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Deon Hart hugged his knees tightly as he stared at the crackling campfire before him. He couldn’t remember how long their army had been on the road but it had been one grueling battle after another. He was so incredibly weary of it all, and so, so, afraid.
It was a miracle he had managed to survive thus far, given how weak and cowardly he was. Their army had lost so, so many people. He had made it this far through many near-death encounters, yet tomorrow would be the biggest hurdle of his life.
War with the demon king.
Deon trembled.
He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to fight.
“Here, drink this.”
His shaky eyes looked up and he saw the friendly smile of the hero, who had a cup of warm tea in hand. Deon accepted the warm beverage with both hands and watched as the hero settled down beside him, sharing the warmth of the fire.
The hero looked at peace with a relaxed expression.
Deon didn’t understand. How could he look like that, when they would most likely die tomorrow?
“Aren’t you afraid, Hero-nim?” Deon asked, dropping his gaze. He stared at the amber-hued tea and felt its warmth seep through his cold fingertips which had been frozen by both the biting cold of autumn and the fear of death.
The hero blinked in surprise at the unexpected question. No one had ever asked him something like that before. They had always praised his courage and strength, pushing him forward in his quest to slay the demon king, but no one had ever stopped to ask if he was hurt or scared.
No one, except Deon Hart.
This was why Deon was a very special existence to the hero.
Kind, timid Deon, his comrade who fought so hard to survive.
“Of course I am, Sir Hart,” The hero admitted with a smile. His green eyes curved at the edges as he smiled, but it was mixed with a sense of sorrow. It was human to be afraid, yet he couldn’t afford to give in to fear. Many lives were depending on him. “The demon king is known to be the strongest in all history and many heroes have fallen before my attempt. But I have to do this, even if I’m afraid. Because I’m the hero.”
And besides, the hero thought as he kept his smile, there was someone much more afraid than he was, and that someone was working hard to survive in this war as well.
Deon Hart.
The hero couldn’t help but pay special attention to Deon, caring for Deon in the ways he could despite the terrible situation they were in. No matter what happened tomorrow, the hero sincerely wished that at least Deon Hart would make it out alive.
“Haven’t you thought of running?” Deon asked in a small voice. He had often thought of running away, even though he knew he couldn’t. If he was the hero, even if he was powerful, the heavy burden of leading the war and the fear of death would’ve made him even more cowardly and miserable than he was now.
And yet, the hero never lost his smile and courage. Why?
“I have,” the hero admitted again to Deon’s surprise. “But there’s something I have to fight for. Aren’t you the same?”
The hero smiled at Deon. Then, his green eyes, bright, brave, and sorrowful, looked up at the full moon above them.
It appeared the hero had a story too, a story Deon didn’t know.
Deon stared, for a moment, at the hero’s countenance. He truly looked and behaved like a hero, even though he was also a human being who felt fear and wanted to run away in the face of a formidable opponent. The hero was an incredible man, a person Deon would never be able to match up to.
“I really respect you,” Deon said. With a small smile, he took a sip of the slightly bitter and astringent tea. It was a tea hero made for him on the nights before a tough battle, one to help him sleep so he had the strength to face the next day. But honestly, he’d rather be drinking something else.
The thought of alcohol improved Deon’s mood. With a grin, he told the hero, “I hope we both make it tomorrow. Let’s share a drink when it all ends. I’ll buy!”
Pain flickered in the hero’s eyes as he heard those words. He had already resolved himself to do what he had to. But the thought of sharing drinks with Deon, like they were close friends, couldn’t easily leave his mind.
If only they had met in different circumstances…
If only they had met earlier…
“Hero-nim? Are you okay?”
The hero closed his eyes and held back his emotions. When he opened his eyes again, he was once again smiling his reassuring smile.
“That sounds nice, Sir Hart.”