Chapter 176

Chapter 176
Chapter 176: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

“A favor?”

Jack replied, perhaps a bit too loudly, as if he hadn’t anticipated the Hero to request a special assistance.

The Hero then offered an awkward smile and swiftly pivoted to another topic.

“Hahaha. Well, it is simply that old memories unexpectedly resurfaced.”

“Past memories? What on earth are you talking about?”

The Hero and his companion.

The dialogue between the two figures, who had accomplished enough to be hailed as saviors of the world, unfolded quite casually.

“Back when you lifted my coin pouch…”

“Hahaha. No, Hero, when would I have ever done such a thing! That belongs entirely to the past… You aren’t planning to hold me accountable now that the war has concluded, are you?”

Lion let out a quiet breath of laughter upon overhearing that exchange.

‘Right. That actually happened.’

He had completely overlooked it, but listening to their chatter brought those recollections back to the surface.

The Hero’s associate. It marked Jack’s initial introduction.

It was a tale so captivating that even Lion, who typically skipped through portions of the narrative, remembered it distinctly.

True to their words, Jack had indeed pickpocketed the Hero.

Furthermore, the pouch contained a crucial mission artifact, and the mere concept of the game’s protagonist, the ‘Hero,’ getting robbed brought a sense of amusement.

‘Naturally, it was all set-up work to recruit him as an ally.’

What followed proceeded precisely as anyone might anticipate.

The chronicles of him joining the Hero’s retinue, becoming entangled in progressively graver affairs, and ultimately resolving a massive crisis where the Demon Realm and this dimension slowly converged.

‘Yet, judging by their current exchange…’

It appeared the present timeline was situated immediately after the cessation of the war.

And he sensed it instinctively.

That a momentous chapter of events was about to unfold.

Lion strained his ears to catch every word of their dialogue.

“I am scheduled to head toward the Great Barrier for a duration of one week starting tomorrow.”

“It seems that nagging Mage and the Saintess have finally finished constructing it. But why are you informing me of this?”

I am not involved in any capacity. I have retired from playing the role of a hero.

Jack drew a firm boundary.

Shuddering, he declared that he wished to avoid getting sucked into political schemes or risking his life in combat once more.

The Hero remained silent for a considerable duration after hearing that statement.

“…Why are you gazing at me in that manner?”

Instead, he fixed an unblinking stare upon Jack.

Perhaps he was applying silent, unspoken pressure.

“I genuinely have quit.”

“…”

“And especially with you, I have zero intention of ever getting entangled again. To be completely frank, haven’t I more than made up for swiping your pouch by now… Haaah.”

He is completely ignoring my words.

Jack, realizing his impassioned plea was falling on deaf ears, released a heavy sigh.

At last, when Jack fell silent out of sheer exhaustion, the Hero parted his firmly shut lips.

“I happened to unlock the vault security and stepped inside.”

“…”

“And purely by coincidence, a few articles from that storage seemed to vanish without anyone noticing.”

“Right now…”

“Wouldn’t it be far more beneficial for those items to reach someone who genuinely requires them?”

In short, he was covertly suggesting that Jack should go ahead and loot his own vault.

‘…So that is how the Fragment of the Spirit Sword came to be.’

Did it circulate through the underworld before ultimately landing in my possession?

He finally understood how it somehow found its way to Jack, then to the second Prince, and eventually reached him.

Yet, why?

‘Because the war has ended?’

Is it because threats to his personal safety no longer exist?

Because he stands as the most powerful entity in this realm, leaving no danger to his life?

Even with a hundred concessions, that train of thought was somewhat comprehensible.

When someone achieves such monumental feats, it ceases to be arrogance and transforms into pure confidence.

Even so, does it not seem somewhat peculiar?

‘He could have simply retained it and utilized it whenever those around him faced peril.’

The Saintess serves as a prime example.

It remains common knowledge throughout the Empire that the Saintess perished abruptly one day.

She possessed extraordinary divine capabilities and held immense symbolic importance as the former Archbishop.

For the Hero, who deeply cherished and sought to safeguard his companions, would it not have been wiser to hand the Fragment of the Spirit Sword over to the Saintess?

Or perhaps the Saintess was not deemed the appropriate recipient in the Hero’s eyes?

‘Speaking of which, how exactly did the former Archbishop meet her end…’

The exact details remained obscure.

Various rumors circulated, suggesting either that her time had naturally run out due to the lingering toll of fighting demons, or that her natural lifespan was exceptionally brief.

And.

‘Wait.’

When did the Hero vanish once again?

Based on the accumulated clues and conversations thus far, it was certain that the Hero had not simply died in some obscure location.

He had disappeared entirely without a trace.

If that was indeed the case…

Lion concentrated his focus to the absolute limit and taxed his intellect.

It felt akin to a frustrating game of tag, with the answer lingering just out of reach.

‘First, what remains undeniable is this.’

The Hero is executing his actions with a deliberate and specific objective in mind.

Whether the Saintess was aware of this grand design remained unknown, and neither the Grandfather nor Jack appeared to know either.

It was highly probable that he kept them entirely in the dark.

‘However, if it were those two individuals…’

It remained entirely possible that they were quietly gathering intelligence in the wake of the Hero’s disappearance.

‘I cannot speak for the Elder Elf.’

The Elf Country is not a destination accessible to me at present, so I must set that aside for now.

And second.

The Hero had formulated this scheme from the very period when the war against the demons was still actively underway.

This implied he possessed foreknowledge that the conflict with the demons would not constitute the final battle.

In truth, the Hero’s prediction proved entirely accurate.

Are there not still lingering demons scattered across this world?

Matters such as the tragic history of the Byrdantis Ducal Family and the persistent curse afflicting the second Prince.

Furthermore, the Evil Beast’s Egg originated directly from the Demon Realm.

What Lion had previously dismissed as mere groundless anxiety was now rapidly crystallizing into reality.

Just as Lion prepared to delve deeper into his reflections.

“Tell me, do you have any idea how profoundly selfish you are being?”

“Hahaha.”

“Very well. However, under one specific condition, there is a matter I must verify.”

“Verify what?”

“What you are about to undertake. Will it prove to be the correct course of action this time as well?”

“That…”

The Hero faltered, trailing off unlike his usual self.

Yet Jack clicked his tongue in clear anticipation, as though he had foreseen this exact response.

“Tsk, you will undoubtedly claim once again that you cannot be certain whether it is the right path.”

Jack grumbled audibly before raising his voice.

“Ah, what grave sin have I committed to deserve this!”

After saving the entire world, he still had to contend with the absurd complaints of a few self-centered individuals, which explained why things always turned out this way.

He is simply far too soft-hearted!

He drove his heel down against the terrain with unmistakable frustration.

After venting through heavy huffs for a prolonged moment, Jack ultimately yielded to the request.

“Hmph, your utmost effort will surely equate to the correct choice, so for this occasion! Just this once! I shall assist you one final time.”

“My sincere thanks.”

“If you truly feel thankful, I earnestly wish you would erase the memory of our initial encounter.”

“Hahaha. That is one thing I simply cannot erase.”

From that point onward, the remainder of the dialogue shifted back into mundane chatter.

One detail that felt slightly out of the ordinary was that the Hero echoed the exact phrasing Jack had directed toward the two children earlier.

Utilize it if the need arises, but should it become obsolete, pass it along to someone who requires it.

“Hey, cease your endless nagging. You are still treating me like some reckless adolescent from years past.”

Jack, wearing an expression of pure exhaustion, casually remarked that he understood, and the exchange drew to a close shortly thereafter.

It appeared the Hero and Jack were heading off in separate directions.

The sound of their respective footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Following an extended spell of absentminded reflection, a distinct voice echoed clearly.

“That concluding request of yours proved to be rather lengthy…”

It was the final monologue of the fading figure.

Jack, now stepping into the role of the predecessor, released a gentle, solitary laugh…

…

…

“…!”

In a fraction of a second, his field of vision inverted.

The oppressive darkness, which had previously obscured everything even an inch ahead, receded entirely, and his physical form snapped back into reality.

He instinctively realized that the Story Mode had terminated the precise moment the former Jack passed away.

His physical body stood on the brink of complete collapse, and he barely managed to grip the nearby table and sofa with his arms, narrowly avoiding an undignified collapse.

Yet, how much temporal span had actually elapsed?

“Are you feeling quite well?”

Lion stiffly hoisted his gaze upward to confront the second Prince.

The latter was observing him with a rare expression of deep bewilderment.

Judging by the awkwardly suspended hand held out toward him.

‘Scarcely any time has passed at all.’

Lion shook his still-reeling head and forced himself to evaluate his current circumstances.

After quickly checking his disguise mask and confirming its structural integrity remained uncompromised, he let out an inward sigh of relief.

He had witnessed and absorbed a remarkably lengthy sequence of events, yet in the physical world, merely a few seconds had ticked by.

That aspect, at least, was deeply fortunate.

“I am quite well. I may simply have strained myself beyond reasonable limits.”

Had the duration stretched even slightly longer, a truly regrettable incident might have transpired.

‘For the present moment, I should make my departure swiftly.’

The primary objective of lifting the second Prince’s curse had already been successfully accomplished, alongside the acquisition of an astronomical volume of supplementary intelligence.

Had his physical condition been optimal, he would have eagerly interrogated the second Prince concerning the predecessor or the contemporary Jack, but…

‘I fear I am in a severely compromised state.’

His body felt utterly battered.

Furthermore, if he suddenly began rambling out of context, the second Prince might easily detect that something was amiss.

“I shall graciously accept this token… My thanks to you, then.”

Lion forced his legs to bear his weight as he stood upright.

His stomach roiled violently, as though its contents were being forcefully inverted.

It had not reacted in this manner when he first engaged with the Story Mode; the situation felt deeply irregular.

‘…Could it be that prolonged immersion within the Story Mode triggers adverse physiological repercussions?’

That hypothesis carried significant weight.

If true, returning to his quarters at the hotel to secure immediate rest was imperative.

Perhaps natural recovery could counteract this, much like overcoming severe motion sickness.

“Wait a moment longer.”

“Parting ways promptly is ideal. We shall cross paths again should fortune permit.”

The second Prince called out to halt him, but regrettably, the situation afforded no luxury for leisurely conversation.

He felt as though he might expel his stomach contents right then and there if he failed to suppress the relentless wave of nausea.

He flatly refused to humiliate himself in such a manner before others.

Lion hastened out of the chamber, simultaneously clamping a hand tightly across his lower face.

“Ugh.”

He ultimately failed to contain it, vomiting onto the polished hotel flooring just outside.

‘Ah, this is profoundly mortifying.’

Regardless of how luxurious the establishment happened to be or how exorbitant the entry fees were, cleaning up another individual’s sudden physical collapse was hardly a pleasant task…

“…Hm?”

Lion stared in shock at the crimson fluid staining his palm and the floorboards.

The moment his brain registered the brilliant red hue, a metallic, faintly briny flavor coated his palate.

Did I genuinely just cough up blood?

Myself?

‘…Given that it is bright red blood, it indicates the curse has not manifested within me.’

Lion fought to preserve his composure as fiercely as possible.

Although the expulsion involved blood, the volume was exceedingly minor, and the total absence of any dark, shadowy tint confirmed beyond a doubt that this was unrelated to the curse.

Instead, the phenomenon mirrored the internal trauma swordsmen or spellcasters frequently suffered when over-channeling their reservoir of power.

Under such conditions, the proper remedy involved absolute rest accompanied by the creation and ingestion of specialized recovery elixirs tailored for internal injuries.

If Rikschel discovered this, he would undoubtedly panic excessively, meaning I must strip away this disguise immediately after sanitizing the floor of my room.

‘It will be fine.’

Thus, I need only return and recuperate properly.

Lion wiped his mouth using the back of his hand and resumed his interrupted stride.

Even so, absolute crimes do not exist within this realm.

“…”

Following Lion’s departure, the second Prince pushed the ajar door fully open and stepped out into the corridor, casting his gaze down at the flooring.

There were specific details that Lion, who had experienced vomiting blood for the absolute first time in his existence, had unfortunately overlooked. First, the second Prince possessed sensory tracking acute enough to detect individuals lingering just beyond the threshold.

Second.

Kyle harbored a profound sense of gratitude toward Lion that far surpassed initial expectations.

In other words, it meant he had no intention of simply ignoring someone who had literally coughed up blood on his behalf.

Even if doing so somewhat violated the boundaries of their prior ‘agreement.’

And lastly.

Blood originating from individuals wielding active Mana or Aura intrinsically carries their unique signature data.

Particularly when dealing with specialized magical lineages such as the Asteri Family.