“I guess you have noticed it too,” the priest continued, “the books here in the Stone Temple still have details about the Golden Hero, though it is very minimal.”
“Yes, your Reverence, these books are the only ones I’ve seen that mention of the Golden Hero at all! And like you just mentioned, some books from the capital even say that Emperor Jonas and the Golden Hero are one and the same!”
“That is because we of the Stone Temple Priests believe that truth should never be clouded by selfish desires.”
“Then, why does the history books here in your library only tell the basic of stories and end with Princess Ann’s engagement? And why is it that I haven’t seen a single one that mentions his name?”
“Because even as High Clerics of the Goddess Caelum, we are still under the Empire’s rule, and writing such histories may cost us our lives,” said the priest with a sad smile.
“But why would Emperor Jonas go to such lengths just to hide the truth?” Simon blurted out. “Does he want all the glory for himself? Or is it true that the Golden Hero made a sin so vile that he was branded as a traitor?”
“Ah... these questions are hard to answer, young prince, and even harder to understand...” the priest slowly shook his head. “You must first realize that politics runs a government, and an emperor should be inferior to none, lest others decide to take his place.”
“What do you mean, your Reverence?” asked Simon.
“It means that going against the Emperor’s orders and making him lose face, is as treacherous as plotting an assassination.”
“But... doesn’t doing so make him like the tyrant they just overthrew?
What happens when you're the sole survivor and eyewitness to the latest conquest of a hero in hiding?
Well, you're forced to act as the new hero, of course!
Simon was ready to die by the hands of the evil behemoth, when the Golden Hero of Legend 'accidentally' saves him instead. Forced to take all the glory for himself, he must travel to the capital to stand by the Emperor's side as the continent's new 'hero'.
Can Simon be strong enough to take on the role?
