All of a sudden, my name is everywhere. I never expected myself to gain so much traction like this. It got around from saving the princess, sure, but it wasn’t until I— or more accurately my ‘organization,’ was officially recognized as a Heroic entity that things began to change. For one, I now have free access to every civilian Rung, and even partial access to the Fourth Rung— the palace itself. As of right now, I’ve also gained an immense amount of liquid assets by the Capital along with several hundred thousand Jeul. It only buys into my theory that Seynith’s so called ‘Heroes’ are just government figureheads and puppet idols for the public to adore. But with what I have in mind, I intend to put all this money to good use.

Or... I would, if I could ever wiggle myself out of a single ‘compulsory event’ like afternoon tea with important person ‘X’ or a dinner party concerning wealthy family ‘Z’. The amount of times I’ve been pressured into a social event in the past three days is physically and emotionally crippling to someone like me. If I want to even sleep at night I have to go so far as to disguise myself when I enter or exit the inn I’m staying at, otherwise I’ll have somebody knocking on my door as early as four in the morning. If another person dares tap me on my shoulder in the middle of the street asking me to—

As I think this, I immediately receive a tap on the shoulder.

“Alright,” I say. “I don’t care what it is, but I’m sorry— I’ll have to decline whatever it is you’re—“

When I turn around, I’m met with a cheery-looking blonde guy with sky blue eyes smiling at me. He’s probably my age, maybe a year younger at most, and he wears a pretty high-class outfit. He doesn’t say anything though, which slightly annoys me.

“Y’know,” I say, “you’re standing there smirking at me like I’m actually able to recognize you. But right now I can’t keep a single name, much less pin it to a face.”

“All the dinners and dances really do get to you after a while, don’t they,” he smiles. “But I like what I heard just now. You’re starting to learn how to efficiently tell important people to go bother someone else.”

“...So you’re another ‘Hero,’ too?” I ask.

“I am Lynn, known by my title as the White Pass Hero.”

“That so...” I mutter.

I reel back my fist and punch him square in the cheek. He’s tossed backwards and lands flat on his rear. It takes a second for him to recover.

“...Well, that wasn’t the introduction I had hoped...” Lynn says with a dour grin. He wipes his lip and slowly gets back to his feet.

“A Hero... Isn’t it their duty to help someone in danger? To answer a call when no one else will?” I scoff. “So where the hell were you when innocent women were abducted by the dozens from under your goddamn noses?”

“You seem to be mistaken,” Lynn replies.

“Yeah, I doubt that,” I say.

“No, I’m quite certain you are mistaken.”

“And how so?” I spit.

“You seem to be under the impression that the Heroes stood by and did nothing. But when the call came out, we were among the first to heed it,” he says. His smile fades. “...At a great cost.”

“...Why the hell are you here?” I mutter.

“I came with an invitation. One... you don’t have the liberty of declining.”

“Of yours? Because if so—”

“It’s of someone... with a bit more importance.”

“Right. Can’t wait. What is it, a tea party? A banquet?”

“An investigation.”

I hesitate.

“What kind of... investigation are we talking?”

“Oh, I don’t dare speak it aloud. I was told to have you leave immediately for the manor of Lord Faust.”

“Faust... Y’know, I don’t actually know the names of any of the—“

“The first manor to the left once you enter the Nobleman District,” he says. “And Cyrus—? As a word of caution, you will most likely meet more Heroes very soon. Try not to punch any one of them. They are not as forgiving.”

He walks away with a loose, careless gait as soon as he’s finished. I narrow my eyes at him. Something makes me feel like I should watch out for that one.

The manor of Lord Ulrich Edgar Faust is a huge building of several floors with dozens of windows facing the front alone. However, in contrast to the surrounding mansions, it seems somewhat... dead, in comparison. Like there was never any life to speak of. The front garden is well tended, the drive is perfectly weeded, and it’s windows are all polished— but even so, I just can’t shake that feeling of hopelessness that this place brings. Maybe it’s just the uncertainty in my head, that’s wreaking havoc all on its own. Maybe...

“Cyrus. You finally showed yourself,” comes a voice from up ahead. The voice is Pierce’s, and he stands in front of the large door.

“What do you mean? I came as soon as I got the message,” I mutter. “What’s the Vice-Admiral to the Adventurers Guild got to do with this?”

“I’m merely an observer, representing the Guild. Now get inside,” he says, pointing to the door with his thumb.

“Oy. Wanna tell me what this’s about?” I say.

“Lynn didn’t tell you?” Pierce huffs. “...Lord Faust is dead.”

“Dead?” I pause. “That’s... Well that’s unfortunate, but I’m not exactly sure what it’s got to do with me.”

“Just come in. Someone here just has a few questions for you.”

I reluctantly follow Pierce inside, to where I’m greeted with a large open entryway with red carpeted floors and pristine white walls. Two sets of stairs lead up in both directions. There is a chandelier hanging in the center, but it’s unlit. The only light that comes in is from the four large windows just above and beside the door.

“...And you are sure of this...? He hadn’t worn it for days before his death?”

“I-It is just as I said, S-Sire.”

Pierce and I approach a black-suited man talking with a woman in a maid’s outfit.

“Hurst. I’ve brought the Hero Leader,” says Pierce to the man.

“Ah— is that so,” the man nods. He dismisses the maid and approaches us. “I suppose I should get you caught up on the situation, Master Cyrus.”

“So he’s dead— Are we talking something suspect here? Is there a chance of foul-play?” I ask.

“N-No, in fact we have already confirmed that he claimed his own life,” the man replies. “But in that regard... There are still some questions we have.”

“Someone who has everything... Why would he want to kill himself...?” I mutter.

“The reason should be clear enough,” Pierce replies. “You may not have known... but one of the young women who died on the return journey... was the only of all the noblemen’s daughters to have been abducted. Mera Prynn Faust, Lord Faust’s only child.”

“...The only... B-But wait—“

“We have just one question for you at the moment, Hero Leader,” comes another voice. From a large open door just beside the nearest stair well stands a figure of true nobility, Emperor Claudius Von Seynith himself.

“Hey, good to see you’re in better health,” I say.

“C-Cyrus—! Don’t talk to him in such a formal manner!” Pierce exclaims. “Show respect to His Highness!”

“And last I remember, I became a higher rank than you—! So why don’t you show me any respect, huh?!”

Claudius slowly approaches us and stands between Pierce and I, though he looks down to me alone.

“Cyrus Avette— please understand that this is a very serious matter at hand,” he says with an eerily stagnant expression.

“O-Oh... R-Right. A-Apologies, err... Your Highness,” I mutter defeatedly.

“Your Highness— have Faust’s staff finally revealed the reason behind all this?” asks Hurst from the side.

“They have not, but for the noble reason that it was Lord Faust’s final wish that it not be told. Even on pain of death, it seems this mansion’s staff would retain its secrets,” Claudius nods.

“The scoundrels, them all...! T-Then such is what they deserve, for refusing His Highness of all people...!” Hurst exclaims through gritted teeth.

“I think it noble— a dedication to their master that surpasses life and death,” he replies.

“...Am I... missing something, here...?” I mutter.

“Cyrus Avette— you do remember the face of Lord Faust, do you not?” Claudius asks me.

“Sorry... I met so many nobles back then that I couldn’t keep up,” I reply sheepishly.

“Then follow me. With hope, you will possess the last of the information we require.”

“Sounds... interesting...? A-Anyways, I’m right behind you.”

Hurst stays behind. Pierce follows somewhat closely to me as I trace behind Emperor Claudius through the same door he greeted us from. This takes us down a short hall and into a luxurious room full of lavish furniture and fragile decorations. The far wall of the room is almost completely glass which overlooks a beautiful backyard garden and well-kept grassy lawn.

“Here, Cyrus Avette,” says Claudius, pointing to a long table. Pierce stands at the door while I continue forward.

Shockingly, though I don’t know what else I expected, is a dead body lain on a cloth atop the table.

“H-Hey, that man...” I mutter. “So I was right... that man was him.”

“You recall then, yes?” asks Claudius.

“Yeah... I remember him from the ceremony...” I mutter. “He... gave me some kind of ring, but it... seemed like... he didn’t want anybody... to... see it...”

Claudius stands there for a moment with a look of disbelief. Turning hesitantly to Pierce, I see that their expressions are pretty much the same.

“Cyrus Avette... What... did this ring happen to look like...? N-No, more importantly, is it currently somewhere secure...?” the Emperor presses.

“Ah... well I’m not sure how secure you’d consider to be the inside pocket of my coat, but I do happen to have it with me, so...”

“Sh-Show me at once—!!!” Claudius bursts, rather uncharacteristically at that.

I quickly take it from my pocket and hold it out in my hand. It’s a gold ring with a single red line going all the way around it, and a tiny sigil marked on an extruded bit. He quickly takes it from me and examines it carefully.

“The Faust Crest... So it is true...” says Claudius. “Cyrus Avette, are you aware of the true importance of this ring?”

“Well, I think I’m beginning to put it together...” I reply.

“Blood has no bearing in the houses of nobility,” he says. “This ring is all that is needed to claim the status of a Noble. Their wealth, their land, and their name if they so choose it. All is at the whim of the family ring.”

“So what you’re trying to say is...” I mutter.

“Cyrus, tell me this now,” Claudius demands, holding out his hand with the ring in it. “What, if anything, did Lord Faust tell you when he gave you this?”

“He told me... That his daughter was one of the kidnapped young women,” I say. “He thanked me... for bringing her back to him... But why the hell’d he say that? She died, didn’t she—?”

Claudius nods slowly. His features begin to soften.

“That she returned at all... would have been a blessing to a father,” he says quietly. He looks up to me. “If she had never returned... if she had been buried in an unmarked grave so many miles away... there would have been no closure, no solace. Forever unaccounted for wreaks far more havoc on the soul than knowingly putting to rest a loved one.”

“And yet... here he is, dead just the same,” I mutter. “I don’t think I want this ring. If this’s my legacy, I don’t want it. Why’d he give it to me?”

“There can be no definitive answer until the staff of this mansion reveals what they know,” he replies. “But I can speculate that it is because you brought her here, so she can be buried alongside her ancestors. He likely planned this all at once. Lord Faust is dead so that he may join his daughter... and his wife. But before then, he needed to find someone trustworthy to fill his place. Naturally, he found you.”

“You’re actually saying I should have this?”

“My daughter was brought back to me, alive and well,” he replies. “Had she not, I cannot say I would be of the mind to resist doing the very same thing. I couldn’t, however, fault the man who risked his life in an attempt to save her when so many others failed before him. Not everyone would react as Lord Faust in the face of grief... But yet not everyone is as virtuous a man as he. If that was his decision, then we have no more to learn. This investigation is hereby concluded. Now we can bury the dead and live on, as the living should.”

The funeral for Lord Faust and his daughter were held together. I guess that’s tradition, if two in a family die soon after each other. But despite that, their rites are read separately, in different rooms. They were held in the Seynith Catacombs, a long expansive tunnel that digs deep into the mountain that the Capital sits on top of. As the sudden heir to the Faust name and fortune, I was asked to be present until the end. I carried the torch that led those who bore Faust and his daughter as we walked the dimly-lit passages. There were loculi stacked three high the whole way with a single body to each, making for hundreds of embalmed corpses by the time we reached the newer chambers.

Though the light was dim, after looking at the body of Mera Faust I was able to recall her face from the dungeons of Caldevar. She was the one who had grabbed my leg and asked me to save them all, despite her grave injuries. I don’t remember seeing her again until we realized she had died on the caravan. I think she was in my wagon.

As the two bodies were lain out in their places, a priest immediately began to chant in an eery language I’d never heard. His voice echoed through the entire tomb. He stood first in front of the daughter. It was only once more people began to fill the room that I could again understand what he was saying.

“Now praise be the Divines: Omnis, Reqibis, and Fortis— They who garner this lost soul and return her to paradise. For it is in death that she achieves her most perfect form, met with her mother who passed long before. Her body may wither with time, but her true self lives on among the promised land of the Three. And now we will—“

By the time I finally exit the tombs, night has long since fallen. I’m the last to leave, save the priests who lay the bodies into the loculi in a separate ritual. I let out a slow sigh.

“You contradict yourself quite frequently.”

I turn. Pierce leans against the wall of the tomb entryway.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say.

“Nothing. Pay it no mind,” he replies. “How went the funeral?”

“Oh, well— Didn’t expect it to be held that deep in a stuffy tomb, I guess. That whole time, I was basically breathing in essence d'ancêtre,” I say. “Anyways, why’re you here?”

“...Lilith insisted I come,” he mutters. “She... thought it was the first funeral you attended in this world. She worried you might have felt lost. Though I was unable to enter in the first place, as I was uninvited.”

“Something tells me you didn’t wait here six hours on just a favor,” I say.

“I may have been a few hours late,” he replies. “But I had asked a guard whether you had left yet and he told me you were still inside.”

“And that I was,” I nod. I begin to walk onward.

“O-Oh— Cyrus...” he says. “I was meant to ask you... something.”

“Yeah? What about?”

“About your plans with the Heroes of One.”

“What about it?”

“Was it nothing but empty words, what you said during the ceremony?”

“You were there?”

“I am the spouse of a Noble, despite appearances. I was permitted attendance.”

“And now you’re wondering if it was all just theatrics,” I nod. “Well, I’ll have you know that it isn’t. I’ve started to put my plan into place, but...”

As we sit in a momentary silence, the catacomb doors open again and two priests walk out. They look us over for a moment before striding past us. Pierce then looks to me and makes a motion with his head.

“I would like to hear more of this proposition,” he says. “Care for a drink?”

“How old are you again?” I mutter.

“Old enough to be married, own a mansion, and hold a sliver of political power,” he replies. “That is verification enough in this world.”

“Alright, alright. Didn’t mean anything by it,” I sigh. “I’ll take you up on that. All things considered, a drink is just what I need.”

In the rented out room of a tavern in the Second Rung, Pierce and I sit across from each other without saying a word. We each have our drinks in front of us, but neither have touched them. At this point it almost feels like a standoff.

“Ahh— fine, I guess I’ll break the ice here,” I mutter, grabbing my mug of ale and slamming a quarter of it in one go. I then drop it back down onto the table and face Pierce. “So let’s get the formalities out of the way. What all do you want to know about the Heroes of One?”

Pierce lifts his own mug and takes a leisurely sip before setting it back down. It looks like he’s preparing to say something, but he’s taking his own sweet time in doing so.

“So... How do you intend to use the privilege you gained when you founded this Heroic entity?” he asks finally.

“Off with the big question, huh?” I say. “Well, it’s a little complicated. But what I’m doing will hopefully deal with a lot of the issues facing the people of the First Rung, as well as my own efforts to track down the real Elstaire— and eventually his boss they call the ‘All-Master.’”

“And? What is this plan?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, right,” I nod. “So, first off— I can’t just ignore what’s happening in the First Rung. The system as it is heavily favors the wealthy, while the poor suffer. Those who can’t afford help are the ones who need it the most.”

“It wasn’t always that way. The Adventurers Guild was founded with such as a secondary motive— but it too has its faults.”

“Right. Part of my plan is to create free relief for those people— the ones who need it. I don’t need anybody particularly strong to help with this, but what I do need is people who want to do good. We’ll accept requests just like the Adventurers Guild, but we won’t ask for any kind of compensation. I can hire trustworthy people to fulfill these requests and pay them through salaries.”

“An organization of that level can’t afford to go without a constant influx of funds. You can’t simply ask for no form of compensation. Your organization would collapse from financial instability, even with your fortune as a Hero and Noble supporting it.”

“That’s... where the main fighting force comes in,” I say. “Until we get our next clue on those bastards of the Six, we’ll have to occupy our time with other things. And it just so happens that Heroes... have access to very dangerous, and very lucrative quests. With such lazy Heroes, we won’t have any competit—“

“You continue to refer to this organization as ‘we.’ Have you already found trustworthy comrades to partner with?”

“...W-Well, no... not exactly,” I mutter. “I... guess that’s the first step. This thing’s gonna be a full-time commitment, y’know? I’m not sure how I’ll convince people to side with me.”

Pierce moves as if he’s about to say something, but promptly after retracts himself and closes his mouth.

“...I-I am certain that someone out there is strong yet foolish enough to join you,” he mutters, hiding his lips behind his drink. “It... is only a matter... of asking...”

As I look his way, he quickly averts his gaze and takes a long sip of his drink. I narrow my eyes.

“Pierce, are you... trying to say something here...?”

Just as he’s about to respond, the door to our private room abruptly slides open. Lilith stands there with her hand on the frame with a big smile on her face.

“Sorry I’m late! I just couldn’t figure out what to wear for the longest of time,” she says. She takes a big step towards us and slides the door shut behind her. She already has some kind of drink in her free hand, which she sets on the table.

“L-Lilith...” Pierce mutters.

“Hey hey, Cyr? Did it startle you? Were you surprised?” Lilith asks me. She’s positively glimmering. The dress she wears is a frilly white one that goes with the white headdress she’s got on as well.

“U-Um— what do you mean?” I ask.

“When Pierce told you we wanted to join you, of course! So tell me, are you—“ She pauses as she notices the sour look on Pierce’s face. Her smile turns to a sinister frown as she inches towards him. “...Pierce... you did tell him, didn't you?”

“...The... opportunity never...” He shrinks away as Lilith approaches even further.

“We were talking about this for days, Pierce! I told you to let him know before I arrived!” she exclaims.

“And I told you that I don’t want to join something I know nothing about,” Pierce retorts, finally pushing back a little in the argument.

“You’ve known Cyr for almost a year! We knew exactly what he wanted to do from the start!” Lilith shouts.

This fight isn’t exactly dramatic, but I’m not a fan of being in the middle of it regardless.

“...Alright, shut it both of you. If you wanted to join, then you only had to say so.” I mutter. “...But yeah, it’d probably be best if you heard all I had to say before making any decisions. After all, I’ll need people I can depend on to be ready around the clock. ”

The two of them abruptly stop bickering. Lilith looks to me sheepishly and takes a seat.

“It wasn’t... necessarily a question of whether or not we would join you,” Pierce mumbles. “It was more... finding the right time...”

“Pierce is right,” Lilith affirms. “For long, we’ve wanted to do more for Seynith. But there was little we could do, even as lesser Nobility. When Pierce accepted his job as the Vice-Admiral, I thought it would be our chance to make change. But...”

“But it only restricted us further,” Pierce adds. “I had ended up doing more for Seynith as a mere fledgling adventurer than my whole two years as the Vice-Admiral.”

“When you said you were going to gather strong comrades to fight alongside you, it was as if I knew precisely what you meant,” says Lilith. “As an outsider, you were immediately able to see through Seynith’s deception and distinguish its faults for yourself. And by extending the privilege gained by the title of Hero onto an organization rather than an individual, you could—“

“—spread influence like a web. It could either bring prosperity... or chaos,” Pierce says.

“B-But— That Emperor Claudius accepted your request so quickly must have meant he knew you would do right by the authority of a Hero,” Lilith sputters. “I have already made up my mind. I want to help those that are suffering in this world. And even though this isn’t your world, I hope you truly feel the same.”

She timidly raises her glass toward the center of the table. I look to Pierce, who lets loose a long sigh.

“She doesn’t even know your plan, and yet she’s already agreed to join,” he mutters. “Very well. But expect me to voice my opinions, and I will expect you to take them into consideration— no matter the grievance.”

He raises his glass and holds it up to Lilith’s. Both their expressions now fall to me. I chuckle to myself at the sight.

“Hey, don’t slack and it’ll be just as much yours as it is mine,” I reply. I meet their drinks with my own. We clank mugs in the center and each take a long drink.

“...An— And you know what—? Af-After all that, you know what she was hung up on—?”

“I— I was, I was not hung up on anything—! I jus... I just wanted to...”

“A w— A world of electricity— machines for everything and... and she was... hung up on a hair dryer—! A damn hair dryer—!”

We’re all pretty drunk. I just so happen to have a much higher tolerance than these two, who started to sound unintelligible after the first two drinks. Some time along the way, Pierce revealed that he’d begun telling Lilith all about our home world. I thought at first I’d be able to tell them more about my experiences there, but judging by the way this is going... neither of them are going to remember a thing past the first drink that touched their lips.

“...Pierce...” Pierce mutters to himself as he begins to sway in place. “C—Cyrus, th—that isn’t my real name...”

“Well yeah— you’re Japanese,” I reply, raising an eyebrow.

“...And... And I would wager that Cyrus Avette... isn’t yours,” he says.

“No, no it is not,” I reply.

Pierce spends a few moments lacing and unlacing his fingers. Looking over to Lilith, I see that she’s already passed out. Pierce is just barely holding on, himself.

“...Want... Want to know?” he asks. “I’ll... tell you if— if you’ll tell me.”

I ponder this for a moment. It’s not necessarily something that sober Pierce would be willing to share, and after tonight I’m not sure I’ll ever see drunk Pierce again. I don’t really want to give out my name... but the likelihood of him even remembering is pretty low. The question that now stands is how much I want this information.

“...C-Cyrus...”

“...Yeah, sure,” I mutter. “You first.”

“My real— My real name is... Furukawa Ryo,” he says. “When... When I came here... n-nobody could pronounce it. So my name became P—Pierce.”

“Furukawa Ryo, huh... So... did you pull your new name outta nowhere?” I ask.

“I r... received it when I pierced through the armor of— of a Hobgoblin Lord with a rusted spear,” he replies. “...As a boy. At t—ten years old.”

“Ah— that makes sense, actually...”

“N— Now tell me... Wh— What is the true name of the legendary Hero and accidental High Nobleman, Cyrus Avette?”

“‘Legendary’ is overdoing it,” I mutter. “It’s... M-My real name’s... A-Are you sure you want to hear it...?”

“Of c— Of cour...”

His head falls into his arms as he goes unconscious. I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. I stand up and gather my bearings before circling the table and standing between the sleeping couple.

“Alright... looks like we’ve had enough fun for one night,” I mutter.

At least their house is close by. We didn’t talk nearly as much about Heroes of One as I wanted, but at least I know I have them on board. They’re some of the strongest people I know, and I couldn’t ask for anyone more suited to be my first companions. Things are starting to look up for us. With some hope, and plenty of hard work, I’m sure we’ll be able to change things around here for the better.