Chapter 17 — The Weight of a Hero

  Takiro slowly opened his eyes.

  His vision was blurry at first. His body felt heavy. For a moment, he didn’t even realize where he was.

  He had been unconscious.

  Standing beside him, the Rank 2 Hero let out a deep breath of relief.

  For a second… I thought you might surpass me even in sleeping.

  He said it with a faint smile, masking the fear he had felt.

  Takiro looked at him, still disoriented.

  “…Did I sleep for long?” Takiro asked.

  The Rank 2 Hero shook his head.

  “No. It’s alright. What matters is… you did something great today.”

  He paused.

  “A lot of people came to see you. They kept asking if they could meet you.”

  He looked at Takiro.

  “Should I let them in?”

  Takiro frowned.

  “See… me?”

  He couldn’t believe it.

  A part of him thought the Rank 2 Hero was mocking him.

  But then—

  The door opened.

  Small children ran inside.

  They ran toward him with shining eyes.

  They held out boards and papers.

  “Please! Can you give us your autograph?”

  Takiro froze.

  He couldn’t understand it.

  But then he saw their eyes.

  It wasn’t fake.

  It wasn’t forced.

  It was pure admiration.

  The kind of look someone gives…

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  to their hero.

  Behind them, the elders stepped forward.

  One of them spoke.

  “To us… you are the true hero.”

  He continued.

  “The heroes of our nation… the higher-ranked ones… they ran away to save themselves.”

  His voice trembled.

  “They abandoned us.”

  He looked at Takiro.

  “Today, we learned your rank was low.”

  He paused.

  “But you stayed.”

  “That is the difference between a hero… and the rest.”

  He stepped closer.

  “A hero is not defined by rank.”

  “Nor by power.”

  “A hero is someone who helps others… even forgetting himself.”

  His eyes shone.

  “To this town… you are our hero.”

  He continued.

  “What you did today… will be told for ten generations.”

  “How you gave your mana… without caring about your own life… to save our elders…”

  “That story will live on.”

  “Your name… will live on.”

  Takiro felt something swell inside his chest.

  A warmth.

  A happiness he had never felt before.

  For the first time…

  Takiro began to understand.

  What it truly meant…

  to be a hero.

  He bowed his head.

  “Thank you… everyone.”

  “I should leave now.”

  The elders smiled.

  “Go safely.”

  “But when you return next time…”

  They looked at him with hope.

  “Return as an even greater hero.”

  Takiro’s eyes trembled.

  He fell to his knees.

  He bowed to them.

  “I promise.”

  “When I return…”

  “I will return as a hero worthy of you.”

  Later…

  Takiro and the Rank 2 Hero returned to headquarters.

  But headquarters was no longer peaceful.

  The entire nation of Akwaham was in chaos.

  Protests had erupted everywhere.

  Political instability had begun.

  The news had spread.

  One of the seven nations under Aqualis’s protection…

  had been harvested.

  Its energy stolen.

  The opposition leader stood on stage, shouting into the microphone.

  “This is a conspiracy!”

  “Aqualis betrayed us!”

  “He staged this!”

  “He stole the nation’s energy for himself!”

  The crowd roared.

  The Rank 2 Hero — God of Thunder — felt his blood boil.

  In an instant—

  He grabbed the opposition leader by his collar and lifted him.

  “How dare you speak of Aqualis like that!”

  His eyes burned with rage.

  “He is the one who protects us all!”

  “What have YOU done for this nation?!”

  But the crowd turned hostile.

  They threw stones.

  They threw eggs.

  They shouted.

  “Then where is he?!”

  “Where is Aqualis?!”

  “Where is that coward hiding after stealing our nation’s power?!”

  God of Thunder froze.

  Because he didn’t know.

  Aqualis had left to retrieve the stolen energy.

  He had gone to another planet.

  And he hadn’t returned.

  If the truth came out…

  The seven nations would collapse.

  Other nations would invade.

  War would begin.

  For the first time…

  God of Thunder had no answer.

  “This matter will receive an official statement.”

  He threw the leader down.

  “Until then… remain calm.”

  He walked away.

  Behind him, the crowd shouted.

  “He’s running away!”

  “He’s Aqualis’s dog!”

  “All heroes are the government’s slaves!”

  “They steal from the people!”

  Doubt began to spread.

  Another question spread with it.

  Who were the demons?

  Were they real?

  Or…

  were heroes themselves the demons?

  Even God of Thunder didn’t know anymore.

  Who were they?

  Why had they come?

  What was truly happening?

  As he entered headquarters…

  He saw Sabrina’s body being carried away.

  Questions filled his mind.

  Why was she killed?

  What had she discovered?

  What had she leaked?

  But those answers were now buried with her.

  The only ones who knew the truth…

  were dead.

  Or missing.

  The weight of everything…

  fell onto his shoulders.

  At that moment—

  A small girl ran toward him.

  She looked up at him.

  Her eyes were trembling.

  “I trusted you…”

  She said.

  “My mother trusted you…”

  Her voice broke.

  “Are you… really a bad person?”

  God of Thunder froze.

  He couldn’t answer.

  He stood there.

  Silent.

  Buried beneath the weight…

  of a hero.