Extra in a Romance Fantasy

107 – The Hero’s Tomb (2)

I too felt the unease that Anton had mentioned.

The fact that the hero’s tomb emerged from a forest largely unrelated to the hero, and that a tomb and the hero’s sword, which had shown no clues or rumors until now, suddenly appeared at this time.

Although the ‘Scholars of Alundel’ had issued a statement claiming a high probability of being genuine, I couldn’t shake my doubts.

Max said that there were no individuals capable of orchestrating such a large-scale event, nor any with a reason to do so, but I knew better.

The existence of an ‘organization.’

I thought that a group whose true strength was unknown could very well create such a situation.

—

—

It was nothing more than a simple intuition, with no concrete evidence.

Of course, there’s a good chance this isn’t the work of the ‘organization,’ but I need to act under the assumption of the worst-case scenario.

What if this is indeed a trick orchestrated by the ‘organization’?

If they’re spreading rumors with some ulterior motive?

Then, what exactly are they after?

“……”

I racked my brain, but I couldn’t easily find the answer.

The purpose of the ‘organization’ remains difficult to ascertain.

Cheryl had predicted the continent’s downfall, but it’s unclear whether that itself is the ‘organization’s’ goal, or if the downfall is merely a consequence of their pursuit of some other objective.

One thing was certain, though: I had a bad feeling about this.

“Andel, what do you think?”

At that moment, Max, who had been quietly lost in thought, spoke up.

I immediately halted my thoughts and opened my mouth.

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the hero’s tomb. What do you think about it?”

It was a somewhat sudden question.

However, answering it wasn’t particularly difficult.

“…I also find it a bit suspicious.”

I merely had to voice the thoughts I had been contemplating just moments before.

“What? Why’s that?”

“There are just so many points that don’t add up, you know? Just as Anton said.”

“Hmm……”

Max stared at me quietly.

“I’ve been thinking for a while, but you don’t seem like a newcomer at all.”

“Uh… really?”

“Yeah. Normally, newcomers would just dive in headfirst without a clue in situations like this.”

Max, who had been staring at me intently, let out a small sigh and shook his head.

“What’s going on? You lack ambition, you know? It’s the hero’s tomb we’re talking about! Isn’t it normal for a man to want to check it out?”

As I hesitated, unsure of how to respond to this unexpected lecture, he added,

“Don’t go filling your head with nonsense.”

—

Anton interjected.

“Regardless, it’s clear that this is an ominous feeling. If you really want to go, I won’t stop you, but don’t drag that guy into it. He’s still a rookie.”

“…You really know how to put it delicately.”

At Anton’s reaction, Max pouted.

“I never actually intended to seduce him in the first place. Considering the location of the hero’s tomb, just going there is a task in itself, and it’s still too early for this guy. But to see you react so sharply like this, my unworthy disciple, it’s truly disheartening.”

“I’ve never had a disciple like you.”

“……”

Faced with such a resolute attitude, Max turned to Nina with a pleading look in his eyes.

Nina was looking at Max with a strange smile.

It was undoubtedly the soft and gentle smile she usually wore, but something was different.

An inexplicable pressure was emanating from that smile.

Still smiling, Nina spoke.

“Max, you can’t go with Andel.”

“So I was thinking—”

“You can’t.”

“……”

Noticing that Nina’s demeanor was unusual, Max fell silent.

“…Alright, alright. I was just joking around. I won’t even bring up the tomb with that guy from now on—”

“Still, I plan to go to the tomb.”

“……”

Max, whose words had been cut off mid-sentence, looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“Andel?!”

And then, Nina, who rarely raised her voice, reacted in surprise.

“What did you say?”

Anton also frowned at me, his expression darkening.

With both of their gazes fixed on me, it felt incredibly burdensome to speak, but I had no intention of stopping.

“I’m going to the hero’s tomb too.”

“…What? You said it was suspicious before.”

“It is suspicious. But… that aside, I do plan to go.”

The words may not align perfectly, but it can’t be helped.

—

Given the possibility that the ‘organization’ was involved here, I couldn’t avoid going.

However, seeing Anton and Nina’s reactions, I felt it wouldn’t be easy to convince them.

*

I stubbornly held onto my resolve to go to the Hero’s Tomb, but Anton and Nina were equally steadfast in their opposition.

The location of the Hero’s Tomb was the problem.

The place where the Hero’s Tomb was discovered lay deep within the forest.

It was a considerable distance beyond where El’s destination was.

While El’s destination was also in a rather dangerous area, just beyond the entrance, it could still be considered relatively safe in the grand scheme of the entire forest.

But the depths of the forest were an entirely different story.

In other words, it was where the true dangers of the forest began to reveal themselves.

It was indeed unusual for me to receive a request that took me beyond the entrance, but for a mercenary like me, who was practically a newcomer, venturing deep into the woods was out of the question.

In fact, it could be seen as going to my death.

So, it wasn’t surprising that they reacted the way they did.

To be honest, I felt a sense of gratitude for their concern.

Of course, that didn’t mean I would easily back down from my stance.

I had to go there, no matter what.

In the end, our discussion ran parallel, and the differences in our opinions hardly narrowed.

However, the conclusion was ultimately predetermined.

Anton and Nina had no right to stop my intentions.

They could only express their opinions.

Knowing this well, Anton had no choice but to eventually relent.

But he did so with conditions attached.

The condition was…

“I never thought it would come to this…”

To act alongside Max.

That was the condition Anton laid down.

Max, with a somewhat reluctant expression, opened his mouth again.

“Well, if you’re receiving something, you have to give something in return. I suppose it’s time for me to start training the next generation like my master.”

Having sorted through his thoughts with a rather lengthy monologue, Max finally turned his gaze toward me.

“So, how much do you know about the forest?”

—

“…Are you going to tell me everything you know?”

“Yeah. Just tell me everything you know for now.”

It was a somewhat vague request, but I decided to comply without hesitation.

I spoke about everything I knew about the forest, literally.

All the knowledge I had previously and what I had learned from Anton.

Max, listening to my lengthy explanation, stroked his chin with a face that was hard to read.

“Hmmm… With this much, you’ve got a solid foundation. Did you say you learned from your master?”

“Yeah, well… it felt more like he just shared some necessary knowledge with me.”

“Maybe that’s why your basics are solid. But now, you’ll need to learn something entirely new. The depths of the forest are completely different from the forest you know. Well, since you won’t be alone, you don’t really need to rack your brain, but you never know.”

As he said this, Max began to inject knowledge about the forest into me.

What to be cautious of, how to respond when certain phenomena occur, and so on.

The information was vast enough to be described as overwhelming.

Max taught me golden information that only the best among seasoned mercenaries would know, knowledge that people would line up to pay for, without any hesitation.

And he showed no signs of regret at all.

After reinforcing my knowledge, Max’s next concern was equipment and supplies.

“Hm. It’d be better to buy everything new.”

After examining my gear, Max said this and then proceeded to purchase all my equipment and supplies anew, using his own money for the expensive gear that I wouldn’t have dared to consider otherwise.

“Well, this should be enough. I’d like to work on your skills a bit too, but… I don’t think there’s time for that.”

With a hint of regret on his face, Max said this.

“Well, you won’t need to step in for that anyway.”

What was evident on Max’s face was a clear sense of ease and confidence.

A firm belief that as long as he was by my side, I wouldn’t be in danger.

On our journey into the depths of the forest, he showed no signs of anxiety, even while bringing along someone like me, who appeared to be nothing more than a novice.

For someone well-versed in the forest, it could be seen as an arrogant demeanor, but if it was Max saying it, the story was different.

While it was true that Max had a considerable amount of mercenary experience, there were many who had longer careers than him.

However, it was clear that among them, few could match his strength.

He was one of the strongest mercenaries I had encountered in Darville.

There was a solid basis for his confidence.

In any case, preparations for heading to the grave were proceeding smoothly, and before long, the time had come for our departure day.