This Hero is Sleeping!

A young man with blonde hair sat in the midst of many trees. His eyes turned skyward, his knees against the ground. Though pebbles sunk into his skin, he cared not. Though pain ran through his shin, he cared not.

All that mattered was a connection.

A faith. 

A prayer.

A prayer that he chanted, that he raised, that he called.

"O' Fortuna," he spoke, his head slowly lowering to the ground.

Until he touched the ground.

His heart ached, his mind calmed, every pore in his body was present, was alert, was faithful.

For he prayed.

For he prayed.

And his goddess.

Answered his prayers.

"My child, my apostle, my brave Hyden."

The blonde man, Hyden, shivered at the voice that rang in his head.

The goddess was here.

Amidst the calls of the sparrows, the chirps of the insects the voce of the forest. Words of a goddess rang in his head.

Like a mother caressing her child, the goddess' glow slowly patted the man's head and eased his pains.

She had heard his calls.

She had answered his prayers.

The young man filled with faith, the chosen apostle of Fortuna only listened.

He listened to her commands, her voice, her whispers.

"You still haven't done what was needed."

Tears dripped from Hyden's eyes.

He had failed her.

Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.Failed.

Failed.

Completely failed.

"Time has not gone yet, my child."

Hyden stopped.

His eyes slowly turned upward, veins of red filling every last corner of his sclera.

"Fate can be changed still. Disaster can be culled still. Your blade can be swung still."

It was possible.

"Go forth, my child."

He could still move.

"Remember, that which has been trodden once has not been sealed off yet."

"O' my goddess. I have been blessed. Blessed…"

"Go…"

The goddess' voice faded.

The hand touching his hand disappeared.

But Hyden did not move.

He moved not an inch, not a breath nor a finger.

For even if the goddess faded. His faith didn't.

It was then.

"PUUUUUN!"

A crazy blare rang through the forest and socked him out of his attention and focus. His lips curled into a displaced smile, and the blonde man, Hyden, tightened the wrapped bandage around his arm and stood up.

The sudden sound had broken him out of his reverie, the young man was beyond pissed.

He held his chin up and stood.

A pain spread through his arm going all the way up to his brain, but that was still fine, he could just barely make do enough.

At least for this place.

It was much better than when he had just been poisoned and had to fight a horde of imps. It was all thanks to the young ones that had given him the antidote for the poison before he could croak over. Even if they had joined hands with the imps in beating him down.

As an apostle of a goddess, and not just any but the goddess of fate herself.

He had a duty to repay such kindness from strangers to strangers.

And so, Hyden moved.

Through the many overgrowing bushes and past the many under sweeping trees, he made his way away from the spot he was at before and toward where the echoing sound of a pipe had rung.

As he got closer and closer, the sounds grew louder.

And then there was a merge of growls along with scared squeals ringing into the forest path.

"Marcus! Marcus run!!"

"Tomas! Noooo!"

"PUUUN!!"

"Heh?" Hyden tilted his head. A group of squealing clowns were going off against a single shadow wolf.

The wolf, in all its glory as pretty much one of the worst predators in the forest when alone, had landed a grand score of three torn bits of cloth from all three of them.

"Bagpipe! Protect the bagpipe, it goes for clothes! If… if this damned wolf manages to tear a hole in Bagpipe's bagpipe, then Bagpipe will die!"

"Puuuun!?"

"What are you saying, friend? Of course, we'll risk our life for you. Aren't we all the followers of our great lord Leres?"

"Puuun!"

"What?"

Hyden was stunned.

"No seriously, what?"

He didn't want the narrator to comment on it.

"Please just shut up, what the heck are these clowns doing?"

Scared a slight amount and baffled another slight, Hyden slowly pulled out his sword from its scabbard and lowered its stance. His eyes fell on the wolf.

A blink.

And he could see the trajectory the wolf was to take in dotted lines around.

Slowly, he exhaled a sharp breath.

And dashed ahead!

His sword glowed with a slight blue as he activated his skills.

[Pierce Stab]

Class: Sword Warrior

A simple, precise, abundant skill that made a hole piercing straight into the wolf's stomach and sent it gnarling on the ground.

"W-w-what?!"

The three clowns all turned toward him at once as Hyden flicked his sword and wiped away the blood that had stuck to it. His lips turned into a smile, he looked down at the corpse of the wolf.

And then, another dotted red line filled his sight.

Aiming straight for the bagpipe of the bagpipe guy.

' If… if this damned wolf manages to tear a hole in Bagpipe's bagpipe, then Bagpipe will die!'

Those words echoed in Hyden's ears.

That truly felt like the hottest pile of bull he had ever seen or heard of, but the small chance that it could happen was something he couldn't ignore.

At the same time, he was also curious about finding out if it really would happen.

But.

But this was fine too.

He was certain that things would be better if he just killed the wolf now. The risk was not worth taking and sully his name as the apostle of his goddess.

The wolf tried to jump. It's target the bagpipe hanging from bagpipe's neck.

Hyden stared it down.

He raised his sword up high.

[Splitting Swing]

The sword glowed blue yet again as the skill activate,d With a single slash, the wolf running toward the bagpipe man was cut in half and split apart.

A small magic core fell from between the wolf as its body lay limp on the ground.

"O-oh…"

"You saved… bagpipe…"

"Puuuun!"

Hyden swung his sword and flicked off the blood once more, he just looked at the wolf again in case he would have to be pissed off but nothing seemed to be wrong with death anymore. Death lag was fixed.

He then looked back at the three clowns with a smile. Using superhuman strength and calling up his goddesss, he somehow mannaged to not laugh at them.

Finally, Hyden spoke.

"Don't mind it, I only did what was natural."

"Oh! What a saint"

"He couldn't just kill a wolf though, he's very weak."

"Puuun!"

"Stop it bagpipe, don't call him a two time swinging loser who couldn't even handle an easy wolf even though he used skills! That's rude!"

Hyden understood what the goddess meant when she said his sword could be swung still. He had to get rid of these bastards.

'Phew… calm down, Hyden. They're just like that Imp…'

His mind returned to the Imp he had met and the Imp's two guardians.

'Yeah no, that guy was worse.'

You could bet he was.

"Well, alright, alright."

Hyden breathed rashly and calmed himself down. That was still okay. He could still bear them with no problem.

"What are you guys doing out here if you can't even defeat wolves?

"Haha..," Marcus chuckled.

"Marcus, no," Tomas said and turned back to his savior. "Sir, we're here on a great and n0ble mission that no one else could achieve."

"Great? Noble? What is it?"

"Sir! We are looking! For the one!— Actually, I shouldn't tell you this."

Hyden felt as if they had just smacked a rock on his head. Little bastards were not just rude but also highly annoying.

"Well, whatever. I saved you guys, so help me out a bit."

If he's going to do it then he would better be around asking them a few questions and getting what he needed off of them.

Hyden reached into his pockets and pulled out a small piece of paper. He didn't think words would work with idiots like these so he used some black coal and sketched quick stick figurines of three people in black robes.

"Have you seen people like these?"

"Yup," said Tomas. He seemed a little reasonable to Hyden.

"Great! Where?"

"Right here, on this paper—Ahahahaahahah!"

"Puuun puun puuuuuun."

"HAHAHAHA!"

Hyden almost pulled out his sword again but held it in.

Calm calm. Think of that Imp.

Yes. At least they didn't outright beat him and steal from him.

"Three-robed folks, two looked like men and one child. Have you seen them?"

"Hm I guess I did see two of them inside the forest."

"Oh, we're looking for a child in robes too. Have you seen her?" Marcus suddenly intervened.

"How did she look?"

Marcus, pointing at the drawing in his hands, said. "Like that."

"Oh…"

Hyden removed his sword in the end.