Once again, we set out to hunt monsters today.
Some poor folks with no money came asking for help, saying, “Goblins are nesting in the mountains.”
“Why am I still working as an adventurer when I’m not short on money?”
I grumbled as we made our way into the mountains in search of goblins.
“Because it’s your hobby, isn’t it?”
Efsei answered with a laugh.
“It’s not a hobby. If anything, it’s more like a way to kill time. But I’m getting on in years now, so I’d like to retire soon.”
I’m already in my late thirties. My body is starting to feel the strain. I want to take it easy soon.
“I heard that Vince, the hero of the frontier, was still hunting monsters alone even after he turned forty. Compared to that, we’ve got it easy with the four of us, don’t we?”
Sophia poked me from behind with her staff.
Sophia is a mage, but she’s kept up her training consistently, so even as she’s aged, she doesn’t find mountain walking difficult. Apparently, physical activity is good for health and beauty, but I’m not sure if that’s true. Still, Sophia has maintained her beauty to this day.
“Don’t compare me to those hero types. They’re monsters. I’m just a blacksmith’s son after all. It’s unreasonable to compare us.”
To me, Mr. Vince, his son Luke, and his grandson Zack are all heroes.
There’s no way I could ever be like them.
“No, Leonard, you’re a fine hero too. You keep fighting monsters for the sake of others, don’t you? Even if the rewards are meager.”
Nina, who was energetically walking at the front, turned back to say this. This girl always seems excited about any request as long as it helps people.
I certainly don’t think it’s good that the rewards are small.
It’s just that after the Demon King was defeated, many people couldn’t afford to pay much in the devastated world, so we accepted requests cheaply. That just continued until now. I never intended to pose as a hero.
“Being a hero is a thankless job. Even Zack, I’m not sure if he’ll end up happy.”
The story of how the hero Ares was actually a different person named Zack had become famous. It spread throughout the world as a touching tale, though it’s hard to say if it’s true or not.
For me, it was shocking for a different reason.
“Maybe Zack should have just stayed in that farming village, hiding his identity instead of returning to the kingdom…”
Just as I was about to say that, the cave we were looking for came into view.
However, in front of the cave stood four people who looked like adventurers.
“Who are they? Did our request overlap with another village’s?”
Efsei muttered, sounding annoyed.
That wouldn’t really be a problem for us.
The reward for the request we accepted was truly small, so it wouldn’t hurt much if we lost it. But these people looked familiar.
One of them, a man with chestnut-colored hair, was waving towards us.
“Is that… Zack?”
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“I’ve been looking for you, Leonard. I never imagined you’d be out here defeating monsters for people who can’t afford to pay.”
Zack called out to Leonard with an carefree smile.
The goblins that had been using the cave as their den had already been defeated by Zack and his companions.
Leonard couldn’t hide his confusion.
“Why are you guys here? The future king, the sword saint, the saintess, and the great sage? Don’t tell me you’re on some kind of vacation in a place like this?”
“That’s certainly not the case, Leonard.”
Leon responded to Leonard’s sarcasm. There was a count’s dignity in his voice.
“As Zack said, we came looking for you. By order of the Queen.”
“The Queen? Why?”
Leonard and his companions are just adventurers, so they should technically show respect to Zack and the others who hold higher positions. However, Leonard deliberately maintained a casual tone. That was part of his pride as an adventurer.
“The Queen wishes to reward those who made significant contributions in the fight against the Demon King’s army. Please do come.”
Maria smiled. Her expression was soft, but there was an undeniable pressure behind it.
Nina unconsciously took a step back. It seemed she still couldn’t shake off her fear of Maria.
“Contributions? We didn’t act for the sake of the kingdom. We did it because we wanted to. We don’t need any rewards.”
Leonard rejected the offer, unfazed by the pressure. Maria’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Well… I can understand that feeling.”
Solon, who tended to be contrary and disliked authority, sympathized with Leonard.
“But I want you to come, Leonard.”
Zack looked straight at Leonard.
“Why?”
“Before coming here, I asked around about you guys. At taverns in various places, of course, but also the knights of Arcand, merchants from Novaria, the village head of Gastan, and others.”
“…What did they say about me?”
Leonard showed a bit of interest in Zack’s words.
“They said you’re an unpleasant guy.”
“Heh heh heh…”
Leonard’s face twisted into a laugh, as if he found it incredibly funny.
“Actually, I heard the same thing when I asked before. This was before we fought Belzera. Everyone said, ‘He’s not the kind of person who could be a hero’s companion. He’s greedy and only fights for himself.'”
“That’s an accurate assessment. I am that kind of person.”
Leonard shrugged.
“It seems so. But this time, when I asked again, I heard different stories too.”
“Different stories?”
“A knight from Arcand said, ‘He was an unpleasant guy who would use any means to win, but he was someone who could fight for the people right in front of him. A hero is supposed to save everyone, but that guy was the type to save a hundred people nearby, so we couldn’t recommend him as a hero’s companion.'”
“………..”
Leonard remembered that knight. He had lost his son in that battle and should have been blaming Leonard.
“A merchant from Novaria also said, ‘He always demanded money, but he did the work to match. He knew the value of life. He was an unpleasant business partner, but we couldn’t let him die, so we didn’t want to make him a hero’s companion.'”
Leonard gave a wry smile, thinking about how that merchant had always complained about him.
“The village head of Gastan said, ‘He was truly an unpleasant person. Despite helping people, he never told me about it and just kept threatening me. He probably wanted to make me a victim in the embezzlement scandal. To lessen my crime when the time came. He’s really an unpleasant person.’ He also said he wants you to visit the village sometime.”
Leonard looked up at the sky. It wasn’t like he wanted to be understood. He was fine with being the villain.
“Really, you guys are hopeless…”
Sophia told the grumbling Leonard.
“You’re just a blacksmith’s son and a good person at heart. It’s useless to try and act bad.”
“That’s right,” “Indeed,” Efsei and Nina laughed in agreement.
“What’s with you guys? Are you that eager to be praised by royalty?”
Leonard looked at his companions in exasperation.
“Of course. It feels good to be praised. You’re just being difficult. This doesn’t happen often, so why don’t you just go along with it?”
At Sophia’s words, Leonard shook his head.
“Even if we go, we’re talking about the kingdom, right? Do you realize how far that is? We can’t waste that much time just to receive some words of praise.”
“Ah, that won’t be a problem.”
Solon cut in as Leonard was making excuses.
“What do you mean?”
“My magic can take us there and back in an instant.”
The great sage closed off Leonard’s last escape route.
Because of that volume 1 fan translation in this site will be removed in the near future
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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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