Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Being the Older Brother of a Hero**

**Chapter 3: Clues (2)**

The distance from the Clayton family's territory to the academy was quite considerable. Normally, one would think of using a teleportation magic circle to get to the academy, but there were a few places in this world where teleportation was not allowed. The most notable of these was the imperial palace, and the United Nations, which was formed by the alliance of five countries, including the empire. The academy that Shane and Klein were heading to was located right in the center of this United Nations, making teleportation impossible.

Thus, inside the carriage heading to the academy, Shane, escorted by the knights of the Clayton family, fell into deep thought.

'Five years from now. Those guys will surface.'

The organization that led Shane to corruption, 'Anonymous,' would reveal itself to the world. Whether Shane fell into corruption or not, their plans would remain unchanged. To prepare for the storm that would come at that time, he needed to build his strength.

At the same time, Shane turned his gaze to his younger brother, Klein.

Klein, the hero known as the last hope of humanity, had overcome endless adversities and even toppled Shane, who had once stood as the commander of the First Legion. Perhaps even without Shane's intervention, Klein might crush all the enemies that stood in his way, just as he did in his past life.

But how much despair had Klein endured to reach that point? The organization had made countless attempts to kill or corrupt Klein, and while he overcame all of them, he also suffered greatly. Like the legendary heroes, Klein walked the path of a hero, losing much along the way. Shane did not want Klein to go through such trials in this life.

'To do that, I need to become stronger first.'

Even now, various ways to stop the organization came to mind, but with Shane's current abilities, they were all beyond his reach. Fortunately, there were many ways to become stronger. Even without resorting to the power of corruption, the information he had while in the organization provided countless methods to grow stronger.

Among them, the method that Shane thought of was:

'Runes.'

Magical symbols known to be used by the chosen few of ancient races, which the current humans did not know. Dragons were a prime example of beings who handled runes. If the runes, used by the creators of magic, were mastered, the absolute amount of mana would no longer matter. It was said that once one mastered runes, they could use all magic regardless of their total mana, but Shane was not at that level. Moreover, even with his analytical skills, understanding runes was a distant dream.

'But if I can apply them, it might be different.'

Shane briefly thought of a certain person who might have the answers about runes and then closed his eyes. 'Before that, there's something I need to take care of first.'

As the sun slowly set, the carriage carrying Shane and Klein entered a small village at the edge of the mountains.

* * *

Alex, a member of the village's vigilante group, looked outside the guard post with a bored expression. The same scenery, the unchanging smell of the air, and the same relief team arriving at the same time every day. However, today was different. The famous Clayton family had come to the usually quiet village.

Of course, they did not demand anything special from the village. They quietly checked into an inn, spent the night, and left early the next morning. For a young vigilante like Alex, who was not even the village chief, seeing the direct descendants of the Clayton family or the knights who escorted them was a rare sight.

"Hey, Alex. I'm here to relieve you. You lucky dog."

"You're here."

As his relief team member arrived, Alex greeted him with a smirk.

"Hey, Havoc Caravan was here earlier? They must have had a blast."

"Having a blast? What are you talking about? Even if they did, they can't drink until they drop because they have guard duty tomorrow."

Despite his words, Alex's smile did not fade. His colleague knew that even if he couldn't drink much, the experience would be more valuable than the alcohol.

"Still, don't listen too much to their stories. The outside world is tough."

"What do you mean? You have to know the outside world to go out or stay in. Don't worry about it."

With that, Alex finished his shift and headed straight to the village's only tavern. Originally a warehouse for the inn, this building had been constructed a few years ago when the Clayton family started visiting the village. Officially, it was built because the village had grown, but Alex's father said it was to keep the Clayton family's stay separate from the rest of the village.

Alex thought this reason made more sense. As he entered the old tavern, loud voices were already echoing inside.

"Come on, drink, drink!"

"Captain! Let's forget about that incident with this!"

"Of course! When have we ever thought about tomorrow? Let's drink!"

A dozen rough-looking men occupied all the seats in the small tavern. They noticed Alex entering and raised their beer mugs with grins.

"Hey, isn't that the country bumpkin Alex?!"

"Haha, your face is tanned nicely!"

"You're finally looking like a man, hahaha!"

The mercenary group that escorted the Havoc Caravan. The Havoc Caravan was part of the Clayton Trading Company, run by the Clayton family. They knew the Clayton family would visit the village around this time each year and arrived on the same day.

"Captain Wayne, how have you been?"

"Hahaha! Captain! Oh, you're giving me goosebumps! Look at my arm!"

"Hey, you guys. How often do you see such a polite young man these days? Don't tease him, you uneducated brats! Call him Captain too!"

"No problem, Captain! Hehehe!"

They laughed and joked like old brothers, and Alex awkwardly joined them.

"So, you're here again today. How have you been?"

The mercenary captain, Wayne, asked, and Alex gave a stiff smile.

"What else is there in this village? I've been living as usual."

"Hehe, that's right. That's how you live."

"But are you here for the same reason today?"

"Of course. The nobles here are always trying to curry favor with the Claytons."

"Does it really make a difference?"

"Who knows? Life is like a gamble. Which young master is more advantageous? How much the odds are in their favor. That's what they're betting on."

The Havoc Caravan wanted information about the Clayton family's two brothers, specifically whether Shane or Klein was closer to becoming the head of the family.

"Then, who is more advantageous? Isn't it usually the eldest son?"

"Unlike farming or running a tavern, the nobles' work requires talent. If the second son is more talented than the eldest, the second son gets the position. The Clayton family is a case like that."

"..."

Come to think of it, Alex remembered hearing some bad rumors about the eldest son from the village chief and the elders. It was said that the eldest son had disgraced the family's name by losing a battle at the academy during the start of the academic break this year.

"Still, it's a luxury. Even if the eldest son of such a prestigious family steps down as the heir, he won't be penniless."

Wayne chuckled, saying that even if Alex worked his whole life, he wouldn't earn the kind of money the eldest son would receive.

"Phew... I wish I could be in that position. At least, I wouldn't have to face life-threatening situations like last time."

In the always dull village, stories about the outside world were always entertaining. Alex found these stories more interesting than the fanciful tales of heroes his grandfather used to tell him as a child. For Alex, who dreamed of venturing out into the world, information about the outside was hard to come by.

"Your expression reminds me of Malon."

"Oh, where is he?"

At Wayne's words, Alex looked around the mercenary group.

Malon, like Alex, was a villager who became a mercenary under Wayne's guidance. Alex vividly remembered feeling envious when he saw Malon during the last visit of the mercenary group. Malon had enjoyed the attention, acting with a high nose.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

"Why not?"

"..."

"Tsk. We buried him. It's a common occurrence in mercenary groups."

"Ah, this country bumpkin is bringing down the captain's mood again!"

"Captain, do we ever think about tomorrow? Malon knew it well! We know it well! It's a fact you always tell us, isn't it?"

"Right, right!"

Alex understood what the mercenaries meant. Death was a constant companion for mercenaries, like a plague.

"Ah, well. That's how it is. Don't think about becoming a mercenary. Just protect your village. Here, you'll be a hero just by killing goblins. Got it?"

"By the way... I don't see the others from last time..."

"Captain, this kid is curious about what happened to us. That's why, no matter how many mercenaries die, new ones always replace them! Damn, he's clueless. Anyway, he doesn't know the value of his life."

"But aren't we the same?"

"You're right, damn right!"

The mercenaries tried to lighten the mood, and eventually, Alex heard their story.

"It's nothing special. A dungeon wave just happened, and we were unfortunately nearby. Luckily, a knight squad from a nearby city was training in the area. Otherwise, we would have all died."

"...You must have had a tough time."

"Tough? It was hell. We didn't even get paid. Tsk, that's what they call a dog's death, a dog's death!"

Wayne drank the full glass of alcohol in one go.

"It was terrible. We were walking on a path at the edge of the forest when we suddenly heard a roar. You know, a monster's roar. Most trolls and the like emit a monster's roar. When people hear it, they usually freeze, unable to use magic."

Roar!!

"Right, it sounds like that... Wait."

Wayne stopped talking, and the tavern fell silent.

At the same time.

Roar!!

Another roar echoed from a distance.

"Damn."

Wayne's expression twisted as he heard the sound that should not have been real.

* * *

Roar!!

The roar from a distance.

To some, it was a sound of terror, to others, a strange presence. But to some, it was a very familiar and loathsome sound.

"It's started."

Muttering to himself, Shane turned his head toward the direction of the roar.

The phenomenon of monsters emerging from a dungeon that has been left unattended for a certain period, known as a dungeon wave. Soon, they would march toward the village.

Shane briefly recalled his past life. At this time, he had forcibly taken command of the knight squad and led them into battle. The result was that he failed to protect the village, faced the villagers' anger, and his incompetence became widely known among the mercenaries, branding him as a self-important and incompetent noble.

At the time, he had taken command out of a desire not to be outdone by Klein, but he also felt a sense of duty to protect the village.

However, what he received in return was the villagers holding the bodies of their dead family members, looking at him with eyes full of resentment, and the knights' disappointed gazes at his failure despite his forced command.

After that day, Shane resolved never to live for others again, and it became a catalyst for his more selfish nature.

"I won't make the same mistake again."

He didn't particularly desire the admiration and respect of people now. At the time, Shane had done his best, and the incident was not entirely his fault, as it was due to a lack of command skills. However, stepping forward was still a better choice than doing nothing.

Moreover, to oppose 'Anonymous' in the future, a certain level of reputation was necessary.

As the village, now bustling with the sounds of the approaching evening, Shane stood up and stepped out of his room.

* * *