After burning all the slime masks to ashes, Yuri and her group, hooded and cautious, stepped into the heart of Yohaim’s castle.
The city was alive with celebration, having successfully repelled the continental invasion.
Weaving through the crowd of cheering citizens, Yuri muttered under her breath.
“Do we really have to see this?”
“Absolutely,” Jose replied.
Yuri just wanted to return to Briol, but Jose insisted on seeing the statue erected in the castle’s center, so they had no choice but to stay.
Jose grinned.
“Isn’t that statue built for us?”
“It’s for Hopper and the Three Brothers, not us.”
“But that’s us.”
“No one knows that.”
“We know ourselves, don’t we?”
“Yeah…”
They arrived at the entrance to the plaza where the statue stood. Jose’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“I’m curious to see how they portrayed us…”
Jared nodded in agreement.
“I’m nervous now that we’re actually about to see it.”
“Right?”
Inariel stood a little apart, arms crossed, leaning slightly to one side with a skeptical look.
“I don’t really want to see it.”
“Why not?”
“It’s ridiculous that they sculpted you guys.”
“Honestly, it’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”
“Not at all…”
A crowd had already gathered in the center of the plaza. Through the throng, a vague gray shape could be made out.
“That’s it.”
“That must be it.”
Jose and Jared rushed forward.
Though silent, Laurent also quickened his pace, approaching with quiet determination.
Left alone, Yuri sighed and followed toward the statue.
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
As they drew closer, the statue’s form became clearer.
Yuri lowered her head and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pfft…”
She couldn’t bring herself to look up.
“What is that supposed to be?”
Jose’s eyes widened in disbelief, while Jared sank to the ground.
“That’s supposed to be us…?”
The statue was a disaster.
It bore no resemblance to their true appearances.
It looked like someone had just bulked up the figures and slapped on random faces.
At least Row and Javid had some similarity thanks to their beards, but Hopper and Ubi, who lacked such features, looked like completely different people.
All four wore fierce expressions, but somehow it came off as comically absurd.
Jose muttered in despair.
“How could our legendary struggle be turned into such a caricature…?”
Yuri chuckled softly.
“The war just ended recently. They made this overnight, so there’s no way it’s high quality. The sculptor probably didn’t even know what you looked like.”
“Ah, this is ridiculous…”
“It’s an insult. A real insult…”
Laurent, having regained his composure, stood beside Yuri and nodded as if he hadn’t expected much to begin with.
“Disappointing, but it can’t be helped.”
Though the heroes were disappointed, the reactions of the other citizens were quite different.
People prayed before the statue, leaving flowers at its base.
“Three Brothers, please help me pass my exam…”
“Hopper, please bless my family’s business…”
“I hope my child inherits Ubi’s kindness…”
Their wishes were varied.
Though some seemed to be asking the militia for things they probably shouldn’t, Yuri didn’t mind—prayers were prayers, after all.
Just then, someone spoke up.
“Did you come to pray as well?”
A man with thick, curly yellow hair stood beside Yuri and addressed her.
“Oh, yes. And you?”
“I’m the sculptor who made this statue.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He smiled wryly, pointing at the statue.
“Try praying to it. Your wish will come true.”
Yuri looked at the sculptor skeptically.
The statue was already shoddy, and now he was telling them to pray to it? It sounded like a scam.
She glanced at Jose, whose face twitched slightly.
Not wanting things to escalate, Yuri smiled and tried to lighten the mood.
“Haha, you really think praying to a statue will make wishes come true? Is that possible?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
The sculptor nodded seriously, even clasping his hands together.
“The more you pray, the closer you get to your goal.”
“On what basis do you say that? These four are heroes, not gods.”
“You don’t believe me? Heh, then let me share a secret about them.”
“A secret?”
“Yes. I know the truth about these four.”
Yuri and the others stared at him.
Could he possibly know about the slime masks?
Everyone waited, eyes fixed on the sculptor, curious about what he would say.
Meanwhile, Inariel paid no attention at all.
Yuri asked, “What truth?”
“Well…” The sculptor placed a hand over his chest.
“They’re not heroes.”
Yuri’s group exchanged serious looks.
“Silence is the best policy…” Jared muttered quietly, but Laurent quickly covered his mouth.
Yuri’s voice trembled as she asked, “If they’re not heroes, then what are they?”
“The truth is…”
Everyone tensed, waiting for the revelation.
The sculptor declared, “They’re human.”
It was an anticlimax.
The tension broke, and the four’s shoulders relaxed.
Yuri pressed on, “So, they’re humans, not elves?”
Inariel glanced over but ignored the question.
The sculptor laughed.
“Hahaha, not that kind of meaning. I mean they were ordinary humans. But despite that, they became more than human. They became heroes.”
“You just said they weren’t heroes.”
“It’s a metaphor. They weren’t born heroes, but they became them. They worked tirelessly to achieve their goals, shedding blood, sweat, and tears every day.”
That was true. Yuri and her group softened a bit.
The sculptor’s voice grew passionate.
“So where do you think that effort and perseverance came from?”
“Where?”
“Right here.”
He pointed to his chest.
“To the heart.”
“The heart?”
“They wished every day. They wanted to become stronger to protect Yohaim. That wish is powerful—powerful enough to change the world. Look around. Didn’t they change Yohaim?”
Yuri was moved by his words.
Replacing Yohaim with Briol, it fit perfectly.
He had reached his current level through relentless effort and had even defeated Yalta, one of the Ten Strong, recently.
All thanks to hope and hard work.
“So prayer means…”
“Yes.”
The sculptor spread his arms wide.
“If you have a wish so desperate that you pray every day, you’ll find yourself moving toward that goal without even realizing it.”
“Ah…”
“I’m not denying the heroes’ achievements. I just want us to remember their footsteps and strive to do our best every moment, just like them.”
“So that’s why you encourage prayer.”
“Yes, exactly. And through prayer, we come to understand what we truly desire.”
At first, Yuri had been skeptical of the sculptor, but after hearing his explanation, she felt the opposite.
This sculptor understood them better than anyone.
He smiled at Yuri.
“That’s why I made that statue with such a heart. Your heroes.”
“Wait, I have a question.”
But Jared, still unconvinced, spoke up.
“The faces look a bit off. Are those really the four of you? Or did you just make them up?”
“Well…” The sculptor smiled.
“Yes, you’re right. Those aren’t the real faces of the four heroes.”
“So you made the statue without knowing their faces? Isn’t that disrespectful?”
“Maybe. But that was intentional.”
“Intentional?”
“I collected faces of Yohaim locals and derived the most average features.”
Now that he mentioned it, the faces on the statues were ordinary—faces you could see anywhere in the city.
“Instead of depicting the real heroes, I deliberately used the faces of ordinary people. I wanted to show that even ordinary people can become heroes if they truly try.”
The more Yuri thought about it, the deeper the meaning became.
Even Jared’s expression softened.
Yuri said, “Mr. Sculptor.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s shake on it.”
“Haha, gladly.”
They clasped hands.
Yuri smiled.
“I’m surprised. This statue carries a very noble message.”
“You flatter me.”
“May I know your name?”
“My name is With. Just an ordinary sculptor. Haha…”
“With.”
Yuri committed the name to memory.
“I hope to see your statues all over Yohaim.”
“I hope so too.”
“It will happen, I’m sure.”
Yuri began planning to promote With as Yohaim’s leading sculptor.
Under the Elaine Trading Company’s sponsorship, she wanted to display his philosophy-filled statues throughout the city.
“For Yohaim’s future.”
Though they had won this war, the road ahead for Yohaim was thorny.
The empire, having lost troops, wouldn’t retreat quietly.
Therefore, the people of Yohaim needed something like this statue—something to inspire hope.
The statue of the four fallen heroes made by With would instill pride and patriotism in the hearts of Yohaim’s citizens.
“Look over there.”
Suddenly, With pointed behind them.
“Huh?”
Familiar figures appeared.
The second cohort, trained in guerrilla warfare in Briol, was returning to the castle.
Though ragged in appearance, their eyes shone brightly.
“This is the new unit fresh from training. They’re called the Aloy Brigade, a special forces unit.”
“I see.”
“Because of young people like them, I truly believe Yohaim will never fall. They are all heroes.”
“That’s very true.”
This time, they had fought a guerrilla battle in front of the castle due to the sudden invasion, but things would be different from now on.
The Aloy Brigade had set up camp throughout the entire forest surrounding Yohaim. Their arrows and traps could be lurking anywhere.
The Empire had unwittingly placed a very troublesome enemy right at its doorstep.
“Well then, shall we all make a wish together?”
“Sounds good.”
Yuri and his group joined hands with the sculptor and began to make their wishes.
They weren’t alone.
Countless people of Yohaim joined in.
The deaths of the four disguised heroes had become a symbol of patriotism and a wind of change ushering in a new era for the people of Yohaim.
If the deaths of Hopper and the three sworn brothers had united the people of Yohaim, the deaths of Yalta and Graham were instead tearing the Empire apart.
“Yalta is dead… Yalta is dead…”
Emperor Ivar trembled under his blanket on the throne.
Though he had recovered somewhat from the poison’s effects, the aftereffects left him shaking constantly, and his personality had changed drastically.
He muttered repeatedly.
“What are we to do about Yohaim? Those arrogant, insolent fools must be killed. But Yalta is dead… Yalta…”
At that moment, a servant announced the arrival of a guest.
It was Crown Prince Eugen.
He approached Ivar, bowed respectfully, and spoke.
“Your Majesty, I have stationed troops along the Yohaim border. They are ready to deploy at your command.”
“But Yalta is dead.”
“Yalta was just one of the cards we held. He wasn’t that valuable.”
“Hmmm…”
“If we leave things as they are, the Empire’s prestige will be utterly destroyed. Yohaim must be punished swiftly and severely.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ivar fell into a daze, lost in thought.
Eugen continued.
“If you give the order, this time we will send far more troops than before. The knights will bring the king of Yohaim to his knees and capture him.”
“Hmmm…”
“Your Majesty?”
“Why did Yalta and Graham fight?”
“That is unknown.”
Ivar clutched his head.
“Graham…”
Eugen said, “It was a mistake to send Graham as commander. He’s an excellent knight, but too rigid and narrow-minded…”
“Enough.”
Ivar cut him off.
“You may leave now. I want to be alone.”
Eugen looked up at him for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
And he withdrew.
Left alone, Ivar curled up beneath his blanket, muttering to himself.
“Hmmm… Come to think of it, was it Yohaim that was poisoned, or another country?”