The Hero's room began to be furnished, little by little, with furniture useful to his daily life and to look less empty. Little by little it was even beginning to be embellished with pretty little decorations and some photo frames - this was of course not his doing, he had no artistic inclination whatsoever; it was thanks to the Fairy's friends, the Queen's servants, herself and her bodyguard that they were able to have something... satisfactory.
From this day of decorating came the photo that was on his bedside table next to his Bible, where you can see the not very happy face of the Hero who had no desire to participate in all this mess and fill his "house".
Of course, he might never say it, but their act had touched him incredibly, having this new arrangement in this apartment, even if temporary, made him happy. Not because they had given a rebirth to the cesspool that served as his resting place, but because they had simply taken the time to do it. He wondered if the simple, shy "thank you" he'd uttered had satisfied them as a thank you - fortunately the queen had organized a mini picnic on the roof of the Hero's apartment to make up for it. For the occasion, he'd even gotten another bucket of cookies that were even more famous than the previous ones.
To think that, if he had not had his immortality, when he arrived in these places, he would have already died several times without having been able to appreciate this small ephemeral happiness. He said to himself, as he was about to get out of his bed, that he could well take advantage of this beautiful night illuminated by the blue lights of the walls-shell to make a small night walk.
And as he put his foot down, suddenly a figure appeared before him. Shaking his long hair in pink battle, dressed in disengaged fairy town clothes and with a piercing verose look, here was Malalalivia Grave in front of him.
- Honestly, if I hadn't recognized you, I would have killed you," said the Hero, catching his breath.
- As if you had the ability...
She went to grab a chair and took her place in front of the Hero, the back of the seat facing her.
- To what do I owe the visit of a descendant of the fighting kings in my miserable home?
- Lelelitio told me that you were going to help us.
- It took him a while because I changed my mind the same night.
- It was me who took a long time to come to you," she corrected, "I just knew...
- Not where I live?
- Not how to come to see you! she grumbled with an embarrassed air.
- Oh you guessed I was going to say you were an idiot for not asking Lelelitio where I live, he applauded.
- You are far too terrible to be the hero of the legend...
- Surely, said the Hero with a shrug, but let's get back to the subject of your coming.
- Do you know your princess' lover named Beneltig?
- Of course! What a question!
Hearing his rival's name made him much more bitter. It would help Malalalivia's cause.
- Well, we're going to kidnap him!
- Huh?" gasped the Hero, "already you barge into my house without warning through the window and you ask me to kidnap a kid?
- As if you weren't one.
- But that's absolutely not the point!
Malalalivia rolls her eyes and raises her arms in the air.
- But we are not moving forward! And he is linked to this sect.
- How do you know that?
- I saw him talking to one of those men in red...
The Hero looked down with a worried expression.
- But you don't really seem surprised by this announcement, the princess noted.
He scratches his head and looks away.
- I'd seen him talking to one of these guys before his first fight and after the Queen's sermon," he reveals.
- And does she know?
- Yes.
- And she didn't do anything? the fairy takes offense.
The Hero raises his head and stares straight into the eyes of his hot-tempered interlocutor.
- You think you can blame anyone on men who only pick on the poor people of the Nether? Only the queen cares about you! You think accusing a nobleman won't pay off? You'll just end up accused of mythomania and even more excluded from society than you are now.
Malalalivia wanted to say something back to him but knew he was right so she kicked one of the legs of the Hero's bed out of frustration, tearing off the leg in the process and making the Hero fall to the ground without the fairy seeing him because his back was to him.
- But I have enough of it to cross that of the madwomen..., it pesta while whispering.
Filled with anger, he tried to put a sweep on the ground, she felt his presence, easily dodged a step forward and turn around to face him.
- We don't really have time to have fun," she scolded him.
- Wait! Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Wait up! You just blew up one of my bedposts for free anyway!
She grumbled, scratching her head in embarrassment before apologizing.
- I'm sorry I got angry.
- Will your apology pay for my bed?
- This is all I can offer you...
- What are you talking about? You're a princess! You're not going to tell me you're that dry?
She didn't even have time to contradict him when he slipped his hands into the pockets of her dress... and all he got out was dust.
- I told you I was poor.
The Hero sighed. She was as poor as he was outside his walls. He did not even know why he had not believed her. He could only apologize to her, and they both forgave each other and said it wasn't that bad. The Hero wanted to replace the foot of his bed with a cup to sit on, but when he sat on it, the cup broke, but the Hero did not fall to the ground this time.
- It would have been better to put books.
- They would have ended up with holes in them.
- So it was useless.
- Yes.
At this point, neither of them knew who was the dumber of the two. This situation was becoming far too awkward to continue. It was best to return to the main topic of Princess Malalalivia's visit.
- So what do we do?
- We'll question him directly at his home, proposed the Hero, do you know where he lives?
- Well, that's just it... I was counting on you.
The Hero sighed again in despair before smiling in spite.
- I can't hold it against you, he conceded, it's logical since I am the protector of his fiancée.
- Are they engaged?
- OF COURSE NOT!" he exclaimed.
- You don't have to take it that way... It was a simple question...
- I found more the other name in Oli' Ane, it is all... he explained of a very small voice before resuming his normal voice by coughing, well, already, he does not live Java-Aleim being that it is not a princess-fairy...
- Of course.
- ... even thinking more seriously, I don't see where it could be... but I know who could know!
- Who?" the fairy asked, suspicious.
- Lin. A friend of his.
- You know it's not safe to bring other people into our business?
- Don't worry, sister, I can vouch for this little guy," he smiled at her, "I know just about where he lives.
"My sister?" wondered Malalalivia.
She didn't ask herself any more questions and followed him through the window.
Seeing her falling in direction of the ground, he noticed, in spite of his bad sight, that her legs were rather muscular, her strength did not seem usurped when she had stopped him at the time of the reception.
- What are you looking at?" said the princess.
- Nothing very interesting. Just follow me.
The hero thought that if she was so strong, her champion must be just as strong or stronger. A titan of unimaginable power compared to his previous opponents in this place. Although this woman was an outcast among her own kind, she must have acquired a worthy protector - unlike his princess who preferred to be protected by Beneltig.
- Tell me princess of the Nether, are you a little hungry?
- Not really...
No sooner had she said no than her stomach contradicted her.
The Hero chuckled as he heard his stomach growl with hunger.
- "Men can lie but not their bodies! Come on, I'll buy you some skewers.
Malalalivia could only accept the boy's proposal, insulting his stomach for being unable to keep quiet. Once at the same vendor as when he was accompanied by the servant of Princess Malalalivia Talemilia Grave, she greedily devoured all the meat that the Hero had bought for her.
- You're as hungry as an ogre, aren't you?
- That you can say!
Then she changed her mind.
- I can't afford to eat so much while my people are starving.
- Don't worry, it's at the expense of the princess," he said, snatching a skewer to pick his teeth.
- What do you mean? And even then! I can't.
- It's an expression that means you can eat as you want, and a play on words in this case, and as far as the ones in the orphanage are concerned, I've already bought a whole bunch of food for them.
- It is true? she startled.
- Of course. Saving them from an excruciating death to die excruciatingly of hunger is not really helpful.
Sobs were heard from the other side of the table, the Hero looked down and saw tears running down her cheeks, her hard face softened. Was it the skewers that caused her eyes to well up with tears or was it that small gesture that touched her?
He already had the answer, but it was fun to consider the possibility.
- As in the legends, the hero of the legend can only be generous...
A coldness fell on the Hero. As always, it had to come back to this stupid legend! The evil he spread and the fear he created around him came from him and his "demonic" side, but the good he did for others was attributed to the hero of the legend.
It has to be.
- It's not because I'm the hero of the legend that I'm doing this, he said, tired, but because we are in the same boat ...
- "Same boat?" she asked, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her dress, I really don't understand the expressions you use.
The Hero remembered that in the presence of Faerie he did not use human expressions, but lately he felt much more at ease than when he first came. The more his tongue loosened, the more he spoke and the more his vocabulary that he had in mind came out in speech. Especially since beyond the expressions, it was Franca who stood out.
If he wanted to be understood, he should be more careful.
- I mean, I'm not that different from the people of the Nether despite my beautiful clothes, he explained, I'm especially lucky that the queen was friends with my mother, otherwise if I leave here, this kingdom, I have only a dump city as a home.
- Your mother was the former heroine, right?
- Yes. Did the queen tell you that?
- The information was flying around, but Triface's vehemence about it means that we would have learned about it anyway. But knowing that the hero of the legend is not a nobleman makes me...
- Is that so? What were you thinking?" asked the Hero, feigning some curiosity, while drinking a sweet mixture.
- I thought it was a brave knight who saved the widow and the orphan, accompanied by a fairy magician who could perform any miracle...
The boy spat out his drink at this revelation, he was hilarious at Malalalivia's description of him or his predecessors.
- Hey! You bastard! Why are you laughing?" the princess said, "and why are you spitting out food?
- Wait, let me catch my breath! Is this the vision you have of me?
- No. Of course not. This is my vision of the hero of the legend! Not of you! You haven't shown a single bit of bravery to match your legend.
Strange.
It was the first time he was accused of this. He was differentiated from the hero of the legend when he did something evil, but it was said more as if he was suffering from schizophrenia and not that he was different from the hero of the legend and that he had to reach the prestige of his myth. Even the queen had not made this kind of remark to him - but she expected him to be more like his mother rather than like the hero of the legend.
- I must even say that I am disappointed in you, added the fairy princess, you are violent, childish and immature. Very different from what the legends say about your title.
- At the same time, before being the hero of the legend, I am me. And you are the only one who considers me as such, if you leave out those who "know me personally". Look around you, people are staring at me, getting as far away from me as possible because although I may be their hero, I am first and foremost a human, but especially the one nicknamed the "Faceless Demon", bearer of a curse that people like you can feel perhaps from miles away.
- And you're happy with that?
- What do you mean?
- To be denigrated and mistreated for who you are and who they think you are.
He shrugged his shoulders.
- It's always been like that. I can't change that.
- Isn't the hero supposed to be so strong that he can fight fate?
- What fate could he fight if he is not able to subdue his own? he raised his voice and slammed his fist on the table.
He got up from the table and went to pay, then called Malalalivia to follow him.
- I told the kabob man to save the food for me until I got back, we'll pick up the rest later, but as for our little conversation, it ends there.
- But...
- It stops here!
She frowned but gave in to the Hero's command.
It was her life, she wasn't going to interfere with it... yet.
After half an hour's walk - for the Hero could no longer find his way around in the middle of the night - they found themselves in front of a large two-story building, set into a kind of wall, reminiscent of the hidden cities in the mountains that were inhabited by the elves - perhaps a small reminder of their natural habitat as the forest that surrounded the kingdom.
- Is it here?" asked the princess, whispering.
- No, we are in front of a "hotel of pleasures", he answered with irony, of course we are there otherwise why we would have stopped there?
- This is still the third house you say we're in.
- Roh!" he protested at length.
He moved closer to one of the walls of the house and managed to spot Lin's room.
- Given your strength, normally you're able to propel me to the second floor. So you're going to give me the slip and...
- Get on my back," she ordered.
- Right?
- Climb on my back that I carry you, repeated Malalalivia.
- Are you out of your mind?
She huffed in exasperation as she saw that she had been mistaken in calling the Hero immature. She grabbed him and carried him at arm's length, before jumping up and reaching the window leading to Lin's room.
- Damn, you jump high!
- How do you think I got to your house? It's just the remnants of when I wasn't yet wingless. Now open the window before we fall.
The Hero pulled himself up onto the fairy's arm, placed one foot and both hands on the windowsill, and then managed to place himself as expertly as he could on the ledge while standing on his knees, facing the window of Lin's room. Although he didn't know if Malalalivia could still hold onto the windowsill with her hands, he preferred to hurry to open the window even if it meant being less discreet. Almost tripping, he managed to open it, grabbed onto the sides of the window and entered Lin's house, sprawling miserably on the floor.
Twice in the same evening, that's a lot.
He stood up, massaging his face to ease the pain, grabbed Malalalivia's wrists and threw her into the room, and, unlike him, she managed to land on her feet, skidding a little on the floor. of the room, and, unlike him, she managed to land on her feet by skidding a little on the ground.
No kidding...
With all this noise, he was sure that the main occupant of the room would wake up. He rubbed his eyelids delicately while blinking with difficulty, he was surely waking up from a paradoxical sleep. When his sight became clearer, he saw in the half-light two pairs of eyes shining like the day which observed him: one blood red, scarlet and the other illuminated of an emerald green color of an eye and of the other shone of a pink heliotrope.
At first sight, those eyes that were watching him in the darkness seemed more than threatening, as if they belonged to vile creatures from a demonic world - especially the red eyes - which created such a shock in his brain that he began to stammer incomprehensible sounds for long seconds before bursting out and screaming in despair.
- Calm down, Lin! It's me!" the Hero identified himself, trying to keep him quiet.
Seeing that he didn't stop, the fairy made him shut up by slapping him which calmed him down immediately.
- I thought about it but I didn't dare," said the Hero.
Coming to his senses and recognizing his friend, Lin asked him what he was doing in the middle of the night with this starry-eyed lady.
- We need you," replied the Hero.
- What for?" asked Lin, "and who is this fairy maiden who accompanies you?
- Oh, her? Lin, this is Talemilia "Malalalivia" Grave and Malalalivia, this is Lin Uramerchie.
- A "Grave"? Lin wondered, the name of the royal family? The name of the Kingfighters?
- That's right," the princess congratulated him, "you have followed your history lessons well enough, but let's see if you can push the reflection further.
- She is the descendant of the fourth brother of the Warrior-Kings," cut the Hero short.
- But...
- You said it yourself: we have no time to lose.
- Yes, you're right," she said.
- What are you doing with the fallen princess?" asked Lin to the Hero, "Princess will be jealous if she finds out.
The Hero brushed off this assumption with a wave of his hand and spat out the air with a dismissive look.
- Like, do I care if she sees me with another girl? Especially since she already saw me with Mina...
- Mina is different.
- Really? Why is that?
- If she didn't tell you, it's not my place to tell you.
- Well, I'll ask him then.
- We'll see if she answers you. But if not, you still haven't told me what you are doing here?
Malalalivia spoke again and stepped in front of the Hero.
- We're going to kidnap Beneltig.
- Oh yeah!" exclaimed Lin.
- Are you walking with us?" continued the fallen princess.
- Wait Malalalivia, stopped the Hero.
He explained in a better way what they were actually going to do and why they were going to do it. Lin thought for a moment about what he had just learned.
- So all you want me to do is tell you where Lin lives?
- There! said Malalalivia and the Hero in unison.
- I might as well take you there then," the elf proclaimed.
- Huh?" exclaimed the fairy.
- Okay," agreed the Hero.
Slapping her forehead, Malalalivia took the Hero aside and demanded answers of his approval of her friend's participation in their quest.
- I told you: you can trust him.
He gently removed his arm from her shoulders and returned to Lin.
- Are you sure you can come?
- Surely. My parents must have fallen asleep by now.
- Then follow us.
- Wait, I have a rope to get down, Lin told them.
- Let it go, stopped the Hero, a five-meter fall won't stop us.
Still in her pajamas, Malalalivia grabbed Lin, who didn't have time to change and jumped out the window, followed by the Hero. On the ground, unexpectedly, they found themselves facing an unknown figure.
- I think it's one of your parents," said the Hero.
- No, absolutely not," refuted Lin, putting his feet on the ground, "I told you: my parents are probably asleep by now and if they had heard any noise, they would not be waiting for us outside.
Realizing that they were facing an illustrious stranger with a hooded head, Malalalivia and the Hero went on guard. The Hero instinctively wanted to call Ymir, but recoiled: the Queen had formally forbidden him to use his cursed weapon in any situation. It didn't matter if it was an extreme emergency or not.
He had been far too careless not to carry a gun around, staying within this realm was softening him up more than he thought it would.
- Don't be afraid, said the stranger, I don't want to hurt you, I just want to help you.
- How do I know you are telling the truth?" asked the Hero.
- Because we have the same objective.
- Really? I don't know what you mean! We just came to sneak out with our friend to walk around and taste all kinds of unhealthy crap.
The hooded stranger came closer to the trio, the fists of the hero and the princess closed more and more, they could not throw themselves into the battle in unknown. They had to be careful, especially since they had a civilian with them. If the hero was alone, he would have thrown himself headlong in front of this potential enemy without even asking questions, but he was not in the desolate lands of Francilia, nor in the dark alleys of dangerous cities, the interactions were different this time, he was not unknown to the inhabitants of this kingdom.
The woman in front of them removed her hood and displayed her face for all to see. Immediately the princess and the elf boy got down on one knee under the stunned eyes of the young hero.
- But what are you doing?" asked the Hero.
- This is not just anyone, young human," said Malalalivia.
- This is the oracle of Sylvania," said Lin.
The Hero looked back at this person who was introducing himself to them and perceived something else about her that vaguely reminded him of someone.
- I am sorry to impose myself on you in such an unwelcome way, but I had to see you, you who are fighting this hidden evil in the eyes of all. But first, I must introduce myself to you, heroes of legend who have never seen me: I am the oracle of Sylvania, Sibyl, mother of my late daughter Thoosa.