I Became the 101st Hero – Chapter 27

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Creak.

The floorboards of the old inn groaned.

I had initially thought that fixing the creaky door would be enough, but perhaps rebuilding the entire establishment would be quicker at this point.

Fortunately, the innkeeper was still snoring away at the counter.

‘As long as I open the door quietly…’

Just as I eased the door open…

“Allen?”

Weiss stood before me, a basket in hand.

‘She’s back already?’

My escape attempt, timed with her absence while she ran errands, was foiled before it even began.

“I told you to stay in your room. You’re still injured…”

She gestured towards my arm, encased in a splint and wrapped tightly with bandages.

The price I paid for overexerting myself during the fight with the Demon King.

“I just… wanted some fresh air.”

I scratched my head with my uninjured left arm, forcing a smile.

Weiss leaned closer, her eyes narrowing.

“Weiss?”

“The innkeeper is fast asleep. So…”

A mischievous smile spread across her face.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t see you. But don’t do anything dangerous, okay?”

I nodded obediently.

“Of course.”

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“Ah… Finally…”

Stepping outside after being cooped up for days felt liberating.

While I had kept myself busy planning for the future and training my Wind Manipulation, I couldn’t ignore the stiffness in my muscles.

‘Time to get things done.’

Taking advantage of the lack of onlookers, I retrieved a flower from my inventory.

A wilted white flower, its petals now dull and lifeless, the same one Finn had discarded in the flowerbed.

Upon returning to the village, I discovered that most of the flowers were gone, so I managed to salvage one and store it in my inventory.

‘It was somewhere around here…’

I remembered seeing a girl selling flowers at a stall near the village square.

I searched for her, scanning my surroundings.

Finally, I spotted her.

Holding the wilted flower, I approached her stall.

“Allen? What brings you here?”

The girl looked at me curiously as I inspected her flowers.

“You’re never interested in flowers. What’s gotten into you?”

“Just… looking for a specific kind.”

However, I couldn’t find any flowers resembling the wilted one on her stall.

Resigned, I showed her the flower.

“Do you know anything about this flower?”

“Huh? Is that a hyacinth?”

So, it was a hyacinth.

Then, she asked an unexpected question.

“But how did you get that?”

I hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell her the truth.

“I found it lying in the grass near the village square.”

The girl sighed.

“That poor man. So he failed after all, huh?”

“Failed?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. A while back, a man came and bought all of these flowers.”

It must have been Finn.

“Are you not selling these flowers anymore?”

Her expression darkened.

“Well, it’s a bit complicated.”

“Complicated? How?”

“…”

She clearly didn’t want to tell me.

I pulled out a few coins from my pocket.

“Will this be enough?”

“Huh? Wait, what…?”

Her eyes widened.

“It’s not that big of a secret… You don’t have to…”

It was a big deal to me.

I held out the coins.

She reluctantly accepted them and chuckled.

“Since you’re being so generous, I guess I can tell you. The adults forbade me from selling them.”

She pointed towards the barrier.

“These flowers only grow at the foot of the hill near the northern barrier.”

Near the barrier… While dangerous for others, it wasn’t a problem for me.

“Thank you for telling me.”

I expressed my gratitude and turned to leave.

“Are you planning to pick some?”

Her sharp question made me flinch.

While I was considered an adult these days, venturing near the barrier would raise eyebrows, especially since most people were unaware of my true strength.

If Weiss or the innkeeper found out, I wouldn’t get away with a simple scolding.

Weiss’s words from earlier echoed in my mind.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t see you. But don’t do anything dangerous, okay?”

My conscience pricked me.

‘Worst case scenario: house arrest.’

But I couldn’t give up.

This was important.

“Will this do?”

I offered her another coin.

She pocketed it with a satisfied grin.

Her earlier reluctance had vanished.

“Since you’re so eager, I’ll let you in on another secret. Those flowers only bloom during the transition from winter to spring. They’ll all wither before spring arrives. So, I suggest you hurry.”

Useless information, as if I wasn’t already planning to go immediately.

‘It’s still quite cold, so they should be fine.’

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‘This is more daunting than I expected.’

The foot of the hill near the northern barrier.

The information was vague.

I assumed the flowers would be clustered together, making them easy to spot from afar. I was wrong.

‘I need to hurry…’

After two hours of searching, the sun was beginning to set.

I was already resigned to facing the innkeeper’s wrath, but I had to return before dinner if I wanted to avoid Weiss’s as well.

‘Should I give up for today?’

The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.

If I returned now, who knew when I’d be able to come back?

By then, the flowers would be gone.

‘I have to find them.’

I activated Wind Manipulation.

Thanks to the effects of Precocious and my relentless training, my Wind Manipulation had finally reached Rank B-.

I could now apply the ability to my legs, enhancing my speed.

‘Still not quite used to it, though.’

While I could use it, I hadn’t had much practice.

My experience was limited to a few laps around my room, which resulted in several scoldings from Weiss after I tripped and fell.

‘This is fast!’

My footsteps felt incredibly light as wind enveloped my legs.

I was racing up the hill at a speed I had never experienced before.

It felt almost as fast as when I was a track athlete back in reality.

‘Just a little faster… a little faster…’

Driven by a sudden urge to push my limits, I gradually increased my speed.

However, my lack of control over Wind Manipulation backfired.

I lost my balance and went tumbling down the hill.

‘Weiss is going to kill me.’

Returning covered in dirt and bruises was a surefire way to get scolded.

That was my primary concern, even more than the pain I was currently feeling.

As I rolled down the hill…

‘Huh?’

Something white flashed in my upside-down vision.

‘Found them!’

I scrambled to my feet and rushed towards the white flowers I had spotted.

They were the same flowers I had been searching for.

‘Hyacinths, was it?’

They were still in bloom.

As I gazed upon the pristine white hyacinths, a realization dawned on me.

‘These flowers…’

They resembled Weiss.

The strange sense of dissonance I felt when I looked at the wilted hyacinth finally made sense.

Finn must have thought of Weiss when he saw the hyacinths as well.

But he never got to give them to her.

Instead, he sacrificed his life to protect her.

My plan, to ambush the Demon King with Night’s Shadow and finish them off with my secret technique, had been jeopardized. If Finn hadn’t used his remaining willpower to hinder the Demon King’s movements, I wouldn’t have been able to kill them.

“Finn…”

I plucked a white hyacinth and gazed towards the horizon, towards the place where Finn had perished beyond the barrier, leaving no trace behind.

“I’ll deliver your message for you.”

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Creak.

I opened the inn door. The counter was empty.

‘Thank goodness. Is he out?’

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief…

“Allen.”

A chilling voice called my name.

I turned to see the innkeeper sitting on the sofa, Weiss beside him with a strained smile.

“Where have you been?”

“I went for a walk, to get some fresh air.”

“For half a day? You’re not the God of Wind.”

Technically, I did possess Wind Manipulation, but…

“Huh? What’s that flower?”

Weiss noticed the flower in my hand.

“Isn’t that a hyacinth?”

She quickly got up and rushed towards me, her eyes fixed on the flower.

“You know this flower?”

“Of course. It was one of the few flowers that bloomed in my hometown. I never expected to see it here.”

I didn’t know it bloomed in her hometown.

Come to think of it, the northern part of the village was relatively close to Ice Valley.

“But where did you get it?”

“I, uh… I got it from…”

I was about to tell her about the northern hill, but I stopped myself.

“…Finn. I met him.”

“Finn?”

Weiss’s eyes widened.

“I was worried because I haven’t seen him lately… Was he doing alright?”

I nodded.

My conscience pricked me, but I had to lie.

A necessary lie, for both Finn and Weiss.

‘I can’t tell her that another Weiss, the one who became the Demon King, killed Finn. So…’

I gave myself an order.

‘Don’t look sad. Smile.’

I felt the corners of my lips curve upward.

Alright. Time to weave my tale.

“He was out exploring beyond the barrier, searching for relics. Apparently, he found a pretty valuable one. He’s planning to sell it in a big city and use the money to open a stall in the capital.”

A complete fabrication, from start to finish.

And yet, Weiss seemed to believe every word.

‘Are you sure you’re the same Weiss as the Demon King? You’re just as gullible as Finn.’

Well, it worked out in my favor.

I held out the flower.

“He asked me to give this to you.”

“Finn… He’s still in the village, right?”

“No, he left immediately after giving me this flower.”

I urged her to take it.

“Here.”

Her hand trembled as she reached for the hyacinth.

“Can I… accept this? I…”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“I haven’t even returned his bracelet, and I haven’t had the chance to repay him for saving my life. And yet, I feel like I hurt him…”

She had to accept it.

Finn wasn’t hurt.

In fact, he…

“Finn wanted you to have this flower, along with this message.”

This time, I spoke the truth.

Because that was the flower language.

“The happiness of loving you freely.”

Finn loved Weiss until the very end.

I had to convey that to her.

It was the least I could do for Finn, who had sacrificed himself for her.

That’s why I sought out this flower.

She had to accept it.

“Finn…”

She finally took the flower, her fingers closing around its delicate stem.

Tears streamed down her face.

‘This is enough.’

My mouth was still stretched into a smile, a lingering effect of Absolute Obedience.

And yet, a single, warm teardrop rolled down my cheek.

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