SSS-Knight in a Hero World-Chapter 103: They will be remembered
"Sit," the cold being ordered.
Ferris stared at her for a moment and complied. After that, he saw the strange being leave the room silently.
Before he could turn his head, Prodigy Prince's voice interrupted him, using a hidden sound system in the room.
Not face to face?
"I'm sorry for being unprepared, I just woke up too."
What is this... some voice call? Ferris questioned the hero, but if they didn't prefer to talk face to face due to their untidy appearance, then he'd let it go.
But the problem was, he too had just woken up, so it was rather unfair, but... 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
"That's fine," Ferris responded. He didn't want to bring up the little things.
"I'm also sorry for Magpie's behavior... she just started living around a week ago."
Obviously, people don't grow into an adult in the span of a week.
A zombie? Ferris was clearly disturbed, and Prodigy Prince noticed his change of expression.
Using essence magic to revive the dead was known for the followers of the Serpent, given that they had a numbers disadvantage.
"She's an android!"
Ferris nodded. ...That explains it. Golems... Technology here is quite advanced after all.
If it wasn't for my keen essence detection, this Magpie would easily pass as a human being.
He paused for a moment. He knew the android's name now, but he didn't know what Prodigy Prince's name was.
At least, in a formal way of asking for it. Ferris already knew her name just by hearing it from Magpie a few minutes ago.
Prin Anvil.
But he wondered why Magpie added a "Dame" to her name on her first attempt.
Male knights were addressed with a Sir, and female knights were addressed with a Dame.
Prodigy prince's a she? Ferris wondered, but he didn't dare to think about it unless he had real facts.
For now he thought of something else.
Prin definitely knows something about that cursed suit they gave me, but it's not the time to bring it up yet.
"I see... but may I have your name? It isn't listed in the official Hero Association database," he asked.
The speakers went silent, as if Prodigy Prince was a little hesitant, but Ferris knew they had no choice but to answer sooner or later.
"Prin Anvil."
"So, Prin Anvil... how long have I been asleep?" he asked.
"Two days."
Ferris widened his eyes, immediately pushing his back onto the sofa to think things over.
I guess I really pushed myself this time, huh? Ferris thought, remembering the many times he had experienced a similar situation in his old life.
Of course, he wouldn't just stop at thanking Magpie.
He had to thank the real benefactor here, who tirelessly watched over him for the past two days.
Ferris stood up and bowed even deeper, despite Prodigy Prince not physically being in the room with him.
"Ah, no need! You should be thanking Magpie instead," the hero defended the android with a sincere tone.
"I couldn't remotely pilot my mechs inside the city since the barrier's effects still lingered, so I had Magpie pilot one of them instead. She was the one who carried your body and flew you back here."
Hmm, never had I gained respect for an inanimate object before.
...No, Magpie should be considered a she, he corrected himself out of respect.
The hero sighed over the speakers.
"I haven't seen a body so injured before, but what surprised me was your rapid recovery. You should be in bed for at least a week, in my opinion."
Ferris crossed his arms and was about to reply, but before he could do so, there was a piercing scent of food that snatched away his thoughts.
"This is your food." Magpie arrived without warning and planted down a brown bag that carried the logo of a cheap restaurant he was familiar with.
When he came to this world for the first time, he was rather broke and couldn't afford even fast-food quality meals for a month straight, so he had to resort to illegally shelved expired food packs that had large discounts.
Seeing such a bag, one he had craved many times before, was tantalizing his appetite.
"Magpie! That's mine—...you're supposed to give him the nutrient packs instead."
Ferris gulped his saliva. Nutrient packs? To hell with it, it doesn't even sound appetizing!
He knew very well that Prodigy Prince wanted information about his old world. All of this small talk he had with the hero up until now were merely steps to get used to each other.
They wanted information, and Ferris would gladly give it to them, at a fair price.
Magpie blinked at the brown bag. "Yes, Dame Prin—
"No need, thank you for the meal," Ferris cut in without hesitation and grabbed the brown bag.
"...If that's what you want," Prin surrendered her possession without resistance. "I'll go do something else. You can just ask Magpie if you have any questions."
A short recess then.
Ferris swallowed his saliva once more as he controlled his body and mind not to pounce on the meal.
He carefully opened it and began savoring everything.
The delight clouded his senses. Only when he was down to his last piece of chicken nugget did he notice that Magpie had been intently staring at him the whole time.
Maybe she wants some? Ferris thought.
But in the end, he only thought about it.
Chew.
Damn... I can eat more. Should I ask Prin for extra?
No, shamelessness has its limits.
"I have an inquiry."
"!!!" Ferris was shocked again by her suddenness. "...What is it?"
Magpie blinked and began speaking in a tone that held a hint of curiosity. "Given your muscular body, the consumption of high-calorie food appears counterproductive."
Ferris was caught off guard, but he answered honestly. "...I just wanted to eat something delicious?"
"So people eat delicious food even if it will have a negative effect on their body?"
Ferris shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. He didn't know what or how to even respond to that. Born a week ago...
Magpie blinked eerily.
She's waiting for an answer... Ferris thought, but he wanted to change the topic instead. "How about telling me where you come from?"
"I activated 6 days, 7 hours, 34 minutes, and 5 seconds ago inside the storage unit."
...Wow. Ferris could only stare at her and let her finish.
"Dame Prin found me 3 minutes and 29 seconds after my activation. According to her, I made a mess out of her basement."
Who keeps something like her in a mere storage unit? Ferris wondered, but he knew that topic should be discussed with Prin instead of her.
"That's... interesting," Ferris answered and went silent. After the silence dragged on for too long, he decided to ask an important question. "Why do you call Prin Anvil 'Dame Prin'?"
Magpie stared at Ferris in thought. It became clear that his question was rather difficult for her, but she answered. "She said it made her happy."
A simple and straightforward answer. Ferris had been worried that after citing the exact time she had awakened, Magpie would give a lengthy explanation.
She. Ferris nodded.
I wanted to hear some more, though, Ferris thought, but he planned on stopping their small talk right then and there.
"Anyways, may I watch the news?" he requested.
Magpie averted her gaze to the blank wall and somehow activated it without any visible commands.
The wall had a built-in TV. Ferris wondered how much that would've cost.
Aside from the price of the TV, he began watching the trending news.
To his unsurprise, it was related to the hero examination incident.
It had been two days since it ended, after all. It was still fresh and hot. But considering the Hero Association's situation, they might've held back on releasing the news and instead focused on investigating the incident before declaring anything. So for the public, the two-day-old news for Ferris was news today.
He watched as two anchors threw questions at each other and the viewers, referencing tragedies and victories, all the while showcasing images of hundreds of groups of heroes and civilians posing for photos, smiling and waving.
There were even some videos of villains being lined up in cuffs.
Their PR teams are definitely working over the clock... he noted.
After a few minutes, the image of Elizabeth came up.
"A new A-Rank hero makes her debut. Queen Elizabeth, daughter of the Elizabeth Foundation, has officially entered the Hero Association, quickly earning the nickname the Hero of City 23. During her debut operation, her intelligence and leadership were credited with saving the lives of thousands of civilians..."
Huh...
Ferris opened his mouth in a daze as he raised a finger to point at himself.
. . .
No, she deserves those titles anyway.
After a quick delve into Elizabeth's surface background and deeds during the crisis, the examination incident section of the daily news finally ended, and there was nothing more important to see.
However, there was something important going on inside Ferris' mind.
"Miss Magpie, would you turn the TV off for me?"
In an instant, the wall returned to its black state.
Meanwhile, Ferris stood up with a concerned expression.
Not once did they mention the presence of civilians inside the city before the crisis even happened.
From watching the entire thing, he noticed that they only labeled City 23 as a home base infested with evil villains and nothing more.
What about the people who were kidnapped there years ago?
What about the people who were abandoned in the city decades ago?
Don't they deserve at least a minute of discussion?
"Zaku..." Ferris muttered.
He knew their story and their mysterious silence across the internet.
A dark thought surfaced inside him.
The hero association wanted to digitally silence them in the city, and now that they had officially gained public access to the city, what then?
Ferris looked at Magpie. "I need to talk to your Dame"
