The Stone of Honor was a gigantic monument located in the center of Heroes' Square in the capital of Karnon. The stone, said to have been created when the first Dimension Square was built, recorded the achievements of heroes who had come and gone throughout Rafdonia's history.
The last achievement was, how long, six hundred years ago...?
By the way, the exploits were not hand-inscribed on the monument. The monument was said to have been created by a long-forgotten ancient spell closely related to the labyrinth. When a feat worthy of being recorded within the labyrinth was achieved, that feat was automatically engraved on the stone.
...At least, according to the story told in the game.
I was perplexed. In the game, I always thought that the Stone of Honor was nothing more than a random decorative object that served to explain the setting of the world to the player. I played for ten years and not once did anything.
I can't believe it works.
When I arrived at the square with a troop of knights escorting me, I stared at the monument without understanding. People gathered around the square to see me, and the knights on duty were clearly struggling to control the Chaos. Since it was Karnon, most of the curious were nobles dressed in expensive clothes.
«Bjorn Yandel! It's Baron Bjorn Yandel...!»
«¡Wooooooh!»
I felt like a zoo animal in a cage. Still, I kept my gaze fixed on the stone, trying not to let my discomfort show as I read the achievement at the top.
[...the Last Great Sage, Diplan Groundel Gabrielius, and his companions defeated all the monsters in the Crystal Cave and opened a hidden area of the labyrinth].
According to history books, this was the moment when the four portals leading to the second floor first appeared in the labyrinth. The next achievement was similar.
[Brave Beastman Warrior Eamon Myulmarin and his companions killed the Sea Dragons and discovered a new island].
The first time an adventurer killed that particular boss monster, an island that didn't exist before suddenly appeared.
[The Great Navigator, Ordel Pikma, and his companions killed all the monsters in the Great Sea and opened a hidden area].
The first person to completely clear the sixth floor announced the creation of two new paths to explore, both leading to the seventh floor.
[Human adventurer Ludel Limenin and his companions reached the Abyss and awakened the spirits of the Lords].
When someone managed to reach the tenth floor for the first time, the Lords of the Floor settled in the labyrinth. Then, every time one of them was defeated, Rifts began to appear on their respective floors.
The Iron Hero, Juggernaut... I think he is said to have been the first to defeat a Soil Lord.
Anyway, none of that was particularly important now. From a player's perspective, the stone was nothing more than a patch note. Essentially, every time something in the maze changed or was unlocked, a message was recorded praising the adventurer who accomplished the feat. And now, one of the feats towards the bottom said my name.
[The Great Barbarian Warrior, Bjorn Yandel, and his companions defeated the Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, and opened a hidden area of the maze].
That meant a whole new area had opened up thanks to me. Was it good or bad? Since he had no way of knowing, the only thing he could do was look at the stone in a daze.
«Baron Yandel! Could I look this way?»
Without thinking, I turned my head when a man who looked like an official called me by name.
¡Click!
Suddenly, there was a bright flash of recording glass in the man's hands.
«Please smile! After all, this will forever be recorded in the history books».
The history books... Yeah, I guess humoring him wouldn't be so bad.
Since I had already been planning to build my reputation and gather as much support as possible, things like this were positive.
Coming to that conclusion, I launched gigantization and flexed my arms with a roar of: «Behel-aaaaaah!».
Sure enough, there was another flash.
¡Click!
That should make the final cut, right?
***
[Your Reputation has increased by +10.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +10.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +10.]
[Your reputation has increased...]
[Your reputation has...]
***
Having my name engraved on the Stone of Honor turned out to be more important than I thought. The photographer, who I later learned worked directly for the royal family, had me do countless poses in front of the monument until it finally seemed to him that I had gotten the perfect photo.
«Natural lighting works wonders in photos and videos!».
After taking my photo, they called me for questioning. It was not an interrogation, although if it were not noble, it would have been.
«Ah, I see... so you say you can't tell us».
«Experience and knowledge are valuable assets for adventurers. Why should I tell you for free?»
«...T-You're right. According to the laws regarding the labyrinth, we cannot force you. However, could you reconsider for the sake of the kingdom and future generations?»
«Maybe. But I also don't remember my fellow adventurers who accomplished similar feats by answering all your questions.»
«B-Well...»
«I'm hungry, so I'm leaving».
By the time I left there, it was night, and the whole world seemed different. When I began to become famous, I was given the nickname Little Balkan, and when I made a significant contribution to the war against Noark, I was granted the title of baron. In those cases, I also felt like my whole world had changed overnight, but none of that compared to now.
«¡Es Bjorn Candel...!»
All I did was walk down the street, but countless people called me. Some applauded me and others ran towards me to shake my hand or hug me. A boy, at the back of the crowd, greeted me and begged me to say his name.
What is this?
Sure I had had similar experiences in the past, but this was completely different. I was in Karnon, the capital. All the people who lived here were nobles or upper class citizens. They had never been very interested in me before, but now they were different.
«¡El Giant! It's from Gigante!»
«The Great Giant who will guide us into a new era...!»
«May you be the infinite light that Rafdonia needs!»
Even the aristocrats praised me as excited fans. In a way, it made sense why they only acted like this now. Someone with heroic potential was completely different from a real hero.
«I can't believe a hero like him was born in my life.»
The Great Sage, Gabrielius. The Seeker of the Abyss, Limenin. The Great Navigator, Pikma. The Iron Hero, Juggernaut. It was an honor to be in the company of names as famous as those engraved on the Stone of Honor, and people were ecstatic to have been able to see in life a hero who would be remembered and talked about in the years to come. Even sharing the same space as me was enough to make them feel like they were part of the story. So I thought I should give them some fan service.
«Dear! The baron said our baby's name...!»
«This kid is going to grow up to be someone amazing! I'm sure!»
It was time to activate Pope Barbarian Mode.
I continued working with the crowd until I reached the carriage platform. However, I couldn't rest my eyes even on the carriage, because the people outside were following us, shouting my name. It took us a long time to get home.
«¡Woooooh!»
The news had spread throughout the empire. A large crowd had gathered in front of our house and an impromptu festival was taking place. Fortunately, the Mozlan knights arrived that night to control the crowd and end the festivities.
I lean back on the sofa with a big sigh. «Uf… For fin something of peace and tranquility».
Erwen approached me from where she had been spying out the window through the curtain. «I guess everyone has gone to bed».
«This is crazy. If today has been so bad, what will tomorrow be like?».
«Things will calm down sooner than you think. Surprisingly, people... forget quickly.»
«Like when everyone thought he was dead?»
«...Sí.»
Erwen sat across from me, and Auyen appeared to pour us tea as if she had been lurking.
«Oh, thanks.»
«Of course, captain». Auyen's voice and gaze were different than usual. He had always been polite, but today there was a strange level of respect in the way he addressed me. «It must be destiny that I have been lucky enough to know you, captain, and that you have been willing to give me the opportunity to repent of my sins and support you. Even if I can't offer you much, I will continue to support you on your path as best I can».
Does this guy think he's a bouncer at a legendary warrior's party or something?
It was kind of funny watching him play ball like that, but I didn't bother harassing him about it.
He left with a «Goodnight», and Versyl and Amelia entered the room together.
«I'm sorry», I told Versyl. «Thanks to me, you can't even go home to rest».
«No, I'm glad I didn't come home. Given the situation, it would have been difficult for me to return here tomorrow. Plus, I'm too tired to make it all the way back».
«Ya veo... »
Honestly, none of this seemed real. Everyone called me a hero, but did I really do anything worthy of being engraved on the Stone of Honor? We only stumbled upon the hidden event by accident, and it was pure luck that we succeeded in the first place. The expedition to the Ice Rock was several times harder than the one we just went through, and many more people died there.
In terms of difficulty, it was much more difficult...
I shook my thoughts. «Anyway, have you rested?»
«I couldn't sleep... But don't worry about me. We were only there seven days, and they were all pretty easy apart from the last day.»
Well, it's true. I also tend to faint from exhaustion when I return from the maze, but now I am relatively fine.
Ainar was the only one of us who slept soundly.
«So I examined it one more time in my free time...» Versyl took out No. 12: Confidence, and placed it on the table. I had given him the object before following the knights to Karnon for questioning. «First of all, it seems to be the type of object that attaches to people's souls».
«¿Se une alma?»
«Yes, but strangely, he seems to be linked to several people. Looks like you, Miss Fenelin, Miss Tersia and I can use it». To prove it, Versyl placed the bracelet on Amelia's wrist. It didn't fit her, it slid.
«You mean that only those who passed the test can use it».
«Yeah. It is very likely that this is the case».
«Hm...»
As he pondered, Versyl spoke cautiously. «But... only one of us can use it at a time. So who do you think should use it?»
Confidence was a very versatile item, so much so that tanks, DPS, mages, and priests could use it equally. This was because it had three main effects and therefore three ways to use it.
First, it is immune to damage dealt by the allies it is attached to.
When a tank used the item, his teammates could bombard the front lines with AoE attacks without worrying about receiving a single scratch. In other words, the biggest problem facing the tanks was solved and the group had more varied tactics.
Second, the damage you deal increases relative to the number of allies you are attached to.
When the DPS used the item, its damage increased dramatically.
Third, double all beneficial effects applied to allies you are linked to.
When worn by a priest or support adventurer, its power-ups, healings, and other useful effects are doubled.
We may exclude the third use for our equipment as it does not apply...
In the end, there were only two options: give it to Erwen to take her damage output to a whole new level, or keep it myself to increase the stability and durability of our party.
On the other hand, there is no reason to think too much about it.
In true barbaric style, when there were two types of food on the table, it was enough to use both hands to eat it all. As such, it didn't take me long to reach my verdict. It would take most of the time, but when we needed more firepower, I would ask Erwen. «I'll take it for now and give it to you, Erwen or Ainar when necessary».
Everyone nodded, apparently satisfied with my decision. However, I noticed that Amelia seemed a little discouraged. It was an extremely tiny change, but I caught it right away, since Amelia usually didn't have any expression on her face.
«Now that everything is settled, you should rest. We can talk more tomorrow. Oh, but stay a while, Emily. I have something to talk to you about».
Versyl and Erwen left the room without arguing after also noticing the strange expression on Amelia's face. Now there were only the two of us left. After standing throughout the previous conversation, Amelia approached the couch to sit down. «...If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have left you to question them».
I couldn't blame her for feeling upset. He could not share the loot or have his name written as my «companion» on the Stone of Honor. Still, I tried to comfort her with logic rather than comforting clichés. «Try to see this as something positive. If your name were written on the stone, things would have been complicated for us».
When I went to see the monument today, I noticed that the names of the members of my group appeared below the word «companions» in a very fine text. Simply put, if Amelia had passed the test with us, her real name, Amelia Rainwales, would have been exposed to the public.
«Yo... lo sé».
«jaLo sabes?»
«It's just that... I feel a little bitter».
«…¿Eh?»
When I tilted my head, Amelia raised her eyes to meet mine. «Because that means I can never be by your side like the real me».
«Oh...»
Um ...
Unable to say anything in response to that, all I could do was clumsily search for the right words. Then Amelia changed the subject gently, her strange mood seemed to be behind her. «Anyway, there is some information you should know».
«Is that what you mentioned you would tell me later?».
«Sí.
I had told him to stay back specifically so I could ask him about this, but the gloomy look on his face was making me anxious again. «What is it about?»
«Something's wrong with my memory».
«...What?» At first, I thought he was telling an out-of-place joke, but as he progressed, the seriousness of the situation became more evident.
«There was a moment during the interrogation when I remember being stunned, and when I came to my senses, the recording glass was destroyed. However, I'm sure I never lost consciousness or did anything to him».
«Ya veo.»
«I compared the elapsed time to what I could remember, and there was a slight discrepancy». A discrepancy of about ten minutes, he went on to say. In other words, he only remembered questioning them for thirty-five minutes, but forty-five minutes in total had passed when he realized something had happened.
«What are the chances that you are wrong?».
«Zero». If she was so sure of his answer, then something had to have happened. «On second thought, there's even something strange about how I remember acting. Normally, he would have interrogated our captives thoroughly. But from what I remember, I questioned them casually and didn't dig into any important information».
I stayed silent.
«That's why I came up with the hypothesis that someone used magic on me. Someone must have manipulated my memory and implanted false information in me».
«And that's what happened?»
«I still do not know. I had Miss Gowland examine me, but she said she couldn't find any evidence that anyone had cast a spell on me.»
Memory manipulation... Who the hell could be to blame? Was there a wizard of that caliber working under Count Alminus? Or was it a third party?
I was deep in thought when Amelia offered me one last piece of information. «And one last thing: when I came to my senses and looked around, the weapons were all clean.».
«...¿Let cute?»
«Yes, even the sword that stabbed you. It looked like someone had cleaned it with something».
That was suspicious. What the hell had happened? I was relieved that Amelia was safe, of course, but now there were even more things to worry about.
«Those guys... said they accepted a black market order, right? That's why they didn't know who the client was». I should start there. The black market was famous for its tight security and disturbing rumors that no one who set foot inside without permission survived. After all, however, a den of thieves was still a kind of house. «I should pay them a visit».
In other words, if he started destroying the place, surely someone had something to say about it.