‘Execution?’

His first impression of ‘Number 4331’ was nothing special.

In fact, based on appearance alone, he seemed not just ordinary but even gentle compared to the other Penal Soldiers Jackson had seen.

…That's why Jackson couldn't help but question the word ‘execution’ that had caught his ear.

After all, even for a Penal Soldier, mentioning ‘execution’ to Hero-class personnel was not something one could take lightly.

But that fleeting thought didn't last long.

“…Uh.”

The Penal Soldier, who had an East Asian appearance, was rubbing his wrists as if they were sore from the cuffs.

He glanced around for a moment before extending his hand to Jackson for a handshake.

“Uh… Nice to meet you. I'm Number 4331, the Penal Soldier.”

What would be a good response?

‘Welcome?’

That wouldn't sound sincere.

‘Nice to meet you?’

While it was true they needed support personnel, he wasn't exactly pleased to see a Penal Soldier dispatched instead of a Hero.

After a moment's thought, Jackson cut to the chase and replaced a greeting with a brief self-introduction.

“…Hero Jackson.”

With a slightly tense expression he couldn't quite shake, Jackson took his hand.

Perhaps because they knew nothing about each other, an awkward silence fell as they held their handshake.

“…Can I ask you a question?”

It was Jackson who broke the silence first.

He'd had a few opportunities to talk with Penal Soldiers before, so he had some idea of how to treat them.

Of course, the slight awkwardness of fighting back-to-back with a convict on the battlefield was unavoidable.

But he knew it was best to resolve this awkwardness beforehand for the sake of close communication on the battlefield, so he spoke up first.

“Ah. Yes, sure.”

The question Jackson chose to break the ice in that awkward silence was, even in his own opinion, quite a clever one.

“…How did you end up as a Penal Soldier?”

“……”

Half of it stemmed from his curiosity sparked by the word ‘execution’, while the other half was a question that could build some rapport to lighten the mood.

“I'm not asking with any special intention, so don't take it too seriously. It's not my first time seeing a Penal Soldier anyway. Well… people make mistakes in life.”

“……”

“…The Order's military law is pretty strict, after all. I've even thought that if I keep living carelessly like this, I might end up in there myself someday.”

Even the added banter seemed perfect at a glance.

“…Well, it's nothing major. But you'll probably feel uncomfortable if you hear it.”

But despite the encouragement, Prisoner Number 4331 maintained a passive stance.

“It's fine! I'd like to think I'm a decent judge of character, and you don't seem like such a bad guy.”

“……”

“We have to fight together anyway, so just think of it as getting acquainted and speak freely. Haha…”

From his attitude, Jackson became convinced that he was, at the very least, a person of decent character who could consider others' perspectives and was capable of a common-sense conversation.

He urged him for an answer as if it were no big deal.

Of course.

Shrug-

“Hero-slaying.”

“Haha…”

…Unlike what he had expected, he would soon come to regret that question.

“…Hic!”

* * *

[Information Summary]

■ Prisoner Number: [#4331]

■ Crime: Hero-Slayer (Attempted)

■ Hero Rank: Hero Candidate

■ Main Weapon: None

■ Main Position: None

■ Special Note: Does not meet the standard criteria for conscription as a Penal Soldier, but was conscripted due to extenuating circumstances, including notarization from the judiciary and a High Priest.

Fwoosh-

“Hooo…”

Having belatedly opened the envelope from The Order and confirmed the crime of ‘Hero-Slayer’ with his own two eyes, Jackson burned it and let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground would collapse.

“…What in the world is this situation.”

Something was wrong.

Jackson thought so.

Unless something was wrong, there was no way the situation could have turned out like this.

“…Why would a Hero-Slayer be conscripted as a Penal Soldier?”

Usually, the crimes of those conscripted as Penal Soldiers were on the lighter side.

Of course, if the crime was light enough to be dismissed as a mere mistake, it wouldn't even warrant punishment, perhaps resulting in a suspended sentence or probation, so it wasn't ‘that’ light.

Still, convicts whose crimes warranted the label ‘felony’ were not conscripted as Penal Soldiers.

This was because the potential risk if things went wrong far outweighed the benefit of using them as Penal Soldiers.

That's why Jackson had asked the question so easily. He had assumed it would be something like ‘theft’ or ‘assault’ at worst.

“…Does that even make sense.”

Moreover, ‘Hero-slaying’ was a crime treated so gravely by The Order that the word ‘felony’ couldn't even begin to describe it.

It went beyond a felony; they were special offenders who had violated the ‘Commandments’, which were tantamount to The Order's very reason for existence and its great principle.

A criminal who had committed a Great Sin.

And yet, such a person had come as a Penal Soldier. From Jackson's perspective, it was enough to make him go crazy.

Of course, it wasn't as if The Order hadn't mentioned it at all. The special note did state that he was a Penal Soldier under exceptional treatment, notarized by The Order's judiciary and a High Priest.

But.

The problem was, ‘that was it’.

It only said that he was ‘different from the others’, with no detailed mention of the reason or process. In the end, the only information Jackson had about Prisoner Number 4331 was the fact that he had once tried to kill a Hero.

The only silver lining, if one could call it that, was the fact that he hadn't actually killed a Hero, but that it had ended in an ‘attempt’.

“…I wonder if I'm going to be the one getting hunted.”

But from the perspective of the only Hero in the 77th Garrison, that was no comfort at all.

Of course.

It was a given while he was having these thoughts, but…

Sending Penal Soldier 4331 back to The Order's headquarters was impossible.

For one, Jackson didn't have the authority to request support or approve the deployment of a Penal Soldier.

And just a moment ago, right before reading the document containing his information, he had received word from Colonel Hank that the movements of the orc troops near the ‘77th Garrison’, which had been quiet for some time, were now looking ominous.

If the battle unfolded in the same way as before, this fight was a guaranteed defeat.

He could only hope that Penal Soldier 4331 had something to him, as the Constellation had boasted.

He prayed that, even if he wasn't helpful in battle, he wouldn't at least try to harm him.

Flap-

“…If it comes to it, I'll just run.”

Lamenting his fate, Jackson grabbed the giant hammer he had placed beside him and left his personal barracks.

Outside, Penal Soldier Number 4331 was standing there blankly, looking exactly as he had when he arrived.

Jackson had definitely told him the location of the armory and to grab anything he needed, but there was no change in his appearance.

“…Don't you have a weapon or anything?”

Jackson, who had been staring at him, asked for confirmation.

To that, Prisoner Number 4331 gave a light nod.

Shrug-

“I'm not the type to use a fixed weapon.”

“……”

It wasn't entirely unfamiliar.

The document had clearly stated ‘None’ in the main weapon section.

However, seeing it on paper was one thing; from Jackson's perspective, it was a difficult answer to comprehend.

A Hero going into battle without a weapon, no matter the circumstances.

Of course, it wasn't as if there weren't Heroes who preferred to engage in combat using their bodies—fists or feet—without any other extensions.

But even in those cases, they usually wore auxiliary equipment like gauntlets.

Jackson, who had never once seen a Hero go into battle bare-handed, couldn't help but feel skeptical at Prisoner Number 4331's words.

“…The battle will start soon. It's a battlefield with a Named Monster, albeit just one, and given the nature of the Orc race, their sheer numbers are overwhelming, so you'd be wise not to take it lightly.”

“……”

“I know.”

“……”

“But I find it more uncomfortable to fight when my body feels heavy.”

When he himself put it like that, it was hard to say anything more.

Jackson, who had been mulling over the inexplicable puzzle with his lips twitching, soon gave up on prying further about the weapon and changed the direction of his questions.

“What about your position? The information I received said 'none', just like with your weapon.”

“Ah.”

After pondering the question for a moment, Prisoner Number 4331 shrugged and replied.

“Same thing. It's not really fixed.”

“……”

“I just adapt to the situation as needed.”

At U-jin's outrageous answer, Jackson couldn't help but scowl.

…A Hero's position was largely divided into four categories.

The ‘Tanker’, who provokes enemies to concentrate their firepower on themselves.

The ‘Sustain Dealer’, who consistently deals damage to the enemy throughout the battle.

The ‘Main Dealer’, who focuses their firepower in a short burst to finish off the enemy.

And the ‘Healer’, who helps allies or hinders enemies through various other combat support skills.

This four-position classification, established quite a long time ago, divided the roles so cleverly and appropriately that it was of great help for Heroes meeting for the first time in today's Anti-Demon Wars to coordinate and assign roles.

Therefore, every Hero would inevitably have one of these four as their main position, depending on their area of specialization.

Of course, there were rare, exceptional cases of those who played a ‘Hybrid’ role spanning two positions.

In fact, Jackson himself belonged to a position group that overlapped somewhat between the roles of a Main Dealer and a Tanker.

But.

Even in such cases, one would usually be based in one role while taking on the other as a ‘Sub’; cases where one could perform both roles as well as a Hero specializing in that field were almost nonexistent.

And yet, as if that weren't enough.

‘He performs all four positions? And adapts them to the situation?’

It was something unheard of, something that couldn't happen in the world of common sense Jackson had lived in.

Utter, ridiculous bullshit.

Jackson's eyes said exactly that.

‘…….’

And perhaps it was because he saw that look in Jackson's eyes.

Pfft-

Prisoner Number 4331 added another word as he turned around.

“You'll probably understand what I mean when you see it for yourself.”

“……”

“Let's go.”

[The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', orders the 77th Garrison to battle stations.]