To Hell With Being a Hero!

ned his mouth slightly but didn’t speak.
Chi-Woo went on.
There was a simple answer to the question why Eshnunna had acted the way she did. 

“Ms.
Eshnunna…simply treasured her people and her brother, Salem Yohan, far too much,” Chi-Woo continued.
“She said that she would give up everything if only the heroes let you live.
If the fifth recruits had accepted this offer then, she would never have gone this far.”

Yohan’s eyes widened.
It seemed to be his first time hearing this.

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“As it was, things unfolded differently, which you’ve witnessed yourself.” 

Eshnunna cared for her brother so much that she surrendered to the cursed and broken ones and didn’t resist bewitchment.
She walked into an obvious trap with her own two feet and bided her time while enduring everything forced on her with stubborn resolve.

“I think the explanation should be enough for you.” Chi-Woo could have told Yohan what he wanted to hear, saying, ‘It’s a misunderstanding.
Ms.
Eshnunna is a real patriot.’ And the conversation would have ended on a much more comfortable note for the boy. 

However, Chi-Woo continued, “People tend to expect certain things from others.
It happens in any relationship and any situation…It’s normal for you to be disappointed when the other party fails to meet your expectations.” Chi-Woo smiled.
“Mr.
Yohan, you know the context in which your sister did what she did, and the reason behind her actions, but you still hate this part about your sister, right?” Chi-Woo folded his arms.
“Then it’s time for you to be the change you need.”

Yohan let out an exclamation as he understood Chi-Woo’s unspoken words.
Yohan was the reason behind all of Eshnunna’s choices and actions. 

“Mr.
Yohan, if you grow up to be a great man and help Ms.
Eshnunna shoulder the heavy burden she’d been carrying by herself, she might return to the sister you expected her to be.” If Yohan changed, Eshnunna’s choices and actions might change as well.

“Ah…!” Yohan’s face brightened like dark clouds dissipating in the sky.
He also looked embarrassed.
Even though Chi-Woo had spoken in a way that would soften the blow, he was basically telling Yohan that he was no different from his sister.

Moreover, Chi-Woo was also saying, ‘If you’re so angry at her, why didn’t you say anything? You didn’t even try to do something like your sister.
Do you have any right to criticize her when all you’ve been doing is watching from under her wings?’

“Yes, that’s true.” Yohan sighed.
“You’re right.” He lowered his head.
“I was the coward.” Even though he seemed to have fully understood what Chi-Woo meant, Yohan looked relieved rather than hurt. 

“I don’t know if Ms.
Eshnunna cherishes you so much because you’re her little brother, or because you’re the heir of the Salem Kingdom…but if you’re curious, why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“What?”

Chi-Woo smiled brightly and looked outside.
Through the crack of the door Yohan had left ajar, a blue skirt could be seen.

‘Siblings are siblings in the end.’

“Sister?” While Chi-Woo snickered inside his mind, Yohan called out to Eshnunna in a daze.

Swish.

The fluttering skirt quickly disappeared.
However, she was already caught.
After a couple of seconds, the door slowly opened.
Eshnunna carefully walked up to them.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop…I had something to tell you…”

Eshnunna and Yohan’s eyes met.
Silence fell between them, but their gazes spoke volumes.
Chi-Woo quietly laughed while various emotions were being exchanged between Eshnunna and Yohan.
The reconciliation was a long time coming.

“Would you like some snacks?” asked Chi-Woo.

Yohan’s eyes widened in surprise.
 But he caught on quickly and made a slight smile.
“You told me you didn’t have any left to offer.”

“But there’s probably more in Ms.
Eshnunna’s room.” Chi-Woo glanced at Eshnunna, who was blinking in a daze.
“Even though I told her to eat it secretly by herself, she didn’t do it.
I wonder who she has been saving the snack for?” 

Yohan’s smile deepened at Chi-Woo’s nonchalant words.
“Thank you!” He politely bowed and immediately turned around.
Seemingly embarrassed, he left Chi-Woo’s room like he was running away.

‘He’s smart.’ Chi-Woo made a pleased smile as he heard Yohan’s footsteps quickly moving away from them.
It would be good if Eshnunna and Yohan reconciled.
However, Yohan should mend his relationship with his sister on his own rather than relying on Chi-Woo’s help.
When Eshnunna went back to her room after finishing her conversation with Chi-Woo, Yohan would probably be waiting for her.
If the two of them could resolve their misunderstanding by talking and having snacks together, their relationship would become stronger than before.
Chi-Woo had no doubt about that.

That was until he heard Eshnunna murmur to herself, “But I finished all the snack…” 

“What? When?”

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 “A few days ago.
I went back to my room, and before I went to sleep…It was right there, so…” She mumbled guiltily even though there was no reason for her to be.

“Why did you…”

“What’s wrong about that?”

“If you were going to eat it, you should have done so earlier.
Now, I have to take back my words.”

“You kept telling me to eat it before…” Eshnunna narrowed her eyes and pouted.
Chi-Woo didn’t have a comeback because she was right.
In the end, he sighed and took out another snack from his bag. 

Eshnunna stared at it and asked, “Do you have more?”

“I really can’t give away more.” Chi-Woo did bring a lot of snacks.
But the amount had gone from ‘Chi-Hyun will be able to enjoy as much as he wants’ to ‘Well, this should be…enough’.
Moreover, Chi-Woo had also taken a couple of snacks out and eaten them when he got hungry, but that was a secret he would take to his grave.

“…Thank you.”

‘What for? For saving her? For giving her the snacks? Or…’ Chi-Woo looked at Eshnunna and laughed at her awkward coughs and furtive glances.

She looked up at him with puzzlement and asked, “Why are you laughing?”

“Just because.”

“Please don’t laugh.”

“Why?”

“Because it seems like you’re making fun of me.” 

Chi-Woo shrugged when Eshnunna’s expression turned serious.
He waited for her to change the topic while laughing even louder than before on purpose. 

“I wanted to tell you…seriously!”

“Ah, I got it.
I’ll stop.
I’ll stop”

Eshnunna glared at Chi-Woo for laughing nonstop.
Only then did she go on to give him the message.
There was a hero who wanted to meet him.
When he asked her who it was, she said it was the leader of the fifth recruits.

“Why does he want to meet me?”

“I didn’t get the details.
But he told me it was extremely important, and that you should bring comrades you can trust with you.” 

Comrades he could trust…Chi-Woo wasn’t sure he could fully trust them, but several people came to mind.
“Should I go right now?”

“Not right now.
It’s…” Eshnunna made a troubled face.
“After barely managing to finish a sentence, he fell into a coma.”

Chi-Woo was taken aback, but then he realized how serious the hero’s condition was.
It was pointless to even ask how the man was doing.

“I’m telling you this just in case.
If he gains consciousness by some miracle, I’ll let you know immediately.”

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Chi-Woo did not know why the hero wanted to meet him, but he was the leader of the fifth recruits; there would be no harm in listening to him.

“I’ll go as soon as you tell me.” Chi-Woo nodded. 

After the conversation, Chi-Woo kept on waiting, but the hero’s condition continued to worsen.
The next dawn, the man overcame death several times, and over the following three days, he had been struggling in a precarious state.
When they were finally going to give up, thinking that there was no hope for the man, the leader of the fifth recruits miraculously gained consciousness.
Chi-Woo immediately went to meet him with Zelit and several others. 

The hero was lying on the bed—with neither eyes nor any of his limbs.
He was helplessly lying in an old bed, and he lifted his head slightly when he heard their footsteps.

“…Is everyone here?” he asked in a raspy voice as soon as Chi-Woo and the others arrived. 

Zelit glanced at Chi-Woo for a brief moment.
When Chi-Woo nodded, Zelit turned back to the leader of the fifth recruits and said, “Are you able to talk?”

“Don’t worry.
I know my body the best.
I’ll get straight to the point.” The hero came into Chi-Woo’s focus.
If Chi-Woo were in the man’s shoes, recovery would be his top priority, and he would do anything necessary to survive.
However, the hero didn’t seem to care about his condition at all, and he spoke like worrying about his health was a waste of their time.

“Before that—I heard that the prophecy has gone through a sudden change.
Would you be able to tell me what happened?”

Zelit answered faithfully while the hero steadied his breathing; he had become out of breath after saying only a few words.

“Is that so…Something about the seventh recruits must have been the key to turning our current situation around.” He came to the same conclusion as Zelit without much trouble.

Zelit replied, “I believe so.
Even though the prophecy is not absolute, that would be the most likely explanation.”

The hero’s gaze snapped to Chi-Woo. 

Zelit continued, “I don’t think that’s the thing you called us here to talk about.
What is it that you want to say?”

The hero fell into silence.
An inescapable sense of drowsiness washed over him; he was absolutely certain that if he closed his eyes this time, he would never open them again.

“…I think it’ll be better to give you my conclusion first.” After a pause, he said, “Be prepared to fight or run away.
I’ll recommend running away immediately.” 

The atmosphere grew heavy.

“What do you mean?” Zelit asked, his gaze sharp.
“Are you suggesting that the broken ones will come to avenge their comrades or something?”

“Those beings…I won’t completely disregard that possibility, but I’ll say it’s unlikely.” The hero shook his head after a brief moment of bemusement.
“If it’s true that those beings have been defeated, the damage they suffered must be great.”

“Then what are you talking about? The cursed ones?”

“It’s the same for those beings.”

Confusion began to overtake everyone.
If neither the broken ones nor the cursed ones were the problems, what was the man talking about?

“What I’m trying to tell you is…”

Everyone’s eyes opened wide at his following words.