Chapter 253: Betrayal…?

After a while Erika pulled herself together. I held her hand and walked toward Filim Academy.

We had just come out from 1st Street onto the avenue around the royal castle. It was three, so the flow of people was not that heavy.

Around five it would fill with people going home, but in an hour or two it would look like this again.

Erika laced her fingers with mine, squeezed our joined hands, stared at me with flat eyes, and patted me with her free hand, pos pos, in that cute way.

"You had everything prepared already, did you not?"

"I did not. Proof is that we are going to Croana now to ask if she can make the Magic Tools."

"Muuuu~! You do not understand, Raide-san. What happens if we sell this?"

"Hahaha. I understand. Erika’s funds increase."

"So you do understand!"

Pos pos pos pos pos pos!

She puffed her cheeks, flushed, and kept patting me. To get her to forgive me I kissed her forehead gently.

She froze for an instant, then started the continuous pats again. "I will not be distracted."

Sateur and the others watched us, laughing happily, but their eyes still moved now and then as if watching the area. Impressive, as expected.

I suddenly felt a gaze and looked toward a building’s shadow with my eyes only. No one was there.

Today’s guard, Shuna, was watching the area from a nearby roof even closer than Sateur and the others, so I did not think anyone suspicious would come near.

But the feeling of a gaze was not something to take lightly. I would stay alert too, just in case.

By the time the academy came into view, Erika had recovered quite a bit.

I was the cause, so I did feel sorry...

Now we walked making small talk, smiling at each other now and then. Erika happily told me about the camping training and how the classroom usually was.

She had been talking, then as if she remembered something she turned her face to me and asked.

"Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask."

"Something you want to ask? If it is something I can answer..."

"It is not difficult. In the academy materials heroes are introduced as three, and that is how we understand it as well. But at some point you said there were four heroes... which is correct?"

"...Three, I suppose."

"That way of speaking has something behind it. May I ask why?"

I answered three with a sour face. My attitude must have looked like I was not convinced, and Erika found that funny, because she laughed, kus kusu, and pressed.

I had not thought she would remember what I said to the students at the start. I had figured it was bad and said three after that... I could not take her lightly.

I smiled wryly, rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand, pointed at the academy, said "Inside, all right?", and went in through the door beside the main gate.

"It is nothing. In my mind there is a fourth, that is all. Not three."

"In your mind, is it?"

We walked toward the principal’s office. I said it to Erika on my right as if it were nothing.

She tilted her head and asked back. I looked at her, nodded, and climbed the stairs as if drawing her along by our joined hands.

"It is common knowledge that you can only call yourself a hero once the people recognize you. Royal commendations, medals, traces, all of that mixes in and you get called a hero. But even in places the people never see, there was someone who helped people, served the country, and risked his life for just one person. I know that, and I call him a hero on my own. That is all."

"Who in the world is it? The one you call a hero... if I can, I would like to meet him and talk."

"...He was executed."

"Eh...?"

I said it as soon as we reached the third floor. Erika looked startled and covered her mouth with her right hand.

I gave her stopped body a light tug so she would move, squeezed our joined hands as if to say not to worry, and started down the hall.

Erika looked apologetic. I smiled with a troubled face and went on.

"Do not worry about it. It is a story from twenty years ago already. A finished story. The kingdom ’decided.’ There was probably proper evidence."

"If it is hard to say you do not have to answer. Um... the charge?"

"Because he betrayed them and tried to go over to the enemy country, they say."

"Betrayal...?"

Erika furrowed her brow with a doubtful look. I nodded with a wry smile.

The big wins and losses with the neighboring country were settled in the recent war, but small clashes had been happening now and then for a long time.

The ones who saved the people from those clashes, protected the country, and made their names were the heroes.

Those guys, heroes... hahaha. I almost snorted.

"True enough... to the people, the ones who saved more than ten thousand are heroes, not the one who saved a single person. No matter what is behind it."

"Raide-san...?"

"Even so I respect the three heroes. Saving countless people is a magnificent feat you cannot do by half measures. But in my mind he is... he is the real hero."

The players in Overworld might think so too, I added in my heart.

I had never seen a board post like that, never read one, never seen it discussed.

But a man who fought thousands of enemy soldiers alone to keep a promise with one village and one girl was, without a doubt, a hero.

My hand was squeezed hard. I started and looked at Erika. She was smiling gently.

"I would have liked to meet him. The one hero you acknowledge."

"You wanted to meet him... huh."

"...?"

"No. You are right. I would have wanted to introduce him. Not only to you, Erika. To the students too."

I said that with a happy smile. Erika went blank and tilted her head.

Sorry, Erika. You cannot meet someone who was executed.

While we talked we reached the principal’s office. I let go of Erika’s hand and knocked.

When Croana’s voice answered I opened the door and went in.

Erika followed behind. Before she entered she muttered, "He is alive...?" I decided I had not heard that.

Croana

I thought Raide and Erika had come, and right away Raide said he needed to use the toilet and left.

While he was gone I talked with Erika and was startled to hear the hero story from just now.

I was so startled it came out of my mouth before I thought.

"Why does that man know something from twenty years ago?"

"...That is true. Twenty years ago Raide-san would have been nine. If you say that is the age to admire heroes, perhaps... but..."

"I remember that matter myself. But this is only between us... it should have been hidden. It should not have been reported to the people."

"Meaning there are no records left in books, or in the academy library?"

"Mm. If anywhere, it would be the castle archives."

Because one young man betrayed them, a whole village was wiped out.

Worse, they said he used a curse magic that must never be used. The site is still off limits and watched as territory of the three heroes.

The young man caught by the kingdom met no one and was quietly executed, I heard.

This was done by King Adom’s father, the previous king. The secrecy is high. Even I only know this much.

"Shall I use magic that sees through lies?"

"N hahaha! Fia-nee, you do not need magic. I only have to smell him."

"Honestly, if you start sniffing Raide will notice, will he not?"

"Naah~, true. When it comes to us he is sensitive..."

"Sisters, it is fine. I only wondered a little."

"That is right. Please do not mind it."

While Erika and I drank tea and worried, the sisters sitting on the sofa made cheerful suggestions.

I smiled and turned them down, but then they started thinking how to draw it out of him, which made me laugh.

I stroked the bracelet on my right wrist with my left hand, looked at Erika, and smiled in that troubled way.

Erika had probably thought the same thing. When she looked at my face she tilted her head a little and smiled wryly.

"Just in case, I think it would be good to ’share’ this."

"Seems so. Whisper it later, would you? I will send it on to everyone."

"Thank you very much, Croana-san."

"No need for thanks. It is for ’our’ lover, is it not?"

When I said that we looked at each other and laughed happily. The sisters heard us and smiled too.

They really were right to call him a Handful.

Maybe I will have Hiero-dono name the next Magic Tool.