Hero's Coffin Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I'd rather go myself. I'll say I came to see the Commander's sword and witnessed a suspicious commotion, then point them in a direction. Use that chance to escape."

"It would be difficult to get away if you're caught by the Order."

"That... I'll manage somehow..."

But Mela's voice lost strength as she continued. It seemed that she and Kalterik had secretly slipped away after reporting the hero's death and bringing the holy sword to the temple, trying to avoid questioning. When the hero's death was first announced, everyone must have been in chaos, so they could have seized that opportunity, but...

As everyone was pondering, suddenly a clear voice rang out from the distance.

"A suspicious person went that way! Everyone, move quickly!"

It was an incredibly clear voice. What was this? Was someone helping them, or had they genuinely mistaken someone else for a suspicious person? Through the bushes, he could see someone repeatedly pointing somewhere.

The petite figure was about 150cm tall. Brown hair and lime-green eyes. A youthful appearance like a boy, with particularly noticeable pointed ears. He didn't seem to be an ordinary human. So he was seeing different races in this other world.

As he was curiously watching the round-spectacled boy pointing in the opposite direction from where they were, he turned his head to find everyone else silent.

"So we were discovered after all..."

"...I expected he'd figure it out."

Kalterik and Mela murmured quietly. Even Harenir sighed softly, and just as Isaph was beginning to wonder, the bushes were suddenly parted. He was the only one who flinched.

The boy had somehow approached right in front of them.

"Everyone! How could you try to leave without me!"

"...Haha, ha. Well, that..."

"We were..."

"That's too much! It's really too much!"

The boy stomped his feet repeatedly as if feeling hurt. Judging by his behavior and the knights' reactions, he seemed to be a long-time acquaintance. Moreover, while everyone looked troubled, they naturally stood up, apparently trusting that he had sent away all the nearby search party members.

Tears welled up in his sprout-like lime-green eyes.

"How could even Haren not tell me the truth! I'm your aide!"

It was a voice that made even the listeners feel sad. Aide? He looked like a young boy, but perhaps age couldn't be determined by appearance for different races. Moreover, the familiar way he addressed 'Haren' was intriguing.

Harenir softened his gaze and asked in a voice as if soothing a young child,

"Noi, were you very surprised?"

"I was a bit surprised, but of course I believed it was a lie. I never thought for a moment that Haren had died!"

The boy, whose name was Noi, shook his head urgently. He said he didn't believe it even when the vice-commanders of the Holy Knight Order announced the commander's death and the holy sword Piarus was brought in a coffin.

He watched this situation curiously from a few steps away. There was a bond between them that went beyond a simple superior-subordinate relationship. It was evident in Noi's behavior, and even more so in Harenir's expression. He was smiling faintly as if looking at a younger brother.

Somehow, this was a bit shocking. Perhaps because of his overwhelmingly sacred and beautiful face, even the simple act of wiping away tears seemed like bestowing a great blessing. Was this why rumors spread about the hero's kindness? And perhaps it wasn't a lie after all. It was just that he wasn't like that towards 'him'.

Soon, Noi hugged Harenir's waist tightly and said,

"Haren doesn't die. Because you're the son loved by God."

It felt less like a statement of simple trust and more like mentioning an obvious fact. The sentence seemed to be grounded in mythology.

He was overcome by a strange feeling. Suddenly, he recalled Harenir's face in the main hall. What expression did he have when he was heading towards the peach-colored coffin to reclaim the holy sword? At that time, he alone had faced him and witnessed that expression.

It was like...

The face of someone looking at an unattainable dream.

"A hero who heals instantly from wounds, revered as God's manifestation, couldn't possibly die just from a search. Most of the empire's citizens don't believe it either. They're just confused because Piarus has lost its light."

It seemed that the holy sword losing its light was interpreted as meaning its owner had disappeared. Moreover, with the knights closest to Harenir testifying to his death, everyone seemed to be in a state of uncertainty.

However, Noi seemed to have come to the main hall because he had greater faith in Harenir than others and knew him well. He had anticipated that Harenir, who hadn't died, would certainly come to reclaim the holy sword.

At Noi's bold declaration, Mela and Kalterik muttered "As expected..." while shaking their heads. It was a reaction suggesting that of course he would have deduced this.

"You're planning to go to the Encroachment Zone, aren't you?! Right?"

"You figured that out too?"

"Because that's the only place Haren would go after telling such a lie! So... I want to go with you."

Noi stepped back and spoke gravely. But Kalterik immediately shook his head.

"It's too dangerous for you to go."

"Yes, the air in the Encroachment Zone would be more fatal to me. But I can use purification tools for that!"

"Noi..."

"How long do you think you can keep hiding after suddenly lying about being dead? You need an assistant! And do you have a way to leave the capital right now? All three of you are incredibly conspicuous! You need to create disguised identities and make plans to get to the Encroachment Zone! You all know how smart and capable I am."

Finally, Noi looked straight up at Harenir.

"And... 'that person' asked me to stay with Haren."

"...That's a very old request."

"It's a request I must keep until the end of my life!"

Harenir smiled strangely. He remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded slowly, seemingly unable to resist Noi's persistence any longer. Noi immediately cheered and jumped around.

He didn't know who 'that person' was, but it was clear they had a significant influence on Harenir and Noi's relationship. Moreover, considering the mention of an 'old request', it seemed the two had known each other since childhood.

Although the party had suddenly grown, a grin spread across Kalterik's face. Seeming quite pleased with Noi's joining, he ruffled Noi's hair vigorously and exclaimed, "This kid, I knew you'd follow us!" While Mela's expressionless face showed little change, her eyes looking at Noi were somewhat less cold.

Is this what the atmosphere is like when dealing with real 'companions'...

As he was curiously observing, Noi suddenly let out a loud cry. Gasp! Trembling all over, he pointed in his direction. Having been behind Harenir, it seemed Noi had just noticed his presence.

"N-n-no way! Is that person coming with us too? I heard about a prison break, could it be...!"

No one answered, but Noi's eyes flickered as if he had immediately deduced the answer. The commotion at the prison tower, and then coming together to find the holy sword. Stammering that it was a perfect method to divert attention, he continued.

"Are you really taking Isaph with you? 'That' Isaph Dina?!"

Oh, so this body's full name was Isaph Dina.

In truth, he was secretly glad about Noi joining. Being smaller and having a gentler impression, he seemed easier to deal with than the three knights, and moreover, his talkativeness was a good thing. He gave the strong impression of someone who would explain things in detail, scolding "You don't even know that?!" but then proceeding to explain everything thoroughly—not just an explanation enthusiast, but a godsend.

In these isekai stories, there always needed to be someone like that to explain things. He had struggled to deduce things on his own since he couldn't learn anything from the previous three, but finally, such a character had appeared. Now the party balance felt right.

However, the shock evident in Noi's green eyes was so great that it slightly hurt his feelings. Even though he didn't like Isaph either, to look at him so horrifically... He had an annoying premonition that he would be treated like this for the entire journey to the Encroachment Zone, no, until their companionship ended.

Geez. Sure, Isaph was a necromancer viewed negatively in the Holy Empire, and a vicious person who collected many souls by searching for corpses, but... Huh? Was there really a reason to be looked at like trash to that extent...

"The Klam Massacre perpetrator? Are you really taking the person who killed all the villagers and subjugated them as undead?!"

Ah. He shouldn't have been seen as trash, but as absolute garbage.