Hero's Coffin Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

The night breeze blew quietly. As the figure that had approached him silently, without even the sound of footsteps, removed the hood of their robe, golden hair fluttered gently. The strands of hair sparkled under the moonlight, so brilliantly it was almost blinding.

The azure eyes, like a clear autumn sky, somehow gave the feeling of truly gazing up at the sky. With soft, gentle eyes and a smile that radiated kindness, there was an air of compassion surrounding them. Everything about him made him seem like a saint. The light shimmering around the man, who stood with the bright moon behind him, only added to the sacredness of his appearance.

It was almost disconcerting to see such a beautiful face for the first time. It was like looking at a religious painting. The unapproachable, holy atmosphere even evoked a strange sense of rejection. Perhaps it was the distance felt by someone who had been pointed at as gloomy all his life when encountering a being of the opposite nature.

As he stared blankly, the red-haired man standing behind the figure shot him a fierce glare. It was a look that demanded he show respect immediately, but unfortunately, he didn't know who this person was.

"Who...?"

At his question, the red-haired man staggered as if struck by a great shock. Then, thinking he must be joking, he frowned deeply.

"Have you truly gone mad? How dare you pretend not to know him?!"

"Calm down. He must have heard the news of my death today, so perhaps he's surprised to see me alive."

No, he really didn't know who this was. He had only just learned the name of the body he was in... Wait a moment.

...News of his death today?

His thoughts connected slowly. The guard's shouts from a few hours ago, as he kicked him, came back in pieces, forming a complete picture in his mind.

'It's because of scum like you that the hero suffered and died!'

He had yelled angrily that he had interrupted his reverent moment of silence. Recalling that memory, he looked at the man before him again.

A man with a holy face that anyone would recognize as a 'hero'.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Harenir von Luchete. I am the Commander of the Holy Order of Sidon, which protects the Holy Empire of Solares, and the First Sword of the Order. And... I'm the hero who was reported dead today."

He smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly.

"You don't seem very surprised. Did you perhaps guess that I wouldn't have died? You once said my soul was beautiful, so maybe you looked for it."

Was this trash body that flirted with the hero? No, wait, not even a compliment about a pretty face, but saying the soul is pretty? What's that about? Confused, he remained silent, which Harenir seemed to take as affirmation, tilting his head slightly. His smile deepened.

A faint sense of disgust flickered in his gaze, as if to say he had expected as much.

"Isaph, I need your cooperation. If you come with me, I'll advocate for a reduced sentence for you when everything is over."

"But... weren't you reported dead?"

"You could be applauded as an assistant who helped with the hero's return."

He saw the man behind flinch at his informal speech, but Harenir raised a hand to stop him. It might seem disrespectful to speak casually to the empire's hero, but right now, resolving his confusion took priority.

So that was the purpose of breaking into the prison at night and extracting this body. From the current situation, it seemed more like a threat than a request for cooperation, but did they need this body's abilities enough to cause such a commotion by destroying the tower? What kind of ability did he have?

"What kind of cooperation...? Where are we going?"

"I need the souls you command. And our destination is the Encroachment Zone."

At the word 'Encroachment Zone', a pained groan was heard from behind. Though it was already a planned event, the red-haired man frowned as if distressed by Harenir's declaration that they would ultimately go there.

But unfortunately, not only did he not know where this Encroachment Zone was, he was also bewildered by the fact that this body could command souls. Piecing together the clues, it seemed that this body... the one called Isaph, might be a necromancer.

At that moment, suddenly, there was a rustling sound right beside him.

–Meow.

A black cat sprang out from the bushes. Its slender form seemed familiar—was it the same cat he had seen on the road?

The purple eyes were so unusual that he was certain. Just as he was about to cry out 'You!' in surprise, the cat approached him.

The moment his eyes met the cat’s violet gaze—

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Hidden Network activated!

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Quest

At last, the opportunity has arrived! Help the Empire's hero!

Reward for success: Freedom

Penalty for failure: Death

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Do you accept?

Accept

Reject

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Suddenly, several translucent blue windows appeared in front of him. It was very startling, but as he read the floating text, a wave of relief washed over him. Something inside him clicked into place.

Ah, this is a game...

Although it seemed to be set on an extremely hard mode, just accepting it as a 'game' immediately put him at ease. The situation had felt unfair and overwhelming, but now he could view it objectively, like a third-person player, and he felt that everything up to now had just been the opening. Was this cat an NPC?

While he was surveying the situation with a much lighter mood, Harenir, apparently interpreting his silence as hesitation, asked in a kind voice.

“Are you having trouble deciding? Should I help you a little?”

The smile that formed as the corners of his mouth curved up and his eyes crinkled was extremely beautiful. His gaze was captivated by Harenir behind the status window. Harenir met his dazed eyes directly and spoke gently.

As if to prevent him from being caught up in unnecessary thoughts any longer, very kindly.

“Would you rather return to die as a condemned prisoner, or would you like to help me and have your sentence reduced? Ah, let me correct that. Now you're both a death row inmate and an escaped prisoner."

"..."

"I heard your execution was to be flaying. They say they kill you by peeling off your skin layer by layer, but since you've escaped the day before your execution, what additional punishment might be added? I've heard there are many who want you dead..."

Anger welled up inside him. Speak properly! I'm an involuntary escapee, I was dragged out! It absolutely wasn't because the sword the red-haired man was fiddling with was enormous that he was keeping his mouth shut.

'Do you know how kind, merciful, and noble he was!'

The guard’s earlier outburst echoed in his mind. If that was the general sentiment towards this hero, was this his true nature? Or was he only like this to him?

Although he had intended to accept anyway, since the first quest in a game usually has to be accepted, he felt extremely wronged. He had only been pondering over the strange word 'freedom' that appeared as the quest reward.

Usually, the rewards for such hard mode quests would be money, experience points, or special abilities, but freedom? It's quite an ambiguous word. He had occasionally seen cases where returning to the original world was given as a reward, but since that was already impossible due to his death, what could this freedom mean?

Freedom from prison?

Or from this strange world?

At the moment, these were the only two guesses he could make, but both were very appealing rewards. It seemed that Isaph, the body he had possessed, was universally disliked in the empire, so it might be better to go to a different world and start a new life.

With that thought, he answered without hesitation.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Nothing was frightening as long as there was a status window. Wasn't it the master key of possession? He hadn't been much of a gamer on Earth, and he had no memory of encountering characters named Harenir or Isaph, or a game with such an opening, but perhaps it would come back to him as he progressed.

Wondering if there might be a clue in the status window, he stared blankly into space. But as soon as he agreed, the 'Accept' button lit up, the window slowly disappeared, and finally, the letters H.N appeared.

H.N? Hidden Network?

What's with this name that seems forced...

Is it the name of the game company, or just a term explaining the status window? As he was looking at it with curiosity, the silver-haired woman approached him and swung her sword.

With a swish! sound, the thick handcuffs fell off like leaves.

As the old, thick iron shackles that had restricted his movement while in prison and were practically proof of his death row status disappeared, he felt refreshed. He even felt elated, realizing he had truly left the prison.

“Am I part of your group now…?”

“But since we don’t know when or where you might try something foolish, we’ll be placing a control device on you.”

It would’ve been nice if you’d mentioned that before I spoke.

Knowing that the more embarrassed he acted, the more humiliating it would become, he brazenly kept his mouth shut, pretending he hadn't said anything. Harenir chuckled softly. It seemed he found his reaction amusing.

Is it funny? Are you enjoying this? Unable to ask out loud, he instead thrust out his hand sharply. Since they mentioned a control device, he thought they might put something new on his wrist.

Suddenly, Harenir leaned forward.

In an instant, their faces were close. For a moment, his gaze was captured by the azure eyes meeting his at a distance close enough for their noses to touch. Those eyes, as if containing the sky, looked down at him benevolently. Despite the closeness being enough to startle anyone, he was helplessly caught in that sky.

A fresh scent, full of vitality, like one might smell in a sunlit meadow in the morning, grazed his nose. Ah, the clear fragrance was addictive...

Click–

"...?"

Suddenly, something cold and hard touched his neck. Harenir had fastened something like a shackle around his neck. The smooth, metallic object strangely had no weight to it, but the way it was connected to a translucent red line that appeared in Harenir's hand seemed...

"It looks like a leash..."