This World Needs a Hero

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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Meanwhile, other members of the Dawn Knights were also gradually building friendships with the children.

Patients were always bored, after all.

Members who were accustomed to dynamic battlefields often found themselves getting bored easily with peaceful hospital life.

They would sneak out of their quarters to find places of amusement, and the extreme children, who would soon be their comrades, were excellent companions to alleviate their boredom.

Taylor quickly became close to Evergreen and Karen, the two girls.

Since they had started enjoying desserts together in the shopping district on weekends…

Ding-dong-

Of course, Taylor was sipping rum instead of coffee.

The quaintly decorated café was a bit uncomfortable for her as a former pirate, but she could endure it for these cute girls.

“So, where were we?”

“Uh, about Luke.”

“Oh, right.”

Taylor chuckled.

“It’s been over a month since you started dating, and you’ve only held hands?”

Evergreen, looking dejected, glanced around and whispered.

“Taylor, please lower your voice.”

“Kissing?”

“Th-that’s… not yet.”

Taylor chuckled lightly.

“I’m afraid to even point out where the problem might be.”

“Is it even a problem?”

“Are you six years old? No, in one month, even a six-year-old would have been able to kiss. Kids these days are fast.”

Evergreen looked resentfully at Karen, who was trying to stifle her laughter.

Just a few days ago, they never thought they would have such casual and private conversations with Taylor.

‘Completely different from the first impression, huh?’

Contrary to the intimidating and tough first impression, Taylor was gentle.

She was like a carefree and refreshing older cousin.

There was no sense of authority whatsoever.

Especially for Karen, who came from the same hometown, she seemed even more attached.

Evergreen felt the same way about Taylor.

To the archers, the legendary archer Taylor was an eternal object of admiration.

There was no reason not to want to spend time training and living together with such a person.

“Taylor, are you in a relationship?”

“A relationship? Me?”

Taylor chuckled incredulously.

“Oh my, do I look like I’m in my twenties?”

“Um… twenty-five? Six?”

Taylor’s lips twisted with pleasure.

“Thanks for making me look young. But first, I’m married.”

Taylor showed the ring on her ring finger.

It was a worn silver ring, not fitting for her reputation.

Given her wealth, she could have bought the most splendid and expensive ring in the world, so it was unexpected.

With sparkling eyes, Evergreen asked.

“And your husband? Where is he now?”

“He’s dead.”

“….”

“Four years ago.”

The children fell silent.

“He was in the support unit of our knights. He followed me to that dangerous place, thinking he could help the weak… Tsk.”

Taylor said it as if it were nothing, but nobody believed it was genuine.

It was because she drank rum twice in a row.

Evergreen and Karen hesitated for a moment before quickly changing the subject.

“Um, but we heard you were a pirate. Is that true?”

…So cute and awkward.

Taylor smirked.

Her juniors were starting to like her more and more.

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s an embarrassing past.”

“Wow, really surprising. You don’t look like it at all now!”

“Even with this eyepatch?”

Taylor laughed and tapped the eyepatch covering her left eye.

“I probably would have put a hook on my arm and come up.”

Indeed, she was a pirate.

And a quite notorious one in the South Sea.

Of course, they mainly targeted military ships and large merchant ships, and they tried to avoid harming people as much as possible, but it was still a shameful past.

“But if you ask your principal, she’ll know very well.”

“Huh?”

“We raided Glendor’s trade goods quite extensively. Yussi probably still regrets not being able to hang a noose around my neck.”

Karen cautiously asked.

“But how did you get scouted by Professor for the Dawn Knights? Considering his personality, he would have probably excluded you without asking.”

“Oh, that.”

Taylor hesitated, as if choosing her words carefully, opening and closing her mouth a few times.

“The leader’s ethics are a bit complicated.”

“yes?”

“I was the daughter of a pirate.”

A bitter smile passed her lips.

“I was born and raised a pirate. I’m not trying to justify it… but I couldn’t think of anything else for my life outside of that.”

She spent her whole life raiding ships passing through the South Sea.

One day, as usual, they attacked Glendor’s merchant ship and encountered a young swordsman who was like a monster.

He was a Hero tasked with eliminating annoying pirates, according to Yussi’s request.

The Hero received a request from Yussi to eliminate the annoying pirates.

“The leader likes to give people like me a chance. People who haven’t even had the opportunity to choose.”

“…Ah.”

“He probably pretends to be more cold-hearted than anyone else, but deep down, he believes in human kindness.”

Taylor reflected on the past few years.

“He’s someone you can trust and follow without any doubt, really.”

“…We think so too.”

The children could only agree.

After emptying the rum from her portable bottle, Taylor looked at Evergreen.

There was not a hint of hesitation in her eyes, despite the strength of the alcohol.

“Anyway, so your boyfriend. Luke or whatever, what’s he up to?”

Evergreen, who knew Luke’s schedule inside out, answered immediately.

“Um… I think he’s training with Iira?”

“Iira?”

“He really likes her because her style suits him perfectly.”

“Hmm… that’s dangerous.”

Taylor’s eyes narrowed mischievously.

“Why, why do you say that?”

“Iira really brightens up around guys.”

“…What?”

“So, she used to fawn over the leader like crazy.”

But contrary to Taylor’s expectations, Evergreen showed a relaxed smile.

“Hehe, I feel completely at ease with Luke in that regard.”

“Huh?”

“No matter what Iira does, he won’t be swayed!”

“He may be thickheaded, but he’s a good guy. Lucky Luke.”

Taylor smiled nostalgically at the thought of the past.

“It’s interesting. How did such a shy guy confess?”

“Uh, th-the confession?”

Evergreen recalled the sweet confession.

But before she could talk about it with Karen and Taylor, something happened.

Booooom!

The first to notice was Taylor.

The wind blowing backward.

Clearly artificial.

It was the moment she got up from her seat.

Kwaang!

The explosion shook the shopping district.

Although the dessert shop where they were eating was a distance away from the epicenter of the explosion, the glass windows shattered in all directions, and screams rang out simultaneously.

“Aaah!”

“What, what’s happening!”

Evergreen, who ran outside, looked around with wide eyes.

Smoke billowed up from the beginning of the shopping street.

Taylor sighed as the realization dawned on her.

“…That’s near Noubelmag’s workshop.”

“What? Noubelmag’s workshop?”

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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“These idiots.”

Taylor grabbed her head as if she had an inkling of something.

The children, not understanding anything, looked at her and the smoke billowing outside.

A forced smile appeared on Taylor’s lips.

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Huh?”

“Just wait here.”

Taylor rushed out.

Left behind, the girls looked at each other with worried expressions.

Surprisingly, there was hardly any fear visible on their faces, in stark contrast to the other students screaming outside.

This was all thanks to their repeated exposure to various heinous practices and training in extremity.

Karen murmured,

“…Sh-should we wait here?”

After a moment of consideration, Evergreen nodded subtly.

“Sh-should we sneak a peek? But it’s our academy, we should know what’s going on.”

“Y-yeah. Besides, Taylor is in a serious condition right now. If something happened, she might need our help.”

…Actually, none of this was necessary, they were just curious.

“She didn’t tell us not to follow her, right? Right?”

Let’s just go and see the situation.

Evergreen and Karen, having agreed on that, headed toward the source of the explosion.

Arriving at Noubelmag’s workshop, they found…

“You damn fool of a blacksmith! I told you it wouldn’t work like that!”

“Then you do it!”

“It’s for the Hero, so try to do it right!!”

The stern principal and the legendary blacksmith were rolling around amidst the rubble of the building, each grabbing the other’s hair.

Seeing them, Taylor let out a deep sigh.

“…Ugh, this is why I told you to be careful.”

She spotted Evergreen and Karen following her and scratched her embarrassed face.

“Look at the kids. Let’s go in and fight.”

…Unfortunately, everything was in ruins due to the explosion.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Hero was heading smoothly towards the extreme west, where there was Izaro.

In fact, there was nothing that wouldn’t go smoothly.

What could be the problem with flying as a newly polymorphed creature?

In areas where monsters frequently appear, there were sometimes delays due to flying monsters.

However, the West was a place where such monsters rarely showed up.

‘The situation is different from about six months ago.’

At that time, it was a period when demons were driving stakes for demonic energy supply.

‘If the treatment finishes quickly, I might be able to return earlier than expected.’

So, the Hero was absorbed in flying.

However, it wasn’t long before the Hero paused.

It was because the familiar terrain was visible beneath his wings.

‘…Lonkers.’

He had enough time to take a short tour of the village.

The Hero quickly lowered her altitude.

Whooong-

It was only a few months ago that he had fought with all his might against Malekia’s forces in Lonkers.

‘It feels like it’s been years.’

Now he was confident that he could handle even intermediate demons without breaking a sweat, but back then, he had truly exerted himself.

Without everyone joining forces back then, the West might not have been as safe as it is now.

Because Malekia’s forces had rooted deeply.

‘Hmm… it looks different.’

The Hero flew over Lonkers, surveying the village.

He had heard that Yuusi had provided support for several months, and Lonkers seemed to have made very good use of that support.

‘It used to be known as the garbage bin of the West.’

The stench of decay from the walls.

Streets filled with trash.

Residents wandering aimlessly with vacant eyes.

Everything had disappeared.

The neatly organized village was bustling more than before, and the people seemed happier than ever.

The Hero quietly looked down at what he had protected.

Meanwhile, there was someone noticeable.

‘That guy…?’

Hans.

A guard from Lonkers.

He was particularly brave, and his name stuck in his memory.

He was strolling with his wife, and it seemed like they were still popular among the villagers, as laughter echoed around them.

Could anyone looking at them remember the troublemakers they used to be?

“……”

The sense of accomplishment from defeating demons and protecting his family and village himself.

That’s what had transformed them like this.

‘They’ve become better people. They’ll live even better lives from now on.’

A deep sense of pride swelled within the Hero.

His heart was filled with warmth.

It felt like meeting a long-lost friend and seeing that they were doing well.

‘…When all this is over, other places on the continent will be like this too.’

When that time comes, it might be nice to visit Lonkers again.

The satisfied Hero spread his wings wide.

The scenery of Lonkers quickly faded away.

.

.

.

‘….Is this the place?’

The Hero arrived at the location marked on Rosalyn’s map.

A secluded coastal village greeted him.

Whoooong-

The fresh sea breeze gently swept over his body before swirling and drifting away.

‘…It looks peaceful.’

Small fishing boats floating on the sea.

Children swimming and playing on the beach.

What could a powerful magician like Zero’s Homunculus be doing in a place like this?

It was beyond imagination.

‘Anyway… how should I find him?’

The village was small, but it wasn’t easy to find Zero Homunculus at once.

‘Will he come looking for me if he hears that an outsider has come?’

It was rare for travelers to come to such a village.

The villagers glanced at him with curious eyes.

What was a bit surprising was that there was no sign of suspicion in their eyes.

In this day and age… that wasn’t easy.

‘Is there an inn…?’

There was unlikely to be one.

It was at that moment that something familiar caught the Hero’s eye.

‘An old man?’

A robed old man was calmly looking at him from the corner of the alley.

It was only natural that they were meeting for the first time.

The Hero tilted his head in confusion.

‘But why does he feel familiar?’

A strange feeling began to rise from the tip of his toes and spread through his body.

Joy, excitement, and… happiness.

It felt like forgotten memories were gathering once again.

Realizing something, the Hero grinned widely.

‘A statue….’

The old man had the same appearance as the statues of Zero scattered throughout Rosenstark.

At the same time, a hoarse voice echoed in her ear.

“Nice to meet you.”

After a brief pause, the old man revealed his identity.

“…I am Zero. Your brother.”

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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