The Great Hero is a Schoolteacher

The man smiled at me. With his heart-shaped tan face, his olive-green eyes, his wavy silver hair and the gold jewel on his forehead, there was no mistaking him for anyone else. He was the man who’d laughed at Chess and I, back in Merumo. The man I had to cling to when I slipped while running in the street.

How could he be staying in this inn, in Sanajec, two days later? I narrowed my eyes.

“Are you following us?”

He laughed softly. “If only.”

“Who is he?” asked Catalin.

Chess sighed. “We walked past him in Merumo. As far as I know, we’d never met him before.”

The man nodded.

“No, we hadn’t. And I didn’t expect to meet you here, either. But if I were to notice a pattern, it would be you running away from soldiers. What did you do for them to come after you?”

He was directly talking to me, as if my friends didn’t matter. As if everything depended on me. But didn’t it? I’d caused the situation by rebelling. I looked the man right in the eye and answered in a low voice.

“I refuse to kill someone King Esthar wants dead.”

“Oh, insubordination… And desertion, I presume. No king likes such an affront to his authority.”

There was noise in the corridor. People banging on the door of the room we’d left. Angry voices when the soldiers found out we were gone.

The man pointed to the far end of his own room, where the bathing area was separated, not just by a fabric screen like in ours, but by a wooden partition. “They’ll probably search the rest of the rooms. Hide over there and let me handle the situation.”

“But if they search the rooms, they’ll find us in here!” protested Chess.

“You clearly underestimate the power of wealth. Stay hidden and trust me.”

Behind the partition, we found a wooden tub, still filled with warm water that had obviously been used a short while before. If we’d had dinner just a little earlier, he’d still be in that tub when the soldiers came for us, and we’d be either captured or fighting the soldiers. But why is he alone? He admitted it himself, he’s rich. A man like him should travel with a valet, a butler or a servant of sorts. Something’s off.

We crouched behind the tub. I wanted to ask my friends what they thought of the stranger, but there were soldiers in the corridor, who might be listening. I stayed still, breathing as slowly and silently as I could. I only reached for Catalin’s hand and held it tight.

Someone banged on the door. Our host waited for two seconds before talking in an annoyed voice. “What is it?”

“Sorry to bother you, sir, but we’re looking for fugitives hiding in this inn.”

We heard the door open. I wished I could see everyone’s attitudes, but all I had was the sound of voices, and my friends’ worried faces next to me.

“Fugitives? Really?” The man sounded exasperated, like a stereotypical nobleman disturbed in his activities.

“Yes, sir, I mean, my lord. They’re a threat to the safety of the kingdom and they should be urgently brought before the king.”

“A threat to the safety of the kingdom? How dangerous are they?” The man sounded genuinely worried.

“We don’t know, but if the king wants them captured, it must be serious. Did you see them, my lord?”

“Of course not! I was right here in this room, going about my business. I saw nothing, I heard nothing, and if you did your job correctly, I’d still be at this desk in peace and quiet.”

There was a faint echo of magic in his voice. These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

“I understand, my lord. I apologize. Good night to you.”

The door closed. The man hadn’t even bothered answering the soldier’s last sentence.

He’s good at playing Scornful Rich Man on the loose. I bet he’s deeply amused by what he sees as a funny little adventure.

The soldiers banged on other doors, talked loud in the corridor, and after a few minutes, they apparently decided we’d left the inn through our bedroom’s window. They walked out, leaving only apparent calm.

“He’s not human!” whispered Catalin.

I froze. “How do you know? He doesn’t look like a Tibun or a Zimeon or an elf…”

“What is an elf?”

Okay, they don’t have them here. No golems, no elves. This rules out at least part of the Dungeons and Dragons bestiary.

“People in legends from my world,” I replied. “They’re long-lived, close to nature, with pointy ears, but on the sides of their heads, not like Tibuns.”

“Who has pointy ears?” asked the silver-haired man, standing near the wooden partition.

I sprang up, letting go of Catalin’s hand. “Not you. Tibuns. I was talking about Tibuns.”

He crossed his arms, leaning on the partition with an amused smile. “My, my. You’re so funny. Why should anyone believe you’re threatening this kingdom? King Esthar should be more worried by the risk of a political uprising, with the elusive Vilo Jozin and his band of… I don’t even know what to call them.”

Chess stood up before me. “With all due respect, sir, the safety of the kingdom is exactly why we can’t tell you what we’re up to. Thank you for hiding us. We won’t be bothering you much longer. We’ll go out the window…”

“And get arrested by other soldiers waiting for this kind of mistake.” The man pointed to the large bed. “Why don’t you rest a little? You look exhausted. I promise you’ll be safe.”

I walked straight to him, past Chess who gave me a terrified side look. “Why should we trust you? We don’t know who you are.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know you either. I’m still offering you to rest, and you’re the dangerous fugitives, not me!”

Except he can call for help whenever he wants, if he even needs it. I bet he’s stronger than he looks. For all I know, he may be able to defeat the three of us with one hand behind his back, and if Catalin says he’s not human, I believe her.

I pursed my lips. “Sorry, sir, but we have an important mission and we can’t compromise it. We need to go.”

“I said you need some rest!”

His words echoed in my skull, imprinting the ghost of a glowing image beneath my eyelids. Magic! It’s a spell… I felt terribly sleepy, all of a sudden. My eyes closed on the symbol, and I used the last of my consciousness to read it. All it takes is a little tweaking here and a little erasing there, go, brain, release me of this spell…

Sleep swallowed me, but only for a minute or two.

I awoke. I was lying across the bed with my friends, and the man was drawing a chair next to the desk. He stopped when he saw me open my eyes, but there was no urgency in his attitude, only an amused smile.

“Oh. I didn’t expect that. You’re getting more and more interesting, you know.”

And you’re getting scarier and more annoying!

I raised myself up on my elbows. “Why did you do this?”

“I told you! You’re exhausted and you need some sleep. It was wrong of you to resist my spell. You’ll be tired tomorrow, and you have a mission, haven’t you?”

He’s been playing with me all along. I bet he purposefully put himself in my way, when I was running from these soldiers in Merumo. Maybe he even made me slip, somehow.

“Who are you?”

He stretched like a cat. “Only a traveler who wants to see this part of the world with his own eyes. I should ask you who you are, too, but you’re Al, aren’t you? The hero Esthar summoned to bring peace and prosperity to Brealia?”

He knows too much. I’m afraid I’m beginning to put two and two together, and I’m already hating the result.

I clenched my teeth.

Can I awake Catalin or Chess without him noticing? I can’t see the magic on them. It must be inside their heads where I can’t reach it.

“You won’t answer,” he commented with a smile. “I could torture your name out of you, but it’d be a waste. We both know I’m right.”

He made a step towards the bed, but I jumped back to maintain the distance. “And I think I know who you are, too. You’re Faur, the Demon Lord.”

He bowed with a flourish. “My name’s Faur indeed. I wouldn’t call myself a demon, but Brealians seem to like that designation, so it’ll do.”

I’d wanted to be wrong. I’d wanted all this to be one giant coincidence. Unfortunately, the man in front of me, with his wavy silver hair and thirtysomething tan face, was indeed the one I was supposed to fight. Of course he’d been looking for me. Who wouldn’t want to meet their prophesized enemy face to face?

He could kill me with a snap of his fingers. If he did, he’d be rid of the prophecy, and a properly evil Demon Lord wouldn’t think twice about it. Yet he just stands here with a smug smile on his face. What’s wrong with him?

“What are you doing in this kingdom?” I asked.

“As I told you, traveling. Some idiot requested an alliance in the hope of conquering Brealia and making it a vassal state of my empire, so I left a decoy on my throne and went on a little trip.”

An idiot? Who? Saegorg?

Faur’s smile widened. “You look like you know who I’m talking about. Are you heading to Inabar, by any chance?”

Poker face, Alicia! Poker face!

I crossed my arms. “I’m not telling you anything.”

“Why not? It’s clear you’re not acting on behalf of King Esthar, and to be honest…”

He sat on the edge of the bed. He was so close to Catalin he could almost touch her. I felt my blood boil at the thought that he might hurt her, or even kill her, before I could react.

Don’t you dare, Faur. I still have an angel on my side.

But Faur didn’t even look at my companions.

“Saegorg is an imbecile and his views on Brealia leave me cold, so I won’t be interfering in the conflict in any way. Sanajec is the last stop on my little tour. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading back to Elkodunar, on the other side of the mountains, and forget I ever received a request. However, if someone was to give Lord Saegorg a lesson in humility, I could accidentally give that person a lift to Malo. What do you think?”

What kind of offer is that? He really is the devil.

“What would it cost me? I may have been summoned recently, but I wasn’t born yesterday. There’s always a price.”

Faur laughed. “Lady Al, really… In a bargain, I expect to win something. It doesn’t mean you have to be the one who pays.”

“Then what do you get from such an arrangement?”

“A good laugh.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Do I look like a clown to you? I’m trying to save lives here!”

He raised a hand.

“I’m not even asking about your plan. I’ll learn about it once it’s done. That’s what spies are for. That’s how I knew the Great Hero Al from the prophecy wasn’t the dashing young man we all expected, but a sassy woman whose behavior upset King Esthar from day one.”

In other words, I’m no threat to him. He has everything in control and he won’t harm me, because I’m more fun to him alive.

I breathed in and out, deeply, trying very hard to remain calm.

“You’re enjoying this situation, aren’t you?”

“Of course! A man summons a hero to defeat me, and that hero turns out to be… you.”

Faur was literally gleaming at that stage, and it felt quite humiliating.

Would Alberto do a better job at being a hero? He’s stronger than me, but he’s only human. He’d probably be as powerless as me in this situation.

“You don’t really know what I’m capable of,” I tried to bluff.

Faur’s smile only widened.

“I can’t wait to discover it! Here’s the deal: I take you to Malo, and whatever you do, make sure my spies bring back a hilarious report about how Saegorg chokes on his own ambitions.”

“But I can’t let you help me! We’re sworn enemies. No matter what we think of each other, I was brought to this world for a reason. The Great Hero Al is supposed to defeat the Demon Lord!”

“That old prophecy?” He sneered. “It may refer to another Demon Lord, or just never be fulfilled. As I told you, I’m no threat to the Brealian kingdom, and I don’t believe you’ll ever defeat me, my dear.”

He’s not telling me everything. What does he really want from me? Perhaps giving me the boost I need to reach Kossi in time is a way for him to make sure I won’t attack him later, because revealing our agreement would undermine my value as Great Hero.

Oh, who am I fooling? I lost my value the moment I walked out of the palace and decided to go on my own quest. Esthar only wants to wave me in the public’s face and let me die. Now, all that matters is freeing Kossi from Saegorg’s influence, and making sure that fool doesn’t burn down Brealia and marry Princess Nigella.

“This is not all you want from me,” I sighed.

“Isn’t it?”

“I’m not a complete fool. I also know my priorities, so I’ll be giving you what you want. As long as you keep your word and don’t threaten the Brealian kingdom, I won’t be going after you. Bring us closer to Malo Castle and I won’t consider you as an enemy, for now.”

I held out a hand.

“Do we have a deal, Demon Lord Faur?”

He gave a surprised look at my extended arm. “What’s this?”

I rolled my eyes. “Does nobody in this world know about handshakes?”