Ch.85Chapter 85. Telling Tales About The Hero Who Didn’t Die (2)

“It’s a well-known fact among adventurers that those with the Hero title are all thick-headed jerks with terrible personalities.

And ironically, I first realized this when I encountered the bizarre behavior of the first Hero who ever had my back in this world.

‘What is the ultimate state of a Swordmaster who is known to cut through everything? Radiation! A swordsman who wields radiation as aura, ignoring enemy defenses and destroying at the genetic level, can truly be called the strongest swordsman!’

‘Um… I wouldn’t recommend that.’

‘Silence! I am a Hero and my abilities are invincible!!’

Despite my objections, he used his abilities to create a sword that emitted radiation, and he became intoxicated with the thrill of being a Swordmaster as he sliced through every enemy in his path.

As a result, he died shortly after from acute systemic cancer.

After witnessing such Darwin Award-worthy stupidity from the very first Hero I met, I became disillusioned with Heroes in general. I temporarily gave up being a porter and spent time working various labor jobs like repairing city walls and reconstruction.

‘Oh, young man, you work so diligently. Could you come over here and help with some digging?’

I met Jaseong about a week after I started working at such construction sites.

Having arrived in this world several years before me, he was one of those Heroes who assisted the Empire primarily through labor rather than adventure.

As a Hero, his abilities had a profound impact on construction sites, to the point where plans were often modified to center around him.

But because of this, I couldn’t help but question his activities.

Surely those in power wouldn’t leave someone with his abilities alone, yet why was he content working labor jobs without a sponsor, satisfied with earnings below the average Hero’s income?

‘That’s because I don’t like being someone else’s lackey.’

One day during a meal, I asked him about it, and he casually explained.

‘A Hero’s power comes from their sponsors, so no matter what title you have, if you don’t work under someone, you can’t enjoy any power or privileges.’

‘But wouldn’t you gain various benefits by working as a Hero? You could be treated as a hero by citizens.’

‘That hero treatment is situational too. As a Hero, you’re supposed to save everything that can be saved and protect everything that can be protected, but then they tell you to postpone this because it’s politically problematic, or do that first because this doesn’t make money… They constantly interfere with what I do, so where’s the satisfaction in saving people?’

As he said, Heroes are essentially propaganda tools when you look at it plainly.

Although his speech and behavior were rough for a Hero, I figured that atmosphere didn’t suit his temperament since he had his own sense of justice.

Rather than being a public idol, he pursued justice with freedom… If I had to describe him, Jaseong Nam was more suited to being a chivalrous warrior or a hero of the people than a conventional Hero.

‘Of course, I could tolerate it if it was just about making money, but there are some things I absolutely cannot stand.’

But the reason I found him impressive wasn’t just because he had a more human and relatable side compared to typical Heroes.

Generally, those who walked different paths from conventional Heroes all had eccentric aspects.

And he was one of the most memorable eccentrics among such Heroes.

‘What can’t you stand?’

‘The food tastes bad.’

‘…Excuse me?’

‘The food that nobles eat in this world has no taste at all. Moreover, does it make any sense to sit properly at a table and stupidly wait for appetizers and desserts to arrive on their own?’

‘Well, I suppose there were things like omakase in our original world…’

‘Whether it’s omakase or irasshaimase, dawdling isn’t a man’s meal! A proper man’s meal should be set up so you can go to a construction site cafeteria, order one plate of spicy stir-fried pork, drink a bowl of rice punch, and quickly get back to work!’

Construction site cafeteria? I never expected to hear about that in another world, something I’d only experienced when working weekend construction jobs to pay for tuition.

‘Even though the meals at these construction sites suit my taste better than what nobles eat, I still miss the meals from our previous world sometimes.’

‘Haha, I feel the same way sometimes. After eating greasy food every day, I really miss the kimchi stew I used to eat at home…’

‘Oh, Hyoseong Woo, you just said the right thing. Speaking of which, I was about to gather ingredients to make kimchi stew. Could you help me carry some stuff?’

‘What? Be your porter?’

‘Haha! Don’t worry! I’ll handle all the dangerous parts!’

Having built a friendship while working together, I couldn’t just refuse.

That’s how I ended up joining Jaseong’s culinary adventures from my early days in this world.

Well, it was called an adventure, but we mostly went to dangerous places like magical forests or dungeons.

This world lacked the convenient manufactured goods and genetically modified foods of our original world, and finding substitutes was extremely dangerous.

‘So, let me get this straight—we came to a forest full of man-eating plants to gather garlic?’

‘I tried eating some of these recently and they taste exactly like garlic. I’ll quickly go harvest some, so just wait here for a bit!’

He was probably the only person who would dive alone into a cluster of man-eating plants just to gather some garlic.

‘Why are these barbarians walking their cabbages on leashes??’

‘From what I’ve learned, it’s similar to how Hinduism reveres cows. They believe that life dwells within cabbages, so they cherish them like pets…’

‘There’s a limit to being primitive. Hyoseong, distract them for a moment. We need to take all these cabbages for kimchi making.’

‘…You know we could become sacrifices in a voodoo ritual if this goes wrong, right?’

He was probably the only person who would raid a barbarian ritual garden just to eat some kimchi.

He was also the type to make seasoning from volcanic minerals melted in lava just to add a charred flavor to spicy stir-fried pork, or to battle ten-meter-tall ice golems because their ice would make good ingredients for dessert…

‘It’s hard to prepare a decent meal in this world! But after all that effort, doesn’t it taste good?!’

‘…It’s just barely edible.’

‘Hahaha! That’s right, we risked our lives for that mediocrity that we’ll never experience again in this world!’

Despite rewards that might seem trivial to others, Jaseong genuinely rejoiced in the familiarity of the taste.

I still couldn’t shake the thought that he was eccentric, but when dining with him, I occasionally found myself nostalgic for our old world.

The fact that we had to risk our lives just to get a glimpse of our previous world made me realize that I would never return to my original world.

‘Now that we’ve finished eating, it’s time for prayer.’

After such bittersweet meals, he would always take out a cross and quietly pray in front of me.

It was a moment when the usually boisterous man who acted on impulse showed a quiet dignity.

That was an attitude he could display because he was a religious believer, separate from his eccentric side.

‘Come to think of it, you mentioned you sponsor a religious order, right?’

‘It’s not a particularly famous order, but the well-known ones are no different from nobles, which didn’t sit right with me. The lesser-known orders tend to be more active in community service anyway.’

Rather than becoming a lackey to established religious orders that already had everything, he wanted to help an unknown order that, despite having little, focused on caring for people.

Thinking that this too was behavior befitting a hero of the people, he would occasionally explain how he came to embrace religion.

‘I lived quite recklessly in our original world and did several things I regret. So I tried to straighten myself out by doing volunteer work and embracing religion… Just because I flew to another world doesn’t mean my garbage past disappears, so I can’t stop atoning.’

‘…You’re surprisingly devout, contrary to appearances.’

‘Not really devout. I’m just doing what makes me comfortable.’

Helping others was merely a reaction to his past behavior and an attempt to correct his ways.

In that sense, he considered himself a hypocrite, but I also thought that if such hypocrisy helped someone, perhaps that was enough.

Especially after meeting many personality-broken individuals who were intoxicated with their own abilities.

‘Eek! Please don’t kill me!’

But even with someone you respect, there comes a time to part ways.

The catalyst was when we discovered an isolated Demon Tribe member in the middle of a forest while searching for ingredients.

‘Please, please don’t kill me. I’m still too weak and haven’t even properly drained anyone’s energy… If you spare me, I’ll live a good life! I won’t return to the Demon Lord’s army and will live hidden in some cave, so please!’

The Demon Tribe was clearly branded as an enemy of humanity.

But what we encountered then seemed too harmless and fragile to be called a demon.

Although she resembled a succubus that seduces people to drain their energy, her appearance was that of a 10-year-old girl with no hint of sensuality.

‘Hyoseong, what do you think I should do with this demon?’

‘…She looks pitiful, but she’s still a demon, so we should probably eliminate her.’

I felt my heart softening, but succubi were demons, and demons were a race that could never coexist with humans.

If what she was showing us now was crocodile tears, our throats might be slit the moment we showed weakness.

Having seen many adventurers die from letting their guard down, I hoped Jaseong, who had the upper hand, would deal with the demon.

‘Well, that’s true, but…’

Despite my hopes, he hesitated when looking at the young succubus.

Just as I began to worry he might be sympathizing with her, he nodded as if he’d made a decision and reached out to the young succubus.

‘I’ve decided. I’ll take her to the religious order I’m supporting and care for her there.’

‘What? Taking a demon to a religious order… Are you doing this because you feel sorry for her being abandoned?’

‘Haha, I have my reasons, so don’t worry too much. But I’ll need to focus on religious activities for a while, so we might not see each other for some time.’

With a promise to treat me to a meal when we met again, he parted ways with me. For the next two years until now, we didn’t seek each other out, each focusing on our own circumstances.

All I knew from rumors was that he had started to gain fame as the “Paladin of the Spade,” and that the unknown religious order he belonged to had begun to rise in prominence following the “Birth of a Saint”…

****

“Hyoseong, have you been well?! I heard rumors recently that you’ve made a name for yourself as a Hero Hunter—surely you’re not planning to hunt me too?!”

“…Haha, only if you’re a fallen Hero, sir.”

I was worried something terrible might have happened to him after that day, but his boisterous personality seems unchanged.

Just as I felt relieved seeing his consistent demeanor, he suddenly tensed up as if noticing something while looking down at me.

“Speaking of falling, I’m a bit concerned—Hyoseong, you seem to have a somewhat evil aura about you since I last saw you. Did you get cursed somewhere?!”

“Ah, about that. Recently I was cursed…”

Come to think of it, Jaseong is a paladin belonging to a religious order.

Being sensitive to evil energy, he might be able to help me find a solution for my curse.

“Gorgon Zola, huh? It’s a miracle you survived an encounter with a minion of the Lord of Corpses.”

“Thanks for your concern.”

“Damn right! We shared meals together, so of course I’m concerned! Anyway, if you’re looking for a place to remove the curse, how about visiting our order to have your condition checked? I’d also like to tell you about the Saint’s recent activities.”

“Ah, yes. I heard a Saint appeared in your order shortly after we parted…”

As I gratefully accepted his offer and was about to follow him, I suddenly realized something odd in his words.

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘recent activities’? Have I met the Saint from your order before?”

“Of course! I elevated that little demon kid we saved to be our order’s Saint!”

“…What?”

“Why are you reacting like that? Is there a problem?”

Are you kidding me, you crazy person?

For religious people, demons and the undead are beings they should never associate with, yet he not only brought one to his order but elevated her to sainthood?

Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing that would get someone mistaken for a cultist?

“No, Jaseong. I understand you’re quite an unusual person, but isn’t this going too far?”

“Don’t worry, I have my reasons for doing this!”

“…Are you sure this is okay?”

“Hehe, seeing is better than explaining. Let’s talk when we get there.”

Ah, well.

This man has survived in this world longer than I have, so he must have some basis for this madness.

I decided to withhold judgment and follow him to seek a cure for my curse.

“Here we are. That’s our order’s main base… Huh?”

A faint exclamation escaped his lips as we arrived at the cathedral, and I immediately understood why.

More than ten armed knights stood in front of the cathedral… No, looking closely, they weren’t ordinary knights.

The emblem on their banner indicated they belonged to the “Friga Order,” the Empire’s state religion.

“…Weren’t you affiliated with a different order?”

“I told you, I don’t fit in with established organizations.”

Right, when we last parted, he was affiliated with a minor, unknown religion that barely maintained its existence outside the Empire.

The fact that a Saint emerged in that religion and it began to gain recognition was a relatively recent development.

Naturally, the Friga Order’s armed presence at Jaseong’s church meant something serious had happened.

“Sir, is this…”

“Hyoseong, you’re an outsider, so stay back and watch.”

Jaseong patted my shoulder and walked toward the knights.

“I need to take responsibility for what I’ve done.”

As he walked away with a shovel slung over his shoulder, he showed no hesitation, just like in the old days.