The Worst Villain is The Greatest Hero?

Chapter 2 - [A Change of Heart]

[Elijah]

...

"You know, there was this cat named Bee. He was scary looking and ferocious..."

"We have reached the Curg City."

I nudged the talkative Lucy that was explaining why a cat got into a full-fledged fight with her.

She looked at the gigantic 'City Gates' and stopped talking.

"Uh-uh Oh! we have reached the 'City Gates.' Speaking of the City Gates, did you know that these gates have more than a century of history 'literally' engraved on them. It was inaugurated more than a hundred years ago. There has been a tradition since then. Anyone who ever entered the Curg City and wants to leave it. They first need to write their names on the city gates."

"As you can see now, the city gates have now been filled with thousands of names. So, now they use the 'Outer Walls' for carrying on this century-old tradition."

I was mesmerized by the writings on the gates. From some distance, they looked like some intricate patterns etched on the gates. There were literally thousands upon thousands of names on the gates. All the way up to the top. I wondered how they actually got there as the gate was more than twenty meters above the ground.

The walls in the vicinity of the gates were also filled with names. I even saw some love confessions on them. It looked mystical and beautiful at the same time. I was left utterly speechless by its beauty.

There was something else that caught my eyes. There were many adventurers, mercenaries, and soldiers going in and out of the bustling city.

Lucy answered my question. The Curg City was situated in a place closer to the Earalith Kingdom. There was an impending war ahead soon. This fact surprised me.

"I thought that the war between the Tevion Kingdom and the Earalith Kingdom had ended five years ago."

Lucy looked at me with confusion.

"Didn't you know that the Thorn Empire intervened during the war? Since both the kingdoms were under their rule, they subjugated the war and totally swept away our advantage. Later the Tevion Kingdom and the Earalith Kingdom were made to sign a treaty. It stated that unless the issues could be solved non-violently, no kingdom was to blow the war horns."

But, because of the death of the ninth prince in the Earalith Kingdom, the war ensued again. The war hasn't officially started yet. But both sides know that the day it would commence wasn't far away."

Lucy had a delightful expression on her face contrary to the dire situation she had just explained.

As if answering my questioning gaze, she continued,

"Though the war may start, both the sides know that the Tevion Kingdom will be victorious in the end. The probability of the bordering cities and villages getting engulfed in the flames of war is nearly zero. Besides, because of the bustling activity, our inn is doing pretty well too."

...

Many adventurer and mercenary groups passed us. Most simply didn't pay us any mind. But some eyes, filled with pity, fell on me. Seeing my shabby outfit, they probably thought that I was a nomadic beggar. They wouldn't have paid attention if it was simply due to my clothes.

But it was my body that attracted their gazes. Watching a cute boy dressed in such shabby attire would make anyone feel sorry.

Some of those gazes felt genuine worry for me. These empathetic gazes were enough for me to feel their warmth. I felt grateful to them.

...

Out of the blue, Lucy firmly gripped my right arm and directly rushed into the crowd. It seemed that she wished for us to not gather such attraction. She probably thought that the people's sympathetic gazes would make me feel uncomfortable.

I smiled at her thoughtfulness. After all, she was the one who saved me from losing myself. Not the other way round. I decided that if we stayed together for some more time, I would think about calling her 'big sis.'

...

We walked together on the main street for a while. The thing that caught my eyes was that the number of street hawkers was far more than the actual shops. I saw them selling many different types of goods. These goods include some things called [Mana Artifacts] and [Mana Weapons].

As Lucy explained, [Mana Artifacts] were tools that consumed man in their usage. They could be a day-to-day use tool like a [Water Bottle]. It could carry much more water in them than what appeared from outside. But, the withdrawal or input of water consumed mana. They apparently, had levels and stages too. She said that she didn't know much about the levels of artifacts. So, I didn't get to know much about them. She said that most of the things sold in the marketplaces were fakes or scams. So, I simply didn't put much mind to it.

...

Lucy guided me to 'her' inn. After some twists and turns, I found myself standing in front of a large five-story wooden building. There was a giant vertical billboard that spelled "Welcome to the Eight Springs Inn."

Honestly, it looked more of a hotel than an inn to me.

I was surprised by the fact that this inn belonged to Lucy's parents.

Two tall guards were standing at the entrance adorning their large silver shields and swords on their backs. They were probably 'Duffs' with a good physique. As soon as they saw Lucy, they rushed to us, leaving their own posts.

"Young Mistress, where have you been?!! Master and Mistress were worried when you sneaked out yesterday." They worriedly asked Lucy.

Soon the guards' eyes went to the large wound on her left thigh

"Aaahh!" The guards exclaimed.

...

On the way here, when I saw the dirty leaf covering her wound. I immediately removed it. Assuming my knowledge of bacteria and viruses still worked in this world. The dirty leaf might lead to infection.

I tried explaining it to her. But a six-year-old could possibly never understand it anyway. So, I just insisted that she not wear the leaf or any other dirty item on the wound since the bleeding had already stopped.

...

"I'll explain it to Mom and Dad. First, go inform them that I have returned along with a friend."

"Yes, young mistress!" They saluted and went to the maids near the entrance and commanded them to escort us to Lucy's parents.

The maids were about to escort us when a loud voice came from the stairs,

"Lucy! Where in the god's name have you been?!"

A young man with blue hair; dressed in fancy silk garments; questioned Lucy while heading down the stairs. He rushed to Lucy's side to check on her.

"Dad, I am sorry. I just wanted some experience before the exams but, you just wouldn't let me..."

Lucy's father looked at her for a moment. Then he sighed,

"It's all right. You are back now."

"Nurse! take Lucy to the clinic this instant."

Lucy's father said as he looked at the big wound on her thigh that looked more gruesome than it actually was.

…

After all the commotion had passed:

I, Lucy, and her parents were together in the bedroom Lucy was resting in. At first, they were a bit suspicious about my intentions and origin, but when they heard about how I had saved Lucy and provided her with food, shelter and guided her out of the 'Bloodgrass Woods.' They expressed their warm and deep gratitude towards me for saving their daughter from a great disaster.

I was still socially inept so, Lucy's parents' warm attitude towards me felt embarrassing. I simply smiled rubbed the back of my neck at their constant shower of praises.

After that, they even ordered a room to be arranged for me near their own courtyard. Lucy's father, Mr. Zen, even invited me to have dinner together with them.

After some hesitance, I accepted his invitation.

…

As I headed back to my room after dinner. I once again looked at the reunited family. It felt really great. The feeling of someone getting reunited with their family because of you, saving someone's life. All this felt new and sweet to me. It felt even a bit intoxicating.

I entered my luxurious room. It looked neat and organized. The king-sized teak wood bed with separate overhead curtains looked fancy. Then, there was a study table placed beside a large window. A small table with four chairs was also situated beside the peacefully crackling fireplace.

I sat on the chair near the warm fireplace and remembered yesterday's events. How I saved a little girl. Entered a human city after five years.

I unintentionally let out a small smile thinking about Lucy's reunion with her family.

Although seeing their family unite felt good. It also made my heart feel heavy. It felt like it was ripping into shreds.

My parents...

!!!

Abruptly, I started huffing and gasping for breath. A panic attack gripped my body. My body started jerking violently.

After some time, I managed to calm my breathing and control my mind. Whenever I thought of the events that took place five years ago. I started getting panic attacks. I got a panic attack every time I thought about my parents. The frequency of panic attacks had decreased after all these years. But it still happened occasionally.

I could not sleep on the cozy bed without thinking of how it would have felt if they were here with me. So, I decided to sleep on the carpet beside the fireplace. Soon, slumber overcame me. I held my hands behind my knees as I brought them up to my chest. I slept in the 'fetal' position.

That night, after many years, I slept peacefully.

...