The Hero staggered to his feet. A thousand eyes burned holes into his back, voices swelling with disbelief and awe.
But he gave them nothing.
Without a word, he turned and walked. Past the murmurs, past the pointing fingers, past the boy clutching the newspaper still shouting about war. Step after heavy step carried him deeper into the heart of the kingdom.
And there, in the square, he found it.
The statue.
Five figures, carved in unyielding stone, towering above the plaza. Himself at the center—youthful, proud, sword raised high—flanked by four comrades who had once walked the same bloody path. Their stone gazes looked down upon him now, frozen in time, while he stood ragged, drunk, and broken beneath them.
The Hero's chest tightened. He clenched his fists, and before the crowd could reach him again—
He vanished.
The city square was gone, replaced in a blink by the still hush of a forest. The cool bite of damp air filled his lungs, the sound of rustling leaves replacing the noise of the crowd. And before him… a grave.
A single stone marker, half-swallowed by moss and dirt. He knelt, brushing the earth away until the name was clear.
Meria.
His breath caught, his throat tightening as the weight of her name crushed down on him. He sank to his knees, voice trembling in the still air.
"…I miss you."
He let the words fall, as though the earth itself might carry them to her.
"I just wanted to live a normal fantasy. To slay beasts. To save people. To make glory." His hand trembled against the grave. "Why did this happen, Meria? Why did it all turn into this?"
Silence. Only the whisper of wind through the trees answered him.
Then—snap.
A branch broke in the underbrush.
His head snapped up, his body moving before thought. In one smooth motion he drew his sword. A single swing split the air, the sheer force cleaving through branches and trunks alike. Trees crashed down in a thunderous wave, the forest itself shuddering beneath his strike.
And in the wreckage…
A young woman tumbled backward, hitting the ground hard. Eyes wide with terror, she raised her hands, stammering.
"P-please don't kill me! I—I'm still young! I haven't even tried the dwarven kebabs yet!!!"
The Hero froze, his blade still humming in the air.
He blinked, tilting his head slightly as though the words didn't match the fear in her voice.
"...What?"