Born From a Forbidden Union, Humanity hates me.

Orion and Noah exited the tavern while feeling relaxed.

Of course, for Orion, it wasn't the same as opening the door to his home and resting with his companions.

Still, it was a wholly unique way to relieve the stress he had accumulated since arriving in this era.

Enjoying a drink with another man was something he had never remotely thought would happen.

That new experience opened his eyes to many things he had missed so far.

While drinking, he even thought of picking up his friends, Florian, Eric, Nylon, and even Elliott, and moving to a bar to enjoy some time talking about random stuff.

This life appeared way more interesting all of a sudden, replacing the blank outlook on life he had until now.

His entire life was a blank slate of revenge, hard work, and blindness. He wasn't living for himself and was always keeping others within arm's reach.

As he reflected on it, he looked at Noah as they walked toward the exit of the village.

"Noah."

"That would be me."

While having a neutral smile on his face, he glanced at Orion over his shoulder.

"What are we going to do now? Are we waiting for the next wave of beasts attacking a village?"

With the same smile on his face, Noah looked forward.

"Usually, you would be right."

His gaze fell upon the figure of a pink-haired beauty standing next to the leftmost wooden railing close to the entrance of the beastman village.

Orion looked forward and noticed that, for once, the love-struck Remnant wasn't looking at the usual target but at him specifically.

"She's also in a good mood, which is very — let me say it again — very rare to see."

'Well, yes. Knowing myself, of course I would be happy. You've helped Noah and protected his life when he needed it the most.'

'There's no surprise there.'

The future Tetra confirmed the reaction of her past self. In a way, she felt incredibly alien to seeing herself in someone else's eyes.

Without saying anything, Orion followed next to Noah until they both arrived in front of the woman.

"Tetra, I suppose you're not here to tell me what my next stop is, right?"

With a faint nod, she turned to him.

"You're right, this is entirely different."

Her smile was still present, but it bloomed even more when she looked at Noah. As usual, he ignored her feelings for a perfectly valid reason.

While it would've been normal for this Tetra to know about Noah's family, unfortunately for both her and Henrietta, they had missed the entire conversation about him coming from another world.

They were too busy making sense of the story Orion told at the time to look into the spying water.

All they speculated about Noah was that he came from somewhere outside Triazils. Until the very end, they were persuaded Noah came from another continent.

Keeping her emotions in check, she inhaled and turned to Orion.

"We, but mainly Henrietta, want to have a discussion with you."

"Sure."

Knowing full well that this was about what he had ordered Henrietta to do earlier, Orion was prepared to explain in detail whatever they would ask.

Seeing that Orion wouldn't refuse her request, she crossed her arms while a gentle breeze traveled through the woman's hair.

"After thinking about your words, we've decided to stop playing hide-and-seek. From your words, Miasma could track us down now that he possesses a part of... my source."

Disgust appeared on her face at the thought of Miasma using her power.

"Wait."

Noah suddenly caught her attention.

"You're not going to hide anymore? Isn't that dangerous for both of you?"

Tetra nodded, while the one inside Orion spoke at the same time.

"Of course it is."

'Of course it is.'

Again, the two were actually one. Their thoughts were the very same, even though they were separated by lengths of time.

"Then why are you doing this? Isn't it safer to continue like this? I can always defend you before it is too late."

Noah wasn't panicking. He simply tried to understand why both Remnants had suddenly switched to an entirely different approach to how they acted until now.

"We'll answer that when we get there. For now, let's move."

Turning her heels elegantly, Tetra walked outside the gates of the village, leaving both Orion and Noah confused.

'This is an entirely different outcome. It was to be expected.'

Orion internally nodded to her words, only to add another remark.

'If the ending is the same, this small change amounts to nothing.'

The two Heroes looked at each other before nodding, rapidly following behind the Remnant leading the way.

...

"We're going north..."

Orion spoke softly, but loudly enough for others to hear.

"Is that a problem?"

Tetra glanced over her shoulder, looking at Orion, a few steps to her right.

"It's not that I have a problem with it. That place— isn't that where Tiohr-nam is?"

With a simple nod, Tetra answered his question.

"That is precisely where we are going. You probably know it already, but she's a pain."

With a smirk, Orion closed his eyes. He recalled the back and forth he went through with her concerning his safety and the many topics they discussed, which were all very fascinating to him.

"She's a smart and observant Remnant. You probably shouldn't lie to her."

While she was right, there was something Orion wanted to ask this era's Tiohr-nam.

A part of him was apprehensive about seeing another familiar face, while the other was ecstatic to see someone he could recognize, even if she wasn't aware of him yet.

Keeping his inquiry to himself, he followed Tetra as they approached the foot of the Talviera Mountain Range.

"Tiohr! Give me some help!"

Shouting toward the sky, Tetra called the name of the Tree of Life.

A minute or so after she was called, the massive tree, taller than the highest peak on Triazils by at least eight hundred meters, began to shake.

Bird flocks broke free from the branches, and giant shadows were cast on the ground as the dragons flew off the tallest branches.

Around ten dragons flapped their wings without looking down at the three onlookers.

"I have never seen the dragons from this close..."

Noah's interest was firing up, as dragons were the greatest creatures in all tales, often depicted as dangerous beasts.

"They are very kind, if you show respect to them."

With a neutral smile, Orion shared his experiences around the dragons with Noah.

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely."

As the tree awakened slowly, the foliage began to tremble. At the same time, Orion told the story of the 'Dragon's Rampage'.

...

"Human greed is really pitiful."

Noah shook his head, while Tetra winced.

"Sometimes, it's to wonder why we're even fighting to defend them."

But while Orion nodded to her comment, Noah gave a very different opinion.

"I believe humans aren't inherently evil."

"Evil?"

Religion wasn't a concept in Triazils. Compared to the world where Noah came from, the words related to both heaven and hell did not exist.

Looking at Orion, who looked confused, Noah began to elaborate.

"It's fundamentally no different from something being bad, but its impact is stronger."

"You could call it 'malevolent', too."

To a degree, the two understood the meaning.

Continuing, after explaining the meaning of the word, Noah crossed his arms.

"I believe humans aren't evil by nature. They are simply perpetually conflicted."

"As each one is a unique individual, it is obvious that many will think differently from one another. Some are more inclined to resist the urge to do malicious acts, while others will bathe in the feeling of it."

"If everyone was a saint, my work would be meaningless."

Orion understood that Noah was talking about his life outside Triazils, while Tetra thought that he was talking about his duty as a Hero.

"There is no black and white in humanity. But there is one thing you need to understand."

He turned to Orion and stared deeply into his eyes, as if he wanted those words to be forever imprinted in his head.

"There is more positive than there is negative in humanity. Do not let the corruption picture the entire image for you."

This was the reason Orion had followed Noah. To obtain the knowledge to break his misconceptions.

To find a new path for himself and for his friends.

'I will apologize to everyone once I return...'

Feeling intense guilt about how he treated his companions and comrades in the past, Orion felt like slapping himself.

He never tried to help Florian in his endeavor to defend Albriar. Helping him during his campaign to seize the cities of Julian and Leonis would have been within his capabilities, yet he didn't help.

Eric was not freed of his ability that erased his memories upon use. This was something he hadn't even tried to alleviate or remove altogether. This could have even made it easier for him to break the ice with May.

Even after hearing Kamala's past, this meant nothing to Orion at the time. Of course, he never belittled her, but he never took the time to carefully discuss the subject or even support the woman.

After all they went through for him and even greatly contributed to Triazils' safety as a whole during the war, he felt pathetic.

'You weren't wrong to think like that at the time. We also felt the same way. Elliott was the reason for your hatred of humanity, and corruption pushed it ever further, fueling your need for vengeance.'

Inside him, Tetra was unable to contain herself. His emotions were so intense that she needed to support him.

She was the only one capable of doing that in this era where everyone is a stranger.

'But you've forgiven Elliott. As Noah said, corruption turned everyone into malicious individuals, ready to wage wars for very little reason.'

'We need to take this moment out of our current timeline to carefully think about our next steps after returning home.'

Orion closed his eyes.

'Home...'

Imagining his family waiting for him, the fuel to push forward burned brightly in his soul.

When he opened his eyes, he nodded to Noah.

"I will take it to heart and observe humanity with a cleared mind."

Observing the genuine expression on his face, Noah smiled, satisfied.

"Believe in yourself more. You have what it takes to be the light of the people."

These words stuck to Orion like glue.

"The light of the people..."

"It doesn't matter who you consider people. Humans, beastmen— for me, they are all the same. I protect both because I wish for them to attain peace."

With a determined look, Noah looked upward at three thick vines slowly dropping toward them.

"That's what a Hero is. Someone who protects others without asking anything in return."

With a smile, he grabbed the vine next to him and smiled at Orion.

"Except

respect, of course."

Both Orion and Tetra grabbed their vines before they slowly wrapped around their waists.

"Up we move."

At Tetra's words, the vines pulled them toward the peaks of the mountain range, where Ormrdivin stood in the future.