Interlude: The Prophet
“Are you really going, Ares?”
The man asked in a skeptical voice to the young man with chestnut-colored hair walking ahead.
The man was tall with an impressive build. His short blonde hair framed a face that exuded both bravery and nobility. A great sword was strapped to his back.
“Of course, Leon. It’s the prophet’s words. ‘Help the man named Leonard,’ they said. We can’t disobey, can we?”
The young man called Ares turned back, smiling sheepishly.
“But Ares, we’ve heard rumors about this Leonard everywhere, and none of them were good, were they? Even in Arkand, his reputation was terrible. The knight protecting that town spoke quite ill of him. Do we really need to help such a man?”
“I remember what that knight said. ‘He’s a man who’ll use any means to achieve his goals,’ and ‘We were used as bait.’ Seems like he’s quite hated.”
Despite saying this, Ares didn’t stop walking.
“That’s not all, Ares.”
A woman with long black hair, dressed in white robes, quietly approached Ares from behind and whispered in his ear, her breath sweet:
“Even the merchant who made the direct request said so, didn’t he? That ‘he’s a man obsessed with money’ and that ‘he’s a man furthest from being a hero, with no sense of honor.’ He said it almost like a warning, didn’t he? Wouldn’t it be better not to get involved with such a person?”
She was beautiful. Everyone who passed by, men and women alike, turned to admire her beauty.
One might think any man would obey when whispered to by such a woman, but Ares’s attitude didn’t change at all.
“But you know, Maria, something caught my attention. Sure, those people weren’t lying. But I don’t think it was just negative emotions. I think there might be something more to this Leonard person.”
Ares answered, looking straight into Maria’s eyes.
His unwavering gaze, even when faced with her, pleased Maria.
“Hehe, is that so? If Ares says so…”
“Come to think of it, the attitude of Gastan’s village chief was strange,”
interjected a thin man walking next to Ares. Wearing a purple mage’s robe and carrying a large staff, his nervous-looking expression was stern, giving off a typical wizard vibe.
“He said ‘I don’t want to talk much about that person,’ but he seemed somewhat protective. The rumor was that Leonard forcibly took the grain being transported from that village, but when asked about it, the chief’s words were vague. You’d think he’d speak more ill of him…”
“Yeah, that’s right, Solon. Everyone speaks badly of Leonard. But they overdo it. Especially those who were directly involved with him. This adventurer Leonard is clearly handling difficult requests. Yet, there are no words of gratitude for that. Not from the knight of Arkand, not from the merchant of Elderia, not from the village chief of Gastan. They were fair and good people. It’s strange that such people don’t properly evaluate Leonard.”
Ares turned his face towards Solon. Maria pouted, but Ares didn’t notice, and Solon paid no attention to it.
“There is indeed something off. But Ares, the prophet pointed us towards Garnahazza, didn’t they? It used to be the capital of the Malica kingdom, but now it’s demon lord territory. Isn’t that a bit too dangerous? I don’t trust this prophet who only appears to you much either…”
Solon seemed to distrust the prophet more than Leonard.
“It’s okay, Solon. At the very least, the prophet isn’t a bad person. I can guarantee that.”
Ares smiled softly.
“Are you sure? For years now, potential hero candidates have been killed by demon folk. That demon folk who attacked us in the Great Forest of Rozolof was also after us. Moreover, you’ve been officially chosen as the hero not only by the prophet but also by the king. We don’t know what methods the demon folk might use to try and kill you. There’s even a possibility that the prophet is a monster in disguise. You should be more cautious.”
“I understand, Solon. Many people have been killed by the demon folk. Our classmates from Academy too. And…”
Deep sadness appeared in Ares’s brown eyes. Solon and the others thought it was because he remembered his dead classmates.
“Either way, we’ll have to defeat the demon folk eventually. In Garnahazza, there’s a demon folk named Belzera who’s a commander in the demon lord’s army. The current war situation favors the demon lord’s army. To overturn this, we need to defeat Belzera. If it’s true that Leonard is going to defeat Belzera, I think this is a good opportunity. A hero’s job isn’t just to defeat the demon lord. We need to save everyone. Even if we defeat the demon lord, it means nothing if the country is destroyed. So, let’s go.”
“That’s true. It’s not just about defeating them. A true hero saves people.”
Leon acknowledged the correctness of Ares’s words.
“I thought so too,”
aria said, gazing at Ares’s profile admiringly.
“I think we should prioritize defeating the demon lord even if we have to use the country as bait. …Well, it’s fine. You’re the hero, Ares. Even if the prophet turns out to be a fake, that won’t change for me. All I can do is try to make your path a little easier.”
Solon’s stern expression softened as he continued walking next to Ares.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
(Finally, we’ve come this far.)
Through the illusion, I was watching Ares. Countless years had passed since then. There were times when I thought I had moved forward. There were times when I felt I had moved away.
Ares… or rather, Zack being chosen as the hero was mere coincidence.
I didn’t choose him. He was a boy who became a hero through his own power.
Zack, who took on the role of hero in place of his dead friend Ares. It took no small amount of courage for me to appear before him. I was prepared for whatever harsh words he might throw at me.
— Yet, at the same time, I knew he wasn’t that kind of person.
[Zack, I acknowledge you as the hero.]
After the incident in the Great Forest of Rozolof, I appeared before Zack and said these words.
In response, Zack made a sad face and said:
“That’s not right, Prophet. I am Ares. Right?”
[…Are you sure about this?]
“Of course. The hero is Ares. If possible, I’d like you to declare this in front of everyone. Can you do that for me?”
Zack said to me with a troubled smile.
That was all. Even though Ares died because I made him a hero, he didn’t mention that at all. That made my guilt even heavier.
Later, as he wished, I appeared before the public and declared Ares as the hero.
After gathering powerful hero candidates like Leon, Maria, and Solon as companions, Ares was recognized as the hero by the king, becoming a hero in name and reality.
Leonard once said:
“Perhaps a hero is a down-to-earth person with an indomitable spirit? Someone who never gives up no matter what. Of course, being strong is a given, but it’s not just that. It’s about strength of heart, you know? Someone with that kind of strength becomes a hero.”
A person just as he described had finally appeared.
Ares had already overcome numerous trials. He had defeated all the demon folk who had come to kill the hero.
This wasn’t due to Ares’s individual power, but largely thanks to the help of his companions. Leon could defeat any monster, Maria could heal any wound. Solon saw through all the demon lord army’s schemes. Strangely, these three exerted more power than when they themselves were hero candidates.
They might defeat the demon lord.
However, at this rate, the war itself would continue with the demon lord’s army overwhelming the opposition.
I’m aware that there are already lives that have slipped through our fingers.
But if we can save Leonard, if we can defeat Belzera here, many lives can be saved. The refugees that Leonard and the others tried to protect should be saved too.
Perhaps this might be a detour in defeating the demon lord. I might be failing as a prophet. Even so, I wanted Ares to save Leonard.
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)
The poll is open again, please vote!!!
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
