“Once upon a time, the Demon King cast a dark shadow over the land, spreading chaos, despair, and fear for many years. Villages lay in ruins, forests withered away, and rivers ran black with sorrow.”

“To confront and defeat the Demon King, a young warrior called the Hero was summoned from another world. The people cried out for a savior, and their hope rested upon the shoulders of the Hero.”

“The Hero set off on his journey with his sword by his side and shining armor. His adventure took him through magical forests alive with mythical creatures, across vast deserts where time stood still, and up towering mountains where the air was thin and danger lurked around every corner.”

“Along the way, the Hero met companions and formed unbreakable bonds. There was a kind-hearted healer with eyes that sparkled like emeralds, a smart magician who became a Magic Tower Master, and a fierce giant that would always protect his teammates.”

“They faced the deadly traps in ancient tombs, combat terrible monsters in spooky marshes, and navigate mazes that appeared to be designed to trap and confuse them.”

“As they got closer to the center of darkness, the Hero could feel the presence of the Demon King growing stronger. The Hero defeated the Demon King with a roar and a blaze of anger, putting an end to his reign of terror. As the darkness receded, the land was bathed in warm, golden light, and the people cheered.”

“The Hero had fulfilled his duty, and the realm was now fully free from the Demon King's reign.”

The story that Seth told them was a summarised and happier version of The Summoned Hero. The ending was only his imagination.

Orion’s eyes light up in excitement. “That's it? I want to hear more. The Hero is so cool. He fought evil and saved everyone!"

Meanwhile, Celia was also interested. "I like the protagonist's character. Even though he realized defeating the Demon King would be difficult, he resolved to set out and gather allies to help save the world.”

"That's right. I like a brave hero."

"He's someone admirable. If he's real, then I would want to meet him."

‘Yeah, you will meet him soon. But the story isn't as nice as I had told them, and the book had a ‘tragedy’ tag for a reason.’ As they sang praises toward the protagonist, Seth felt skeptical. ‘It was a novel with a 2.4/5 rating on the official website where it was first uploaded. You are telling me that's a good story?’

Berko had been listening to the people talking on the back of the wagon. "It seems like a familiar story that I know."

Seth wasn’t surprised by his comment. Berko wasn't as clueless as the two, who didn't seem to know that he was talking about the famous hero that was recently summoned in the Melianor Kingdom.

‘Berko and Orion weren't part of the characters in The Summoned Hero. Although I don’t know their background stories, I have an intuition that they wouldn’t harm me or Celia. Being vigilant is still important, though.’ Seth calmly thought. "I'm wondering, how long have you been working as a merchant?"

Berko glanced at him before returning his gaze to the road ahead. "I've been traveling these roads for as long as I can remember. It's a way of life that I inherited from my father and from his father before him, who traveled through these areas and transported goods between villages."

‘Inherited business, huh.’ Seth shifted his sitting position. "Is that so? Then do you guys have a business in the black market?"

"What do you mean, meow? We are good, law-abiding citizens. We won't do anything shady, like going to the black market. I don't even know where it is." Orion was angry at Seth’s accusation.

Seth looked at Berko, who only laughed with his back facing towards them. Berko didn't confirm it or deny it.

‘Orion might not know, but it’s impossible for Berko, who had a long lineage of doing business, not to know.’ Seth didn’t press the matter any further.

The black market was a place for high-grade items and illegal ones that couldn't be sold openly in public. Seth wanted to go there once he arrived in the capital safely.

Without warning, the peaceful atmosphere was disturbed as the horse abruptly came to a halt. The horse then spun around and bolted in a frenzy.

"What's going on?"

"What's wrong with the horse, meow?!"

Panic enveloped the carriage, and Berko was in a flurry trying to regain control of the horse. The once-placid trees became a blur as the wind whipped through their hair and the rumbling wagon suddenly overturned.

When her body shot out of the wagon, Celia screamed.

Seth fell from the vehicle and felt something heavy landing on top of him.

"Seth, I'm so sorry!"

"Ugh!"

Celia's palm pressed on his ribs as she got up from him.

Seth sat on the grass, dizzy, and touched the back of his head, which had hit the ground earlier.

"Oh my god! Are you okay? Let me heal you." Celia frantically healed his bleeding head.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Dad!"

Orion jumped off the wagon before it toppled over, so he was relatively safe.

Berko crawled out of the wagon without his hat, showing a balding crown. "Is everyone alright?"

Seth nodded and got up from the floor, offering Celia his hand to help her up.

"Yeah, we are fine here," he said.

"I have fast reflexes, so I jumped immediately when the wagon overturned, meow."

They were all relieved that none of them had suffered any serious injuries.

Seth turned his attention to the horse. ‘The heck? It feels like a bad omen. ’

The horse passed out with foam in its mouth.

"Let me heal it." Celia crouched down and held out her hand on top of the horse.

The horse eventually woke up and thrashed around, almost kicking her in the process. Seth quickly pulled her away from it.

Celia got to her feet, feeling bewildered. "I don't understand. I've already healed it."

Berko clarified, "The horse only behaves in this way when it is terrified of a powerful creature."

‘There’s a high-ranking monster around us?!’ Seth scanned his surroundings, but he didn’t find any danger.

"What should we do?"

"Hm, this doesn't always happen, meow." Orion approached the horse and poked its nose.

"Orion, do you sense anything?" With a sigh, Berko picked up the hat that had dropped to the floor and replaced it atop his head.

Orion scrunched up his nose. "I don't hear or smell any high-ranking monsters nearby. There are only the low-rank ones."

Even if there were only the low-rank ones, Seth wasn't sure if Berko and Orion were capable of fighting them. ‘It’s better we avoid them.’

"We should move and find a safe place first," he suggested.

Berko agreed with him. "There's a village nearby."

Berko used an item that made both the wagon and the horse invisible to hide it. And then they left the place.

Recalling the content of The Summoned Hero, Seth felt a splitting headache coming.

He pulled out the map in the ornate box to confirm his thoughts.

There was a village that was far from Tudela Village and other places with people. The place's name was crossed out on the map by the previous owner, the one who sold the map to Celia and him. On top of it was written the word 'The Cursed Village'.

The kingdom was divided into four regions: the north, east, south, and west. The Cursed Village and Tudela Village were located in the eastern region of the Melianor Kingdom.

"Do you know the place?" Celia was walking next to him as she curiously looked at the map.

Before he could respond, Berko glanced at them as he led the way while carrying Orion on his shoulder. "It seems like you've heard of the village."

"I've never been there before, meow. We always avoid it whenever we can." Orion said as he placed his chin on Berko's shoulder.

"Huh, what's wrong with it?" Celia asked.

"People say that it's under a dark curse that has led to unending famine for years. Crops wither before they can bear fruit, and livestock sicken and perish."

"What kind of curse is it?"

"Well, no one knows for sure. It used to be a nice place like Tudela Village, but it has been reduced to the point where the people are starving and struggling to survive each passing day."

"Huh, did no one do anything? What about the king and the nobles who own the territory?"

"The kingdom has turned a blind eye to their struggles."

"What kind of nobles-!" Celia was about to erupt in anger when Seth held her shoulder to calm her down.

"Celia."

Remembering that Seth was also a noble, Celia became guilty. "Seth, I didn't mean that you were the same as them."

‘No, that's not what I'm worried about.’ Seth smiled in amusement. "Do you know the reason the place was abandoned?"

Celia shook her head. "I don't know…"

"If you want to help them, we have to figure out the curse first."

"You are right. I'm sorry, I was being too hasty."

"Don't apologize. I know you were just worried about them."

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the Cursed Village.

Orion's fur was rising as he hissed, "I feel something off about this place, meow."

Seth looked at the dilapidated homes, where the weary faces of the people peeked out behind cracked doors and tattered curtains.

Two children caught his attention. They stood huddled together near the outskirts of the village. Their clothing was tattered, and their faces were etched with weariness.

He approached the twin, reached into his pouch, and withdrew two small loaves of bread, which had been given to him by Grandma Rosa earlier. The aroma of freshly baked nourishment filled the air, enticing the hungry pair.

"Here."

The girl's eyes widened as she hesitated for a moment. The boy beside her snatched the bread away from Seth’s hand.

"Thank you," she whispered reluctantly. Her voice was fragile, like a delicate whisper in the wind.

The boy looked at him with skepticism while eating the bread. "What do you want from us?"

“Huh?” Seth was a bit surprised. "I just saw that you both seem to be hungry; that's why I gave it to you."

"Bullshit."

‘You are cursing me while hungrily devouring the bread that I gave you.’ Seth thought wryly. "Why else would I give it to you?"

"The noble that gave us food wanted to sell us to a brothel. So if you are thinking of doing something to us-!"

"No, I don't have that kind of intention." Seth quickly interjected.

Both of them were glaring at him.

"I want to ask something instead. If you can answer, I'll give you another piece of bread."

"You have more?"

"Yes, I have lots of it."

The boy was persuaded slightly.

"You'll only ask questions, right?"

"Yep. I can make a pinky promise."

Seth held out his pinky finger. The children looked at him like he was a crazy person. He thought the children would believe it. He felt embarrassed.

Seth coughed in embarrassment. "Have either of you ever heard stories of a dragon?"