Yes, it's that simple.

　Putting the organization itself at risk for the sake of one person's feelings. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I couldn't agree more.

　That's why Saint Mattia said no indiscretions would be tolerated.

　You don't have to tell me, but I don't think I want to do that. It would be the work of an unthinking fool who would only cause trouble for those around him.

　That's why - if I'm going to take action, I should do it alone.

　It is the time when the darkness of the night fills the space and makes the earth sleep. I stare at the street, eyes glazed over. I put a chewing tobacco in my mouth and feel a pleasant smell pass through my nostrils. The horse's hooves pounded on the well-laid stonework of the street.

　There was no one around. I didn't bring anyone with me. Thinking about it, there's been a lot of noise lately. It was unthinkable in the past.

　The strange quiet of this night cools my heart and calms my mind.

　It was nostalgic. I even feel a strange nostalgia. Yes, no matter how far I go, I am always alone. There was no one to reach out to, no one to share the road with.

　But now, Kalia, Fialaat, Erdis. Now I'm in a twisted situation where the very beings I once envied and hated as heroes are beside me.

　And think of what they did to me. They were my enemies, my natural enemies.

　They trampled me, they shattered my dignity, they spat on the little will I had. I should hate them, my heart should hate those heroes so much that it would set them on fire.

　Oh, and yet, there is joy in this diminutive chest. There was a rush of satisfaction, an inexplicable pleasure that made my skin crawl.

　The fact that I had been recognized in no small way by the girls who had once envied me as a hero brought even tears to the edges of my eyes.

　At the same time, however, there was a trembling deep down in his heart.

　The true nature of the trembling was my own smallness, as if I were flattered by the slight recognition of the existence that had once scorned and kicked me. And in the end, it's the fear that I'm no different.

　Yes, what the hell has changed in me since the old days? Nothing has changed, not my nature, not my way of being. Not a single thing has changed from the time when I used to go out on watch alone, turning away from reality with a chewing tobacco as a comfort, and just eating up each day in vain.

　Hence, I will be abandoned sooner or later. I will be disappointed, scorned, and shunned by them.

　I'm well aware of that. The only reason I'm here now is because I've been a little cunning. I know a little about the future, and that's all that matters.

　But in such a small way, I will have to change.

　Lagias, said the old Elven king. Whoever overcomes someone has a responsibility to do so. Don't think you can walk the path of peace even after overcoming.

　Those words are still a big nail in my heart. The blood of frustration overflows from the wound, creating confusion.

　I am, without a doubt, a small person. I know that well, and it's a fact I've been forced to swallow many times.

　But still, still, if you want to do something... If you want to put your finger on the neck of a hero. If you yearn to be burned by a hero.

　I must become someone who can rival them, a hero.

　Oh, the shame. I think I'll bite my cheek off in shame.

　A hero. A man like me. I'm sure I'll have to walk the path they walk without a scratch on me. I'll have to shed my blood to do what they take for granted. That's what it means for an ordinary man to reach for the hero.

　I sink my teeth into my chewing tobacco and let out a breath. My breath is already white.

　So if you long for a hero and want to reach him, you can't just lean on Garou Amalia over there.

　There's Kalia, a hero with a sword. There's Phialat, a hero with magic. And then there's Mattia, the hero of heraldry.

　How wonderful. I'm sure Garou Amalia won't fall so easily. It will no longer follow the same path as history even if I do nothing.

　If I stay there, I'm sure they'll do everything for me. I expect the heroes to take care of everything.

　They were at the heart of the capture of Garouamalia and the fall of the Hanging Gardens of Ghazalia. In the end, all I've done is back out of it. Oh, I'm so sick of it.

　That's why I can't stay in Galuamaria out of inertia. If you want to stay, you have to prove it. That you are capable of doing things on your own. And then you have to ask. If you want to be a hero, you have to ask yourself what makes you a hero.

　That's why I thought this involvement with the mercenary city of Belle Fain was a good opportunity.

　They're definitely underestimating us. They underestimate us. That's why they're proposing this alliance.



　Of course, they're not stupid. I'm sure they understand that we're not going to make an alliance with them so easily.

　Then, of course, Belfain must have spies inside Garouamaria.

　His intention is to divide and confront, to incite, and finally to break up the internal disagreements. It is thought that they are planning to devour the colossus that is Garou Amalia from within.

　Mattia knew this, and that's why he instructed Anne to make internal adjustments.

　What Belfain is most confident of is its military power as a city. They understand that we can't attack them lightly. That's why they're slowly trying to strangle us. What a disgusting way to fight for a man of your strength.

　A cold breath slips down my throat. It was as if he was trying to cool his heated body. I narrowed my eyes as I rode my horse up the street.

　Was it that man, the master of Belfain? The small, fat man with the ever-present condescending look in his eyes. I know him well. I know the man, I know the city.

　After all, I've been in that town a lot. More than I can say. So really, this is a good time.

　There's no one around, and the hero's power is not here. I'll have to do this alone.

　I bite my lip as I slide my gaze into the darkness. Very well. I'm used to working alone. It's more like it's crazy to have so much power around you.

　I've made up my mind. There's a heavy iron in my gut and I'm not moving an inch.

　I will deal with this matter of the mercenary city of Belle Fain on my own. If I can't do that, then I'll just be me. I'll end up as I was before, with nothing.

　And when that happens, I'll die. Gracefully expose your corpse at the bottom of a ditch. I'll die with as little trouble as possible.

　If you're going to be a hero, you'll have to do that. I don't know what Caria and Fialaat will say if they hear about this, but if they scold me, I'll listen to them when I get to the bottom of the earth.

　--The plot is already in place, just like the script of a play. All that remains is to see if it is a fool's play or a masterpiece.

　The moon has emerged from the shadows of the clouds. Its light is strangely bright today.

　Only the sound of horses' hoofs dominated the darkness of the night.