Farewell to the hero! chapter 29

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Since Geam Lake was far from the Mother’s habitat, it shouldn’t be too dangerous.

The journey had been peaceful so far, and I had a feeling tonight would be the same. I had no solid proof, though.

That’s why I thought there’d be no problem with me taking Kaindel’s place for the night.

Even if something did happen, I could always wake the others.

Plus, this was a rare chance to get closer to Daniel.

I brushed the leaves off my thighs.

In the meantime, Daniel, who had been rubbing his face, furrowed his brows, but soon composed himself and wore a troubled expression.

“It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine. And while I might not be skilled with weapons, I did learn some hand-to-hand combat back when I lived in the village.”

“Hand-to-hand combat?”

Daniel asked again, his voice filled with doubt. I supposed I didn’t look the part with my slender frame.

And to be fair, his skepticism was understandable.

I had learned some basic combat techniques from Jerome, Helen’s husband, but I quickly lost interest and quit.

I’d never actually had to use what I learned, as Alice always dealt with unruly customers at the restaurant before I had the chance.

Still, I had learned, so it wasn’t a complete lie.

After justifying myself, I nodded.

“Yeah, just a little.”

“You can’t kill monsters with hand-to-hand combat.”

“I just meant I can take care of myself.”

“You’d be better off learning self-defense. No, actually, if you’re going to face a monster with just your bare hands, you should run. They’d devour you before you even got close.”

“I’m a good runner too.”

“In that case…”

Daniel sighed heavily, seeing I wasn’t backing down.

He seemed to struggle to find another reason to stop me, then rubbed the back of his neck in resignation.

“Then, may I join you?”

“Yes, of course.”

It wasn’t like he had much choice anyway.

Realizing this, Daniel reluctantly smiled, his face still showing a hint of unease.

I gave him a faint smile in return and followed him, stepping lightly so as not to disturb Kaindel’s deep sleep.

Daniel and I decided to stand watch in the grassy area not far from the campsite.

From the grass, we had a clear view of both the campsite and Geam Lake.

Daniel had suggested we leave the campsite because he thought I might get bored staying there the whole time.

The lake at midnight was vastly different from how it looked during the day.

When the sun was out, even just slightly, the lake’s surface sparkled like shattered jewels, creating a transparent and pristine feeling.

But at night, with the moon in the sky, the lake felt so dark that its depth seemed unknowable.

Despite that, the calmness of the scene wasn’t unsettling—it was rather fascinating.

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the sound of crickets chirping.

I sat down, using the rhythmic noise as my backdrop.

Standing for too long had become quite tiring.

As I was absentmindedly taking in the lake, Daniel noticed my drooping eyelids and spoke.

“If you’re sleepy, you can go back and rest more.”

“No, I was just zoning out for a bit.”

“Good, then.”

With that brief response, Daniel went silent.

I looked up at him, standing perfectly still beside me. His gaze, sharp with vigilance, swept over the area around the lake.

Unlike his usual fatigued self, today he seemed wide awake, free from his usual lethargy.

Is there something out there? To me, it just seemed peaceful.

I returned my gaze to the lake and swallowed my curiosity.

Instead, I gave a faint smile and broke the silence, trying to ease my lingering doubts.

“The view is beautiful.”

“To you, maybe…” Daniel’s expression became strangely complex at my musing.

He seemed lost in thought, and soon let out a small, deflating breath.

A soft laugh escaped him, and the cold atmosphere he had been radiating started to dissipate as he sat down beside me in the same posture.

The alertness in his black eyes gradually softened.

As he came closer, I caught a whiff of a strange, unfamiliar scent.

“It seems you have a talent for seeing beauty in everything.”

“Do you not think it’s beautiful, Daniel?”

“I find this kind of scenery rather unsettling.”

Unsettling because it’s beautiful? That was not the reaction I had expected.

I replayed his words in my head to make sure I hadn’t misheard.

But no, Daniel really had said that the beauty of the scene made him uncomfortable.

He toyed with the long blades of grass at his fingertips before abruptly changing the subject.

“Did you know that the most venomous creatures are often the most visually appealing?”

“Like poisonous mushrooms or frogs?”

“Yes, and the same goes for monsters. Monsters lure humans with their dazzling appearances, and the moment the humans let their guard down, they strike.”

Daniel’s calm voice grew sharp as he glanced briefly at Geam Lake, his eyes momentarily cold and filled with a faint sense of disgust.

It was the first time I had seen him show any real emotion.

“That’s why I find this kind of landscape disturbing.”

“I see…”

“Look at the lake right now. Don’t you think it’s far too quiet?”

“…”

I followed his gaze.

There it was, the same lake, still without a single ripple.

Just moments ago, I had found its serenity soothing, but now, after hearing Daniel’s words, it felt ominous, like the calm before a storm.

Suddenly, I realized how careless I had been.

Just because we were outside the Gayat Mountains, I had let my guard down.

Monsters could appear anywhere, at any time.

In fact, it was places like this that demanded the most caution, and I had briefly forgotten that.

A tense stiffness spread through my body.

Keeping my eyes on the lake, I leaned closer to Daniel.

There was no one around to overhear us, but my voice instinctively lowered.

“Should we call for Kaindel?”

“I’ve already sent the rats to scout around the lake.”

I tilted my head in confusion at the mention of rats but quickly caught on.

“Oh, that’s right. You said you could communicate with animals, didn’t you?”

“Not just animals—all living creatures.”

Wait, does that mean he can talk to plants, too?

My curiosity piqued at the thought of his unusual ability.

“Can you communicate with monsters as well?”

“Monsters… I’ve never tried, so I wouldn’t know.”

Daniel added quietly, with a slight frown, “And I don’t plan to, either.”

It seemed the idea of talking to monsters had made him pale for a moment.

Feeling bad for even suggesting it, I quickly changed the subject.

“Did you have to learn how to communicate with living creatures?”

“No. It’s something I was born with. My mother is an elf.”

“An elf?”

“Yes.”

His casual confirmation left me wide-eyed.

Suddenly, I felt a strange, queasy sensation in my stomach, as if I had swallowed too much air at once.

I had never imagined elves existed in the real world.

The revelation hit me hard, and my heart raced with the shock of it.

Suddenly, the world I had known felt incredibly small. Living in the Luther Village, I had been like a frog in a well, and now I realized just how vast the world truly was.

At the same time, I felt a growing excitement about how much more I had yet to discover.

But I had never heard of elves living in the Hadelber Kingdom.

Questions began to sprout in my mind like seeds, one after another.

I prodded at the grass Daniel had been playing with earlier and organized my thoughts into a single question.

Hidden beneath the long grass was a tiny white flower, no larger than a fingernail.

“So, Daniel, you’re not originally from Hadelber Kingdom?”

“I’m from the Republic of Shains.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s much smaller than Hadelber, which is probably why.”

“Do elves live there?”

“Yes, elves and humans live together with equal rights.”

I marveled at the idea. In that country, elves must be a normal part of life.