46 - Gratitude

Van and Amoria meandered through the bustling streets, their hands intertwined, with Van initially taking the lead.

...Until he realized he couldn't quite remember the way to the guild. Amoria, with a light chuckle at the situation, took over as the guide.

Soon, they arrived in front of the towering guild building.

"Impressive," Van remarked, admiring the cleanliness and the steady flow of adventurers coming and going.

"It's modest, really. There are much larger guilds in Varolon," Amoria responded.

"Really? I recall the main guild being much smaller..." Van said, eyeing the building curiously.

"Well, you've been away for quite some time, Van. After the dragon attacks, our engineers and architects had to work overtime. We've been building far more impressive structures since then," she explained as they entered the guild.

"Oh, there she is!" exclaimed Marcilla from the counter, where she was speaking with a Royal Guard official and a subordinate.

"Ah, Miss Veil," the Royal Guard greeted Amoria warmly as she approached with Van.

'Hmm... If I'm not mistaken, that's the guard from two nights ago...' Van thought, recognizing the older official.

"Sir Hicks! What a surprise! It's been too long," Amoria said with a smile, embracing him.

"Ahh, indeed... Apologies for not stopping by sooner. I've been busy educating the new recruits," Sir Hicks replied, patting her back before stepping back.

"You're taking care of Riry, right?" she asked, glancing at the younger officer.

"-Gary..." the younger officer corrected quietly.

"Ah, of course. He stands tall every day, defending our walls. I'm as proud of him as if he were my own son," Hicks proudly declared.

"But you have a daughter, sir..."

"...Who you are happily engaged to. Does that not make you like a son to me?" Hicks joked.

Garry looked down bashfully.

'...They seem like good people. These girls are in good company,' Van thought, reassured.

Hicks then turned to the tall Van, who was standing patiently behind Amoria.

"Ahh, and who might you be, young lad? Planning to join the Royal Guards? Your build is absolutely perfect; you could be a commander like me someday!" Hicks said warmly as he approached Van.

"...Name's Van Hellix, officer. Pleasure to meet you," Van introduced himself.

"Van..!!?" Garry exclaimed, his eyes widening as his hand instinctively rested on his sword.

"-JUNIOR. He's his son," Amoria quickly interjected.

"Ahh... I see... Van Hellix's own son," Hicks noted, his tone slowing a bit.

Garry's expression turned suspicious, his gaze tinged with worry.

------------------EARLIER------------

"Van Hellix... Why did that name cause her to shudder so much?" Garry muttered to himself, sifting through the records of the Royal Guards late at night, well beyond the end of his shift.

"He's just a criminal, just some thug. Standing before him felt like facing a demon, not a man with feelings... If Miss Veil knows him, there must be something about him in these records..." he pondered.

After rummaging through the archives, Garry found Van's name tucked away in the records of those who had left the city. The entry was dated just around the time Magus Veil and his party had departed, some 20 years earlier.

But there were no records of Van ever living in the city—no family ties, no attachments, not even a note on how he arrived there in the first place.

It was as though he had materialized out of nowhere the moment he left the city.

In stark contrast, the archives were filled with details about Magus Veil and his party, chronicling everything from the moment Magus was summoned to his eventual death.

"Just... who is this person?" Garry mused, his search intensifying until he stumbled upon an old dusty tome in the Royal Guard Archive.

"The Demon Lord's Fall Saga."

"That's the story about how Magus Veil and his party defeated the demon lord... My mother used to read it to me as a child," he reminisced.

"...There's no way, right...?" he murmured, wiping the dust from the cover and flipping through the book until he found a crucial passage.

[...That was when Magus Veil was summoned into this world with his friend. After three years of grueling training, Magus Veil and his trusted companions left the city to embark on their quest to defeat the demon lord.]

"His friend...? He was summoned alongside someone else... Right... But why don't they just say his name...?"

Garry read through the entire book. Each member of Magus's party was mentioned multiple times throughout. Yet, Magus's friend's name appeared not even once.

"Was he just that unimportant...?" Garry wondered aloud, flipping back to the end of the book. There, amidst the list of party members, he finally spotted Van Hellix's name.

"Only there...? Why?" He murmured to himself, closing the book with a sense of unease.

Seeking answers, Garry approached Sir Hicks, who was still on duty.

"Officer? Shouldn't you be off your shift keeping my daughter company by now?" Sir Hicks asked with a raised eyebrow as he noticed Garry approaching him atop the wall.

"Sir, I have a personal inquiry!" Garry declared, standing firmly.

"...Alright, what is it?"

"A day ago, during the dragon attack, a suspicious individual came by. He claimed his name was Van Hellix. Do you know him?"

"Hmmm... Van Hellix, you say? Can't say that I do. You should speak to Mongol about this," Sir Hicks suggested, dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand.

"I'd rather not deal with Mongol... Ugh... Alright sir, good night. Sorry for the bother," Garry murmured in frustration as he headed towards Mongol...

"Ahh, you want to know about Magus Veil and his party? Their epic battles? Their diet? The places they've visited? Their levels? Their group dynamics?" Mongol began, eager to share tales.

"Mongol, please I just want to—"

"Perhaps the time Magus heroically subdued the 6th general? That's a personal favorite of mine. Oh, or when they forged an alliance with the mermaid queen via their human envoy? Or how he brokered peace among the matriarchal kingdoms of Bolo and Harkon? Ooh, maybe you're curious about how he made The Demon Lord's bone dragon cower with just his presence... Or possibly Magus Veil's love life—"

"MONGOL, PLEASE!! STOP!! I JUST WANT TO KNOW ABOUT VAN HELLIX!" Garry shouted, his patience worn thin.

Mongol, the Royal historian, was a passionate enthusiast of Magus Veil and his party, relishing any opportunity to discuss the exploits of what he considered the most formidable group in the world.

That's why Garry was taken aback when Mongol responded with a sigh of disdain, his usual fervor evaporating.

"Ugh, him of all people...?" Mongol muttered, rolling his eyes behind his round glasses.

"What the...? It's unlike you to react like this about any historical figure, especially someone who traveled with Magus... Who was he?" Garry pressed, puzzled by the historian's dismissive attitude.

"Ah, just some pathetic cuckold. Really, nothing special about him. He merely tagged along because he was Magus's friend. All records suggest he was a lame beta male, always on the sidelines while Magus and the rest did everything significant. I despise him so much... I've even made efforts to minimize his mention in every new edition of 'The Fall of The Demon Lord Saga', just as my father did before me. He didn't really contribute anything. However, for the sake of historical accuracy, I grudgingly include his name at least once," Mongol explained, his voice filled with frustration as he leaned back in his chair.

"Wow... But surely, there must have been at least one notable thing about him...?" Garry asked, still hoping to uncover something redeeming about the enigmatic figure.

'That aura I felt around him...' Garry thought, still concerned.

"Hmmm... Nope." Mongol glanced up, pausing to reflect, "Absolutely nothing remarkable. He was utterly devoid of talent. No special skills, nothing noteworthy. Just a swordsman knight, rank 11 adventurer. There isn't even a record of his face since he constantly wore a helmet. Such a forgettable character... The only noteworthy thing about him is that he left the party 16 years ago, right after they defeated the demon lord. Quite selfish, really. After Magus graciously included him in his group of heroes, he just walked out on them... Likely because he felt left out. He was in the shadow of the greatest hero of all time, after all."

"...And that's it?" Garry pressed, unconvinced.

"Yes. Why are you so fixated on this nobody?"

Garry let out a sigh of relief. 'I see... So he was just a minor character, too timid to make a mark. That aura was probably just my imagination,' he thought.

"No reason. It just seemed strange, given that he was summoned alongside Magus Veil," Garry murmured, trying to reconcile the historian's dismissiveness with his initial sense of the man.

"I thought it might be odd too. But then, I figured the Goddess must know what she's doing. You've really dampened my spirits bringing up that insignificant bastard. Please, leave now," Mongol concluded brusquely.

"Right..." Garry replied, turning to leave.

As he walked away, a smile of relief spread across his face. 'Good. He's nothing to worry about,' he reassured himself, comforted by the thought.

-------------------------PRESENT-------------------

'Ah... Sir Hicks is awfully kind to Van... Is he not put off by his aura?' Amoria wondered, feeling a sense of relief.

Unnoticed by the others, Sir Hicks' hand had seamlessly found its way into Van's grasp.

Van's and everyone else's eyes widened in surprise as they noticed.

"Sir..?" Garry called out, puzzled by the unexpected interaction.

"I had the privilege of meeting your father some time ago," Sir Hicks began, a warm smile spreading across his face.

'Oh...?' Van thought, intrigued.

"He is a great man..." Sir Hicks continued, holding Van's gaze with a steady, piercing look while maintaining a relaxed expression.

"...A good man. Please convey my utmost respect to him the next time you see him," Sir Hicks added with conviction.

"Oh?" Marcilla exclaimed, taken aback by the Royal Guard's show of respect.

"I am truly honored to shake your hand, Sir Hellix... And thank you," Sir Hicks said, his grip firm on Van's hand.

'Thank you... Huh?'

'Those words, I've only heard them in the Demonic Realm, and from Magus and his companions. I never expected to hear them from a human, especially one who isn't a member of the main party,' Van reflected, managing a smile.

"You're welcome," Van responded, his tone equal in volume to Sir Hicks, meeting his gaze squarely while returning the strength of his handshake.

'I thought Sir Hicks didn't know of Van Hellix... Was it a lie..?' Garry thought, completely thrown off by his superior's respect for Van Hellix's son.