Chapter 12
Franz headed north to meet Hera.
His destination was the commercial city of Cal Desien.
True to its name as a commercial city, Cal Desien was the continent's largest distribution center where all kinds of goods passed through.
As expected in such a place, illicit dealings were also rampant, with various drugs and human trafficking being common occurrences.
'The rumors weren't good, to say the least.'
They were about the lord of Cal Desien.
That he gathered slaves for human experiments.
That he was a big shot who controlled the underworld.
In any case, there were all sorts of unsavory rumors.
While it was hard to believe every rumor was true...
As the saying goes, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire.' It was certain he was a nasty piece of work.
Well, being that kind of person, he probably kept elven slaves.
Upon arriving in Cal Desien, Franz immediately headed to the location written on the request.
It was under the giant clock tower in the center of the square.
When he arrived, someone wearing a black hood was looking around intently.
The glimpse of their eyes showed a green color like freshly sprouted leaves.
With a similar height and slender figure to match, it seemed that must be Hera.
Franz approached her.
"Hera."
"Franz."
Hera lifted her head to look at Franz.
To Franz's eyes, Hera somehow looked a bit thinner.
'Did something happen?'
If she had gone from being a pig to a normal person, he would have thought she'd been on a diet. But since she was originally normal, it was puzzling that she had lost weight.
The memory of her devouring two bowls of mushroom stew with meat without hesitation was still vivid, making it even more strange.
Was she eating properly?
Thinking this, Franz said, "Hey, let's go get something to eat. I'm hungry."
"Eat? Now's not the time for that. Franz, the reason I called you here is all..."
Hera trailed off, looking around.
She was worried someone might overhear if she mentioned elven slaves.
Franz patted Hera's shoulder. "Hey, relax. If you keep acting like this, even caught fish will escape. I know it's urgent, but we shouldn't move in broad daylight, right?"
"That's true, but..."
"Then let's go eat first. We need to eat something to move around. And..."
There are too many people here.
Franz whispered softly into Hera's ear.
Looking around, he saw dozens of eyes already focused on them.
When someone who looked like a magician made contact with a hooded person, people naturally became suspicious, regardless of the situation.
'Maybe...'
Among them could be someone acting as the lord's eyes and ears.
It wouldn't hurt to be cautious, at least.
Soon, the two left the clock tower square and entered the streets of Cal Desien.
True to its reputation as a commercial city, the streets were lined with all kinds of restaurants and street vendors.
The aroma of delicious food tickled their noses.
Franz licked his lips in regret.
If this had been a leisurely outing, they would have enjoyed trying various foods, but unfortunately, they had work to do today.
Still, it wasn't like today was their only chance. They could always come back another time.
Eventually, Franz and Hera entered a seemingly ordinary shop.
After all, deliberately choosing an empty shop would also be suspicious.
As the two sat at the table furthest in the corner, a waiter approached.
"Are you ready to order?"
"Give us your best-selling dish, please."
Since he just wanted to fill his stomach, Franz ordered casually.
The best-selling dish in a restaurant was usually guaranteed to taste good, so at least it wouldn't be a complete miss.
However, Hera, sitting across from Franz, kept her mouth shut.
Feeling puzzled, Franz asked, "Hera, aren't you ordering?"
"I, I..."
"I'll pay, so just eat comfortably. Like I said earlier, we need to eat something to move around."
"...Alright. Then I'll have..."
Hera looked at the menu and started listing dish names one after another.
Franz was dumbfounded by her non-stop ordering.
He had said they needed to eat, but he didn't expect her to order so much.
It seemed the waiter had similar thoughts.
"Everything you just mentioned...?"
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"Ah, no! No problem at all!"
With those final words, the waiter disappeared from their side.
As they were left alone, an awkward atmosphere began to settle in.
From the start, they hadn't been particularly close even when they were in the hero's party.
Franz had acted friendly at the clock tower, but that was only because Hera seemed too anxious.
If there had been food, they could have eaten while observing each other's reactions, but without it, the situation was uncomfortable.
However, Franz couldn't leave things as they were.
No, he shouldn't leave things as they were.
Although Hera had requested this meeting, Franz also had the goal of saving the world from her becoming a villainess.
Finally, Franz broke the awkward silence.
"How have you been lately?"
"Just... nothing special..."
Hera's voice was sorrowful, contrary to her words.
Something had definitely happened.
Franz couldn't just let this slide.
Hadn't he learned from his experience with the Saint?
Just listening to someone's story and helping them release a little could greatly improve their condition.
So Franz spoke again.
"Nothing special? Your voice has no strength at all. And why have you lost so much weight? Are you eating properly?"
"Is that so... Am I that bad...?"
Hera said this with a bitter smile.
Although she was said to be the villainess who would lead the world to ruin, Franz couldn't help but feel uneasy seeing his former adventure companion struggling.
He just wanted to help, whether it was the world or Hera.
"What happened? Tell me."
"Maybe it's okay to tell you..."
Hera slowly began to unfold her story.
From how the elves opposed her becoming a member of the hero's party.
To how her brother and childhood friend had betrayed her.
She poured out the story she had kept inside, unable to tell anyone.
After listening silently to the end, Franz thought,
'This is seriously messed up.'
This wasn't some 21st-century morning drama, how could this happen in reality?
To backstab Hera, who had sacrificed herself to save the world, instead of being grateful.
How could this even make sense?
Franz felt nothing but pity for Hera who had suffered such treatment.
And he felt a surge of indignation towards those who had done such a thing.
Honestly, with this much, it's understandable to want to destroy the world.
Of course, wanting to do something and actually doing it are completely different matters, but he could at least understand Hera's feelings.
After organizing his thoughts, Franz carefully said,
"So now you're..."
"Yes, I'm going around trying to save the ones my brother sold. It felt like I'd have no reason to live if I didn't at least do that."
"I see..."
"But I have one worry. What if I..."
Franz suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
Given the flow of the conversation, it was surely time for that line.
However, Hera's words were never finished.
"Excuse me for a moment!"
The waiter began placing dishes one by one on the table.
They had been prepared while Franz and Hera were talking.
Once the table was fully laden, the waiter said, "Enjoy your meal!" and left.
Franz stared at the food on the table for a moment before saying,
"Let's eat for now."
Who knows? Maybe delicious food entering her mouth would improve her mood a little.
Then perhaps her will to destroy the world would also diminish somewhat.
It's a bit much, but well, eating a variety should be good.
Hera nodded at Franz's words.
She carefully picked up her spoon and put some food in her mouth.
'It's delicious...'
Since that day, Hera hadn't felt much excitement from any food she ate.
It wasn't that the taste had disappeared, but she couldn't feel that anything was delicious no matter what she ate.
But this food in front of her now...
It was so delicious.
Hera's hand began to move busily, and Franz was a bit shocked by the sight.
She started devouring the food as if possessed by some eating spirit.
It seemed the reason she had looked thin was that she had been starving.
Then Hera added one more thing.
"Franz, I'm really sorry, but could we order just a little, just a little more?"
"Ah, uh, sure. If you want to eat, you should eat."
Franz recalled.
The horror of watching the meat and mushroom stew disappear into her stomach.
'But, can she move after eating this much?'
* * * * *
After the long, long meal ended, the sun that had been high in the sky was now slightly tilted to the side.
Contrary to Franz's worries, Hera moved as if nothing was wrong.
Surprisingly, even after all that food, her stomach didn't protrude at all.
Right after leaving the restaurant, Hera said,
"Now, let's go to the inn where I'm staying."
"Huh...?"
Franz was simply bewildered.