Chapter 9 : Someone you shouldn’t touch

A small mountain situated behind Kalf Village.

In a cave discreetly located halfway up its slope, Erina could only silently take in the scene unfolding before her.

Or rather, she was incapable of any action, including speech.

After being ambushed at her home by men clad in black robes, her limbs were bound, her mouth gagged, and she was helplessly dragged to this place.

“Any signs of pursuit?”

“None, sir. We couldn’t fully clean up the traces we left behind, but… even if word gets out, they won’t pinpoint this location immediately.”

“That’s likely. The only ones lingering in this place are greenhorn adventurers doing odd jobs at best.”

Despite orchestrating a kidnapping in the heart of the village, the men in black remained unfazed.

The one presumed to be their leader issued casual orders to his gathered subordinates.

“We can’t drag this out for as long as that person stays here. I’ll handle the interrogation here, so you lot secure the perimeter. Soon, the ones remaining in the village will bring the negotiation target…”

“Understood, sir.”

With a salute, the subordinates promptly left the area.

Once they were gone, the leader, now alone, reached for the cloth binding Erina’s mouth.

Swish. The fabric was roughly removed.

Finally able to speak, Erina suppressed the urge to scream and glared at the leader with wary eyes.

“Who are you people, and what do you want…?”

“I have no obligation to answer.”

A gruff tone.

With an attitude utterly devoid of cordiality, the leader coldly stated his intentions.

“We brought you here because there’s information we need, and you still have use. If you want to return unharmed, cooperate quietly. Understood?”

A warning that any foolish moves would cost her dearly.

Steadying her tense breathing, Erina voiced the suspicion she’d been harboring.

“You’re with the Imperial Army, aren’t you?”

A slight tremor in his body.

That alone confirmed her guess, and Erina drove the point home.

“The discipline of following orders mirrors the Imperial Army’s structure. And judging by the precision with which you abducted me, you’re likely an elite unit directly under a high-ranking authority.”

“…How did you figure that out?”

“I’m a former Imperial soldier myself. Erina Findleton, Captain of the 12th Medical Corps. I’ve retired now, but during the war a few years ago, I was on the front lines saving lives.”

Among those she saved were elite units like theirs, operating in small, specialized groups. Recognizing similar patterns in their behavior made it easy to deduce their identity.

But having their identity exposed was unwelcome to them.

The leader narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with suspicion as he questioned Erina.

“Who sent you to this village?”

“No one sent me. I settled here with my husband after retiring.”

“If that’s true, then you didn’t come here with any special intent.”

“…Tell me why you’re doing this.”

“As I said, I don’t answer questions…”

“If you don’t give me something, how can I provide the accurate answers you want? You brought me here because you need something from me, didn’t you?”

“…”

The leader silently stared at Erina, who glared back with defiance.

After a moment, he sighed and muttered his impression of her demeanor.

“I thought medical corps were for soft types, but for one of them, you’re quite resolute.”

Was her claim of serving on the front lines not an exaggeration?

Acknowledging that much, the leader slightly adjusted his tone, attempting to meet Erina at eye level.

“Fine, I’ll explain why we, loyal to the Empire, kidnapped you…”

His voice trailed off, and a brief silence filled the space.

As if weighing where to begin and how much to reveal…

“Are you aware of the Hero?”

At the end of that silence, his short question prompted Erina to respond with puzzlement.

“The Hero…? That’s a fairy tale figure.”

“Not fiction, but a historical figure who existed. And in the era we live in, a ray of light descended from that historical figure.”

Ray of light.

At those words, Erina recalled the story her husband had shared.

A light fell from the sky, and near it, he found their daughter…

“That light crashed near this village. Naturally, those who serve humanity are desperate to find its traces. But, coincidentally, when we arrived based on reports, nothing remained. So, we inquired in the village—who first discovered that pit, what kind of life that person led here, and who was around them…”

Gulp. Erina swallowed, her tension rising.

Noticing her reaction, the leader spoke of the decisive testimony that led to their actions.

“And when we asked the village chief, we got our answer. About a month ago, that man found a child and took her in as his own.”

They’re after Rona.

Realizing this instantly, Erina feigned ignorance and retorted.

“And what about it?”

“Don’t play dumb. If you’ve kept that child close, you must’ve noticed something extraordinary about her.”

“That child has nothing to do with—”

“If you’re clueless, let me make it clear. The child your husband found is none other than the reincarnation of the Hero, the sole savior destined to confront the Demon King who will threaten humanity.”

The reincarnation of the Hero.

The man before her was labeling her daughter with those words.

The child she’d treated as her own for the past month, and vowed to continue doing so… He was convinced she was an exceptionally significant being, destined to draw attention.

“…So what?”

She, a mere human, could hardly fathom the weight of such a destiny.

Yet, Erina could grasp one thing.

If she couldn’t bear that truth, how could the young girl she’d taken in possibly endure it?

“If that child is the Hero… if she was born with the destiny of a Hero, what does your master plan to do with her?”

And what about them?

Could they truly treat such an extraordinary child as just a young girl her age?

“She’ll be made to pursue her destiny as a Hero. If she needs strength, we’ll cultivate it. If people seek salvation, she’ll deliver it. And we’ll instill a sense of duty to face greater dangers than anyone else.”

“She’s still a child! A toddler who can’t even speak properly! And you plan to thrust her into dangers even adults can’t handle?”

–Shing.

Responding to her heartfelt plea with a drawn blade, the leader pressed its edge against her throat.

As Erina’s words choked under the threat, he continued in a cold voice.

“Don’t judge her by human standards. You, who’ve watched her closely, should know better than anyone how exceptional she is.”

Yes, that child is exceptional.

At an age where she can’t yet speak clearly, she wielded Aura, a skill even seasoned swordsmen struggle to master.

She could preserve herself unharmed against a bear’s strike, and because her former soldier husband noticed this, he sought to train her himself.

Knowing this implicitly, Erina had always prepared for the day that child would leave her side.

Even if she wasn’t ready, that time would come. So, she’d hoped for at least enough grace to accept it.

“So, cooperate quietly. Hand over that child, and act as if nothing happened…”

But not like this.

Her parting with that child shouldn’t be like this.

–THWACK!!

Driven by that conviction, Erina’s head slammed into the leader, striking his nose.

Wincing in pain, he glared at her with fury.

“Ugh, you insane woman…!”

“I’d never cooperate with you!”

Erina shouted.

Even as the blade grazed her throat, drawing blood.

Even though a slight misstep could have slit her throat, she wailed at him.

She had to.

Because the love she held for that child was truer than the potential they saw in her.

“That child is my daughter! I vowed to raise her until she’s an adult! With that resolve, how could I, as a parent, stand by and let a mere toddler be dragged into danger?!”

“You’re not listening. Right now, forces following evil are secretly threatening humanity across this continent. In such times, would you treat a being born with the destiny of a savior as just a child?”

“Is the humanity you know so weak that it needs a three-year-old to save it? If that’s true, it was a doomed world from the start!”

“Sophistry…!”

“Do you even truly care about humanity?”

Cutting off his heated retort, Erina glared at him.

This wasn’t mere stubbornness born of her love.

If that child was truly born with the destiny of a Hero, decisions about her must not prioritize personal feelings.

“Right now, the first heir of the Empire, Crown Prince William, is staying in this village. If you truly cared about humanity, you’d have first sought his authority to make a formal request to us.”

Yes, her words were grounded in reason.

With the person closest to the greater good residing in the village, kidnapping someone tied to that child is unthinkable by common sense.

“Yet you’re doing this secretly, which means you serve a different power, not the Crown Prince. You want to secure that child for political reasons, to strengthen your position… That’s why you’re trying to take her, isn’t it? Am I wrong?!”

For political reasons, not the greater good.

To hand over her daughter to satisfy personal ambition for power—how could that be just?

“…So what? Justice stems from power in the first place.”

Feeling rage at her words, the leader gritted his teeth and countered fiercely.

“William Fernandes. That man is not fit to lead humanity! The true heir should be that person, not some fool coasting on his title as first heir!!”

Humanity needs a central leader, and the leader believed the one he served was worthy.

Thus, bringing the Hero to that person would solidify their political position and seize power.

That, he fervently believed, was the best for humanity, with a faith bordering on devotion.

“So, give up that child quietly. She’s not even your blood, and you were destined to part ways eventually, so stop clinging to her!”

His emotion-fueled words pierced Erina’s heart like a dagger.

Overwhelmed by the sting, she poured out her deepest feelings.

“Even if I’m not her birth mother, that child calls me Mommy.

That alone made me her mother.

That alone let me dream of a future as her family.

Even if we’ve only been together a short time, I believed we could stay together moving forward. How could I easily give up a child who became my salvation?”

“If that’s your choice…”

Realizing her resolve couldn’t be broken easily, the leader tightened his grip on the blade, preparing to slash her shoulder.

“We’ll start by cutting off one arm. As long as you’re alive, you’ll still have value as a hostage.”

All for humanity.

As he reached for her with that intent, a frantic voice echoed from the cave’s entrance.

“Captain! There’s an intruder outside!”

Intruder? They’d erased all traces leading here—how could they be tracked so soon?

Irritated, the leader momentarily lowered his blade and urged his subordinate to report.

“The only pursuers from this village would be novice adventurers. How many are there?”

At best, ragtag groups who hunt weak monsters in a frontier village.

No matter how many came, they couldn’t defeat the Empire’s elite.

Confident in this, he was met with an unexpected report.

“One.”

“…What?”

“One person took down our vanguard. They’re carving a path here right now…”

–CRASH!!

A subordinate was hurled before him from the cave’s entrance.

Realizing it was one of the guards stationed there, the leader shifted his gaze to the figure entering behind.

A man with wild black hair approached.

His body bore traces of rigorous training, yet he wore no armor, and the only weapon in his hand was a hunting machete, not a professional one.

Yes, just a man with that alone.

Yet, the leader sensed he was no ordinary foe.

“You people.”

His gaze.

In that moment, the gaze fixed on him carried the aura of a warrior who’d crossed countless battle lines.

“You’ve dared to touch someone you shouldn’t have.”

A chill ran down the leader’s spine at the threat in those words.

To the frozen leader and his subordinates, the man readjusted his grip on the blade and quietly declared.

“How you’ll pay for that sin, we’ll find out step by step from now on.”

He moved.

A man whose presence overwhelmed even the Empire’s elite, with a small girl on his back.

“Ajjyaaaaaa!!”

The little Hero roared.