Episode 14 – Hero
“My goal, huh… well, if it’s you, Corvo-senpai, I guess it’s fine to tell you? It’s not like it’s a problem even if people find out.”
Clarisse giggled softly and airily.
To Corvo, that smile was unsettling. After all, he was pointing his sword at her—his jade sword, held in the grotesquely swollen right arm granted by Ogre Slayer. Any ordinary person would be frightened or at least take a defensive stance.
But Clarisse did neither.
Still sitting in a duck-like squat, she placed her hands neatly on her knees and kept smiling—light, fluffy, as if she were having the time of her life.
It was a reaction no normal person would give. Or maybe Clarisse judged that she could deal with his threat easily if she had to.
Either way—He felt there was some unfathomable “something” lurking inside her.
“…Alright then. Tell me—what’s your goal?”
“Before that~ Corvo-senpai, do you know about Wenefix~?”
“Yeah. I know of them.”
As an adventurer living in Inferno, Corvo had heard the name Wenefix before.
On the surface, they were just a gathering of adventurers.
But their numbers were far beyond a normal party—closer to a large organization, a clan.
What Corvo remembered most clearly about Wenefix was this: every single member was a Gift-user.
Rather, being a Gift-user was one of their entry requirements. That meant ordinary adventurers with standard Abilities couldn’t join, so Corvo actually didn’t know much about them.
From what Corvo had once heard from someone knowledgeable, Wenefix was said to have been founded in ancient times, dating back to the very era when adventurers first existed.
Their history ran deep, and in every dungeon city, Wenefix supposedly existed as either a party or a secret organization, influencing nations from the shadows.
Their traits included a superior mastery of Gift-usage within the group, the equal sharing of knowledge and combat power, and strict secrecy—they shared their “forbidden fruit” only with those who joined their ranks.
Because of their abilities, people sometimes referred to their Gifts as “magic,” and each of their Gift-users could be called a magician. That was what Corvo had heard.
“So you’re… a magician, then. This is my first time meeting one.”
When Corvo said that honestly, Clarisse giggled again.
“Ahaha. Corvo-senpai, you say the funniest things~. Here’s a little secret~: I don’t think I’m the first magician you’ve met. After all, there are tons of magicians not just in Inferno, but also at Larva Academy~.”
Corvo wasn’t particularly surprised.
It was his first time knowingly meeting one, but he already knew that magicians existed in various cities.
So he had expected that some might be in the Larva Academy as well.
Still—now that she had said it out loud, he suddenly felt curious about which Gift-users around him might actually be magicians… or perhaps he simply felt some kind of human “wrongness” in Clarisse that made him wonder.
“…I see. Well, whatever. That’s not important right now. Can you just tell me your goal already?”
He wanted to get to the main point.
“My goal, hm~? It’s less my goal and more the grand aspiration of the magicians—no, of Wenefix as a whole~.”
“A grand aspiration?”
“Yes. We are searching—for a Hero.”
For a moment, Corvo felt Claris’s eyes sharpen.
“A hero? We already have heroes, don’t we? For example, Lady Mana the Sword Saint, Lord Varia the Thunder God. There have been plenty in the past and even now.”
As an adventurer, Corvo deeply respected such legendary predecessors.
As an adventurer, he had entered countless unexplored depths of various dungeons, eliminated hordes of vicious monsters, and brought back numerous Calvaon stones as well as many relics produced by the dungeons—he was a modern-day hero.
And though he no longer worked as an adventurer, even Nova, the headmaster of Larva Academy, had once achieved enough merit to be called a hero.
“But those people… they’re not heroes in the true sense of the word.”
Clarisse lightly scoffed at Corvo’s opinion.
“A true hero?”
Corvo glared at her.
“That’s right. What we’re searching for isn’t that. What we seek is a true hero. We don’t call someone a hero just because they’ve accomplished something moderate, or happened to tread into unknown territory, or simply dived deeper into a dungeon than others.”
“Then what kind of person do you consider a hero?”
“For example—Lord Adamas, Lord Sapirus, and also Lord Smaragdus, Lord Carbunculus… We are awaiting the advent of heroes like them.”
“…Are you serious?”
Hearing Clarisse say this, Corvo felt his breath catch.
Of course, Corvo knew the four heroes she had mentioned. No—any adventurer should know them.
They were the heroes of the dawn age, back when adventurers first began exploring dungeons. Their achievements far surpassed anything a modern hero could boast of. The number of rooms and dungeons they conquered was beyond counting, and there were many monsters in existence that only they had ever defeated.
They were also shrouded in many divine legends—almost all of which modern scholars dismiss as fabricated stories, and yet, Corvo had heard that even now, many people still blindly believe in their deeds.
“Yes. I’m completely serious. What we desire is the return of heroes like them. Don’t you think this dragon’s stomach is a perfect place?”
“…A perfect place?”
“Yes. There are plenty of adventurers who have explored various parts of dungeons, but no one has ever ventured into the inside of a dragon. Depending on how you look at it, doesn’t this count as a new dungeon location?”
Claris spoke as if filled with anticipation.
“In other words, you’re hoping someone will conquer this place?”
“Yes. But I’m not going to do something as tasteless as escaping right away. Doesn’t this make your heart race? A brand-new hero might be born at this very moment, right here.”
Clarisse hugged her shoulders with both hands, her expression melting into ecstasy.
Corvo, against his will, felt a strange, dangerous allure coming from her and pulled himself together.
“…So? Is there anyone among us who fits your criteria for a hero?”
“Who knows? But personally, Corvo-senpai, you’re my top candidate. Your Ability is powerful. Compared to others, you seem very experienced, and besides, your insight is sharp.”
“Then what about Nada?”
Suddenly, Corvo felt like asking how she evaluated him—because Clarisse had seemed to pay special attention to Nada earlier.
“…Apparently someone from above is keeping an eye on Nada-senpai, but honestly? I don’t see it at all.”
Clarisse pouted as she spoke.
“Really? I actually think he has the qualities of a hero. After all, he’s the protégé of Iris—probably the academy’s closest adventurer to herohood. Doesn’t he have some kind of hidden spark?”
“You think so? But Nada-senpai doesn’t have an Ability, he doesn’t have a Gift, and even in terms of physical strength, your Ogre Slayer arm is stronger, isn’t it? He’s probably lying dead somewhere by now.”
Hearing that harsh assessment, Corvo couldn’t help laughing.
Sure, perhaps that evaluation was reasonable on the surface—but since Iris had her eye on Nada, Corvo couldn’t help holding a slightly good impression of him.
“I see. Your opinion is clear enough. Well then, let’s go and search for the others. Maybe a hero will emerge from among our group of seven—or maybe not. Either way, to witness it, we need to regroup. And of course, you’ll help us escape when the time comes, won’t you?”
“…Naturally. I understand that much. I don’t want to die either, you know.”
“Good. Now I can search for them without worry.”
Satisfied that he had gotten Clarisse to promise assistance in case of escape, Corvo returned to his original plan: reuniting with their companions.
He had never considered escaping this place alone to be possible, so searching for the others was the obvious course of action.
They had no idea where Nada and the rest were—but under Corvo’s lead, the two of them began walking through the dragon’s inner body.
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