[Your fighting was admirable. If not for Ares, you might have been the hero.]
Belzera praised Leonard, who had managed to wound him.
“That’s nice to hear. After all, I’ve only ever been called good-for-nothing by humans.”
Leonard mocked himself.
[That’s why humans are foolish.]
Belzera’s great sword swings down mercilessly.
(Luke. As I thought, I wasn’t good enough…)
Leonard quietly gazed at the approaching death.
There was no regret. He felt he had done his best, and this time, he didn’t run away.
However—
With a high-pitched clang, someone stepped in front of Leonard and blocked the attack with a shield. A young man with chestnut-colored hair, wielding a shield and sword.
Though unfamiliar, Leonard felt a sense of déjà vu looking at his back.
The young man’s feet sank into the ground from Belzera’s powerful strike. Yet his body didn’t waver, a testament to his accumulated training.
[…Who are you?]
Belzera asked suspiciously.
“Ares. The Hero.”
The young man responded with a straightforward, gallant voice.
(So this guy is the Hero…)
For some reason, Leonard found himself easily accepting Ares.
He had always thought Luke was the only Hero for him, and he couldn’t possibly acknowledge anyone else as one.
[Ares? You should be in Arkand right now…]
Belzera was surprised by Ares’ presence here, as he had been receiving regular reports on the Hero’s movements.
“Well, I have some clever and cunning companions who are good at manipulating that kind of information.”
Ares grinned.
[…Very well.]
Belzera withdrew his sword, then unleashed another powerful strike. Ares blocked it again with his shield.
[I hear your strength largely depends on your companions. If so, this is nothing but a prime opportunity to dispose of the Hero.]
Belzera calmly reassessed the situation and pulled back his sword to deliver another attack when suddenly, his face was hit by fire magic.
[What!?]
Ares had cast magic with his left hand, which was holding the shield. He had hidden the motion behind the shield and chanted quietly so his opponent wouldn’t notice.
The magic barely damaged Belzera, but it obstructed his vision. He reflexively stepped back and took a defensive posture to protect his vital points.
Ares aimed for that moment. Instead of targeting Belzera’s head or heart, he slashed at the muscles of his right hand holding the great sword.
[Ugh!?]
Belzera involuntarily dropped his great sword.
Ares swung his sword while maintaining a perfect distance.
It was an annoying sword that steadily whittled down the opponent without taking unnecessary risks.
Neither flashy nor showcasing talent, it was simply plain and unglamorous.
[Are you really the Hero? You dare call yourself the Hero of the people with such a sword?]
Belzera raised his voice in a reproachful tone at Ares, who wielded such an underhanded sword.
Having lost his great sword, Belzera grew sharp claws from both hands to counter-attack, but Ares continued swinging his sword without a word, as if he had anticipated this.
Ares steadily cornered Belzera.
The panicking Belzera tried to chant a spell, but Ares launched a wind blade magic at his mouth, forcibly interrupting the incantation. Nothing was going his way.
[I should be stronger! Why!?]
Belzera howled.
“I feel sorry for you.”
The voice came from behind. Simultaneously, Belzera’s chest was pierced.
Leonard, whose presence Belzera had completely forgotten, had picked up the fallen sword with his left hand, circled behind him, and stabbed.
[Guh!]
As Belzera coughed blood and stopped moving, Ares unhesitatingly beheaded him.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Thank you, Leonard. Thanks to you, we were able to defeat Belzera.”
Ares smiled. Leonard’s arm wound had been somehow stopped from bleeding thanks to Ares’ healing spell.
Leonard stared intently at Ares. He felt like he recognized him from somewhere.
His fighting style, those eyes. They reminded him of a warrior he had admired long ago.
“Are you really Ares? Aren’t you Zack?”
The words slipped out as he pressed on his right arm wound.
Ares’ eyes widened in surprise, but only for a moment before his expression returned to a calm one.
“Zack is my cousin. People often say we look alike. Do you know Zack, Leonard?”
“Cousin? He’s your cousin? …Well, I’ve met Zack. It was over fifteen years ago now. I was in the same party as Zack’s father Luke and mother Lei.”
“I see…”
A hint of melancholy appeared in Ares’ eyes.
If Ares was Zack’s cousin, then Luke and Lei would be his uncle and aunt. Perhaps he had some thoughts about that. Leonard felt like he had asked something he shouldn’t have and changed the subject with another question.
“Um… How did you know we were here?”
Ralph, their ostensible client, was supposed to keep their presence in Garnahazza a secret, and they hadn’t told anyone either.
“The Prophet told me.”
“The Prophet?”
The dubious existence said to discover Heroes. Leonard disliked Prophets. Beings that only give orders to people from the shadows without doing anything themselves.
“They asked me to help Leonard. Said it would lead to saving people.”
“Me?”
Leonard had no idea why the Prophet would instruct Ares to help him.
However, defeating Belzera would lead to saving many people. If they used him for that purpose, it made some sense.
As he was thinking this, Leonard saw the figure of someone in a robe behind Ares.
It was just for a fleeting moment. Leonard thought it might have been his eyes playing tricks on him.
“Hey, Ares. Are you possessed by a ghost or something?”
“No, I don’t think so?”
“I see…”
Their conversation ended there as their companions joined them.
Leonard’s right arm, which had been blown off, was restored by Maria’s magic.
Leonard, who had already given up on his right arm, was amazed by Maria’s power and thanked her, but Nina, also a priestess, started to say,
“Huh? How can a lost arm be restored? That’s beyond the realm of miracles that humans can perform…”
She trailed off when Maria smiled at her and closed her mouth.
After that, it’s said that Nina never approached Maria again.
Moreover, Solon provided Leonard and the others with strategies for the future.
Solon was aware of Ralph’s organization and had been devising a plan to destroy it by utilizing Belzera’s death.
“How do you know so much about what’s going to happen? It’s a bit creepy.”
Sophia was a little put off by the far-sighted suggestions.
Solon looked slightly hurt by her reaction.
Efsei and Leon got excited discussing spear and sword techniques, and eventually started sparring, much to the exasperation of their companions.
“Aren’t you guys going back to town?”
Leonard finally asked Ares.
“I’m the Hero, you know. I have to move on to defeat the Demon Lord. And now that Belzera, who was commanding the Demon Lord’s army, is dead, we might be able to penetrate deeper into the Demon Lord’s territory.”
Ares answered as if it were obvious.
While Belzera was a powerful demon, he was appointed as a commander for his organizational skills rather than his strength. Demons were assigned roles based on their individual talents rather than power alone. There were still many demons more powerful than Belzera.
“Being a Hero sounds like a tough job. Have you accepted such a fate with understanding, Ares?”
Leonard shrugged and made his usual quip.
Leon and the others frowned a bit at those words, but Ares smiled.
“Understanding, huh? I wonder. To be honest, even now I’m not sure if I’m really the Hero. Sometimes I think, ‘Maybe there’s a real, proper Hero somewhere in the world.’ But whether I’m real or fake, I think it’s fine as long as I can defeat the Demon Lord. It’s certainly tough, but I believe that’s my role.”
“Role?”
Leonard felt a bit caught on Ares’ words but quickly moved past it.
“I see. But I’m sure you guys can defeat the Demon Lord. If you can’t, at least you’ll be able to give up without regrets. So… take it easy, okay?”
Saying that, Leonard lightly tapped Ares’ chest.
With Belzera’s defeat, the Demon Lord’s army fell into disarray, allowing the human side to regroup successfully. This had a significant impact on the war and would later be celebrated as the “Miracle of Garnahazza,” praising the Hero and his companions’ achievements.
The ones who propagated the “Miracle of Garnahazza” were Leonard and his group, who concealed their own involvement in the battle. They did this to elevate the Hero’s name and give hope to the people.
Also, following the strategy provided by Solon, Ralph’s organization, which had sided with the demons, was destroyed. Leonard and his companions played a central role in this as well, but it’s said they never wished to kill Ralph and the others.
Because of that volume 1 fan translation in this site will be removed in the near future
otherwise check the internet archive
While waiting for next chapter , I implore you dear readers to read other masterpiece novels that also written by the same author :
- Monster Meat Led Me to the Throne
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
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