Early in the morning, Frana Bella was drinking tea.
Dalton entered and gave her a work report.
“Miss. Sir Richard has sent word that he arrived safely. The boy also arrived at his destination without trouble.”
“Is that so… I’m curious to see what will happen.”
After taking an elegant sip of tea, she thought about the boy named William Steven.
Even in hindsight, he struck her as clever and bold.
“If it’s not too much, may I ask about the meaning of the question you posed to that child?”
Frana Bella looked at Dalton as she spoke.
“Are you curious about the interpretation?”
“I was wondering why you asked him such a question.”
“There isn’t really a single right answer. Any answer to my question could be correct.
The first was about personality. A lion represents a person with great perseverance, a giraffe stands for someone with a strong sense of rivalry, an elephant for one who cherishes and loves themselves, and a zebra for a person with strong drive.”
“In the second question, if one chose to rest, it means they are good at gathering their mind. It’s the kind of answer chosen by someone who has the resolve to push through difficulties…”
Through these two questions, Frana Bella judged the boy to be someone with both strong drive and resolve.
Dalton was a bit surprised, thinking about what kind of question it had been.
“And the third question… honestly, I haven’t found the answer myself.”
The third question was something she had been pondering—whether to close the communal living area or keep it as it was…
She had posed this very dilemma to the boy: If it were you, what would you do?
Dalton was amazed to realize that a person’s temperament could be discerned by such questions.
“I see… so that was your intent. But do you think the boy understood your intentions when he answered?”
Dalton suggested the possibility that the boy might have simply answered at random.
“That could be the case. But his interpretation was quite clever.”
“And the riddle you wrote in the note—what was that about? I saw the content myself, but I couldn’t understand it.”
“Heh heh. Consider it just an old hobby of mine. That bold child caught my interest.
My curiosity was piqued because I felt he was cleverer than I’d thought.
If he’s smart and trustworthy, I’d like to keep him close.
If he’s going to do business with me… he should be able to handle that much.
If a child who received little proper education in the communal area can solve such a riddle, what does that make him?”
“What could he be?”
“He’s a genius. If he’d been properly educated by a good family, he might have become a great man. And… perhaps it’s my fortune to have found such a child.”
Clink!
“Whichever it may be…”
Frana Bella set down her teacup.
And today, regardless of his intelligence, that child will meet Sir Richard and prove whether he’s qualified to become one of her people.
***
Dawn began to break in the distance. It was my first morning waking up in a village other than Costa Village.
Upon waking, I asked the innkeeper for some bread as a snack. With a good supply of bread packed, I set out on my way.
Today, I planned to do some sightseeing at my first destination, and I also had to solve the riddle the Miss had given me.
“Hero’s Village…”
This village is famous as the Hero’s Village. It became a tourist spot thanks to the statues here.
Rumor has it the statues grant special powers. Before a battle or a big test, people come here to wish before the statues, believing their wishes will come true—so the story goes.
I hadn’t been able to check them out last night since I arrived late, but today I was determined to see and tour them properly.
Having the memories of my former world, just the word ‘hero’ was enough to make my heart flutter with anticipation.
As I stepped outside in the morning, the air was… not exactly refreshing; rather, a slightly musty smell tingled at my nose.
“That’s a familiar smell…”
In the communal living area, even if there were rations, no one really looked after me.
So I didn’t bother with laundry, just swished my clothes around in water and wore them while they were still damp.
Back then, my body often carried a musty odor, and now I could smell the same thing here.
“This smell… It’s the smell of poverty…”
“Excuse me, stranger.”
Someone called out to me. When I turned around, I saw a gaunt old man, holding his hat in his hand, looking at me.
“Elder, what is it?”
“Did you come to our village as a tourist? If you have any leftover food… could you spare some for me?”
The old man seemed so weak from hunger that he barely had the strength to answer.
‘Wow. Is this man a beggar?’
Looking into his hollow eyes, I felt my heart move.
Before my memories merged, I never would have shared my food. But now, I was different…
I’d even brought extra food for breakfast, after all…
I broke off a portion of my bread and handed it to him.
The old man thanked me, as if not wanting to bother me further, and shuffled away.
“Excuse me, stranger…”
Seeing me share my food, the other villagers began to gather.
I suppose word spread last night that a stranger had arrived in the village.
Two more people came to beg for food, so I shared a bit more.
Lastly, a shy girl approached, glancing at me with wide eyes, and I gave her the rest of the bread I had.
The child received it eagerly, then ran off to give all the bread to an even smaller boy.
‘She must be hungry herself, but she’s so kind…’
People show their true nature when times are tough. As I gestured that I had no more bread, the villagers’ gazes faded away. It was a movement I’d grown used to.
‘This village is poor, too…!’
The communal living area wasn’t exactly comfortable, but at least we always got regular supplies. We didn’t have to worry about starving the next day.
“The war is over, but for these people, their war still goes on…”
Just wandering around for a bit, I could guess how hard life was for the people here.
Suddenly, I thought again of Frana Bella, the young lady of the Ashford Baron Family I met yesterday.
‘I wonder if that noble Miss knows scenes like this?’
The Ashford Territory is poor. It’s infamous for being ravaged by the war and for lacking buried resources.
Someday, I want to help people suffering in environments like this.
But not right now. For now, I decided to focus on solving the riddle given to me by the noble Miss.
Shaking off my thoughts, I turned my attention to the Hero Statue.
***
“Hmm, I don’t get it…”
I thought I’d solve the first riddle easily, but I still had no clue.
I made a circuit of the village, observing all the statues, then returned to the first one—the Sword Hero Statue I’d seen.
The sword-bearing hero wore a cape, a classic image, and stood in a stance ready to strike someone down with a greatsword.
‘Is that a Bastard Sword…?’
A Bastard Sword, a type of greatsword, is too long to wield one-handed.
The hero statue was grasping the sword with both hands.
With a sword like that, you could probably take down an Orc or an Ogre in a single blow.
David Caris Tyuton, who was the crown prince at the time, is depicted here.
He was the leader of the Hero Party of Eight, who played a major role during the Age of the Demon Tribe. Since the eight heroes defeated the Demon King, the party is called the Hero Party of Eight, or sometimes the Hero Party, Demon King Party, and so on.
Some people even call them David’s Hero Party.
Well, our king was the leader, after all…
‘The Wing of the Wind will guide the one who holds the sword…’
This must be the “one who holds the sword,” but I have no idea what Wing of the Wind means…
Just then, a noise came from behind the statue.
“On the hill where the wind lingers, eight jewels blocked the waves of darkness. With sword, with spear, with shield, with magic, with bow, with holy power, with poison, with gold—they blocked the darkness… Like spirits dancing, they became legends. The world’s only Demon Hunters. Their tale will remain a legend forever.”
Somewhere, a singing voice rang out. But it was such a grating noise that I covered my ears.
“Please, stop!”
Without thinking, I shouted. What was that… a psychic attack or something?
“Oh… I’m sorry…”
Startled by my voice, a young boy emerged from behind the statue.
There stood a boy with long, lush green hair.
He had his long hair tied with a ribbon, wore earrings and rings—a stylish appearance.
A long cape draped over his shoulders, embroidered with a crest.
“I’m sorry if I surprised you. My name is Sten Bless.”
“I’m William Steven. I’m sorry I shouted, too.”
I also apologized politely. I hadn’t meant to do that…
“So you’re Mr. Steven.”
“Please, just call me William.”
“Then call me Sten as well.”
In this world, it’s customary to address people by surname on official occasions or when meeting for the first time, especially among nobles.
But commoners often have no family name, so it’s usual to call each other by given names.
We both had family names, but decided to use our given names.
“So, Sten, what were you doing here?”
At my question, Sten scratched his head.
“Well… as you heard, I was singing.”
“Singing?”
It wasn’t just noise? Reading my skeptical look, Sten added apologetically.
“Ha ha… it was terrible, wasn’t it? Have you ever heard of the Bless Family?”
It did sound familiar.
“You know the Oath Beneath the Moonlight, right?”
“Oh! You’re from the famous bard family!”
The Bless Family is the most renowned bard family in the Tutun Kingdom.
They are bards who sing of the ages. Their family is known for performing famous songs.
Oath Beneath the Moonlight, Golden Dawn, Lost Kingdom, Song of Hope—they’re all theirs.
“My family’s vocation is bard. We make it our business to turn the tales of heroes into song. When we come of age, we set out to train and become true bards. We follow the footsteps of many heroes and, through our experiences, create stories of our own.”
“A bard…”
It’s my luck to meet a bard in this world.
Bards show up often in fantasy worlds, but they’re not easy to actually meet.
They are minstrels, passing down music and stories.
In games, they’re characters with versatile skills for battle and non-combat situations.
Usually, they play the role of buffer. In this world, too, bards pass on stories of wars and heroes.
“But… as you heard, my singing skills are terrible.”
Sten looked gloomy. A tone-deaf bard… that could be fatal.
“I want to become a great bard someday, someone who can let many people hear the tales of heroes. That’s why I practice singing behind the statues, where no one can hear me.”
“So you like singing, but it’s not going well?”
“No, actually, I don’t like singing. I just enjoy passing on my family’s stories and the tales of heroes.”
So he doesn’t necessarily want to sing. That might explain the tone-deafness.
“Then why not write?”
“Our family is a bard family that tells stories by means other than writing… Family rules don’t allow us to only write. But as long as it isn’t just writing by itself, anything goes. Singing, acting, anything is fine.”
So the Bless Family has their own rules…
Even if he’s tone-deaf, he still practices singing because of that.
“By the way, William, are you here as a tourist?”
Visitors to this village usually come to see the Hero Statue, so that’s what he assumed.
“No, I’m here to solve a riddle.”
Wait a second—aren’t riddles and their solutions a bard’s specialty?
“Sten, could you help me out? I need to solve this riddle…”
‘There’s no rule that says I have to solve it by myself…’
I handed the note to Sten.