The next day, Kyle and the gang were up bright and early to get to work.

Ethan seemed on edge. He was pacing back and forth.

"Ralph, Martin. I want you two to help Kyle out with his first dagger. I have an important guest coming to pick up the hero's sword today."

Ralph and Martin did as Ethan asked and the three began to fill the forge with coals, after which they began fanning the flames.

They let Kyle do the work on his own while merely assisting him this time since it was his first actual weapon. He could afford to make a few mistakes, however he had to be careful not to hurt himself.

Kyle went through the steps that Ethan had hammered into him.

He heated the blade, hammered it into a workable piece, and worked on it for hours. He was not even completed with hammering the piece of metal into shape before a few hours had passed and a man showed up at the smithy.

It was the man that Kyle had seen before in the streets.

It was the Indeterminant.

He was here to pick up the weapon that Ethan had made for the hero.

"Look, Kyle. That man is the Indeterminant! I cannot believe he is right in front of my eyes!", Ralph whispered like an excited fangirl.

'What an amazing person... he carries himself with such elegance and honor... he truly must be the leader of the heroes... the savior of humanity.' Kyle thought. Even if he had never dealt with any nobles himself before, he could tell that this man was one.

But something felt off about him. Kyle didn't know exactly what, but there was something about him that just felt... off.

Perhaps he was too influenced by Riley's opinions, and her distrust for others.

The man approached Ethan with a firm handshake and began speaking to him.

"I see you've made a fine weapon for the hero of our country. Well done. It has been a pleasure doing business with you."

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine. It is an honor to meet you and to serve our country in this way."

The Indeterminant smiled benevolently at Ethan before taking the weapon in his hand and holding it forward in order to inspect it.

As the Indeterminant was holding this weapon forward, however- his eye glanced over to the smithy where Kyle was working.

Kyle was wearing dirty work-clothes, and covered in ashes, however he felt no sense of shame.

Irene would often say that 'Those who judge by appearance are not worth speaking to'

Surely this man did not judge him by his appearance, as he almost seemed delighted to see him.

The Indeterminant walked over to Kyle slowly, putting emphasis on each step he took. He was focused now only on Kyle, and completely ignored Ethan.

"You- I can't believe it... how lucky I am.... I've been looking all over the country for you."

----

Oscar was going around the town today picking up all the weapons and armor that he had custom ordered for the hero. It went without saying that he was not in a great mood because he had all this work to do and was unable to play around with any more women today, but he was able to calm his desires and instead focus on his current task.

He was only halfway finished with creating his list of all the prostitutes from around the capital city. He had done some research using a mapping function that he discovered and was able to find the locations of every single brothel around the town and input notes on each woman like a database.

However, he needed to get some results soon for his side mission in this world- the one that wasn't searching out all the fine women. The nobles were slowly losing their patience with him, and the king was not happy with the lack of progress. While the king understood his position, and seemed to keep out of the matters of the Indeterminant, he would not sit back forever if Oscar didn't find the hero quickly. Even so, he didn't mind.

He had all the blackmail power he needed to deal with the king.

Not only this, but if there was anyone who wished to speak out against him, all he had to do was ensure that another accident fell upon such a person.

Oscar was in control.

He was able to utilize a pocket dimension to store all the bits of armor- namely gauntlets, boots, and a helmet and such that he had picked up already, and this weapon was the 2nd to last delivery he was out to make. There was one more stop though, to pick up the chestpiece itself.

Of course, he could have sent some servant out to do something like this, however that would be a waste as he would not be able to gain any information that way.

More importantly, Oscar liked to show himself in public. Just by showing his face he told people that he was not a pompous bastard who liked to hide in a castle, but rather a loving and caring savior who took the time to be among the commoners.

'Everything is going as planned... the people love me... my popularity is skyrocketing... at this rate, the people will prefer that I take over as king... perhaps that wouldn't be too bad... however, there are many other options.'

It seemed like today was Oscar's lucky day, because when he went to gather the sword from the blacksmith he commissioned, there was a young boy- around 15 working in the smithy which caught his eye.

A message was floating above the boy's head.

[The Hero of the Ruthobold Kingdom]

'Is this? Could this child truly be the hero of the kingdom?!! What a coincidence!! For him to be working here at a place that I randomly decided to purchase a weapon from... wait... I need to investigate this....'

Oscar approached the child.

He looked him in the eyes. He was a gritty mutt, likely born and raised in the dirt. He wore a green cap and work clothing and was covered in ashes, and he was so skinny that one could see through his skin. Could this boy truly be the hero of the country?

A message appeared as Oscar was staring the boy down with a smile.

[Would you like to promote Kyle (Ruthobold) to rank of hero?]

[Yes/No]

"You- I can't believe it... how lucky I am.... I've been looking all over the country for you."

-----

'Eh? What did this man just say? He's been looking all over the country for me?'

"You must be mistaken, Sir. There is no way that you would be looking for a peasant such as myself.

"There is nothing wrong with being a peasant. As a matter of fact, I too am merely a peasant... by blood at least."

How amazing! The Indeterminant was so gracious as to even lower himself in order to comfort Kyle!

However... what was he talking about?

The man smiled and seemed to be waving a finger around as if he was pressing something, and all of a sudden...

Kyle felt something weird.

Something very odd was happening to Kyle's body.

His arms felt like they were growing... no, it was not just his arms. His legs and his muscles all over his body felt like they were expanding.

Not only this, but he felt like his body was being filled with power. Looking at his arms, he could see the white and almost transparent skin gaining color and muscle composition.

The muscles continued to grow for a while until Kyle looked like a regularly healthy boy.

He was more athletic than before, however he was still very skinny. Even so, he felt amazing. He felt like his body could move so freely, and as if he had unimaginable power contained within him.

"What is going on?", he asked.

Martin and Ralph were staring in disbelief- as was Ethan. They were witnessing the birth of a hero.

"This is...! Could it be!?!", Ethan shouted.

"There's no way!! I can't believe it...", Ralph gasped.

Martin simply stood there in shock.

The Indeterminant put his hand on the shoulder of Kyle and smiled kindly.

"Kyle Ruthobold... it seems that you are the son of the king, and the hero of this country. I will have to ask you... what will you do from this point on? Will you come with me in order to become a great hero? It is your destiny to fight against evil... come with me, son.... I will guide you along the way."

Kyle saw a bright light in the Indeterminant.

Extending a hand to him like this, how could he say no?

Wait a minute...

Did he just say Ruthobold?

Son of the king?

What was he talking about?

"I don't understand what you mean"

"Kyle. Listen closely. You are special. You have been chosen as a warrior of justice... as a beam of light who will save humanity and the people of this country from the terrors that lurk in the darkness... the future lies in your hands. Will you follow me?"

"I... I only wish to protect my mothers from harm and to provide for them a lifestyle that is fitting for the people who I owe my life to."

"Mhm... exactly so. Kyle, if you come with me- you will be able to do all that and more. Become the hero of this country, and your mothers will become the ones who raised the hero! They will be honored- perhaps even raised to noble status! How about this! Allow me to adopt you as my son, and come into my noble household! If you do this, I will ensure that your mother's are given proper treatment! Of course, it will take time and convincing of the nobles, but I can assure it if you are patient."

Kyle seemed to be thinking.

This was like a dream come true for Kyle. It was his chance to give back to his mothers all that they had provided for him. How could he refuse?

He didn't hesitate for long.

"I will do it. Please allow me to become the hero of this country."