Ch.63Chapter 63. Malice More Serious Than Hatred

Heroes are typically sociopaths.

This perception is so widespread that adventurers view heroes negatively, which is why the adventurers in this party likely see this moment as an opportunity.

Despite having abilities that can instantly obliterate enemies that would challenge the entire party working together, this hero not only distributes profits equally but also volunteers to do menial tasks.

Wouldn’t such a person be perfect not just as an easy mark to exploit, but also as a stress-relief doll?

“Haha~ When they said ‘fallen hero,’ I thought they meant someone who couldn’t even use their powers properly, but I guess a hero is still a hero even when they’ve fallen, huh?”

“…I can understand making them set up barricades, but making them do the dishes seems a bit much.”

The vanguard looked around nervously at the mage’s words.

However, rather than being concerned for Garam Lee, he seemed more worried that the hero might use their power for revenge.

Even though the hero had been labeled as “fallen” and considered themselves inferior, considering the abilities they’d demonstrated so far, they could probably turn everyone into a bloody pulp with just one finger…

“Oh come on~ What’s there to be afraid of? If the world were simply ruled by the strongest, humanity would have fallen under heroes’ control long ago instead of the Empire’s.”

The mage, on the other hand, showed no hesitation despite witnessing such power firsthand.

The way she shrugged and sneered showed she felt neither guilt nor resistance to her actions.

“Heroes have to suck up to their sponsors to maintain their authority anyway. There’s nothing strange about us bullying a hero who’s desperate enough to beg for a single adventurer. Don’t you agree, Mr. Monk?”

“Well… When I think about the heroes who waste my monastery’s donations, I can’t honestly say I have a good impression of heroes.”

“See? Even the pure monk says so, so we can be shameless about it! Besides, if this hero snaps and kills us all, then they’ll truly have no adventurers willing to party with them afterward.”

The mage snickered, looking toward where Garam had gone to do the dishes.

As the monk and vanguard gradually joined in the mage’s unrestrained gossip, the sniper watching from the side gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“Well, well. The perpetrators and victims are completely different people…”

“What’s with you? After all your snarky comments before, why are you suddenly backing out now?”

“I believe in working only as much as I’m paid for. I don’t mind joking around to someone’s face, but this kind of backbiting doesn’t sit well with me. I’m going to scout around while taking a break, so you all just keep resting.”

With those words, the sniper left.

The mage who had been gossiping glared at his retreating figure with a disgruntled expression.

Well, if there’s no need for gossip, I suppose I don’t need to be here either.

“What’s with him? Suddenly acting all proper… Hey, where are you going?”

“I’m just going to check on the hero. I’m a bit worried.”

“Haha~ What’s there to worry about? We’ve blocked everything with barricades, and that rogue already confirmed there are no traps~”

“…You never know what might happen.”

Even if the hero is in no position to oppress the party, if something happens to them, we’d have to directly face monsters like the gargoyles we encountered earlier.

Using that justification to escape the gossip, the vanguard muttered in a bitter voice:

“That guy has been unsociable from the start.”

“He’s suspicious in many ways. He hides his face and even concealed his name as a condition for joining the party…”

“No sane person would choose a spear-wielding class. Pfft, what kind of class name is ‘spearman’?”

…Damn that mage.

She’s making me remember things I’d rather forget.

“Whatever. He’s doing what he wants, so let’s not worry about it. Anyway, about what the hero did earlier…”

The mage continued gossiping even after I withdrew.

I wanted to intervene, but currently I bear the title of “Hero Hunter,” which is as infamous among adventurers as “Fallen Hero.”

If friction increased, I might have to reveal my identity, and since I couldn’t change their perception of heroes anyway, I tried to maintain my composure.

I should step in if things go too far, but that shouldn’t be necessary right now.

“…It’s okay.”

As I approached the entrance to the room where Garam was, I heard a faint voice.

Amid the clattering sounds from the fountain in the center of the room, I vaguely saw Garam wiping her eyes while washing dishes.

“It’s okay, I can do this.”

A soliloquy to alleviate the loneliness of dishwashing…

But it seemed more than that, as even I, eavesdropping, could clearly feel the trembling in her voice.

“I’m used to this kind of thing. Everyone said we need to maintain the party this way, so…”

Clatter, clatter. The sound of dishes being washed under the fountain.

As droplets from her face fell onto the still-wet dishes, the girl’s gaze naturally turned to their surface.

To wipe away the water droplets with a cloth.

“This is all I have. So if I just endure a little longer, everything will be okay…”

She continued washing dishes resolutely, but perhaps she couldn’t avoid looking at her reflection in the plate?

The girl stopped abruptly after meeting her own eyes in the faint reflection, and spent a moment staring at her face.

Despite trying to comfort herself, she was confronting her true feelings that she couldn’t ignore.

“Uh…”

She bit her lip trying to suppress what was coming out, but such a thing was impossible with such tender emotions.

Whether sooner or later, the dam of tears was bound to break.

“Uh, uh…”

After wiping her eyes with wet hands a few times, her hands eventually drooped to the floor.

Only then did the girl, having reached her limit of endurance, begin to release her suppressed emotions alone.

“Uwaaaaah…”

A pitiful crying sound.

Even that she tried to muffle as much as possible, fearing it might reach the room where the party members were—this Fallen Hero… no, this young girl who wasn’t even an adult yet.

But I couldn’t bring myself to approach and offer words of comfort to that pitiful figure.

Her naturally timid heart, the confusion she felt upon falling into a strange world, and worries about the future.

Before her self-esteem as a hero who should neutralize such negative emotions could be established, I unintentionally barged in and broke it.

“Uh, uwaaaaah…”

How miserable must she feel in this wretched reality—having no one to depend on, reduced to serving others despite her destined fate?

Even that would become familiar with repetition, but familiarity stems not from resolution but from resignation to an unchanging reality.

No matter how miserable her situation becomes, she’ll eventually accept it as her fate—a pitiful and unfortunate circumstance.

“…Why are heroes always at extremes?”

Either they’re sociopaths, or they’re more pathetic cowards than Foreign Laborers.

Of course, if the latter maintains a sense of crisis, they won’t die from carelessness, but this world is a harsh dark fantasy where merely existing is painful for those who lack power.

In such a world, despite having innate abilities, being exploited by others and living in constant fear of death is not something a young girl can endure.

“…If only there was hope.”

Yes, if only there was hope that this child could live a better future.

Drawn by a gesture born from guilt, a note began to quietly unfold before my eyes.

[Open after entering the dungeon, during your first camp.]

The third note Irie Haven had given me.

The opportunity had finally come to open this note, which was only permitted to be read at critical moments to minimize variables when knowing the future.

Of course, this note was only meant to solve my concerns.

It would only help my stability and growth, with no guarantee it would affect that child’s safety.

But if she had prophesied that my future self would have such concerns…

“…What is this?”

What was written on the note I opened with such unreasonable hopes far exceeded my expectations.

I had thought I might have to put that child in danger to preserve my life, but what was written on the note taught me that such a thing wasn’t even worth worrying about.

“Damn, this is no time to worry about gossip.”

I expected Murderers to be rampant in newly discovered dungeons, but I never imagined something worse awaited.

If I don’t stop this, something truly terrible could happen.

****

The next day after camping.

The dungeon exploration resumed, proceeding as smoothly as the day before.

There was a capable scout for traps, and monsters like gargoyles could be dealt with instantly using the hero’s power.

The party members, initially cautious, began to relax and focus solely on investigating structures as the journey continued smoothly.

“Hero! We’re going to rest here, could you set up some barricades?”

“Y-yes. Leave it to me…”

“Hehe~ Thanks to our hero, exploration has become so much easier~”

She looked tired, probably from lack of sleep after standing watch last night.

As she moved structures to block the corridor despite her fatigue, the mage snickered, and the vanguard and monk exchanged glances before smiling awkwardly as they watched.

Their self-restraint was gradually disappearing as they watched the mage treat the hero like a servant.

That behavior was in danger of becoming extreme soon, but coincidentally, now was not the time to worry about such things.

“Tsk, why are they taking out their frustrations on a little miss who isn’t even their hero… You don’t seem to approve of this either, do you?”

The sniper, disliking the party members’ behavior but ultimately not interfering, merely clicked his tongue from a distance.

When he approached me seeking agreement, I gestured toward a corridor that hadn’t yet been barricaded and said:

“More importantly, I’d like to scout that area. Would you come with me?”

“That way? Didn’t we confirm there was nothing there when we passed through earlier?”

“Something’s bothering me. Please.”

“Ah, well. If that’s the case. Hero~ We’re going to do some scouting, so please block the path we came from!”

The scout followed me, leaving the hero to secure the resting place.

After walking down the corridor for a while, I led him to a room that appeared to be a library with many obstacles, and only then did I stop.

“By the way, we’ve come quite far from the party. Is there some problem…”

-SWISH!

The moment my spear was swung fiercely.

The sharp blade made of refined mythril cut through bookshelves and ancient books, but the target’s legs had long since moved away.

“…What are you doing?”

Damn, I missed.

As expected, his instincts are good—he’s survived in dungeons for a long time.

“I’m asking just in case, but were you in the same league as those idiots who backstabbed the hero as soon as we entered? I guess I did get an uneasy feeling when you hid your face and name…”

“Paul Denian, member of the assassination specialist clan, Red Cross.”

Anyway, I need to deal with him here first.

With that certainty, I pulled off the mask hiding my face and spoke the contents written in Irie’s prophecy:

“You came to assassinate the hero under your clan’s orders, didn’t you?”

Considering the possibility, however slight, that Irie’s prophecy might be wrong.

To confirm this, I revealed my identity while mentioning his affiliation, and he burst into laughter as if recognizing my face.

“…Haha, well now.”

As if the fact that he was a Murderer disguised as an adventurer…

Had become reality from the moment of my accusation.

“I suppose someone who’s killed dozens of heroes would have an eye for spotting people in the business~”

Yes, this is no time to worry about gossip.

If I don’t eliminate him here, he’ll start by killing that child, and then Murderers who receive his signal will begin massacring adventurers throughout the dungeon.