v1c3 part1 (1/2)

The day after Kyle swore to become a hero, he sat in his room thinking.

He was thinking about how he was going to be a hero.

“Heeey~ Do you mind?”

While Kyle was deep in his thoughts, Seran came in without knocking.

“Whoa, what’s up with your room?”

Seran was shocked at what he was seeing.

The desk Kyle was facing had books spread everywhere. Everything surrounding his desk was filled with books as well.

All of the books were brought over from Seraiya’s collection. The genre of the books spanned a wide range.

Books dealt with topics ranging from legends, heroes, knowledge on magic, and lifestyles of demons and historic battles.

“I’ve never been thankful of my mother’s collection until today. All the knowledge I need right in front of me. Anyways, what’s up?”

Kyle closed the book he was reading.

“Umm…are you serious about be coming a hero?”

Seran sat on the bed and popped the question.

“Yeah, no doubt. And I need to be one fast.”

He replied without looking at Seran.

“But you can’t be a hero just because you want to be one.”

“That’s why I’m struggling…do you have any idea how I can become a hero?”

He asked Seran.

“Well~ defeat the demon king and you’ll instantly be a hero!”

“…If that was possible, I wouldn’t be thinking this hard.”

Kyle let out a big sigh.

“There’s no method that’s guaranteed to make anyone a hero…but I’ve began to realize what’s needed. Seran, do you know what I’m talking about?”

“Of course….you need strength…right?”

All the past heroes were praised for their extraordinary strength.

“Well…obviously…In my opinion, it’s money, connections, and luck.”

“Seems strange. But it’s somewhat convincing.”

“First, money. This is because heroes shouldn’t expect anything in return. For example, let’s say you’re in a rural village that’s been attacked by demons and you’re coincidentally there. What would you do?”

“Well...if it’s my first time there, I’d look for cute girls.”

“You’re off from the start. You’d need to ward off the attack. When you do, you’d most likely receive compensation. But what if you don’t receive the award? What if you say that helping those in need is your obligation? And just walked off?”

“That would be overwhelming. I’d probably be a legend in that village.”

“A courageous act without demanding anything in return. Doesn’t that sound heroic? This can’t be done without any spare money though.”

“I see what you mean now. If you say so, you can do a lot with money.”

Seran nodded in agreement.

“Next, I need connections. This goes hand in hand with money, but whenever someone tries to do something, connections come in handy. The more respected your connections are, the better it would be.”

“Ah, I see. Being backed by respected people in power would help a lot.”

“In essence, it’s give and take.”

“You’re slowly moving away from your goal of becoming a hero.”

“Anyways, if I’m a.s.sociating with highly respected people, my reputation will naturally rise as well. If I have money and a good reputation, I can accomplish a lot. But I still can’t become a hero with just those two.”

“So the last thing you need is luck?”

“Exactly.”

Kyle said this was the hardest part.

“I see….luck…that’s something you can’t really work for.”

“And plain luck won’t suffice. The luck a hero needs is different from ordinary luck.”

Heroes s.h.i.+ne in times of war, sadness, confusion, and grief.

Also, the worse the situation is, the brighter they s.h.i.+ne.

“In other words, I need the luck to be there when something terrible happens. Only then can I become a hero.”

“Are you saying…………”

“Relax, I’m not planning anything bad to benefit myself. I don’t even have to do anything bad; the world has a lot of danger already. Something bad is always happening somewhere.”

“I know….but to be placed in those situations is completely dependent on…luck…You can’t do much about it can you?”

“Well…I have a trick to make it happen, so nothing to worry about.”

Kyle flapped the thin notebook that was on his desk.

The things written in this notebook are filled with terrible things that are to happen in the next four years.

Other than large-scale invasions that can’t be helped, there are some things that can be prevented with adequate preparation.

There’s too many things and too little time to handle all of them, but something that’s too easy to handle won’t amount to much heroism.

Heroes always act swiftly when something comes up.

It might hurt more people in the process but if it means changing the seemingly hopeless fate of the world, it must be done.

“I will do anything to be a hero. Even if it’s unfair.”

“Doesn’t that defeat the entire purpose of being a hero?”

“Don’t worry. I’m only say this kind of stuff in front of you.”

“I see…I forgot to ask the big question. Why do you want to become a hero?”

“I suppose you’re curious huh?”

Seran initially thought that Kyle was going through p.u.b.erty and that it was messing with his mentality.

If that was the case, then Seran would have fully supported Kyle. But it was different.

He sensed that Kyle was determined more than ever.

“I can sense that you’re serious about this, but for some reason, I sense that your goal isn’t to become a hero; rather, you’re trying to be a hero to achieve some other objective.”

Kyle wasn’t expecting Seran to see right through his intentions, but it shows that they’ve been close friends for a long time.

There will be a time when Kyle will confess his true intentions. But it’s too early.

“You’re my best friend. You’re absolutely right. I do have a goal in mind. Regardless of whether you’ll believe me or not, I decided that it’s too early to tell anyone. I just hope you trust me on this one.”

“If you say so.”

Seran sat up straight. He knew it was pointless asking any further questions.

“Well, good luck my friend. I’ll always be supporting you.”

Seran waved as he left the room. Kyle just stared back at him with a puzzled look on his face.

“…Why does he sound like he doesn’t care?”

Kyle’s plans involved Seran.

“Whatever. I’ll deal with money by doing this and I want to meet that guy too. In terms of fame and reputation, I’ll just prevent the Arcane incident ….but my schedule is really tight.”

Either way, there’s not much I can do around here.

Kyle looked out the window. He knew he had to embark on a journey soon.

“So. I’m gonna go on a trip.”

“A trip…?”

The next day, Kyle reported his plans to Leila.

“Did you tell Seraiya about this?”

“I did…she cried a little, but she understood.”

“She is overprotective….what did you tell Lowell?”

“Lowe….? Oh…my father….wait…when’s he coming back? Did he come back? Whatever. I’ll just tell him when I see him.”

“Show some respect. I do think that going around on a trip is a good idea. With your current strength and power, you’d be able to handle most problems along the way. By the way, take Seran with you.”

“That was my original plan. Are you sure that’s fine with you?”

“Use him to block arrows or magic. He has other uses. He can be your subst.i.tute and you can sacrifice him if you feel like.”

“I’m not going to waste him like that. Unless I absolutely have to, I won’t sacrifice him.”

“You’re seriously debating this right in front of me? Give me a break.”

Seran complained.

“What about my opinion?”

“You have no say. I’ve always wanted you and Kyle to explore the world to understand the harsh reality.”

Kyle knew that regardless of anybody’s intentions, he would be forced on a journey within a year.