Ch.147Chapter 147. First, Become Famous

Byeongbin Park.

The first time I met that guy was, as usual, after facing the stupid death of the Hero I had been serving.

A foolish Hero who died falling into a trap after letting his guard down during a routine bandit extermination, and followers who continued to act arrogantly even after the Hero—the source of their confidence—died, only to have their throats slit…

I alone begged for my life and barely survived, though it was only a temporary reprieve before I was destined to be sold as a slave to some secretive location.

But if I gave up just because my situation was miserable, I would lose even the chance to grasp hope.

Clinging to that single thought, he appeared before me like a Hero, defeating those who had bound me and extending a hand of salvation.

“I heard they were an organization supplying slaves to the Empire’s rebels, but you seem to have been treated quite harshly.”

“…Who are you?”

“Hmm, don’t you remember me? I believe we met once at the guild not too long ago.”

“Met? We…?”

“You particularly stood out in my memory, and I’ve thought of you occasionally. Meeting like this must be fate. For now, I’ll take you to the guild, and we can have a more detailed conversation there, shall we?”

At that time, it was such a trivial encounter that I couldn’t remember it.

But he considered the memory imprinted by my ability as a connection and accepted me as his companion.

I thought being by his side was much better than being with other Heroes.

Unlike other Heroes, he valued righteousness and cooperation, and because of that, he never treated those around him carelessly.

Rather, despite reaching the high position of a Hero, he didn’t obsess over his authority and preferred to maintain horizontal relationships with those around him.

“Excuse me, Hero Byeongbin Park.”

“Not Byeongbin, but Bieup.”

“But your real name was written on the contract…”

“That’s just a cover name. My true name is Bieup. Please don’t call me that again.”

“…Ah, yes. Anyway, you said I could speak informally from now on, right?”

“Haha, how could there be formality between comrades who face death together? Rather, speaking formally would be uncomfortable, so please speak comfortably.”

“Alright, then I’ll be counting on you, Byeongbin.”

“Not Byeongbin, but Bieup.”

Despite the fact that his casual attitude beyond dropping formalities might have made him uncomfortable, he treated it like a small joke and coolly let it slide.

That tendency quickly narrowed the distance between us.

To the point where I thought I’d like to remain in an equal, friendly relationship with him if allowed.

“My friend, what do you think about the current Empire?”

“About the Empire?”

“Well, I’m just curious. No matter how much I fight for the people as a Hero, I can’t understand their perspective unless I listen to their stories.”

That’s how we sometimes engaged in serious conversations as we grew closer.

Occasionally, when we were camping or drinking at a tavern after a mission, he would sit across from me and often share social or philosophical discussions.

“To be frank, it’s rotten to the core.”

“…You’re hitting a sore spot right from the start.”

“What’s there for you to be hurt about? You’re in a position where you just have to follow orders from above and eliminate rebels, with nothing to worry about.”

“True, I just do what I’m told from above, but I do feel the necessity for the Empire to be maintained. Even though the Empire is supposedly the only place where society can be maintained, they exploit too many people who flock there believing just that. Rather than focusing on governing the nation and strengthening the military, they’re obsessed with summoning Heroes, and there are countless other problems scattered throughout…”

“…If you know how fucked up it is, why don’t you just quit being a Hero and defect to the rebels?”

“Still, perhaps this current flow continues because it’s believed to be the best option.”

Despite my sarcastic remarks, he responded seriously.

In fact, he understood the Empire’s problems even better than I did, yet he still tried to view the Empire positively.

Unlike other Heroes who were intoxicated with themselves, he seemed to wish for the continued existence of what could be called a necessary evil in this world.

“In a harsh world, the only way for the weak to survive is to parasitize under those with power…”

Even though I thought the Empire was messed up, as a mere civilian, I couldn’t deny that much.

No matter how vicious and filthy those with power might be, if the weak don’t follow them while turning a blind eye, all that awaits them is the harshness of the world.

“In the end, because humans are born as humans, they instinctively crave to live as someone’s slave.”

“…Slave.”

Slave.

Officially, there’s no such system as slavery in the Empire, but since Foreign Laborers were treated similarly, it was a word that deeply resonated with me.

And I often felt that way in my previous world too.

Though not as much as in this world, the rule of having to live by parasitizing on someone else applied in the world I originally lived in as well.

“Well, that’s not wrong. My father used to say something similar.”

“…Father?”

“Ah, well, my father was a truck driver. He quit his original job, bought a truck, and traveled all over the country…”

When such a topic came up, I shared the story of my father with Byeongbin without hesitation.

Because he traveled all over the country, he rarely came home, but during long breaks like school vacations, he often took me and my family on trips.

Thanks to that, having experienced various things since childhood, I developed a relatively free-spirited and adaptable personality compared to others.

“…Your father lived quite a free life.”

And his assessment after hearing the whole story, even now, seems like the best description of my father.

Both positively and negatively.

“Yes, he was a free person. That’s why, as you said, he always lamented wishing he had somewhere to depend on.”

As the saying goes, with freedom comes responsibility, and my father was in a position where he had to bear everything that came his way as the price of freedom.

He didn’t just perform tasks as clearly directed like those with regular jobs, nor did anyone fill in for him during his absence, nor did he have any insurance to help him get back on his feet once he fell.

As he had to handle and deal with everything he faced alone, he must have felt a great sense of skepticism about his free-roaming life.

“But now that I’m an adult, I find my father, who lived such a free life, quite admirable.”

“…Admirable?”

“Of course! He didn’t depend on anyone, lived freely, and took responsibility not only for himself but also for his family.”

To not collapse despite such a free life, and to continue that work even after I became an adult, my father was certainly an amazing person.

In a world where everyone dreams of entering a workplace for a stable life, to not depend on anyone and still protect oneself and those around…

Wouldn’t that be impossible without being an extraordinary person?

“If one can bear the responsibility, perhaps a free life that doesn’t depend on anyone isn’t all bad.”

Having grown up watching such a person, my admiration for Heroes might also be unique.

With power, one wouldn’t be bound by others and could live more freely.

I could protect not only myself but also those I cherish.

“…Freedom that can be borne.”

As I was about to end the casual chat with such a small realization, Byeongbin Park, with his head lowered, muttered.

As if something from that conversation bothered him, he rested his chin on his hand and repeatedly mulled over a phrase I had said.

“…Byeongbin?”

“Let’s end it here for today.”

“Huh?”

I had expected the conversation to end soon, but unlike the usual smooth endings, that day’s conclusion seemed somewhat hasty.

Even though I had directly called him by his real name, he forgot to ask me to call him Bieup, and he was gathering his clothes to leave.

“Isn’t it getting late? Let’s continue this conversation next time…”

“Ah, sure. See you tomorrow.”

Even then, I thought there wouldn’t be any issues and saw him off, then returned to my lodging to prepare for the expedition the next day and went to bed.

Yes, that was my last meeting with him that day.

As I reminisce about that day now, I feel a vague emotion that could be called regret welling up in my heart.

“Breaking news! Breaking news! Last night, there was an attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince by infiltrating the Imperial Palace…!”

If only I had known that he would soon become a rebel after disappearing…

I would have at least tried to hear his true intentions directly.

****

“…Hey, Byeongbin Park.”

And about two years after that,

I succeeded in making that friend who had left without much explanation kneel before me.

I hadn’t expected it to be a purely joyful reunion, but I hadn’t wanted to clash with him in this form either.

“Not Byeongbin. Bieup… *cough*.”

“Don’t exaggerate. I hit you gently.”

“My ribs are broken though.”

“Sorry about that.”

After landing the first blow, the fight turned in my favor.

He too had outstanding combat abilities befitting a former Hero, but I was seasoned in battles against multiple opponents due to my memories of the battlefield.

If the opponent’s strength was derived from numbers, it was actually easier than a one-on-one direct confrontation.

“…You, what are you playing at?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you had fought seriously, you wouldn’t have been pushed back this much.”

But how could a fight always stick to direct confrontation?

His specialty was disruption and deception from the start.

He could have set traps, observed from afar without revealing himself, or even escaped with Vivian without fighting, manipulating our vision.

“…You, did you really come here targeting Vivian?”

For him to aim for a direct confrontation that wasn’t even his forte…

Isn’t that too reckless for someone who had avoided being caught by the Empire until now?

“Come to think of it, you were always quite perceptive.”

At my suspicion, he smiled bitterly and began to move his hand toward his face.

He placed his hand on the lock of the mask he had never removed since the first time we met until now.

“Well, there’s no point in hiding it now. My purpose has already been fulfilled by testing you.”

“…What?”

“My friend, do you remember our conversation from the past?”

-Click.

As the firmly locked mask was unlocked and removed,

What was revealed was his real face, which I was seeing for the first time.

“I only show my face to those I trust absolutely enough to entrust my back to.”

The moment I saw that face, I felt my breath catch.

Was there something unusual about his face?

No, that wasn’t it. By any standard of beauty or race, there was nothing unusual about what I saw when I came to this world.

The problem was that he was a Hero from the same world as me.

“What the… that face of yours…”

Yes, the face he revealed now was a form that a Hero should never have.

Why on earth…

No, how on earth?

-Clank, clank.

Amid such questions, the sound of armor friction came from the corridor.

It was likely the soldiers guarding the Imperial Palace who had noticed the commotion here and were coming to assess the situation.

If he didn’t attempt to escape using this standoff, he would surely be surrounded and captured by them.

“I’ll surrender my neck to you right here.”

Yet he didn’t try to escape.

Even knowing that I would be willing to let him go if he didn’t threaten Vivian, he faced me without any resistance.

“Surrender your neck? What do you…”

“I’m helping you achieve the feat of capturing the worst wanted criminal, the most notorious fugitive threatening the Empire’s leadership.”

-Boom, boom!

A thunderous sound at the firmly locked library door.

He quickly summoned a doppelganger to block it, and faced me while enduring his labored breathing.

“Hey, explain so I can understand. Surrender your neck? Why…?”

“You told me this: that you’re neither on the Empire’s side nor on mine.”

Given his injured state, the doppelgangers separated from him would also have physical limitations.

Blocking the exit would only buy time for conversation, but even so, he spoke to me with a composed face.

“That’s enough.”

Despite knowing that I wouldn’t take the path of rebellion like him.

Rather, as if that’s what he wanted, proudly.

“If you’ve come this far without becoming a Hero… just by steadfastly walking that path, you can fulfill my wish.”

“Tell me clearly what you mean! Wasn’t your goal to change the Empire? But now what…?”

-Crash!

The entrance to the library finally collapsed. Afterward, numerous soldiers who entered the library looked around and quickly began to assess the situation.

The fallen Vivian, the leader of the rebels they had been tracking, and me confronting him.

“…So focus solely on rising high, without thinking about anything else. Make your name widely known, make everyone remember you.”

Recognizing their presence, he quickly put the mask back on his face and locked it, quietly gathering strength in his body.

Still saying words I couldn’t understand.

“That will be the way to save more people in the ‘Age of Nihil’ that will come later…!”

With that, he drew a dagger and rushed toward where Vivian had fallen.

-Thwack!!!

As I swung my hammer to stop his action, recognizing the gaze of the gathered soldiers, a prediction flashed through my mind.

Soon, the news that a Hero had subdued the leader of the rebels would…

Spread throughout the Empire, just as that leader had intended.