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.

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Lin is sleeping next to me. She has a cute sleeping face.

She’s leaning against me, but she looks so adorable. I remember seeing my mother’s sleeping face and pretending I hadn’t seen it.

After that, for a moment, I thought sleeping faces weren’t all that appealing.

But I never imagined someone could look this cute while asleep. Well, I have seen her sleep during our travels, but seeing it up close now, she’s genuinely beautiful.

As I absentmindedly watch Lin’s sleeping face, I’m convinced she’s beautiful. Truly beautiful.

But does she look a bit sad, or is it just my imagination? No, it’s probably not just my imagination.

When I talked to Lin, I noticed she was always concerned about weakness.

Even though Lin is powerful.

She tends to overthink things and is surprisingly timid.

Could it be my fault? I am too strong, after all. I don’t care about divine decrees and all that. Lin might be concerned about these things.

That’s why she seems down, even though she’s around 30.

Come to think of it, I’m 30, too. Reflecting on it… I’ve never been able to convey my feelings to Lin.

It’s too late to say, “I liked you back then.” It’s honestly too late.

━Still, Lin probably feels that she’s always been protected by the Hero Dan and that she’s been a burden to him.

I don’t think that’s the case. But being the “heroic” me, I don’t adequately express my gratitude.

Maybe… I should thank her properly. When something like this bothers me, I can’t sleep.

Well, thanks to some blessings, I remain energetic even without sleep. But that’s not the point.

Should I, as Hero Dan, thank Lin?

◆◆

“Hmm…”

For some reason, I felt like I had a dream. About the distant past when I first met Dan.

“Sorry, Ban. I think I overslept.”

“You’re late; how long were you planning to sleep?”

“Huh, wha!? D-Dan!?”

I was surprised. There stood Ban and beneath that, Dan. He was wearing an iron mask. His clothes hadn’t changed at all.

Do you even intend to hide the fact that you’re a hero? As always, there are some oddities about him.

“When did you get here?”

“Ban is an old acquaintance of mine. I met him a while ago and came here. I also had something to discuss with you.”

“Well, I didn’t ask about all of that.”

How he blabbered about things, I hadn’t asked made it clear how terrible he was at keeping secrets. It was so amusing I felt like laughing.

“So, what’s the matter? You said you had something to discuss with me.”

“…”

“What is it?”

It’s unusual for him to falter in his words, especially when he’s usually so bold and speaks with such arrogance.

“I’ve never once… expressed my gratitude to you. No, to Linlin Frontier.”

“Wh-what? Why so sudden…”

Wh-what’s with him all of a sudden? This mood doesn’t suit him at all.

“…I’ll only say this once. My beginning was you.”

“Huh…?”

“You were the beginning. I didn’t desire to be a hero to save the world. I only wanted to protect you. That was my starting point. As a result, I ended up saving the world.”

“…Wha…!?!?”

Wha- He wanted to protect only me!? Wha-what does that mean!? What’s happening? Oh, I see. This must be a dream. There’s no way that Dan would say something like this. But, if it’s a dream, I’ll make the most of it.

“Why did you only want to protect me?”

“I learned magic from you. I’m grateful for that. But the moment I realized I wanted to protect you was when you cared so much about a tiny flower.”

“A tiny flower?”

Oh, right, long ago, I protected a small flower from a monster. Surprisingly, he remembers that. Still, I think this is a dream.

“I didn’t aim to protect the world. I’ve never considered protecting you as a burden. So don’t get too down on yourself over trivial matters. You’ve also helped me, but I don’t dwell on it constantly.”

“I see.”

Even in dreams, Dan is kind. He’s never spoken such sweet words to me outside of them.

“Ban told me you’ve been worrying about many things.”

“That’s Ban for you. Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned. After all, I pushed the responsibility of the world onto you.”

“There have been times when I found it bothersome, indeed. But it’s not just that. I chose to protect you on my own accord. Frankly, I didn’t care about the world; I wanted to protect you. That was my true desire, and it just broadened from there. That’s all there is to it. So please don’t dwell on it. Don’t let me hold you back anymore.”

“What the hell? If you suddenly say cool things like that, my heart will race.”

“You should live however you want. I’ll do the same.”

“R-right.”

“Our conversation’s gotten long. I’ll disappear again.”

“O-okay.”

“Take care. Live your life how you want. That’s my wish–”

His words trailed off abruptly, and in the next instant, Dan vanished. As always, not even an afterimage remained.

This must be a dream. I know that. Yet, tears filled my eyes.

“For a dream version of Dan, he seemed cooler than usual… Thank you.”

With that thought, I decided it was about time to wake up. If I keep sleeping, the day will pass. But try as I might, I couldn’t wake up.

This is strange. Thinking that, I pinched my cheek. It hurt a lot. Wait, is this not a dream?

“Lin-san.”