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“……Hey, do we really need to do this task?”
Continuing to fill the map silently for three hours straight, in the midst of what seemed like a barren and futile act, Tia let out those words.
“What’s wrong, Tia? Are you tired?”
“It’s not that… I just don’t see the point. I mean, there’s clearly nothing here, right?”
According to my [Auto Mapping]” skill, this labyrinth seems to have a rectangular shape with dimensions of about one kilometer vertically and three kilometers horizontally. Its biggest feature is its flatness… meaning there are no walls obstructing our field of view. That means we already know there’s nothing at the dead ends we’re about to reach.
Of course, in a maze like this, it’s inevitable to encounter dead ends. But this time, we’re intentionally exploring every dead end, and it’s perfectly normal to feel that it’s a waste.
“What’s the matter, Lunaritia? Do you have any objections to my judgment?”
Interrupting our conversation, Gou interjected. However, his tone was a straightforward question, allowing Tia to calmly respond.
“Well, yes. It means contradicting your judgment, but honestly, I’m a bit dissatisfied. If we know the correct path, we should go there first and only return to investigate if it doesn’t work out. It’s extremely inefficient to try to explore every corner of this vast maze without knowing how much we need. We may have enough supplies and time, but they’re still limited, so we should avoid wasteful spending. Don’t you think so?”
“Wasteful spending, huh…”
With a slightly strict yet reasonable opinion from Tia, Gou muttered quietly. Without turning back to us, without slowing down his pace, Gou calmly spoke the next words.
“Hey, Ed and Lunaritia, what do you think a hero is?”
“Huh? Why are you asking all of a sudden? A hero is… someone who has the courage to uphold their beliefs, I guess.”
As I was asked, images of the many heroes I had traveled with flashed through my mind. Their way of living, their existence, had been vividly engraved in me no matter how much time passed.
“That’s right. Someone who doesn’t bend or break, someone who sees things through till the end, I suppose. In that sense, Gou-san, you are quite like a Hero.”
“Ho?”
“Huh? Are you surprised?”
“Haha. No, it’s just that I’ve asked the same question to my comrades before, and the answers I got were always something like ‘the chosen one to defeat the Demon King’ or ‘someone with more courage than anyone else.’ So, it’s a bit unexpected. I see, so I’m a hero, huh…”
He paused for a moment, and Gou’s head lifted up. I followed suit and looked up, revealing a clear sky. I couldn’t say for sure if it was the real sky, but it would be petty to nitpick about it.
“Five hundred years have passed since the Demon King appeared in this land. Many heroes were born and set off on a journey to defeat the Demon King… and all of them fell halfway through. There were undoubtedly strong ones. There were undoubtedly wise ones. But no matter the hero, not a single one could defeat the Demon King. And from those predecessors, what I learned and chose was to be ‘steady.’
“Steady?”
“That’s right. It’s hard to put it into words… I’m an awkward man, so I can’t cleverly maneuver to obtain only good results. But if that’s the case, then I’ll just handle every problem in front of me, one by one, without  fail. If there are pots, break them all; if there are chests, search them all; if there are problems, solve them all; if there are side paths, walk them all. By doing that, I will complete the tasks I should do, and ‘defeating the Demon King’ will eventually come right in front of me. After that, if I handle it as I always have, my role as a hero will be fulfilled. What do you think? It’s quite steady, isn’t it?”
“Ah… well, I guess so.”
To Gou’s slightly proud words, I could only respond with an indescribable nod.
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Certainly, no matter how long the journey may be, if you keep taking one step at a time, you will eventually reach your destination. Running or searching for shortcuts may lead to failures or successes, but if you just keep walking, it won’t happen. As long as the courage to take that step forward remains, it is a truth that you will definitely arrive.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that this approach is always the right one.
“Haha, of course I know that my way isn’t necessarily the best. It’s true that because I’m slow, the threat of the Demon King is causing damage to the world. There may be people who could have been saved if I had rushed and arrived in time. But blaming me won’t solve anything. Even though I’m a hero, I’m not a god. Even if sacrifices occur because I didn’t make it in time, it’s because the Demon King’s army attacked or because the defense system of that place was insufficient. It’s not my fault. And even though I’m not a god, I am a hero. I will never abandon the incidents that happen right in front of me. In the presence of a hero like me, I will never allow harm to befall anyone. Since I can only choose one, I chose to be a hero who won’t abandon even if I can’t make it in time rather than a hero who will abandon if I make it in time. And I will eventually become a hero who won’t abandon and will make it in time. Solving each problem one by one, accumulating my strength.”
Gou looked back at us, smiling and tightly gripping his fist as he spoke. But soon, the strength drained from his expression, and the corners of his eyes drooped a little, showing a tinge of sadness.
“Well, even so, my way is indeed a bit bothersome. The reason why there haven’t been any fixed members in my party is partly because of that. But I can’t change my way of life at this point… So, I’m sincerely grateful that both of you have come along with me this far. Thank you.”
Gou stopped and bowed his head towards us. I lightly laughed in response to his apologetic face and replied.
“You don’t need to thank us for something like that. We’re with you because we have our own goals alongside yours, Gou-san.”
“I see… come to think of it, why are you two accompanying me?”
“Huh, you’re asking that now!?”
“Ah, right. As I said before, honestly, I thought you might disappear right away, so I didn’t pay much attention. I thought you were young people who admire heroes based on your ages. I assumed you would leave as soon as you saw the reality…”
“Well, I can’t deny that.”
With a face full of apologies, Gou made me smile wryly. Both Tia and I look like young adults, about twenty years old. Unless we’re exceptionally talented, it’s unlikely for us to have the ability to join a hero’s party at this age, and if we were such individuals, we would be well-known.
In other words, if two unknown young people like us were to appear, it’s only natural to think of us as mere admirers or people caught up in the excitement, not as genuine comrades.
“Our goal is also to defeat the Demon King. So, as long as Gou-san is okay with it, we would be grateful to continue traveling together in the future.”
“Oh, is that so!?”
“Of course! But, is it alright for us?”
It seems that there is a rule in the hero party that only allows up to four members, including the hero. So, in terms of companions, there are effectively three slots. It’s a significant decision to fill two of those slots… Gou grasped my hand with a beaming smile and shook it up and down.
“Of course! But, what about Ed? And, Lunaritia, are you okay with it? You weren’t happy with my method, right?”
“Well, yes. That was certainly the case… but if it’s based on Gou-san’s convictions, I won’t outright reject it. However, I would appreciate being involved in the discussion.”
“I see, understood! I have no intention of changing my way of life, but I promise that I will always listen and seriously consider what should be done! I’m a troublesome guy, but please be patient with me.”
“Hehe, it’s almost like we’re making you our comrade. Nice to meet you again, Gou-san.”
“Yeah, nice to meet you! Wow, I finally have… real comrades! Alright, from now on, I’ll let you guys break pots… no, wait, that’s supposed to be the privilege of the hero himself, so it’s not good to let comrades do it, right? Hmm, there needs to be some negotiation…”
“No, forget about the pots! Let’s get going soon. This maze is still damn huge.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go then! Kukukuku, now I’ll be through this maze in no time!”
With a smirk on his face, Gou began walking a little faster than before.
“Even so, you’re still a fast walker.”
“Well, a steady… no, I am a hero, after all.”
As I smiled at Gou’s slightly hurried pace, Tia and I followed him at the same speed.