I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

15 – 15. Reasons for choosing

Before Arcel came to my castle.

After work, I went outside to find ‘something fun’ as before.

However, there was nothing particularly enjoyable outside, and no trace of the brave warriors could be found, so they turned their gaze elsewhere.

‘Ah, come to think of it, there was a dwarf among them.’

I went to the place where the elves, the pitiful goblins who thought they were the most arrogant in the world, lived.

I thought that if I didn’t see them in the human world, they might be there.

Until you see the condition there, of course.

To see a world that used to be an ordinary green forest turned into a place full of ruins, flames, and rotting corpses.

‘Is this place always like this?’

Ghosts are a race that best explains the term frog in a well.

But someone poisoned the well.

Frogs outside have developed tolerance to poison through generations, but unfortunately these frogs have not.

The frogs were poisoned and killed each other.

The problem was that I didn’t even recognize that it was poison.

Just get rid of all the strange-looking frogs.

The reason for such a tragedy is that the frogs lived too long, and the frogs were not smart enough to make use of that long lifespan.

In the first place, elves are the most cost-effective race.

I don’t know about them as pets, but when dealing with people, I couldn’t find a species with worse value for money.

In particular, most human beings end their physical and mental growth after their 20s, but elves need at least 200 years to complete their growth.

Just looking at this, you can see that there are many problems.

The value of time is so different.

While a human could end in one year, the elf needed 10 years.

Of course, it’s not that there aren’t elves who recognize their problems and want to improve them, but like my grandmother, such smart elves leave their hometown and never come back.

The reason was simple.

It was because there was no way to fix the elven race.

To put it simply, there’s probably no answer.

Elfs haven’t changed even after thousands of years.

“Move the wounded back! As for the rebels, I’ll do something about it, so focus on safely evacuating the children…!”

Still, sometimes such a smart but stupid guy came out.

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A shrewd goblin who used to go with the hero before.

A stupid elf who left his hometown a long time ago because he was a smart elf, but eventually returned to his hometown.

The eyes to see the world were good, but the eyes to see people were bad.

Still, I don’t get bored when I see things like that.

The frog jumps hard to get out of the well, but the well is so deep that it keeps failing no matter how much it jumps, which isn’t bad for entertainment.

Of course, in the end it’s only for entertainment, even if you hit it well.

†††

“…Ah?”

I was definitely in the forest, but what happened?

When I opened my eyes, my body was sitting in a bathtub filled with warm water, not in the forest.

Yes. This is the bathroom in the castle.

“Why am I here-“

With a white towel wrapped around her body, she was immersing herself in the water as if taking a bath.

Did you fall asleep while taking a bath? I thought the same, but I don’t remember trying to take a bath.

I didn’t drink alcohol in particular, so there was no problem with my memory.

Then maybe someone deliberately moved him here.

“Your dwarf friend has covered it with dust, so of course you should wash it before putting it to bed.”

Alfred, who was reading a book beside him, shook his hand as Arcel grabbed his throbbing head and stood up.

“Well, why are you here?!”

“Because you suddenly fell asleep and moved to the castle.”

Surprised, Arcel immersed himself in the bathtub again.

“That, it has nothing to do with you being right next to it…”

I thought no one was there, but I was surprised to see Alfred right next to me.

Even a towel was all that was covered, and even Arsel was not embarrassed.

“You promised? When you sleep, you sleep next to me. You’re not going to change your mind now, are you?”

“I have no intention of changing what I said. But this is a bit… boo, embarrassing…”

Arsel hurriedly turned around and said.

“What, are you ashamed? After all, I’ve looked at every nook and cranny of your body since you first came here, so there’s no need for that.”

“Even so, showing your bare body to the opposite s*x- No, more than that, when did you do that?! Again, why?!”

“If it were you, wouldn’t you do a physical examination? The hero who subdued the demon king suddenly came to my house. I don’t know why the warrior came. Could it be that he came to subdue me as well?”

Unlike Arcel, who is surprised, Alfred is calm.

“It doesn’t seem like he has a holy sword, but the hero is dangerous enough even with his naked body, and especially the possibility that he has a weapon hidden somewhere in his body cannot be ruled out.”

A warrior who subdued the Demon King.

Since such a hero came to visit him, it is natural for him to conduct such a test.

As expected, Alfred said only the most correct things.

Considering that most of Alfred’s actions came from logic and rational judgment, he really did such a thing with no other purpose and only to rule out danger.

“Yeah, that’s true… But that’s rude. And leaving behind the rudeness, I want you to at least talk first next time.”

I was even more embarrassed because I knew that well.

Since he knows that the other person has no intention of doing so, he seems to be delusional.

“Okay, I’ll tell you the story first next time. I’ll leave the clothes to change outside, so wash yourself clean enough and come out slowly.”

Arcel answered with a nod of his head.

The lips are slightly submerged in the water, and water droplets form on the slender chin and fall again.

Alfred took it slowly and left the bathroom.

Before he left, he didn’t forget to add one more word.

“I still have something to tell you about your friend.”

“…Stella.”

The water was warm and pleasant, but Arcel had no choice but to finish the bath in a hurry.

It was natural for her to be concerned about the condition of her colleague and friend rather than her own pleasure.

“Oh, are you done already? Did you wash it clean?”

When I left the bathroom, I saw Alfred sitting on the sofa drinking black tea.

There is no change in the fact that I am still reading books.

Instead, this time there was even a book that I don’t normally read.

I don’t read it carefully like the book of Curse and Haeju, but I still seem to read it with my eyes closed from time to time.

It was a book about the body of an elf.

“Even washing your body is not so bad that you worry about it. Because I am not a child.”

“But you usually just wash in the river.”

“That, I couldn’t help it because there was no place to wash it! More than that… Is Stella okay?”

Although I was excited about Alfred, seeing that book immediately reminded me of Stella.

Even though they are elves, a race famous for their beauty, they have very emaciated appearance and darkened eyes.

It was very different from Stella before.

She could see at a glance that it wasn’t just her body that was sick, but that her mind was also suffering greatly.

“I’m still asleep right now, it’s probably going to be a while before I wake up. I didn’t cure the dwarf’s disease. At best, it just stops the progression of the disease.”

Alfred said over a cup of tea.

“Is there no way to cure Stella?”

“No, even if there is, I don’t know. ‘Cause I’m not an elf In the first place, her grandmother also said there was no other way than natural healing, so it must be impossible to heal with normal methods.”

Arcel listened to the word natural healing.

“Natural healing means that the body can heal a disease naturally over time?”

“Yes, of course, that is natural healing using the lifespan of an elf. They don’t have any advantages other than a long lifespan. If you keep falling asleep and consume minimal stamina, you can rest assured that you will die of exhaustion before your friend.”

“Fortunately, I thought it couldn’t be cured because it couldn’t be reversed.”

I was at least relieved.

It means that even if there is no way to reverse or cure it right away, you can eventually recover.

“Yes, it will take at least 100 years, but the fact that it can be cured should be considered.”

“…100 Years?!”

It’s just that it took much longer for Arcel to recover than expected.

“What are you talking about, Alfred! 100 Years? Isn’t that too long?!”

“It only takes 100 years. Elves with that disease show severe aggression and eventually self-harm and die themselves. But if you can recover from a fatal illness in just 100 years, no elf will refuse.”

Unlike Arcel, who was serious, Alfred showed a positive reaction.

“Only 100 years?”

It is probably because they feel the weight of 100 years differently.

To be precise, it stemmed from the difference between the time of understanding the race of elves and the time of understanding.

“For elves, it’s only 100 years. In terms of you humans, it’s only about 10 years.”

“But 100 years…”

“Of course it will have to be long, but will it be okay? This dwarf is pretty smart for a dwarf. That much space is not a problem. You’ll get used to it soon.”

This was completely unexpected.

Arcel predicted that he would have to sleep for at least a year.

In fact, there were cases in which those suffering from incurable diseases were treated with long sleep by magicians at high cost.

Stop most of the body’s functions, focus only on recovery and maintenance of the body, and use various herbs to slowly kill the disease and finally reach a complete cure.

However, this was 10 years at the longest.

100 Years was different from the basic unit.

“Isn’t that too… cruel.”

When I opened my eyes, 100 years had passed.

Of course, it was possible to adapt, but that didn’t mean that the vacancy was okay.

Even if 100 years isn’t that long for you, at that time the people you know will already be gone.

“Although the elves will remain… Stella has many friendly humans as well as elves. Doesn’t that mean that when they open their eyes, they are all gone?”

Arsel hadn’t experienced that himself.

Still, I’ve felt similar pain before.

When I opened my eyes after losing consciousness, all my colleagues and friends who were as precious as my life disappeared in an instant.

It is a very horrific, cruel story.

“No? There are no elves left. By then, the elves will have already been annihilated.”

“What else is that-“

But the tragedy didn’t end there.

“The hometown of the elves has become a hell due to the plague, and the elves who barely escaped to the outside of that hell are being arrested and killed by the humans. It is a race with very few numbers, but it will probably perish within 10 years.”

“Ugh…”

Arsel staggered with a sense of nausea.

People burning alive.

It was because Arcel, who had seen it, had stopped imagining the elves being slaughtered.

“Huh? Are you okay? Would you like me to bring you a glass of water?”

Alfred supported Arcel, but he couldn’t figure out why she was doing that.

“…No, it’s okay. But what does it mean to say that the elves will perish? Besides, what about your maternal grandmother?”

“Her grandmother left her hometown a long time ago, and she doesn’t particularly care about her descendants. That’s how it’s like perishing. In the first place, she heard, her grandmother left her hometown because she didn’t like that kind of thing about elves.”

No descendants are created.

The race cannot be connected.

With that, Alfred said the elves would perish.

“In addition, rumors about elves have already spread all over the world. Elves are no longer welcome. The only way to survive would be for a small number of healthy elves to go into seclusion and reproduce little by little.”

Come to think of it, on the table where the black tea was placed, there were things that looked like mugshots.

They were all wanted elves.

It is written that physical contact is minimal and only magic is used to restrain and dispose of them.

Not only that, but some known names of elves were even written on the list.

Stella’s name was there, as if for granted.

“But you can rest assured, your friend, the dwarf, will be safely contained in my castle. Humans can’t dare to cross it. If you’re just an ordinary human being, not even a hero, it’s not even worth dealing with anymore.”

Alfred reassured Arsel as he sat on the sofa.

She doesn’t know if that’s her reassurance to her, but she seems to think it’s better than her nothing.

“Or should I kidnap a pair of normal elves? If you’re concerned about the continuation of the elves, you can slowly breed them. Maybe we can find an elf who doesn’t get sick yet. Kidnapping is my specialty.”

However, Arcel showed an unexpected reaction.

“…Alfred, you clearly said that the disease could not be cured by normal means.”

“Yes.”

“Then, is it possible if it is an unusual method? Even if that’s out of the way of the world…”

“Nothing is impossible, such as turning back time or erasing the very concept of disease. Instead, as you said, it would be quite difficult to make it come true as it deviated from reason.”

That was also what Alfred had been waiting for.

Silently, without saying a word, I was observing it right beside you, expecting it to be you.

“There is nothing that the holy sword cannot cut. The power contained in this sword will never defeat its owner, so those chosen by the holy sword will be immortal forever.”

“Are you still memorizing the instruction manual for the holy sword? But why?”

Knowing but not knowing.

I knew because I didn’t know.

Alfred thought it was fortunate that the hero did not disappoint.

“As long as a hero holds that sword, he will not fall ill and will not give up in any adversity. But that’s only when you have the holy sword?”

“…The power of the Holy Sword is temporary, but it is possible to transfer it to someone else. Perhaps you can share some of the healing power.”

Arsel said, forcing himself to swallow the growing anxiety.

“So? Are you going to use it to heal your friend?”

“…”

“You can’t do that. A warrior must be fair, and the power given to him must be used only fairly. For example, using it to subdue the world’s enemy, the devil? But can it be called fair only when it is used for self-interest?”

“It is…”

“That’s only for saving one goblin, isn’t it? It’s not a grandiose mission to save the entire elven race. Maybe it’s because you know that it’s impossible on your own?”

Alfred found the suffering Arcel very cute.

“But if that happened, the hero’s name would be taken away? When you had to subdue the demon lord, you never lost your fairness no matter what, so why are you greedy now…”

It was very interesting to see him hesitate to commit the unforgivable sin even though he knew he shouldn’t.

A beautiful, white hand that trembles in hesitation.

Bright red lips biting while reprimanding herself.

Unable to raise his head, his blue eyes turned downward.

It looks even more interesting because it was never found in the previous hero.

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“…It doesn’t matter. ‘Cause I’m no longer like a warrior That name has long been taken away.”

Arsel raised his head with a wry smile.

It was even more lifeless than before, but rather the light seemed to be brighter, and the eyes came into view.

“I see, I made a pretty tough decision.”

Alfred gave a satisfied smile as he comforted Arcel.

No one in the world can give you this pleasure except the hero Arcel.

If it wasn’t for her, she wouldn’t be able to get out of her life, where she is still just living the way she was before.

“Then let me help you. What you want is to heal your friend with the power of the holy sword?”

Arcel nodded at Alfred’s question.

“If you’re going to do it anyway, let’s do it grandiosely. It’s not just saving your friends, it’s saving all the elves.”

“What…? Is that possible?!”

“I can’t do it alone, you can’t do it alone. But it is possible if we work together. It means that the hero who subdued the demon lord and I will join forces. But does the impossible exist?”