Son of the Hero King-Chapter 396: CH362:MY STORY (2)
When Sol finally walked out of the tower of Babel, he could faintly feel like a huge and oppressing weight had been lifted from his shoulder.
Right here, with no one in sight but Isis and Sheherazade, he did not have to keep his pretense of strength or maturity.
Out of all his women, Isis was perhaps the only one to whom he could show his more childish side.
“So, where should we go?”
The tower of Babel was at the very center of Lustburg's Capital. But there was not much in sight yet.
“The Black Knight covers the tower's entire perimeters. They are our elite trope.”
He pointed toward the distances, where shadows could be seen walking as they took guard.
“Elite…?”
Isis’s eyebrow rose slightly as she gazed at those soldiers.
She could indeed see the discipline and the fervent expression on their faces. But, elite? Really?
She could feel t
Sol understood her disbelief as he laughed, “Don’t use the standard of the Astral realm to judge. In the mortal realm being a Duke automatically put you in the top 100 or 200 in the world.”
Isis was quite surprised. A single divine beast territory would have more than a hundred Duke in their armies and a few more that were not directly affiliated with them.
In the first place, on the battlefield, Dukes were just captains of small dispatch groups or glorified cannon fodder.
A duke could never change the direction of a battlefield…Well. A ‘normal’ Duke could never do so.
Isis knew enough that people like her or Sol or even those at the level of Nidhogg and Kaiser were more of the exception than the rule.
“So, you still didn’t answer. Where should we go?”
Sol coughed, he couldn’t exactly say that he didn’t know where to go, right? He had only visited the city two times;
It was then, that a maid approached one of the guards. Even though the distance was quite far, it was possible for them to hear what they were saying,
“How are you guys, I am bringing you some food.”
“Ohh. Thanks miss!”
“Haha, do not worry. Today is pretty calm. The ones busy are those out currently to keep everything in check for the festival.”
“Heh, indeed. This a festival made to welcome the coming of the prince in good health.”
“Thanks the goddesses.”
“The south District should be particularly active, right?”
“Indeed. It has always been the one that welcomed tourists the most and it’s the wealthiest. I heard Duchess Milaris even used her own coffer to help in the organization.”
“She is truly a woman favored by the goddesses.”
The men lowered their heads slightly as they gave their prayer of gratitude to the goddesses and the generous Milaris and the maid left quietly.
Once this episode went past, Sheherazade and Isis both looked at Sol with sparkling eyes.
To which he could only laugh awkwardly, “No need to look at me like you want to devour me. We can go take a look.”
“Yeah!”
Sol chuckled as he watched the two girls jump with joy before giving a meaningful look in the direction of the maid that left.
He remembered her as one of the maids who had shared his bed in the past. All the maids who did so were generally Milia's closest confidantes. Girls who passed all her tests and she deemed worth trusting.
Why would such a maid come out at this time?
‘Haha, it seems like I need to give some reward to Milia later.’
“Well, let’s go to the south. I wonder what Milaris prepared.”
—-
The moment they left the zone protected by the Black knight, Sol found himself facing the sculpture of his father holding a sword while riding a dragon, in the central plaza.
He remembered taking a look at this when he went out during his date with Lilith. Though the date had been a failure when all things considered.
At the very least, Sol didn’t consider a date that ended up in a graveyard to be a good date.
“Ohhh! Are they your parents?”
“Yeah. My father is considered to be a hero in this kingdom.”
“Heh, father was right then, most heroes end up dead.”
She said so then her expression changed when she realized what she said, “I-I am sorry! I didn’t mean to insult your parents.”
“Heh, don’t worry. I am not the most respectful son either.”
Sol advanced toward the monument and looked up. It was really a work of art. He wondered if Milaris was the one who did it. This wouldn’t surprise him after all, she had a talent so high in this domain that the goddesses themselves rewarded her and that woman was batshit crazy about his father.
“You know, I never liked my father and never found what was so admirable about him.”
As a reincarnator, Sol had no particular feelings for his parents in this world. This might have changed if they had been alive and raised him. Sadly, this wasn’t the case.
Because of this, all his life he had to live as the Son of the Hero King. Not Sol, the crown Prince.
His worth and his own talents were always overshadowed by his father as everyone always compared him to a dead man and expected him to surpass his father.
It wasn’t easy. The pressure that was on his back when he was young was already insane. Living up to the expectations people had of him seemed like such an impossibility.
So Sol resented Mars. He resented the fact that a stupid naive fool like his father could garner so much love and respect. He resented that he was forced to live to the same standard for no reason.
“I wondered what people would do if I didn’t reach a level similar to him. Would they give up on me? What was my worth? Hah…”
Isis and even Sheherazade calmly listened, “What about now?”
His hazy and lost expression vanished as pride and confidence filled his eyes.
“In the past, while I could say that I was not my father and could refuse being compared, it was mostly out of a feeling of inferiority as I thought there was now I could surpass that monster. But now?
“Hahah, now I can say with absolute confidence and without a shred of doubt. I am me. I am not father and I am not just the Son of the Hero king.”
A boyish smile formed on his face as he pulled Isis by the hand and began to walk away,
“When the last page of my story is written, I will have created my own legacy. One that will surpass everything before me.”
Isis was dazzled by this smile. It was a smile she rarely saw on the face of the ever-polite Sol.
One pulled with pure joy and anticipation for the future.
His future was his own and he would be the author of his story.
He would never let anyone else dictate who or what he should.
At the end of the day, he could not change his ancestry. He would always be the son of the hero king.
But his legacy will overshadow his past.
Of that he was sure.
“Heh, then what will you be called in the future?”
Sol stopped. He still didn’t know what title he should choose for himself.
“Oh! Oh! I know! I know; What about the Supreme King?”
Isis chortled at the funny title Sheherazade gave.
“Not good? Then Omega King?”
“Nope.”
“Super King?”
“Never.”
“Harem king?”
“Over my grave.”
“Pfft! Hahaha!”
“Phoenix’s robber?”
“Oh, I might like this one.”
“Hey!?”
Like this, the three of them walked away from the monument. Isis laughed at the stupid nickname, Sheherazade gave and Sol swears to never let Sheherazade have influence high enough to affect his future title.
The future held many secrets and no one knew really how things would end. But at the very least, right here, right now, they were as happy as they could be.
