Farewell to the hero! chapter 56

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I looked down at the rabbit that sat obediently on my thigh, not making any move to run.

I wonder if it’ll let me pet it. When I saw it before, it seemed comfortable with Daniel’s touch.

As I hesitated, Daniel caught my eye.

“It says it’s been following you around because you promised to give it a name but still haven’t done so.”

“A name?”

“Yes, it’s afraid it might forget soon, so it wants to know as soon as possible.”

Since it remembered up till now, I doubt it’ll forget anytime soon.

I didn’t point out the irony of the rabbit’s supposed concern and smiled slightly, reaching out to stroke between its ears.

“Didn’t think a wild rabbit would care about getting a name.”

“It usually wouldn’t.”

Hmm?

My fingers paused mid-stroke.

“Then… is it a mutant?”

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

Daniel gave a quick denial and, seeing that I hadn’t asked further, added softly.

“It’s likely because it’s fond of you, Isa.”

Fond of me, huh.

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

It was a pleasant thought.

It wasn’t like I had any special powers like Daniel, so there was no reason the rabbit would prefer me.

If it was comfortable around me, it was probably just because it sensed I wasn’t a threat.

Back in my village, stray dogs and cats often liked me too, though that was just because I fed them.

And out here in the wild, any affection from the rabbit would probably be minimal.

“Still, I’m grateful it likes me.”

I had no need to refute the rabbit’s fondness.

Smiling, I fell into silence, a few names coming to mind for it.

May, Ellie, Shu…

I tested out a few cute-sounding names before settling on one.

“How about May?”

“May?”

“Yes.”

After a bit of thought, I decided to go with the first name that came to mind at Geam Lake.

Though the others were nice too, the moment I saw the brown rabbit, “May” just felt right.

There was no reason—just an inexplicable sense that it was meant to be May.

After repeating the name to myself a few times, Daniel gave a smile, a soft, low voice slipping between his lips.

“It’s a lovely name.”

“What does May think?”

Since Daniel always conveyed the rabbit’s thoughts, I asked casually. Daniel paused in his petting.

“…It thinks it’s tacky.”

“Then should I choose something else?”

“But since it’s a good rabbit, it’ll accept it. From now on, we can call it May.”

That last comment finally made my shoulders shake.

I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer.

It was hilarious that Daniel, who didn’t usually use such words, was speaking for the rabbit, and the rabbit, who acted dignified, was clinging to my lap.

While still petting the rabbit, a hazy image flickered over May—a small, lifeless body I’d seen after breaking a Mother’s Egg.

There was no reason to recall that here, yet the memory blurred with May’s figure, quieting my laughter.

Seeing me sober up, Daniel gently placed his hand on my forehead.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I’m fine physically.”

“Breaking the Mother’s Egg must have left a lasting shock.”

Once again, Daniel hit the nail on the head.

I nodded in agreement, biting my lower lip.

Unintentionally, my gaze fell.

I was worried I might look too vulnerable.

The confidence I’d been clinging to since slaying the Mother monster slipped away.

“All this fuss over breaking a single egg?”

It sounded melodramatic, even to mhyself.

I barely held back from saying so aloud.

At that moment, Daniel spoke softly.

“It was your first experience taking a life, was it not? Even if it was a monster, it was still alive. It’s natural to be shaken. When I took my first life, I had nightmares for months.”

Daniel spoke calmly, as though I understood.

There was no empty comfort in his words—just genuine empathy, as if he’d been through something similar myself.

And somehow, that felt even more resonant.

A weak smile tugged at my lips.

“It’s something I expected from the moment I decided to follow Kaindel, but it’s still difficult.”

Even though I believed it would be fine one day, the feeling of suffocation came up too often.

The only thing I could do was hope for a future where it would ease.

After going through it several times, I hoped I would get used to it.

In that sense, Daniel was hopeful.

It meant that someday, I could become as unbothered as he was.

Hearing me mumbling, Daniel tilted his head.

“Do you ever feel like going back home?”

“To Luther Village?”

“Yes.”

“Well… I wonder if it really is my home.”

If I counted the place where I’d stayed the longest as my home, then it was.

But if I’d always been looking to leave and never felt fully grounded there, could I truly call it that?

I absentmindedly toyed with a patch of grass, casting a sidelong glance at May as she suddenly stood up.

Since there was nothing around, it seemed she was simply changing his posture.

“Anyway, no, I don’t really feel like going back. If anything, I’m just glad I chose to follow.”

Had I not left Luther Village with Kaindel that day, my world would still be confined to that narrow place.

So I didn’t regret following him.

Sometimes I felt guilty, wondering if I was too much of a burden to the others, but even if I could go back, I’d still choose to follow.

As I made this declaration, May stretched his front legs as if to relieve tension, his ears perking up sharply.

He sniffed the air around him, then jumped down from my lap and started running, his tail wagging.

“Ah!”

I widened my eyes as his sudden leap left a dull ache in my arm and thigh where his hind legs had pressed down.

I frowned, rubbing my arm where it throbbed.

Once the sting faded, I felt the empty space May had left.

Already gone?

I could only watch helplessly as his small, round tail vanished into the distance.

It was disappointing not to have been able to hold onto her.

Especially since Kaindel wasn’t here.

By the Geam Lake, May had run the moment she saw Kaindel, so seeing his run away was nothing new.

But now, I was puzzled.

There hadn’t been any sudden noises or unfamiliar people around.

I looked up at Daniel, who was also watching May dart off, clearly as perplexed by his sudden flight as I was.

After observing for a while, he finally spoke in a slightly strained voice.

“There’s definitely something off.”

“You mean, about May running away?”

“Yes, it seems there’s something out there.”

The tone in Daniel’s voice darkened as he added, “I have a bad feeling.”

I shifted my gaze back to where May had disappeared, but she was already out of sight.

Daniel, with his ability to communicate with plants and animals, could have easily understood what was bothering May if it was something minor.

His concern suggested it was far from trivial.

After a moment, Daniel rose to his feet once he could no longer see May.

“I’ll go check on MAy.”

“All right, I’ll wait here.”

I nodded readily.

I had no intention of stopping him.

If there was something unsettling on his mind, it was better to confirm it than let it linger.

My only concern was one thing.

“It’s getting dark.”

I lifted my chin, noticing the sky darkening overhead.

In just a couple of hours, it would be fully night.

It bothered me a bit that Daniel would be going without any source of light in the dark.

And we still didn’t know exactly where Morhan was located.

That was why Sehir had suggested the search party in the first place.

If he wandered around aimlessly, he might end up running into Morhan alone.

…I really hoped he’d stay close to the camp.

I watched Daniel’s dark hair sway as he walked away.

Each step seemed to absorb all the colors of the twilight sky, blending blue and orange hues into an inky black.

As I watched Daniel follow May, a gust of wind made me instinctively draw myself in.

I slung the robe I’d left from training over my shoulders, fastening it snugly to keep the cold from seeping in.

“It’s cold.”

I hoped Daniel would return soon, without any trouble.

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