Chapter 107: The Master of Heroes (2)

 

The brief exchange of glances with the man called Gale was interrupted.

 

Looking back, I saw Adam Hyung pushing through the members of our group, making his way towards us.

 

His expression froze upon recognizing Gale. His face gradually turned darker.

 

In contrast, Gale offered a gentle smile and asked, “Have you been well, Adam?”

 

“...”

 

Adam Hyung remained silent.

 

“It’s good to see things have worked out for you.”

 

It seemed Gale’s claim of knowing Adam Hyung was no exaggeration.

 

After a long silence, Adam Hyung finally spoke, his voice heavy with unspoken questions and doubts.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

Gale’s gaze then shifted to me.

 

“I came to see the young man named Berg.”

 

Adam Hyung’s expression grew even graver. He turned and instructed, “Let’s talk inside. Berg, ignore this man and leave.”

 

He gave me a final look.

 

“Didn’t I say I came to see Berg as well?”

 

But Gale addressed the retreating Hyung.

 

“Ha...”

 

For a moment, Adam Hyung’s eyes met mine.

 

With a sigh of apparent dissatisfaction with the situation, he exhaled deeply.

 

As for me, completely clueless, I could only alternate my gaze between the two of them.

 

“Go ahead, Berg. You can leave,” Adam Hyung said again.

 

Gale, this time, looked directly at me, insisting, “Don’t leave. This is an important conversation.”

 

Arwin suddenly grabbed my arm and said, “Berg, I think it would be wise to listen to what Lord Gale has to say.”

 

I looked at Arwin with an expression clearly asking for an explanation.

 

“...He’s not a bad person. I never imagined he would come looking for you, but... there must be a reason he’s here.”

 

Maybe it was because Adam Hyung had shown such a negative attitude.

 

I found myself adopting a skeptical stance as well.

 

“Who is he?” I asked.

 

Arwin replied, “He’s the greatest warrior of the dragon race.”

 

“The greatest warrior?”

 

“It means he’s the strongest,” Arwin explained.

 

I sensed his strength, but hearing him referred to as ‘the greatest warrior’ made it all the more intriguing.

 

Why would such a person seek me out?

 

Then, as if something clicked, Arwin added, “He’s known as the Master of the Heroes.”

 

My heart seemed to stop for a moment.

 

Blinking, I stared at Arwin. “What?”

 

Then, I turned to look at Gale.

 

Gale was looking back at me, his expression serene.

 

I remembered what Gale had said to me earlier. ‘You know, Berg. You’re handsome, just like I heard.’

 

And then another voice echoed in my mind. ‘Why do you keep getting more handsome, Bell?’

 

My eyebrows involuntarily twitched.

 

Was it my imagination, or was there a connection?

 

Gale hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I realized he was the master of the Hero party.

 

It seemed he started behaving this way after I made that realization.

 

Adam Hyung finally put an end to the situation.

 

With a sigh, he said, “I’m sorry, Berg. Just wait a moment.”

 

I nodded in response.

 

Finally, Adam Hyung began walking towards his house.

 

Gale followed him, moving his legs to keep pace.

 

I dismounted from my horse.

 

****

 

“To think you’d become a mercenary, Adam,” Gale remarked as they walked.

 

“...”

 

“Could this too be a sign of the prophecy?”

 

Adam ignored all of Gale’s words.

 

He didn’t want to say anything until they entered the house.

 

The thought of Gale coming to him had never crossed Adam’s mind.

 

He had thought their relationship naturally ended.

 

Walking in silence, they soon reached the house.

 

Adam turned to look at the two men following him.

 

Gale and Berg.

 

Berg wore a puzzled expression, which was to be expected.

 

Adam and Berg had always cautiously approached each other’s past.

 

Both having climbed up from the very bottom of the mercenary world, they had assumed each other had painful pasts.

 

Only recently had Adam learned of Berg’s painful history, and even then, he had only listened because the situation demanded it. If possible, he would have preferred not to, out of consideration.

 

But now, Adam’s own past was beginning to show.

 

He looked at Berg.

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m not ready yet.”

 

Perhaps, being closer to Berg, he was even more reluctant to reveal his scars.

 

“Berg, please step aside.”

 

He then turned to Gale, who wore a puzzled look, and opened the door, saying, “Please come in.”

 

“I came to talk to Berg-”

 

“-Please, come in.”

 

Adam’s firm tone left Gale with no choice but to enter the house.

 

Berg, without any complaints, simply nodded.

 

Adam gave a short nod and then entered the house, closing the door behind him.

 

-Creak... Thud.

 

With a sigh, Adam walked over to his desk.

 

In front, Gale stood frozen, staring in the direction of the closed door, towards where Berg had been.

 

“You’ve found yourself a little brother, Adam.”

 

“...”

 

“...Is it because you miss the younger siblings who left before?”

 

Once in the private space, Gale no longer held back his words.

 

Adam clenched his teeth, responding sharply to Gale, who had hit a nerve.

 

It had been too long since someone knew of his painful past.

 

“What brings you here all of a sudden?”

 

“Can’t you speak more kindly to your teacher?”

 

“Teacher? What are you talking about...”

 

Adam let out a heavy sigh.

 

Though it was early morning, he reached for a bottle of alcohol.

 

It was one of those moments he couldn’t endure without getting drunk.

 

“I asked why you came,” Adam said, pouring himself a drink.

 

Gale, sitting down nearby, replied,

 

“Didn’t I tell you? I came to see Berg.”

 

Adam shook his head.

 

“Go back. Leave Berg alone.”

 

“I have no choice in this, Adam.”

 

-Thud!

 

Adam slammed the bottle down.

 

With an irritated sigh, he lowered his voice, not hiding his hostility.

 

“You’ve come to talk to Berg about being a warrior of Lynn, after you did the same to me?”

 

“...”

 

Back when Adam was receiving teachings from Gale.

 

Adam remembered that Gale had a duty, a prophecy he had heard from a famous soothsayer in Blackwood.

 

Gale had the duty to guide five warriors chosen to slay intelligent demons.

 

The warriors were chosen by the god of Courage, Mand; The god of War, Dian; The god of Harmony, Nikal; The god of Purity, Hea; and The god of Solitude, Lynn.

 

These chosen beings were to stand against the war with the demons.

 

Identifying four of the warriors was straightforward, as they all bore distinct symbols on their bodies, indicating which god had chosen them.

 

However, the warrior of Lynn was an exception, with no visible symbol to identify them.

 

Even Gale had been unable to find Lynn’s warrior.

 

Since then, he had been taking care of those who seemed qualified, and Adam was among them.

 

At the time of learning skills from Gale, Adam had thought it was just old dragonian nonsense, but after the actual warriors appeared, he couldn’t help but believe.

 

The fighting techniques learned without cost were now intertwined with a heavy destiny.

 

Gale, of course, had many disciples.

 

Who among them could be Lynn’s warrior was unknown, but Adam had entertained the thought that it might be him.

 

And now, Gale had come to him again.

 

After downing his drink, Adam glared at Gale.

 

“How long will you continue this? How many more victims do you intend to create?”

 

“That’s a strange thing to say, Adam. Just because they are trained by me doesn’t mean they become Lynn’s warrior.”

 

“Save that talk for the Lizardman who was chosen as Lynn’s warrior and died two years ago.”

 

“Sirikal wasn’t the warrior of Solitude. You have no idea how much that hurt me,” Gale replied.

 

Adam clicked his tongue.

 

There was no end to this argument.

 

Adam had a different perspective on the prophecy.

 

Rather than being guided by Gale because he was Lynn’s warrior, he thought maybe one became Lynn’s warrior because they were guided by Gale.

 

And if he didn’t receive Gale’s guidance, maybe he could avoid the duty of being Lynn’s warrior.

 

Of course, it was a question without a definitive answer.

 

It was like the chicken and egg conundrum.

 

Despite this, Adam wanted to prevent Gale from getting close to Berg.

 

“I always thought you were eccentric, but you haven’t changed a bit,” Adam said, his frustration evident.

 

He then asked Gale, “What do you gain from doing all this?”

 

“The world will become more peaceful.”

 

“Who actually believes in such a dream?”

 

“Don’t you also dream impossible dreams?”

 

“...”

 

Gale continued, “Well, I didn’t come here to get your permission. It’s not in my nature to care about that. I’ve exchanged greetings with you, so now I’ll go talk to Berg.”

 

Adam let out another long sigh.

 

Even Gale momentarily hesitated at the weight of that sigh.

 

“...”

 

Adam then softened his voice and removed the hostility from it. He somewhat understood that the stubbornness of the dragonian couldn’t be broken.

 

“Berg is really like my little brother,” Adam told Gale. Gale, knowing Adam’s past, understood the significance of these words.

 

“Berg has also lived a hard life. Just when he’s finding some stability, can’t you just leave him alone?”

 

Before bringing wives into his life, Berg had started to falter.

 

It became apparent that he was struggling with life in the mercenary band.

 

His guilt deepened, and the time he spent mourning lost comrades grew longer.

 

Adam feared Berg might break under the strain as the war was coming to an end.

 

Adam had worked hard for Berg, who, thanks to these efforts, seemed to enjoy his life with his wives and appeared happy traveling.

 

Did Berg really need to shoulder the risk of another burdensome duty?

 

“Can’t we just live quietly?”

 

Gale softened his expression in response to Adam’s words.

 

He sighed and said, “I understand, Adam. If you really think of Berg as a younger brother... you must be worried.”

 

“...”

 

“But if Berg is indeed Lynn’s warrior, and if he’s one of those meant to receive my teachings...”

 

“...”

 

“...then you might regret this moment in the future. Without my help, he might be crushed by his fate.”

 

Adam averted his gaze upon hearing this, momentarily revealing a vulnerable side. Gale, with the sharpness of the greatest warrior, forced a cruel choice upon him.

 

“I’ll respect your decision,” Gale continued.

 

“...”

 

“If you say I should not approach your brother, I will leave without any regrets.”

 

Gale posed one final question.

 

“...What will you do?”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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