“Sir Hero! Why didn’t you save my father and mother!?”
“Sir Hero, why did you burn down my house!?”
“Sir Hero, didn’t you say you would save us!?”
“Sir Hero, why did you abandon my hometown!?”
“Sir Hero”
“Sir Hero”
“Brave Hero”
“Hero…”
“Sir Hero”
“If you’re the hero then–” “You said you’d save us…” “Why…” “Why…” “Even though you’re a hero…” “Don’t abandon us…” “Stop it…” “Don’t take my daughter away…” “Please save my son…” “No…” “Forgive me…” “Save me…” “Save me…” “Save me…” “Save me…” “If you’re really the hero…” “You’re the hero right…?” “If you’re the hero then–” “If you’re truly a hero then–“
[Liar]
“Kh…!”
Jolting awake in the rattling carriage, I recall that I’m inside a horse cart. The cold sweat won’t stop and my heart is pounding intensely.
I cover my face with my palms to calm down.
…A dream, huh.
“What’s the matter?”
Mary, also riding in the carriage, looks up from the gemstone in her hand and tilts her head quizzically.
“Ah, nothing. Just woke up from the carriage shaking.”
“Indeed, the quality of this carriage is atrocious. It’s unfit for a noblewoman like myself to ride in.”
“Heh, easy for you nobles to say that.”
“Quiet, barbarian!”
“The hell’d ya say!?”
Mary and Gladius start squabbling.
This was another usual occurrence.
It didn’t happen when Yuu and Mei were around. But with them gone, it seems their dissatisfaction gets directed at each other.
Usually I’d intervene but that nightmare sapped away all my energy.
“Hmph, ignoring that barbarian. Sir Foil, you really must regain your bearings soon. You’ve gone quite lax lately. Even got some harsh criticism from others after that last battle.”
“That’s… I apologize. I’ve been a bit tired lately.”
“Well, it’s true that there have been a lot of monster attacks. We’ve been quite mobilized too. Oh, I hate it. I can’t spend much time on skincare.”
“Damn it, those guys from the Demon Lord’s army, getting all cocky. And those damn grain crushers too. They don’t fight themselves, just keep asking for help.”
“Regarding that matter, I’ve already executed two or three as a lesson in disrespect. Commoners should exist only for the sake of us nobles. Honestly, I’m not happy about taking on this task…”
“It can’t be helped. Even the knight order that faced them couldn’t win.”
The village we’re headed towards got attacked by a magical beast.
Normally the hero wouldn’t mobilize against magical beasts. But this particular one is so powerful, annihilating several villages already. Thus the country we’re visiting directly requested my aid.
Demon, as the name suggests, is a general term for creatures created by the demon king.
Magical beasts are sentient creatures possessing magic power like humans, unlike demons artificially created by the Demon Lord. They do not intrinsically generate harmful, blight-inducing miasma.
However, whether it’s demons or magical beasts, if they are harming humans who plead for rescue, then I shall come to their aid and defeat them.
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My headache pounds as I pray for the village’s safety.
“What the, isn’t this!?”
“No way…could it be!?”
“The hell is going on!?”
But our assumption was wrong.
Waiting there wasn’t a beast, but three demons exuding tremendous presence.
One had pure white fur, beastly tail crackling with electricity all over.
One had an androgynous icy blue body shrouded loosely in black robes, standing atop a flower of ice.
One wore an overcoat over a mightily honed, massive body, horns rising tall enough to pierce the heavens.
“Torden Loyd of [Lightning].”
“Suuey Cancenko of [Ice Fog].”
“…Beshtor Leven of [The Mighty]. We eight Warmongers–“
–have come under orders from the Demon Lord, to annihilate you.
“Nggh…
Guuh…!”
Unable to fully avoid the swing of Beshtor Leven’s bulging arms, I block it from the side with the holy sword. Still the momentum sends me tumbling several times unable to withstand it.
What fearsome might behind that blow…! I would have had my arms smashed had I not backstepped to match his swing.
“Fiible, frail, weak. To think this era’s [Hero] would be this pathetic. See here. Your companions too lie on death’s door. There is no chance of victory.”
Standing firmly upon the earth unlike me crawling in the dirt desperately, the Beshtor Leven’s speech echoes a vicious demon.
I glance at the other two.
“Gaaahhh!? My arm…!?”
“Hahaha! What’s wrong!? Where’s that bravado from earlier!? It can’t be helped if you lost an arm! You’re just too damn slow compared to me!”
“Lies, lies!? Why does my flame lose against such frigid ice!? Impossible! This is in no way elegant nor beautiful! Unacceptable!”
“How dull. You were quite confident in your 7magic, yet unable to surpass my ice. Disappointing.”
Gladius lost to Torden Loyd’s [Lightning Slash Sword] in close combat, getting one arm sliced off.
Mary’s specialty fire magic is entirely blocked by Suuey’s ice, aptly living up to her title. The flames are losing despite having the elemental advantage. Their agonized screams are definitely audible here too.
Clash of swords, flame versus ice. Two areas we should excel in, yet we are losing. Their levels are just too different.
“And what of that dull swordwork of yours? Are you truly the [Hero]? …To think, [Gale] lost against the likes of you. Drab, just drab. Frail.”
Beshtor Leven, Sighing in visible disappointment,
Indeed. From his perspective, my movements probably seem almost non-existent.
But damn it, I’m at my limit too…! My body won’t move as I want, I can’t use my skills, and the holy sword feels heavy. On top of that, either due to the constant nightmares or something else, my stamina isn’t recovering properly.
I want to voice a complaint or two, but even if I do, it’ll just be the howl of a beaten dog.
“It’s no longer interesting. There’s no more value in fighting. Disappear, fool!”
Beschreben raises his enlarged fist, heavier and faster than before.
Due to the damage from earlier, I won’t be able to dodge in time.
I’m going to die.
“No, not yet!”
–I refuse to fall here!
Not until I entrust the holy sword to Yuu!
Victory doesn’t matter. Injuries don’t matter. Even scraping by indignantly is fine.
Holy Sword Arianrhod.
I know I lack the qualities of a [Hero].
But still, cut through this crisis with one slash like back then…!
I run, swinging the sword at my opponent. The genuinely life-risking blow, faster than Beshtor Leven’s fist, splendidly gashes his cheek.
“Hmm…So this is blood?”
Beshtor Leven touches the blue blood flowing from his cheek, seemingly astonished.
In exchange however, the fatigue crashing upon me this time is unlike ever before.
“Haah…Haah…! Guhah, cough cough…!”
“You can no longer even swing your holy sword. Was that your final struggle burning through the last of your life? If so, impressive. It has been long since I was wounded.”
“Heh…happy to have cough impressed you…”
“I initially labeled you fragile. Let me revise. You possess powerful will. The will of the mighty. Thus to show respect, I shall exert myself fully to end you.”
Beshtor Leven unleashes such tremendous fighting spirit I feel a cold chill down my spine as my instincts blare danger.
To think he wasn’t even serious yet…what a monster indeed…!
“Block this strike of mine! ‘Tyrant Crusher Fist – Pulverizing Dust’!”
Far stronger than anything until now. The fist disrupting wind and shattering earth itself.
Getting hit would definitely mean certain demise.
I sprint towards it staking my all. To Beshtor Leven I likely appear pitifully slow.
He probably assumes I plan to block his attack. Too bad, that’d be a mistake huh.
Charging ahead, I abruptly duck down dodging with all my power!
Beshtor Leven’s fist impacts my previous position
with earth-rending, mountain-piercing, cloud-splitting force.
The vibrations ringing to my very core. Any slower and I’d have been blown away without a trace.
“Heh…Gotcha…”
“You…How dare you make a fool of me!”
“No way…I ain’t got enough left…to be picking fights…”
That’s the truth. Our battle showed me. He has a warrior’s discipline. I wanted to match him earnestly.
“But sorry…I can’t fall here yet…!”
That’s right. My defeat won’t be by Beshtor Leven’s hand. It will be Yuu.
“What nonsense…”
“Beshtor Leven! You’re strong. Therefore I’ll make use of that strength!”
“What ar–Hmm!?”
A loud rumbling grows louder and louder. Beshtor Leven’s eyes shoot wide in shock.
What he saw was an avalanche of earth and stone burying him.
“You guys win this fight! But I’m claiming victory in my own battle!”
That was my aim. To trigger a landslide.
The terrain here is quite fragile. So I deliberately kept provoking and attacking to make him unleash his strongest move. Because Beshtor Leven had that kind of power. Consequently, his ultimate blow causes the mountain to collapse and the earth itself to crumble.
Their victory condition was my death. My victory condition was escaping this spot alive. That was the difference.
“Gladius! Mary! We’re retreating!”
I scatter the smoke bombs I had hidden, rapidly shrouding the vicinity in white fumes before immediately fleeing the area.
An enormous landslide crashes down upon our previous position–
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