Farewell to the hero! chapter 1- Prologue

A hero was born.

It was the birth of a hero destined to defeat the Great Catastrophe that had threatened the kingdom for hundreds of years.

The hero was born on a freezing winter day, cold enough to freeze all things.

It was midwinter, with pure white snow gently piling up along the roads.

Reflecting back on that time, soft pink flowers bloomed in abundance beneath the pale winter sky.

Everyone celebrated the hero’s birth.

Poets sang of the hero’s birth, a tale that would be remembered for generations, while gossipers spread the news of the hero to everyone in the kingdom.

Even the greedy king found time to attend the hero’s baptism.

The hero truly was adored by all.

Kaindel Rayford Schudelgarten.

This was the hero’s name, derived from the ancient words “Kain,” meaning fate, and “Del,” meaning morning star.

When Kaindel was about three years old, he held a wooden sword for the first time. Perhaps it was a pull of destiny.

Maybe, by chance, he caught a glimpse of the future where he would live his life with the sword.

The child who once played with the wooden sword gradually grew and came to realize the mission given to him:

To defeat the Great Catastrophe and save the kingdom.

Kaindel began wielding a real sword instead of a wooden one before he even turned fifteen.

He defeated Heron, the captain of the knights, purely through skill.

By the time he turned eighteen, there was no one left who could challenge him, and he was universally recognized as the best.

Kaindel displayed extraordinary talent not only in swordsmanship but in many other areas as well.

At the mere age of sixteen, he was intelligent enough to represent his family at the noble council, and after just a few lessons, he could effortlessly master any musical instrument.

The hero was a prodigy who excelled not only in martial arts but also in the arts and literature.

Thus, it was only natural, as though it were the law of nature, that this perfect creation of the gods was beloved by all.

Kaindel fulfilled his mission and defeated the Great Catastrophe at the age of twenty-three.

Kaindel returned, holding the pitch-black heart of the Great Catastrophe, along with his four companions:

One who could communicate with creatures that couldn’t speak human language,

One who could find their way even in the darkness of night,

One who could save the dying with blessed healing powers,

And one who could singlehandedly unleash the firepower of an entire squad of archers.

These were his four companions.

The people of the kingdom praised Kaindel’s comrades, who, together with him, had vanquished the Great Catastrophe.

The next part of the story is predictable.

The hero who saved the kingdom marries the princess beloved by the king. The two live, perhaps, happily ever after—a tale as old as time.

But if that were truly how this story ended, I wouldn’t be picking up my pen now.

While everyone anticipated the prosperity that the hero’s marriage to the princess would bring to the kingdom,

There existed a small, almost trivial, secret behind it all.

“Congratulations on your wedding, Kaindel.”

“……”

Though it was said that the hero had only four companions, in truth, there was one more.

Someone whose only ability was a gift for words, able to soothe others’ hearts.

Without a strong sense of justice or a desire for honor, this person had accompanied the hero purely out of love for him.

Among the companions, he was often called “the hero’s lover.”

“May the blessings of the Goddess Serenne be with you.”

And so, this is a story about a person so insignificant that no one ever noticed them, and another human being hiding behind the mask of a hero.

[From Isaac Winter, who once loved you]

“…….”

Kaindel read and reread the last line of the letter, but the words didn’t change.

‘Once loved.’
Isaac really wrote his feelings in past tense.

“Ah.”

A faint sigh escaped his lips.

At the same time, veins bulged on the back of his hand as he gripped the letter tightly.

The crumpled letter trembled pitifully in his solid grasp before falling to the ground.

Kaindel’s eyes followed the falling letter, and then he buried his face in his hands.

His contorted expression vanished between his fingers.

He had thought it was impossible to be abandoned.

No, he had never considered the possibility of being abandoned.

If one of them were to let go, he had always assumed it would be on his own terms.

Isaac loved him.

To be loved by Isaac was something so natural for Kaindel, something he took for granted.

“Why…?”

But it had been a misunderstanding.

“Why didn’t I see it?”

Now, the one left behind, like an old relic, was Kaindel.

The one who, foolishly clinging to the past, failed to see the present—that too was Kaindel.

And it was only now, in his solitude, that he came to this realization.

His hand, which had moved from his swollen eyes, now brushed against his lips.

He pushed his disheveled hair back and scratched at his throat, unbothered by the redness forming on his skin.

He couldn’t stop.

He wanted to tear away the invisible filth clinging to him, making it hard to breathe.

“Kaindel.”

Suddenly, Isaac’s voice, which had been resting in his memory, echoed in his mind.

Isaac’s smiling face filled his vision.

The thousands of stars that glittered in his silver eyes, resembling clear glass beads, were painfully vivid.

A bright, innocent laugh followed. “I love you,” Isaac had whispered.

Now that he thought about it, when had Isaac stopped smiling?

No matter how hard he tried, Kaindel couldn’t recall.

It was the same even as he searched through his memories.

Tears began to roll down Kaindel’s cheeks.

Like ice melting off fresh sprouts in early spring, the tears fell, leaving indelible stains on Isaac’s letter.

Kaindel glared at the blotched letter with bloodshot eyes and finally spoke harshly toward the door.

“Where is he?”

“……”

“Find him.”

Up until now, Kaindel had believed without a doubt that Isaac would return. So, he hadn’t bothered to search.

But after receiving Isaac’s final letter, Kaindel finally realized. Isaac wasn’t coming back. Even if this was the only place he could return to.

“Immediately.”

In the end, Kaindel crumbled.

Where arrogant confidence once stood, thick regret now settled in its place.

It was perfect despair.

The weather was nice.

The dry cold of winter had started to soften, and a gentle breeze lightly brushed against my cheeks.

I took in the sweet scent carried by the wind.

It was the beginning of spring, and my entire body felt comfortably relaxed.

“Sigh.”

A sudden sigh escaped me, and at the same time, a dull ache started throbbing in my chest.

It had been like this for days, but today, it felt especially worse.

As soon as I placed my hand on the spot that hurt, a frown creased my forehead, and my gaze wandered aimlessly.

Should I call a doctor?

I quickly dismissed the thought.

Even if I did, they would just say it was because I was being overly sensitive again.

I had heard the same thing countless times before; this time wouldn’t be any different.

Besides, whining about the pain wouldn’t make Kaindel come.

Heroes are always busy, after all. After repeatedly hoping for him and being disappointed, I had finally come to understand that.

As I fiddled with the teacup that I hadn’t even taken a sip from, the coldness transferred through my fingertips. It had grown cold after such a long wait.

“He said he’d come home early today…”

I looked up at the ticking wall clock.

The more I watched the second hand move, the heavier the frustration building inside me became.

Kaindel had left for the royal palace early in the morning and hadn’t returned, even though the sun was now sinking below the horizon.

“Kaindel, can’t you just come home early for one day?”

“Hmm… Is something going on?”

“Not really. It’s just lonely being here by myself.”

“Well, alright. I’ll come home early tomorrow.”

I suddenly recalled the conversation we had last night.

I had been so fed up with him clutching his paperwork, even in bed, that I asked impulsively.

Just for one day, I wanted him to come home early.

My heart had grown weary, and I needed him. Kaindel had seemed to understand, but in the end, he didn’t keep his promise.

It was a mistake to have expected anything in the first place.

Still, I had only asked for him to come home early today—was that really so difficult?

The sadness that had been welling up inside me quickly dissipated.

I knew why he couldn’t come to me anymore.

“…”

My vacant gaze landed on the newspaper lying on the table.

More specifically, on the headline that adorned the front page.

”“The Princess and the Hero are getting married! Is Hadelber Kingdom Entering a New Golden Age?””

People called Kaindel a hero.

They hailed him as the man who had saved the kingdom from disaster.

So it wasn’t hard to guess who the “hero” mentioned in that headline was.

Kaindel.

My lover, who shone brighter than anyone.

So… he’s marrying the princess.

Kaindel, my lover, with the princess…

My face twisted against my will, despite my intention to stay composed.

I recalled all the times Kaindel hurriedly left whenever he received a letter.

The final puzzle piece of the broken picture had finally fallen into place.

“Oh.”

My heart, already slashed and bruised countless times, began to sting once more.

I thought I had grown numb to the pain, to the wounds that once made me cough up blood and eventually scarred over.

But perhaps I had been mistaken.

It still hurt.

It pained me to think that I had to learn something like this from a newspaper.

“I need you.”

Those words had started this blind love of mine.

Even though Kaindel’s intentions were questionable, I didn’t mind.

I believed that one day, we would share the same feelings, standing on equal ground.

But looking back now, I should never have taken Kaindel’s hand back then.

I should never have naively joined him on that journey.

I should never have become his lover. I should have abandoned these pathetic feelings long ago, feelings that no one would ever accept.

“It’s cold.”

I leaned back against the chair without taking a single sip of the now-cold tea.

Even though it was spring, my skin felt frozen. The air around me was far too cold.

“I will love only you forever.”

Eternity is an illusion.

Now that I’ve awoken from that deluded dream, I realize there’s no such thing.