A Mistaken Encounter: The Hero of the World

"——Epimethius."

"......!" Epimetheus looked behind him. Was it Illya? No, this Kamui——!

“You…you are…”

I see. So Illya is——she is——

"...You are Prometheus." Epimetheus said, "Oh... There was a time when I doubted Rhea, wondering if she was Prometheus..."

"You are really quite dull, Epimetheus. You are really blind." Prometheus's face was somewhat sentimental. "You are just a mortal, not the material to be a hero... But you are on this hill, praying for the salvation of others. Although you have experienced the pain of powerlessness more than anyone else, you still work hard for the world... That's why I gave you the [Flame Eagle]. It is because of you that we can protect this land for three thousand years."

"I see you fighting hard, I hope you can rest. I hope you get the rewards you deserve..."

"...I hate you." Epimetheus said firmly in a weak voice.

"I know."

"...I hate you..."

"Of course I understand."

"I thought... everything I had done so far was meaningless..."

"..." Prometheus' gaze stopped on Epimetheus, feeling both guilty and distressed.

"...But, in the end...it was great to meet that guy who was more determined than me and that new hero..."

Epimetheus turned his back to the god.

At this point, he no longer knew what expression he should use to face his Lord God.

Like children who take after their parents, Epimetheus and Prometheus were both hopelessly timid and clumsy.

There is morning glow in the distant sky - daybreak is approaching.

For him, the beginning of the day was once so hateful, but now it is so beautiful -

"...The story repeats itself." Prometheus finally spoke again, "The path you once went through when you felt humbled and sad...maybe it has become someone's hope."

"I may not be qualified to say this... but I am the only god who can say this, so I still have to say it—"

The sound of the waves remains, and the new sun shines in the east, bringing infinite light to the world.

"--Epimethius, your story was not in vain."

"——." The words got stuck in Epimetheus' throat. "...I hate you the most."

"Ah."

"...I hate you the most!" 3.0 Epimetheus' voice began to cry.

"Ah."

"Your existence is really annoying!"

"…I'm sorry, Epimetheus."

"...Thank you, Master God."

"...!"

The breeze blew, like a simple funeral song, and the grass swayed, as if a group of people were waving to their best friends.

"…Are you leaving? Epimetheus."

No one answered.

The man was alone on the hill covered by the morning glow, like an old man left behind, but his feet stood straight.

The ending is accompanied by great regret and remorse, as well as a little redemption.

He died standing up—

The story of the hero that has been walking for three thousand years has finally ended here.

Chapter 173 Bert's Dream [Subscribe]

"Then I'll protect Bert too!"

"I will always be by your side, holding you, and whispering in your ears..."

There were still tears in the corners of the werewolf Bert's eyes. He had a particularly distant dream -

That was a memory from when he was still a little kid and a weakling, and he had deliberately forgotten it for a long, long time.

At that time, he had a close relationship with his sister and a golden-haired orc girl.

Liyin - the girl's name, Bert still remembers it clearly.

The unique tone of the girl calling her name still seems to be ringing in her ears.

The girl named Li Yin once said:

"Although I am weak...but I will always watch over Bert. In order to prevent Bert from getting hurt...I will always, always be by your side."

but--

Now it was clear that Bert was the only one left.

"fraud……"

The scar under the tattoo on Bert's cheek was aching slightly. He didn't know why he still dreamed about the memory of that time.

He was a man who hated regrets. He felt that it was pointless to let himself dream about these things.

At this point, no matter how many "scars" this body has, nothing will change.

However, he couldn't help himself and just woke up from his sleep and fell asleep again leaning on the pillow.

Moreover, the strange thing is that the dream actually resumed from the point where it just broke off -

"——That's not the case. Bert can't get hurt any more."

Half asleep and half awake, Bert heard the golden-haired werewolf girl murmur with a smile, "So, Bert, don't finish what I'm going to say next--"

"——Remember to prepare the "holy water."

The day before the Loki clan was about to attack the enemy's stronghold, Bert happened to dream about his childhood.

Although he thought it was absurd and felt himself to be extremely stupid, he still obeyed what the girl he once loved said to him in his dream and came to the [Dean Kate Family] obediently.

"Mr. Bert Roca... You are such a rare visitor. I didn't expect you to come here. What can I do for you?"

"Give me your blood," Bert said. "I need it as a material to make holy water that can heal wounds and remove curses."

Ahmed looked at him in surprise, "...Use my blood to make "holy water"? Why do you need this? What do you want to do with it?"

Bert curled his lips. He couldn't just say that he had a wonderful dream.

"Don't worry about it, just do it!" Werewolf Bert forcefully stuffed the money into her pocket. Ahmed refused several times but was rejected by Bert. Finally, she reluctantly agreed to make a bottle for Bert.

"By the way, how are Miss Aisi and...Mr. Serven doing lately?"

"Same old. Serven has gone out of town."

"Gone out of the city!? Where did Mr. Serven go?" Amid's tone became a little excited.

She saw Bert looking at her suspiciously, and quickly tried to restore her calm expression.

Although her cheeks were still red, Ahmed cleverly changed the subject, "According to your request, the "holy water" has been prepared. Now can you tell me what you want to use it for?"

"Don't worry about it, it's useful!" Bert took the holy water and put it into his pocket.

As a result, it was actually used not long after—

He successfully saved the life of a girl who had a crush on him.

Chapter 174 Emergency [Subscribe]

"Mr. Adonis, this... is back to you, thank you~."

When Serven boarded the ship, the elf girl walked towards him and returned the [Sword of Night Sky].

"It's finally over..." Serven smiled at Liu and took the dagger. "Thank you for your help, Miss Liu."

"…Nothing, I didn't help at all." Liu shifted his gaze, "…Um, I've finished reading the book Mr. Adonis gave me last time…"

Serven was indeed intrigued. "…How do you feel about it? Are there any parts that you feel are not well written?"

Liu shook his head. "No. Rather, it's so well written... This story of an ordinary fisherman's struggle gives me a refreshing feeling."

Serven's expression relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face naturally. "I'm glad you like this story."

At the same time, Hermes was watching the ship from a distance, or to be more precise, his eyes were fixed on Serven's figure.

There was no smile on his face and his eyes were full of coldness.

There was no one nearby, so he used his divine power and a twin-snake staff appeared in his hands.

"...Oh my, something big has gone wrong."

The god Hermes held the [Sacred Artifact] in his hand and sighed in disappointment.

"If you take action now, are you sure you can handle the [Heavenly Fire]?"

A voice suddenly sounded, and a tall figure in a black hooded robe appeared next to Hermes.

There was no surprise on Hermes' face.

"…Why would a real human being go to this point?"

"This is the 'change' of the underworld, isn't it? Children have infinite 'possibilities'." The mysterious man in black robe said, "Come to think of it, I never thought that a human being could bear so much resentment..."

"You've been with him for so long, haven't you noticed his potential?"

"…In the beginning, he wasn't even as good as Bell. Even when he was destroying the monsters near the village, I thought he was just an adventurer with some talent…"

"...But now, even our "little hero" can't compare to him..."

"Hermes, you know a lot of information in Orario. When did he develop such a strong...even formidable will...?"

"This is a bit stumping for me... maybe it should be... when his hair turns white?"

"…It looks like this child has suffered a lot."

Hermes restrained the smile on his face and looked at the swordsman in the distance with a serious expression. His expression became somewhat respectful and he took back the [Twin Snake Staff].

"...Serven-kun is not a hero after all. Compared to him, I still like Bell-kun more々'."

"That child's soul is as pure as ever..." The mysterious man in black robe began to miss the past.

He recalled a scene one afternoon when a child's eyes sparkled as he listened to a hero's story.

He also recalled a certain naughty kid who pretended to be dismissive of the heroic story, and a smile appeared on his face.

"...The gods could never have imagined that the soul of an ordinary person could become so shining? It even... suppressed the brilliance of that child..."

"Indeed."

"Hermes!" A soft laugh came from under the black robe, "You like Bell more just because he is your (everyone's) hero, while Serven is only Hestia and the others' hero, right?"

"...Maybe." A smile appeared on Hermes' face in the shadow of the cowboy hat. "Such a selfish and narrow-minded person is so unpleasant..."

"It's romantic for a man to successfully save the woman he loves, isn't it?"

"...It's indeed romantic. But it's not a heroic story..." Hermes pressed the brim of his hat, "By the way, I have to go. Goodbye... Cyrus."

"Hahaha, goodbye, Hermes."

In the distance, Hermes, who had been missing for a long time, finally arrived.

"… Lord Hermes! What took you so long?! Could you please stop causing trouble for everyone?!"

Seeing that her main god finally showed up, Yasifei couldn't help but complain.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, something happened that delayed me for a little while..." Hermes looked towards the place where he had just talked with the mysterious man in black robes -

There was no one there anymore.

Serven also looked over there, with a half-smile on his face——

"God Hermes, I'm suddenly a little curious about what the legendary God of Commerce's [artifact] looks like..."

Hermes' heart skipped a beat and he had to force a smile.