Chapter 2:

Chapter 2 : The Truth's Revealed

As a Paralyzed Person, I am Summoned as a Hero, but Treated as a Villain.

"I'm going hunting, you coming?"

Lunaria adjusted her sword belt and fastened it around her waist. She didn't seem to be wearing the iron armor from yesterday, since I didn't hear the usual clinking of metal plates. Maybe she was wearing leather instead.

"I-I'll come, but are you sure it's fine? I'll probably just be a burden."

"Yeah, pretty much. But what, am I supposed to just leave you here alone? Knowing my luck, I'd come back and find you flat on the ground, not breathing." she said while adjusting her clothes. "Come here, I'll carry you."

Lunaria crouched down, then looped a rope around and tied it like a baby carrier so she could easily haul me around.

"Whoa, e-excuse me..."

We headed out of the house. The cool morning air brushed past us gently. Wild roosters crowed loudly, waking up the whole forest, a reminder that it was time for everyone to go hunt for their own living. Lunaria's white horse neighed too, a sign it was ready to head out and help its owner find prey.

Lunaria stroked her horse's head. "I'm counting on you today, Typhoon."

Typhoon neighed back. Lunaria's foot pressed firmly into the stirrup, and she mounted up.

"Hiyah!" Typhoon took off running fast through the forest.

Typhoon's legs moved nimbly along the natural trail worn down by countless footsteps. Our destination was Goldenrod Meadows, a pale golden field of grass because of autumn—or so Lunaria said.

Along the way, I told her a lot of things. From my daily life, the sudden quest system, and plenty more. Sometimes she nodded like she got it, sometimes she looked confused whenever we touched on anything too "modern." I chose to talk about things that were easier to relate to here, and only shared a little about my personal life back in my own world.

"Umm, Lunaria, actually I wanted to ask you something—it's not that I don't trust you—but I'm pretty sure you didn't save me purely out of sympathy. Can I hear the real reason?" I asked cautiously.

Tussh! Typhoon suddenly braked, coming to a stop. Then it let out a soft neigh, catching its breath.

"...I saw it. That Great Sorcerer's a snake."

I furrowed my brow. What's up with Carrick?

"Your hearing's sharp. Try to remember what you heard back then." Lunaria turned her head toward me, tied up behind her.

I pursed my lips, trying to think. "...Mmm..."

"If I remember right...

[...The thin, light sound of scraping...
...The sound of a pencil, but more like metal being scraped...
...The sound of something burning, yet without any scent at all...
...A humming sound—maybe an incantation.]

...What's the problem with that?"

Lunaria took a deep breath, then let it out. "The Final Artifact never changes on its own. The one who changed it was Carrick himself. I saw it reflected off the polished castle wall."

My breath caught. "Wh—?! Why would he do that?!"

Lunaria stared straight ahead. "A Great Sorcerer is supposed to be a sorcerer without a single flaw. If it's ever proven he made a mistake, he gets stripped of his position and replaced."

"I've noticed it for a while now—Carrick never had the skills to actually deserve being Great Sorcerer. He uses magic tools to make his mana look bigger than it really is."

"So, why can only a Great Sorcerer use the Final Artifact? Because the bigger the mana poured into the summoning, the stronger The Holy Hero who gets called forth."

"S-so, I'm not The Dark Hero after all?" I pointed at myself. "But my body was releasing black flames, just like everyone said."

Lunaria shook her head. "That's Carrick's dirty little trick—fire magic mixed with demon blood creates black flames. There's a guide for it in some alchemy book."

"He wanted to sacrifice you on purpose, to cover up his own mistake. Once you were dead, he'd just claim the Final Artifact still couldn't be used again for a while because mana recovery takes a long time. Too bad for him, I saw the whole thing. He can't fool me."

Lunaria's hand, gripping the reins, clenched tight. I couldn't see her eyes, but from behind her back, where I was tied, I could feel her breathing grow ragged, holding back her anger. The muscles of her back were rigid and tense, radiating a thick, heavy aura of rage.

"...I see..."

I hung my head, clenching my own fist too.

"I-I'll help you! I swear I'll be useful!"

Lunaria smiled, spurring her horse forward.

"Yeah. Today, I'm going to make sure you're useful."

Srak! Typhoon planted its hooves onto the golden grass.

"We've arrived at Goldenrod Meadows, the 'Golden Cage of Beasts'."

***

"Every living thing in this world carries mana—magical energy used to cast spells. That includes even the tiniest creatures, like ants, or even the demon race."

Lunaria stood in front of me, explaining how magic worked and how to manage mana. I sat on a large boulder, listening to her cute-sounding voice, a stark contrast to her role as a knight, yet still firm and commanding.

"Since you're The Holy Hero, you probably have a lot of mana. Try focusing your mind on one point, then let it all out." she told me.

"Hmm... okay, I'll try."

I closed my eyes—not that it made any difference, still dark either way—then tried to focus everything onto a single point. Like there was a tiny dot floating right in front of me.

"Huoooo!!!"

That tiny dot slowly turned into a small flame, then it kept growing bigger and bigger, until it was several times larger than my own body.

"Am-amazing... I've never seen mana this big before..." Lunaria gasped, swallowing hard. "And on top of that... that mana is white. Mana with 100% purity. Even one percent of that is equal to 100% silver-grade mana, the third-strongest tier of mana that exists. I thought first-tier mana had gone completely extinct. Even Great Sorcerer Carrick only has 75% silver mana and 25% gold mana. This is insane..."

The white light enveloping me grew even brighter, bright enough to light up the whole meadow in broad daylight. Then it slowly dimmed back down, and I returned to my normal state.

"Fuuh... too bad I can't actually see it, haha." I scratched my head.

"Whoa, this is crazy! You could become anything with power like this! Ah, but you've gotta learn mana management first though, because—"

Gruduk! Gruduk! Gruduk!

"—Guess I'll finish explaining later. Mana that flashy is gonna attract every creature around. Looks like we've got no choice but to fight."

A herd of four-horned bulls came charging toward us. Lunaria drew her sword, ready to face them head-on.

"I'll take them all out in one strike!"

That voice—?!

"Wait, Lunaria! I hear a little kid. A boy, trapped in the middle of that bull herd." I said, holding her back. Lunaria narrowed her eyes. "You're right. Then I'll clear a path for him right away."

VROOM!

[ Quest: Save the boy and get him out of the bull herd. Note: No help from anyone else. ]

I froze.

WHAAAT??? SERIOUSLY?? RIGHT NOW?!

How am I even supposed to do this??

First it's escape a death sentence, then show off a "unique skill" when I can't even feed myself, and now I've gotta save a kid from a herd of BULLS? These are BULLS, actual BULLS! I can't even walk—

—Wait. Walk?

[ Reward: A chance to restore one body part, ??? ]

Huh? What's the other one?

Before five seconds could even pass, I'd already come up with a crazy idea to save that kid.

"Stop, Lunaria! Let me be the one to save him!" I shouted as loud as I could.

"Huh? Are you insane?! You're literally the LEAST likely person to be able to fight—"

"The quest is telling me to. Help me get up on the horse. I have to save him myself, without your help."

"Oi, don't tell me..."

I smirked. Then I whispered something to Lunaria. Her eyes went wide for a second, but then she nodded, understanding.

"I'm going to charge straight through this bull herd with Typhoon, even though I've never ridden a horse before in my life." My right hand gripped the reins, and I spurred the horse forward. "I'm counting on you, Typhoon. Hiyah!"

Typhoon bolted toward the herd like a wave crashing forward, ready to slam through anything in its path.

"Tch! That idiot!"

Lunaria drew her sword to defend herself, praying I'd somehow make it out alive.

I kept pushing Typhoon forward. I could "see" the boy. He was sitting on the ground, trembling in terror, watching me.

"Hey, you! Run toward the pretty lady over there holding a sword. I'll draw the bulls' attention away. GO, NOW!"

"?! Big brother... blind?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Hurry, there's no time left! They're getting close."

The kid nodded, then bolted toward Lunaria as fast as his legs could carry him, running like his life depended on it—because it did. I took a deep breath, then let it out.

Focus everything onto one point!

"Huoooo!!!!"

White light wrapped around my whole body, and I pushed Typhoon in the opposite direction. The four-horned bulls immediately shifted course, chasing after me instead. The distance between us was still about 100 meters.

"...Just a little more..."

The kid still had about 50 meters left to go. I had to stall for time until the Quest Complete notification showed up.

Gruduk! Gruduk! Gruduk!

MUUAAARGHH!

The bulls kept closing in, their furious rage growing clearer with every second. I kept pushing Typhoon forward, ducking low, gripping the reins as tight as I could. If they caught up to me, it was over.

My "vision" started to blur too, drowned out by the deafening noise. I had no choice but to rely on my sense of smell. I couldn't reach far, only what was immediately around me was something I could "see." Still, it was enough to gauge the distance between me and the bulls.

Just a little more... come on, notification, show up already, system!

The bulls' horns were dangerously close to Typhoon now. Close enough to graze its tail.

"?! That's... a tree?"

A tree, right in front of me. Oh God.

I'd already reached the edge of Goldenrod Meadows. Even though I could sense my surroundings clearly, I was clearly still nowhere near skilled at riding a horse. If I stumbled even a little, both me and Typhoon could end up trampled to death. Typhoon alone could probably dodge it, but not with me on its back.

The kid leaped toward Lunaria, then collapsed right in front of her.

"BAYU!"

[ Quest Completed ]

I smirked. Alright then, guess it's fine to let Lunaria help now, right?

"LUNARIA! NOW!"

Lunaria raised her sword. It flashed and crackled, releasing a massive burst of blue lightning.

"O storm that crawls behind the darkened horizon, hear my will. Do not hide behind the clouds—descend, and answer the call of a fearless knight! For blood spilled and justice denied, shatter the silence of this world! Sing, o judgment of the heavens... draw close to this blade that thirsts for truth! Let thunder crush the night, and let lightning seal the fate of my enemies!"

Black clouds instantly blanketed the sky. Lightning flashed everywhere at once. Then, the entire world fell silent.

"[ Rule of Heaven: Thunder Wrath! ]"

Lunaria swung her sword. I ducked down.

BLAAAR! BLAAAR! BLAAAR!

With a single swing, dozens of blue lightning bolts struck the bulls in front of us, roasting every single one of them. The bolts tore through the entire herd with terrifying speed and power. I kept my head down while steering Typhoon away, dodging the sheer devastation of the attack.

"Whoa... nuts..."

My hearing returned to normal. All the bulls lay scattered across the ground, roasted.

"Guess we don't really need to hunt anymore, huh." Lunaria said, sheathing her sword, then dusting off her clothes.

Well, more like it's less "we don't need to hunt" and more like "this could feed an entire empire and still have leftovers."

I let out a bitter laugh.

***

We only took one bull for ourselves to eat, and gave the rest away to the animals nearby.

"Um... T-thank you for saving me. I-I'm Kraaz! Kraaz Lysandre!" the boy introduced himself, stammering.

"Kraaz Lysandre...? I've never heard that name anywhere in the Eldric Empire. What village are you from, kid?" Lunaria crouched down, stroking his head.

"Uh... Um... I don't have a home. Honestly, I live at an orphanage, but I decided to run away..." Kraaz explained, a little scared.

I smiled, then reached out and patted his head. "You wanna eat with us for now?"

His eyes went wide, sparkling. "C-can I really? B-but I've already caused you so much trouble—"

Kruyuuuk...

Kraaz lowered his head, looking away, embarrassed. Lunaria and I exchanged a glance, then both let out a quiet laugh.

This kid... he reminded me of the kids back at the orphanage.

"Alright, guess that settles that." Lunaria stood up and headed off to skin and prepare the bull.

"I-I'll help! I know how to cook."

"Oh, really? Honestly I was a little worried if Lunaria was the one cooking—"

"Shut up." Lunaria beaned me on the head with a chunk of bull leg she'd just cut off, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

While Lunaria and Kraaz handled the cooking, I took care of the campfire. Now that my right hand actually worked, I could pitch in a little. Honestly, I was pretty confused about why my right hand could just function normally right away—shouldn't I have needed some kind of "therapy," some light exercise to build the muscle back up? But my hand seemed to just work fine, like nothing was ever wrong with it. I had no idea. I hadn't even tested how strong this hand actually was yet.

Turned out Kraaz wasn't lying—he was actually pretty skilled at cooking, honestly kind of a pro at it. Which was wild, considering he was just a 12-year-old kid who'd run away from home with nothing but a hood over his head. He moved quickly, tossing in spices, vegetables, working the whole thing with practiced hands. The cutting duty got handed off to Lunaria; he handled the actual cooking.

"Food's ready!" Kraaz announced cheerfully. He brought over three bowls of bull meat soup. The smell reminded me of the food from the little warung near my old orphanage back home—it was seriously mouthwatering. Total nostalgia trip. I tried a small sip.

"Whoa, this is really good!" I said, meaning every word. The broth flavor was spot on. Mixed with the spices and a slight kick of spiciness that warmed my whole body—it felt really comforting. The autumn wind here was freezing cold.

"Y-yeah... it's decent." Lunaria said, sitting on a log, her voice deliberately flat and firm. But she forgot I was sitting right next to her. My sense of touch picked up a rhythmic vibration from the log; her fingers were tapping lightly, practically bursting with excitement, exactly like a little kid who just got handed candy. Her mighty knightly composure had completely crumbled because of some soup.

"Better than that black bread, huh?"

"!... T-that was good too, okay?! Y-you're being ridiculous..." Lunaria shot back, her face turning slightly red.

Kraaz looked at me, then over at Lunaria, clearly confused.

"A-are you two... like, married or something?"

"NO WAY! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Lunaria immediately waved her hands frantically, denying it outright.

"Aaah... how do I even explain this? It's kind of complicated."

So I told Kraaz everything, starting from how I got summoned all the way to the fight against the bulls. Kraaz just listened quietly while eating. Lunaria chimed in occasionally to add details or correct me, since, well, she was the one who actually "witnessed" everything—I only had my hearing to go off of.

"Oh right, Lunaria. I've been curious since yesterday. Do you know anything about the tragedy from a hundred years ago?"

Lunaria took a sip of her water. "Ah, that? Right, you wouldn't know about it."

"A hundred years ago, humanity was still united under a single ruler. We called it the Eternos Empire. Its territory stretched wide, from the farthest east to the farthest west. It was the most powerful and most prosperous empire of its time, even to the point of signing a non-aggression pact with the strongest demon faction, the Dark Empire. All of that was thanks to the strength of its military commander, its Great Sorcerer, its emperor, and most importantly, The Holy Hero."

"Our ancestors had a Holy Hero who was extremely gifted. He was a true master of magic. He developed entirely new spell formulas all on his own. All of humanity lived in peace and safety, thanks to the magic he created."

"But one day, The Holy Hero got into a fight with the emperor. It even turned into an actual battle. In the end, The Holy Hero chose to flee."

"Unfortunately, every road was blocked by the citizens themselves. Turns out the emperor had already announced an order for the people to stop The Holy Hero from escaping. The streets were packed with civilians armed with swords and spears. The entire city had been sealed with a level-5 barrier just to keep The Holy Hero from getting out."

"In the end, he used the full extent of his power to force his way through. He froze an entire city solid, except for the emperor and his top officials. Then he vanished, without leaving a single trace behind."

"A few years later, the Eternos Empire went to war with the Dark Empire, after the Dark Empire broke their pact. In the middle of the war, the emperor spotted a dark figure at the edge of the demon army's ranks. It was using magic the emperor recognized instantly—ice magic. In that moment, the emperor realized that The Holy Hero, the same one who had once frozen the entire capital, had betrayed them and defected to the Dark Empire."

"The Dark Empire slaughtered nearly the entire Eternos army. For the first time in its long history, the Eternos Empire suffered a defeat and was forced to retreat. Bit by bit, the Eternos Empire grew weaker. Chaos broke out everywhere. Several cities, sensing the empire's declining power, rebelled and established kingdoms of their own. The Dark Empire's territory kept expanding too, spreading into humanity's green lands. Not long after, the Eternos Empire finally collapsed entirely. Some of its former cities joined other kingdoms, some founded their own, some were simply abandoned, and some even joined the demon faction."

"The Eldric Empire is what used to be Eternos's capital. The next emperor, Emperor Alfred I, decided to create an oath that bound every citizen, and himself included, to never betray the empire again. That oath was forged by ten Great Sorcerers and their hundred combined disciples, and it gave birth to the doomsday protocol known as the Final Artifact. Anyone who breaks that oath is punished with 'Heaven's Punishment'—their body burns, half of it consumed by flame, and that fire is eternal, impossible to put out unless the person surrenders or leaves the empire's territory—which is enormous, and guarded everywhere. That story's been passed down to our generation ever since. That's exactly why our hatred toward demons runs so deep."

Lunaria finished her story, then took another sip of water. Kraaz didn't say anything, but I could hear his heavy exhale. The bowls were already empty, and the pot of soup had run dry.

"A-ah... l-let me wash the bowls." Kraaz slowly got up. "Thanks." Lunaria handed him her bowl, along with mine.

Jduk!

"O-ouch!" Kraaz tripped over a root sticking out from an old tree stump. "?! Kraaz?! You okay?" Lunaria shot up, rushing over to him.

"Aww... I think my knee's hurt..." Kraaz groaned in pain.

"Let me see... Th-this?!"

Lunaria froze. Her breathing suddenly picked up speed—I could hear it clearly.

"Lunaria?" I asked, making sure.

"Y-you..."

Kraaz looked up, swallowing hard.

Black blood trickled down from his knee.

"...A demon?"

Kraaz's face went pale instantly. Lunaria pulled back his hood. Two small red horns, still in the middle of growing in.