Farewell to the hero! chapter 13

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Since that day, Kaindel had visited the restaurant daily.

Of course, he always came with his companions.

They always sat at the same table, drinking tea steeped for precisely one minute and thirty seconds after their meal.

When not sipping tea, they would unfold maps on the table and discuss something related to the great catastrophe.

“It will take about three or four days.”

“Even if we take this route?”

“Regardless of the path we choose, we’ll inevitably have to fight.”

“Tsk.”

The man clicked his tongue and crunched on a piece of candy.

As if savoring the crumbled remains, he grumbled in a rough voice.

“All we need to do is kill that damned Monster.”

“You speak so confidently for someone who knows nothing.”

“What?”

The hand rummaging through the candy bag froze.

His laid-back attitude was tinged with irritation.

“What did you just say?”

“Do we actually know anything about the Mother?”

“Well, it’s a monster, so it’ll be more active at night than during the day, and since it’s avian, it’s probably skilled at flying. As a monster, its primary food source would be humans. And unlike other high-ranking monsters, it lives in groups.”

“Yes, and that’s exactly why I said we don’t know anything about it.”

These facts were merely borrowed from the rumors spread by others.

Who knows if they’re true or false?

The man he was arguing with pushed his slipping glasses back up his nose.

“If you ever bothered using that dumb head of yours, I wouldn’t even have to point that out.”

“…The crocodiles of the Dangerous River should bite off that mouth of yours.”

“Yes, and I’m sure those crocodiles will swim all the way over here.”

“You want to fight?”

I flinched at the sudden spike in tension as their argument escalated.

Outwardly, I was busy sweeping a floor that had already been thoroughly cleaned, dragging out the chore far longer than necessary.

Normally, the cleaning would have been finished by now, but no one seemed to notice the delay.

Even Alice had gone off to meet Jack, the stable boy.

I should have fetched a mop by now, but I kept stalling, eavesdropping on their conversation.

To be honest, there was no need to eavesdrop.

Their loud voices filled the now-quiet restaurant long after the lunch rush had ended, making it impossible not to overhear.

In the past few days, I had learned quite a bit about Kaindel’s group.

For instance, the big man’s name was Ruen, and the other man was Owen.

The perpetually sleep-deprived man was Daniel, who, despite his imposing frame, spoke in a lazy and lethargic tone.

Ruen and Owen bickered at every opportunity.

From what I gathered, Ruen hated Owen’s bookish demeanor, while Owen mocked Ruen for her ignorance.

Their fights would always end when either Sehir or Kaindel intervened.

Sehir was, as expected, a kind and gentle person.

He could be cold when necessary, but was generally kind.

He had a habit of asking others’ opinions first, tacking a question onto the end of his sentences.

Kaindel, on the other hand…

I snuck a glance at Kaindel, who was leaning back in his chair, showing no interest in Ruen and Owen’s argument.

Instead, he stared calmly out of the restaurant.

Following his gaze, I spotted a cat hunting a sparrow outside.

The cat held the sparrow down with its paw and bit into it, finishing it off.

The sparrow didn’t even have time to cry out before it died.

It was the merciless law of nature.

Ugh.

I wrinkled my nose at the sight of blood splattering.

But Kaindel seemed to find it amusing, a strange smile playing on his lips—a smile different from the one he had shown me.

Kaindel was truly an enigma.

One moment, he seemed kind, and the next, cold.

He was both altruistic and selfish.

Of all the people I had ever met, he was the hardest to understand.

But one thing was clear: everyone referred to him as a hero.

A hero.

I recalled the shocking realization I had learned just days ago.

The legendary hero of the era, whose stories I had dismissed as fanciful tales, was none other than Kaindel.

“…”

As I stared at the subtle curve of his lips, Kaindel suddenly straightened up.

Then, noticing me watching, he smiled again, that gentle curve gracing his lips once more.

He didn’t seem to care at all that I had been secretly observing him.

Meanwhile, I was the only one growing flustered.

There I went again.

Chasing after Kaindel like a baby duck imprinted on the first creature it sees after hatching.

If I kept acting like this, Kaindel would surely notice my state of mind.

That would be a disaster.

I needed to get a grip.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.

Just then, as I was about to put down the broom and grab a mop, I overheard more of Ruen and Owen’s conversation.

“So we should move during the day. Mother is active at night.”

“Moving only during the day is…”

Ruen and Owen’s tense exchange filled the air.

They were devising their strategy for facing the Mother.

I had heard of the Mother before.

A passing customer had mentioned it once.

According to them, the Mother was a high-ranking monster, different from the low-level monsters.

While low-level monsters typically slept or rested during the day to avoid sunburn, the Mother could move freely even under sunlight.

This meant that you could never let your guard down, even during the day, in her territory.

Another customer had explained that the Mother was so named because of her unusual maternal instincts, which were unheard of in most monsters.

Mother’s maternal instinct towards her offspring was so strong that she remained calm until someone threatened them.

All the people who had died due to Mother’s attacks were those who had disturbed her nest.

According to the visitor, as long as no one threatened Mother’s children, they could easily make it to the Gayat Mountains.

I glanced at Ruen and Owen, who were bickering.

Anyway, from what I’d heard, Mother was active during the day.

She didn’t just hunt at night like they thought.

Should I say something?

I hesitated because suddenly interrupting would mean admitting that I’d been eavesdropping this whole time.

But it was better to speak up rather than remain silent, even if I came off as foolish.

More information is always better, right?

If there was conflicting information, wouldn’t it be useful to know?

“Um…”

After making up my mind, I carefully opened my mouth.

“I heard that the Mother is also active during the day.”

I continued in a tone that was neither too strong nor too weak.

“And I also heard that as long as no one threatens her children, it’s very rare for her to attack first—day or night.”

“Hm?”

As I shared what I knew, Owen, who had only now noticed my presence, looked intrigued.

But it wasn’t exactly a warm or bright curiosity—more like that of a scholar on the verge of an important discovery.

“Mother’s active during the day? But she’s a monster, so why wouldn’t she avoid sunlight? Unless she’s some kind of mutant… That’s highly questionable. How do you plan to guarantee the credibility of this information? Of course, being a higher-level monster, Mother might be less affected by sunlight compared to lower-level monsters. But at the end of the day, she’s still a monster. No matter how powerful she is, she was born from magic. The idea that some lowly creature can withstand daylight is amusing but sounds ridiculous.”

His voice rose with excitement. Owen, now flushed, leaned in closer, as if unable to contain himself.

“Well, I just picked this up here and there, so I don’t know all the details…”

I hadn’t expected such intense interest.

Pressed by his energy, I couldn’t help but take a step back. I’d thought he would just dismiss my comment or maybe find it bothersome.

But Owen’s detailed scrutiny revealed a disturbing thirst for knowledge.

“And you say that as long as her children are left alone, Mother won’t attack first? It’s well-known that she has strong maternal instincts. But at the end of the day, she’s still a monster. Monsters, by their very nature, are triggered into hunger the moment they see a human. According to research, they last no more than 48 hours before succumbing to it. Still, the idea that Mother’s actions are based on her children’s safety is worth considering, I suppose. Anyway…”

“Stop talking, Owen. If I go deaf from your droning, will you take responsibility?”

Out of nowhere, Ruen, who had been lounging against the table, cut Owen off.

From the moment I spoke, Ruen had been glaring at me, his expression growing colder and more hostile.

“Hey.”

His sharp gaze shifted from Owen to me, her voice piercing my ears.

“…”

“If you want me to listen, at least say something that makes sense. What? Mother is active during the day? She only attacks those who threaten her children? Get your imagination in check.”

“…”

“You’re spouting things you barely understand as if they’re your own. And, kid…”

Ruen tapped his finger against his temple a couple of times before folding his arms. His fiery red hair fell over his eyes as she tilted his head, revealing a deep frown beneath.

“Were you eavesdropping on our entire conversation like some little rat?”

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