Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Bell thought so.

After all, Alphia was coughing more often.

Belle knew that she often coughed violently when no one was around.

He also knew that it contained bright red blood.

Bell will be seven years old this year.

Three years have passed since I met Alphia and the others.

The time of parting is drawing ever closer.

Bell realized this along with thoughts that seemed to tear his chest apart.

The conversation ended. Everything in sight was tinged with the colors of twilight. The setting sun hanging over the ridge was dazzling, and Belle's eyes welled up with tears again.

He held her hand tightly, which she was reluctant to reciprocate, and walked along the road home, which was not far away.

Alphia fell silent, and Bell, hating the silence, desperately searched for words.

So, he asked one last question.

"The one who came yesterday... is it alright to send him back...?"

That happened a long time ago.

A certain male god visited Bell's home.

His hair was jet black with a hint of gray. He was dressed in black as well, making him look like a resident of the dark.

His face was very handsome, and even Bell, who was of the same sex, was mesmerized by it, but his expression, which never showed any smile, was somewhat frightening.

The male god seemed to be constantly looking for Alphia and Chardo, talking to them about some difficult topics.

Only at this time did my grandfather, who was usually very noisy, become very quiet.

After listening, Alphia and Chardo were silent for a while, then...

Please leave.

Inform the other party in this way.

Both of them said "I'm sorry" with great sadness, expressing their apologies.

The handsome man frowned, then smiled for the first time.

"Why are you apologizing?"

Said so.

He showed a somewhat regretful yet resigned expression and left decisively.

"...Ah. That's fine."

Alphia nodded quietly when asked this question.

"I have already chosen you. I can no longer leave you behind and choose 'evil'."

"xie e...?"

"evil".

Those are the villains who frequently appear in Heroic Tales. Bell knows this too.

However, I always felt that the "evil" she spoke of was not quite the same.

So Bell asked again what it was.

"To destroy everything, to smear order with chaos, to question the existence of 'justice.' And also, to kill many people."

"...Kill him?"

"Ah. A stepping stone to becoming the 'next generation of heroes.' Taking what is important from many people, incurring resentment and hatred, and then waiting ahead after overcoming countless difficulties, entrusting the future to them. To save this world."

The young Bell didn't quite understand what Alphia meant.

Therefore, he started his thinking from his own experience.

There is 'evil' here, which will take Alphia and the others away from Bell.

Alphia and the others will die.

I will never see Alphia and the others again.

Unforgivable.

I cannot forgive such a thing.

Even if it's to save the world, Bell Craney would never forgive such "evil." No matter how noble or tragic the determination, Bell—and the people who have been deprived of their rights—would never condone it.

So it's great that Alphia and the others don't have to bear such a responsibility.

They chose a path that would not be resented or hated by anyone, which put Belle at ease.

That's clearly the case.

"But...maybe the world will be destroyed because we didn't choose 'evil'."

Regret was evident on his profile.

Although no one hated her or branded her as a sinner, she seemed ashamed of herself for not being tainted.

Alphia exclaimed.

"Perhaps... the 'last hero' would never have been born."

To this day, Belle has never heard such a remorseful voice, nor has she ever seen such an ethereal expression on her face.

Why Alphia was so sad, Bell didn't know.

It's impossible to know.

However, the feeling of not wanting her to be overwhelmed by sadness was genuine.

and so.

and so.

Bell said those words aloud.

"Then, I will be the 'hero'."

Alphia stopped in her tracks.

"I will be the final 'hero'."

Bell stopped walking and instead spoke to that profile.

"So...Mom!"

The impending separation from them saddened him, his eyes filled with tears, his deep red pupils gazing at his one and only mother in the world.

Her arm went limp, and her slender fingers slipped from Bell's grasp.

The wind rustled through the golden wheat, creating a quiet sound.

The twilight sky heard that this was not just idle talk, but a "promise" that the boy had made to himself.

Perhaps one day, Bell Craney will curse himself for the choice he made that day.

Perhaps when you realize that what you are carrying is too huge, and there is no turning back, you will feel despair.

Even so, now he—

No, even if it becomes like that, still—

"...You're such an arrogant child."

—Take the smile that appears on her face at this moment and be proud of it.

Like a hero, bring smiles to those you cherish.

It points to 'hope' and shows 'future'.

Determined to move towards our ideals, today is the beginning of everything.

Without aspirations or desires, only the vow was etched in my heart.

From that moment on, the boy became a 'hero'.

"Since you dared to utter such grandiose words about being a hero in front of me, you should be prepared. There's no going back now."

"Um!"

"Then, starting tonight, Chardo and I will give you a good workout."

"tonight!?"

"Should I throw you into a monster's lair to be brutally violated first, or tie you to a rock at the bottom of the river to experience the feeling of death...? After all, I've never experienced this kind of training, so I don't really know."

"I don't think this is spiritual practice!!"

"Silly child. How can you know your limits if you don't see the boundary between life and death? If you want to become a hero, you need to surpass your limits about three hundred times."

"What exactly does 'limit' mean?!"

Alphia seemed quite happy as she talked on and on.

Bell is already starting to regret it.

As he was sweating profusely and his face turned ashen, he suddenly saw a pair of hands reach out and comb his white hair.

after a while,

"So, I'll stay with you a little longer."

"……Um!"

She opened her eyes, her beautiful gaze fixed on Belle.

Bell covered the outstretched hands that came with the smile with his own.

Hand in hand, we walked home on the road tinged with the colors of dusk.

On the slightly raised hill, they walked toward their grandfather and the men who were still gazing out at them.

Belle has stopped crying.

He couldn't possibly cry.

He smiled in order to show "hope" to the former "heroes".

Proceed on that peaceful, tranquil twilight path leading to the 'future'.

◇ ◆ ◇

Had a dream.

A dream of two people walking in the twilight: a woman he had never seen and did not know, and a woman who seemed to be himself but was not himself.

This dream was very peaceful, very happy, very beautiful, yet very lonely.

Only now did he notice that tears were silently streaming down his deep red eyes.

—To become a 'hero'.

The boy in the dream made this decision.

He made up his mind to become a 'hero' who carries many burdens.

—I want to become a 'hero'.

This is still just a "wish".

I wonder when this heroic aspiration, this thought, will turn into a firm decision.

Or, could it become something different from this?

Not sure.

But we must still move forward.

Don't let those blurred, hazy memories get the better of you; keep running!

He stood up, walked out of the room, and ran out of the clubhouse.

Today, young people are also running through the "City of Heroes" bathed in the colors of the morning sun.