Actually, Dad Was a Hero

Chapter 0: The Truth Is, Dad Was a Hero (Prologue)
Prologue

Thud!

Just like a spoon cutting through tofu, the shovel blade easily digs into the ground.

Swish―!

With a smooth, flowing motion, the dirt and pebbles piled on the shovel are added to the large mound of earth.

“Dad, we don’t have time for this! We need to evacuate too!”

A boy who looked to be about middle school age shouted anxiously behind the man who was silently digging.

But the man said nothing and continued to dig silently.

“Dad, you saw the news. Monsters that bullets can’t even penetrate appeared! Ah, please!”

This time, a girl who appeared to be a high school student pleaded. However, the man did not stop his movements.

He thrusts the shovel blade, lifts the shovel, and piles up the dirt. Once, and again.

“Ah, really……! Dad, we’re really going to be in big trouble!”

It was still early for summer, but the weather was quite hot and humid. However, not a single drop of sweat was visible on the man’s body as he continued to dig without rest.

In less than 10 minutes, a mound of earth as tall as an adult had already piled up.

Whoosh!

A tearing sound echoed from the sky.

The man, who had been silently digging, finally raised his head and looked up at the sky. Two objects were flying through the clouds.

“Wow! F-35s! Those haven’t been in our country for long!”

The boy exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand as he looked up at the sky. The man digging seemed to think for a moment, then lowered his body again and thrust the shovel blade into the ground.

“Ah, Dad!”

Just as the girl raised her voice again, a strange sound was heard.

Clang!

The sound of the shovel blade hitting something hard, metallic.

The man threw down the shovel and started digging with his hands. The siblings, who had been pleading from behind, were now standing next to the pit, looking down.

“What……is that?”

The man ignored his son’s question and tossed a dirt-covered bundle up from the pit. Then, he jumped out of the pit, which was over two meters deep.

“Dad, what is this? Why is this buried here?”

“Did you bury this, Dad?”

The siblings showered him with curious questions, but the man silently untied the bundle. The rope, buried in the ground for a long time, was already completely decayed and broke apart with a touch.

“……Armor……?”

“Is that a sword?”

The man who had been digging silently lifted a long object. A longsword sheathed in a luxurious metal scabbard.

Despite being buried in the ground, there was not a single trace of rust.

“……Actually……”

The man, who had been stroking the sword for a long time with a strange look in his eyes, opened his lips.

“The truth is……Actually……Dad was……a hero.”