MTLNOVEL Chapter 7 - Princess Isabel, Showing Off
I roughly explained my situation to Misha. Misha nodded enthusiastically, adding interjections.
“I see. So, are you going to be the next hero, Master?”
“Am I crazy? Why should I save these bastards? I’m going back home.”
“Eh…? But you’ve already come back.”
Misha said, blinking her eyes as if she was worried about my mental state.
Yes, this is indeed my home. I still vividly remember the hardship of gathering mud and building it with my own hands.
But I can’t feel at peace here. It’s just a temporary shelter, like a base camp set up on the middle of a high mountain, and can’t be a home in the true sense.
“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? That I have a real home in a place called Earth. I’m going back there.”
“Then, there will be no one to be the hero?”
“I guess so.”
“Misha has heard that a world without a hero is darkness. No, I’ve actually experienced it.”
The hero’s position isn’t always filled.
I’ve only read about this in books, but they say the longest record of time without a hero is 120 years. During that time, most countries were destroyed, and humanity had to endure hellish times where they couldn’t even light candles when evening came.
The problem isn’t simply that the hero’s individual power is needed, but that there are countless blessings and barriers that are activated by the hero’s existence.
For example, in the sky of Aurelia, there’s a barrier called ‘chamamak’ spread out like Earth’s atmosphere to prevent outside invasions, and this also loses its effect if there’s no hero.
It’s because it’s a defensive barrier that a nun who loved a hero sacrificed her life to install about 770 years ago.
There are countless magic spells with such legends in Aurelia. Broadly speaking, the holy sword is one of them. After all, it’s been passed down from generation to generation, originally being the weapon used by the first hero.
For Earth, it would be like electricity or oil – something that, if lost, would collapse everyday life.
It’s not for nothing that they summon people from Earth at great expense.
“About 70 years ago, I think? The hero suddenly died of illness, and they couldn’t prepare a successor, so there was a world without a hero for about 3 months. During that time, 17 kings died in succession, coups happened twice a day, and as the evil energy of the land stirred, there was a great earthquake. Misha’s master at that time also died because of the earthquake. Even now, old people shudder when they think about that time. They say a world without a hero is that scary.”
“So? Were you sad when your master died?”
“No? That person was trying to torture me with a hot iron stamp when suddenly an earthquake came, and the iron stamp got pressed on his own face, killing him.”
Misha said that all her masters except me were like that, so it wasn’t particularly surprising. Even if she was tortured, the wounds would heal naturally over time, so it didn’t matter.
“Come to think of it, all humans are trash, so there’s no need to sympathize even if they’re in trouble because the hero disappeared.”
“Right? That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“…But if Master goes back home, Misha…”
Misha mumbled something in a shrinking voice.
Misha Greenwood lowered her head with a sad expression. She kept staring at the floor, swinging her feet for no reason. If Faust leaves, Misha will be alone again. She thought she had finally reunited with her master…
But she could fully understand Faust’s desire to leave this place.
Even to her ears, trapped in the butcher shop, rumors had reached about the nationwide bullying Faust was enduring. It was painful enough being bullied by one master, so she couldn’t even imagine how difficult it must be to be ostracized by thousands or tens of thousands of people.
Misha had no choice as she was a slave with nowhere to go, but if Faust had a hometown and home… she finally managed to convince herself that her role was to wish for his happiness, and raised her head again.
With her usual innocent smile.
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“Eheheheh. It’s nothing, Master. Misha will fully cooperate with Master. I’ll help Master return home.”
“That’s appreciated.”
Honestly, Misha’s cooperation was absolutely necessary. If my guess wasn’t wrong, Misha could become an even more amazing helper than I thought.
“By the way, have you really lived for over a thousand years?”
“Yes.”
“I heard that elves’ lifespan and magical power are proportional. Then aren’t you surprisingly strong?”
“Well… because of the slave mark, I can’t use magic as I please, so it doesn’t mean much.”
“What nonsense are you talking about, Misha? I’m your master, aren’t I?”
The slave mark is a geas placed by an ancient dark magician to prevent harm to humans. But as the master, I should be able to directly interfere with the mark.
“I, Faust, command you. From now on, I allow you to use magic against humans who hinder me.”
“Ah…!!”
Misha’s body trembles as if electrocuted. I’m not sure if it’s my imagination, but her pupils seemed to turn heart-shaped for a moment.
“So I can kill the hateful humans who defy the World Tree for Master’s sake…♡ Protecting Master and defeating the villains who destroy the laws of nature. This is what they call killing two birds with one stone, right?”
This one is, so to speak, my bodyguard.
Elves are actually more cruel and cold-blooded creatures than humans, it’s just that they can’t rebel because of the slave mark. They treat humans as inferior beings no different from animals, so they don’t feel the slightest guilt even when committing murder. Their innate magical power is also excellent, so it’s said that in the old days, the number of people killed by elves was more than those who died from epidemics. It was a kind of miracle that Misha showed goodwill towards me.
I need to use this miracle effectively.
Since my skills have been stagnant since I was kicked out of the academy, I needed to prepare for any eventuality.
Yes, the academy.
If only I could have continued studying there, I would have found a way to return home by now, with time to spare.
In fact, I’ve wanted to return for a long time, but because of that bastard Kwak Dong-su, I was even forbidden from reading, so I couldn’t find a way. I’m still trying to investigate hard, but I’m still facing difficulties.
For now, to summarize what I’ve found out so far:
It seems that if you kill the Demon King, you can return to Earth.
This is content commonly written in several books, so it seems reliable.
But how do you kill the Demon King? That’s the problem.
I don’t even want to kill him.
If anything, I want to kill the humans of this world.
So the Demon King subjugation route is rejected.
The problem is that apart from this route, there are no other methods that can certainly be expected to return, only vaguely suggesting possibilities.
Just vague stories like the method might be written in the secret documents of the Papal State, or the rune for dimensional transfer magic might be hidden in the Great Sage’s library, or the King might know.
The Pope, the Great Sage, the King.
They’re just pointing to the most powerful humans in the Pangea continent.
“There’s no immediate method… is that it? Well, there’s no need to rush. We can look for it slowly.”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s rather the humans who are in a hurry. No, Misha will definitely make the humans desperate and beg Master.”
“What? How will you do that?”
“There are many friends who will move busily when they hear the news that the hero has disappeared. Misha, having lived for a thousand years, surprisingly has great connections! I’ll make those stupid humans who bullied Master regret it!”
—Her tone was as if she and I didn’t belong to humans, but it wasn’t entirely wrong.
In reality, it was other people, not me, who were in a hurry.
Typically, it was Serena, who finally returned to the royal palace because she could no longer delay her report.
“I clearly ordered you to bring the hero, yet how dare you come alone! You! Do you find my royal command amusing?!”
“It, it’s not that, but Faust, no, Lord Faust doesn’t seem ready to take on the great task yet… So, so because Lord Faust and the former hero Lucy von Letlerea were close friends, his sense of loss seems immeasurable. If, if you give more time, this girl will surely persuade Lord Faust, so please withdraw your anger.”
“What a fool!!”
“Ouch!!”
The royal seal thrown by the king hit Serena’s forehead. A bump formed on her head and blood flowed, but Serena couldn’t even show that she was in pain.
Her heart felt like it would burst because of the whispering around her.
“What’s this about not being able to bring the hero?”
“Did that woman commit some disrespect to the hero?”
“There’s only one hero candidate left now. What happens if he refuses?”
“Oh my, when I was young, we lived without a hero for about 3 months, and it was hell… I don’t want to experience that again.”
“But everyone, do you know?”
“What is it?”
“That woman, Serena. They say she’s the younger sister of a traitor who surrendered to the Demon King’s army.”
“Really?”
“No wonder… Then she intentionally didn’t hand over the holy sword to the hero?”
“Trying to make us fall…”
“But why is the family of a traitor still alive?”
Serena turned pale, her teeth chattering.
What was bound to happen has come.
If abandoned by the hero, Serena returns to being the family of a traitor. No one will take her side.
Serena desperately needed the parasol of being a hero for her survival. Without a connection to the hero, it wouldn’t be strange if she died at any time. If someone stabbed Serena on the street and ran away, no one would help. If that’s the punishment given to the family of a traitor, everyone would understand.
“Wa-wa-wa-wait a moment! I, I am Serena, who will be the magician in Faust’s… Lord Faust’s party. I, I am Lord Faust’s confidant. If, if you kill me, Lord Faust will be angry.”
“Serena!!”
“Ye-Yes! Your Majesty!!”
“Is that statement just now the absolute truth!! If it’s a lie, know that not only you but your family as well will not be safe!!”
“…Yes… Of, of course.”
The king looked down at Serena with a solemn face.
He too knew about the catastrophe that occurred 70 years ago when the hero’s position was vacant. They say it was a crazy time when the king’s life was worth less than a fly’s, where one would be enthroned in the morning, assassinated while eating lunch, a new king would ascend to the throne in the evening, and be assassinated again while sleeping at night.
If that history were to repeat itself… even the life of the august king would not be safe.
“Go and bring Faust here immediately! No!! Drag him here!! This time, I’ll send soldiers with you!!”
“That’s a good plan, Father. But it’s a bit insufficient.”
Princess Isabel, who had been standing with a displeased expression for a while, chimed in. She, who was very skilled at handling subordinates, used Serena like a long-time servant.
“This time, I will accompany you as well. Guide us!”
“Prin-Princess, how could you…”
“Don’t object to what I say, Serena. I want to have a word with this Faust who dares to seclude himself while knowing it’s a royal command. How can he, who is merely a commoner despite being a hero candidate, refuse the summons of royalty?”
Isabel, who usually enjoyed punishing subordinates directly, came down the stairs and snatched the holy sword Serena was holding, swinging it like a toy. Serena, not knowing what to do, froze, prostrating herself on the floor.
“Hmm… Is he putting on airs just because he can swing a sword like this? I need to discipline that commoner myself. Once he sees the dignity of royalty in person, he will repent his sins and swear eternal loyalty to us.”
“Ho-However, Princess. Per-perhaps it would be better to leave this to me for now.”
“My goodness. Are you refusing to follow the orders of me, the princess? You, do you even know your own status? A lowly commoner shouldn’t be confronting noble royalty!”
“…I’m, I’m sorry.”
In fact, Serena’s real background was from a ducal family. Although not royalty, it was a powerful family with enough connections to the royal family, and there was no shortage in calling it noble bloodline, but there was nothing good in mentioning a family that had been branded as traitors and exterminated now. Serena hid her miserable feelings and just sniffled her nose in vain.
“He should be grateful that we’re willing to appoint someone who was cleaning horse dung as a hero. Commoners really have no manners. Now, quickly guide us to that person’s house. I will impress Faust with the dignity of a princess.”
The princess set out, putting Serena, who couldn’t hide her discomfort, at the forefront. As if to show off her dignity, she was accompanied by a large number of guards.