Chapter 47: The Story of a Certain Man (1)

That man was a hero.

He survived many battles.

He defeated many enemies.

He contributed to a large number of victories.

He carved many legends.

That man was a hero.

His allies praised and revered him, his enemies feared and looked awed at him. Still, that man knew. Admiration was synonymous with fear, and awe was synonymous with wonder.

As long as there was a war, the man was proud of his heroism and kept living according to his own will. That was his role, and he didn’t have any other roles. Yet, if that role ended, that man would be left with only emptiness.

That man was exhausted. No matter for who he fought for, others would only see him as a weapon. There was no rest. There was no peace. He only had his role to be fulfilled. Still, he accepted his role as it was. He didn’t complain about it.

That man just wished for a peaceful world. Days where everyone could laugh in peace. But, he didn’t wish such future only for his allies. That man began to wish that future for his enemies as well. Yet, when he thought about his title and role, he knew that he wouldn’t have a place for himself in that future.

However, he wanted to make it happen if that future truly existed.

The man was exhausted and began to seek for a solution to fix this problem.

This was the story of a certain man. This was a story where the fate of people who lived in this world would eventually tangle with one another.

—

「…I’m hungry. 」

The man laid down in the forest, and muttered aloud. When he thought deeply about it, he realized that he didn’t eat anything lately. He had to hunt so that he could eat. The man didn’t want his life to perish so pitifully. The man, who thought about his life and ways of survival, heard the breath of several beasts. When he moved his neck, he saw the ferocious roaring of wolf-shaped monsters.

「Go away. Eating me won’t fill up your bellies. 」

With those thoughts in mind, the man thought that he’d dispel this hostility. However, he lacked the energy to do so. Therefore, he couldn’t move any further. All he could see was the bunch of wolf monsters jumping to him in order to eat his flesh. Yes, it would be a bit painful, but all he thought was that he only had to endure it for a few moments. The man tried to close his eyes completely with feelings of resignation…

「You idiot! What on earth are you doing! 」

A dignified voice echoed in the surroundings. On the next moment, that man’s eyes opened and saw that the wolves, who tried to attack him were cut off instantly. The man had seen these fighting scenes several times before, but nonetheless, the sight of a girl who cut down the monsters so brilliantly was truly beautiful. It was as if her sword danced in the air. The man involuntarily raised his upper body and saw the appearance of the girl who stood in front of him.

Golden hair. She was petite, yet she had a toned body. Yes, most probably because of training and fighting. Rather than robust, that trait highlighted her delicate beauty. Stunning. In other words, she was a very beautiful girl.

「Hey! You must be a fool to sleep in such a large forest! You are not in your right mind!」

At the same time, while she drove the wolves away she approached the man and complained. The man tried to apologize after he saw how convinced she was of her words.

「I’m sorry about that. Surely, coming to a place like this means that one is bound to have an encounter with monsters.」

The girl snorted upon hearing this man’s apology. Did he say something strange? He wondered about that.

「That’s not what I meant…Ah, never mind. Aren’t you going to leave?」

The man was amazed by how quick she changed the topic.

「You’re right, I probably have to go now. 」

「Don’t you have a place to go? 」

「That’s right, you could describe it that way. 」

At this moment, the man’s empty stomach resounded high before he could continue with this conversation. Upon hearing this, the girl asked the man with a bitter smile.

「I can recommend you to a restaurant I know. So, what do you decide?」

—

「This is…so delicious. Yes, extremely delicious. I never thought that I’d eat such a delicious meal.」

「Tha…Thank you very much. The food tastes like that because the ingredients are great.」

Miss Mina, who was introduced as the chef of this restaurant, smiled happily at the wandering man. It would be a great honor and pride for a chef to receive praise for the dishes he or she created. However, regardless of that aspect, the man really thought that her food was truly delightful. The ingredients themselves should be just common monsters, but all of them had freshness and, above all, tasted good.

Lily, the girl that guided the man to the restaurant, proudly answered.

「The ingredients in this dish are specially made by a talented monster cultivator. They are a lot fresher and tastier than the wild ones.」

「Oh my…Does that mean that all of these monster ingredients were cultivated?」

「That’s right. That means that we don’t have to put ourselves to risk in order to get rid of wild monsters. I can easily get monster ingredients these days. It’s both a relief and a privilege at the same time.」

「C’mon Mina. My brother will be infuriated if he heard those words. He wouldn’t have a job if he didn’t have anyone to protect.」

「It’s all right. I want to live a slow life as much as I can. Besides, I hate fighting more than anything in this world. I don’t want to kill monsters more than necessary.」

After the man heard Lily and Mina’s conversation, he stopped his hand from eating. It was the same idea that he had always thought, “I don’t want to fight more than necessary”. The man thought that he was the only one who had those thoughts. And yet, these girls, probably…

「Oh gosh, today I sweated a lot! Mina-chan! Please give me one of the usual set meals!」

「Ah, Mister Kyou! Welcome! Okay, please just wait a minute! 」

「What? So, you’re here as well, Lily. Did you come here to have lunch too?」

「Well, that too. But, in fact, I saw this man fallen in the forest and guided him here.」

「Eh, I see. So, there are some people who are careless. 」

「Look who’s talking. You are one of the careless people who began to raise monsters without much thinking.」

「Who’s that boy? 」

Lily was talking amicably to the boy that arrived at the restaurant. The boy looked like a normal person, but his clothes were dirty and muddy. But, more surprisingly, he had monsters on his head and shoulder. They were Jack O’ Lantern and Mandragora. The wild Jack O’ Lantern won’t attack unless one was hostile. Still, nonetheless, they shouldn’t be too friendly towards humans. And for Mandragora, it was so rare to see one here because of its preciousness and importance. Besides that, they were wary of other beings, especially around humans, and yet, she stood on that boy’s shoulder.

The man was amazed at the existing harmony between a human being and two wary monsters that appeared in front of him.

「By the way, who is this customer? 」

「Hey, you never listen, do you?…This man is the one that I found fallen in the forest.」

「Oh, I see! Okay, let’s introduce ourselves. My name is Kyou. Right now, I’m cultivating and raising monsters and making a living of it. Please buy my monsters if you like them. They are fresh and great! They will be a nice supplement to your health!」

The man nodded to the boy who introduced himself and said, “I see”. So, this boy was the so-called monster cultivator that those girls were talking about earlier. The man was convinced of his situation, but at the same time, the man couldn’t help but send a gaze of envy. Then, he realized that he never spoke of himself, nor did he share his name with others. Therefore, the man introduced himself as well.

「My name is Ferid. Nice to meet you. 」

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A new character? Who is this man…? Find out in the next chapter… 😉