Chapter 23: Leader or Hero?
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"What's happening in front of me..?"
Sayru thought in astonishment.
After finally finding a village in that dark and strange world, Sayru knocked twice on the first door he saw.
From behind the door, a little girl appeared—calling him a Hero!
And not only that, but her father immediately dropped to his knees in fear upon learning that Sayru was the Hero.
But…
What kind of Hero was this supposed to be? His face showed nothing but confusion.
"Stand up… I am not a Hero. I'm just a Martial Artist who lost his way in this strange world."
Sayru said as he helped the girl's father to his feet.
"Could it be… that you haven't regained your memories yet?" the man asked, his face showing traces of fear.
At those words, Sayru froze. Memories?
"You… you know that I've lost some of my memories? How did you find out?" His voice sharpened, carrying a threatening tone.
The man staggered backward, trembling.
"P–please calm down, Hero! I'm not the only one who knows—everyone in this village is aware of your memory loss. A-after all, you came from afar to deliver us from despair."
Sayru's ignorance of the situation only deepened. "Wait! Let's go inside first, explain everything to me from the beginning—I can't make sense of any of this."
The three of them entered the house and shut the door behind them.
Despite their apparent poverty, the man served Sayru a cup of fine tea and some sweets.
"So then? What's this story about a Hero?" Sayru asked, sipping the tea slowly.
The man bowed his head respectfully. "Sir, it is a tale passed down from the very first generation that founded this village. Though incomplete and vague, it goes like this…"
And so the man began recounting an ancient legend, a story whispered from one head of the family to the next. It spoke of ten great men, an old woman, and her grandson—the twelve founders of these villages.
"Wait… villages?" Sayru interrupted.
"Yes, our village is not the only one here," the man replied, before continuing.
He said that one day, a great number of people suddenly awoke in a strange world. An endless plain stretched as far as the eye could see. Fear consumed them, for they had no memories—only fragments of knowledge and experience from before.
Only eleven among them stood firm. They calmed the terrified masses and slowly guided them, eventually becoming leaders of the group.
One founder claimed their numbers reached hundreds of thousands, and simply leading such a vast horde was a miracle in itself.
Days turned into weeks as they explored the strange world, enduring its silence and emptiness.
"Have you found anything?" a bearded giant asked another leader by the campfire.
"No… nothing. We've lost more than fifty today. We should stop searching for the month," the other replied, his eyes dim with despair.
"And what about the Hero?" he asked after a long silence.
"As you know, he's become famous ever since that incident with the ferocious tiger. Even I was wounded by it, but him… he destroyed it completely." His clenched fists trembled with rage.
"Are you still bitter about that?"
"It's not bitterness… I'm just weak! I couldn't protect anyone…"
But before he could finish, something golden and radiant appeared in front of his face.
"W–what the hell is this?" he stammered, drenched in sweat, staring at his companion.
The other leader was just as shocked—for the same golden paper had appeared before him.
And not just them—every sleeping soul awoke to the glowing sheets suspended in the air.
"Mars, Eknel! Did a golden page appear to you too?!" the Hero cried, rushing from his tent in alarm.
Panic erupted among the people as they tried to make sense of the sight.
"Silence! Look closely at the paper—read what it says aloud," one of the founders commanded.
They did as told, and their answers were all the same. What they read was this:
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[It is said that no one can live alone. Humanity's fear of solitude gave birth to society itself.
The first task: Choose your Leader.
The second task: Fight for your Leader.
The third task: Form a community where your Leader's word is absolute.
The final task: Build a refuge in this world with your Leader.]
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Many felt unease, as though they were being forced into chains.
The Hero stepped forward. "Remember, this is an unknown world. Even the smallest mistake could lead to countless disasters."
Moved by his words, the people decided to follow the golden script they couldn't even touch.
Five years passed…
Eventually, they found a suitable place to settle, and the first village was established under the rule of the ten leaders.
But it wasn't long before the ten leaders and the Hero left, saying: "We too must complete our mission."
The Hero added: "A day will come when I return to the village. Even if I remember nothing, even if I appear changed, even if I return in death itself—I will bring the solution that will save us from this world!"
He then departed, leaving his grandmother in charge of the village.
With her uncanny intuition for danger, the grandmother saved many lives and ruled effectively. But after her death, disputes tore the village apart, splitting it into many smaller ones.
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"That's… quite the strange yet fascinating story," Sayru murmured, deep in thought.
"Yes, Hero. Because of the promise he made before leaving, I knew who you were the moment you said you were lost," the man replied with a bright smile.
That smile spelled trouble for Sayru, who barely understood the situation. The man saw him as salvation, yet Sayru didn't even know how to regain control of his mana—let alone how to escape this bizarre world.
"I see… I think I understand what I must do now." Sayru rose, draining the last drop of tea.
"Really?!"
"First, I want to meet all the village leaders—to decide if you're even worth saving."
At those words, the man's face turned pale.
"I'll warn you," Sayru said, flashing a wicked smile. "If you're not worth saving, I won't just leave you… I'll cut all your heads off."