Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 126

“Hero! We’re rich now! Rich!”
“My goodness! How much is all this!”

Rahel was jumping around, ecstatic.

Choi Hyun-seok was just as thrilled, his mouth stretched into a wide grin.

At their feet, hundreds of silver coins and a considerable amount of gold coins were piled up.

“Hero, Hero, Hero! Please buy me just one macaron!”
“Macarons? I’ll buy you a whole box!”
“Kyaa! I love it!”

It was a rare moment of intimacy between the Hero and his dedicated fairy.

Watching them, Abelson let out a small sigh.

‘I don’t think this is the time for this…’

The group had returned to the inn after taking everything they needed from the Arken crime syndicate.

The reason they returned to the inn was simple: they had nowhere else to go.

They needed a place to stay to examine the gang’s ledger in detail and pile up the money they had stolen.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Just then, a groan came from the side.

It was Bel, the woman who had been disguised as the innkeeper’s daughter.

She struggled to open her eyes, trembling as she reached out her arm.

“I, I want a macaron too…”

“No way!”

Rahel struck Bel on the back of the head with her magic.

“Cough!”

Bel collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

“There are no macarons to share with criminals!”

“Good job, Rahel.”

“Hehe!”

Choi Hyun-seok was patting Rahel’s head and smiling when-

Knock knock-

“Lenoff. Are you inside?”

A middle-aged man’s voice came from outside the door, along with a knock.

Knock knock knock-

“Hey, the sun is already high in the sky. Why haven’t you opened the door yet?”

Choi Hyun-seok and Rahel’s eyes widened.

They scurried around in a panic, not knowing what to do.

“H, Hero! Lenoff is the innkeeper’s name, right!?”
“First, let’s get rid of this unconscious woman! No, should I change out of my armor first? There’s blood on it…!”
“Hero! Th, the money first!”
“Right! We’ll grab the money and run!”

Choi Hyun-seok and Rahel frantically swept up the money.

Watching them, Abelson’s head began to throb.

Who would call them a Hero and a fairy?

It would be more convincing to say they were petty thieves caught robbing an inn.

“That’s enough, go inside. I’ll handle this.”

“Huh?”

“Hurry!”

Abelson quickly ran to the door.

‘I have to step up here.’

Choi Hyun-seok was large and wearing armor, making him conspicuous.

In contrast, Abelson had changed into plain clothes because her dress was covered in blood.

If the other party was an ordinary person, there was nothing to worry about.

“I’m coming in.”

Just then, the door opened, and a middle-aged man appeared.

He was a plump man with a friendly face.

Abelson blocked the door to prevent him from entering.

“Hero…! Hurry…!”
“I know, so hurry up too…!”

Behind her, Rahel and Choi Hyun-seok were busily packing money and moving the fallen Bel inside.

Abelson desperately tried to block the man’s view, not wanting him to see this.

“I put up a sign saying we’re closed.”
“Ah, I saw it, but usually you’re open at this hour.”

When the man craned his neck to look inside, Abelson quickly blocked him again.

“Ahem! What brings you here?”
“I came to see Lenoff.”

“He’s not here.”

“What about Bel?”

“If you’re talking about Lenoff’s daughter, she’s not here either.”

“Where did they go?”

“On a trip. They left yesterday.”

“Ah! I see.”

Suddenly, a strange noise came from inside.

“Sa, save me…!”

Thwack!

The sound disappeared as quickly as it came, but the man seemed to notice something was amiss.

The man frowned.

“Didn’t you hear something just now?”

“I don’t think so.”

“No, I heard it. It sounded like someone was asking to be saved…”
“You must be mistaking it for a cat.”

Just in time, a cat’s meow came from inside.

“Meow, meooow~ meow…!”
“Hmm, it was a cat.”

It didn’t sound much like a cat, but the man readily accepted it.

However, that didn’t mean he was giving up.

The man was quite persistent.

“Can I come in for a moment?”
“I told you, we’re closed.”

The man pushed the door hard.

Abelson stood her ground and blocked the door.

She possessed physical abilities on par with a decent knight, so she wouldn’t be pushed back by force.

“Ahem, I wanted to have some tea. It’s usually my habit to have tea with Lenoff every morning.”
“I’m not Lenoff. Ask him when he gets back.”

“Ah, I see…”

The man looked embarrassed at Abelson’s coldness.

“By the way, who are you? I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new?”
“I came from Lenoff’s hometown.”
“Ah! So, you’ll be running the inn from now on?”

The man’s barrage of questions showed no signs of stopping.

Abelson sighed.

“I’m sorry, but could you please leave? I just arrived this morning and I’m tired.”
“Ah, I see. Sorry about that.”

The man scratched the back of his head and turned around.

Abelson was about to close the door when-

The man poked his head back in.

“Ah, by the way.”

“…”

“Where was Lenoff’s hometown again? He’s never mentioned it before.”

Abelson gripped the mace she had hidden behind her back.

“I. Want. To. Rest. Now.”

She glared at the man with an icy voice.

She looked ready to smash his head in with the mace if he didn’t leave immediately.

The man, oblivious, continued to talk.

“Lenoff’s hometown. It’s been over five years since I met him, and I still haven’t heard about his hometown. Ah, my hometown is Reiorn, not far from here in Kiton, but it’s different from other kingdoms….”

“Okay, stop!”

“Huh?”

“I’ll let you meet Lenoff.”
“Didn’t you say Lenoff was on a trip?”
“Actually, Lenoff is…”

Abelson swallowed the words ‘on a trip to the afterlife’ and was about to swing her mace when-

“Hahaha! What are you doing here?”

Choi Hyun-seok appeared and grabbed Abelson’s hand.

He had taken off his armor and changed into casual clothes in the meantime.

“Huh? Who are you?”

The man looked at Choi Hyun-seok with curious eyes, seemingly unaware that he had almost joined Lenoff on his trip to the afterlife.

“I’m Lenoff’s friend from his hometown.”

“Ah! You too?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, but could you come back another time? We just arrived in Kiton and we’re a bit overwhelmed.”
“Oh, just a moment…”
“Please come back later! Later!”

Choi Hyun-seok pushed the man out with his bulk, leaving him with no choice but to leave.

“Alright! See you next time!”

Thwack-!

Choi Hyun-seok slammed the door shut in response.

He sighed, looking tired.

“Ugh, how can someone talk so much?”
“He really doesn’t stop talking for a second,” Rahel said, shaking her head as she appeared.

Rahel was quite skilled at talking, but even she couldn’t handle that man.

“I wonder if he’s gone yet?”

Choi Hyun-seok slightly opened the door to check outside.

‘He’s still watching?’

The man was still looking at the inn with a lingering gaze.

“Oh! Methu! Long time no see! How have you been!?”

Then, he greeted a passerby and started talking again.

“I’ve been good! By the way, how’s business these days? Our store has been empty lately….”

Choi Hyun-seok finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been worried that the chatterbox had caught wind of something, but it seemed he had just come looking for someone to talk to.

‘What’s that?’

Just then, a group of people caught Choi Hyun-seok’s eye.

‘Soldiers… and a knight?’

A dozen people in armor were walking down the main street.

The one at the front was wearing particularly ornate armor, probably a knight.

‘He’s quite skilled…’

Just from his refined gait and magical power, it was clear that he was quite powerful.

They continued to walk, looking around, as if they were looking for something.

Choi Hyun-seok instinctively felt that it would be best not to be caught by them.

At that moment.

“Oh! Isn’t that Lord Holkman!”

The chatterbox from earlier greeted the knight.

Choi Hyun-seok’s brow furrowed.

‘Holkman, if I remember correctly, that was the name of the knight commander?’

A skilled warrior whom the lord of Kiton had brought in at great expense.

His name was Holkman.

‘Now that I look closely, he’s quite old. I didn’t notice because of his demeanor.’

Looking closely, the man looked to be in his sixties.

He hadn’t noticed because of his confident gait and bearing.

“What brings you here, Lord Holkman?”
“I’m searching for a suspect in a case.”
“Oh my! Did something big happen? I was just thinking that the town felt ominous today, so I’ve been wandering around….”

“I’m sorry, but I’m on official business, so let’s talk later.”
“Yes, of course. Haha!”

Holkman cut off the man’s chatter like a knife, as if he had experienced it several times before.

“Have you seen anyone from out of town? A blonde woman, or a large man….”
“Ah! You must be talking about Lenoff’s friends!”

“Lenoff’s friends?”

“Yes! I know them well! Lenoff has been running the Hero’s Rest inn over there for five years, and I have tea with him every morning. But today….”

Choi Hyun-seok pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Sigh…”

He should have let Abelson hit him on the head earlier.

It was too late to regret it now.

‘We need to get out of here quickly.’

The chatterbox was holding Holkman up now, but he didn’t know how long that would last.

Judging by the annoyance already rising on his face, he wouldn’t last long.

“Abelson, we need to leave right away.”

Choi Hyun-seok turned around to speak when-

“Wait a moment!”

The door burst open, and Holkman rushed in.

“Oh no…!”

Choi Hyun-seok raised his arms to brace himself, and Abelson gripped her mace tightly.

A tense situation where a battle seemed imminent.

Then, Holkman raised his hand, indicating that he had no intention of fighting.

“Wait! I didn’t come here to fight. I want to have a conversation with you.”

“A conversation?”

“To be precise, it’s a request.”

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson looked at Holkman with disbelief.

A request from someone they had just met? What was he talking about?

Then, Holkman opened his mouth with a determined look.

“Get rid of the lord.”

***

Choi Hyun-seok blinked repeatedly.

“What did you just say?”
“The lord of Kiton. I’m asking you to get rid of Peros Gelliion.”

Choi Hyun-seok stared intently at Holkman.

Holkman also met his gaze with a serious expression.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m serious. So, won’t you listen to my story first?”

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson looked at each other.

They nodded as if they had made a promise and sat down.

“Thank you.”

Holkman also sat down, and the story began.

“As you know, this city is rotten. So rotten that the stench permeates the entire city…”

The story that followed was nothing special.

A criminal organization operating in Kiton.

The lord who was backing them.

Even the guild was unknowingly helping the crimes.

It was all something he had already heard from Lenoff, so there was nothing new.

“Even though he’s this kind of lord, he’s still my lord. I’m a knight who has sworn loyalty. I can’t betray the lord I serve.”

Holkman continued with a miserable expression.

“But I can’t just stand by and watch the citizens of the city suffer. That’s not the way of a knight either.”
“So, you’re asking us to get rid of the lord for you?”

“Exactly.”

Choi Hyun-seok looked puzzled.

“Isn’t that also betraying your lord in the end? From what you’re saying, it seems like you value the oath of a knight and your duty.”
“It’s not betrayal from the outside, so it’s okay.”

“Huh?”

“I may have been incompetent in protecting my lord, but I haven’t betrayed him, have I? This conversation will only be between us. Hahaha!”

Holkman said, laughing as if he had no worries.

Choi Hyun-seok narrowed his eyes with a strange sense of déjà vu [a feeling of having already experienced the present situation].

‘This old man… seems a bit unhinged.’

In any case, it was a proposal that couldn’t be bad for Choi Hyun-seok right now.

It was worth considering.

“What do you want us to do to him? Kill him?”
“That’s right. Just kill the lord as quickly as possible, no matter the method. Then, I’ll quietly cover up what you’ve done in this city.”

“Hmm…”

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson looked at each other.

They looked like they were struggling to decide what to do.

“Please. The innocent citizens of Kiton are dying! Only you can save Kiton!”

Just as Holkman was pleading again-

Ding!

A system alarm rang.

★☆★☆ Hero Quest! ★☆★☆

The time has finally come for you to do something worthy of a Hero!

Defeat the corrupt lord and save Kiton from despair!

However, you must keep this in mind.

Evil is everywhere!

· Objective: Defeat Lord Peros Gelliion
· Additional Objective: Eliminate the axis of evil operating in Kiton
· Reward: A large amount of experience and 1,000 Hero Points

Choi Hyun-seok, having checked the Hero Quest, nodded.

“Alright. I accept.”

When he thought about it, it was something he was going to do anyway.

Until now, he had been wondering if there was a gentler way, but now that things had come to this, it wouldn’t be bad to tie things up neatly.

“Let’s go see the face of this lord.”

It wouldn’t be bad to become a chivalrous hero of this world for a day or so.

Like a true hero.