"Do you know of a young boy? He looked to be around 7 or 8 years old." The knight asked the swordsman politely."A boy? Haha, did you see him in the forest? That"s my son. He goes out there to play everyday," He replied easily.
The three people standing behind the knight made weird expressions when they heard that. Only the knight maintained a smiling face while nodding.
"Yes, we saw him and we were curious. So you"re a talented swordsmaster and a father as well. Do you train him?"
The swordsman chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "Train... Well, I did teach him a little bit for self defense. But I hope he"ll take after his mother and become a nurse."
There"s no chance of that, the four thought. The priest, in particular, seemed appalled at the idea.
"Do you know if anyone else taught him?" the knight tried to ask as nonchalantly as possible.
"He might have picked up a few things here and there from some soldiers, but I don"t think anyone taught him, no. Why do you ask?"
"We saw him... practicing, and he seemed quite skilled," the knight answered carefully.
"Ah, is that so?" The swordsman looked away with disinterest. "At least he"ll be able to defend himself... I"ll bring him over to meet you all later when I see him."
...
The four scrutinized the boy who walked quietly behind his beaming father. His clothes and hair were a bit damp, as if he had just come back from swimming.
"h.e.l.lo," knight smiled and kneeled down to match the height of the boy. He looked at her with a trace of unhappiness.
"I"ve decided to join their party," the swordsman explained to his son. The boy looked up at his father, then looked back at the knight who calmly met his cold gaze.
"... I see. Can I go now?" the boy finally said. He turned around and walked away.
"Wait! Err... Sorry about that, he"s kind of shy," the swordsman apologized.
"No worries." The knight stood up. She cleared her throat lightly, and the whispers of the three behind her back stopped. "He"s probably worried about you. It"s more dangerous being an adventurer than a soldier."
"Yes it is." The man"s eyes followed his son who was walking away. "But without adventurers, the war will never end. And I want my family to live without war."
"Me too." The knight agreed quietly, looking off into the distance.
...
The four of them were getting ready to go to sleep when they detected the intruder. With practiced movements, they grabbed their weapons and prepared to attack.
"... It"s me" A boy walked into their camp calmly despite the hostility directed towards him.
The group didn"t relax.
"Weren"t you too shy to talk?" the female mage asked mockingly. The knight was about to admonish her when the boy spoke.
"Thank you for not telling my father about what you saw," he bowed his head. "I don"t want my parents to worry."
"Isn"t it natural to worry of you do something so dangerous? You"re a kid for f.u.c.ks sake," the priest let out in exsaperation. He seemed relaxed, but he kept a firm grip on a dagger hidden in his robes.
The boy looked away distractedly. "I have no choice. I need to get stronger."
"... Is that all you came to say?" the knight asked cautiously.
The boy turned to look at her.
"No. It"s not, Ms. Knight."
She blinked, then laughed. "Haha, I suppose I tried to hide it, but it isn"t too difficult to figure out. Or did your father tell you?"
He ignored her question. "You are the eldest of seven siblings. Four of them have already went off to war. You have no clue how they are doing. The remaining two are coming of age soon. That is why you want to end the war as soon as possible."
"How-"
"Mr. Priest. You were born and raised in the slums. You never forgot that even as you became a priest, and you had a church built to help raise orphan children. A few of those children have joined the war effort as soldiers, and many are soon to follow."
"What-"
"Twin Magicians. You were two of the most talented prospects in the magic academy. However, you saw how corrupt and cowardly the academy was, and you both decided to leave. That is the story most would find. However, the reason you fight is because your father is a healer but with little talent. He"s still alive, but he only because his status and magic gave him extra protection."
"Dad..."
"s.h.i.t, what the h.e.l.l are you?"
"My parents think my name is "doctor."" The boy continued. "That"s false. I told [It] to give me a fake name so I wouldn"t attract too much attention. My real name is-"
""Hero"..." the knight breathed in awe, fully lowering her guard. She knelt.
The priest fell to his knees. "The one chosen by the G.o.d."
"The one who will kill the demon king," the boy magician said.
"The one... who can end everything."
"..." The boy who was too young to be a hero waited for the four to come back to their senses
...
The party of four gathered together, all traces of sleepiness gone. They stared at a few pieces of parchment.
"This... is incredibly detailed," the boy magician said in shock.
There were diagrams on the paper about the body structure demons, with their weak points were clearly labeled. Major arteries, nerve cl.u.s.ters, weak joints, and other information that would be useful for killing them were written clearly.
"He really is quite different..." commented the girl.
"He might be skilled, but he needs to be disciplined," the priest said darkly.
The knight knew why he was angry.
"Five... no three. Please, stay alive for three years." the hero who was not even ten had said.
"We will. We"ll keep your father safe as well," the knight had replied while smiling.
The hero put on a conflicted expression.
"What"s wrong?"
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"I shouldn"t..." he looked down, then shook his head quickly. "No, I should."He took a deep breath and raised his head. "If your group is in a situation where one of you must die... Please... let my father do it."
"What the f.u.c.k?" the priest exclaimed as the twins gasped in shock. The knight"s eyes shook, but she kept silent.
"What the f.u.c.k are you saying boy, that"s your father?!"
"... Do you think I don"t know that?" he whispered as he turned to leave.
That was not a decision a child should be forced to make. Those were not the eyes a child should have when he spoke about sacrificing his father. But...
"We have no choice but to leave him be for now," the knight comforted the priest. She watched the twins flip excitedly through the diagrams. "In three years. Then we will teach him."
At the same time, the boy was dreaming.
"Those four. They are good people," he told me.
- They are.
"Do you think they can do it?"
- If they are cautious, all five surviving for three years is possible.
"Is that so?" He seemed lost in his thoughts. Perhaps he was thinking about his father.
"Do you think I made the right choice, telling them that it would be good to sacrifice my father if they could survive?"
My hunch was correct.
- I do not know if it is the right choice. It is just the choice with the best outcome.
The best outcome would be for the party of four to live until this boy was strong enough to join them. Training for only another three years was already pushing it. If anything went wrong during these three years, the plan to defeat the demon king would fail.
But at least, there was the slightest glimmer of hope.