The village was neither big nor small, just one of the typical mountain villages. It was quite far from the capital city and would take 10 days on horseback to get there. The people there lived by farming and had a peaceful lifestyle. This was Tariz Village, which became famous for producing a hero.
“Do I know about Ares? Of course! I was his friend!” The man was asked if he knew about Ares and began to talk about him smoothly, as if he was used to it. He searched for people around Ares’ age who might still be alive and asked about Ares.
“Ares could do anything from a young age. He was strong, fast, and smart. He was good-looking too, so all the girls his age liked him.” The man continued to talk about Ares, seemingly comfortable with the topic.
“He was amazing. Give him a sword and he would become better than any adult in no time. He also learned healing magic from the church’s priest. And that’s not all. He read an old, tattered book on magic that belonged to the village chief’s house and learned magic as well. Even I and the village chief couldn’t read the special letters in that book. He studied hard and learned to read those letters. That’s why he became a hero!”
“So Ares could use swords, magic, and even healing magic when he was in this village?” “Of course. You know that, don’t you? The Hero Ares is famous for being able to use swords, magic, and even healing magic. He was a special person, that’s why he became a hero, right?”
“Why did such a special person like Ares bother to enroll in the Falum Academy?” “Why? To be recognized as a hero, he had to enrol there, didn’t he? Or maybe he went there to find his companions? I don’t know much about it. Maybe the fortune teller told him to go to the capital city?” “The fortune teller?”
Is that about the prophet?
“Yes, that’s the one. One day, he came to our village and said, ‘A hero will appear from this village to save the world.’ Everyone knew immediately that it was about Ares. He was truly a special person.” The prophet is a person known for appearing at the crossroads of the world and delivering prophecies. Well, given that his activity spanned over 1,000 years, it’s uncertain whether he was human or not. Some have suggested that he might have been multiple people.
Did Ares meet the prophet directly? “I don’t remember. That fortune-teller disappeared quickly. He was just, well, a weird person, with dignity, and just a mysterious person.”
After receiving that prophecy, Ares set off for the capital?
“Yes, that’s right. I thought to myself that Ares was amazing.” ──Amazing?
“Well, although it’s peaceful now, in those days, monsters were rampaging, and the journey to the capital was dangerous. Because of that, trade was disrupted, and the village suffered. That’s what I heard from my parents.”
And a 14-year-old boy travelled that dangerous journey alone?
“Yes, that’s right. Well, I guess he thought that an adult would just slow him down if he came along. But he made it there on his own. He really was amazing.” I parted ways with the simple village person and headed to Ares’ home. It was the current village chief’s house. Ares was the son of the current village chief and the grandchild of the village chief who went on the journey. “Thank you for coming all this way to see us. I understand that you have some questions about our son, Ares,” said the village chief’s wife, Shera, who had arranged to meet me in advance by letter. Perhaps because of that, Shera welcomed me warmly. She seemed to be in her 50s, but had a dignified presence, and I could imagine that she had been a beautiful woman when she was younger.
What kind of child was Ares?
“He was a very well-behaved child. He was smart and didn’t cause any trouble. He even helped out around the house. He was truly… a good child.” Shera spoke slowly, as if reminiscing.
He had a reputation for being able to do anything?
“Rather than saying ‘anything’, he was a skilled child. However, I didn’t think he was as outstanding as everyone said. He could certainly wield a sword decently, perform small miracles of the gods, and use magic, but they were not of a very high level. He stood out because this is a small village, but if he went to a more populous place, he would have been evaluated as a ‘slightly unusual and talented child’. ”
By any chance, are you not from this village?
“Yes, you figured it out. I’m from the capital city and not from this village. I met my husband at school in the capital city where we were both good students and athletes. After we got married, we moved to this village. Actually, my husband and I weren’t anything special. I don’t really talk about this, though,” said Shera, smiling.
However, Ares was chosen as the hero.
“It was strange. He was our pride and joy, but he wasn’t that kind of child. The villagers praised him as the one mentioned in the prophecy, but my husband and I didn’t believe it. Who would want to put their own child in danger to fight the demon king? No parent wants their child to do such dangerous things. Rather than not believing it, we probably didn’t want to believe it. We would have preferred someone else to be the hero if possible.”
Even so, you sent him off as a hero.
“My father-in-law, who was the village chief at the time, was enthusiastic about it, and so were the villagers. They were all delighted that a hero was coming from their own village. At that time, the world was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere due to the appearance of the Demon King. This village was no exception. When the appearance of the hero was announced, the whole village was overjoyed. We couldn’t deny that it was different. So, we sent him to the Falm Academy to get stronger and find comrades to travel with.”
Was it your will to send him to the Falm Academy?
“It was my husband’s and my will. We knew that the Falm Academy was a training institution for heroes. However, we also knew that it was a school where only nobles went, so we told him that he didn’t have to go if it was too difficult for him to get in. Our goal was to make him stronger and find comrades, so we thought that anywhere he could achieve that goal would be fine. He was a flexible thinker, so we thought he would do well if we told him that, but in the end, he entered the Falm Academy.”
What did Ares himself think of being chosen as a hero?
“He was a clever child, so he read the atmosphere of the village and behaved as everyone wanted him to. But I think he was anxious inside. He was probably the one who was most aware that he wasn’t that exceptional. I remember seeing him outside swinging his sword relentlessly when I woke up in the middle of the night. He couldn’t sleep because of his anxiety.”
However, he defeated the Demon King.
“…… And then he died too. I should be happy that the world was saved, but my husband and I can’t be happy. Why did he have to die? I still think that. There should have been many more talented people who could have done it, but why did it have to be him?” Shera wiped away her tears. She looked away from me and looked around the room. I noticed a sword hanging on the wall. It was beautiful, but it was heavily worn.
What’s that?
“That’s the sword of that child. Only the sword came back. It was a sword that had been passed down in this house for generations. I don’t know its history, but it fought alongside that child until the end. It must have been a good sword. The fact that only that sword came back is the only consolation. That’s all that’s left of his belongings.”
Did one of the hero’s companions bring back the sword?
“I haven’t met any of the people who were with Ares. Zack brought it back.”
Who is Zack?
“He’s that child’s cousin of the same age. He’s the child of the master’s younger sister, but both parents were adventurers. His father was from Marika, and when Marika was invaded by the Demon King, they went to rescue them and both died in battle. Zack was left in our care before they left.”
How was Zack able to bring back the sword? “He went to the capital with that child. After that child died, he said he received the sword through someone else there. So he brought it back to this village.”
— The villagers said that Ares travelled alone.
“He had luggage, so we couldn’t let him go alone. And since those two grew up together, they were very close. Zack was there, so I think Ares was a little relieved to be able to travel with him. The villagers exaggerate Ares’ accomplishments, so they don’t talk about Zack… Maybe they really just forgot about him because he was such an unremarkable child.”
Where is Zack now?
“After coming here, he said he would ‘leave on a trip soon’ and that was it. I suggested that he live in this village, but he stubbornly refused. He said, ‘I’m sorry, I let Ares die. I’m sorry.’ There was nothing for that child to apologize for…”
Did Zack travel with Ares?
“He was just accompanying him to the capital. That child was just an ordinary child, so he couldn’t go on a journey to fight the Demon King. He was hardworking and tried his best at everything, but he was somewhat clumsy. But he was a really good kid, you know? Ares was able to learn many things because Zack was with him. When Ares started something, Zack would stick with him until the end. Do you know how hard it is to continue learning alone? Being able to continue because there’s someone who does it with you.”
What do you think of the pictures of the hero that have spread throughout the world?
“They look a lot like that child. We also bought a big picture of the hero and hung it up in our house, you know?” Indeed, there was a large painting of the hero’s heroic figure hanging prominently in this house.
Do Ares and Zack look alike? “As cousins, they do look quite alike. But Ares has slightly larger eyes and a higher nose. It’s a small thing, but it changes the impression quite a bit. Ares was often complimented on his appearance, while Zack was said to have no distinguishing features. It’s strange how such a small difference can make such a big impact.”
