here?”

Unlike the man who seemed to have no curiosity, she seemed to have a lot of questions.

Rodiven hesitated for a moment about how to react to the barrage of questions.

He didn’t normally deal with girls of this age other than as students at the Academy, and they were generally very polite, so Kaen’s innocent demeanor was new to him.

“Are you living in these mountains with just your father?”

“I asked you first. Answer me first.”

Rodiven introduced himself simply, hiding his embarrassment.

“I’m Rodiven. A wizard. I’m also a professor at Elphon Academy.”

Kaenn tilted her head.

“Elphon? Academy?”

***

The road to the Ramon Mountains, accompanied by the hero, was very quiet.

Or should I rather say it was bleak?

I’d never been much of a conversationalist when I was traveling with Asher, but with the addition of the hero to the group, it was only natural that there would be no conversation.

The hero was the type to not say anything if it wasn’t necessary, and Asher was even quieter, perhaps conscious of the hero.

After the sun had completely set, they descended to the ground for dinner and camping.

Asher looked around habitually and said, “I’ll be back.”

“Yeah.”

Going back meant going with Ti-Yong to hunt.

We had brought our own food, but Ti-Yong’s share required separate hunting. The other was a big guy, after all.

Its wyvern instincts had gotten the better of him once before, and it slaughtered too many monsters unnecessarily.

Ti-Yong was smart enough to listen, but from then on, I’d have Asher follow him and keep him under control, just in case.

Flutter!

Ti-Yong flapped its wings and took off into the sky, Asher running after it.

I sat there, staring blankly at the campfire burning for a long time.

The hero sitting across from me looked at me with a strange gaze, then spoke up.

“May I ask you something?”

“…?”

It was the first time she spoke since we departed.

I nodded my head.

“You said your goal is to achieve peace on the continent. It aligns with my goal, and that’s why you said you were helping me.”

“Yes.”

“Then, was becoming a Lord of Calderic part of the plan to achieve that goal?”

Ah… was she asking me about that?

In short, she was curious about why I became a Lord.

She must also know that I was a new Lord who recently rose to power.

“I didn’t become a Lord because I wanted to.”

I was only pushed into a situation where I couldn’t do anything else when I landed in this world.

Well, now that I think about it, it was also thanks to that that I was able to come this far.

I couldn’t give a clear answer to the question, so I remained silent.

“Are you not going to answer this either?”

But the hero didn’t ask any further questions and just let it go, as if my silence was the answer.

It seemed like she took it as a positive answer, but whether she misunderstood or not, it didn’t matter.

“May I ask you one more question?”

“You don’t need to ask like that every time you wanted to ask something. If there’s an answer that can be given, I’ll answer.”

“It’s about your escort, Sir Asher.”

The voice of the hero sank a little heavily.

“The bond between you and Sir Asher does not appear to be the usual one, Seventh Lord, and I wonder how you came to take her under your wing.”

“Well… “

Perhaps because she knew Asher’s true identity, the hero seemed particularly interested in her. Probably because of guilt or remorse.

Since it wasn’t something I couldn’t tell her, I gave her a suitable answer.

How I accidentally found Asher at the Overlord’s Castle, how I learned that she was a member of the White Moon tribe, and how I ended up taking her with me.

After listening to the story, the hero was silent for a moment before asking again.

“Do you also despise me?”

It was a sudden remark, but I understood its meaning.

I looked into the hero’s eyes without saying a word.

Did I despise the hero? Of course not.

Her monologues from the game flashed through my mind.

I was probably the only human besides her who knew the blind faith she held in her heart for peace.

That’s why, even though Asher couldn’t, at least I could understand her.

I suppose that’s because I didn’t go through what she experienced myself.

I shook my head, feeling a little bitter.

“No matter how powerful you are, you can’t save everyone unless you’re a god. You know that better than anyone, don’t you?”

“…”

“The emotions I have towards you doesn’t include any contempt.”

The warrior’s expression was somehow weary.

I added a rather unnecessary afterthought.

“And for the time being, you are the only one I can rely on, Hero.”

The words caught her off guard, and her eyes widened a bit.

After a moment, I sensed the presence of Asher and Ti-Yong.

Asher naturally stood by my side and resumed her escort duties.

In fact, there was no danger as long as the hero was present.

Therefore, Asher did not need to keep watch, but I respected her dedication to her duty as an escort.

But…

I glanced at Asher’s face.

Her mood didn’t seem to be as good as it had been before she’d gone out with Ti-Yong. Was it just her mood?

I wondered, then I turned my attention back to the campfire.

***

“Eat slowly,” Asher mumbled, watching Ti-Yong tore apart the monster it had caught.

Of course, the creature didn’t seem to listen to her and continued to eat at the same pace.

Looking around, Asher slowly approached Ti-Yong.

“Hmm…” she murmured softly and began to gently stroke the area between the scales on the Wyvern’s toes.

This was a behavior that she wouldn’t show in front of the Seventh Lord, but it was fine now that no one was watching.

Recently, she had discovered a part between the scales on the Wyvern’s toes that was slightly soft and pleasant to the touch.

Asher absentmindedly stroked its scales while lost in thought. It was about the hero.

In truth, her feelings for the hero were hard to define, even for herself.

It wasn’t anger, nor was it resentment or contempt.

It seemed to be more than just a feeling of frustration related to the tribe’s affairs. Then what could it be?

She had said to the Seventh Lord that it was nothing and that she would just follow his will, but that was not the case.

Asher still felt confused about her thoughts that were not neatly organized.

“If you’re done eating, let’s go.”

With Ti-Yong finished eating, Asher moved her steps.

As they arrived at their designated place, she heard faint sounds of the Seventh Lord and the hero conversing.

“And for the time being, you are the only one I can rely on, Hero.”

Asher stopped in her tracks.

She didn’t move, as if frozen.

For some reason, she felt suffocated, as if one part of her heart was being torn apart.

Thinking back, Asher realized that she had felt something unpleasant towards the hero, not since she knew she was a hero, but since the Seventh Lord first introduced them at the inn.

Since the moment she realized the Seventh Lord was looking at her with an unusual gaze that he had never shown to anyone else.

“…”

What did the existence of the hero mean to the Seventh Lord?

She couldn’t understand.

All she knew was that she was a hero to the world, a woman more glorious and greater than any of them. No one, at least not herself, dared compare.

Asher stood there for a moment before moving on.

She tried to ignore what the source of her rising emotions was.