219 - - heroism

After noon, Garudo's carriage returned and Thor and his friends returned to the border town of Dadan.

Thor and his friends returned to the border town of Dadaan because they had received word that Bettina and the others had been promoted to the true silver class without incident.

According to the letter received via Sacco, they had already made several expeditions to the Swamp of Monsters.

They had promised to cooperate with Bettina's party to conquer the swamp.

But now that they know about the existence of the witch, they need to discuss what they should do.

As for the border town of Bossalia, the problems in the tunnels of the dog demons and the lake of pools of blood have been solved, so the immediate crisis is over.

Now it is up to Sisan and Roloff and the others to do their job.

Beyond that, the valley of ever-darkness and the labyrinth of the fire-breathing mountain are still under investigation, and we do not even know if Thor and his team will be called upon yet.

The heroes, who had fulfilled their mission, left the town with a grand send-off from the many residents.

Sitting on the dais, Sora and Mu waved their hands until they were out of sight.

After spending half a day at their old home, Thor and his friends dropped off their luggage and immediately headed for the Adventurers' Bureau, where they were to meet.

As soon as they stepped into the lobby, they were greeted by voices they had not heard for a long time.

"You finally came?　Where have you been selling oil, my humble hero?"

I've got some business in the next town. Sorry to keep you waiting."

The young lady, who had spoken in her usual tone at Thor's reply, immediately switches to a serious face.

"Thank you very much for listening to my father's wishes.

"I'm going out of tune, so please keep it the same as usual."

"Yes, I understand. Okay, Mr. Hero of the Mud Hunt.

"Oh, my Lady Sola, my Lady Yuril. That necklace and crown look very nice on you.

"......, how are you?　Little one."

"...... you look even lovelier today."

Moe spun around on the spot when he was praised.

Sola, looking happy, spins around with him.

"I heard you've already been to the swamp."

"Yes, I've had a good tour of that ridiculous meeting and the muddy encampment."

"What's in the back?"

At this casual question, the red-haired beauty raised her eyebrows sharply.

"Of course I saw it. It's more serious than I thought.

"Yeah, it's a tricky problem."

"We're still stuck in that swamp for now, but considering the effects of the miasma, I don't know how long that will last."

"In the meantime, we have no choice but to seal the bottom of the prison."

"Yes, I spoke with the director and he has given me a special promotion and asked me to focus on the prisons.

There Bettina looked into Thor's eyes, her ringlets shaking.

Then, after a short pause, she says

But you are going to do something about it, aren't you?

Thor scratched his chin in silence, unable to answer immediately.

Bettina, perhaps sensing something in this situation, suddenly turned around and gave him a short order.

I'm going out for a while. Take care of the rest.

"Yes, ma'am. Mr. Mu, Ms. Sola, the liaison board is reasonably free today. Master Yuril, we've brought in some new tea leaves, would you like a cup?

Tapa and Tali casually follow the child and the girl who start cheering and moving.

Godin dexterously closed one eye as he guided Yuril to the table where the tea was already prepared.

"Well, please make yourselves at home and enjoy yourselves.

"Follow me."

Bettina whispered shortly and walked away.

Thor, who let out a small breath, followed the red-haired maiden.

Bettina leaves the Adventurers' Bureau and heads toward the outer wall, avoiding the hustle and bustle of the plaza.

As Thor followed her back, she turned her head and spoke to him in a soft voice.

"By the way, do you remember the first time we met?"

"That was in the lobby of the Adventurers Bureau, too. I heard you were looking for a hidden hero."

"Hmm, was it?"

"It was a travesty. You knew about me beforehand, didn't you?

What makes you say that?

"Yeah, I've never met you before, but somehow you knew my name. If you had called me a mud fisherman, I would have understood.

"Godan, you're so careless. I'll tell him later."

"That was intentional, too. If it had been just that exchange, I would have avoided the relationship.

Bettina did not answer this time, but only laughed coolly.

The maiden, who had been walking with light steps, suddenly stopped, turned around and asked again.

"Do you know?　Master Thor. There was a hidden hero in this city nine years ago."

It seems that this ordinary alley was her destination.

Looking around nostalgically, Bettina continues her story.

"The girl happened to be following her father to the outer city that day. But she got bored with all the talk about work and went off on her own for a walk in the name of adventure and, as bad luck would have it, ended up in an outbreak of hobgoblins. ....... I fled into this alley and realized for the first time in my life that there are some things in this world that can't be helped."

Fingers curled into fists, Bettina stood in the dimly lit alleyway and spun her words nonchalantly.

"Crying, screaming, begging for your life, it doesn't matter what you do. How easy it is to die. ....... I trembled without tears as the tongue-licking imp grabbed me by the hair and hung me in midair. I gave up and thought that everything was over. ......

Perhaps remembering those days, the redness in Bettina's eyes grew.

With eyes shining like red jade, the former girl looked straight at Thor.

"But then someone reached out to me. She literally held out her hand in front of the fangs of the hobgoblin that was about to bite my throat out.

After a short silence, Bettina opened her mouth.

"I don't remember much after that. I was carried to the almshouse by my benefactor, who was recorded as having wounded me in the back. The benefactor left without telling me his name. He never healed my mangled left hand. ....... That man is my own hidden hero. Don't you think this story is similar to someone else's?"

Thor made no reply, but tilted his head as if to urge me to continue.

Bettina, who had been watching for a reaction, lifted the edge of her lips slightly and changed the subject.

"Sola told me. I heard that you have been cultivating your skills all by yourself for twenty-five years in order to save that child.

"I owed him a debt I couldn't repay."

"Is that all?　Then how is it that you were able to save the city from the outbreak the other day?"

When Thor fell silent, the red-haired maiden repeated her words as if she were trying to get him to repeat them.

You are the kind of person who would not hesitate to offer yourself for the sake of someone else. ...... I too feel a strong yearning to give myself to be a hero. But you are different. You move before thinking about the process or the result. That is what makes you a true hero. I or anyone else cannot do it, but you can. That's why ......"

Bettina then looked once more toward the back of the alley.

With her back to Thor, she mutters a few words.

So don't get lost.

With his eyes closed, Thor slowly asked himself, "What is it that I want to do?

In his mind, the faces of various people he had met in this town crossed his mind.

Finally, he remembered the scene in the living room where the two cats were sitting in the sun together, and he nodded his head.

"Well, we can't just leave them there and go on, can we?"

Bettina, who had passed Thor, stopped him with a bouncy voice as he started walking at a fast pace.

Hey, where are we going?　Mr. Sober Hero."

"Let's start with what we can do. Let's start with a preliminary check."