Chapter 8

* Kail's Perspective.

He was just sitting alone in the quiet room, gazing at the moon. It was a moon different in size and color from Earth’s moon... I could feel his pain all too well...

How many times have I looked up at the moon? How many times have I wished it was yellow?

When I heard that the 69th hero had been summoned, I projected my consciousness and sensed a familiar presence. I had lost the meaning of living here after the bloodline of the clan I was protecting was cut off. I was about to go to sleep when this person appeared.

Without opening the door, I entered the room and decided to observe the hero, who had yet to notice my presence.

Heroes, regardless of what they are like on the inside, are generally given good rooms, dressed in fine clothes, and fed well... But it seems this one is different from the usual heroes.

Most of those summoned as heroes are, to some extent, physically and mentally healthy.

However, this person, while his mind might be fine, his body was far from healthy. He had almost no muscle, and his thin frame suggested he had a poor appetite, looking like a sick person.

If he was summoned and then found to be useless due to illness, he would likely be imprisoned here... As usual, their actions are ruthless.

I didn’t come to see the hero out of mere curiosity before going to sleep. I thought that if I was going to sleep, I might as well give the summoned person the freedom that Mr. Hanai gave me.

I had decided to leave anyone I didn’t like alone... After observing him for a while, I decided to speak to this rather dull hero.

"Hey, you, aren’t you the hero?"

When I called out, the man turned to me with a surprisingly calm look. Normally, one would be startled by a voice coming from a place with no presence...

At the same time, I realized why the man wasn’t surprised when I looked into his eyes, and I inwardly sighed.

He was already living a life heading towards death. Yes, his eyes showed that he had given up and accepted everything.

After repeating the same question and hearing his response, I was surprised to find out that he was the 68th hero, not the 69th. Summoning isn’t something that can be done casually. A powerful royal with magic can use it twice in their lifetime. If they used it twice in a year, it must have been a dire situation.

I don’t care what happens to this country...

But why didn’t I notice the hero summoned a year ago? If he was from the same hometown, I should have known... Reflecting on myself a year ago, I realized that I was in no state to notice. I was in a desperate situation, so I didn’t notice his arrival. I quickly concluded that it was too much trouble to ask questions, so I read his memories to understand this man, Setsuna.

He is a straightforward young man. Too straightforward, even.

This man, who understands himself, also knew that he would be killed. And even when I told him this, his expression didn’t change.

And the memories of Setsuna were too cruel. He wanted to kill everyone in this castle...

I forced down my anger. If I lost control here, I would end up letting him die.

I sighed inwardly and asked the same question Mr. Hanai asked me:

"If your illness were cured, what would you want to do?"

When I asked Setsuna what he wanted to do, his answer was, "I want to live like a camellia."

It sounded like he wanted to live... But from our conversation, it seemed he meant he wanted to die.

He couldn’t bear the time spent alone, waiting to die. Setsuna said he wanted to die with dignity... like a camellia.

The impression of the camellia in his heart was very clean and dignified. It was the last reason he had to live.

I smiled wryly and told him that wasn’t what he wanted to do. He then quietly said he wanted to see the world.

As we talked about me, Mr. Hanai, and what it means to be a hero, Setsuna quietly shed tears.

The reason for his tears made my heart ache. The loneliness of having no one to rely on. Unlike me, he had no one to talk to.

By this time, I couldn’t bear to abandon Setsuna. I had met this man from my hometown just a few hours ago, but it felt like I had known him for decades.

Was it because I read his memories? Or was it due to his personality? I don’t know...

But I liked this guy. More like a younger brother than a close friend.

It seems Setsuna also felt I was his close friend. For him, I might be his first close friend?

If that’s the case, it will be difficult to persuade him... I decided to stick to my will and save him, to save Setsuna.

I tried to persuade the stubborn Setsuna and quickly made preparations before his resolve changed.

I had never chanted a spell before because of my excess magic and abilities, but I carefully chanted to make the magic stronger.

Even if I secretly played a few tricks on him, he wouldn’t notice.

Can’t help it, right? My last close friend is a pampered box, so I’m worried he won’t be able to sleep well. Really... what a problem...

In the end, I developed an attachment. While cursing inwardly, I still felt happy about this feeling as I fell asleep inside Setsuna.

Thank you for reading.

I added furigana above Mr. Hanai's name.