I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life… So Why Do Heroes Worship Me?

The sky above the sanctuary was clear, but Rei's heart wasn't.

The map left behind by the ancient crystal fragment had been etched into his mind—four locations, each pulsing with the same strange energy as the sanctuary itself. It wasn't just a coincidence. Whatever lay beneath the sanctuary was connected to those distant ruins. To artifacts older than kingdoms. To a power people had forgotten for good reason.

Which meant someone would try to remember it. Exploit it.

And that someone had already stirred.

"Are we really leaving today?" Ellyn asked, adjusting the strap of her leather satchel as they gathered near the edge of the sanctuary.

"Just to scout," Rei replied calmly. "We're not treasure hunters. We just need to confirm what's out there."

"You say that," Lynna muttered, "but the moment something glows or levitates, Fluff's going to start stuffing it into her bag."

"Am not!" Fluff said indignantly. "Unless it's shiny."

Zephyr grinned. "I call dibs on any cursed swords."

"No one's bringing cursed anything back," Rei said.

"And yet," Ellyn said, tapping her notebook thoughtfully, "you're the one leading the expedition into possibly ancient magic vaults."

Rei sighed. "Why do I feel like I'm the only sane one here?"

"You're not," Lynna said, smiling gently. "You just act like it."

—

The group passed through the sanctuary's boundary—an invisible shimmer that always felt like exhaling after a long breath. Outside, the trees were denser, colder. The warmth of the sanctuary gave way to reality.

And reality had teeth.

"Footprints," Lynna said, crouching and brushing aside leaves. "Multiple. Heavy gear. Recent."

"Scouts?" Zephyr asked.

"No. Mercs. Too organized. And they've passed here more than once."

Rei narrowed his eyes. "Someone's watching the sanctuary."

They continued in silence, but the shift in mood was palpable.

What had once been a fun expedition was now a quiet test. A warning.

—

Miles away, in a makeshift camp draped in crimson banners, a scout scribbled frantically in his journal.

Target has left the sanctuary. Five individuals. Unknown destination.

He looked up nervously as a tall figure in black robes stepped into the tent.

"Status?"

"They've crossed the perimeter, sir. Do we engage?"

The robed man chuckled. "No. We let the beasts sniff the trail. If they find anything worth digging up, then we pounce."

"And if they return empty-handed?"

"Then we bury them with it."

—

Back on the trail, Rei stopped by a cliff's edge overlooking a forgotten valley—one of the four marked locations. From here, you could see the moss-eaten ruins of a temple far below, half-swallowed by vines and earth.

"That's our first site," he said.

"I feel magic," Ellyn whispered.

"I feel death," Lynna added, eyes hardening.

"Same thing," Zephyr muttered. "Usually."

Fluff, meanwhile, was busy trying to figure out how many snacks she could sneak down without alerting Lynna.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Rei muttered.

"You say that like you're not the one who triggered the ancient crystal," Lynna said, nudging his shoulder.

"That wasn't me. That was… fate."

"Or clumsiness."

"Same thing."

—

The descent into the valley was slower than expected.

They had to clear vines, navigate collapsing bridges, and, at one point, bribe a family of territorial badgers with dried fruit. (Fluff handled that negotiation and came out with both a truce and a new rock she swore was lucky.)

Finally, they reached the temple doors. Old stone. Carved with runes no one had read in centuries.

Rei placed a hand against it.

It didn't open.

But something behind it sighed.

"Tell me that was the wind," Zephyr said.

"Probably a sleeping mechanism," Ellyn said, flipping through her notes. "Or a protective enchantment triggered by spiritual pressure."

Rei sighed. "You guys talk too much."

And then he pushed.

The doors creaked open with a groan like the world waking up after a nap it never meant to end.

—

Inside was worse.

The temple's inner chamber was vast, filled with rows of statues—each bearing a weapon, each staring at the newcomers.

The air was thick with pressure.

Lynna stepped beside Rei, eyes sharp. "These statues are golems. Old ones. Meant to guard something."

Zephyr lifted a torch. "So where's the thing they're guarding?"

Ellyn pointed. "That."

At the end of the chamber stood a pedestal, and upon it… a box. Simple. Square. Silent.

Rei stepped forward cautiously. "It's a container. But what's inside?"

Fluff reached for it.

"Don't touch—!"

Too late.

The box clicked.

The air changed.

Statues groaned.

And then the entire temple began to shift as the walls behind them slammed shut and one of the statues moved.

Rei grabbed Fluff and shoved her behind him. "Get ready!"

—

The battle that followed was chaotic.

The golem was slow but nearly indestructible. Magic bounced off it. Steel glanced. Even Zephyr's strongest flame punch only staggered it.

Rei didn't move at first.

He watched.

He calculated.

Then, in one blur of motion, he stepped forward—and shattered the golem's knee with a precise palm strike.

Everyone stared.

Lynna blinked. "Did you just…"

Rei sighed. "It was already weak. Just needed to redirect its momentum."

"Right," Ellyn said. "And I'm secretly a dragon."

The second golem stirred.

Rei's eyes narrowed. "Let's not break the rest of the room."

He raised one hand—and the sanctuary's aura rippled through his fingers.

The golem stopped.

It didn't collapse.

It knelt.

The others froze as well.

The room… recognized him.

Lynna stepped forward slowly. "Rei… you tamed it."

"No," he said quietly. "It already belonged to the sanctuary."

—

When the room finally settled, the box opened on its own.

Inside was a crystal. Just like before. But this one held a swirling fragment of memory—an image burned into light.

Ellyn gasped. "It's a recording. Ancient era. This temple was one of four built to seal something."

"Not guard treasure," Lynna said grimly. "They were trying to keep it hidden."

"Then why show us this?" Rei asked.

Zephyr tilted his head. "Maybe you're not here to claim the treasure…"

"…You're here to stop someone else from opening the rest."

Rei stared at the crystal, watching the image flicker—four lights on a map. One extinguished. Three remained.

And then a fifth lit up.

Unmarked.

Uncontrolled.

Lynna noticed it too. "That's not one of the temples. That's… a person?"

"Or a threat," Rei murmured.

The crystal dimmed.

And far, far away…

A different map lit up in a mercenary's tent. Five lights pulsing.

"The fifth just activated," a woman said.

Their commander grinned. "Then we move now."