When I said, "You can be a hero," to a child with no talent, he really started to become a hero, so I acted like I knew what I was doing, like I was a wise master. - Chap 34.1: The Fork in the Road

I’ve started to want to head back, but since Will is so insistent, I reluctantly decide to move forward.

“It’s so dusty…”

“Ban-san, an ancient ruin left untouched for hundreds of years. It’s only natural.”

“Can we go back now?”

“No way, not after coming all this way! We came all this way, didn’t we?!”

I sigh and continue forward with the unusually energetic Will, who seems to have a fever of at least two degrees hotter than usual. We encounter a fork in the road as Alfred and Will walk ahead.

“It splits to the right and the left… which way should we go? I… feel like going left.”

“I think we should go right.”

“I’m fine with either.”

While Will wants to go left, Alfred insists on the right. As for me, I’m indifferent.

“I strongly feel we should go right.”

“W-well, I’d prefer left.”

“Alright then, if that’s the case, Will, you can go left. If you feel strongly about it, there must be some reason.”

“Really!? But these ruins belong to your ancestors, Alfred!”

“Even if they are my ancestors, they’re strangers to me. Plus, I trust Will’s instincts. Do as you please.”

“In that case, I’ll go left… What will you do, Ban-san?”

I don’t have a preference, but I’m worried about Will. I should be there to help him if there’s a trap or something.

“I’ll go with Will.”

“Ah, thank you!”

“Alright then, I’ll go to the right alone. Let me know later how it was on your end.”

“Yes, we will!”

Alfred headed to the right alone. Now, it’s time for us to proceed left.

◆◆

For some reason, I felt that we should proceed to the left.

“So, the left path it is.”

“Ban-san, did you prefer the right?”

“No, not really. But man, it’s so dusty. They should’ve maintained it better, considering it was the first hero’s place.”

Isn’t it impossible since he’s already dead? I thought. But Ban-san is indeed an enigma.

The first hero, Albert… An iconic figure is known to everyone—the original hero.

It’s often said that everything began with Albert. He’s the man who defeated the Demon King Satan and became a hero… Well, the Demon King Satan was revived during the era of Hero Dan and was defeated by him.

However, many still believe Albert was the strongest and admired him as the most excellent hero. Of course, I respect and like him too. But always with the caveat that he’s just behind Hero Dan.

In any case, just behind Hero, Dan means he’s an incredible figure. But then…

“Do you not respect or admire the first hero, Albert, that much, Ban-san?”

“Hmm, well, he must’ve been an impressive figure, right? But I never met him. He might be as significant as Oda Nobunaga. If that’s the case, then I would respect him.”

“Oh, I see.”

Who is Oda Nobunaga? I’ve never heard of him before… Usually, one greatly respects or reveres such heroes, but Ban-san seems indifferent. He doesn’t even like Hero Dan that much, either.

He’s something else. Moreover, I’ve never met anyone who can read the characters of an ancient civilization.

It’s a mystery, like there’s no knowing how deep his knowledge goes.

“Hey, there’s a door here.”

“Yes, I see. Hm? There’s something written on it.”

“Indeed, something is written below the door.”

We stopped in front of a large door as we continued on our path. There’s some writing on it, but I can’t read it, so I looked to Ban-san for help.

“It says, ‘Descendants, rest in peace…'”

“Eh? That sounds a bit ominous.”

“So, how do we open this…?”

“Usually, doors like these have some kind of mechanism or condition to”

――BOOM!

Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted our conversation. When I looked at Ban-san, he had just destroyed the door.

“Oops, I pushed it too hard, and it broke.”

“What!? We can’t just break the ruins of the first hero!”

“Really? Should I compensate for it?”

“It’ll cost at least a hundred million gold! We can’t afford that!”

“Oh, if it’s just a hundred million, that seems pretty cheap.”

“What!? Cheap!?”

I think he’s joking, but a hundred million gold is not cheap. Yet, he doesn’t seem to be lying.

“Well, if we keep quiet about it, no one will know. Anyway, it looks quite spacious inside the door. Let’s go in.”

“Y-yes.”

As we entered the door, there was an enormous cavity, just as he had said. The ceiling was adorned with countless minerals shining brightly like the sun.

“It’s a mysterious place.” 

Ban-san murmured as he looked around. And indeed, it was just as he described. But there was also something off, something eerie about the place…

“Curse, purification, be appeased…”

“Huh!?”

I heard a voice. Someone… was watching us. Or rather, watching me. I felt an unsettling presence as if someone’s eyes were fixated on me. And then, from a distant wall, the source of the gaze emerged, breaking through the wall itself.

“Follow, awaken, do not resist, be annihilated…”

It resembled a humanoid doll. However, every part of its body was covered in components I had never seen before.

“It looks like a strange robot.” 

“Do you think… we’ll have to fight it?”

“Probably. My instincts are telling me that. I can handle it, but I can also leave it to you, Will.”

“O-okay.”

The humanoid figure stood about the same height as me. Its design was so alien that I couldn’t help but think it was constructed with technology from the far future.

I’ve never seen anything like this before. Could it be… a humanoid warrior from the super ancient civilization? Considering the ancient text we found earlier, could the First Hero and this ancient civilization be connected somehow?

“Look out, Will!”

“Y-yes!”

“Hmm. Let’s provisionally name our opponent ‘Super Robot-kun.’ Will defeat Super Robot-kun!”

“Y-yes. I will defeat Super Robot-kun!”

At Ban-san’s command, I unsheathed my sword. The hands of Super Robot-kun transformed into blades.

“Commence attack!”

“Ugh!”

With a giant leap, Super Robot-kun closed the distance between us instantly. It was no surprise, considering it existed within the ruins of the First Hero.

Its speed was remarkable. But I… I’ve always been fighting against even stronger foes. I have been training for this…

—I judged the distance, parried its sword, and fluidly landed a slash across its torso.

“…Assessing skill level… rising… Unable to verify with any existing data. However, significant power detected… analyzing patterns…”

Beeps came from Super Robot-kun, and the part that seemed to be its eyes glowed a mysterious blue.

“Analysis complete… Pattern 26, Dual Blade Assault, identified as effective.”