Downstairs, the tavern was alive with the hum of conversation, laughter, and the clinking of tankards. Layton sat across from Dus, a half-empty cup of ale in his hand. Dus leaned forward, eyes bleary with drink, eagerly explaining the finer points of manipulating the [Gluttony] ability to allow for the pleasure of drunkenness.

Layton listened politely, though the topic held little interest for him. He wasn’t concerned with whether he could get drunk or not—he had long since developed an indifference to alcohol. Years of a disciplined life, combined with his devotion to his family, had dulled any desire for the reckless abandon that came with intoxication. He drank out of camaraderie, not pleasure.

"Your teammates... all gone," Layton murmured after a long silence, his voice tinged with a quiet sadness.

"Yeah!" Dus slammed his tankard down, sloshing ale onto the table. His face was flushed, his words slurring slightly as he leaned closer. "All because of the monsters! So many of them!" His voice wavered with a mix of excitement and bitterness.

Layton sighed, swirling the contents of his cup before taking another sip. "When we were in the Slime Forest, surrounded by those creatures... I thought for sure we wouldn’t make it out alive." His tone was reflective, the memory still fresh in his mind.

"Slimes?" Dus snorted derisively, waving his hand as if swatting away the memory. "That’s nothing! I had to fight Hobgoblins! Huge brutes, taller than a man, with clubs that could smash a house to pieces! That’s what I was up against!" His voice rose with indignation, as if Layton's survival of the slime horde somehow paled in comparison to his own trials.

Layton frowned but said nothing. Dus’s bravado grated on him, but he held his tongue. Monsters were monsters, no matter their size or strength, and anyone who faced them deserved respect.

"Did something unusual happen?" Layton asked, curious despite himself.

Dus's eyes gleamed. "Damn right! We were chasing some Goblins when a whole horde of Hobgoblins came charging at us! Dozens of them!" His voice grew louder with each word, his body swaying as he gestured wildly. "What could I do? I fought them off, killed a dozen at least, and then ran! If I hadn’t, I’d be dead!"

Finally, Layton placed his cup down, his voice steady and firm. "You lost your comrades, and that weighs on you. But we can take revenge. Let’s find those Goblins, and this time, we’ll finish the fight." He stood up, clapping Dus on the shoulder with a heavy hand.

Dus recoiled, a sneer forming on his lips as he shoved Layton’s hand away. "Revenge? You have no idea what you're talking about! Have you ever seen a Hobgoblin? Do you even understand what it means to face hundreds of them?"

Layton met his gaze, unflinching. "I have. Maybe not Hobgoblins, but I’ve faced monsters that would freeze the blood of any man. My village... my family... we had to flee countless times because of them. I know fear, and I know you’re afraid, but that doesn’t change what we have to do." His voice grew louder, filled with the conviction of a man who had already made peace with his duty. "We are the ones chosen to protect humanity. We can’t run from it. We won’t run from it. So, let’s go. We lost once, but this time, we’ll win."

Layton extended his hand, offering Dus a chance at redemption.

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The tavern, which had grown quiet during their exchange, suddenly erupted into cheers. Men stood, raising their cups and shouting in unison, their voices filled with admiration and fervor.

"Hero-sama is right!"

"That’s the spirit of a true Hero!"

"Defeat the monsters! Conquer them all!"

Among the throng, there were murmurs of reflection, voices hushed with awe.

"That’s a real Hero," one patron whispered. "Not like some who are given power by the Kami and use it to lord over us."

"Haha! He’s worth more than a dozen of them," another replied, nodding in agreement.

Bang!

The tavern fell silent as Dus hurled his wine cup against the wall, the sound reverberating through the room like a thunderclap. He shot to his feet, fury etched into every line of his face, pointing a trembling finger at a group of patrons huddled near the back.

“Say that again!” he roared, his voice cutting through the air.

The customers shrank back in their seats, their earlier bravado drained in the face of Dus’s anger. They exchanged nervous glances but said nothing, their lips sealed tight. Dus’s eyes gleamed with the thrill of intimidation, a cruel grin spreading across his face.

Layton, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" His voice was low, questioning, but there was an edge to it, his posture growing tense.

“They insulted me!” Dus spat, his face twisting with rage. “Why shouldn’t I teach them a lesson?!”

Layton’s expression hardened, his gaze sharp as steel. “The power we hold as Heroes is for protecting humanity, not terrorizing it,” he said, his voice firm. “If they have something to say about you, so what? Take it like a man.”

Dus snorted, a malicious gleam in his eyes. “A slime-hunting hero thinks he can lecture me?” He sneered at Layton before turning his glare back to the patrons. “Seems my lessons haven’t been enough! Today, I’ll smash your mouths!”

With a swift motion, Dus raised his hand and slammed the table beside him, sending dishes and tankards crashing to the floor. In the same breath, he grabbed a nearby chair, lifting it high above his head, ready to strike at the cowering patrons.

Screams erupted from the waitresses, their trays falling as they backed away in fear. The customers, frozen with terror, raised their arms in a pitiful attempt to defend themselves.

But just as Dus was about to bring the chair crashing down—

Clang!

A sharp, resounding noise echoed through the tavern. “Stop.”

Layton’s voice was a cold command, his hand locked firmly around Dus’s wrist. The veins on Layton's hand bulged, and the sheer force of his grip stopped Dus mid-swing.

“Let go,” Dus growled, his eyes burning with fury as he tried to yank his arm free.

“Put the chair down first,” Layton ordered in a low, unyielding voice, his other hand calmly taking the chair from Dus’s grip.

To everyone’s surprise, Dus let him. The chair clattered to the ground, and Layton released his grip, stepping back. The patrons exhaled in relief, believing the danger had passed.

But before anyone could fully relax, there was a flash of white light—Dus had summoned a white jade rod from the ether. He swung it toward Layton with a fury that promised devastation.

Boom!

Suddenly, the walls of the tavern erupted with a deafening crash. Dus was thrown back, his body hurtling through the gaping hole where the wall had once stood. Dust and debris clouded the air as he landed in the rubble outside, groaning in pain.

Standing in the center of the tavern, Layton held a wooden shield, his face set in a grim scowl. The aura around him pulsed with power. "I told you," he said, voice booming over the chaos, "Heroes protect humanity. Not harm it. Do you intend to use the gifts of the Kami to attack your own kind?"

Dus spat, grimacing as he pushed himself to his feet, clutching his chest in pain. Dust clung to his battered frame, making him look more like a ghost than a man. Despite his injuries, the look in his eyes was murderous.

Layton’s strike had knocked the wind out of him, but Dus’s pride was unshaken. He wiped the blood from his lip, gritting his teeth as he straightened. “You want a fight?” he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “Then I’ll give you one!”

In a blink, Dus was back on his feet, the white jade rod in his hand glowing with malevolent energy. He charged at Layton, the rod swinging down toward him with deadly intent.