"How should I address you? One of the Four Great Heroes? Or by your current name… Aster?"
The term Four Great Heroes was used in legends to describe those who had defeated the Demon King alone in ancient times. Of course, Aster knew that. These were stories told since childhood—tales etched into memory.
The moment he heard those words, the image of the Demon King he had seen in his fragmented memories surfaced in his mind.
It was strange.
Very strange.
Through the memories of his past life, Aster remembered seeing the Demon King with his own eyes. He knew that much.
But he could not even imagine that he himself might have been one of those legendary heroes.
'The Four Great Heroes…?'
For a brief moment, it felt as if clarity returned to him. Sitting upright on the bed, he moved his hand as if searching for something across the sheets.
"There's no need to be afraid of me. I have no intention of harming you," the man said, raising his hand with a smile.
Aster stared at him coldly.
'He's clearly not here with good intentions.'
His eyes darted around the room, searching for his sword.
The young man across from him calmly dragged one of the chairs closer and sat down more comfortably, crossing one leg over the other.
"Who are you?" Aster asked coldly.
"My name is Nedris. You can call me Ned."
Aster's expression did not change. His gaze remained sharp, piercing.
"What do you want?"
"To be honest? Nothing. I simply wanted to see you."
'See me?!'
"You must be wondering how I know who you were in your past life."
Aster's hand clenched into a fist.
The truth was, even he did not fully know who he had been in his previous life. Hearing it from someone else made it feel like a lie.
"How do you know these things?"
Ned straightened proudly.
"In the Order of Eyes, there's no one who doesn't know this," he said boastfully.
Then, unexpectedly, he added:
"Except you…"
A cunning smile spread across his face.
Aster lost control for a moment. He lunged forward, gathering all his strength into a punch aimed straight at Ned's face.
But Ned was far from ordinary.
'The Order of Eyes… Master mentioned them before. He said Alaris had once joined that secret organization. And that nothing good should ever be expected from them.'
Ned caught Aster's fist effortlessly with one hand.
"No need to rush. I haven't finished speaking yet," he said calmly, releasing him.
Aster leapt from the bed and rushed toward the corner of the room where his clothes and sword had been placed.
Suddenly, a hand gripped his throat and forced him back against the wall.
Ned held him there with one hand, squeezing just enough to stop him from moving.
Aster's airway tightened painfully. He grabbed Ned's wrist, trying with all his strength to pry it away.
"[Fiery… Mana]"
"I also use the fire element. It won't work," Ned said lightly.
"I don't want this to become troublesome. Let's resolve this peacefully. Agreed?"
In his current position, Aster had no real choice.
He blinked slowly in reluctant agreement.
"That's better."
Ned released him and returned to his chair.
Aster gasped, greedily pulling in the free air that everyone took for granted.
Once he steadied his breathing, he asked hoarsely,
"What… do you want to talk about?"
Ned smiled.
"I have a proposal. Something that will benefit both of us. You learn who you were in your past life. I get what I want."
***
Later, Aster sat alone on the edge of the bed, deep in thought—as if something were gnawing at his mind.
Suddenly, the door opened.
The doctor entered the room.
"It seems you're doing better," she said.
Aster barely reacted.
Without another word, she picked up his clothes and sword from where they hung and tossed them onto the bed.
"You can leave."
As Aster slowly dressed, he glanced at her.
"You never introduced yourself."
"Veronica."
He turned toward her.
"Why were they chasing you?"
Veronica remained silent. She clearly did not wish to answer.
"I think I know," Aster continued calmly.
"Is it because of your illegal experiments?"
Her eyes widened.
The first time Aster had entered the house, he had sensed a strange, unpleasant smell.
It was familiar.
Years ago, when he still lived in the village, Aster had once ventured toward the empire's border—driven by childish curiosity.
The border lay not far from the village, marked by wooden towers built to guard against threats from the neutral lands and the territory of the demons.
Aster had crossed past those towers and reached the edge of the neutral zone—before turning back.
Because he had seen a corpse.
The body of a creature lying dead.
And it had emitted the same smell.
Veronica slowly slipped her hand into her pocket, reaching for a small needle.
"You can't kill me with that."
Understanding her position, she asked quietly,
"What do you want?"
Aster looked at her with cold, unwavering eyes. There was no hesitation—only cold hostility.
"Heal the mark on my neck."
Not long after, the door opened again.
Valorant entered.
"You're awake," he said to his disciple.
"Here are the medicines you asked for."
He handed several vials to Veronica. She examined them briefly.
"These are pain suppressants. Once a day is enough—only when the pain returns."
"Nothing else is needed?" Valorant asked.
She shook her head lightly.
Once dressed, Aster picked up the cloth he used to cover his eyes and tied it back in place.
Afterward, he and Valorant returned to the inn.
The same local men were still there.
This time, they didn't even glance toward the door when the two entered. They simply continued their own business.
Valorant climbed the stairs and noticed the two men who had been stationed there earlier as guards. Seeing them return, the guards silently descended.
As Aster approached his room, the neighboring door suddenly opened.
Suna waved him over urgently. The moment he stepped closer, she grabbed his wrist, pulled him inside, and shut the door.
'What is happening now?'
She pressed him against the wall, blocking his path.
"Where the hell did you go?!" she demanded angrily.
"Do you have any idea how scared we were with those two standing outside our door?!"
Her hands trembled faintly.
"Look at Anna!"
Aster leaned past her shoulder and saw Anna sitting silently on the bed, unmoving.
He had no choice but to explain everything.
It took a while.
"Next time, warn us first," Suna said firmly.
"Alright."
After resolving things with the girls, Aster returned to his room—shared with his master.
The moment he entered, he lay down and stretched out.
'Master must have gone downstairs,' he thought, lifting his head slightly.
"This is my chance."
He stood up.
Walking over to his master's side of the room, he began searching through his belongings.
'What Ned mentioned… it has to be here.'