I Became an Illegal Cheat User

125 – Theme: Roleplay (4)

### Hero Tracking Compass

An item that allows you to know the hero’s location in real time, just as its name suggests.

Following the guidance of an item that was clearly made to say, “Hero party members, go find the hero,” I set out on my journey.

What kind of being is the hero of this world, I wondered.

Would they be a righteous hero like those in fairy tales, unable to stand injustice and eager to meddle in everything?

Or would they be a pragmatic and cold hero from modern novels, calculating and not falling for any tricks?

Or perhaps they would be a corrupt hero, no better than a scoundrel, coveting others’ women or extorting money, just with the title of a hero.

With such speculations, I devised plans.

If the hero chased ideals, I would carry them to the best of my ability.

If the hero pursued profit, I would ensure they suffered minimal losses.

If the hero sought personal gain, at least I would make them act like a decent person.

As I contemplated this, I also imagined what they might look like.

A muscular barbarian-like man or woman.

Someone either short or tall, and perhaps a slender pretty boy or girl.

A golden-haired youth with brown skin and half-closed eyes, among others.

Of course, these images came from novels, games, and comic books.

Anyway.

The hero’s ideals, the hero’s personality, the hero’s appearance.

And the corresponding plans I had devised.

I had thought a lot about the hero in various ways.

But then.

“Wow…”

Everything was wrong.

The image I had envisioned.

The plans I had crafted.

All vanished in the face of an unexpected reality.

‘No…, this can’t be right.’

I frowned at this absurd situation.

To deny reality, I put the compass back in my inventory and took it out again.

But the compass still pointed to a young girl sitting forlornly on the street, crying like an abandoned kitten.

“Ah, damn it.”

A curse slipped out before I even realized it.

But what can I do about it?

‘Is this hidden world really a crazy place?’

Was the Demon King actually the good one?

Is that why he’s trying to destroy the world?

‘No, how can such a young child be a hero?’

Usually, heroes are mostly adults.

Or at least middle or high school students, old enough to think and act independently.

But this…

“I’m so, so sorry! I’ll get out of the way right now!”

…is way too young.

‘Is this really how it’s supposed to be!’

I smacked my forehead in despair at this damn reality.

And when I couldn’t hold back the rising frustration any longer and let out a deep sigh.

“Master.”

Tera quietly called my name.

Turning my head at the call, I saw:

[Master, the child is scared. Please refrain from cursing and manage your expression.]

The system message warned me.

In that moment, I realized, oh no, what I was doing wrong.

‘Ah, you fool.’

I had shown something shameful in front of the child.

Thinking that, I focused on the girl, the hero.

And I stopped her from struggling to pull out the sword that was stuck in the ground for reasons unknown.

“I’m so, so sorry. Hic, I’ll get out of the way right now…, just wait a little…, hic.”

At that, the tears streaming from the hero’s eyes began to fall even faster.

It seemed I had misinterpreted her actions, thinking they meant ‘I’m fine, you don’t have to worry.’

“Master.”

“No… I didn’t mean to make you cry more.”

I wore a bitter expression on my face at Terra’s childish, reproachful tone and waved my hand dismissively.

Then, I hastily knelt down on one knee in front of the hero, wiping away their tears with a handkerchief.

“Kid, if my actions made you anxious, I apologize. I’m sorry.”

“…Hiccup, why are you apologizing, oppa? I’m the one who did wrong……”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“…Why not?”

Well, it’s because you really didn’t do anything wrong.

But saying that wouldn’t make them understand or believe me, so I decided to change the subject.

“Hey, kid. How old are you?”

“Me… I’m 7 years old…”

Ha, crazy.

I thought they looked young because of their appearance.

But they were really young, not just in appearance.

“…So, kid, why are you here?”

“Hee… I, I went to pick flowers… and Uncle Mabu said… Merchant Uncle said it was okay to go pick flowers, so I left my luggage with him… and when I came back, it was gone.”

They were talking in a very sorrowful tone, and their words were all jumbled up.

But I understood what they meant.

They went to pick flowers.

= They went to the restroom.

Merchant Uncle said he would watch their luggage.

= He stole their luggage.

They picked flowers and came back, but it was gone.

= They went to the restroom and came back, but their luggage was left on the street.

In other words, the hero was swindled by the wicked Mabu and Merchant.

‘I’ll go to the capital and find those kids who bullied the hero first.’

The merchant who stole the hero’s luggage, and Mabu who left them on the street.

No matter what happened, I wouldn’t let it slide.

I would not only retrieve the hero’s luggage but also take every last coin they had.

I made that vow to myself, and with a gentle pat, I comforted the crying hero’s head.

And I looked up at the clear, cloudless sky, muttering to myself.

“Really, what a damned world….”

Thud.

[Master, please refrain from cursing.]

Tera, standing beside me, nudged my foot with hers.

At the same time, she sent a message urging me to watch my language.

I let out a chuckle, an awkward smile escaping as I lowered my head.

Then, I gently patted the hero’s head and said, “Anyway, you did nothing wrong. If anyone’s at fault, it’s that damned… no, those bad uncles and the god who left you like this.”

“…Hik, G-god? No…, the god did nothing wrong.”

“No, they definitely did. Much worse than those bad uncles.”

Among the countless people in this world, it was a mistake to designate a young child like you as a hero.

It was a grave mistake to lead you, someone who should only see bright things and experience joyful events, down a thorny path filled with trials.

“…I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”

The hero looked at me with a face that showed complete confusion.

Her transparent eyes sparkled with tears.

Seeing that innocent expression made my heart ache.

“…You don’t need to strain yourself to understand. Just know that the god stole away the precious time that belonged to you.”

If the rules of this world had any semblance of thought.

If you had any common sense, regardless of whatever special powers you possessed.

You would never have become a hero.

You wouldn’t have been wielding a sword meant for an adult man with hands that should be reading fairy tales.

You wouldn’t have to wear cold, hard metal armor on a body that deserves soft, pretty clothes.

You wouldn’t have to walk a harsh path with small feet for the mission of eliminating the great evil known as the Demon King.

And you wouldn’t be abandoned like this on the roadside.

None of it would have happened.

“Do you understand? You did nothing wrong. And you won’t in the future either. So don’t be too disheartened.”

“…….”

The hero met my gaze with watery eyes, as if contemplating the meaning of my words.

In that brief moment of eye contact, she stopped crying and used her tiny hands to wipe away the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She rubbed her soft cheeks to erase the tear stains.

Then, she cutely clenched her fist and spoke with a brightness that contrasted sharply with her earlier gloom.

“I will… I still don’t understand why you hate the gods, but as you said, I won’t cry… I won’t think that I’m in the wrong.”

“That’s enough.”

Finally, she seems like a child. I can feel the cheerful energy that a child should have.

I smiled softly and gently patted the hero’s head.

At my touch, the hero let out a cute giggle.

‘So cute.’

A warm smile spread across my face.

It feels like her bright laughter is brightening me up too.

Just as I was thinking this, I sensed a piercing gaze from the side.

When I turned my head, I saw Terra staring at me intently.

For some reason, that gaze sent shivers down my spine, and I slightly recoiled, asking,

“…Why? Why are you looking at me like that?”

In response to my question, Terra glanced at the hero and said,

“Certainly, a child’s smile has a bright energy that makes those who see it feel positive.”

“Um… right?”

As I agreed, Terra’s gaze shifted back to me.

A meaningful smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

“That’s why people want to have children, I suppose.”

“……”

Terra’s hands, which had been neatly gathered, slowly moved toward her lower abdomen.

I was taken aback and turned my head away in shock.

Not understanding what Terra meant, I looked at the hero, who was tilting her head in confusion.

But the hero was looking at Terra, not me.

“Sister, what does that mean?”

“Well, that is…”

“Terra, you’re not trying to say something unnecessary to the kid, right? And, little one…”

“I’m not little! I’m Aster.”

“Aster? Oh, your name?”

“Yes, my name is Aster.”

Ah, now that I think about it, we hadn’t introduced ourselves until now.

“Aster, that’s a nice name.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Aster beamed a bright smile.

Her smile was as bright as a dandelion in the clear sunlight, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Okay, Aster…, my name is….”

“Please call me As.”

She wants me to use a nickname? Then I should oblige.

“Sure, As, my name is Lee Yoo-jin. The sister beside me is Terra.”

At my introduction, the brave one, Aster’s vibrant green eyes turned toward Terra.

Then, Terra, who had been stroking her lower abdomen, grabbed the edges of her skirt. She lifted it slightly, showing a different refined demeanor than just a moment ago.

“Nice to meet you, As. I am Terra, the faithful maid of my master.”

“Yes! Nice to meet you, sister!”

In response to Terra’s greeting, As shouted energetically and bowed her waist.

Seeing that, Terra smiled as if finding it cute.

Then, she subtly shifted her gaze and began to stare at me intently once again.

But this time, I ignored her piercing gaze.

I wouldn’t turn away to avoid Terra’s trick.

[You’re really cute.]

Just then, as if asking for attention, a message from Terra appeared in my view.

‘Yeah, I agree. But today, I’m not going to fall for your tricks anymore.’

As I thought this, the message appeared again.

[Once again, you’re really cute.]

‘…….’

…That’s directed at As, right?

However, this time the message didn’t appear. For a moment, I almost turned my head back to Terra.

‘…Ah, I see. You did that on purpose, didn’t you?’

Realizing that the repeated messages were Terra’s ploy, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

As if my thoughts were correct, this time I heard a voice in my ear instead of a message.

“Master, you’re really cute.”

Yeah, I’m not fooled.

I have no intention of turning my head.

“…I guess that’s why those women want you, Master.”

“What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing.”

What was that?

I feel like she just said something.

I asked again what she meant by ‘…I guess’, but Terra wouldn’t tell me, as if it were a secret.

She’s really clever.

Trying to make me curious so I would look at her.

But since I had already figured out her tricks, I didn’t fall for it easily.

Terra must have been surprised by my judgment.

She might be thinking right now, ‘You’re a tougher opponent than I expected.’

[You’re a tougher opponent than I expected.]

Look at that.

Just as I thought, Terra sent me a message.

I nodded with satisfaction at the message that appeared in my view.

Then, I patted As’s head, who was smiling brightly as if to say, ‘I don’t know what the situation is, but the atmosphere is nice, so I’m happy too.’

“As, it’s about time we should set off on our journey. Should I pull that sword?”

“Yeah!”

As replied energetically and reached out for the sword. No, she was about to reach for it, but she couldn’t grab it because I stopped her.

“No, I’ll pull it out. Just relax, As.”

I don’t really know why the sword is stuck in the ground, but there’s no way I’m letting As struggle to pull it out.

And that will remain the same moving forward.

As a party member of the hero, I will do my best to help the little one. I will faithfully fulfill my role as her protector.

So from now on, there will be no hard tasks for As.

Also, any experiences that a child shouldn’t have will be handled by me or the main characters of the hero’s party.

“Don’t worry, As. Unless it’s a moment when the hero’s power is needed, you won’t have to step in at all.”

Still, just in case, I should give her some elixir.

It’s better to be strong than weak.

As I laid out my plans, I reached for the worn hilt of the sword.

And the moment I grasped it—

Crackle!

A powerful current surged from the sword.

At the same time, a sharp female voice echoed in my mind.

– You! Do you dare to interfere with the Hero’s trial?

“…….”

– Release me at once. And tell the Hero to draw me himself. Then, I, the Holy Sword Sacred, will graciously forgive your rudeness.

“……Ha.”

Look at this?