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“Not at all? Really? You truly have no abilities?”

My head was spinning. My fatigue-soaked brain couldn’t keep up with the flow of conversation.

“Uh, well, you see…”

“Please be honest, Camila Lowell. Do you really lack any abilities?”

“It seems like it…”

What the hell.

If you don’t have anything, then you don’t. If you do, then you do. What kind of nonsense is “it seems like it”?

I was starting to get angry. If this woman were a soldier instead of a hero, I would have already knocked her out. Honestly, right now, I wanted to grab those wobbly lips of hers and stretch them.

Camila Lowell stared down, twirling her reddish-pink hair.

“Um, actually…”

She kept glancing between the teacup and me, her head lowered, and continued in a whisper.

“I… can’t remember…”

What kind of nonsense is this?

—

Episode 1 – The Gray Human

—

Amnesia.

A mental disorder medically referred to as Amnesia. It is commonly called memory loss or forgetfulness, and the primary symptoms include temporary or long-term memory loss.

It typically manifests when one tries to lie to their parents, or during conversations with friends or teachers. In the case of socially prominent individuals, it can often occur in parliamentary hearing rooms or prosecutor’s offices.

Camila Lowell’s case was similar.

She explained to me that she had no memory of the quest that took place in the palace. More accurately, she vaguely remembered the beginning and the end, but claimed to have no recollection of the middle part—specifically, the time during the quest. Of course, it seemed that Camila Lowell was not lying; she genuinely didn’t remember.

“This is quite ridiculous.”

“I’m sorry…”

“What do you have to apologize for? You might have bumped your head and lost your memory. I’ve seen plenty of people like that when I was on the frontline.”

“Ah…”

Camila Lowell fidgeted with her fingers, still with her head down. She looked so awkward. Just like a character plucked straight out of some socially awkward webcomic. The way she tied her hair up in a ponytail or pig tails was identical too.

Anyway, that’s not the important thing right now.

Camila Lowell was supposed to be the hero responsible for my life, and if she had a head injury, that was a serious problem. She looked fine now, but surely there wouldn’t be an issue, right?

“Um, have you had a health checkup? It seems you suffered quite a shock.”

“Cardinal Raul checked on me.”

“Cardinal Raul? You mean the cult’s cardinal?”

“Do you know him?”

“How do you know Cardinal Raul?”

“Ah, he delivered a letter to me.”

A letter? Was it Cardinal Raul who delivered it?

Cardinal Raul is a named character from ‘Dark World Heroes,’ known for being friendly. If I were to summarize him in one phrase, I’d say he’s a “true” religious person.

With divine power overflowing, a clean private life, no government affiliations or illegitimate children—he’s generally a good person. He might be a bit of a fanatic, but I understand that zeal is a necessary trait for a true religious figure in this dark era. Fact is, besides that, he’s pretty much problem-free.

And most importantly, he is a supporter of the saint candidate, ‘Lucia.’

But why is Cardinal Raul here? Shouldn’t he have been busy elevating Lucia to a saint candidate and summoning the bishops by now?

“I definitely know him. He’s quite famous. But why is he in the palace?”

“After initially meeting him, Cardinal Raul has been here ever since.”

I see.

“Do you happen to know when Cardinal Raul will return?”

“Um, I heard he’d head back with me on the day I’m announced as a hero.”

That’s strange.

It was clear that Cardinal Raul appeared together with priests when taking them along. Since Camila Lowell just finished her palace quest, it was only natural that the official announcement of her summoning as a hero was imminent. And right after my promotion ceremony ends, she and I would head to the church to recruit Lucia.

But now Cardinal Raul, who should be elevating Lucia to saint candidate, is in the palace?

…This doesn’t feel good.

Something is wrong.

—

In ‘Dark World Heroes,’ the saints of the cult are depicted as being elected through a sort of selection process.

After being recommended by a cardinal, a follower registers as a saint candidate. The bishops gather at the cult headquarters to verify the candidates during hearings, and through voting, they decide whether or not to elevate them as saints. Should the selected candidate be male, he is named a saint; if female, a saintess.

It sounds like a very democratic system, but this is a world mixed with dark fantasy and apocalypse. Naturally, the kind of fraudulent elections that rival those in authoritarian states run rampant.

During the verification period, baseless slander and black propaganda erupt.

During the voting period, there are bribery, ghost voting, ballot box tampering, show of hands voting, and even international interference in the elections.

However, no matter how chaotic the world may be, and even if the candidate is a verified hero’s companion by oracle, they cannot evade that thorny path.

Why? Because the current saint is from the empire, which holds the strongest power on the continent.

Just like how there cannot be two suns in one sky, there has never been more than one saint since the establishment of the cult. Naturally, the current saint, not wanting to break that streak, uses every trick in the book to bury Lucia.

Ultimately, Lucia gets caught in the crossfire of slander and black propaganda, joining the hero’s journey without even being able to contest an election—essentially fleeing with her tail between her legs.

After that, it’s pretty much a given what happens. The saint, fearing Lucia’s future success as the hero’s companion, sends assassins, delivers bombs, and poisons her food. If the player wishes, all assassination attempts will fail, but if even one were to succeed, Lucia would die.

This duo’s removal strategy of the priest-alchemist time bomb relies on utilizing such events to separate the two characters. While a rather malicious strategy, its effectiveness is guaranteed. If you can remove them, the assassinations will significantly decrease all the way to the game’s mid to late stages.

Not to stray too far off track, the conclusion is that the life of Lucia, the saint candidate priest, is very unfortunate.

The only reason she was able to endure was because of the support from a few bishops, including Cardinal Raul. There were often statements claiming that without them, she would not have lasted.

So, if Cardinal Raul, who was supposed to safeguard Lucia in the church, is now in the palace, it means that Lucia is enduring all the pain alone.

“…This is more serious than I thought.”

“Is that so…?”

Colonel Clevenz put down his paper cup and began to slowly flip through the documents.

“It’s widely known that the cult is corrupt, but I didn’t expect them to push a single girl this far.”

“What specifically are they saying?”

“It’s a common conspiracy theory, mostly attacking her orphan status.”

The colonel laid the documents on the table, describing them as he flipped through each one. The expression on his face soured at the lowbrow contents.

“…Even if they’re calling her a harlot, what on earth is this about the child of a witch? A chosen companion of the hero being a witch’s child?”

“You’re more naive than I thought. Do you think being a hero’s companion matters against conspiracy theories that require proof?”

“Ah.”

“Sometimes a smart and quick-witted friend can say some foolish things.”

With each conspiracy theory and slander popping up one by one, I felt my head growing dizzy.

…Is this what they call religion? Finally, I understand why the world is in decline.

“Now that I think about it, it’s strange.”

As Colonel Clevenz meticulously inspected the documents, he took out a fountain pen and started drawing lines. He connected several lines into one large bundle.

“Do you know what Frederick’s information agency’s mission is?”

Caught off-guard by the sudden question, I momentarily lost my words, but what I had learned from my seniors flowed out effortlessly.

“Gathering intelligence and documentation, security and counter-intelligence, right?”

“There’s also domestic and foreign operations. There are many operations underway overseas, one of which is interference in elections.”

Colonel Clevenz took a file from the cabinet and opened it.

“Take a close look. What’s the common point between these two documents?”

While examining the documents closely, I found one commonality.

“The handwriting is identical.”

“Well done. You know that different printers produce different fonts. So, doesn’t it make sense to think these two documents came from the same printer?”

“That seems too…”

Isn’t that just speculation?

“Looks like your basics aren’t strong enough, Frederick. You have to question everything and dig deeply. Even a single font could be a clue.”

Colonel Clevenz smiled brightly, as if he had finally caught something. The cover read, “Overseas Operations Cases of Kien Empire Imperial Guard HQ.”

Now that I think about it, this guy is quite skilled at rooting out the empire’s assorted spies. In the game’s setting, the current saint hails from the empire and is someone who detests the idea of Lucia being the new saint. Wait a minute.

Suddenly, I got chills. How did Clevenz figure this out?

“Curious that you suddenly took an interest in a saint candidate, but you’ve unexpectedly brought in good information.”

“…No, how did you figure that out?”

“Sensing it.”

Did he just guess?

“Sticking around in this business for a long time gives you that feeling. You start to get uneasy over trivial matters, and when you dig deeper, something always pops out.”

“…That’s impressive. So, do you think the empire’s information agency is trying to suppress the saint candidate?”

“Based on the circumstances, yes. Since the current saint, Saint Veronica, comes from a baron family in the empire, I think they’re worried about losing influence over the cult through her. But it’s just a guess.”

It was quite a plausible assumption. Since the game didn’t go into detail about Saint Veronica, I couldn’t tell if the colonel’s speculation was correct or not. But words are ultimately spoken by people, and Colonel Clevenz Hendrick is the top information agency agent in the kingdom, so I believed his assumption would likely be right.

However, the crucial point is not that the empire’s information agency is behind Saint Veronica, but that Lucia is enduring all this pressure alone.

“Ha…”

Current conversations are straying from the game’s storyline. I couldn’t figure out where things began to unravel.

Is it when I got sucked into the game? From the moment the hero showed up? Did me becoming a soldier cause the problem? Or maybe coming to the information agency? I’m worried that something I did has led to these situations.

What will happen in the future? Is the hero fine? Can Lucia endure this all by herself? How much more will the story deviate from the expected? Will I even survive?

My head felt filled with a thick fog. As confidence about the future faded, anxiety washed over me like waves. Everything feels chaotic. My head started to throb. I feel like I should head to the hospital soon.

“Are you okay?”

Colonel Clevenz asked as he sipped coffee. His expression clearly showed concern. Not finding my voice, I managed to nod my head in response. Seeing that, the colonel chuckled like he was watching a child’s antics and offered me a cup of coffee.

“What on earth are you thinking about so much?”

“Huh?”

Colonel Clevenz brought the paper cup near his lips and smiled with amusement.

“Sometimes it seems like you think too much and stress yourself out.”

“…What do you mean?”

“When I look at you, I feel like I’m looking at my old self. Always weighing things, thinking about what’s best, whether this is right or that…”

The colonel suddenly started speaking. It was hard for me to understand what he meant due to my headache.

“I wonder how things might have been if I had done it this way back then? Was doing that the right choice? What will happen to me in the future? Those thoughts are what you’re having right now, aren’t they?”

“…How did you know?”

“I told you, it’s a feeling.”

He seemed to be speaking like someone who hasn’t shared stories in a long time.

“Sometimes, you know, it’s worth it to put aside such painful thoughts and just do what you want or what you need to do. Holding onto the past or worrying about the future will only make your head ache, won’t it?”

The middle-aged man pointed to the paper documents with his finger. They were reports regarding the selection of saints in the cult that other agents had compiled.

“Isn’t it similar that you suddenly showed up and started talking about Saint Lucia? Ever since you’ve become the hero’s companion, you’ve been solely focused on that. It’s gotten to the point where your everyday life isn’t functioning.”

That hit the nail on the head.

I felt utterly exposed. Colonel Clevenz saw right through my psyche, as if reading the palm of his hand. Truly, you can’t underestimate experience. I let out a hollow laugh, and the colonel silently chuckled, leaning back against the sofa.

“Don’t get too wrapped up in work. I’m telling you to take a break and relax. You look just like someone being chased by something.”

“Is that so?”

“I don’t know what burden you’re carrying, but if it’s too heavy to bear alone, share it with someone else. That’s why they assigned you two precious agents.”

“…They didn’t assign us for patriotism, did they?”

Weren’t they just to keep an eye on the hero while doing some espionage abroad? Of course, I wasn’t really expecting an answer, and he didn’t feel the need to provide one either. He was just saying whatever he felt like saying.

“Patriotism doesn’t just come from thought; sometimes you have to plunge into things without overthinking.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“While it’s good to calculate and make careful choices by assessing the odds, being too caught up in calculations can make life exhausting.”

I finally understood what the colonel was saying.

Regardless of being an information agency agent or a soldier, he was giving me advice as a life mentor. That’s why he hadn’t answered my earlier question.

“So, in that case, don’t worry about this matter. You go take a break. I’ll handle this.”

Colonel Clevenz organized the documents and called for the next agent.

—

Looking up at the starry sky twinkling in the early summer night, I was sitting on a bench in front of my accommodations.

Colonel Clevenz just informed me that Cardinal Raul had returned to the church. While I was fretting over how to send Cardinal Raul back, the colonel managed to do so with just a handful of documents and a few phrases. As expected, rank has its privileges.

In the end, the storyline was slowly settling down into place.

I sat on the bench, staring blankly at the sky, slowly mulling over the colonel’s words.

The twenty-eight-year plan I had established was already shattered. The hasty plan I devised over the past week was already shaking apart. I don’t even know whether the papers in the cabinet will hold any value. I felt like I was wandering around aimlessly.

I tried calculating all the possible outcomes, but ultimately, I could not find a definitive answer.

Like the colonel said, am I just overthinking things? Would it be easier just to charge in without weighing my options? Thinking about it that way, the world seemed remarkably simple.

So what if the hero has no abilities? Since Camila Lowell has been summoned as the hero, she’s bound to become a formidable figure on this continent. I can simply drag her along, making sure she reaps the rewards, and she’ll become strong enough.

As for Lucia, no matter how hard she struggles, she likely won’t become a saint. But she is still the hero’s companion and a priest. With just a bit of effort, she’ll likely grow into a decent healer. Likewise, if I support her from behind, she can also become strong. The role of a saint does little to aid in growth, so not becoming one shouldn’t hinder her development at all. It just means I find it cumbersome to protect her from being assassinated.

If the future doesn’t follow the story as it should, I can just control them all with leashes and drag them along.

Suddenly thinking this way made my previous worries seem pointless and made life look rather simple.

This world doesn’t operate on the black-and-white moral dichotomy; it merely shines in shades of gray. And, just like every other world, the ones living in it aren’t heroes on white horses, but rather fellow flawed beings.

In the end, I’m just another one of those countless flawed individuals.

“…Morning emotions are quite something.”

I no longer wandered aimlessly.

The colonel was right. No matter how much you ponder, what remains in the end is the outcome.

You can never achieve anything merely through thought, and sometimes instinct triumphs over calculations.

With that thought, I decided to just charge in.

On a night where the brilliantly shining stars illuminated the world, I finally organized my thoughts as I gazed down at the gray-tinged city under the night sky.

—

Episode 1 – The Gray Human – END –

 

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