Interlude: Leonard
“Luke, I’m really scared.”
When I said that, Luke laughed. It wasn’t to mock me. It was a gentle smile that seemed to accept even my pitiful state.
“You know, dying would be pointless. I became an adventurer because I wanted to be cool like you. I didn’t want to fight for the world or for people. I just wanted money and to be popular with women. That’s all.”
Even after hearing my shameful confession, Luke nodded quietly.
“Isn’t that what being an adventurer is about? We take on requests and get paid. It’s just a job. Shouldn’t the kings and nobles who usually sit around doing nothing be the ones protecting the world and countries? They live off the taxes we commoners pay. Shouldn’t they be working at times like this? Sure, we work for money, but we don’t need to risk our lives for it.”
“Maybe you’re right,”
Luke said with a troubled expression.
“That’s right! So let’s run away, okay? We’re definitely going to die! The Demon King’s army is huge, and they’re not just small fry. There are lots of strong demon warriors too. You know we have no chance of winning, right? We can still escape now. I’m certain of it!”
I respected Luke. He was undoubtedly the strongest and coolest person in the world. He shouldn’t die in a place like this.
“Listen, Leonard. Running away is easy. You’re right, it’s simple. In fact, I’ve run away before too. When encountering tough monsters, facing difficulties, well, various situations. Usually, running away leads to the next step. You can defeat tough monsters once you become stronger, and most difficulties can be overcome with proper preparation. But…”
Luke looked me straight in the eyes.
“This isn’t that kind of situation, Leonard. If we run away, there won’t be a next time. If the Demon King’s army overwhelms us here, the human side will collapse all at once. You understand that, don’t you?”
I knew that the battle ahead was crucial.
If we lose, the Kingdom of Malica will fall. Neighboring countries and adventurers have joined forces to stop the Demon King’s army, but if we’re defeated here, other countries might fall one after another.
But so what?
It’s not my problem. Let the countries that are meant to fall, fall. It’s the fault of those who lack strength. The Demon King’s army isn’t infinite. We could run and run, survive, and then defeat those who chase us one by one.
Besides,
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“Luke, you have Zack! You can’t die and leave your child behind. Lei is here too! If both you and Lei die, what will happen to Zack? Shouldn’t protecting your child come first?”
I knew I was being manipulative. Luke and Lei are married members of my party. They have a child, a boy named Zack. He’s about six years old, I think. I’ve met him before; he has kind but strong eyes, just like his parents.
“We left Zack with Lei’s family. There’s no need to worry,”
Luke said, lowering his eyes. There was no way he wasn’t worried.
“Why don’t you, Lei, and Zack just live happily together? You have the power to do that! You must have saved up money from all your work so far. There’s no need to sacrifice yourselves here. The nobles and wealthy merchants have all fled from here. That’s normal. Those who can escape should escape!”
Those without options might be helpless, but people with money and connections fled from Malica. That’s how humans are. They abandon those fighting for everyone and go to safe places themselves.
Is it justified for those who can’t fight to run away? Isn’t that unfair?
“Leonard, have I ever told you about my old man?”
“…Yeah.”
Luke’s father was a man named Vince, known as the ‘Hero of the Frontier.’ He’s famous among those who know him.
Even though he wasn’t an adventurer, he was an oddball who took on monster-slaying jobs for little pay to help people living in frontier lands. I believe he was from this Kingdom of Malica.
“The village of Retin where my old man lived has already been destroyed. But he fought to the end to help the villagers escape and died doing so. I heard from an acquaintance who escaped from the village. They said, ‘Thanks to him, many villagers were saved.'”
Luke’s expression was a mix of sadness and pride.
That might be a noble act. It might indeed be an act worthy of praise as a hero. But…
“I don’t understand, Luke. I can’t risk my life for others. Isn’t life about living for yourself?”
“You know, Leonard, I loved my old man. You said you became an adventurer because you wanted to be like me, but I became an adventurer because I wanted to be like my old man. You’re right, Leonard. Fighting and risking your life for others is incomprehensible. But you know what? My old man’s back as he did that was incredibly cool to me.”
Luke laughed. There was no sense of despair in it.
“…I hate my old man. I’ve never thought he was cool. He wasn’t the kind of man who could teach life lessons through his actions like Vince.”
I haven’t seen or contacted my father since I left home. He was an arrogant man who only thought about himself, never considering others. He wasn’t exactly evil, but he was always in conflict with those around him, and my late mother had a hard time because of it.
“Hey, Leonard. You should run.”
Luke gently placed his hand on my shoulder.
“I don’t think you’re a coward. We adventurers have the right to choose where we die. It could be in battle or in bed, either is fine. But I think this isn’t the place for you, at least. That’s important. It’s like an adventurer’s instinct. So, your place to die isn’t here, Leonard. Find your own place to risk your life.”
“Luke, I just don’t want to die. I don’t want to run away for such a noble reason!”
Luke is overestimating me. I’m just a pathetic man who can’t fight for others. I’ll never find a place to risk my life. Even when I die in bed, I’ll probably just think, “I don’t want to die,” and pass away miserably.
“Leonard, that’s okay for now. You’re not as pathetic as you think you are. So go. Leave this to us. We need adventurers who survive too.”
— We need adventurers who survive too —
Those words became my absolution.
Almost all the powerful adventurers are gathered on this battlefield now. If everyone is wiped out here, there won’t be anyone left to handle difficult requests. That would cause problems for some people. It might be better if at least one person like me survives.
I turned my back on the battlefield.
“I’m sorry, Luke. In the end, I’m just the son of a humble blacksmith. I became an adventurer because I had some confidence in my skills, but at my core, I’m just as selfish as my old man. I don’t have the blood of a great father like you do.”
Even at the end, all I could say were things to justify my weakness. I felt utterly pathetic and ashamed of myself.
“Leonard. We’re counting on you,”
When I turned around, Luke was raising one hand as he returned to his camp. Probably to make it easier for me to escape.
After that, I ran away.
Most of the adventurers who went to that battlefield, including Luke, didn’t survive. However, thanks to the time they bought, the royal army made it in time and succeeded in pushing back the Demon King’s army.
It was all thanks to Luke and the others who risked their lives.
Even if I had stayed, the result probably wouldn’t have changed. There would just be one more corpse.
But sometimes I dream.
I dream of myself staying on the battlefield, fighting alongside Luke.
Even now, more than ten years later.
While waiting for next chapter , I implore you dear readers to read other masterpiece novels that also written by the same author :
- Monster Meat Led Me to the Throne
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
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