I once asked my mother whether she blamed the Iron-Blooded Lord. She was one of the kindest people I knew. Yet, after the hospitality she had received from the family, even the most saintly person would have developed an unclean heart.
"I do blame him," my mother had calmly admitted.
She had said it plainly, but the words that followed had struck me as odd.
"However, I can't hate him with all my heart."
"Why?" I had asked.
"He is the clumsiest man I have ever known."
***
The human heart was like the tide, rising and falling with time. Something you were once proud of could later fill you with regret when you looked back on it. At other times, a past riddled with regrets could even feel comforting in retrospect. Unfortunately, what I had done yesterday fell squarely into the first scenario.
" Kuaaaah... "
It had been a while since I had woken up in such pain. I kicked off the blanket, but it wasn't satisfying enough. There was no sense of release.
It would be better if it was a thick winter quilt instead of this thin summer one. My mental state was so poor that I entertained such useless thoughts. I pressed my pillow against my burning face.
I was over thirty years old, yet I had still thrown a tantrum at my father. The embarrassment was unbearable. To be honest, what mortified me even more was the relief that followed. It was the first time I felt relieved and embarrassed at the same time, which made it difficult to sort out my true emotions.
I buried my face deeper into the pillow and tried to pull myself together.
The water is spilled. The wagon has already passed. The arrow has been shot... Dwelling on what was already over did not suit my personality, so I resolved to erase that black history from my mind.
Fortunately, the Iron-Blooded Lord hadn't chased me down or smashed my head yesterday. That, in itself, felt a little embarrassing.
Thinking about it, the Iron-Blooded Lord had remained silent. Why did he do that? Could it be guilt?
"No way." It was so ridiculous that I dismissed it at once.
If the Iron-Blooded Lord were capable of emotions, I wouldn't have said those things to him yesterday.
Emotionless. A man with no heart. This was how I had always seen and judged the Iron-Blooded Lord.
Still, he didn't come to visit me at all yesterday. Does it mean that the matter of joining Black Rose was off the table for the time being?
"Stop thinking about it," I muttered. "It's time to decide which clan to join. This is also a pass."
My head felt heavy, and pain throbbed through my body. My condition had worsened after using the damn Setting Sun Barrier and resisting Taon's Dragon Words yesterday. In this state, I needed rest.
I washed up, dressed roughly, and prepared to head out. I hadn't slept all night, so I woke up early. Thanks to that, dawn had barely broken, and the headquarters of the Hero Society was relatively quiet.
Is Verita still sleeping?
I wanted a day of comfort without anyone watching me, so I wanted to sneak out without her. She would probably track me anyway, so I decided to leave a note in my room.
[Don't look for me for the time being.]
What kind of teenage runaway declaration was that? I immediately corrected my wording.
[I want to be alone.]
Shit, this is just as bad. I pondered a bit before choosing the most straightforward phrasing.
[Give me one day of free time today.]
It sounded overly deferential, but it would do. That would convince her.
Why do I keep using respectful language, anyway? Whenever I thought of Verita, a different kind of unease crept over me, distinct from what I felt toward the Iron-Blooded Lord.
I left the note and stepped out of the room.
"Ah! Hello!"
"Yes."
What a surprise... My heart dropped to my stomach. For a moment, I thought it was Verita. Fortunately, it was a postman wearing a hat who greeted me casually. He was the same boy who delivered my letters yesterday.
"Golden Fairy Luan Badniker! Is that correct?" he asked eagerly.
"That's right," I replied gruffly.
"Here is all the mail addressed to you, Golden Fairy," he said as he sorted through the stack.
"And this?" I asked, gesturing toward the final item.
"It is the Hero Badge!" he explained. "Please return the Hero Badge you were previously using and sign here."
I nodded, signed the form, accepted the new Hero Badge, and handed over the old one.
The newly issued B-class Hero Badge differed in more than just its material. Its surface gleamed with a smooth, silvery finish, and its heft suggested that it was crafted from high-quality, pure silver.
Wasn't it said that the Hero Badge's material changed depending on the rank? I wondered.
"Have a nice day!" With that, the energetic postman left.
Badge in hand, I stepped out into Teper for the first time in a long time. Strictly speaking, it hadn't been that long. However, after everything that had happened at the Hero Society's headquarters, I felt a type of liberation. I planned to eat plenty of delicious food, meet Evan or Mir if time allowed, and wander on my own to refresh myself.
Then reality intervened. It was close to dawn, and almost no restaurants were open.
I corrected my course on the spot without much effort and headed to the inn.
"Huh? Didn't you go to watch the Origin yesterday?" an employee asked, sounding surprised.
"Eh?" I tilted my head in confusion. "Isn't there still some time before the test?"
"The Origin rarely begins on the announced date. The first test always involves a sudden change in time and location, and anyone who fails to reach the test site in time is eliminated." The employee glanced toward a group of mercenaries drinking with dejected expressions.
So those are the dropouts. Huh? They looked familiar. They were Lorcan's companions. Perhaps Lorcan had convinced them to take the Origin test, only for them to fail at the very first hurdle.
One of them saw me and asked, "You?"
"Good morning. Where is Lorcan?" I asked.
"Why do you want to know?" he demanded.
"No particular reason," I replied evenly. "We got fairly close during the promotion test. I just wanted to know how he is doing and hear his results."
"You took the promotion test?" He scoffed. "What nonsense—"
Just then, a sharp voice cut him off. "Shut up."
Lorcan stepped out through the back door.
"B-Brother?" the man stammered. "Why?"
"If you don't want to be beaten, shut your trap," Lorcan snapped. "You aren't at a level to challenge him."
I waved at Lorcan, who looked especially grumpy this morning. "Hello, Lorcan. Did you get your results?"
"Yes," he replied curtly. "They came out yesterday."
"How did it go?" I asked.
"I am B-class."
I raised a thumb. "It was a good fight, so you earned it. Congratulations."
"Thank you. What about you?" he asked.
"Same here." I showed the Hero Badge I had just received.
The people around us gasped at the sight, but Lorcan frowned. "B-class? You?"
"Why?" I asked. "Too early for me?"
Lorcan shook his head. "That's not it. My seniors said that you might be promoted to A-class this time."
"Seniors?" I echoed. "What seniors?"
"I got an offer from Desert Scorpion yesterday," he explained. "Like I told you that day, it is a place I have always dreamed of joining, so I accepted it right away."
I looked at his clothes again and noticed a cloth with a scorpion emblem tied around his shoulder. "That's great. Congratulations."
This time, I added a second thumbs up with my left hand.
Lorcan nodded, though he did not seem pleased by the gesture. "By the way, which clan did you join?"
"I'm still deciding."
"Really?" Lorcan briefly nodded.
After that, the conversation dried up. Unlike before, the silence felt awkward. During the promotion test, even under extreme pressure, we never ran out of things to say. Now, in this peaceful moment, there was nothing.
The mercenaries glanced back and forth between us, and I had the uncomfortable sense that my presence weighed on them.
"Then I'll be going. Take care of yourself, Lorcan."
It was meant as a simple farewell, but Lorcan unexpectedly followed me and asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to eat first."
"This inn also serves meals," he pointed out.
"I know, but they aren't very tasty." I felt the employee's eyes on my back, but I ignored it.
"You are a picky eater. Life would be hard for you as a mercenary," Lorcan remarked.
"It'd be the same even if I were one," I said proudly. "I don't compromise when it comes to my noble taste buds. I am the type who nagged my mother the moment a stew she worked hard on tasted off."
"Isn't that unfilial?" Lorcan muttered under his breath. After a moment, he spoke again. "I know some pretty good restaurants that are open in the morning. Do you want to go with me?"
"Really?"
"I'll buy you a meal," he added.
"Why are you suddenly so good to me?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.
Lorcan laughed. "I owe you for the first and second promotion tests. Honestly, without you, I would've failed. This is my way of repaying that debt, so don't overthink it."
I was a bit surprised. Among mercenaries, it was rare to find someone so clear and deliberate about debts and favors. Since Lorcan would become an A-class hero in the future, he probably didn't have any major flaws in his character.
"Well, if that's the case," I nodded and headed into the city with Lorcan.
Teper was a large city. It wasn't comparable to the capital, but it likely ranked among the ten largest in the empire. Its floating population was particularly high, which gave it a much more bustling feeling than its official numbers suggested.
Of course, due to the nature of such a city, the streets became more complex as we moved deeper into the alleys.
Lorcan navigated them with ease, so I remarked, "You seem to know this place pretty well."
"This is my hometown," he replied.
"Your hometown?" I echoed, surprised.
"Why are you so surprised?" he asked.
"I thought the south was your home."
I glanced at his skin tone, and Lorcan shook his head. "This is just a tan. Well, I've spent a lot of time in the south after leaving home, so that place is basically my second home."
"Got it."
This meant he had spent his youth in Teper, the home of the Hero Society. It was no wonder Lorcan dreamed of becoming a hero. His origins had most likely shaped that ambition. If the young Lorcan had seen the Vigilantes, admiration would naturally have taken root in his heart.
At some point, the alley's atmosphere changed. It opened into a food street lined with restaurants. Even at dawn, people bustled about their business, and rich, mouthwatering aromas drifted through the air.
I murmured, "A place like this actually exists."
"There are quite a few heroes whose days and nights are out of sync or who work overtime until dawn. These restaurants cater to people like that," Lorcan explained.
"I see."
I had mentioned that I liked meat, so he led me to a meat restaurant. The establishment wasn't very spacious, and the interior looked old. There wasn't even a menu.
The moment we entered, the rough-looking owner peeked out from behind the kitchen curtain and glanced at us. "Two people."
Lorcan nodded, and the owner disappeared again.
I sat down and said, "The owner is pretty curt. Well, good restaurants are like this."
"Please understand," Lorcan said. "He is a beastfolk who lived in the east for a long time. He only recently joined human society, so he doesn't speak the official language well. That said, I guarantee the taste of the food."
"Taste is all that matters." I nodded and waited for the food.
Soon, the owner returned with two huge plates of steak.
"Wow," I exclaimed.
The steak was almost the length of my forearm and was dripping with meat juices. The smell was irresistible. What surprised me most was the absence of any side dishes.
I looked at Lorcan with brief disbelief. Meanwhile, he simply started to slice and eat the steak with practiced ease. Before long, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Since he clearly had not brought me here as a joke, I started eating as well.
It was early in the morning, and eating meat on an empty stomach did not seem healthy. Still, with my transcendent digestive system, that concern hardly mattered.
The moment I took a bite, I understood why Lorcan brought me here.
"Delicious," I exclaimed.
"That's right."
The meat wasn't dry at all. Each bite released a burst of juice, and once it blended with the sauce, the flavor turned sublime.
"What kind of sauce is this?" I asked.
"I've asked him a few times, but he has never told me," Lorcan replied. "I think it's this place's secret sauce."
"Makes sense."
I could eat several plates without trouble. In the end, I finished five plates on the spot.
Lorcan muttered, "You have a hearty appetite."
"I've been starving for a while," I said matter-of-factly.
"I can see that..." A short while later, Lorcan's hand trembled slightly as he paid the bill. I pretended not to notice.
After the meal, beverages arrived. To my surprise, the owner brought apple juice.
"What is this?" I asked casually.
"Apple juice. It is made from apples he grows himself. Do you not like it?" Lorcan asked.
"Not just like it," I replied. "It is my favorite juice."
I took a small sip, just enough to moisten my mouth. The scent of apples filled my nose. I immediately vowed to return to this restaurant every time I passed through Teper. I carefully savored the flavor and drank half the glass.
Without warning, Lorcan spoke again. "How about Desert Scorpion?"
I frowned. "What about it?"
The question came out of nowhere. For a moment, I wondered what he meant, until it became clear that he was making a recruitment offer.
A trace of confusion crept into my voice as I asked, "Did you buy me food to ask this?"
"That isn't it. I only wanted to see your intentions," he replied evenly. "If you refuse, I won't bring it up again."
I considered his words. Judging from Lorcan's attitude so far, he seemed sincere.
I briefly reminded myself of the benefits of joining Desert Scorpion, but none of them appealed to me at the moment. "Thank you for the suggestion, but forget it."
"I see. I understand." Lorcan accepted my answer without hesitation and did not raise the topic again. Instead, he asked, "Where are you headed now?"
"Let's see..." I said, thinking it over. "I think I will take a tour of the city."
"Really?" he said with mild surprise. "Why don't you go see your companions?"
"Didn't they already go to take the test? The Origin, or something like that."
"Yes. I'm referring to that."
I tilted my head. "Can I peek? Won't I get in trouble if I'm caught?"
"It isn't sneaking around," he assured me. "B-class or above are allowed to observe the Origin. You can watch as much as you like."
"Oh..."
"I also have a few younger siblings taking the test," Lorcan added. "Why don't you accompany me?"
"Let's do it."
Just as I was nodding, a gloomy voice interrupted us. "Young friends over there..."
The voice came from inside the restaurant, which startled me.
Soon, a shadow stirred in the corner, or so it seemed at first glance. A young man emerged, pale-skinned with gray hair and an aristocratic air. His clothing, however, clashed sharply with his refined appearance. The hat and coat he wore looked unkempt and bore visible stains.
However, his appearance was not what mattered most. Had someone been sitting there the entire time? I didn't notice him until he spoke. Is my energy detection really that unreliable today?
"Who are you?"
The young man rose as he spoke. "My apologies. I am about to say something rude, even though this is our first meeting."
He stood well over 190 centimeters tall, with a slender build that made him look like a scarecrow draped in ill-fitting clothes. Combined, his appearance, his attire, and even his voice created a deeply unsettling impression.
Lorcan and I felt our muscles tense, ready for any sudden danger.
Whether he noticed our reaction or not, the young man looked at us with an intensely serious expression and asked, "Can you lend me some money?"
His request rendered us speechless.