There were familiar faces revealing themselves.

Adwin tilted his head and asked,

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

“They’re here.”

“Who are?”

I didn’t answer and just looked toward the inn’s entrance.

Creak.

Maybe it was just me, but the door seemed to open extremely slowly.

Four people appeared.

Offense. Still has that utterly featureless face.

Our eyes met, but both of us pretended not to know each other.

Serein. Still acting cutesy and innocent.

For a priest, she’s got a pitch-black heart. I thought the same back with Xenia — the Celestial God really has no eye for people.

Lisel. You’re still hiding behind Kaeld like a chick trailing its mother hen.

And then…

‘Kaeld.’

His slightly coarse red hair was tied tightly behind him.

An innocent face with big eyes.

Behind that mask of a perfectly kind young man, just how many sins have you committed?

I swallowed hard and whispered very quietly,

“Don’t turn your head — just listen. Kaeld and his group are here.”

“……!”

“Offense probably described what we look like. If he hides that, Kaeld might get suspicious.”

“Right. Should we go say hi first?”

“Hmm. Not sure.”

At my vague response, Xenia spoke up.

“For now, it’s best we observe. Seems like they haven’t recognized us yet.”

“They’ll probably notice soon. Should I use magic?”

“Neril’s mana is too unique — it’ll stand out immediately. I should do it.”

“One of them is a priest, that little girl. You’d stand out even more.”

Then Adwin said,

“Then I’ll use necromancy to hide us a bit. Doesn’t look like they have a necromancer, so they won’t notice.”

Adwin began to chant a spell.

Soon, our presence began to fade.

Almost like top-tier assassins going into stealth mode.

‘Still fascinating to see. I asked for that spell pretty often before the regression too.’

Just by slightly changing the soul’s color, it could fool the eyes of the living.

However—

Step, step.

Adwin, seemingly unaware of the approaching footsteps, spoke with full confidence.

“Haha. Behold. When I set my mind to it, a friend of the dead like me can easily…”

“This is our first meeting, Mide Mohan.”

“Who dares interrupt while I’m speaking?”

“Hm? Haha, amusing kid. I’m Kaeld Wake. Pleased to meet you.”

Kaeld gave a cheerful smile and winked at Adwin.

Adwin, and also Neril and Xenia, all stared at Kaeld, dumbfounded.

Adwin’s necromancy had clearly worked.

Yet Kaeld had found us with pinpoint accuracy, as if nothing unusual had happened.

For me, it was a sight I was sick of from before the regression, but it must’ve been a first for the others.

Tap.

Kaeld placed his hand on Adwin’s head and ruffled it.

“Necromancy, right? That’s impressive skill for your age.”

“Ugh… Mide-hyung, I’m sorry.”

Adwin looked on the verge of tears as he apologized to me.

I shook my head and looked up at Kaeld.

Then I said quietly, This text is hosted at novel-fire.ɴet

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

“Who said you could touch my comrade’s head?”

“…….”

“Take your hand off. Unless you want to die.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

The first to react was Serein.

She gave an awkward laugh and brought out her natural charm.

“Ahaha, um, why don’t we not fight and just have dinner together? The table’s big — what if we share?”

“…….”

“Ah, um, we should introduce ourselves first, right? I’m Serein, a priest. This plain-faced guy here is Offense. This pretty lady is Lisel. And then…”

When it was Kaeld’s turn, he cut her off and introduced himself.

“I said my name earlier, but I’ll say it again. Kaeld Wake, Hero.”

“Hah.”

Neril twisted her lips into a sneer.

Kaeld calmly crossed his arms and asked,

“Can I ask what that sneer means, Witch of Carnage?”

“You know me?”

“My intel network’s fairly broad. I thought it was ridiculous that someone called the Northern Hero, like Mide, would be traveling with someone as notorious as you.”

“……!”

“Mide, I know this might sound condescending since we just met, but I have to say it.”

He sat down on a chair no one had offered and crossed his legs.

“I admit it. You probably have some strange abilities. I’ve heard your personal skills are impressive.”

“…….”

“But hearing that you travel with the Witch of Carnage, I was sure you weren’t a true hero.”

Neril trembled slightly.

“Being with a woman like her only damages your reputation. You’re an amateur in every way.”

How laughable. He travelled with Neril before the regression too.

Clink.

Just then, the glass of water in front of Kaeld shattered.

It wasn’t any special magic — Neril had simply released her killing intent without restraint.

“Hey. You. Say that again.”

“I don’t make a habit of repeating myself.”

“…….”

“And sitting beside you is Xenia Seide, the God’s Agent. Laughing and chatting with a witch who should be locked up immediately. You think being a hero is child’s play?”

Now Xenia’s face hardened menacingly.

Kaeld, unfazed as ever, continued speaking.

“Oops, my bad. I apologize.”

“…….”

“If you go back and tell your father, I’ll be in trouble too.”

“You!”

This time, Kaeld turned his gaze to Adwin.

“Did you get proper permission from your parents?”

Ssshhk.

I slowly raised my clenched fist.

And then—

BOOM!

I slammed the table.

The thick, sturdy wooden table split perfectly in two.

Everyone fell silent.

In that silence, I spoke.

“I choose my own comrades. Neril, Xenia, Adwin — choosing them as my companions was the best decision of my life.”

“Ma-Mide…”

“Mide…”

“Hyung…”

As if they hadn’t expected me to say that, everyone stared at me in surprise.

I continued speaking to Kaeld.

“But that’s odd.”

“Hmm? What is?”

“From your past behaviour, I assumed you were a cautious type.”

“…….”

“Rather than picking a fight right away, I thought you’d assess the situation and carefully plan how to suppress my reputation and raise your own.”

At the mention of reputation, Kaeld gulped.

“So you do know…”

“But the fact that you’re provoking me instead…”

“…….”

“I see. You wanted to fight me from the beginning, didn’t you?”

This time, Kaeld’s eyes widened.

He looked genuinely shocked that I had seen through him so clearly.

I grinned and said,

“Looks like you’re trying to start a fight, and then during that fight, ‘accidentally’ kill me.”

“What nonsense…”

“But your provocation is low quality. None of my comrades would fall for something like that.”

At that, my party members awkwardly avoided my gaze.

Kaeld leaned in closer to me.

Then he smiled gently and spoke.

“Don’t slander me in front of my comrades. I wasn’t trying to start a fight — I was giving advice. But since you don’t seem to get it, I’ll be more direct.”

“…….”

“Stop chasing foolish dreams about being a hero and just go home. If you don’t have a home because you’re a wandering mercenary, I’ll build you one.”

“…….”

“My comrades and I are adventuring to kill the Demon King. We didn’t start this to get famous or rich. Each of us has a story and a noble cause — that’s why we rose up.”

I had to try pretty hard to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside me.

“Heroes—true heroes—should be people like this.”

“……”

“If you really want to make a name for yourself, fine. Come with us and defeat the Demon King. But don’t go around calling yourself a hero. With the continent on the brink of crisis, we can’t tolerate infighting among humanity.”

Ah. Couldn’t hold it in.

In the end, I burst out laughing.

“Puhaha!”

“Did I say something that funny?”

“Hey. I was trying to let it go, but…”

I stopped laughing and continued.

“You’re pretty full of yourself.”

“……”

“You’re the only hero? And who decided that? Did a divine revelation come down without me knowing?”

“……”

“I hate guys like you who bewitch people with silver tongues. Your earlier provocations were still low-quality, but fine—I’ll play along for now.”

Clink.

I grabbed the sword I’d left leaning nearby.

Both our party and his party stared with wide eyes.

Only Kaeld was watching me carefully.

I slowly stood up.

“Let’s have a round, self-proclaimed hero.”

Step. Step.

We were walking, looking for a place to fight.

Kaeld’s group walked about twenty steps ahead of us.

Neril whispered,

“Why did you take the bait on purpose?”

“There’s a personal reason and an official reason. Which one do you want first?”

“…The official one.”

I shrugged.

“As long as Kaeld is conscious of me, I won’t get a chance to talk with his party members. He’ll manage them tightly.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“But there’s someone I have to talk to. The core of this whole thing—Lisel Vint.”

“……”

“I’ll draw Kaeld’s attention while fighting him, so try to talk to Lisel during that time.”

Xenia tilted her head.

“What should I say? I can’t exactly greet her with ‘Lovely evening, isn’t it?’”

“Ask her to come to our inn at midnight tonight.”

“Mr. Mide… I mean, of course you’re very charming and all, but—”

“Huh?”

“She’s not going to come just from that. She’s clearly head over heels for Kaeld. Look.”

She pointed with her chin.

Even in the dark, you could see Lisel scurrying along just behind Kaeld.

I gave a soft laugh and said,

“Then add this: ‘I know you’re hiding something from your party.’”

“…! She’s hiding something? I didn’t get that impression.”

“It’s just a hunch.”

Xenia replied,

“Well, okay. If you say so, I trust there’s a reason.”

“Thanks.”

Just then, Adwin raised his hand.

“Hyung. So what’s the personal reason?”

“Oh, it’s nothing big.”

I shrugged again.

“That bastard made fun of my companions.”

“…!”

“Neril, you’ve never been a burden to me. If you’ve even had that thought, drop it immediately.”

“……”

“Xenia, same goes for you. You trusted your own eyes and chose to stand beside Neril. And there’s nothing wrong with respecting your father.”

“……”

“Adwin, you may be young, but you’re more composed and thoughtful than most adults.”

I continued slowly.

“Sure, maybe it was just to provoke me. But regardless, he said awful things to you all without knowing anything. So I figured I’d teach him a little lesson.”

Everyone’s faces turned red.

After a while, Neril finally spoke in a low voice.

“Did I ever tell you? Hm, maybe I didn’t. Why didn’t I? I should’ve…”

“Just say it.”

“I’ll just say it once.”

“……”

“Meeting you… was the greatest fortune of my life.”

Now it felt like my face was turning red.

Xenia opened her mouth.

“I was going to say that first…”

“Life’s all about timing, kid.”

“Urgh… Mr. Mide, I also think meeting you was—”

Just then, Adwin cut in loudly,

“A huge stroke of luck! For me too!”

“Hey!”

“Life’s all about timing. That’s what Neril noona said.”

Wham!

Xenia smacked Adwin on the head.

…What are you doing?

There was a wide open field just outside the Tetra estate.

Probably used as a training ground for soldiers in the past, though it seemed to have been relocated now.

Clang.

Kaeld unsheathed his sword and swung it once to loosen up.

“You should draw yours too.”

“Sure.”

I drew my own sword and took my stance.

From behind, I heard Serein whispering.

“Everyone, don’t worry too much. Mr. Kaeld isn’t the kind of person who kills indiscriminately. Offense, say something.”

“Mm. I agree.”

“Ugh. You’re so uncooperative.”

Neril responded with a smirk.

“We know someone who doesn’t just avoid killing indiscriminately—he never kills.”

“The Sword master of No Killing…”

“At first, I thought that was a stupid restriction. But now, I respect that rule and follow it too.”

“You must really like Mr. Mide.”

“Huh? What?”

“Hmm? Why are you pretending not to hear? Ah-ha~”

Just then, Kaeld quietly warned,

“Serein. Don’t talk to them.”

“What? I was just—”

“Step back. Mide, maybe you should ask your companions to do the same.”

I shrugged.

“Worried we’ll charm them over? Don’t trust your own party?”

“I just want to be thorough. It shows how much I care about them.”

“Nah, it’s just to put your own mind at ease.”

“You’ve got a sharp tongue. Whatever the case, make them step back. Or there’s no duel.”

“Not like I’m desperate to duel you or anything… but fine.”

I figured this would happen anyway.

I signaled with my eyes to Neril and the others.

They backed away until they stood nearly opposite Kaeld’s party.

Once they were far enough, Kaeld spoke up.

“I’ll give you the first move.”

“How arrogant. You don’t even know how strong I am.”

“Mide Mohan. Let me tell you one thing.”

He raised his sword with a soft smile.

“I never lose to anyone.”

“……”

“Heroes don’t lose.”

……

You got wrecked by the Demon King, though.

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