The False Hero, Volume 4, page 25
Even though I know what can happen to people who make enemies of the nobility, the words just came out before I knew it.
After that, the noblewoman began to target me, as well. Not because she had some deep hatred toward me but simply as a way to get at my old master.
A lot of things happened, and eventually, I found myself wrapped up in a crime investigation. Of course, I never did anything wrong, but when it’s an apprentice mage’s word against an established noble, the truth doesn’t matter.
Fine, then! I’ll just come out and say it!
“Lutz.” He eyes me with a serious expression. “Am I … weak?”
“Weak? Of course not. You’re stronger than nearly everyone I’ve seen in this world.”
“Yeah, but compared to you and the others…”
He finally seems to realize the meaning of my words. “Is that what this has been about? You feel like you’re inadequate?”
I give a simple nod.
Lutz opens his mouth to say something but hesitates. He continues to stare at me for several seconds before finally speaking.
“It’d be rude to lie to you, only telling you what you want to hear, so I’ll just tell you the truth. You’ve got good battle instincts, but your stats are lacking. Even your highest stat is eclipsed by both me and Laya. On top of that, you have no Unique Skills to give you an edge over other people. By all accounts, you’re average.”
Everything he said is true, and yet it still hurts to hear.
“However,” he continues, “none of that matters.”
“How could it not matter? This is a battle for survival, and we may end up fighting against the Lord of Chaos himself! Doesn’t it make more sense to find a more competent mage!?”
I end up yelling at him, despite him only telling me what I already know.
“Yeah, that does make sense. But again, it doesn’t matter.”
“Are you crazy? There’s no way you’d actually believe something like that!”
Lutz moves from the entrance and sits down on Alisha’s bedroll which lies beside mine. “There’s something far more important than any of that. Something that no amount of stats or Unique Skills could make up for.”
“T-there’s such a thing…?”
“Ever since coming to this world, I’ve been betrayed and abandoned more times than I care to remember. I couldn’t bring myself to trust anyone, going as far as to only keep slaves close to me out of fear of another betrayal.”
“Yet, despite believing that I was the False Hero, destined to destroy this world, you still put your faith in me—trusted me. At that time, nothing could have made me happier, Belle. And it wasn’t some amazing S-class adventurer, some high noble, or some rich and powerful merchant who helped lift me from the depths of that despair—it was you.”
As his words sink in, I feel my face begin to flush. I don’t even have to look in a mirror to know that my cheeks are a deep shade of red.
“Lutz … is that really how you feel?”
“Of course! You’ve got a place here with us for as long as you want to stay by our side. If it came to a choice between having either you or the Goddess herself watch my back during battle, then it’s not really a choice at all—obviously, I’d choose you!”
Despite my attempts to keep them inside, I feel the warmth of tears begin running down my flushed cheeks.
This guy really is a devil…
But he’s the devil I fell in love with…
“Jeez,” I say as I wipe away the tears. “You sure do like to make girls cry, don’t you!”
“It’s become a hobby of mine, I guess.” He gives me one of his devious smiles, causing my heart to quicken.
“Well, get used to me then, because I’m not going anywhere anytime soon!”
“Hah, good. Without you, there’d be nobody around to start all the trouble that makes time fly during our journey.”
“That’s right! Of course I couldn’t leave you to be bored out of your mind during the weeks of travel!”
Before I realize it, my turbulent thoughts have vanished, and I know without a doubt that they won’t be returning.
“Oh, right. I keep meaning to ask you something.” Lutz smirks at me, and I know to prepare myself for something ridiculous. “Want me to brush your hair?”
Eh!? He’s going with that!?
“As if! I’m not a child like Laya and Alisha! I’m a proper adult!”
“Oh, really? Back on my world, people weren’t considered an adult until the age of 18, so by my standards, you have two more years to go.”
“Good thing we’re not on your world then!”
“Ah, well you got me there. Guess I’ll have to start thinking of you as an adult then, huh? Well, starting tomorrow maybe.”
“Start today! Right now!”
“Haha. I’ll consider it.”
Lutz stands, and I do the same, suddenly feeling like this dark and stuffy tent is a bit too constricting.
“I’m going to go help Laya with setting up the rest of the camp,” I say to him.
“In that case, I’ll do the same. Might as well knock it out quickly so we can enjoy our vacation, right?”
We exit the tent, and Laya looks at us. She takes in the smiles on our faces, and her normally cool face seems to fill with relief.
Really. What was I thinking, worrying them like that? It’s not like me.
I make a vow to not let myself be overtaken by those worthless thoughts again as I walk toward Laya with steady steps.
Chapter 17: Hot Spring Resort
----- Lutz -----
“What do you girls think?” I ask the girls after giving them a long explanation.
“So let me get this straight,” Belle says. “You want to construct a road that goes from the highway to this hot spring, build a wall around the water, and then put a building to use as a reception area for guests.”
“That’s right. It’ll be like a mini-resort!”
“And how exactly do you intend to accomplish all of that? Are we going to stay here for weeks until it’s all completed?”
“Eh? No way. I plan to have it all finished in a couple days tops.”
“Again, how?”
“Don’t worry about the fine details, just leave it to me!”
“Authorization to build?” Laya asks.
“Got it right here.” I pull out a letter, stamped with Marquis Frans seal.
“Lutz. Is that where you went off to last night?”
“Haha. Surprise! I figured I’d put that teleportation circle I placed near Antara to use. Met up with Frans last night and had an interesting conversation with him. In the end, he saw the wisdom in building a resort here and gave me his blessing.”
“Jeez.” Belle shakes her head. “Threatening a high noble for something like this?”
“Well he owed us a favor for saving his neck by rescuing Lumina, so after I revealed a bit about what I knew, he became very obedient.”
Tylith’s smile tells me she agrees with my actions, so I give her a thumbs up. For some reason, she forces a neutral expression back onto her face and turns from me.
Heh. Still get embarrassed about stuff like that, huh? How cute.
“If we’re all in agreement, let’s head back to town and let the mayor know what we’re doing.”
There’s no need for all of us to go, so Laya and Belle decide to stay behind to relax and keep an eye on our camping gear. That leaves me, Alisha, and Tylith to make the trip to town on our own. We do so without incident, taking the most direct path to the mayor’s mansion.
The gate is open, so we walk right in, waving to the groundskeeper as we pass by. It’s a young woman this time who’s doing her best to maintain the small flower garden, despite obviously being unaccustomed to such work.
The usual servant answers the door and after a short wait in the reception room, we find ourselves back in front of the mayor.
“Good to see you again, Sir Wilhelm.”
“The pleasure’s mine, Rune. It’s good to have a young lad like yourself visit from time to time.”
“I’m glad to hear you feel that way. I know you must be busy, so I was worried we’d be bothering you.”
“Nonsense! These old bones won’t have any problems keeping up with my work just because I have a couple visitors!” He straightens himself in his chair as he speaks in an attempt to emphasize his words. “So tell me Rune, have you been enjoying your stay at the hot spring?”
“We spent all day yesterday just relaxing and working on small projects for simple pleasure, taking a dip in the water whenever we want. It was definitely worth the trip, right?” I look to Alisha and Tylith.
“Yeah! But I wish there were more monsters!” Alisha’s fangs peek out from beneath her upper lip as her mouth curls into a smile.
“I have to agree with Ali—Tama.” Tylith barely manages to catch herself before giving out her real name.
“At least the younglings are focused.” The mayor nods in approval.
“Can’t disagree with you there. I’ll make sure to take them on a hunt soon. Besides, it’s a necessary part of the plan, as long as I can get your approval for it.”
“A plan that involves battling monsters? I’m never against keeping the area around the town safe by disposing of dangerous creatures, but I’ll need to hear the details first.”
“Certainly. You see, I ran into that little gang of kids again. They were going from one shop to the next, looking for work. Unfortunately, they weren’t having any luck…”
“Ah, that’s heartbreaking to hear, but to be honest, it’s expected when you consider the future of this town…”
“Yeah, I feel the same way. But after giving it some thought, I came up with an idea. The hot spring is less than a half-hour’s walk from town, but hardly anyone uses it, right?”
“That’s correct. Adventurers used to frequent it on their way to and from the dungeon, but each time an average citizen visits it, they risk running into a monster. Even the roads are dangerous as things are, so it’s simply not worth a trek through the unclaimed lands to reach it.”
“Agreed. But what if it were safe enough to visit without worry?”
Wilhelm looks thoughtful for a while, no doubt considering how a hot spring that can be reached without fear would change the situation. I take a sip of the cool water in front of me as I wait patiently for him to sort through his thoughts.
Knowing how intelligent he is, he’s probably already seeing where I’m going with this.
“Yes, that would be beneficial in some ways, but the cost of building the roadway alone would strip away all of the short-term gains, wouldn’t it? By the time having an accessible hot spring begins returning a profit to the town, it will simply be too late.”
“Normally, maybe. But I’ll be staying at the hot springs for about a week, and during that time, I can get all of the work completed. It’s not just the road. I’m going to fence in the hot spring and place a building to use as a reception area for guests.
I’ll take care of finding the workers to complete all the construction. I’ve already got my first stop in mind. Oh, and I’ll also pay for the labor and material costs so there’s no need to worry about coming up with a huge pile of coins up-front. All I need from you is your blessing.”
Even Wilhelm couldn’t imagine that I’d suddenly talk about building a resort, so we end up sitting in silence for several seconds while he digests my words.
“Why is it that you’re so willing to help us? Even offering to finance a large undertaking like this for the sake of this dying town and a group of orphans…”
“It’s just something I decided to do. That’s all there is to it.”
“I’m happy that there are youngsters like yourself willing to lend a hand to the less fortunate, but I’m afraid I can’t authorize the project.”
“And why is that?”
“I told you last time that the hot spring is outside this town’s borders. We’d have to get permission from Marquis Frans if we want to commercialize it.”
“About that…” I pull out a letter from my coat pocket and slide it in front of the mayor.
He picks it up and reads the name inked onto the sealed envelope. “It’s addressed to me? And this seal belongs to the Marquis.”
I see recognition in his eyes as he looks to me. “It’s as you expect, but you may as well open it to make sure, right?”
He does as I suggest, and I watch calmly as his eyes scan the letter contained within the envelope. After finishing, he places it onto the table and lets out a sigh.
“I don’t know how you managed it, but if Marquis Frans has given his permission for me to build a resort on the land, then I guess I have no objections.”
“Excellent. In that case, I’ll get started right away. There’re a lot of things I need to take care of before the week’s out.”
“I’ll be happy to help in any way.”
“Thanks. If it comes to that, I’ll be counting on you.”
With our business finished, Alisha, Tylith, and I say our goodbyes and walk out of the manor. As we step onto a path that leads from the front door to the gate, I see two men walk into the manor grounds.
Other than their bald heads, the rest of their bodies are covered by thick, cloudy-white robes. The simple garments droop loosely around them, the hems nearly touching the ground.
They’re entering on the same path we’re using to leave, so we’ll naturally cross paths in the process, but as we near each other, the two men stop in their tracks and look at us.
I ignore their stares and lead the girls past them and out of the gate. They continue to watch us as we turn the corner and step onto the road that lies just in front of the mayor’s manor.
They were weak, but what was that strange mana? It felt like an artifact, but somehow … different.
I tag the two men on my [Minimap] just in case and see them enter the mayor’s mansion.
Well, I’ll just keep an eye on them for now.
“Would you mind sharing our next destination, human?” Tylith’s harsh tongue lashes out, pulling me back from my thoughts.
“A bar on the eastern edge of the town.”
“A bar? Do you intend to drink this early in the morning?”
“Of course not. If I wanted to do that, I’d get a much finer brew than a town like this can offer. No, what I’m after is not drink but people.”
“Eh? Is there someone here we know, Master?”
“Yup. Look forward to it.”
As usual, the town is buzzing with activity thanks to its recent windfall, and although most of the adventurers are on the western edge of the kingdom fighting Chaos, a few can still be seen roaming the streets.
The ones that remain are simply too weak to be useful on the front lines, and low level adventurers don’t have much coin to spare, so the town can’t rely on them to fill its coffers.
According to Belle, the kingdom performs a draft every year on adventurers in order to conscript them into the army. However, weaker adventurers are left out of the draft in hopes that they’ll grow stronger over the course of the next year and be more useful on the battlefield. Plus, a certain number of adventurers are needed to keep the kingdom from crumbling.
Of the ones who are strong enough for recruitment, a random draft is performed publicly in each city where there’s a branch of the adventurer’s guild, and by the end, around half of them will be called into service.
A handful of powerful adventurers lucky enough to not have their name drawn in the drafts are lingering around, but their pockets aren’t deep enough to keep an entire town afloat.
Since the town is relatively small, it’s not long before the bar comes into view. I look to Alisha and see a wide smile on her face. She picked up their mana a while back and is obviously anticipating our reunion.
“They made it out safely!” Alisha says cheerfully.
“Yup. They’d have to really mess up not to after the advantages I gave them.”
Tylith listens curiously but doesn’t ask any questions.
Soon, we’re pushing open the creaky door and stepping inside the bar. There are about ten large, wooden tables loosely placed in a purposeful pattern of rows, with just enough space between them to walk by without bumping into any of the cheap chairs that surround them.
Despite it being early in the morning, several of the tables are filled with patrons, but since this bar serves food as well, most of the drinking is just a supplement to their breakfast, rather than the main course itself. That’s not the case for all of them, as one table in particular has a rough, rowdy bunch of men with large mugs of alcohol and not a scrap of food in sight.
Ignoring everyone else, we walk to a group of four who are enjoying a weak morning drink as they sip on the thin soup in their bowls between bites of bread. There are only six chairs at their table, so I grab an extra from nearby and slide it to a small opening.
“Hey fellas,” I say as Alisha, Tylith, and I take a seat at the table with them.
“S-sir Lutz!” Kalyn says in shock.
She’s as cute as ever, with her expressive face giving away nearly every thought that passes through her mind. The mage robe she’s wearing is a bit worn but nothing that can’t be fixed with a night of sewing from a practiced hand.
Ina saw us as we approached, so she merely gives me a nod. Her simple garments cover most of her bare flesh while being loose-fitting enough to prevent them from restricting her movements, and the sheaths holding her two daggers disappear beneath her pants’ waistline, leaving only the hilts poking out.
“It’s me, in the flesh.” They look confused, but I continue without explaining. “We finished our business in the dungeon, so we’re on a little vacation in this town to rest before continuing on. I happened to notice you four and figured I’d come say hello.”
“That mean you’re a Conqueror now?” Devin’s wearing his usual leather armor, his short sword sitting in its scabbard at his waist.
