Ch.5Episode 1 – The Gray Man (Complete)

# “None at all? Really? You truly have no abilities?”

My head was spinning. My exhausted brain couldn’t keep up with the flow of the conversation.

“Ah, well, about that…”

“Miss Camilla Rowell, please be honest with me. Do you truly have no abilities?”

“I think I don’t…”

No, fuck this.

Either she has them or she doesn’t. What kind of nonsense is “I think I don’t”?

I’m starting to get angry. If this woman had been a soldier instead of a hero, I would have dislocated her joints by now. Honestly, I wanted to grab those hesitating lips of hers and pull them straight.

Camilla Rowell twirled her crimson hair nervously and lowered her gaze.

“A-Actually…”

After glancing back and forth between her teacup and me, she hung her head low and continued in a barely audible voice.

“I… can’t remember…”

What the hell is this nonsense?

# Episode 1 – The Gray Man

Amnesia.

Medically termed “Amnesia,” it’s a mental disorder. Commonly known as amnesia or memory loss, its primary symptom is temporary or long-term memory loss.

It typically manifests when lying to parents, during conversations with friends or teachers. For socially prominent individuals, it often flares up during parliamentary hearings or prosecutorial investigations.

Camilla Rowell’s case is similar.

She explained to me that she has no memory of the quest conducted at the royal palace. More precisely, she vaguely remembers the beginning and end, but claims to have no memory of the middle part—when she was actually carrying out the quest. Of course, Camilla Rowell isn’t lying. She genuinely seems unable to remember.

“This is seriously mind-boggling.”

“I’m sorry…”

“What are you sorry for? You might have hit your head somewhere and lost your memory. I’ve seen plenty of comrades like that when I was on the front lines.”

“Ah…”

Camilla Rowell kept her head down, fidgeting with her fingers. She really is like a social outcast. Ugh, what is it… she looked like the protagonist straight out of those socially awkward manga I’d seen online. Even down to the ponytail or whatever you call that hairstyle where the hair is tied back.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.

Camilla Rowell is the hero responsible for my life, and if she’s injured her head, that’s a serious problem. She seems fine now, but is she really okay?

“Hmm. Have you had a health check-up? It seems like you’ve experienced quite a shock.”

“Cardinal Raoul examined me.”

“Cardinal Raoul? You mean the Cardinal of the Order?”

“You know the Cardinal?”

“How do you know him, Miss Camilla Rowell?”

“Oh, Cardinal Raoul delivered a letter to me.”

A letter? Could it be that Cardinal Raoul was the one who delivered the Cardinal’s letter?

Cardinal Raoul is a friendly named NPC from “Heroes of the Dark World.” To summarize him in one sentence, he’s a truly “genuine” religious figure.

Strong in holy power, clean in his private life, no mistresses or illegitimate children—all in all, a decent person. He does have a bit of a fanatic streak, but fanaticism is a quality of a true religious person in this dark age, so I understand. Actually, apart from that, he’s quite a decent man.

And most importantly, he’s a supporter of the priestess candidate for sainthood, “Lucia.”

But why is Cardinal Raoul here? Shouldn’t he be elevating Lucia to the position of saint candidate and summoning the bishops by now?

“Of course I know him. He’s quite famous. But why is he at the royal palace?”

“After I first met Cardinal Raoul, he’s been staying here ever since.”

I see.

“Do you happen to know when Cardinal Raoul will return?”

“Um, I heard he’ll head to the Order on the day I’m announced as the hero.”

That’s strange.

Cardinal Raoul definitely appeared with the priest when he brought her as a companion in the Order. Since Camilla Rowell has completed the palace quest, the hero summoning will soon be officially announced. And right after my promotion ceremony to major, she and I are scheduled to depart for the Order to recruit Lucia.

But why is Cardinal Raoul, who should be making Lucia a saint candidate, at the palace?

…This doesn’t feel right.

Something is wrong.

*

In “Heroes of the Dark World,” the saints of the Order are depicted as elected officials chosen through voting.

When a believer recommended by a cardinal registers as a saint candidate, the bishops gather at the Order’s headquarters to hold a hearing to verify the candidate, and decide whether to elevate them to sainthood through a vote. If the chosen candidate is male, he’s named a male saint; if female, a female saint.

It sounds like a very democratic system, but this is a world where dark fantasy and apocalypse mix. Naturally, election fraud runs rampant, rivaling even the worst dictatorships.

During the verification period, groundless slander and negative campaigning erupt.

During the voting period, there’s bribery, ghost voting, ballot box switching, show of hands voting, and even government-backed elections with foreign intervention.

However, no matter how turbulent the world is or even if the candidate is a companion of a hero verified by divine revelation, they couldn’t avoid this treacherous path.

Why? Because the current female saint is from the most powerful empire on the continent.

Just as there aren’t two suns under the sky, there has never been more than one female saint since the Order’s founding. Naturally, the first female saint, unwilling to set this precedent, uses every means to bury Lucia.

In the end, Lucia, bombarded with slander and negative campaigning, joins the hero’s journey without even getting to the election. It’s essentially a retreat with her tail between her legs.

What happens next is predictable. Fearing Lucia’s return to the Order as a successful companion of the hero, the female saint sends assassins, delivers bombs, and even poisoned food. If the player chooses, all assassination attempts fail, but if Lucia gets caught in one, she dies.

And the strategy to remove the priest-alchemist time bomb duo involves using these events to detach the two characters. It’s a very cruel strategy, but it’s effective. If you remove those two and proceed, assassination attempts significantly decrease until the mid-to-late game.

The story has digressed, but to conclude, the life of Lucia, the priestess candidate for sainthood, is extremely unfortunate.

The reason she could endure was because a few bishops, including Cardinal Raoul, supported her. There were often lines mentioning that without them, she wouldn’t have been able to hold on.

So, the fact that Cardinal Raoul, who should be caring for Lucia at the Order according to the original story, is at the palace means that Lucia is enduring all the pain alone.

“…This is more serious than I thought.”

“Is it…?”

Colonel Clevins put down his paper cup and slowly turned the paper document as he spoke.

“It’s widely known that the Order is corrupt, but I didn’t realize they would corner a woman to this extent.”

“What specific rumors are circulating, sir?”

“Common conspiracy theories. They mainly attack her orphan background, it seems.”

The colonel placed the document on the desk and explained as he turned each page by hand. The content was so vile that just looking at it made my expression sour.

“…I can understand calling her a prostitute, but a witch’s child? How can a companion chosen by divine revelation be a witch’s child?”

“You’re more naive than I thought. Do conspiracy theories need evidence, whether she’s a hero’s companion or not?”

“Ah.”

“For someone smart and perceptive, you sometimes talk nonsense.”

With each conspiracy theory, slander, and negative campaign that popped up, I felt increasingly dizzy.

…These people call themselves religious? I finally understand why the world is in decline.

“Come to think of it, it’s strange.”

Colonel Clevins, who had been carefully examining the document, took out a fountain pen and started drawing lines. He connected several lines into one large group.

“Do you know what the Frederick Intelligence Agency’s mission is?”

The sudden question momentarily left me speechless, but what I had memorized after being beaten by seniors flowed naturally from my mouth.

“Intelligence collection and information creation, security and counterintelligence, sir?”

“And domestic and foreign operations. There are various operations conducted overseas, one of which is election interference.”

Colonel Clevins brought out a file from the cabinet and opened it.

“Look carefully. What’s the common point between these two documents?”

As I carefully examined the two documents, I found one common point.

“The font is exactly the same.”

“You know well. As you’re aware, each printing press has a different font. Wouldn’t you think these two documents came from the same printing press?”

“That’s too…”

Isn’t that a stretch?

“You still lack the basics, Frederick. You should doubt everything and be persistent. Even something as simple as a font can be a clue.”

Colonel Clevins closed the document he had brought, smiling as if he had finally caught something. The cover read “Kiyen Empire Imperial Guard Overseas Operation Cases.”

Come to think of it, this man was capable of identifying hundreds of imperial spies. In the game setting, the current female saint was from the Empire and strongly disliked Lucia becoming a new female saint. Wait, damn it.

This is suddenly chilling. How did Clevins figure this out?

“You suddenly showed interest in the saint candidate and brought up quite good information. Is this a retirement gift for the intelligence agency?”

“…No, how did you figure it out, sir?”

“Intuition.”

He just guessed this?

“When you’ve been in this field long enough, you develop such intuition. You get uneasy about seemingly trivial matters, and when you dig deeper, something emerges—that kind of instinct.”

“…That’s fascinating. So, Colonel, do you think the Empire’s intelligence agency is checking the female saint candidate?”

“Based on the circumstances, yes. Since the current Saint Veronica is from an imperial baronial family, I think the Empire is doing this out of concern that their influence over the Order through Saint Veronica will diminish. Just a guess, of course.”

It was a plausible guess. Since the game didn’t provide detailed information about Saint Veronica, I couldn’t tell if the colonel’s guess was right or wrong. But words are ultimately spoken by people, and Clevins Hendrick is the kingdom’s top intelligence agent, so I thought his guess would be correct.

However, what’s important isn’t that the imperial intelligence agency is behind Saint Veronica, but that Lucia is enduring all these attacks alone.

“Haah…”

The story is deviating from the game’s narrative. I can’t even guess where it went wrong.

Was it from the moment I was sucked into the game? From when the hero appeared? Was it a problem that I became a soldier? Or that I transferred to the intelligence agency? I’m worried that something I did caused this situation.

What will happen from now on? Is the hero going to be okay? Can Lucia endure alone? How much more will the story twist from here? Will I survive?

My head feels filled with a hazy fog. As certainty about the future disappears, anxiety rushes in like a wave. It’s just a mess. My head is starting to throb. I’ve been getting headaches lately; should I see a doctor?

“Are you alright?”

Colonel Clevins asked, sipping his coffee. His expression clearly showed concern. I could barely find my voice, so I just nodded in response. Seeing me like this, the colonel smiled as if watching a child’s antics and offered me a cup of coffee.

“Why are you thinking so much?”

“Pardon?”

Colonel Clevins, bringing the paper cup to his lips, smiled amusingly.

“Sometimes, I think you overthink things.”

“…What do you mean, sir?”

“Watching you reminds me of myself in the past. Always measuring this and that, wondering about this and that…”

The colonel started saying something out of the blue. Due to my headache, it was hard to understand what he meant.

“What if I had done this before? Was that the right thing to do then? What will happen to me in the future? Aren’t you thinking about such things now?”

“…How did you know?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Intuition.”

He smiled as if bringing up a story after a long time.

“Sometimes, you know, it’s better to put aside those headache-inducing thoughts and just do what you want to do, what you need to do. Holding onto past events or things that haven’t even happened yet only gives you a headache, doesn’t it?”

The middle-aged man pointed at the paper document with his finger. It was a report on the Order’s saint selection process made by other agents.

“Isn’t it similar to how you suddenly came to ask about the saint candidate Lucia? Since becoming the hero’s companion, you’ve been focused solely on that, haven’t you? To the point where it’s affecting your daily life.”

He hit the nail on the head.

I felt as if I’d been stripped naked. Colonel Clevins knew my psychology as clearly as looking at his palm. Experience really can’t be ignored. I let out a laugh of disbelief, and the colonel leaned back on the sofa, smiling silently.

“Don’t live too consumed by work. Take breaks, that’s what I’m saying. Watching you is like seeing someone being chased by something.”

“Is that so?”

“I don’t know what burden you’re carrying, but if it’s too heavy to bear alone, share it with others. That’s why I assigned two valuable agents to you.”

“…Didn’t you assign them for patriotic duty, sir?”

I was asking if they weren’t assigned to spy abroad and monitor the hero. Of course, I didn’t expect an answer, and the colonel didn’t bother to provide one. He was just saying what he needed to say, smoothly avoiding the question.

“Patriotism isn’t just about thinking, sometimes you need to charge ahead without overthinking.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“It’s good to weigh options and make careful calculations, but if you’re too fixated on calculations, life becomes tiring.”

I think I finally understand what the colonel is saying.

Beyond being an intelligence agent and a soldier, he was giving me advice as a senior in life. That’s why he didn’t answer my earlier question.

“…So, don’t worry about this matter and go rest. I’ll handle this.”

Colonel Clevins dismissed me as he organized the documents.

*

I look up at the early summer sky, twinkling with stars.

I was sitting on a bench in front of my quarters, gazing at the sky.

Colonel Clevins just informed me that Cardinal Raoul had returned to the Order. While I was anxiously trying to figure out how to send Cardinal Raoul back, the colonel had already done so with a few documents and words. Rank really is powerful.

In the end, the story is slowly finding its way back.

I sat quietly on the bench, mulling over the colonel’s words.

The plan I had built over 28 years has already been shattered. The plan I hastily made in a week is already shaking. I’m not sure if the papers in the cabinet will be useful going forward. I feel like I’m lost.

I tried to calculate all possibilities, but in the end, I couldn’t find a definite answer.

Am I overthinking, as the colonel suggested? Would it be easier to just charge ahead without calculating? Thinking this way, the world seemed much simpler.

What does it matter if the hero has no abilities? As long as Camilla Rowell has been summoned as a hero, she’s destined to become one of the continent’s strongest. If I grab her by the collar and drag her around, ensuring she gets rewards, she can become strong enough.

No matter how much Lucia struggles, she won’t become a saint. But she’s still the hero’s companion and a priestess. With a little effort, she’ll grow into a good healer. Similarly, if I support her from behind, she can become strong. Being a saint doesn’t help with growth at all, so not becoming one won’t hinder her development. It’s just annoying to prevent her from being assassinated.

If the future doesn’t flow according to the story, I’ll just put leashes on everyone and drag them along.

Suddenly thinking this way, my worries seemed futile, and life seemed much easier.

In a world where the dichotomy of good and evil doesn’t apply, and black and white logic doesn’t work, everything shines in an ambiguous gray. And like all worlds, it’s not superhumans on white horses who live in this land, but ordinary people.

In the end, I’m just one of countless ordinary people.

“…This dawn sentiment is amazing.”

I no longer felt lost.

The colonel is right. No matter how much you weigh things, in the end, only results matter.

Mere thinking can never achieve anything, and sometimes intuition is more correct than calculation.

So I decided to charge ahead first.

On a night when brilliantly shining stars illuminate the world.

Under the night sky, looking at the city dyed in gray, I finally organized my thoughts.

# Episode 1 – The Gray Man -END-