The first thing I felt when I woke up was a burning thirst in my throat.
Without even opening my eyes, I groaned as I struggled to find something to drink. I could feel the damp, metallic touch of what seemed to be a kettle just within reach. Not bothering to check what was inside, I poured it down my parched throat.
Gulp, gulp.
I put the spout to my mouth and drank it in a pathetic manner that almost brought tears to my eyes. It looked like I was pouring it down my throat, rather than drinking it. My thirst was only satisfied when I emptied the big kettle.
"Phew, I almost died..." I murmured.
I had replenished some fluids, but my head was still slightly dizzy. Thinking about it, I had lost a lot of blood. I had given it little thought due to having no symptoms at first, but people did die from blood loss.
It was only after I finished drinking that I rubbed my eyes and checked my surroundings. Then I almost had a heart attack.
The Iron-Blooded Lord was sitting in a chair right next to my bed.
"Uh..." I began, as everything that had happened right before I collapsed flashed through my mind.
The Iron-Blooded Lord was reading a small book the size of his palm, but it was hard to guess what it was about since there was no title written on the cover. Of course, this was hardly the time for me to be analyzing a book.
I exclaimed, "You're here?"
I wondered if there was a more awkward way to start the conversation. The Iron-Blooded Lord only nodded slightly without a word. It was such a slight movement that I would never have noticed if I hadn't been watching closely.
Eventually, he closed the book and looked at me, asking, "Your body?"
"It's okay. I thought I had more wounds," I replied.
"A nun from the Seventy-Two Churches helped you."
Those words caused the air to freeze. The Iron-Blooded Lord and Verita were the two people I least wanted to see together. I had wished they would live their whole lives without knowing of each other's existence. Now it felt like my small wish had been shattered.
The Iron-Blooded Lord didn't know my thoughts or my feelings, and he said quietly, "She thinks about you a lot."
I wondered if this was a trap or some kind of subtle prodding. Perhaps I was just being paranoid, but I answered, "She preached to me, trying to convert me. I was reluctant."
The other person was the Iron-Blooded Lord, so I had to be careful about lying. He could be using the Blessing of Truth right now.
It was not a lie to say that Verita had preached to me. The problem was that the faith she represented was that of the Colorless faction, not the Seventy-Two Churches.
Silence fell again after my answer.
I had never met anyone I felt particularly awkward or uncomfortable around, perhaps because I'd met so many eccentric people on Spirit Mountain, but now I felt like I was literally sitting on a cushion of thorns. The other person was the Iron-Blooded Lord, and our last meeting hadn't been very pleasant.
This is so awkward. I had no idea what to say, so I kept my mouth shut.
Meanwhile, the Iron-Blooded Lord continued, "It sounded like the two of you would be moving together for a while."
"Things just turned out that way."
"Bloody Mace Razbet. I had heard of her, but she exceeds the rumors when seeing her in person. If you work together, she will be of great help no matter what mission you do."
I knew Verita was strong, but I had never expected even the Iron-Blooded Lord to judge her like this.
He paused before adding, "Of course, you can take care of yourself without anyone's help."
I was confused, wondering what he wanted to say. I looked at the Iron-Blooded Lord and found that his mouth was half open before he closed it again.
I was caught off guard. If someone did that, it generally meant they had just swallowed their words. Could I interpret this as the Iron-Blooded Lord expressing hesitation, or was I reading into it too much? What happened all of a sudden?
Judging from the flow of the conversation and his reactions, it felt like he was being careful around me. However, I could hardly judge this man by ordinary standards. It was far more dangerous to get the wrong idea about him.
In any case, the other person was the Iron-Blooded Lord. He was the very symbol of a ruthless and heartless person. He was the charismatic leader of a Great Family, a cold-blooded hero, and a man who was said to have a heart that didn't beat and blood that didn't flow.
"Within the Hero Society, there are many forces that are intricately intertwined." The Iron-Blooded Lord eventually spoke again.
I somehow felt that he had changed what he was going to say, even though his expression was calm and his tone wasn't shaking.
"Fundamentally, the status of a hero can be held alongside another status at the same time. There are many places where it can be used, so various powers want this qualification. The Hero Society also knows this and accepts their support. Above all else, what this organization wants is results."
It was a sudden lecture, but after being attacked by twenty clans at the same time, I understood these words in my heart instead of just with my mind.
This organization was one that contained many factions, each with a different objective. There was no such thing as the noble and holy heroes of legend, who were summoned to achieve the goal of world peace or the eradication of war. It was a more political, complex group of intertwined forces. People became heroes with their own affiliations and for their own purposes.
To say nothing of the Iron-Blooded Lord, even Verita was a nun of the Seventy-Two Churches. Coralis, who had taken the test with me, was likely to be the next archmage and part of the imperial family's forces.
I smiled slightly. It seemed the Hero Society was paradoxically the least heroic organization of all, despite their claims to the contrary.
"There are so many forces that conflicts are bound to occur. Events like today's will happen more often in the future," the Iron-Blooded Lord continued.
"That is a possibility."
"If you have a dispute against those who are too strong for you to handle alone, you can call on my name. I will serve as a barrier to at least hold them back."
"I declined to join Black Rose."
"I know. I'm not asking you to join. I just want to help you even if you aren't a member." the Iron-Blooded Lord said with a serious expression.
I was speechless. It was a bit of an exaggeration, but it almost felt like everything I had believed so far was completely invalid. I wondered, Is the Iron-Blooded Lord really the type of man to say something like this? Have I misunderstood him all along? Or maybe, could it be that he's started to change?
My fists clenched tightly and I crumpled the blanket. I said half-impulsively, "I can take care of myself."
After saying it, I realized I had just repeated the same words that the Iron-Blooded Lord had said earlier. It sounded immature when thinking about it, so my face turned red.
"Right. However, you have to always be prepared for the unexpected. There are three people in the Hero Society headquarters that even I can't guarantee victory against. Headquarters Chief Taon Gludd is one of them."
I was surprised. I had expected him to be as strong as the headquarters chief, but I hadn't expected the Iron-Blooded Lord to say something like this. Since there were three people, it meant there were two more. Is Sky-Destroying Sword one of them? There's still one person left.
There were many S-class heroes I hadn't met yet. It was probably one of them. I was curious about it, but more than that, I had something to say right now. In fact, I should've said it when I first woke up.
"Family Head," I began.
"What is it?"
"Thank you."
The Iron-Blooded Lord said nothing as I continued, "I don't think I've thanked you properly yet. Honestly, it was very dangerous last night. If I'd been left alone, I wouldn't have died, but what happened next would have been as hateful as death."
"As hateful as death?"
"I was almost swayed."
The Iron-Blooded Lord wondered, "Is that so hard to endure?"
"A little bit."
"Why?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's because I was beaten and crushed enough to be swayed. When I fail while doing what I want, I blame others."
"Blame others, you say?"
I nodded and asked, "Have you never done that?"
"Not once."
"Never?"
"As far as I can remember, yes."
If he couldn't remember it, then there was a high probability that it was actually the case. I muttered to myself, dumbfounded, "Can a person really think that way?"
"In the end, the final choice is mine, so I have to deal with it."
"Wow."
It struck me once again that my father was the most unyielding man in the world. In the past, I couldn't understand the Iron-Blooded Lord and was scared. Now he looked strangely fragile. Perhaps it was because the more upright and rigid something was, the harder it was to put back together once it broke.
I suggested, "Why not give it a try?"
"What?"
"Blaming others."
"That would only cause trouble to those around me."
"Just don't do it openly. It helps you maintain a good mental state. For example: I didn't fail from incompetence; it's that the world is messed up! What else? This is your fault, you lunatic! Or..." I trailed off. Even I felt a bit ridiculous after saying it. It was absurd to imagine the Iron-Blooded Lord blaming others.
The Iron-Blooded Lord suddenly asked, "Did you blame me like that?"
The question cut sharply and I almost flinched. I felt a bit of sweat dripping down my back.
"Um." I hesitated, but the pause was already an answer.
Fortunately, the Iron-Blooded Lord didn't get angry. He said, "In life, there are times when you have to bend when it comes to your opinions."
"That's true, but I think it's important to feel convinced, or at least to understand it. I just can't understand their reasoning behind coming to beat me up. Twenty people came to beat up a kid." I asked, "Do you find it hard to understand?"
"A little bit." The Iron-Blooded Lord nodded.
I momentarily thought about stopping the conversation here. Then, looking at the Iron-Blooded Lord, I decided that was unnecessary.
For some inexplicable reason, I kept talking. "I heard that once you were B-class, you'd be a hero who wouldn't need to bow your head anywhere. If you were A-class, you wouldn't need to be intimidated unless you were facing a high-ranking noble. But this time, twenty people came to take care of a kid like me. I know they all have their own reasons. I couldn't understand it, but maybe I really did stepp on their sore spots. Still."
The Iron-Blooded Lord listened quietly.
I continued, "I don't understand, even when taking all that into account. Isn't there a mountain of work that needs doing? The current empire is in unprecedented turmoil. People everywhere are screaming for help. I don't know whether it's for profit or political power, but it is pathetic to see them come in a group to put pressure on me."
"You must've had high expectations for the title of hero."
"I suppose so. Looking back now, the only one in the entire organization who feels like a true hero is you..." I shut my mouth midway through. My true thoughts naturally leaked out as we talked, but they could be taken as blatant flattery.
The Iron-Blooded Lord silently watched me, but it felt like his eyes had widened slightly.
"I'm just saying." I hurriedly finished speaking, thinking to myself that I had seen many aspects of this man today.
The room was silent for a moment.
Fortunately, before the atmosphere became even more awkward, the Iron-Blooded Lord stood up and said, "I have said everything I needed to say. I will be going. It is up to you whether you want to follow my advice or not. It will probably be hard for you to see me for a while."
"Where are you going?"
"To do what needs to be done."
I wondered if it was demon subjugation, or perhaps something related to my elder senior brother. I remembered how he had suggested that we take a mission related to Spirit Mountain together when I first came to the Hero Society.
As he prepared to leave the room, I said, "I've decided to join a clan called Corrupted."
The Iron-Blooded Lord, who had just turned around, stopped and looked at me again. He'd likely already heard this from a report, but I wanted to say it and see his reaction. Everyone spoke badly of the clan and opposed me joining them, so I wondered what he would think.
"It isn't for any particular reason. It's just the best place to achieve my goal," I explained.
"Is it Lanfero's clan?"
I said nothing.
"That would be good," the Iron-Blooded Lord said, surprisingly having little reaction. Then he asked an unexpected question. "Have you read the letter I gave you?"
"Letter? Ah, no."
I had read the other letters and thrown them away. Now, thinking about it, I had kept the recruitment letter from Black Rose without even opening it. It was for no particular reason, other than that I just felt it was wrong to throw away a letter from the Iron-Blooded Lord. To be honest, I had forgotten about its existence until now.
"I see." The Iron-Blooded Lord nodded and said, "You don't have to read it."
I remained silent as he continued, "I look forward to your success in the Hero Society... No. I'll cheer for you. Please be safe."
"Yes. I wish you good luck as well."
The Iron-Blooded Lord let out a low laugh when he heard those words. It seemed like a laugh that contained a lot of emotions. He eventually said, "Today's conversation was very impressive. I will take it to heart."
"Ah, yes," I responded.
Finally, the Iron-Blooded Lord left the room. The air immediately seemed to become lighter. He was a truly impressive person; he didn't intend to put pressure on anyone, but he gave off a heavy aura just sitting there. He was almost like a human rock.
I relaxed a bit, still tired and hungry. I sat quietly on the bed and sighed. I slowly pondered the conversation we just had, and a bittersweet feeling arose in me. I felt confused by these emotions that I couldn't explain clearly.
Verita suddenly crawled out from under the bed. "Has he left?"
"Ah, what a surprise. Shit."
I was really scared of her.