Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 121

Kitton is a city located near the Demonic Boundary.

War and the presence of demonic creatures naturally drew mercenaries to the area.

It was a commercial city, with a well-developed service industry catering to the needs of these mercenaries.

Looking around the streets, one could see groups of heavily armed people gathered in every direction.

The solicitors [people paid to find customers] were enthusiastically running around, eager to recruit even one more mercenary.

In the dark, damp corners where eyes didn’t easily reach, beggars wrapped in tattered cloths were a common sight.

“Something feels… unsettling.”

The first thing Choi Hyun-seok felt upon entering the city was a strange sense of unease.

“If you come to our Fairy Spring, the service this time is…”

“Move it.”

A group of mercenaries roughly shoved past the soliciting man.

“Please, spare a coin…”

“Our child hasn’t eaten for three days. Please help us.”

When the beggars approached, the mercenaries scowled.

“Seriously, why are there so many beggars in this town?”

“They’re the dregs of society.”

“Please, just one coin…”

“Get your filthy hands off me!?”

The mercenary kicked the beggar who had reached out to him.

The man, struck in the chest, coughed and writhed in pain.

For a moment, the surrounding attention was focused on him, but soon, people averted their gazes and went back to their own business.

As if it were a perfectly normal occurrence.

Some people even clicked their tongues in disapproval at the beggar.

“When are they going to clean up the beggars in this town?” “I don’t know what the authorities are doing. Why don’t they take care of those wastes?”

Choi Hyun-seok blankly watched the scene.

Honestly, it was a bit shocking.

He never imagined that the human world, after leaving the Demon King’s army, would be like this.

He hadn’t dreamed of a paradise, but he at least hadn’t expected such a stark and brutal reality to be waiting for him.

“We have arrived.”

Frisch’s voice broke through his thoughts.

Only then did Choi Hyun-seok realize that the carriage had stopped.

Getting out of the carriage, he saw Frisch handing the reins to someone who appeared to be an employee of the inn.

“Arrived… have we?”

“Yes. Please come inside.”

He almost spoke politely out of habit.

Since Frisch was currently acting as a coachman, he shouldn’t show him excessive deference.

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson followed Frisch into the building.

“Oh my… how could such noble people grace our humble establishment with their presence…”

The innkeeper, assuming Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson were nobles, bowed repeatedly.

“We plan to stay for a day, so give us your best room.”

“Our Warrior’s Rest is the finest lodging in Kitton. You won’t be disappointed!”

After Frisch paid the price, the group followed the employee to their room.

“Then, please rest comfortably.”

The employee, having finished showing them the way, turned to leave.

Only then did Choi Hyun-seok let out a sigh of relief.

“This is not easy.”

Even though he hadn’t done anything particularly strenuous, playing the part of someone else caused considerable mental fatigue.

“You’ll have to get used to it. In the current situation, there’s no role as safe or comfortable as a noble and their bodyguard.”

Choi Hyun-seok nodded.

He had no choice but to trust Frisch’s judgment for now.

Having spent his entire time in this world within the Demon King’s army, he was largely ignorant of human society.

This was the same for Abelson, who had been a princess and was now being groomed as the next saintess [a holy woman in a position of religious authority].

Although not as unfamiliar as Choi Hyun-seok, she also didn’t know much about the lives of ordinary commoners.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Are humans normally like this? Or is it just this city that’s like this?”

“So, that’s your impression.”

Frisch chuckled.

He seemed to have anticipated Choi Hyun-seok’s question.

“I don’t know what you were expecting. Did you think a beautiful flower garden would be waiting for you in the human world?”

“…At least, I didn’t think it would be in this state.”

The first encounter with the lives of the people here left Choi Hyun-seok with the impression of an ashen world devoid of dreams or hope.

“The war has continued for over 500 years. The burden of that war falls entirely on the lower classes.”

“…”

“Do you know that countless humans are starving to death on the streets, while the leaders of this era are enjoying unprecedented prosperity?”

“How is that possible?”

“You’re human, yet you don’t seem to know much about human nature.”

Frisch looked at Choi Hyun-seok and asked, “Do you know why this war doesn’t end and continues?”

“I heard there was a secret agreement between the Demon King’s army and the Holy Empire’s Pope.”

Frisch shook his head.

“To be precise, it’s a secret agreement between the Demon King and the leaders of the human ‘Coalition’.”

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes widened.

This meant that not only was the Pope involved, but the entire human faction had agreed to perpetuate the war.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“What do they gain by doing that?”

He couldn’t understand.

What was the reason for intentionally maintaining the front lines and continuing the war?

What did the demons and humans gain by doing so?

Frisch’s answer was simple.

“The Demon King’s goal is survival.”

Again, Choi Hyun-seok wore a puzzled expression.

Sensing that the explanation would be lengthy, Frisch slumped into a chair and continued.

“In the early days of the war, humans united to stop the demons. The demons also fought desperately to seize new lands. The war at that time was truly fierce.”

“As time went on, the war situation became unfavorable to the demons. There was a difference in war sustainability. We were fugitives, and this land was the humans’ territory, so it was a natural result.”

“The Demon King, realizing that the demons would perish if things continued this way, accepted the humans’ proposal. They decided to intentionally prolong the war, while looking for opportunities.”

Choi Hyun-seok raised his hand while listening to the explanation.

“Did you just say that the Demon King accepted the proposal?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean that humans made this proposal first… Why?”

Frisch had clearly stated that humans were winning the war.

If they had continued the war as it was, the demons would have been defeated, and they would have achieved peace.

Why did humans make such a proposal?

“For the past hundreds of years, humans have been enjoying unprecedented peace while fighting the demons.”

“Yes?”

“Ah. To be precise, I should say the human upper class, the leadership.”

“…”

“You still look confused, but the saintess over there would understand. The meaning of what I said.”

Choi Hyun-seok’s gaze turned to Abelson.

Abelson sighed and muttered in a weak voice, “It’s not wrong. Since the demons appeared, wars between humans have disappeared.”

Frisch elaborated on Abelson’s words.

“The continent was originally plagued by constant small and large-scale wars. Especially right before the demons came, a massive war was about to break out between the Empire and the Anti-Empire Alliance.”

“But the appearance of an external enemy called demons has eliminated that danger.”

“Yes. The disappearance of internal wars among humans is a great benefit. But, the real reason for not ending the war with the demons is different.”

Frisch paused for a moment and then smiled.

Choi Hyun-seok thought that the smile Frisch was wearing looked somewhat pathetic.

“Those in high places have realized it: the war with the demons is too sweet.”

“War is sweet…”

“Is it strange? Think about it carefully.”

Frisch said, still smiling.

“No matter how much you raise taxes and squeeze the blood of the people, it doesn’t matter. As long as you have the justification of ‘To punish the demons!’, anything is allowed.”

“Resistance is impossible. Those who resist become minions of the evil demons, enemies of all mankind.”

“In the end, all resentment can only be directed at the demons who caused this situation.”

“Thanks to this, the leaders of this world are accumulating wealth along with unprecedented peace. In a state without any risk factors. It can be said to be the best golden age, literally.”

Having heard this far, Choi Hyun-seok roughly grasped how the situation was unfolding.

“You can do anything under the pretext of fighting demons… That’s terrifying.”

“To express the current situation bluntly, it’s no different from humans raising demons. Out of necessity.”

The war doesn’t end because a small number of nobles and royalty benefit from it.

It continues because humans are capable of doing anything for their own safety and wealth.

“You humans gave us the name demons, meaning ‘seeds of the devil’.”

“…”

“What do you think? In this situation, who is closer to being a devil?”

Choi Hyun-seok couldn’t answer.

Frisch didn’t seem to expect an answer either, and he got up from his seat.

“I’m now…”

Frisch, who was about to leave after finishing his work, suddenly stopped as if he had broken down.

‘Lord Hemis…?’

The connection with his master, Hemis, was severed.

That meant that Hemis had died.

Although she had given him a heads-up in advance, the reality he actually experienced brought much greater shock and emptiness.

“…”

Choi Hyun-seok looked at Frisch with strange eyes as he stood still for a long time.

“Is something wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Frisch turned and opened the door.

“My role ends here.”

Just before leaving the door, he looked at Choi Hyun-seok with mysterious eyes.

“I hope we can meet again alive.”

With those words, Frisch disappeared, as if he had never been there from the beginning.

***

“The connection is severed.”

Motem said in a low voice.

Raiderun, who was sitting with him, looked at him with puzzled eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Lord Hemis…”

No further words were needed.

Raiderun’s expression became even gloomier.

“I’ll have to give up the position of acting commander. In the first place, I wasn’t officially affiliated with the Demon King’s army.”

The reason Motem could become the acting commander was entirely because of Hemis.

It is true that Motem’s strength is greater than that of a regular division commander, but it is still not comparable to that of a legion commander.

Now that Hemis is dead, a formal legion commander will probably be newly appointed to the 3rd Legion.

“What are you planning to do from now on?”

Raiderun asked.

Motem tapped the table with his finger and pondered for a moment.

“…”

After a long silence, he finally opened his mouth.

“I must uphold Lord Hemis’s will.”

“Did Lord Hemis leave anything separately?”

“Yes.”

Hemis left letters not only to Raiderun.

Motem also received a final letter from her.

“I plan to be with you for a while. To do the work that Hemis entrusted to us, you and I have no choice but to join forces.”

Raiderun nodded, as he had already expected this.

Motem’s words continued.

“But, my ultimate goal is to become stronger.”

“To become stronger…”

“Yes. Enough to change the demons of this corrupt era.”

Motem’s words were filled with a clearer will than ever before.

***

The next day, Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson left their room and came out into the inn’s hall.

From now on, they had to venture out into the street and find a coachman.

Since neither of them knew how to handle horses, they had no choice but to pay for a coachman for future transportation.

“Alien-nim [Mr. Alien]. Is there enough money?”

Alien Crishi was the alias Abelson was using.

Choi Hyun-seok deliberately emphasized the name “Alien” as if to practice.

“There’s enough money.”

Abelson nodded and held out a fairly heavy pouch.

Opening it, it was full of glittering gold coins.

“Wow… how much is all this?”

It was the first time he had seen the currency here, but he could guess that this was a considerable amount.

“With one gold coin here, a commoner family can buy enough food to eat for a year.”

“A year!?”

“Yes. That’s what I heard, anyway.”

“Anyway, how many of those are there now? It looks like there are at least twenty.”

Greed flickered in Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes.

True to a hero from the Korean Peninsula, the capitalist instinct engraved in his bones was awakening.

“Shall we get our house first? There are no apartments here, so maybe a small house. Just resting for about a year and having a baby…”

*Slap!*

Rahel, who was listening from the side, slapped Choi Hyun-seok’s cheek using magic that was invisible to ordinary people. Anyone who didn’t know would have thought Choi Hyun-seok was a crazy person muttering to himself and shaking his head.

“Ah, thanks.”

Anyway, Choi Hyun-seok, who had come back to his senses, returned the gold coins to Abelson.

“By the way, do you know where to go to find a coachman?”

“Well. Shall we ask the innkeeper?”

Choi Hyun-seok nodded and turned to the side.

There, the innkeeper was blinking and looking at them.

“Ahem, ahem! Innkeeper!”

“Yes? Yes!”

“We need a coachman. Where can we find one? We have enough money.”

Choi Hyun-seok asked in an awkward tone.

Fortunately, the innkeeper didn’t find anything strange about their behavior and bowed deeply as he replied.

“If you leave the inn and continue up the street, you will come to a plaza. Coachmen looking for work often gather there, so you should be able to find one easily!”

“Ah, thank you.”

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson immediately left the inn and headed to the plaza.

Walking down the street, they realized that there were a lot of people.

“There are more people than I thought, let’s be careful not to get separated.”

“Yes.”

It was then that a boy and a girl running quickly collided with Abelson.

“Ouch!”

“Ack!”

The girl, who looked about 10 years old, fell to the ground, and the boy, who looked a little older, was startled and helped the girl up.

They were probably siblings.

Abelson smiled and looked at the young siblings.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes? Yes! I’m sorry!”

The siblings recognized that Abelson was a noble and bowed repeatedly, apologizing.

Abelson said, still smiling, “I’m fine, so be careful in the future.”

“Yes!”

The boy and girl ran off.

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson watched their receding figures for a while.

“They’re so bright.”

“Children are always the hope of the world.”

“I had times like that too.”

Abelson stared at Choi Hyun-seok intently.

“Ahem! Everyone is cute when they’re young.”

Choi Hyun-seok coughed unnecessarily and continued.

“By the way, Abelson, no. Alien-nim, are you okay? It looked like you bumped into them pretty hard.”

“I’m fine. I’m quite strong, you know.”

“Well, you blew up a hero’s helmet, so I don’t have to worry.”

“Helmet?”

“Ah, I mean head.”

“…”

Abelson, who had been blinking for a moment, turned around.

This time, she coughed and continued.

“Ahem, then shall we go? I’m fine, so…”

Suddenly, Abelson’s face turned pale.

“Alien-nim? Is something wrong?”

Choi Hyun-seok asked with a worried face.

Abelson looked up at Choi Hyun-seok with pupils trembling as if there had been an earthquake.

“The money.”

“Yes?”

“The money is gone…”

It was the moment she tasted the harsh reality of the cold human world for the first time.