Chapter 2: Hero

Cael Horais Sirius POV

“Shouldn't we at least hide at the entrance to the forest?” I asked.

My mother simply smiled at me.

It was a strange smile.

It was gentle, but there was sadness behind it.

Almost as if she had already expected me to ask that question.

“Cael, we've saved enough for your entrance fee to the Kingdom walls.”

Mom's voice was soft.

“Do you want to go there?”

Her eyes were already filled with tears.

Even though she tried to hide them, I could tell she knew how cruel that question was.

I was only ten years old.

What mother would want to ask her child whether he wanted to abandon her and save himself?

I looked at her silently.

I knew exactly how much we had saved.

We were close.

Very close.

We almost had enough gold coins for all three of us to enter the Kingdom.

But almost wasn't enough.

Then the sky suddenly turned dark.

I looked upward.

A black flare shot into the sky from the direction of the Capital of Cygnus.

My heart sank.

It wasn't a red flare.

It wasn't a blue flare either.

It was black.

I knew what that meant.

The Capital would not be sending any troops.

The decision of whether or not to defend the fortress had been left entirely to the fortress commander.

In other words…

The fortress had been abandoned.

Either way, it would fall.

The people defending it would be left behind, while the Capital could wash its hands of responsibility for their deaths.

After all, there were nobles there to lead the Outlanders.

They could simply abandon the fortress and retreat behind the Kingdom walls.

Why would they send a black flare?

I asked myself.

Normally, a black flare would only be used when the enemy had already reached the fortress gates.

Normally…

I suddenly understood.

They already knew my father was there.

They must have known that the fortress guards were still holding the line.

Perhaps they had decided that saving the nobles and the more capable soldiers was a better choice than sending reinforcements to people they considered expendable.

My hands tightened.

“Mom.”

She looked at me.

“Let's head to the entrance gate of the Kingdom walls.”

I grabbed her hand.

“Dad will be there.”

Mom's eyes widened.

“Cael…”

I didn't wait for her to argue.

I quickly picked up my small axe.

It wasn't much.

It was nothing compared to the weapons carried by the fortress guards.

But it was the only weapon I had.

Just in case.

At the very least, if the demonkind reached us, I could die trying to protect my mother.

The villagers around us began gathering as well.

It seemed they had reached the same conclusion.

Everyone had seen the black flare.

Everyone understood what it meant.

The fortress was no longer going to receive help.

Outlanders were prohibited from approaching the Kingdom walls unless they were attempting to enter through the gates by paying the required entrance fee.

Violating that rule was punishable by death.

Even at ten years old, I tried my best to understand the reasoning behind it.

Why were we Outlanders treated worse than the people living inside the walls?

We were practically the same species.

We ate the same food.

We bled the same blood.

We could feel pain and fear just like them.

Yet simply because we lived outside the walls, our lives seemed to have less value.

It baffled me.

Still, there was a small possibility that they would spare us.

It would be much harder to kill several hundred people for violating the rule than it would be to kill one or two.

At least, that's what I hoped.

And even if they refused to let me enter, I would still try to make sure Mom got inside.

After all, she was carrying a baby.

My younger sibling.

Uncle Ray and the others followed us as we traveled along the long road toward the outer wall.

The Kingdom walls were several kilometers away from our village.

Thankfully, Uncle Ray had a cart and a strong horse, so he allowed Mom to ride inside it.

The rest of us traveled alongside the cart.

The journey felt much longer than usual.

No one spoke much.

Everyone was listening.

Waiting.

The farther we traveled, the louder the sounds behind us became.

Thunderous impacts echoed through the distance.

The ground trembled beneath our feet.

It was faint at first.

Then it became stronger.

We were getting closer to the Kingdom walls.

But something else was approaching us.

After about half an hour, we finally reached the outer wall.

Hundreds of people from nearby villages were already lined up outside the gate.

Everyone was trying to get inside.

However, it quickly became apparent that the guards were allowing only people to enter.

Their belongings were being left behind.

I stared at the piles of bags, tools, carts, and personal possessions abandoned beside the road.

People were being forced to choose between their belongings and their lives.

Then I heard it.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Hundreds of thunderous sounds echoed in the distance.

I turned around.

My eyes widened.

Hundreds of men wearing the uniforms of the fortress guards were approaching us.

They were roughly one or two kilometers away.

Behind them was something much larger.

A massive cloud of dust stretched across the horizon.

The demonkind was following them.

My heart began beating faster.

In only a few minutes, the place where I was standing would become a battlefield.

I quickly grabbed Mom's hand.

“Let's go.”

We moved toward the entrance gate.

The line was slowly moving forward as the guards checked whether each person had enough gold coins to pay the entrance fee.

I watched the process.

One person after another.

Gold coins.

Entrance.

No gold.

Stay outside.

Were they really leaving people to die simply because they didn't have enough gold coins?

I stared at the guard.

Were those gold coins really worth more than someone's life?

“Cael.”

Mom's voice brought me back.

“We only have twenty-seven gold coins.”

I smiled.

Then I took the pouch filled with our gold coins.

I counted them quickly.

Twenty-seven.

I handed twenty gold coins to the guard.

Then I returned the remaining seven to Mom.

The guard looked at me.

“Is this for you and your mother?”

Mom looked at me in confusion.

Before she could say anything, I answered.

“No.”

I forced myself to remain calm.

“It's just for my mother.”

I looked at the guard.

“She’s three months pregnant.”

Mom froze.

The guard looked toward her stomach.

I wished I could simply lie.

If I could somehow say that Mom was alone and pay for both of us, perhaps we could enter together.

But I knew that wouldn't work.

There was always a mage stationed at the gate.

That mage could inspect a person's Physical Status.

They would immediately know that Mom was pregnant.

If I lied, the situation could become even worse.

We didn't have time for that.

More importantly, Mom would never agree to enter the Kingdom walls without me.

But this was different.

If I made the decision myself…

If I chose to stay behind…

Then perhaps Mom would be able to accept it.

“I'll wait for Dad here.”

I forced the words out.

Mom stared at me.

Her eyes immediately filled with tears.

She grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug.

“I'll be waiting for you and your dad inside.”

Her voice trembled.

I hugged her back.

“I know.”

She eventually released me.

I watched as she passed through the gate.

Her eyes never left mine.

I sighed in relief when she finally made it inside.

At least she was safe.

I felt terrible about leaving her alone.

But there was nothing else I could do.

I turned around and walked toward Uncle Ray and Talya.

They had stayed behind because they didn't have enough gold coins to pay the entrance fee.

I looked at everyone who had been left outside.

Most of them were from our village.

For a moment, I wondered how many of them would survive.

At least we could still see the people who had gone to the fortress to work.

They should be arriving soon.

The sound of approaching hooves became louder.

Then...

“Cael!”

“Cael!”

I immediately recognized the voice.

I turned around.

It was Dad.

He was riding his steed toward us.

His face was filled with panic.

“Where's Eleonor?”

“Mom is already inside the outer wall.”

Dad stared at me.

Then he smiled.

He jumped down from his steed and gave me a rough pat on the head.

“I'm sorry!”

His voice cracked.

“I wasn't able to save enough for your entrance.”

Tears began streaming down his face.

I froze.

It was the first time I had ever seen my father cry.

His body trembled as he pulled me into a tight embrace.

I hugged him back.

I never thought they would allow all the fortress guards inside the Kingdom walls.

But I suppose allowing them to enter and defend the Kingdom walls was better than leaving them to die for nothing.

As I watched, several fortress guards were allowed through the outer gate.

So that's why they had been permitted to abandon the fortress they had sworn to protect.

They weren't really abandoning their duty.

They were simply being redirected to defend the Kingdom walls.

“Dad.”

I gently pushed myself out of his embrace.

“Take care of Mom.”

He stared at me.

“Hurry.”

I looked toward the approaching dust cloud.

“They'll be here any moment now.”

“I know…”

Dad's voice was quiet.

“But I'll stay here.”

I looked around.

All the fortress guards from our village had stayed behind.

They were standing together.

Weapons drawn.

Ready to fight.

“At the very least, I'll protect you until my last breath,” Dad said.

The dust cloud drew closer.

Closer.

And closer.

Finally, I could make them out.

The monsters.

The creatures known as demonkind.

Their bodies were unlike anything I had ever seen.

Some had horns.

Others had claws.

Their eyes glowed from within the dust cloud.

There were too many of them.

Far too many.

I looked down at the small axe Uncle Ray had given me for my tenth birthday.

I gripped it tightly.

I definitely didn't stand a chance against even one of those monsters.

Am I really going to die like this?

Without ever receiving my blessing?

Without ever seeing my younger sibling?

I clenched my teeth.

If only I had grown up faster.

If only I had been strong enough.

I could have earned enough money to pay my own entrance fee.

Maybe I could have even paid for Talya.

Maybe I could have protected everyone.

But I couldn't.

I was only ten years old.

My hands trembled.

If I can't have a future…

Then why won't you at least let me spend the rest of my life today to save everyone?

I looked toward the darkening sky.

I didn't know if the God who created this world could hear me.

But I had one final request.

At least give me a stupid ability before I die.

I've waited for it for a very long time.

I waited for the day when I would finally receive my blessing.

I waited for the moment when I would discover what kind of power I had.

And now, when I needed it more than ever, it still hadn't come.

The demonkind marched toward us.

Dad and the other fortress guards stepped forward.

They formed a line between us and the approaching monsters.

Talya grabbed my hand.

Her fingers were trembling.

She was crying silently.

I could feel the fear in her grip.

I tightened my hand around hers.

Then something happened.

My body suddenly felt sluggish.

It was as though the entire world had slowed down.

The movement of the demonkind became strangely distorted.

The sound of the wind seemed distant.

Even Talya's trembling hand felt as though it were moving through water.

What is happening?

I tried to move.

My body wouldn't respond properly.

Then...

Words began flooding into my mind.

Knowledge.

Information.

Concepts I had never learned.

It felt as though someone had opened my skull and poured an entire book directly into my brain.

My head began throbbing.

Then the pain intensified.

My skull felt as though it were about to split apart.

I grabbed my head.

What is this?

My vision blurred.

The pain became unbearable.

Did I just receive my Special Ability?

I forced myself to speak.

“Status.”

A familiar sensation appeared before me.

The words were clear.

For the first time in my life, I could see my own Status.

Cael Horais Sirius

Male

Mental Age: 10 Physical Age: 10

Title: Hero

Class G1

Vitality: 110 + 110

Psyche: 110 + 110

Power: 11 +11

Speed: 11 +11

Endurance: 11 +11

Fortitude: 11 +11

Special Ability: Time Conversion