One-Shot: Part 1

"Oy! Raymond!" [???]

That old and raspy voice came from behind me. I turned around to look at the old-man butcher.

"What is it? Aren't I done for today?" [Raymond]

I was on my way out as I just finished helping this old-man's store when he called out to me. Yes, that's right. Adventurers like me are now reduced to just doing odd jobs for the citizens thanks to a certain someone.

"Here, take this-" [Old-Man Butcher]

He hands me a small bag full of meat, probably the ones that didn't sell today.

"What is this for? I won't pay for this, you know?" [Raymond]

"It's fine, it's fine. Just take it. You have a daughter, right? You should feed her with lots of meat. I rarely see you buying meat from my store unless you're cheating on me and buying somewhere else?" [Old-Man Butcher]

"Come on, don't joke about that. You're the cheapest store around here which is why a lot of people come here to buy your stuff. You know I can't afford expensive meat and it should be obvious that I won't be buying it anywhere else." [Raymond]

"I know, that's why you can have that for free. And bring your daughter here sometimes, I want to see her." [Old-Man Butcher]

"Right, I will. Anyway thank you for this, I'll head out now." [Raymond]

I waved him goodbye and turned around to go home.

Ah yes, that's right… I have a daughter to come home to, I need to hurry up and cook something for her. She must be hungry.

Right when I turned around the corner, I heard a woman speaking.

"The prophecy has told us that a demon will appear a week from now. It's a prophecy that has been going around for centuries, since the creation of the empire. The prophecy said that the demon will appear in our very city. It has long silver-white hair, bright and glowing red eyes, and a very pale skin; it might as well be a ghost!" [Woman]

"But sister, doesn't that mean we are in danger?" [Kid]

"No my dear brother, you don't know?" [Woman]

"Know what?" [Kid]

"The hero of the legends lives in this city!" [Woman]

I almost became flustered after hearing the word 'hero' and immediately ran away. I don't want to be flocked by people again.

On my way home, I spotted a large convoy on the horizon. The carriages are adorned with golden crests and emblems, each carriage has flags planted on each side with a red cross in the middle and purple borders. The convoy is long enough that I can't see the end of it, there are also probably hundreds of knights escorting it and maybe even more foot soldiers. It's the church.

I went towards the convoy to confirm the identity of the visitor.

When the guards saw me, they opened up a path directly to what seems to be the main carriage.

A man with a long ashen beard, bright red eyes and a thick muscular build that you'd think he's a warrior and not someone important and wears expensive robes with rare jewelry attached to it steps outside of the carriage, I kneel down.

"I greet the Holy Emperor!" [Raymond]

Yes, this man is the leader of the church and the emperor of the Empire of Rigondrion. I've known him for quite a while now since I became a hero. He must be here because of that.

"Hello, hero. It has been a while. 4 years, is it?" [Holy Emperor]

He seems to ponder a bit.

"That's right, since the tragedy of Alagos." [Holy Emperor]

"Yes, your majesty. It truly has been a while. My apologies if I were unable to visit you all this time." [Raymond]

"No it's fine, you had no reason to come to the capital anyway. And besides, I do not want to trouble the Brave of Alagos." [Holy Emperor]

"To call me brave… I simply finished the job I signed for." [Raymond]

"That may be so, but hundreds of other adventurers signed the same contract and yet they fled the battle when all hope seemed lost." [Holy Emperor]

He paused for a moment.

"Ah that is right, all hope was lost. The city of Alagos, what used to be one of the largest cities of the empire, fell to the monster calamity in the end despite your best efforts." [Holy Emperor]

"Not a single soul was saved, countless adventurers and soldiers died in battle. And even my generals ran away with their tails tucked between their legs. What a shameful act." [Holy Emperor]

"Y-your majesty if I may speak… I had to consider the fact that I also have to preserve the army of the empire. I can't just throw everyone's lives there in vain." [???]

"That may be so but to think you couldn't save not even a single chick in that city. Is your title as a general nothing but a display, Northram?" [Holy Emperor]

"My sincere apologies, your m-majesty." [General Northram]

The general goes down his horse and bows down to the emperor.

"I had no choice in that situation, we were severely outnumbered and could not hope to win against that calamity. And besides, the hero was there too so we had put our hopes on him." [General Northram]

"That is true, a hero's power is unparalleled. However, saving a hundred thousand citizens on his own is quite different from crushing hundreds of thousands of beasts." [Holy Emperor]

"W-well…" [General Northram]

The emperor and the general kept on talking about the Alagos tragedy while I knelt down.

A monster calamity, it is a natural occurrence in the continent. A stampede of various beasts and monsters without a direction, the size varies from just a few hundreds to a few hundreds of thousands. And that is what happened to Alagos 4 years ago.

Apparently a dragon woke up and was migrating, sending away the beasts in the forest scurrying far to escape the dragon's terror. They went in all directions, and one of it was Alagos. A fortress-city close to the forest which borders the wastelands.

Truthfully, although it will be tough to defend Alagos, it was plausible. It's practically a fortress after all. And the empire is the strongest country in the world with an unrivaled military might. But why didn't they?

The answer is simple, there was nothing to profit from it. Alagos became big not because of trade or agriculture, but because it was home for adventurers who wanted a homebase near dungeons and monster nests, Alagos just happens to be close to the wastelands so obviously, adventurers settled in the city. But take away those dungeons and nests, Alagos would be nothing more but a city at the outskirts of the empire. Of course there were a few adventurers who decided to stay and defend the city, but it was pointless if there were only very few of them. So the city still fell eventually.

There was no point in saving it, that's probably what the higher ups were thinking. If they committed to defending the city, it'll require a few divisions of the army and a massive logistical undertaking. Which are all expensive, it would have had to come from the pockets of the nobles. So they opted in just sacrificing the city to the monsters because… once the monsters had their fill, they'll eventually stop rampaging and settle in the city. In the minds of the nobles, it was better to sacrifice a hundred thousand people than their gold.

"Ah my apologies, hero, for taking up your time. It seems that me and my general here enjoyed reminiscing about the past." [Holy Emperor]

"It's fine, your majesty. But would it be alright if I head home now? I still have my daughter waiting for me." [Raymond]

"Oh right, that is waiting for you, huh. Alright, you can leave for now. Let's just continue our discussions tomorrow. I'll send you a messenger to tell you the details." [Holy Emperor]

"Thank you, your majesty." [Raymond]

I stood up and took one last look at the emperor and the general. Northram seemed to be mad at me. I know why he is angry, but it isn't my fault. I'm not the one who ran away from my responsibilities.

I stood there and waited until I could no longer see their convoy and turned around and continued my way home. I have a daughter waiting for me there after all.

That's right, I have a daughter. She has long and wavy silver-white hair, paired with bright red eyes and a skin so pale you'd think she's a ghost at night. We are not blood related though, but she is still my daughter. The daughter of the hero and-

"Welcome home, papa!" [???]

"I'm home, Elena. Are you hungry?" [Raymond]

The demon I have to slay.