Runaway Hero and the Merchant

As I walk on the road, I enjoy the tranquility that comes from the quiet rustle of the wind through the plains surrounding me. The sun shines down upon me, not a cloud in the sky, but the heat is not overbearing. As I soak in the pleasant warmth, I keep my mind focused on my surroundings. Even now, I can still get stronger. My senses have honed even further, and I continue to push them to their limit. Quite a distance in front of me, I feel a strong gathering of lifeforce. In all my travels, I’ve never felt a single pulse quite so strong, and so I can only imagine that a village lies on my path.

I quicken my pace when I realize. The longer I spend in the vicinity of a village, especially now that I’m deeper in human lands, the more likely it is that I cross paths with another traveler. Each of those tiny meetings, those so very brief acquaintances, is another link in the chain that leads to me. Each person I meet is another part of the trail I leave behind, so I would rather avoid it if I could.

Soon enough I arrive in the village, luckily without having met anyone along the way. It’s a small, quaint village. There are a few wooden houses and a few small farms. Nearly everyone in the village is gathered in one place, only a few weaker pulses of life coming from somewhere else. I make my way to that gathering, just to make sure that nothing terrible has happened. I see the crowd of people. They’re all facing towards one man, a lanky man with tired eyes and a smirk on his face standing behind a stall selling random trinkets with a carriage nearby. I hear his voice rise up past the crowd.

“Settle down now, everyone. There’s no need to worry. I might have limited stock, but there’s more than enough Heroic Artifacts for all of you!” I rush through the crowd until there’s only the stall between us.

“What are Heroic Artifacts?”

“Oh my, sir, you haven’t heard about them? Well you see sir, Heroic Artifacts are objects once used by the Hero. A small part of his power gets transferred into them, you see, and it will protect you from harm. Why, I’m sure that if a whole village had them, it could even protect them from the demon’s invasion!”

I’ve never seen these pointless things before, obviously. I don’t even have that sort of power in the first place. The capital wouldn’t be spreading that sort of rumor. I hadn’t heard about any cults popping up to worship me. I draw my sword and point it towards him.

“Why are you lying? What do you stand to gain?”

The man squeals in terror. He tries to sweep his arm across the stall to gather up his wares, but only manages to knock them to the floor. The villagers have all scattered. Although they’re scared they still keep watching me. The man abandons his things and runs away.

I push my blade back into the scabbard with a sigh. One villager approaches me tentatively. With a shaky voice, they begin to question me.

“Umm… Sir, why did you do that?”

“He lied. The Hero did not have a power like that.”

“So you mean there’s no protection? Even after buying all those trinkets, we’re still doomed?”

“Yes. You’ll die all the same.” And it’s my fault.

I turn away and begin to set off in the direction the man had run. He didn’t even bother to change direction and throw a would-be pursuer off. And I’m sure he doesn’t know I can tell where he is regardless. I begin to run, although he has not gotten far.

He looks haggard when I reach him, although he had not been running long. He falls back when he sees me, the fear of death in his eyes. I loom over him despite not making any attempt to be threatening. The man begins to plead with me.

“P-please don’t kill me! I’ll give you all my wealth! It’s all in my carriage! Take it and let me go!” Does he think I’m a fool? Does he really expect me to believe he’s been traveling with all his money on hand?

“I don’t care. And I won’t kill you. Why are you lying to them?” I ask although I can guess at the answer.

“The Demon King will destroy us all soon, so what does it matter if they lose a little money? Is it really so bad if I sell them hope?”

“You’re selling them lies, and all to enrich yourself. Of course it’s wrong.”

“Is it really so bad to make yourself rich? We all need money to survive in this world. If you think about it, wealth is the only thing in this world that’s true!”

“So you’ll take away their means of survival and the one truth they have all to feed your own ego?” He shrinks back and can’t respond. “The world will soon end and all you can think of is money and making money. Even as we all face the same destruction on the horizon, all you think about is yourself. You take from others for such transient benefits as you approach your own death. Have you forgotten your humanity?”

Although I cannot say that I am any better. I’ve done something much worse in accordance with my own desires. I sense something approaching and draw my blade. The man faints as he sees my slash come near him. As a monstrous worm-like creature breaks free from the earth, I cut it apart and it fizzles away.

I pick up the unconscious man and make my way back to the village. I’m more irritated than anything. Irritated that even after the Hero is gone, they’ll keep using my name for their own petty gain. Irritated that no matter what I do, I’ll never be able to escape the Hero, even if I die. I leave the man lying in the village and depart.