What is a Hero?

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'Once the mist arrived on the floor, it took on a humanoid form, and slowly it became sharper and sharper… Becoming Silver's outline!'

'From the mist, an eerie white light shined where his two eyes should've been…'

'He cracked his neck and said faintly:'

"This is still very hard to use… But… Hahaha… How much of a fool can she be?"

She is so wary of Freya that she even put her plan forward… Now I can't determine if she is underestimating her or overestimating her…

"I did not know I was so valuable… Oh well… My presence has changed the course of things pretty badly."

"This event was only going to happen in 2 years, I never cared about it since my rate of growth would have long surpassed the level of this event, but now Ishtar has decided to start her little War against Freya earlier than the supposed time…"

"All because some slaves decided to attack me for what? Praises from here?... Pathetic."

I lost to a few simps…

I should've killed them… No, it would've resulted in the same. What I should've done is simply ignored them and continue with my life, not giving them a chance to strike, although I still think the end result would've been the same, Ishtar would've taken longer to act, giving me at least time to Level up again.

If I did that, I would've been more confident in taking them head-on given the worst possible scenario.

'Silver shook his head in annoyance.'

"At the end of the day, nothing changed on the grand scale of things since she still has 0 chances of winning… Perhaps her chances are higher since the strength of everyone in the Freya Familia is lower? Hahaa… haaa… No."

"The problem is what this means, if a clash truly happens, the repercussions would be just a tad bit too big… However, I can't even allow that to happen in the first place."

Would Freya even allow Ishtar to even clash in the first place? She would be decimated in no time…

But why I attracted her attention is another matter, this is unlike Ishtar's usual behavior.

From what I know, she usually doesn't care about the matters outside of the pleasure district unless they affect it… Or if it's Freya.

Does this have to do with Freya? Am I missing something here?

'Unfortunately, Loki did not say anything about Freya's actions to Hestia, and as such, she never reported anything to him, so from his perspective, Freya never did interact with him ever since Apollo's party… And that was her only and sole interaction with him.'

If we go to the party, then she is showing me some level of attention as I expected by this point, however, it doesn't seem to be that high for now else I would've been kidnapped…

Which is also strange, I think I've shown enough to make her desire me… So why did nothing happen?

This either means Freya has no interest in me despite what I did, or that… She is acting behind my back. And somehow, such actions and movements were seen by Ishtar who is now trying to get me to annoy Freya, but not by me… Sigh.

It seems a rather convoluted theory to be honest, but if we go by the events I remember, it is very much possible. And if so…

"Nothing changes."

When I came to Orario, I already expected her to look into me due to my Soul, after all, I cannot tell if my Soul is in any way special. And when I started to get famous, it was undeniable she would at least spare a glance at me.

'Silver sat in a chair as he thought:'

In no way do I think Ishtar would go out of her way to get me unless her plans changed. But I am sure she will try her best to keep silent until her army project is done.

Once she completes it, she will have 1 Level 6, 1 Level 5, and hundreds of Level 4's… All for the sake of taking Freya down… Wrong, this is the past so… 1 Level 6 and 5, and only a few dozen Level 4's… How delusional.

That was why I did not want to get myself entangled with such a mad woman, and until I find a reason and get strong enough to save Haruhime.

I need a reason since even if I save her, I may not be able to get into her heart since for her, it would be a matter of who owns her, and despite it being true that I would like her ability for myself, in no way do I see her as only that.

So I need a reason to act… Like a Hero…

Although I don't doubt that she would trust me regardless of how I saved her since that is how she is, a very kind and gentle girl that was sheltered all her life, wishing for a Hero to save her when she was forced into prostitution…

It's a bit evil to declare out loud, but I don't think it would be hard to get her heart by simply saying a few lines… But that isn't what I want.

Even if I don't care about a lot of things, I still have my morals, and that includes not taking advantage of a kid that has suffered for her entire life.

This is also important since Haruhime has a phobia about her own body, and the first step is to make her understand she isn't filthy at all because she is a Prostitute, and that she deserves to interact with others and have friends, a normal life.

Deserving of being saved and being happy.

'Silver looked at the door and tried to hear what was on the other side, hearing nothing was there, he opened the door and sneakily made his way around the place.'

'He got higher and higher avoiding any guards or passing people along the way… They were already few, to begin with, and he eventually arrived in Ishtar's private room.'

'The door was obviously locked, but that didn't matter as Silver's body turned into smoke as it passed through the door's cracks.'

Tsk tsk, not using magic to block intruders… What an oversight.

Hum… I'll get one for my room one day… How much would it cost though?

/Sniff… COUGH!/

"This place smells of incense… Cough!"

'Silver took a look around the room and the first thing he saw was the massive glass window showing Orario.'

'He took a look at it and saw Babel, and for a moment, he saw a flash of light coming from its top.'

"Daedalus was a fucking monster to have engeneered such a thing, it looks prety cool nonetheless, it must be quite a sight..."

'Silver took a step back and started to go over every drawer and secret compartment he could find, he found toys… Drugs, potions, medicine… More exotic toys…'

"Found it."

'Behind a closet that was stuck to the wall with a mechanism, he found a hidden crevice that led to a small room with many shelves of books.'

"Once again, use magic protection… Although, if there was magic protection here, wouldn't it be easier for me to find it?"

To use or to not use… Not everyone is like me so I think mechanical locks are the better option… And you have to think that, if a thief can get this far, what would be a lock for him anyway?

'Silver started to go through every book he could find, he tried to memorize as much as he could from them, but there wasn't enough time, so he focused on what was truly important.'

"Hum… I see, she has a rather long way to finish her item, she still needs the most important material, the Killing Stone."

And she'll only get it 2 years later, being delivered by none other than Hermes… I don't remember if he was the one pulling the strings behind that event or if he made use of it all to give Bell another challenge…

"However, she can actually get more than one at once… So she "

Talking about him, it's been a while since I heard anything about him, what is he doing?

…

"TCHU!"

'At the same time, somewhere in Orario, a blond man sneezed.'

"Asfi, I think someone just cursed me!" Said Hermes in a serious tone

"Please focus, Hermes-Sama…"

…

'Silver shook his head and said:'

"Doesn't matter what that bastard is doing right now, first, I'll read this and leave…"

'For a moment, Silver decided if it was worth it to steal a bit of money from her, but he decided not to, he already tried a lot to not leave tracks, so for now, he will have to forget about the wealth.'

'He knows her plan, the only thing he needs to do is wait for it to happen and foil it… Like going into the Dungeon and leaving via teleportation before they can do anything at all.'

'However, he knows this problem won't end and it will grow in intensity for as long as she has her eyes on him, but she won't stop at all until she is either sent to Heaven or he grows stronger than her Captain.'

'Perhaps even if he does grow stronger, her Familia will still bother him…'

…

'Silver eventually had enough and left the hidden safe, materializing on the room once again.'

'He made sure to check and see if everything was cleaned before his body turned into smoke again as he made his way out of the room…'

/Creeeak!/

"Urg! My back hurt." Said Ishtar as she arrived in the room with her male servant

'Without saying anything, he moved and started to massage her.'

'What happened after this was completely and utterly wholesome.'

…

'Silver did not leave though, he had gotten information, it was time to get a better understanding of the place and perhaps find the treasure room… Just in case such information ends up being useful.'

'He soon learned that the number of Amazons in the Manor was slowly decreasing, probably due to Ishtar's orders.'

'This was good for him, less people means an easier time for him to snoop around the place.'

…

Not here… Not there as well… Where does this damn woman keep her goodies, such a shame there wasn't a blueprint in the small safe…

(In the anime, Aisha goes to the treasure room and destroys one of the killing stones)

My time is running out, I just spent so much Mind onto this, it's going to dissipate soon.

'Silver was currently hidden in a dark corridor, he opened his palm and a hologram of the Belit Babili, there were a few incomplete parts but it was almost perfect.'

'Just as he created the hologram he turned it off since consuming any amount of Mind would only speed up his clone's dissipation.'

'What he was currently using was a mix of several Plasmids at once, resulting in this clone with the ability to use Plasmids and move around the place like a ghost.'

'Of course, it can only use a selective few and not everything…'

"Hum… There is a part of the tower that is inaccessible on the floor above me… Perhaps that is the place?"

'Silver looked at the window near him and jumped without thinking…'

…

'He eventually arrived at a small window, it wasn't a window per se but more of a hole for air to come into about 30cm x 30cm. He quickly looked around the place, but saw nothing but the usual.'

'It seemed he was wrong, this was just a hidden dorm room, but he started to investigate anyway…'

/Clack!/

'A few minutes into his investigation, he heard one of the doors of the room open, so he moved his body to hide…'

/Fwush…/

'But from the corner of his eyes he saw it, golden hair fluttering in the wind… A pair of fox ears… And a beautiful fox tail… But no clothes, only a towel around her body.'

"!"

'Just as Silver saw her, the girl also saw Silver, his back turned to her, his body under the only window of her room, faint moonlight shining on his body.'

'His momentary hesitation ended up in him being seen, but it didn't matter to him as in a sense, he wanted to meet this girl… But not like this.'

'He turned his head a little and said with an awkward smile:'

"Well… This wasn't supposed to happen… Miss, may you put some clothes first?"

"..."

'Haruhime heart kept beating fast, because this was a situation she had read about, the Hero coming to save the princes…'

'She knew who he was, how could she forget? He left such a deep impression on her…'

'But her ears dropped as she remembered what she was, a prostitute, she was… Dirty, undeserving of being saved and staying by the Hero's side.'

'The bane of Hero's, this is what a prostitute is to her. She can't and will never allow herself to put the Hero in danger for her own selfish desires.'

'So she turned around and said as she went back to the bathroom:'

"I never saw anything. If you open that door, it will lead you to the secret passages of the Ishtar Familia, use it to leave this place."

'This was her way of helping him…'

"..."

As I thought, she trusts me so easily… Sigh.

She is still acting like this, but I wonder, it's two years before, so her trauma should be smaller…

'So Silver decided to say:'

"Thank you for the help… And your trust, but that won't be necessary since my time is already running out…"

'Silver's hand was already getting translucent, he was losing control of this clone, and it would soon dissipate.'

"I never saw a Renard before, so why don't we share some stories? I'll give you mine since you helped me, I just can't guarantee it will be interesting."

"..."

'Haruhime stayed silent before she did a slight nod, she entered the bathroom and a few minutes later, came back with her red Kimono, she sat on the bed next to Silver's chair and said:'

"Pardon me for my rudeness previously, I simply did not wish to cause you any trouble."

"Even though you don't know who I am? I could be a petty thief, or worse, an assassin."

'But Haruhime simply smiled slightly.'

"That is not the case, I saw you during the War game."

"And from that you decided it was ok to help me?..."

'But Haruhime dropped her head as if she was being scolded.'

"Don't be like that, I am not scolding you… My reason for being here is rather unfortunate…"

'Silver went over how he was ambushed and how he 'eventually' found out about the Ishtar Familia and infiltrated here to find out why they were after him.'

"... I just feel as if I was dragged into something unrelated to me… It isn't the first time anyway."

'Haruhime had a sad expression as she replied:'

"I beg you to not hate them, most of them are only acting on orders, and many are actually rather good people, working hard everyday to achieve their dreams…"

"Unfortunately I can't say the same for me."

"..."

It's hard to talk with her, she is always passive and depressed…

"I gave you a little story, how about you give me one then?" Said Silver with a thin smile

For now I will just change the subject…

'Haruhime looked at him and started to narrate her life on the far east. How it was a place with its beautiful 4 defined seasons and how she was eventually exiled by her father when she was 11, which eventually led her to be sold to Ishtar.'

"... However, it's not like I didn't want to come here, I always heard many stories that happened in this place."

'Silver remembered a book he read when he was small, a book about many Heroes…'

"Are you perhaps talking about the Dungeon Oratoria?"

"Yes! The story of many knights traveling in the Dungeon in search of the grail…"

'Silver knew that story.'

"That's Galahad right? He goes after the grail to heal his queen from her incurable disease right?"

'Haruhime let out her gentle smile…'

"You know about it? Then what about the wizard that saved the spirit locked in a lamp?" She asked as her tail started to move

"That's a famous one, the Wizard Aladdin. Miss. Haruhime, are you perhaps a fan of hero stories?"

'With a slightly red face and a gentle smile, she replied.'

"Yes! I love them!"

…

'Some time passed and they talked about a few more stories, including Silver's early childhood, making Haruhime impressed as to how many things he did and accomplished.'

'Her face was red, she was truly happy as she talked with him.'

'Silver realized that, but he only felt pity, since for her to be this happy over simply having a talking buddy…'

"You're incredible Mr.Silver, you know so much about these stories, and even the ones you don't you can figure out its meaning…"

"I studied a lot when I was younger, my grandma wouldn't miss on anything, be it linguistic or text interpretation…"

A small lie, I can't just say that Herp stories are childish and that it's very very simple to understand their meaning… Most of them at least.

There is a reason for that though…

"Compared to me, you seem to know a lot more."

'Haruhime looked at the ground and replied with her smile:'

"The one's I like the most are Hero stories though… Like in the far east and the story of a little warrior that saves a girl from a monster…"

"Little thumb if I am not mistaken right? I was lucky enough to hear about it recently."

There was a certain girl that loves talking about these…

'Looking at the faint moonlight on the hole in the wall, she said with a smile.'

"Just like you I also have a dream, I want my hand to be held by a Hero and to be guided into the world I always desired… I know it's a dream that will never turn true, different from yours, since I have no right to be brought anywhere."

"And why would that be the case? I can't see anything wrong with your dream."

"You're kind Mr.Silver…"

'Haruhime started to get more depressed as she said:'

"I am not a beautiful princess, much less a saintess waiting to be sacrificed, I am a prostitute."

'But Silver expression did not change.'

"Is that a problem? Are you saying that prostitutes have no right to be saved?"

'Haruhime expression changed as she said with conviction:'

"I… May not be experienced, but I slept with many men. I didn't protect my chastity with any sort of will, offering myself for little money. Why would a Hero go out of his way to save me?"

'Silver did not reply, waiting for her to finish.'

"For a Hero, protitution is a symbol of destruction and in the day I realized I wasn;t pure anymore, I lost my right to read these beautiful stories, not being able to wish for them anymore."

'She turned her face to Silver and said:'

"I am just a prostitute."

'She looked at him as the moonlight shone in the room and Silver looked at her until he said:'

"I am not convinced."

"Eh?"

'Before she realized, Silver's body had already turned half translucent.'

"You know what it means to be a Hero?"

'Haruhime stayed silent and said:'

"Someone who saves others, with a smile he defeats the monsters and with it, receives the smiles from the others around him and in the end, receives the love of his princess."

"True, that is a simple general explanation for such Hero tales, but that isn't how I see Heroes, for me, a lot more has to be taken into consideration."

"Being a Hero is being able to stick to your desires, no matter how heretical they may be, to have the courage to do something others think impossible. That is what a Hero is for me."

'Haruhime expression changed, but she did not say anything.'

"Some may see him as a monster, while others, a Devil, but it doesn't matter since at the end of the day, he did something others did not have the courage to do, he risked his life to accomplish a feat deemed impossible by all."

"To have his name be imprinted into the annals of history, that is what a Hero is all about in the end."

"In a War, one side may see a knight as a Hero, while the other may see him and remember him as a menace."

'Silver looked straight into her eyes and said:'

"You are dreaming of a imaginary Hero that does not exist, there is no way you aren't deserving of being saved and if a Hero one day appears in front of you and says that you aren't deserving of him, then that guy is…"

'Silver body was on the verge of disappearing…'

"A moron." He said with a smile as he disappeared

'Haruhime got up from her bed and looked at the place where Silver once was.'

"..."

'She remained silent, thinking of his words…'

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