Having burned away all the Slime Masks, Yuri and his companions entered the royal castle of Johannes with their hoods pulled low.
Johannes, having repelled the invasion of the continent, was in a festive mood.
Pushing their way through the crowd shouting cheers of triumph, Yuri grumbled.
"Do we really have to see it?"
"Of course."
Yuri just wanted to return to Briol, but Jose had insisted on seeing the statue erected in the middle of the castle grounds, so he had no choice but to go along.
Jose grinned.
"Isn't it a statue built for us?"
"It's not for us. It's for Hopper and the Three Sworn Brothers."
"Which is us."
"No one knows that, though?"
"But we know it ourselves!"
"Yeah, I guess…"
With that, they arrived at the entrance to the square where the statue stood. Jose said,
"I'm excited. I wonder how cool we'll look..."
Jared nodded in agreement.
"My heart's pounding now that we're actually here to see it."
"Right?"
Inariel stood a bit farther away, arms crossed, with a crooked posture.
"I don't really want to see it."
"Why not?"
"To think they sculpted you lot—now that's funny."
"You're saying it's actually cool, right?"
"Not at all..."
In the center of the square, people had already gathered. Through the crowd, a gray mass could faintly be seen.
"That's it."
"There it is."
Jose and Jared rushed forward.
Though Laurent didn't say anything, he too was approaching with a noticeably quickened pace.
Left behind, Yuri let out a sigh and walked toward the statue.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..."
As the distance closed, the statue's shape began to come into focus.
Yuri lowered his head and burst out laughing.
"Pfft..."
He couldn't even bring himself to lift his head.
"What is that?"
Jose had his eyes wide open in disbelief, and Jared had collapsed onto the ground.
"That's supposed to be us…?"
The statue was a disaster.
It bore no resemblance to their actual appearances.
It looked like they had just inflated the figures' sizes and slapped on random faces.
Lowe and Javid, thanks to their beards, somewhat resembled the real thing, but for Hopper and Yubi, who lacked such features, they looked like entirely different people.
All four were wearing menacing expressions, but somehow, the result came off as comically absurd.
Jose muttered in despair.
"How could they… Our mythic struggle turned into this mockery…"
Yuri snorted.
"The war ended just recently, didn't it? Something made overnight isn't going to be high quality. The sculptor probably didn't even know what we looked like."
"Ugh, this is insane…"
"It's an insult. An insult…"
Having regained his composure, Laurent stood beside Yuri, nodding as if he hadn't expected much to begin with.
"It's unfortunate, but we can't help it."
Though the people involved were disappointed, the reactions from the citizens were quite the opposite.
People prayed before the statue, leaving flowers at its base.
"Please, Three Sworn Brothers, let me pass my exam…"
"Sir Hopper, may our family business thrive…"
"I hope my child is born with the kindness of Lord Yubi…"
Their wishes were varied.
Some seemed to be asking for things one shouldn't be requesting from militia volunteers, but since that's how prayers usually are, Yuri stopped caring.
Just then, someone spoke to them.
"Have you come to pray too?"
A man with thick, curly blond hair stepped up beside Yuri and spoke.
"Ah, yes. And you are?"
"I'm the sculptor who made this statue."
"Really?"
"Yes."
He pointed to the statue and gave a wide smile.
Then, he said something strange.
"Try praying to that statue. Your wish will come true."
Yuri looked at the sculptor.
The statue was already unconvincing, and now he was telling people to pray to it? That made it even more suspicious.
He seemed like a scammer.
Yuri rolled his eyes toward Jose. Jose's expression was subtly twisting.
Someone might end up dead if this went wrong, so Yuri tried to lighten the mood with a laugh.
"Haha, praying to a statue to get your wish granted. Is that really possible?"
"Yes. Of course it is."
The sculptor nodded seriously. He even clasped his hands together.
"One thing's certain— the more you pray, the closer you get to your goal."
"And what's the basis for that claim? These four are heroes, not gods."
"You don't believe me, huh? Haha, then how about I tell you a secret about them?"
"A secret?"
"Yes. I know the truth about those four."
Not just Yuri, but the rest of the group turned their eyes toward the sculptor.
Could he possibly know about the Slime Masks?
What on earth was he about to say? Everyone's attention was locked on his mouth.
All except Inariel, who remained completely uninterested.
Yuri asked,
"And what is that truth?"
"Well..."
The sculptor placed a hand over his chest.
"They're not heroes."
The group stared at him with stern faces.
"Kill to silence…" Jared muttered under his breath, and Laurent quickly covered his mouth.
Yuri asked in a trembling voice,
"I-If they're not heroes, then what are they?"
"Their true identity is…"
Everyone waited tensely for what would follow.
The sculptor declared,
"They're human."
What a hollow conclusion.
The four of them, tension suddenly gone, had their shoulders droop.
Yuri asked again,
"So they're not elves or something?"
Inariel glanced at him, but he ignored it.
The sculptor laughed.
"Hahaha, that's not what I meant. I'm saying they were just ordinary humans. And yet, they became more than that. They became what we call heroes."
"But you just said they weren't heroes."
"It was a metaphor. They weren't heroes to begin with, but they became such through effort. I'm sure they pushed themselves every day to achieve their goals, shedding blood, sweat, and tears."
That much was true. Yuri and the others softened their expressions a little.
The sculptor's voice grew more passionate.
"So then, where do you think that persistence and strength came from?"
"Where?"
"Right here."
The sculptor pointed at his chest.
"The heart."
"The heart?"
"They wished for it every day. To grow strong, so they could protect Johannes. The power of that wish is immense. Powerful enough to change the world. Look—didn't they change Johannes?"
Yuri was moved by the sculptor's words.
Substituting Johannes for Briol, it sounded like his own story.
He had reached his current level through bone-grinding effort, and just recently, he had even defeated Yalta, one of the Ten Strongest.
All of it was thanks to his desire and his hard work.
"Then prayer is…"
"Yes."
The sculptor spread his arms wide.
"If one has a wish so desperate that they pray every day, don't we all, without realizing, move toward that goal?"
"Ahh…"
"I'm not trying to deny the achievements of the heroes. I simply mean that by remembering their footsteps, we too can strive to do our best at every moment, just like they did."
"So that's why you asked us to pray."
"Yes, exactly. And through prayer, we'll come to understand what we truly wish for."
At first, there had been a sense of resentment toward the sculptor, but after hearing his explanation, the opposite emotion welled up instead.
This sculptor, more than anyone else, truly understood them.
The sculptor smiled at Yuri.
"That's why I created that sculpture with such intent. The Four Heroes, I mean."
"Wait, I have a question."
Still not fully satisfied, Jared asked,
"The faces look a little off. Are you sure those are the real faces of the four heroes? Didn't you just make them up?"
"Well…"
The sculptor smiled.
"Yes, you're right. Those aren't their real faces."
"Then you made the statue without even knowing what they looked like? Isn't that disrespectful to them?"
"It might be. But the faces were intentional."
"Intentional?"
"I collected the facial features of natives of Johannes and derived the most average-looking face."
Now that he said it, that seemed true. The faces on the statues were common and familiar, like those seen anywhere on the streets.
"Instead of portraying their real likenesses, I deliberately gave them the faces of ordinary people. I wanted to convey that even common folk, if they truly strive, can become heroes."
The more they thought about it, the deeper the meaning became.
Even Jared's expression softened now.
Yuri spoke.
"Sculptor, sir."
"Yes?"
"Let's shake hands."
"Haha, gladly."
The two clasped hands. Yuri said,
"I'm impressed. That statue carries such lofty meaning."
"I'm flattered."
"May I know your name?"
"My name is Weed. I'm just an ordinary sculptor. Hahaha…"
"Weed."
Yuri made a note to remember his name.
"I hope to see your statues all over Johannes someday."
"I'd like that too."
"It will surely happen."
Yuri began to form a plan to raise Weed as Johannes' representative sculptor.
He would sponsor him under the name of the Rein Company, and display statues embodying his philosophy throughout the city of Johannes.
"For the future of Johannes."
Though they had won the recent war, the road ahead for Johannes would be full of thorns.
There was no way the Empire, after losing its forces, would simply back down.
Thus, the people of Johannes would need something to give them hope, like this statue.
The sculpture of the four fallen heroes created by Weed would stir pride and patriotism in the hearts of the citizens.
"Look over there."
Suddenly, Weed pointed behind them.
"Huh?"
There were familiar figures.
The second class of trainees who had undergone guerrilla training in Briol was returning to the royal capital.
They all looked like beggars, but their eyes burned bright with spirit.
"It's a new unit, fresh from training. I hear it's a special force like the Aloy Brigade."
"I see."
"With young people like them, I believe Johannes will never fall. Everyone's a hero."
"You're right."
This time, they had fought a guerrilla war right in front of the royal capital due to a sudden invasion, but things would be different in the future.
The Aloy Brigade had established outposts all throughout the forests surrounding Johannes. No one could predict where their arrows or traps would be lying in wait.
The Empire had gained a very troublesome enemy right on its doorstep.
"Now then, shall we all make a wish together?"
"Sounds good."
Yuri and his companions brought their hands together and began to pray with the sculptor.
And they weren't the only ones.
Countless people of Johannes joined in.
***
The fabricated deaths of Hopper and the Three Sworn Brothers were becoming a wind of change and a symbol of patriotism for the people of Johannes.
While the death of Hopper and the Three Sworn Brothers, fabricated by Yuri's group, had united the people of Johannes, the deaths of Yalta and Graham were having the opposite effect in the Empire, tearing it apart.
"Yalta is dead, Yalta is dead…"
The Emperor, Ibarra, sat on the throne wrapped in a blanket, trembling.
Though he had mostly recovered from the effects of the poison, the aftereffects caused his body to shiver constantly, and his personality had changed drastically.
He muttered endlessly.
"What do we do about Johannes, we must kill those arrogant, insolent rats. But Yalta is dead, Yalta…"
Just then, an attendant announced a visitor.
It was the Crown Prince, Eugen.
He stepped before Ibarra, bowed, and spoke.
"Your Majesty. We have stationed troops at the border of Johannes. Just say the word, and we can deploy at any time."
"But Yalta is dead."
"Yalta was merely one of our cards. He wasn't that valuable."
"Hmm…"
"If we let this go, the Empire's dignity will be trampled. We must punish Johannes swiftly."
"Yes, yes, of course…"
Ibarra fell into a daze.
Eugen continued,
"Once you give the order, we'll dispatch a much larger force than last time. The knight orders will march forth and drag the king of Johannes to his knees."
"Hmm…"
"Your Majesty?"
"Why did Yalta and Graham fight, I wonder?"
"We can't know that."
Ibarra clutched his head.
"Graham…"
Eugen said,
"Sending Graham as a commander wasn't a good idea. He was a great knight, but far too rigid—"
"Enough."
Ibarra cut him off.
"Leave me. I want to be alone."
Eugen looked up at him for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He stepped away.
Left alone, Ibarra curled up under his blanket and muttered to himself.
"Hmm. Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't Johannes who poisoned me, but another country…"
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