Chapter 45

The hero’s sword, Excalibur, is a divine weapon bestowed by the gods.

If one could only draw it, that is, if one were chosen by the gods, they could wield a power befitting the title of a hero.

With that power, the former hero Leonhardt always led the charge in battles against the demon race, achieving numerous feats before dying a heroic death.

What happened to Excalibur afterward?

According to various eyewitness accounts, at the moment Leonhardt’s breath ceased, Excalibur also shone with a golden light and scattered.

Excalibur is literally the hero’s sword.

Since the chosen hero had died, people believed that Excalibur had returned to the embrace of the gods.

But not long after, Excalibur was discovered in the city of Goldcastle, located in the western part of the empire.

Right in the city center, in front of Leonhardt’s statue.

It was a phenomenon that occurred without any warning.

Just the night before, it wasn’t there, but the next morning, Excalibur was suddenly embedded at the base of Leonhardt’s statue.

The first discoverer was a passing merchant, who didn’t even realize it was Excalibur.

He just saw a luxurious-looking sword stuck in the ground and tried to pull it out, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t budge.

Even attempting to dig around the sword was futile. The ground around it was protected by an unknown force.

The sword was discovered by a patrol soldier, reported, and eventually reached the emperor. Only then was it revealed to be the hero’s sword, Excalibur.

Why did Excalibur, which had disappeared with Leonhardt, suddenly reappear?

The reason was simple.

The will of the gods.

It was the gods’ will to select a new hero.

The emperor decided to honor that will. He ordered the construction of facilities around Excalibur and the commencement of a ceremony to select the hero.

It was a fair ceremony where anyone, regardless of age, gender, or even race, could freely attempt to draw the sword.

Heroes are usually chosen from among humans, but there was a possibility that someone from another race could be selected.

Countless people flocked to Goldcastle to draw the hero’s sword.

Nobles, commoners, and even those of other races all wanted to draw Excalibur and become the hero.

Of course, they weren’t thinking of the solemn duty of defeating the demon race and saving the continent.

It was a peaceful era. The demon race was still quiet. There wasn’t even a hint of war.

It was simply because becoming a hero meant being revered by all and receiving the utmost respect within the empire.

The moment one drew Excalibur, the moment one became a hero, their fortune would truly change.

*

Ariel’s party left the Dwarf Mountain Range early in the morning.

Though it was a short time, they had grown quite fond of each other, and Bagran seemed very reluctant to part.

No, it wasn’t just reluctance; he even burst into tears.

Yet, Bagran did not follow Ariel’s party.

Dwarves must live in the Dwarf Mountain Range.

Mining ores and crafting weapons in the Dwarf Mountain Range is the life suited for a dwarf.

Following Ariel around human cities would not suit a dwarf. They would surely not adapt.

Thus, it was farewell to Bagran.

“Tsk tsk.”

Roo clicked her tongue as she watched Bagran cry.

“A man crying. It’s not a permanent farewell. We’ll meet again. Big sis said she’d come visit again.”

As she said this, Roo’s eyes were slightly red. Acting cool, but she too was reluctant to part with Bagran.

What about Rakia?

“Ba, Bagran… Sniff, don’t get hurt and live well…! If anyone bothers you, tell me. I’ll come running and teach them a lesson. I’ll definitely come back, with Ariel. Until then, take care…!”

Rakia was no different from Bagran.

Rakia also cried profusely, reluctant to part with Bagran. A stark contrast to her initially cold demeanor.

Only Ariel and Ghost seemed unaffected.

Ariel, with an indifferent expression, climbed onto Ghost and merely waved slightly at Bagran.

Of course, that was just on the surface; inside, Ariel too was reluctant to part with Bagran.

But she couldn’t afford to expend too much emotion.

After all, where there are meetings, there are partings.

Adventures entail numerous meetings and partings, and if one expends emotions each time, the adventure becomes exhausting.

So, farewells should be simple.

“Goodbye, Bagran.”

Ariel left only those words and turned away.

Rakia and Roo slowly followed Ariel, while Bagran stood still, watching.

Just as Ariel’s party was about to disappear from sight, Bagran shouted loudly.

“Take care, Ariel! Thank you! Come visit again! I’ll wait until then! Rakia, Roo, Ghost, take care!!”

From afar, Ariel seemed to acknowledge as she slowly waved her hand.

Only then did Bagran wipe his tears and smile.

Surely, they would meet again someday. For now, he could only believe that.

*

Goldcastle, located in the west, is considered one of the wealthiest cities in the empire.

This is because Goldcastle is owned by the Baraton family.

The Baraton family, possessing gold mines, is a highly influential family known as the rulers of the west, governing several cities in the region.

Among them, Goldcastle is their proudest city.

They erected a large golden statue of the hero in the city center, strengthened street security, and enhanced the city’s facilities in various ways to manage it.

With the appearance of the hero’s sword, Excalibur, in Goldcastle, the Baraton family’s standing was bound to rise another level.

The emperor had already visited to see the hero’s sword, and numerous high-ranking nobles were flocking to Goldcastle.

While the Baraton family was pleased, they also felt a bit burdened.

Because the image of Goldcastle was directly tied to the image of the Baraton family.

Not long ago, the Baraton family’s second son, Cobin, had disgraced himself at a banquet in Sierra, somewhat tarnishing the family’s reputation.

Therefore, they couldn’t help but be concerned about the hero selection ceremony taking place in Goldcastle.

If another incident occurred or if something unfavorable happened, the nobles would surely gossip about the Baraton family.

The mouths of nobles are fearsome.

No matter how much the Baraton family is called the rulers of the west or how wealthy they are, once their honor is tarnished, it’s all for naught.

Without honor, the life of a noble is as good as over.

Thus, the Baraton family was paying more attention to Goldcastle than usual.

They were not only cleaning the streets meticulously but also expelling all vagrants from the city.

“Hey, what are you doing there! Get lost, will you?”

A patrol soldier in a red cloak shouted.

Where he was looking, two ragged children were crouched.

A boy with short hair and a girl with disheveled hair.

Both had red hair and similar features, suggesting they were siblings.

The short-haired boy seemed older, likely the brother, but he was only around ten years old.

Both had dirty faces and clothes that were little more than rags, clearly vagrant children.

Homeless, wandering, surviving only by begging.

No matter how wealthy Goldcastle was, vagrants were inevitable.

In fact, Goldcastle was better for vagrants because of its wealth; a little performance could earn them food.

But recently, the situation wasn’t good.

A few days ago, the Baraton family had ordered, “Expel all vagrants and keep the streets clean.”

With the hero selection ceremony drawing crowds, they thought vagrants wandering around would tarnish the city’s image.

“If you don’t leave the city immediately, you’ll get a good beating!”

The patrol soldier threateningly raised his baton, but the two children showed no intention of getting up.

No, more accurately, they couldn’t.

Having eaten nothing for days and chased by patrol soldiers, they had no strength left to move a finger.

Yet, the boy who seemed to be the older brother was hugging his sister protectively.

With a determined expression, as if he would take the beating for her, but unfortunately, the patrol soldier was unmoved.

From the patrol soldier’s perspective, if he didn’t do his job properly, his family would starve, so he had to do what was necessary.

What was necessary was following orders from above, which meant expelling vagrants from the streets.

“Damn it!”

The patrol soldier swung his baton with all his might.

Vagrants have no rights. If they don’t obey, they can be killed without punishment.

For this reason, many vagrants had recently lost their lives in Goldcastle.

Even if they left the city, death awaited them, so vagrants desperately fled from patrol soldiers, and if caught, they were beaten to death.

These siblings were unlucky.

Discovered by a patrol soldier, they would be beaten to death and then dumped outside the city.

That was it.

Just that.

Just as the patrol soldier’s baton was about to strike the boy’s back.

Someone stepped in front of the patrol soldier and blocked the baton.

Thud!

“Huh?”

The patrol soldier’s eyes widened.

Blocking the patrol soldier’s baton was a girl.

Her silver hair, shining in the sunlight, was tied back, and her calm eyes were blood-red.

Most notably, the girl’s ears were pointed.