The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 386: Not everyone could find home in foreign lands

Chapter 386: Not everyone could find home in foreign lands

"What?"

The vigilant expression soon turned into confusion.

"Why...I was summoned?" the Hero blinked repeatedly.

This kind of question should have crossed his mind a few times--at least more than once. When he first came to this world, for example. And then again, when he realized waging war with demons was wrong. But the more he questioned it, the more he would feel lost. Because, in the end, no one could give him an answer.

It would be easier if he was just someone who reincarnated here like the others. But the moment he came here, the term ’Hero’ immediately slapped to his identity; a label that carried so much responsibility. Someone who was dubbed a ’Hero’ couldn’t just go and live his life carelessly like others.

He couldn’t just sit still and squander his lover’s wealth without a care for the world’s affairs like a certain someone.

Hehe.

Looking at him now, it was clear that he was confused. Perhaps he had chosen to not think too much about it and do what his righteous heart told him to do.

What a ’Hero’ in his mind should do.

"I...for years, I thought my purpose was to help the kingdom beat the demons," he said.

"Like the classic story," I smile. With a princess that was set to seduce him along the way, and ’trusted’ companions to help him all the way. The kingdom treated him like a noble, like a legendary warrior we heard from fairytales in our childhood.

He smiled bitterly in response. His life was fairly easy during the first two years. He trained himself and went around the kingdom while the palace agent created chaos in the border to lure demons and Valmeier was killing them. A dream-like Hero tale perfect for a young and passionate boy. During the war, he must have convinced himself that it was his life purpose.

"And then, I found out it was all a lie," he continued with a sour expression. "The divine scripture for the summoning ritual was real, but there was never any order to eradicate the demons--not even for waging war."

Ah, yes. The classic tale of devotee misinterpreting their deity’s words and means. I realized after talking to the other deities that as much as they didn’t get along, they never thought about fighting each other. Especially after the Primordial God’s disappearance, they were in so much guilt that they neglected their subject for awhile, and came out with a truce--a non-aggression pact between them.

Naturally, that meant they never taught their subjects to fight with other races.

It was scary, honestly, how simple things like ’do not interact’ could be interpreted as ’they are not worthy to befriend’ that snowballed to ’we are superior and they are wicked’.

"And then?" I glanced at the Hero, who was frowning deeply. "What are you trying to do now? Have you found out why exactly you were summoned here?"

The Hero raised his face and let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "I’ve been trying to figure that out," he said. "I’m going through this journey to see what exactly I’m here for, but..."

"You’re lost, aren’t you?"

He raised his head toward the sky and closed his eyes. It took him a while to finally admit it. "Honestly, yeah..." he said weakly, but for some reason, he also looked liberated.

Letting out a sigh, he sat on the grass while continuing to look at the sky. His hands plucked out the blue grass in what I observed to be an unconscious act. "I...was drowning in praise and sweet talks. When I realized what I did was wrong, I tried to do what I thought was right. I tried to be the ’Hero’ that people need."

"That’s why you’re going around helping people?"

Again, he laughed in a mockery of himself. "Well...it seems logical, isn’t it?"

"Hmm..." I crouched and propped my chin, tilting my head to look at him carefully. I had thought he did what he did because of a sense of righteousness, but looking at him like this--confused, conflicted, full of self-mockery and...guilt?--I felt like there was something more there.

Something that had nothing to do with being a Hero.

"Do you...want to go home?"

He flinched and looked at me so fast I was taken aback. For a few seconds, I saw a vulnerability that gave me more clarity than a verbal answer.

"Ah, so you do."

He bit his slightly trembling lips before lowering his head and massaging his temples. "I thought..." I could hear a trace of his anxious voice; the same one he let out when he recognized Valmeier’s face. "I thought...if I fulfill the purpose of my summoning, I would be able to get back home."

Home. For me, for Izzi and Neel and Zarfa--and probably Aina--we found our home in this world because, well...it wasn’t like we’d still have one back on Earth. Hell--we wouldn’t even have our body anymore. We all died; buried or burned to ashes.

But the Hero--no, Jin was different. He came here one seemingly uneventful day, leaving his family and friends behind. He came here when he was yet an adult, so his desire to come back was probably higher. Right now, rather than the Hero, I could see the confused teenager who was whisked into a different world to fight for a stranger’s cause. This teenager who lived all his life in peace had to become an adult all alone in a strange land where he was told that his fate was to slay demons.

As grand as it sounded when he was still a naive teenager, the desire to go home would grow stronger over time.

I guessed, even after seven--eight--years, he still clung to that wish.

"When I found out that ’purpose’ was a false one, I thought that perhaps, if I fulfill the ’role’ of Hero in legend, I would be able to go home then."

Ah...what a pitiful guy. He too, was none other than the tool of the deity. But at least, I had a guide and a clear direction.

"It’s kind of laughable when people praise me for being brave and kind and whatever," he chuckled bitterly. "All I did was try to go home."

"So you feel guilty, huh..."

He chuckled again, still in that bitter, self-mocking tone. I understood now why he seemed to be so passive all this time.

"Hmm...I don’t think you need to feel like that, though?" I tilted my head, and Ignis scoffed from my shoulder. "Does it matter what your motivation is? Isn’t it still a fact that you help those people?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, I don’t think all people who create medicine do it for the good of others--mostly just for money, you know? But it still helped me live a bit longer, so I still feel thankful," I shrugged. "And I still paid them too, so..."

He raised his brows and blinked repeatedly. But he could mull over that by himself later; I wasn’t here for this.

"Well, anyway; I can’t say that I know exactly what you are supposed to do, but..." I glanced at him. "I do have an inkling."

"...tell me," he replied after shaking his head slightly, straightening his back and looking at me with the sharp eyes that his ’Hero’ persona had.

Perhaps it wasn’t just his persona. To still work on his hope of getting back to his family back home, I had to praise his tenacity. Most people would probably just give up and accept that they would just live here permanently.

"So, you were summoned because of the Goddess’ order through an old divine scripture, right?" I leaned toward him slightly.

"Yeah,"

"That means the one who knows why you’re here is...well, the Goddess Herself."

"That makes sense, but...how?" he frowned, and then widened his eyes. "Wait--is that why you asked me if I had heard Her voice?"

"Uh-huh," I nodded and curled my lips. "Isn’t it weird that the Goddess’s Hero had never had Her voice? You received Her blessing at the start but nothing more, right? That’s why I wondered if She actually talked to you during your summoning, but you forgot for some reason."

He rubbed his lower face in contemplation, probably trying to remember that event nearly eight years ago.

"Well, you can try to remember it slowly later--the point is this; no one had received Her blessing or heard Her voice for a long, long time. Like...a century-long or more."

"Huh..."

"Except--well, this is also still my conjecture, but--"

"Your father..."

Oh-ho! He was more quick-witted than I thought. His sharp eyes trained on me again. I took a deep breath and told him my suspicion about the humans’ aggressive movement, including the way they waged war with the druid kingdom. And finally, about my theory that the Goddess lost connection with the humans.

Well, I said ’lost connection’ to land the low softly. But I knew he could read what I meant from my grave tone; that she might get trapped somewhere.

He kept quiet for a few minutes, burying his head between his hands--not in despair, just in deep thought.

"You mean...the summoning ’order’ was kind of like Her SOS or something?" he looked at me incredulously. "That She wants me to...rescue Her, or something?"

I just shrugged because honestly...I had no idea. I had no idea whether She wanted Jin to save her or save the other humans who fell victim to the church and the authorities.

"That’s why you’re asking about your father? Did he..."

"I’m not sure," I shook my head. "All I know is that he was supposed to be a High Priest who received a blessing--that’s the only way for me to have the Goddess’s essence. I thought that maybe, if I found out more about him and find out where he received his blessing--"

"I might be able to hear Her voice in that place?"

Again, I shrugged.

"What’s certain is that it’s not the church where you--I mean, Valmeier grew up," he said. "I tried praying there and there’s nothing."

"I thought as much."

From the way he replied, it seemed like he accepted my explanation well. Well, it was probably the only clue he had for now to find out his true ’purpose’ in this world. If he could converse with the Goddess, he might find out whether he could go home or not. Even if he couldn’t, well...he still had the right to get closure.

"Haha..." he suddenly laughed, prompting me to look at him inquisitively. This time, his laugh wasn’t that of self-mockery, but it also wasn’t a happy one. More like...regret? He glanced at me and smiled. "If only...I met you first."

"Huh?"

Ignis hissed and I had to pat the flaming head to calm the Salamander down. It didn’t deter Jin from speaking, however.

"If I found you first before you met that Demon Lord," he smiled wryly. "Maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"Ah, no," he blinked and shook his head slightly, the regretful laugh could be heard again. "Maybe we can go together and be friends..."

I watched him scratch his neck and averted my gaze. I wonder which ’you’ he meant earlier--was it me, or was it Valmeier? But no matter which one was it, my reply would be the same.

"We can’t," I said, and he flinched in response, smiling bitterly as if I had just broken his heart or something. "Because I’ll die in that case."

He blinked, and could only reply weakly. "Ah..."

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