There was a slight cold breeze. I could feel it. I felt immense comfort and... and a strange sensation, as if I were pure. When I opened my eyes, I saw where I was. It was beautiful. A room with brick walls, clean, and decorated with hanging plants that swayed gently in the breeze coming through the windows.
There were two windows—one was open, the other closed—and its glass was quite special: stained glass with various colors. It was the kind of window you'd only see in churches. Wait... I know this place! I've seen it before. This refreshing cold breeze isn't unfamiliar to me. Is this the Moon Goddess' temple? It looks like it, but...
What am I doing here? Wait, didn't I defeat Slytha? Was it a dream? No, I remember everything in vivid detail. I killed her. She died. I'm sure of it. I was lying on a damp bed, covered in a soft blanket. Is this the afterlife? I don't understand anything. When I pulled the blanket off, I saw my body—it was wrapped in bandages, some stained red, others still clean. My entire body was covered. It looked like I had been in a coma.
"My toes!" I suddenly shouted as I remembered.
I threw off my blanket and stared at the toes on my right foot. Then I saw a horrifying sight—my foot was there, of course... but I had lost my two smallest toes. Oh God, please no! A wave of grief hit me, and I collapsed back onto the bed. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I lost parts of my body—this isn't normal at all!
I clenched my teeth hard, my sadness turning into anger. It wasn't easy to deal with. For some reason, I just couldn't accept losing those toes. Suddenly, I felt a tear fall. Damn, look at this foot! Man, it's disgusting. I'm deformed now. I'll never be able to wear sandals for the rest of my life... That dragon ruined my life.
But hey, on the bright side, I killed the strongest dragon in the kingdom. How will the king react when he hears? At that moment, all my sadness vanished as if I had grown my toes back. Besides, we're in another world now—maybe I could regrow them using some kind of magic. Yeah, I've heard there are people who use healing magic that lets you regenerate lost limbs!
So forget the toes for now. Let's think about life after this victory—it's going to be crazy. First thing I'll ask for is a house. And they better give me Slytha's corpse—I want to trade it freely. The whole kingdom is going to see me. Woooh, this is awesome! Those fuckers will know they're not the only heroes. They'll know what kind of NPC they laughed at. Yeah, you'll all see!!
"Laos... Laos... my love, don't die."
While I was lost in my imagination, I heard a very familiar voice. When I turned around, I saw a breathtaking sight—a girl with long hair, small horns, and droopy ears. She was sitting on a chair and slouched over the same bed I was lying on. Maris... what's she doing here?!
Wait—is this really the Moon Goddess' temple?! It looks like she'd been waiting for me to wake up and fell asleep. Should I wake her? Oh God, how long have I been in a coma? Years?! No, no, her clothes and style haven't changed. Maybe two weeks, tops? That's actually amazing... I never expected this would be what happens after killing Slytha.
"You're awake!" came a voice approaching the door.
It was a dark elf with black hair and honey-colored eyes, dressed in a crimson robe with some golden embellishments. She's that priestess—yes, this is the Moon Goddess' temple, and I'm in Iveleth now! Damn, it looks like a lot of time has passed. But why exactly am I here?
"How long was I in a coma?" I asked.
"Three days," she replied as she stepped closer.
Thank God... not too long. She sat on a chair beside me and handed me a blue potion. She smiled softly as she looked at me, which made me feel a bit shy. When I drank the potion, I felt a great relief. Some pain in my bones faded. But damn, the taste was awful. Still, since I was in front of a beautiful girl, I couldn't show a silly reaction.
"I see you're doing well," she murmured.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But how did I end up in Iveleth?"
"When the battle ended, you fell into a coma. Right after that, reinforcements arrived from the capital. Apparently, the dragon's roar was heard from faraway parts of Yavan. The soldiers learned from a Dryad village that your wife was in Iveleth, so they brought you here. And we priestesses of the Moon Goddess temple took care of your treatment—that's what happened."
"Oh, thank you."
"You're not the one who should be thanking—we should. Besides, the kingdom is paying us for treating you. But you should know that the whole kingdom now knows about the dragon's death. And your name has spread everywhere. Laos, the White Swordmaster. You... you're considered one of the heroes now."
"Really?... That's amazing."
"And lucky for you, your victory aligned with an old legend. Laos—hundreds of years ago, a wealthy merchant founded the town of Iveleth. His name was Ive, and since 'leth' means land in Lavanian, he named it Iveleth—'the land of Ive'. Ive was a merchant who loved hero tales, so he created his own legend."
"Long ago, Ive had many enemies—some were nobles—all of them wanted to rule or destroy Iveleth. But Ive hoped a hero would one day come and protect the town. That legend spread and evolved until the story became about a hero who would appear to save Iveleth from evil."
"Wait, wait, I'm just a free adventurer who killed a dragon sleeping in the depths of Yavan," I replied humbly with a sarcastic grin.
"Let me finish..." the priestess muttered with a slightly annoyed expression.
"As I said, the legend evolved—it said that a hero would appear to protect Iveleth from evil. Since the dragon was destroying Yavan, and Iveleth would've been its next stop—but you stopped it... and that's why—"
"Laos! Laos!" shouted voices from outside.
"What's that?" I asked.
"It's them—your fans. The people who see you as the hero from the tale... Well, looks like the Moon Goddess has a real hero now."
"Thank you…"
"Well, I should take my leave," she said, getting up as she noticed Maris starting to stir.
After she left, I felt amazing. I was overwhelmed with joy—joy I could barely believe. This is insane! I finally became a hero. Finally, they'll see me as one of the heroes, not just some NPC. Thank you to everyone who made this happen... I swear I'd pay a fortune just to see the look on everyone's face when they hear this news.
"Laos...??" came a soft feminine voice.
Suddenly, Maris jumped on me and hugged me tightly—so tight I could feel my pain double. But I couldn't do anything. I liked this kind of hug. Her hands were warm... her damp chest pressed against my face. She pulled me in firmly, and I felt her tears stream down to my ears. Looks like I really worried her... but it was worth it. From now on, we're living the high life.
"Laos... you idiot, how dare you," Maris cried, her tears intensifying.
"I... I'm sorry," I muttered.
"Ponier told me that you were killing wyverns, and that you were kicked out of the guild. I tried to accept your lies, but how dare you fight the strongest dragon in the kingdom??!!!"
"Maris, I feel a bit of pain," I replied.
After that, her warm hands moved away from me, and I was finally able to see her beautiful face—but in a way I didn't like. She was crying heavily, and for some reason, seeing Maris cry made me feel sad too. So… how could I get her to stop crying?
"Can you tell me what happened after I fought the dragon?" I asked her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I didn't die. I won. And I did all of this to start a great life. Do you know what's going to happen now after this victory?"
"But you took a risk! Don't forget you were in a coma!"
"And don't forget the word 'was'. I was in a coma, not anymore. I woke up, and now I'm looking at you, talking, feeling—I can do everything. I didn't die, and I turned our lives for the better. That's my goal, Maris... and I'm sorry again."
"Idiot!"
She jumped on me again and hugged me. A wonderful hug. I never hate it, though my aching joints were annoying. Oh well… let's enjoy this moment—what I call a warrior's rest. A warrior's rest in the arms of his wife, the best moment to celebrate after a hard victory. This tenderness... it's amazing.
"How do you feel? Should I ask the priestess to heal you again?"
"No, no, just… let's get out of here."
I got up and had a hard time walking. I was limping a bit, and the pain had gotten worse. Damn it! Maris held me and helped me walk. The temple was quiet as always—a wonderful place to wake up in, honestly. After walking for a while, we were greeted by several priestesses who led us to the temple's exit, where sunlight was shining through.
When I stepped outside, the rays blasted my eyes and made it hard to see. But there was a massive noise, shouting: "Laos! Laos!" It was incredible. After a while, I was finally able to see—huge crowds of people, of all races. Beautiful girls, children, elders… all the residents of Iveleth were there. And all of them were smiling.
"Everyone knows you now. It might be a bit annoying," said the dark elf as she approached me.
"That's fine," I murmured.
I stared at the crowd with a wide smile I didn't even feel coming. I was so happy—as if I were an emperor. Thank you all, thank you for this welcome! My enthusiasm to sacrifice myself grew. Scenes like this multiply your courage a thousandfold and make you believe that sometimes, sacrifice is worth it. And yes… it is worth it!
"Laos! Laos!"
"Thank you for saving the town and protecting the kingdom!"
"You are the hero of Iveleth!"
"The greatest hero!!"
"The greatest savior!"
"May the goddess bless your life forever!!"
"The goddess will welcome you into their paradise as their champion!!!"
"Let evil fall!" I shouted, raising my hand. Looks like I'm really a hero.
◆ ◆ ◆
One summer day, inside one of Iveleth's taverns, our hero Laos was asleep—this time, alone. It seemed he had found some peace and quiet, away from the noise of Iveleth's residents. Still, there were a number of people waiting outside the tavern's entrance. Regardless, he stayed asleep, until eventually the sunlight easily slipped through the window and slapped him awake.
"Ugh… this is the alarm in this tavern… a slap of sunlight," muttered Laos as he turned over and covered his face with the pillow.
"Laos, wake up. You've been sleeping for too long. That's not healthy for someone who just came out of a coma," said Maris as she entered the room holding a few letters.
"Did letters from the king arrive?" asked Laos, suddenly wide awake as if he hadn't been asleep at all.
"There are three letters for you—aside from the annoying ones sent by some ridiculous people, like marriage proposals."
"Did you read all of them?"
"Of course, and I found only three important ones. The first is from Rose, and we'll talk about it now. The second is from Etomi. And the last one is a special letter with a golden seal from the king himself."
"Awesome!!!"
"Alright, but now, can you tell me who this Rose is?" asked Maris with a slightly threatening look.
"Oh, she's a girl I met. She was the leader of the village I trade with."
"Nothing happened between you two, right?"
"Never."
"Okay, read them."
This is amazing. These are the letters I was waiting for so eagerly. Let's start with Rose's letter first. Imagine if she got excited and sent me a marriage proposal—that would be the end of my life. Alright, ahem ahem…
"Sir Laos, I don't know what to say. So many rumors have confused me. One said you were in a coma and might die. That was heartbreaking news for me and the residents of Bloomy. We prayed to the gods for you to wake up. We just want to tell you that you've become a great hero, and thank you for killing the dragon. Thank you…Your friend, Rose."
Wow, Rose… that was touching. I'll miss her. I'll miss Bloomy entirely. Alright, let's see Etomi's letter now. Ugh, what's that cold girl gonna say? Okay…
"Hey, white-haired guy. Or should I say black-haired now? Looks like you managed to kill the dragon without my help. Well, that's not happy news for me. You stole my prey, you thief. But… I hope you wake up. Losing my true rival who appeared out of nowhere is a terrible thing. So you better wake up, you damn sword mage."
Damn, that was harsh from her. Alright, alright. Let's see now… the royal letter. The seal alone looks fancy. Let's see what the content says. Ahem ahem… I'll read it in a noble voice: "From the Royal Court to Hero Laos, We heard that you have awakened, and this news brings great joy to us—the rulers and the people. Thus, we wish to see you in the throne room. It will be a special celebration. By order of the King, we request your presence in the capital tomorrow."