Chapter 29: Extra: Elena’s Persuasion

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

In the end, the exploration of the Trad Ruins was temporarily postponed on the grounds of “insufficient party coordination.” Even Julius seemed to have realized that, with the current party, clearing the ruins would be difficult.

“For a while, let’s focus mainly on monster-subjugation requests, strengthen our coordination, and prioritize gaining combat experience as a party.”

Julius stated that as if it were the most reasonable conclusion, but to Elena and Fran, it was a “you’re only realizing that now?” situation. If the members had changed, it was something he should have addressed first. And so, Julius and the others shifted their focus toward monster-subjugation work in the nearby villages.

Of course, this was also part of the role expected of a Hero. It wasn’t wrong for a Hero to eliminate monster threats in places beyond the lord’s reach or to help those in need. Rather, considering Julius’s current capabilities, this level of adventuring was exactly where he should remain. Fighting vicious monsters like Red Dragons or searching for treasure deep inside the Trad Ruins was far too soon. Of course, battling the Demon Lord’s Army was out of the question.

And today was another monster-subjugation day. Today’s target was an ogre that had come down into the village and was causing havoc. Naturally, Julius and his group were not the type to struggle against an ogre. Eliminating a single ogre hardly posed a problem. To celebrate the ogre’s defeat, the village held a feast. Freed from the threat, the village had the lively atmosphere of a small festival, overflowing with excitement.

Wooden tables were lined with food, and the scent of grilled meat and herbs filled the air. Bonfires flickered, and laughter and music blended into the night. At the center of it all, as expected, was Julius.

“Hahaha! Something like an ogre is nothing more than breakfast for me!”

Surrounded by villagers, Julius laughed proudly and tilted back his cup. Alcohol had loosened him up, and for once, the frustration and impatience that usually clung to him were faint. Garo was drinking right alongside him. Watching from a short distance away, Elena let out a sigh in her heart.

To think we’d end up taking a request like this…

Julius was cheerful now, but on the way to the ogre subjugation, he had been complaining like that. Perhaps because they had recently fought a Red Dragon, he found ogres unsatisfying. And that dissatisfaction was certainly not about the battle. It was about the glory. Defeating a Red Dragon meant being drowned in praise at the royal capital, but defeating an ogre would only earn him the gratitude of villagers.

Elena thought that helping people in need should have been more than enough, but for “Hero-sama,” it seemed unsatisfactory. Even putting fame and glory aside, Elena felt this level of monster subjugation was more appropriate.

A matter of capability. Anything above ogres was beyond what their current party could handle safely. If several ogres appeared together, things could even become dangerous. That was how unreliable Julius’s party was now. Without Lloyd, their frontline was far too fragile. Only now were they painfully realizing how much Lloyd had been covering for Julius and the backline—Elena and Fran—while he fought.

With Julius fighting selfishly and Garo swinging his axe with brute force alone, there was no telling when the frontline might be breached and the backline attacked.

But he’s in a good mood… Maybe he’ll listen now?

She was watching him from afar, waiting for the right moment, when Julius suddenly stood up. He was probably going to the restroom. Elena immediately stood as well and followed him. Putting a slight tension in her voice, she called out to Julius as he walked away from the lively drinking crowd.

“Hey, Julius. I need to talk to you.”

Julius turned back with a loose smile. In his hand was a wooden cup filled with ale. After taking a gulp, he said.

“What is it? That’s awfully sudden.”

His cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, his steps slightly unsteady. Yet he looked so satisfied, so content, that Elena felt a faint twinge of envy.

To get this drunk from defeating just an ogre… What a lovely Hero-sama.

She let that irritation slip silently inside. In the end, Julius probably just liked being fawned over. Rather than facing reality, he preferred being worshipped as “Hero-sama.” But if things continued like this, Elena and Fran would be dragged into this “pretend hero” act forever. She had to get to the point quickly.

“How about we ask Lloyd to come back?”

Elena looked directly into Julius’s eyes as she said it. Julius’s expression froze.

“…What did you say?”

The cheerful look from moments earlier vanished as if it had never existed. It was as though the alcohol had instantly evaporated, and anger lit up in his eyes. Even while intimidated, Elena forced herself to continue.

“Because it’s true, isn’t it? It’s not that Garo is weak, but… In everything, he’s inferior to Lloyd. At this rate, who knows when we’ll fulfill the king’s order? Fran and I have other things we want to do too—”

“—So what you’re saying is that you care more about yourself than about the king’s order or me, the Hero?”

Julius growled in a low voice, and Elena instinctively stepped back.

“N-No, that’s not what I meant! But our strength now is far below what it was when Lloyd was with us. You know that too, don’t you?”

She tried to make him face the reality he was avoiding. But—

“Silence! Don’t you dare order me around!”

Julius slammed his wooden cup onto the ground. Dark ale splattered at his feet. His sharp gaze pierced straight into Elena.

“A bastard with a curse like that, part of the Hero’s party? And on top of that, he was assigned to babysit me? Don’t make a fool of me. I’m the strongest. I am the Hero. I… I have to prove myself! To Father and my brothers!”

His voice sounded like he was talking to himself rather than to her. In his eyes, there was something beyond anger. Perhaps desperation, jealousy, even fear.

“No one is making fun of you for that…”

Elena’s whisper didn’t reach him. Julius was the youngest son of the influential noble Maftnes family. Fifth son or sixth son—she didn’t know. But as someone far from inheriting the house, combined with his difficult personality, he had been treated poorly even within his own family. Considered lacking in political talent, he had not been granted any land to govern.

But Julius did have one gift: the talent of a Hero. He excelled in combat, and his noble lineage added prestige. Because of that, the Maftnes head pushed him forward as a “Hero,” and the king accepted the recommendation and appointed him as such. But—

Had the king truly wanted to choose Julius? When Elena recalled how shaken the king had been upon hearing of Lloyd’s “death,” that doubt only grew stronger. Perhaps the one the king had truly wanted to entrust with the Hero’s role was Lloyd. The Curse Mark, Malice Glyph, carved into Lloyd’s arm—was that not the proof? And perhaps Julius, sensing that intuitively, had wanted Lloyd gone. Many speculations raced through Elena’s mind.

“No matter what you say, I will never bring him back. I will simply prove my talent.”

“Elena…”

“Listen carefully. That guy was killed by the Red Dragon. He no longer exists in this world. Don’t say his name again. That is an order from me, the Hero entrusted with the king’s command.”

“What is wrong with you!? After everything he did for us… After he saved us so many times…!”

Julius’s eyes wavered faintly. But they soon shut down, cold and distant.

“This conversation is over. You should enjoy the feast while you can.”

Leaving those cold words behind, Julius turned on his heel and walked away.

“…There’s no way I can enjoy anything like this.”

Watching his back retreat into the night, Elena muttered bitterly. If things continued like this, someone would eventually die. And even then, would Julius still avert his eyes? Having to bet her life on such a future—such a place—filled her with unbearable frustration.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー