Assassinating the Hero - Chapter 3
It was currently nighttime at a small port town.
On the calm surface of the water, the moon was reflected, gently swaying.
Meesh was alone, watching the moon from the window of one of the fishermen’s huts on the beach.
She was still just a child. Her parents had lost their lives from getting attacked by a sea serpent when they were out fishing a few years ago. She had lived alone ever since.
On beautiful moonlit nights, Meesh would watch at the night sky from the window while recalling a memory.
It was about a bedtime story that was always told to her by her parents, the fairy tale called the Hero who came from the sky. It’s about a tale of a hero who descended from the heavens in order to save the town that was under the control of an evil sorcerer.
The main plot of story had remained the same, but her parents would tell the story in a slightly different way every time, so Meesh was never tired of it.
When her parents was attacked by a monster, the “Hero” did not come to save them.
The young Meesh had learned firsthand that fairy tales and reality were different. Now, she doesn’t hold any resentment about it. Over the years, the damage dealt from sea monsters had been increasing, her parents weren’t the only fishermen who fell victims to them.
Meesh blows out her candle, which made the hut envelop in darkness. She crawled into the bed and mumble “good night” to no one in particular.
Even if she mourned and grieved until her tears ran dry, she still had to carry on with life.
The next morning.
The sun shone brightly under the clear sky, its rays reflected off the calm surface of the water. A little further out the sea, there were a number of fishermen floating in their small boats.
Meesh had joined the adults in fishing. Sweat glistening on her tanned skin, as she diligently pulled up the fishing net.
“You alright?”
A fisherman called out from a nearby boat.
“Take it easy.”
Another fisherman said from another boat.
“Yes.”
Meesh responded without stopping her task. The fishermen couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl, who had became completely expressionless compared to her past self.
…Suddenly, a dark shadow streaked across the surface of the sea, causing it to swell like a mountain.
The surrounding boats rocked violently. A huge sea serpent had appeared in front the stunned Meesh. One of the fishermen cried out.
“S-Sea serpent…!”
The monster watched from above at the girl with its huge, indifferent, fish-like eyes. Its thick scales that covered its body glistened in the sunlight.
The girl stood motionless on the boat. Slowly, the sea serpent opened its mouth. In front of the monster that was about to attack her, Meesh felt as if time had moved slowly.
She would suffer the same fate as her parents. What crossed her mind was the fairy tale that her parents would always told her about, the Hero who came from the Sky.
Meesh turned her gaze up. She didn’t looked at the monster, but beyond it. She looked at the clear blue sky… yearning for the “Hero” that will never come.
“Huh?”
Meesh couldn’t help but gape, because she could see it. It was shadow shaped like a person hovering in the midst of the pouring sunlight. It was rapidly descending to the sea. Specifically, near her.
The monster, sensing the flicker of sunlight, looked up as if startled.
“aaaaAAAAA?!”
What fell was a person, screaming.
Then, just like Meesh, the serpent also had its mouth agape from surprise. The person fell on its mouth and was swallowed.
“…”
“…”
Everyone, even the very monster that had swallowed the person, was frozen stiff by the sudden turn of events…. Silence reigned over them. Only the sound of lapping waves against the boats echoed.
Gogogogo… with a gurgling sound, the sea serpent’s body began to shake.
The next moment, the monster’s head exploded into pieces.
Sprinkling minced meat everywhere, the young man with tanned skin and platinum hair, who was naked, leaped out. With his right first thrust straight up into the sky, he poised as if he was about to soar into the heavens. He flew over Meesh’s head, and then plummeted down as if he was being slammed into the surface of the sea.
“Gobogobogobo”
“Ah, he’s drowning!”
“… This is bad!”
Meesh exclaimed, which brought the fishermen back to their senses. They hurriedly jumped into the water to rescue the young man.
After confirming that the young man has been pulled out safely, Meesh slumped down on her small boat. She stared at the floating carcass of the sea serpent, wondering how many days’ worth of food would it provide.