PRB | Chapter 4

Eddie’s Inn was slowly but surely gaining more customers.

The first three men who tried the Fire Chicken Noodles screamed, “Ahhh!” “My mouth is on fire!” “Milk! Please! I don’t care how much!”

Yet, oddly addicted to the spicy taste, they returned two days later.

“Hey, what was that Fire Chicken Noodles? Give us some more.”

This time, they clearly ordered it.

“Innkeeper, is that thing you gave us yesterday not on the menu?”

“What thing?”

“You know, that mana or banana milk or whatever.”

“Oh, I’ll give you some today too.”

“You’re not selling it?”

“No, it’s not for sale.”

One of the men showed a strong regret for the banana milk. But hearing they’d get it again today, he smacked his lips, clearly fond of it.

The men breathed fire again from the noodles and ended up wrecking the inn’s bathroom.

“It’s weird! It’s painful when eating, but I keep thinking about it at home.”

“I spent the whole night in the bathroom. My wife was furious.”

“But I want to eat it again.”

The men chatted about how strange it was and went home.

Word spread, and more people started coming to try Eddie’s Inn’s new, extremely spicy but savory menu.

Most left breathing fire and groaning, but many were hooked on its mysterious addictiveness.

Fried fish, which paired well with the noodles, also started selling well.

The banana milk given to every customer played a key role. Some people even came just to get it, albeit slowly.

Despite countless requests to sell it, Eddie firmly shook his head.

No way. It’s a bait product.

However, the new menu’s success hit a pause. Not because of a drop in popularity or buzz.

“The hero’s party is finally returning the day after tomorrow.”

Eddie overheard men chatting while slowly eating the spicy noodles, unable to finish them in one go.

“We’ve waited so long.”

“I heard all the flowers in the capital’s shops are sold out. The Emperor said to spare no expense in the parade.”

“They’re even throwing silver coins. Kids are going crazy to grab them.”

“Not just kids, you know?”

Their faces were carefree and happy as they talked about such pleasant topics.

“Oh.”

Eddie realized something from their conversation.

No wonder the number of guests had increased so much.

While regulars hadn’t stopped coming, tourists flocking to the Empire for the hero’s return parade and festival had also increased the inn’s guests.

Naturally, these visitors weren’t interested in the newly famous menu at Eddie’s Inn, so the Fire Chicken Noodles were on a temporary pause.

“Hmm.”

“So all those reservations for tomorrow were because of the parade. I thought they were just trying to avoid burning their bathrooms at home.”

Eddie’s Inn didn’t raise prices during peak seasons, making it a great spot for tourists.

Though the food wasn’t much, Eddie’s Inn was clean, well-located, and reasonably priced for those needing a place to stay.

And the owner of this excellent inn was tapping the table with a somewhat serious face.

“What to do.”

Was he regretting not raising prices? Or was he pondering whether to launch the new menu now that guests had increased? No, it wasn’t that.

He had been so absorbed in business that he momentarily forgot he was in a fantasy novel.

The ending of “The Hero Doesn’t Hide His Power Well” resurfaced in Eddie’s mind.

The parade welcoming the hero’s party, and Ketron, the protagonist, suffering from unhealed wounds and betrayal, watching it all.

Sitting against an inn wall, he closed his eyes in pain. Then, as he opened them, he vowed to destroy everything, and the novel ended with his dark transformation.

Dark transformation.

“Ugh.”

Eddie grimaced at the unsettling thought.

Hero Ketron was a genius. Not just any genius, but an extraordinary one. As the protagonist, he was a cheat character with insane mana affinity, mastering both magic and swordsmanship.

Plus, he was young. Only twenty this year. Aside from being a bit taciturn and blunt, he was described as a handsome man with an aura in the novel.

A black-haired, black-eyed, taciturn sword genius protagonist. What a classic and beautiful setting.

But perhaps because of that setting, Ketron never got involved with any female characters in the story. Eddie, who wasn’t fond of harem stories, found this a good thing, but he did wish for at least one heroine.

The most likely heroine candidate was Saintess Laila, but with the ending as it was, romance was out of the question…

No, that’s not the issue now. The problem was that Ketron was going to turn dark.

Ketron was a righteous protagonist. Unlike the trend of popular anti-hero or morally ambiguous protagonists, “The Hero Doesn’t Hide His Power Well” was a traditional fantasy where Ketron’s sense of justice was the backbone of the story.

Of course, for the sake of plot progression, he sometimes showed a cold and ruthless side… but he was fundamentally righteous.

Yet, Ketron was going to turn dark.

The author, perhaps having some conscience left, hinted that if an event occurred that re-etched Ketron’s existence into the world’s memory, everyone’s memories might return. But the novel ended without confirming whether this was a MacGuffin or true.

Ketron turning dark.

It felt like a daunting combination of words that didn’t fit at all.

If that giant with immense abilities turned dark and sought revenge on his former comrades posing as heroes and the Empire, what would happen?

Eddie, who had started a second life with the goal of living long and prosperously, couldn’t help but worry.

He wanted to stop it. But how? With only a healthy body, an inn, and a convenience store as his reincarnation perks, Eddie had no special abilities.

Even if he exposed the fake hero party’s true identity, who would believe him? Ketron was forgotten, and they had become the continent’s heroes.

He couldn’t even meet Ketron. The novel wasn’t detailed. It didn’t specify how Ketron entered the Empire, where he witnessed the parade, or which inn wall he leaned against.

Even if he met Ketron, what could he say? How suspicious would it be for an ordinary innkeeper to claim he knew the truth when the world had forgotten him?

“Hmm, it’s a mountain over a mountain.”

Eddie scratched his cheek. His endlessly positive nature was a strength, but this was hard to think positively about. It wasn’t a problem that would be solved by optimism.

Just as the inn’s issues were getting on track, a big mountain Eddie had forgotten about reappeared, asking how he could have forgotten it.

He had to do something.

He couldn’t just sit back and watch the protagonist’s dark transformation. Eddie was deep in thought.

The only clue was that Ketron would watch the parade somewhere in the Imperial Capital, so there wasn’t much to go on, but it was all he could do.

As he pondered, two days flew by, proving how short a time it was, and the parade day arrived.

𐙚 𐙚 𐙚

That day, Eddie couldn’t sleep in because it was noisy from the morning.

The streets were bustling from dawn. When Eddie, who had woken up in the middle of the night, pulled back the curtains and looked outside, he saw many people on the streets.

They were securing good spots from early morning, waiting for the parade.

Even though it was quite chilly in the early morning, as it was autumn, nothing could dampen the people’s enthusiasm.

Leaving paths for the parade carriages, everyone held baskets of flowers, their faces looking joyful and happy.

“…”

The person who sacrificed for those happy faces was entering the Empire with wounds and betrayal, watching that scene.

Sighing deeply, Eddie realized he wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore and got up to prepare to go out.

It was his first outing in a while. It was funny to say “in a while” since his few outings only involved briefly looking around the central square where the inn was located.

He still hadn’t adapted to this Empire, or rather this world, so he wasn’t mentally prepared to go out alone.

For Eddie, who lived as if the inn was the whole world, this outing required quite a bit of mental preparation.

He washed his face, tidied his hair, and took out a neat outfit from the closet.

In the mirror stood a man he still couldn’t get used to. Eddie silently brushed his silver hair, finished getting ready, and stepped out of his room.

Ketron was probably already in the Empire.

The problem was that Eddie couldn’t predict when Ketron would turn dark.

The parade would last all morning, but no matter how much Eddie searched his memory, the novel didn’t describe where or when Ketron witnessed the parade.

He didn’t know the location or the time.

In the end, he had no choice but to search as much as possible.

Thanks to all the guests who had filled the inn rushing outside, the inn was emptier than when Eddie first reincarnated.

With the parade in full swing and the chance to see the famous hero party firsthand, who would refuse the chance to witness a historic moment?

With silver coins bestowed by the Emperor being thrown, no one would be eating at the tavern.

“Gerald, I’m going to check out the parade for a bit.”

Eddie, who rarely moved around the inn like a homebody, found the parade a perfect excuse.

Gerald seemed uninterested in the parade and was busy with inn work. He nodded, saying he understood.

What should I say if I find him? But even if there’s no illustration of Ketron, can I even recognize him? How can I gently persuade Ketron not to turn dark?

Thinking such thoughts, Eddie opened the inn door and stepped outside, almost tripping over something.

“Ah!”

Barely avoiding a fall by grabbing the inn door, Eddie frowned.

“Wow, that was close.”

Did someone leave a log here? What’s this in front of my inn…

As Eddie thought that and tried to check the log, he saw something dark in his view.

It didn’t take long to realize it was a cloak someone was wearing.

Next, he saw jet-black hair that seemed to absorb all light. The cloak, matching the black hair, made the person look like a large, dark mass.

They had something large and long wrapped in cloth strapped to their back, too big to be fully covered by the cloak.

Black hair, a black cloak, and a face so beautiful it couldn’t be hidden even with closed eyes. That face was drenched in tears.

Anyone who had read “The Hero Doesn’t Hide His Power Well” would recognize him.

The forgotten, tragic hero Ketron.

It was undoubtedly him.

The novel’s final description flashed in Eddie’s mind.

[Hero Ketron leaned against an inn wall and sank down. He had finally confirmed his former comrades’ betrayal with his own eyes. Tears streamed down, and as he closed his eyes in the agony of betrayal, his black eyes burned with vengeful fire when he opened them again.]

An inn wall. Leaning against an inn wall and sinking down…

Realization hit Eddie, and his mouth dropped open.

…Wait, was that inn our inn?