Chapter 26 — Perspectives
"Sir Hero Ren, let's help them!"
"Alright."
The two stepped out of the carriage.
The adventurers immediately noticed them.
One of them, presumably the leader, turned toward Ren and shouted.
"Fellow travelers! Please lend us a hand! Help us eliminate this monster for the good of the world!"
Ren's expression remained unchanged.
However, inwardly, he found the man's words rather hypocritical.
'For the good of the world?'
To Ren, things were never that simple.
If you had the ability to kill something, then that thing also had the ability to kill you.
Humans casually entered monster territories, killed the creatures living there, and claimed their land as their own. Yet when those same monsters fought back, sought revenge, defended their territory, or attacked human settlements, humans immediately labeled them evil.
The same logic could be viewed from the opposite side.
There was no simple definition of good and evil.
What was considered right or wrong depended on the person, the race, the era, the culture, and even the side one belonged to.
Even in his previous world, people would celebrate when disaster struck an enemy nation and its people died, even though those people were human just like them.
This world was no different. Many different races existed, but humans were currently the dominant and strongest race.
And because they possessed greater power, they had the ability to establish the rules and decide what was considered right and wrong.
According to the history books Ren had read, the demon race had once been a small and weak race that humans hunted like animals.
Eventually, the demons grew stronger and began killing humans.
Human history described it as the demons suddenly becoming savage and turning against humanity.
But from the demons' perspective, perhaps it had simply been revenge.
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Perhaps they had been retaliating against the humans who had oppressed their ancestors, taken their land, and claimed it as their own.
From the demons' point of view, they could have been the ones in the right.
A human who murdered another human or committed terrible acts would be considered evil by humans and deserving of punishment.
Yet from another race's perspective, that same person might be viewed as a hero who had taken revenge on their behalf, deserving of a place in heaven.
There was no absolute definition of right and wrong.
The strong had the power to establish the rules, while everyone else could decide for themselves what they believed was right or wrong.
Ren didn't particularly care which side was actually right.
He intended to take control of the kingdom and eventually build his own empire.
For that, having the reputation of a benevolent and righteous person would be extremely useful.
"Of course. That is our duty as humans."
Ren raised his hand.
One magic circle after another appeared above the Goblin Champion, rapidly forming several layers of overlapping arrays.
The adventurers froze when they saw the sheer number of magic circles gathering overhead.
The Goblin Champion seemed to sense the danger as well and immediately tried to flee.
However, the adventurers reacted quickly, casting several control-type spells that restrained its movements.
"Euuunggghh!"
The Goblin Champion struggled violently against the restraints.
"Sizzle."
"Swoosh."
Ren glanced toward the adventurers.
"Set up your shields."
The adventurers immediately raised defensive barriers around themselves.
Then—
A gigantic pillar of light descended from the sky.
BOOM!
The Light Cannon struck the Goblin Champion directly.
Its massive body was almost instantly melted from head to feet.
The enormous pillar of light continued through the monster and slammed into the ground, vaporizing the earth beneath it.
A few moments later, Ren canceled the spell.
The Goblin Champion was completely gone.
All that remained was a massive crater, its surface glowing red from the intense heat.
Even the smell of burned flesh lingered in the air.
The ten adventurers stood frozen in stunned silence.
After finally recovering from their shock, the leader hurried over to Ren and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your help, Sir. Earlier, I didn't realize you were an Adept Mage. Seeing how young you are, I spoke to you rather rudely."
They had mistaken Ren for a Rank 2 mage.
Ren had no intention of correcting them.
"It's fine. Just keep it in mind next time. You can call me Mage Ren."
"Then thank you for your help, Sir Ren."
As Rank 1 mages, they naturally treated a Rank 2 mage with considerable respect.
The difference between the two ranks was enormous.
A Rank 1 mage could destroy a house, while a Rank 2 mage could destroy a mountain.
Such a difference in strength naturally came with a corresponding difference in status.
"Alright. We'll take our leave."
Ren took Lyra's hand and began walking back toward the carriage.
"Have a safe journey, Sir Ren! And thank you again for your help!"
The adventurers watched them leave.
Yet beneath their polite words, they were actually rather frustrated.
Ren had completely vaporized the Goblin Champion, leaving them with nothing they could use as proof to complete their mission.
But none of them dared to complain.
And that was exactly what Ren had intended.
He wanted to build a reputation as a helpful and righteous person, but he had no intention of letting others take advantage of him.
The Goblin Champion had only been a Rank 1 monster on the verge of reaching Rank 2. Using a Light Cannon against it had been excessive.
Ren had done it deliberately.
By completely vaporizing the monster, he had not only eliminated it but also demonstrated an overwhelming level of power.
The fear he had planted in their hearts would make them think twice before doing anything foolish, such as demanding compensation from him for destroying their prey.
Ren and Lyra soon returned to the carriage.
Once they were inside, Ren looked at her.
"What's wrong? You don't seem happy after helping them."
Lyra nodded.
"It feels like a thankless job. We helped them, but all we received was a thank you in return."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"It was fine because I was with you, but if I had been alone, I could have died just because I stupidly meddled."
Ren laughed softly and rubbed her head.
"Alright. Don't think too much about it."
They continued chatting as the carriage traveled onward.
While they talked, Ren quietly modified the carriage.
He added a detection function that would automatically detect and avoid potential trouble on the road from then on.
Although Ren wanted to change the way Lyra thought, he didn't actually want her to lose her kindness.
He simply wanted her to become less naive, so she wouldn't throw herself into danger because she believed everything written in Hero stories.
Nor did he want her to believe that humans were some supreme race whose actions were automatically righteous.
Eventually, they arrived at a nearby town.
Ren and Lyra stepped out of the carriage, and Ren stored the carriage inside his Storage Mark.
They walked into the town, found a restaurant, and had a meal.
Afterward, they found an inn and stayed there for the rest of the day and through the night.