The Man Named Leo

After they had met with the man they named Leo, he told them he could help them with their Quest Manager problem. Yusato and Mira decided to cautiously follow him back to his house to learn more.

The house was small and didn’t look any better than the other houses in the area. In fact, it looked a bit worse. There were several cracks on the outside and inside. The floors and ceiling were worn and torn and there were countless stains on the walls.

Leo sifted his hands through a bowl of flour as he hummed a tune. Yusato and Mira both looked at each other and then back at Leo.

“So, you’re looking for a Quest Manager, right?” Leo suddenly spoke up.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Stepping through the flour covered floor, Yusato locked his eyes onto Leo. “Are you going to help me find one?”

“You don’t need to find one,” Leo said. He took out some milk and eggs from his fridge and poured them into the bowl of flour. “He’s already right here. I don’t mind being your Quest Manager. In fact, I think it’d be quite fun.”

Fun? What did he find so fun about it?

Narrowing his eyes, Yusato studied the man carefully. He still seemed so suspicious to him. Though Yusato wasn’t sure if that was because of the man’s overall demeanor or his own preconceived notions. He knew it wasn’t right to judge others based off what his old friends did, but he couldn’t help himself.

As he stirred the contents of the bowl, Leo smiled at Yusato. “After all, we are both disregarded heroes from another world. Why shouldn’t we team up?”

“Hold up. What do you mean disregarded?”

“You really don’t know?” He tossed some softened butter into the bowl as he answered Yusato’s question. “When the most recent heroes came back, one was missing. Kishigami Yusato.”

A newspaper came flying Yusato way and he caught in his hands. He checked his fingers and saw there was now bits of flour on them. “Could’ve just handed it to me.”

“Sorry, I don’t like leaving my station until I’m finished. I hope you can understand.” He smiled as he started to hum again.

Leo continued baking as Yusato read the newspaper. “One of the Four Heroes, Kishigami Yusato, has died in battle.” Yusato looked up from the newspaper. “So they think I’m dead then.”

“Not just that.” Leo started to put his batter into the oven and then licked the flour off of his hands. “It’s been a year since that newspaper came out. And you were only one of the Four Heroes for a short time. While the other three have made even bigger names for themselves. You’ve long since been forgotten.”

The newspaper fell to Yusato’s side as he clutched it so tightly it started to wrinkle. “I see.”

“As for me,” Leo started. “I’m a disregarded hero because of how much magic I have.”

Mira’s eyes shot wide open at his words. “You don’t mean…?”

“That’s right, little one.” He licked some more flour off his fingers, probably for a bit longer than necessary. Then, his eyes grew sharp. “My magic power is right on the cusp. It edges into the territory where it starts to pollute the mana stream. Because of that I was stripped of my title and sentenced to this town.”

“So, are you looking revenge then?” Yusato asked.

There was a heavy silence after that. Not a sound could be heard other than the low rumbling of the oven. Leo stared at Yusato. And Yusato couldn’t tell what emotion that stare carried. Still, he met his gaze with equal fervor.

This man made him way too tense than he wanted to realize. But he couldn’t back down. In spite of everything, Yusato did think he could be a good ally. However, revenge was the last thing Yusato wanted and he definitely didn’t want to get involved in someone else’s revenge quest.

The silence stretched on.

Then, finally, the man laughed. “Oh no no. Of course not.” He leaned back against the oven and smiled. “Revenge is a waste of time. I just think it’d be entertaining. Watching you specifically, Yusato.”

“And why is that?”

“Because…you’re what I admire to be.”

Those words caused his spine to straighten up. “What does that mean?”

“Don’t stress over it too much.” The oven beeped and Leo turned around to take out his freshly baked muffins. He tossed one of the muffins over to Mira as she instantly bit into it and hummed in delight.

“Alright,” Yusato said. “If I accept you as my Quest Manager, will you help me get into the quest for the ancient tower.”

Leo threw a muffin towards Yusato. “That won’t be a problem at all. Though you do realize, you’ll need two more people to have a chance at the quest, right?”

“Trust me, I know.” Yusato handed the muffin over to Mira who immediately bit into it again.

“Then, as long as you can do that, I can get you in no sweat.” Leo took a seat and picked up a muffin of his own. He nibbled on it and then showed two fingers. “But before we start, I’ll need you to complete two tasks for me.”

“Fine. Tell us what you want.”

Mira was still happily munching on her muffin behind Yusato as he talked with Leo. Leo licked the crumbs of his lips before he answered. “First, I want you to go the Listuria Town. It’s not too far from here. There’s a festival happening there. All you need to do is observe.”

“Observe? That’s it?”

“That’s it.” Leo nodded and folded his hands neatly on his lap. “Second, there’s a man in that town. I want you to deliver this message for me.” Leo lifted up an enveloped off of the counter and chucked it at Yusato. “Do that and I’ll get you assigned to that quest. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Mira reached for another muffin and stuffed into her mouth. She swayed from left to right while holding her cheek.

“So, Leo.” Yusato’s voice grew darkly serious which drew Leo’s attention. “Before we leave, I want to ask. “What happened to the other heroes? They said we were the heroes of the Fifteenth Crisis of Talria. Where are the other ones?”

“…Good question.” Leo leaned back in his chair and looked out the dusty window. “Some are probably dead. Others might be missing or hiding intentionally. Or maybe they were banished like me? Who knows? Maybe you’ll one into another one.”

“You really don’t know, huh?” Yusato eyed the man closely.

“I really don’t know.”

Yusato sighed. “Fine then. Alright, come on, Mira. Let’s get going.” He turned around only to see Mira standing over an empty muffin tray. “You ate them all?!”

Mira blushed and kicked her feet behind her. “They were really good!”

“Oh and Yusato?” Leo called out to him just as they were about to leave. “When you get to Listuria, try not to freak out.”