"What kind of person did you just meet?" Cerno asked angrily as he regained consciousness. "Not only did he disturb my sleep, but he also dragged me here!"
"Sorry, but you don't have much time," he replied, tossing a miniature instrument pulled from his storage space to Cerno.
The librarian's eyes widened as he examined the miniature version of the instrument crafted by the elves. Then, he turned to them. "Do you realize you'll be put on trial for possessing this instrument?" he remarked. "Even though there's no written law, you should know that owning this alone is akin to disrespecting the creations of the heroes of the past."
"For what?" he retorted, drawing their attention. "What's the point of continuing to use that instrument if there's a better one for detecting the Demon King's presence? More importantly, each race could detect him without having to wait for news from the human kingdom's capital, which, even now, has yet to provide any information. What if the Demon King has already attacked and the capital still remains silent? Are you all willing to wait for an empty hope?"
Cerno frowned.
He was someone who held history in the highest regard and deeply respected the past heroes who had sacrificed their lives on the battlefield for the peace of all races. Hearing someone dare to say such things made his blood boil, and he wanted to strike the person in front of him. But he held himself back after everything that had happened.
"Because without the instrument in the capital, the Demon King will continue to rise without being sealed. The only reason we've been able to live in peace until now is thanks to that instrument," he said, turning his gaze back to the miniature instrument in his hands. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure they have a reason."
"A reason…" A sharp scoff escaped his lips. "What kind of reason could justify the fact that they still haven't shared any information about the Demon King's presence with the other races? The only thing keeping you all living in fear is him. You're placing your hope in a machine that you don't even know how to repair if it breaks. You've grown too comfortable living in a cage, unwilling to seek a way out."
Aldean stepped forward, surprising the others, especially since he still dared to look him straight in the eyes. "You can talk like that because of your strength! What can we do if the Demon King remains unsealed? Didn't you hear Cerno's explanation? We use that instrument to seal him!"
"And you don't find that strange?" he countered, unfazed by Aldean's understandable anger. "You possess the ability to create a device that detects the Demon King's presence, yet there are no records of its creation. The elves hid it, which means they had a reason beyond just avoiding the scorn of other races. And there's no evidence proving that the Demon King is truly gone. All you have is a machine telling you he's dead, and just like that, you believe it. Have you ever considered that the instrument might have been created by him?"
This time, the captain spoke up. "No, that's impossible! The instrument only functions using pure mana, which the Demon King cannot use. Pure mana would severely injure him."
"Have you ever seen it with your own eyes?"
The captain hesitated before answering. "N-no…"
"From the very beginning, your history has been suspicious, and I'm sure your predecessors sensed it too. They just didn't want to accept the fact that something had happened. They turned a blind eye, lived in comfort, and pretended everything was fine," he continued firmly. "Why? Because they were afraid. Afraid of what would happen if they sought out the truth."
They lowered their heads, clenching their fists tightly to suppress their anger. Their pride, the ideology they had believed in for so long, was beginning to crack, and that terrified them.
"Maybe what I'm saying is nonsense. Maybe I'm exaggerating. But I'm certain that, deep down, you've all thought about it—if only for a moment. Why is it only that instrument can do what it does? Why are there no records at all about its creation? And is the Demon King truly gone? More importantly, you've now seen with your own eyes that the same instrument can be recreated, even if it doesn't function at one hundred percent of the original's capacity. Are you still going to turn a blind eye?"
Silence fell over them.
"What should we do?" the white-haired one finally asked, breaking the stillness.
"Why ask me? This is your problem. I'm confident I can defeat the Demon King alone, but what about you?" He leapt onto the nearest rooftop. "Or are you expecting me to solve all your problems? Aren't you supposed to be the heroes?" Then, he lay down, gazing at the beautiful night sky adorned with countless stars.
"He's right. We can't keep relying on him," Aldean said, the fire of determination rekindling in his eyes. "Like the heroes of the past, we have to find a way and work to stop the Demon King—this time, by using a different approach. Our lives have become too dependent on that instrument. Even though I hate to admit it, he's not wrong."
Cerno stood up. "But that means acknowledging that we've been living under a false belief all this time. If we do this, can we still live among society, or will we be branded as heretics?"
The thought of their good names—names they had worked hard to build in society—being ruined terrified Cerno. Not only would he lose his reputation, but most likely, his family as well. He would forever be a fugitive.
Living in fear.
Like being trapped in a cage of thorns with no way out except by taking his own life.
Such a life had never crossed his mind. Never.
Until now.
As they stood in the middle of a half-destroyed city, in the presence of someone who had changed everything in just one day.
"Isn't this what we should be doing?" the white-haired one said. "We, who live in this era of peace, have grown too comfortable with the cheers of the people, basking in their praises, sitting on thrones as if we were kings. But if we recall the stories of the heroes of the past, none of them were ever revered. Instead, they were ridiculed, called fools for daring to challenge the Demon King. Yet, look at the result. They brought peace to the ages that followed."
"Elyssa is right. As heroes, we shouldn't fear the unknown. Instead, we should be the ones to seek it out, to explore the darkness and find the light at the end of the tunnel. If we don't do this, as he said, we will forever live in the shadows. And honestly, that instrument has bothered me ever since I first heard about it," the burly man added.
Unbeknownst to them, the man who had been lying down was now sitting up, leaning on his hands as he observed the group below. It seemed they had found the fire within themselves once more. Though still small, at least it hadn't been extinguished.
"If I were you, I'd start by asking the elves how they got their hands on the miniature version of the instrument. From there, you can uncover more on your own," he called out.
Every pair of eyes that had been focused on him now turned toward the elves, who looked like children caught red-handed.
The council let out a long sigh. "We will tell you everything."