by Okina Baba
Her physical stats had gone up a lot recently, too, so she actually had a bit of an edge on the status front.
Still, Klevea was abstaining from Mental Warfare to create a handicap. If she were using it, too, the odds would certainly tip further in her favor.
Even without it, she was likely to win anyway.
Sue’s stats could be a bit higher, but that was a slight advantage compared to Klevea’s huge lead in fundamental strength and experience.
Sue didn’t have a chance of turning things around.
Just as I expected, Sue wore herself out on offense, and Klevea’s counterattack defeated her.
Taking a hard thump to the stomach, Sue fell to the ground.
Immediately, Anna rushed over to her and cast recovery magic.
Brushing the dirt off her clothes, Sue stood up with frustration written all over her face. “I lost.”
“If you can fight like that at your age, Princess, you’ll surely surpass me soon enough. Truly, your talent is a wonder.”
“No need to flatter me.”
As I was about to walk over to my sullen sister, I heard the sound of clapping from right beside me.
“I don’t think that was flattery at all! You really did fight well.”
Everyone in the room, myself included, widened our eyes in surprise.
Not even Klevea and Anna, never mind Sue and myself, had noticed this newcomer.
Even when he was standing right next to me, I didn’t detect the slightest hint of his presence.
“Julius!”
“Hey. Did I surprise you?” Julius, the second prince and my elder brother by the same mother, chuckled as if he’d pulled off a prank.
“When did you arrive back home?”
“Just yesterday. I wanted to say hello sooner, but between seeing Father, our older brother, and everyone else, I never got the chance.”
My brother was several years older than me, and he was already working on various things abroad.
So it was rare for him to come back to the kingdom like this.
“Sue, I take my eyes off you for a second and you get even more talented, every time. Your speed of improvement never fails to amaze me.”
Even though Julius spoke kindly to Sue, she only scowled in response. For some reason, she didn’t seem to like Julius very much.
Personally, I liked him a lot, since he was much friendlier than my two other elder brothers.
More than anything, I respected him.
So to be honest, the friction between the older brother I admired and the younger sister I adored kind of bothered me.
“Come on, Sue. Should you really be acting like that toward your own brother?”
“Ha-ha, it’s all right. Sue’s at a difficult age right now,” Julius said sympathetically.
If you counted my previous life, I was theoretically older than him, but Julius still seemed to outclass me in mental age.
“How about you, Shun? Want to practice together like we used to?”
“Could we?! Yes, please!”
Getting to train with my brother Julius? I couldn’t have asked for more.
“All right, I’m gonna borrow this, then.”
“O-of course.”
My brother took the practice sword from Klevea, who shrank away. She was never this nervous around anyone.
I guess it made sense with someone like Julius, though.
“Okay. Ready when you are. Come at me from wherever you like.”
“Right!”
I immediately activated both Magic and Mental Warfare.
There was no sense holding back against my brother Julius.
I focused on using all the power I had.
Then I shot forward, tracing a diagonal strike from below.
My brother effortlessly blocked me.
Though I’d come at him with all my strength, he easily stopped the blow with his sword held in just one hand.
But that was what I’d expected.
He’d never fail to fend off an attack like that.
Immediately, I drew the sword back for my next attack.
Again, he stopped me without a problem.
It was fun.
Even trying with all my might, I couldn’t touch him.
No matter how quickly or powerfully I swung my sword, no matter what complicated techniques I tried, I couldn’t get to him at all.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine how I might get past his defenses.
But that was why I felt lucky that someone so skilled was willing to spar with me.
It was incredibly fun.
However, no matter how much I wished to keep going like this forever, the end would come.
My Magic and Mental Warfare expired.
Breathing heavily, I dropped to one knee.
“Very nice. Your swordsmanship is very straightforward and strong. It’s like there’s no limit to how far your talents might go.”
“Thank…you…very…much…”
I panted out my thanks. Despite how worn-out I was, my brother’s breathing was perfectly even.
He really was amazing.
It made sense, since he was a hero.
The strongest human in the world.
Could I measure up to him someday?
If I had one dream in this world, it would be to become his equal.
I couldn’t even come close right now, but someday, surely I’d at least be able to have Julius’s back in battle.
That was my main goal.
THE HERO AND THE KING
“Here, for you. This is liquor local to the Boudier region.”
“Oh, excellent. I’ve never had this before. I’m excited to taste it.”
The room was clean, but full of documents and papers.
That was where I gave my father the liquor I’d bought him as a gift.
My father was a big drinker. So big that it had become an open secret that he liked to drink on the sly when he was working alone.
So, whenever I came back to the kingdom, I always brought some rare alcohol as a souvenir.
As the king, my father couldn’t simply leave his domain whenever he pleased, so this was always greatly appreciated.
By now, it was our custom to have a drink together whenever I brought it.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t be working, Father?”
“Oh, it’s not a problem. Even if it were, I could just cut down on sleep to make up for it. Spending time with my son when he comes home is far more important than work.”
The only response I could muster was a wry smile.
The work of a king could hardly be so easily dismissed, after all.
“Besides, Cylis has gotten quite good at his work. Even if something were to happen to me, the kingdom would be in good hands.”
“Father, I’ll be the first to admit that my elder brother is very talented, but the kingdom still needs you. Please don’t say such ominous things.”
“Sorry, sorry,” my father apologized lightly, and I sighed.
Father produced two hidden glasses from a shelf and poured liquor into each of them.
“Hmm. What a unique aroma.”
“Agreed. In fact, I purchased it because I took such a liking to the scent. I’m sure it will taste just as pleasant.”
A mellow fragrance filled the room.
After clinking our glasses together, my father and I quietly sipped from our glasses.
“Mm-hmm. What a pleasant mouthfeel. Why, I could drink this all day.”
“I was told it’s popular among women there, too. They say it becomes even more flavorful if you drink it with fruit. Which is why I brought these, too.”
I presented the fruits I’d brought with me. My father took a bite of one, then another sip of his drink.
“It’s very good. Normally I prefer strong drinks, but this sort of thing is nice from time to time, too.”
“I agree.”
He seemed to enjoy my latest offering, much to my relief.
I had been a little worried about whether my father would like this drink, since he usually preferred hard liquor.
But I hadn’t needed to worry.
The two of us continued drinking in relative silence for a while.
Then, I remembered the afternoon’s events, and my lips formed a small smile.
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s just that I saw Sue and Shun earlier today. I suddenly started thinking about it again, that’s all.”
My two younger siblings showed so much promise that it even surprised a hero like me.
When I practiced with Shun, pretending to be totally unfazed was actually very difficult.
I shouldn’t have tried to show off by fighting him one-handed.
Next time we sparred, I’d have to fight normally with both hands.
“I see. What do you think of them, Julius?”
“I’d say they’re incredibly talented. Especially Shun. If he had been born a little sooner, it might have been Shun who received the title of Hero instead of me.”
It was an honest opinion.
In fact, in terms of pure talent, I felt that Shun and Sue far outpaced me.
Really, the only reason I outstripped them was that I had the stat-enhancing effects of the Hero title.
I probably wouldn’t lose to them without it just yet, but they would best me soon enough.
They had the talent for it.
They might still catch me and surpass me yet, Hero title and all.
Hopefully not, though, since that would annihilate my pride as an older brother.
Shun, especially, seemed to look up to me, so if he became disillusioned with me, he might not recover from the shock.
This is a serious situation. I should probably train a bit more so that my younger brother and sister don’t beat me. Yeah, let’s do that.
“What are you muttering to yourself and nodding about?”
“Oh, I was just thinking that it’s hard to preserve my dignity as an older brother.”
Come to think of it, Shun seemed to have a certain level of pride as Sue’s older brother, too.
He was certainly succeeding there. She was distinctly attached to Shun, to the point where her jealousy included me.
She’d probably grow out of that soon enough, but for the time being, it was amusing how she seemed to see me as a threat to her relationship with her beloved brother.
“I didn’t do right by those two.”
Regret shadowed my father’s face.
The two of them were born just after the previous Hero had met his demise. That was when I inherited the Hero title, too.
The sudden death of the missing Hero, whose whereabouts and actions were unknown at the time, was a mystery.
I became the new Hero, and the forces of evil rapidly increased their activity.
With so much happening, my father had no time to spare for his two young children. He cared deeply for his family, but above all, he was the king. He had no choice but to put his kingdom first.
My father was very concerned about this.
“You had no choice. There was so much going on back then, you didn’t have time to do anything differently.”
“But they still won’t embrace me. I suspect that’s their response, a very clear one…”
“It’s all right. I’m sure they’ll understand your position in time.”
“I certainly hope so.”
My father stirred his drink morosely.
“If I may speak honestly, there are times when I resent my position as king. I don’t just mean with those two children, either. Julius, I feel I should have done more for you, too. I never wanted you to have to bear the burden of being the Hero. But as king, I have no choice but to send you forth to do a Hero’s duty. It may be the right choice as a king, but it makes me a failure as a father.”
After admitting his pent-up feelings, my father breathed a truly heavy sigh.
“Father. I am proud to be a Hero. So please, don’t say such things. From my point of view, if the title of Hero were taken from me, I would be nothing.”
“That’s not true at all.”
“That’s how I feel. I’m not educated in political matters like my older brother, confident in myself like Leston, or able to form a connection to another kingdom through marriage like my older sister. The only thing I can do is wield my sword on behalf of our people, and all people, as a Hero. So don’t worry about me, Father. I am only doing everything I can for my own sake as well as others’.”
“Are you sure you don’t mean ‘willing to do whatever you want’ Leston?”
“That’s certainly not wrong.”
My father and I shared a smile.
From my point of view, you’re more than enough of a great father.
So I’ll keep working hard as a Hero so that I can be of some help to you.
STILL CLEARING THE LOWER STRATUM
After continuing along a single passage in the dangerous Lower Stratum for some time, I finally, finally arrived!
A fork in the road! Wait, is this a road?
Hmm.
In front of my eyes is a gargantuan chamber.
I’m not sure if you’d say that the road forks here so much as it spreads out, or maybe just kinda disappears.
How big is the space, you ask? So big that even with my eyes, which should be able to see in total darkness, I can’t make out the other side.
Okay. What do I do now?
The single path I’ve followed so far has been no problem, but I’m not so psyched about this huge, empty area. It sort of feels like going into a desert without a trail to follow, I guess.
Not knowing which direction to head in is intimidating.
Like, I have a strong suspicion that if I just start walking in a place with no visible landmarks, I’ll somehow get all turned around and end up right back where I started, you know?
I guess that scenario is less likely with my spider body and all, but I still have no idea which way to go.
As far as landmarks, all I really have are the pillars of rock scattered here and there. But since they all pretty much look the same, they aren’t really distinctive enough to work as markers.
There are snail-bugs everywhere, so at least I won’t starve in a worst-case scenario, but it still seems like I could easily get lost without noticing.
Oh well. My best course of action is probably to stick with the basics of dungeon exploring and proceed along the wall.
I continue keeping to the right, just as I had before.
This place is seriously enormous, though. It’s super-wide. And also super-tall.
The ceiling, which is supported by the rock pillars, seems to be about three hundred feet up.
I can barely see it even if I crane my nonexistent neck.
Thanks to that, despite being inside a dungeon, this area doesn’t feel cramped at all.
If anything, despite the place being full of nothing but rocks, there is a certain sense of the majesty of nature.
Here, it really sinks in just how tiny and insignificant my existence is.
Back in my old life, I saw a TV show about unexplored regions and stuff. To be honest, that kind of thing never inspired me. In the end, all that beautiful scenery on the TV screen just seemed like some far-off, irrelevant world to me.
Far from inspiration, all I felt about it was apathy.
I don’t even know why I was watching that show in the first place.
But now, I’m actually standing here. This is the world I live in.
It’s not irrelevant at all. And I certainly can’t be apathetic about it.
Back when I was a human, I don’t think just being somewhere had ever moved me emotionally, no matter where it was.
And I never would’ve experienced this feeling if I just stayed holed up in the nest I called home before, I think.
In that sense, I guess I have to thank those pyromaniac humans who forced me into the outside world.
Man, just remembering it still makes me mad.
Yeah, no. Like I’m gonna thank those jerks! If I ever lay eyes on them again, I’ll wrap ’em up like a bunch of mummies, drag them around the dungeon, then bite ’em to death with my poison!
Whew. That brought back bad memories.
I take another look around at the majesty of the dungeon to soothe my injured soul.
A giant monster stumbles onto the scene.
For some reason, its overall appearance suggests it’s lazy, somewhat slow, but its mouth sure ruins that image.
It has a huge snout like a crocodile’s, packed with scores of jagged teeth.
That mouth, juxtaposed with its monkey-like body, makes for an unbalanced, positively hideous form.
That doesn’t soothe my soul at all!
Right, right. This is a dungeon, after all. It isn’t just “nature.” It’s also super-dangerous. Got it, me? Okay, roger that, me.
And so I stifle all signs of my presence as I make a hasty getaway.
Okay, I managed to escape without being spotted.
And then, well, something occurs to me that I don’t really want to think about.
This big, huge area can’t be the Bottom Stratum, can it?
I mean, I don’t know what exactly indicates a change in stratum or whatever, but I suspect a lengthy road that ends up in a much wider area might qualify.
The road has been straight, and I don’t exactly feel like I’ve been descending, but what if it was just such a gradual slope that I didn’t notice?
That’s possible, don’t you think?
No, no, no. It can’t be, right?
I just happened to arrive in an open area.
Yeah. Or maybe I even made it to the Middle Stratum! Ooh, that would be nice.
Let’s go with that. This is definitely the Middle Stratum.
Wow, so I guess I finally escaped from that dangerous Lower Stratum!
This kinda thing wouldn’t be in the Middle Stratum, would it?
Time to become the Invisible Man. Oh, I mean, the Invisible Spider.
Anyway, I have to hide my presence. Then I can just slip out of here, easy peasy.