NOVEL WEB Chapter 11
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“…Huh?”
Look at this moron, totally dazed.
“D-Dream? Dream! Where are you, Dream!”
Nick, the Dark Mage whose beloved girlfriend had vanished, called out her name in a flurry of confusion.
But what can you do? Your girlfriend is just a character I, the author, made up.
Why else would I be a hapless writer?
I crafted a story solely to think about how to make you the most desperate, you Dark Mage scumbag.
‘That’s our brother for you. His preparedness is impeccable.’
Thanks to the Dark Mage, the carriage at the front is wrecked.
While I was rolling my eyes behind Eve, I spotted something shiny near the carriage.
It was a coin.
And it was a holey coin that looked made just for me to use.
It had been tightly bound with thread so it wouldn’t fall off the carriage, and there’s no way Eve or Prince Rian could’ve done that, so it had to be my brother’s doing.
Anyway, just like Eve said, the Dark Mage was completely ignoring me, which allowed me to get closer to the carriage and grab the coin.
After that, well…
Prince Rian was already out cold, and I saw Eve caught by the Dark Mage’s shadowy hand, so I immediately distracted the Dark Mage and used hypnosis.
As a result, I could read the Dark Mage’s memory and gather a lot of info, and I was able to make this jerk feel despair using a fictional character.
“This is Kyeonghwa Suwol.”
When do you think I haven’t been casting hypnosis?
“The finale… is coming over there.”
A huge figure approached from behind Nick, who was paralyzed in despair.
-Ugh!
“Ow. Just looking at it makes my neck hurt.”
Before I knew it, my brother had completely twisted the figure’s neck.
“Good job, Zech.”
“It was a bit tough.”
I guess it was a pretty high-level Dark Mage, so hypnosis was a bit challenging.
“I’ve already dealt with the brainwashing on that girl. I thought she was just a regular thief, but it gave me a run for my money.”
“Really? So she was that strong?”
Well, if her birthplace was that town I saw in the memory, it would make sense.
“Ugh! Huh… what’s going on…?”
“Zech… sigh, you managed it well.”
Prince Rian, once he regained his senses, limped over to us.
“Um… Prince and Princess, would you like to go see a shocking truth?”
“What?”
“I don’t know what it is, but the way you’re saying it makes me think it’s better to go see. Okay, let’s go.”
“Then we need to go back to where those thieves are first. The person in that cage is quite important.”
“…I’ll go.”
“Please, brother.”
-Boom!
***
…Where am I?
Our group arrived in front of the ruined village I had seen in Nick’s memories.
“What?”
I approached Rate, who was being carried on my brother’s back under a blanket.
“Miss Rate, please wake up.”
“Ugh…”
It was only then that Rate finally opened her eyes.
“…Who are you?”
Again, she lost her memory and asked for my name, but for some reason, this time I wasn’t irritated.
“…An author? Hero…?”
She seemed completely clueless, so I folded my arms and began to explain slowly.
“What?!”
“What?!”
Both of their intense gazes turned to Rate, so I quickly continued to explain.
“…If it’s not a legitimate reason, we could be talking about execution.”
“Hmm… If I’m right, that won’t happen.”
Honestly, I didn’t have much information, but thanks to the Dark Mages, I was able to make some deductions.
Thanks, Nick.
Your contribution was the greatest.
“..Is this the so-called ‘Last Town’?”
Eve, who seemed to know something about the town, interrupted.
“But it’s been totally wrecked.”
“…No way! The Dark Mages kept saying they were summoning a ‘Hero’ or something! They must have destroyed the Hero’s hometown and framed the palace for the destruction?!”
“Oh, that’s quite a deduction.”
Eve, seemingly furious, looked ready to charge out at any moment.
“Let’s just go after these bastards immediately-”
“Before that, there’s something slightly wrong with the story.”
“What?”
“Your Highness might not know, but I’ve gathered a lot of information from that Dark Mage.”
“Ah…”
Eve, being well aware of my hypnosis, would subtly explain her thoughts in front of Prince Rian.
***
The last Hero was barely able to defeat the Demon King alongside their companions.
After defeating the Demon King, they were overjoyed at the thought of returning with their teammates to live happily ever after.
But unfortunately, their companions had different ideas.
They were planning to ‘kill’ the Hero.
The reason was simple.
No Hero had ever perished along with the Demon King.
Thus, the Hero had become a beacon of hope not just for humans but also for beast kin, dwarves, and elves, making the Hero’s authority surpass that of leaders.
Because of this, the pinnacle of each race had come up with one singular method.
Ah! Let’s kill the Hero!
Let’s fill the party with those who will be loyal to us, not those who would become companions!
Thus, the Hero was betrayed and killed by their companions under the schemes of the high-ups.
As a result, in a world without a Hero, the imperial authority became overwhelmingly strong, and rumors spread that the Hero had perished with the Demon King.
And so, the Hero was remembered by everyone as the ‘Hero who perished with the Demon King.’
But what are we to do about this?
The Hero is still alive?
***
“Is that all?”
“N-No way!!”
…
Upon hearing my story, the two had completely different reactions.
Rian was bewildered, claiming it was nonsense, while Eve seemed calm but deep in thought.
“…Zech, you know your statement just now could be grounds for treason against the palace, right?”
“Yeah, well…”
Thinking about it, I guess that’s true.
Am I screwed?
If this is just my delusion and there’s another reason for it, then I’m just another jerk who insulted the royal family.
Suddenly, cold sweat starts to flowing.
“…What?”
“I don’t know what that means, but no.”
‘I’m in deep trouble.’
At this point, my only option is to trust my gut feeling.
“Who are you?”
“R-Rate! I’m really in big trouble! Just give me a proper answer—”
“Who are you to ask that?”
“Huh?”
The atmosphere has changed.
It’s not like a casual questioning of, “Who are you?” but more like a police interrogation? No, slightly different.
This feels like…
“Who are you to know so much…?”
It feels like she’s asking for the name of a benefactor.
“…I’m the writer saved by the Hero.”
“Writer… Ah, right.”
It seemed like everything clicked for her now, as she held my hands and began to cry.
“I felt it after reading your first work, ‘The Betrayed Hero Does Not Return.’ Ah, someone is writing my story.”
“Um…”
It’s just a typical hapless tale.
“The protagonist of Betrayer Hero, Luka, though our genders differ, I was betrayed by my own party members. During fierce combats against the Demon Race, my comrades turned their backs on me.”
“Ah, okay.”
“After defeating the Demon King, I thought everything was over and smiled brighter than ever. Then at that very moment, one of my party members hit me hard on the back of my head.”
“Do you not know who it was?”
“I was exhausted from the bloodbath against the Demon King, so I collapsed and lost consciousness, so I still don’t know.”
“Yikes.”
“Anyway, when I came to, I found myself submerged in water. They must have tried to drown me. But my body was the strongest among past Heroes, and eventually, I smashed the huge rocks tying me down and came out of the water.”
But it turned out, 100 years had already passed.
“Huh?”
“I didn’t die underwater, but simply lost consciousness for 100 years.”
“Uh….”
The strength of a Hero is absurd.
“So, I immediately went to the Imperial Palace, but nobody would believe that I was the Hero. Instead, they tried to toss me in prison for impersonating a Hero. That’s why I just… went into the forest to live alone. For 200 years.”
Rate’s eyes, which had been directed at me, sparkled.
“So!”
“And that was when all the pieces started to fall into place. Looking back, the emperor’s attitude and the suspicious movements of others, I felt so pathetic for not noticing the past. I was just as naive as Luka, which led to my downfall.”
Having regained my senses from the long forgetfulness, I hurried back to my hometown. I worried if the villagers had been harmed after I learned the truth.
But the village had long been destroyed. So, I ran to you, the one who knew the truth, to ask for help. Because you, the Hero, helped me recall what I had forgotten.
“Haha…”
What am I to do here?
It’s just a typical hapless tale I wrote.
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