Aldean was ready to swing his sword, but he was stopped by the beautiful white-haired girl, making him chuckle softly. For the first time, he was witnessing firsthand a scenario that sometimes made people feel either cringe or touched.
Just those two feelings.
Nothing more.
And now, he truly felt cringe.
Who would have thought that seeing it in person would make his entire body break out in goosebumps?
"Aldean," she called gently, shaking her head.
Unable to watch any longer, he moved behind them, focusing on the rustling trees swayed by the gentle, slightly cold breeze.
They thought he was up to something, preparing to attack, only to be left confused by what he was actually doing. In reality, he was just trying to suppress his laughter, not wanting to worsen the situation.
After all, he already knew the reason for receiving this mission.
Who would have thought that the villagers weren't real? He almost felt guilty for killing them so easily.
Almost.
"Why did you stop talking? Just continue as if I'm not here," he said after successfully swallowing down his laughter. "I'm also curious about the fact that the villagers aren't real."
"Wait, so you didn't know?" asked the long-haired one, confused.
He only shrugged with a relaxed smile, which made Aldean lose control.
Before anyone realized it, Aldean had already lunged forward, swinging his sword imbued with mana, glowing brightly in hopes that the attack would wound him. But what happened next made Aldean's eyes widen, his heart stopping for a brief moment.
An attack powerful enough to wound a high-level monster had no effect.
It wasn't blocked. It wasn't dodged.
It simply had no effect.
His attack passed straight through the man's body and struck the ground, splitting it in two and continuing to crack several meters ahead before a burst of white light shot out from the deep fissure.
A completely useless attack.
Let alone injuring him, it didn't even make contact.
Aldean lifted his head, shocked.
"Y-you… What are you?"
Glitch split his body in half before seamlessly merging back together, making their courage instantly shrink. Even the elves, now on high alert, aimed their arrows at him again—though they weren't sure if it would have any effect after witnessing the hero's attack fail so miserably.
He looked at his body, then at both his hands, before stepping past Aldean. "Me? Does it really matter? Don't you all have a far more urgent situation? The longer you waste time here, the greater the chance the Demon King will revive—or perhaps, he already has."
The long-haired one flinched again. "How do you know that?" Her suspicion grew.
Even an elementary school kid could have figured it out from how they were talking earlier.
Why are people in worlds like this either super geniuses or complete idiots? Their brains work flawlessly for the most complex things, yet when faced with the most basic and normal situations, their brains simply stop functioning.
Aldean immediately shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter who you are. But from what you just said, that means you truly had no idea that they weren't real!"
"I already told you, I'm just completing a mission. Just like you."
"What if they were real?" Aldean asked quickly.
"I would still do it."
He lunged again, determined to teach a lesson to someone who treated life as if it were nothing. He was disgusted by people like this—disgusted by their words, as if they were above the value of life itself. He would never allow someone like him to run rampant in this world.
Unfortunately, not a single attack landed.
He dodged effortlessly, without even trying.
"Everything that happens has a purpose, Aldean."
"And you think that's enough of a reason to kill them?!" he shouted. "You have this much power! You could save far more lives than we could! Yet you're only using it for yourself!"
He stopped moving, raising his hand and catching Aldean's sword, creating a massive energy wave accompanied by strong winds that forced the others to shield their eyes from the flying dust and small debris.
"Aren't you the hero of this world? Why are you acting as if this is my responsibility? Is there some rule that says power must only be used for good? And good for whom? It's all subjective. What if I kill because I must protect, and the ones I kill just happen to be from your side? Would I still be seen as a villain, or as someone using their power for good?"
Aldean gritted his teeth, trying to pull his sword free as if it were stuck in solid rock. "That's not the issue. The issue is that you killed them without even checking if they were real or not! You don't hesitate to kill just to complete a mission. And with power like yours, you could save so many more people!" he said, furious.
"All I hear is the fact that you're not strong enough to save them, and now you're looking at me, someone stronger, and trying to force your ideology on me. Have you never heard of mercenaries? No matter how strong they are, they will always complete a mission, even if that mission is immoral."
He pushed Aldean back, taking a deep breath to calm himself before looking at the others, who were still ready to attack. "Feel free to label me a villain or whatever you like. The only thing you need to know is that I also want to eliminate the Demon King. But unlike you, I'll use any means necessary—even if you consider them immoral." He spoke calmly. "So, are we going to continue this conversation, or will you just stand there posing like statues?"
The long-haired one lowered her bow, followed by her subordinates. "He could be an important ally."
"You want to involve someone so heartless?!" Aldean asked in disbelief. "Don't the elves value justice above all else?! Why would we rely on an immoral person who would do anything to achieve his goals? How is he any different from the Demon King?!"
The long-haired one observed him from head to toe, then turned to the hero. "Because his power would be extremely useful in the fight against the Demon King. Besides, I have a feeling that even if he sounds immoral, he still has his limits. Otherwise, my eyes would have detected a dark aura from his body—but I see nothing, which is strange. Still, I'm willing to take the risk."
Nothing?
Could it be because he wasn't part of this world?
You know what? He didn't really care. If it meant wrapping this up faster, then he'd accept whatever was needed—because he was far more eager to face the Demon King than to keep talking.
Aldean's grip on his sword tightened for a moment before he finally sheathed it again. After all, there was no point in wasting energy when he knew nothing he did would affect him anyway.
As much as he hated to admit it, he was really strong.
And that only made Aldean even more cautious.