Return of the Former Hero

Chapter 187. Former Hero - Knows the Secret

Translator: Raizu

[It was around here.]

After gathering everyone in a hurry after lunch, we came down from the mountain, relying on the momentary light that Laurier saw.

[It should be around that big tree… I think.]

Laurier said that while looking up at the sky. Beyond her line of sight was a tree slightly larger than the other trees.

[OK, let’s check the surrounding areas.]

It matched with the direction so everyone spread around. Of course, they are within the range that can be seen by each other.

[There…]

Within a few minutes after starting to look, Caroin found something and raised her voice.

[A cave.]

What Caroin found was a similar cave that we had always found so far.

The area near the entrance was surrounded by rugged rocks and I couldn’t see any signs of people coming and going.

There is a possibility, I think.

[OK, let’s enter.]

As usual, with the Fireball as the light source, I’m leading the group to enter the cave.

The inside of the cave was quite wide, and since the magical power was still accumulated around, I could only grasp a few meters ahead.

However, at a slightly advanced point in front of us, I feel that something is ahead.

I raised my hand to signal everyone to stop.

There is something in the shadow there.

[Yunikram, are you over there?]

I put my strength into the hand that holds my sword while calling out.

If a monster comes out, I have to kill it.

[That voice… Haruto-sama?]

However, it seems it was an unfounded worry and what came out of the shadows was the Yunikram that we were looking for.

[Yunikram-sama!]

Before I replied, Caroin rushed to see him.

[Caroin, did you come too? I’m sorry, I have caused trouble for you.]

[No, that’s not true… So, what about Leon?]

[He is at the back. Please go see him.]

[Yes.]

Caroin couldn’t wait to listen YYunikram’s words to the end, and she immediately ran to the back.

Well, whatever.

[Yunikram. Are you okay?]

[Aura… Yeah, for the time being, I think.]

Just like what Caroin did, Aura asked Yunikram.

[I’m sorry for Haruto-dono, Sharon-dono, and Laurier-dono. Thank you, everyone.]

[No, it was tough but I’m glad you two were safe.]

Yunikram bowed his head again so I just replied to him.

[For the time being, let’s go to the back everyone.]

Yunikram said that and went to the back of the cave.

I still want to ask what happened but… well, perhaps I should confirm that Leon is safe first?

And then four of us also followed after Yunikram.

We reached the deepest part of the cave as soon as we turned the corner where Yunikram came out a moment ago.

The inside is unexpectedly wider than I had imagined from the outside. Things that look like the roots of trees run endlessly on the wall and it seems that there is enough space to take a rest. It may be possible to hide inside here.

And in the deepest part of such a space, we can see Leon, burnt out against the light of a small lamp, and Caroin sitting next to him.

[Hey, Leon. What happened to you? Did you get hurt?]

[Haruto-san… No, there are no injuries…]

I talked to Leon, but his reply was somewhat I couldn’t feel his usual vitality.

The usual dignified demeanor is missing.

Aura rushed to Leon and asked him, but the situation is the same.

[Can you explain what is happening and why?]

For the time being, I left Leon to Caroin, and talked to Unicram, who may know the reason.

[…To be honest.]

The moment when Yunikram opened his mouth to explain.

[Hello.]

[Haruto!]

A voice that I had never heard before and Sharon’s voice, who called me, echoed in the cave at the same time.

Everyone who was there turned their direction toward the unfamiliar voice.

No, Leon, that was not me. I don’t care about that.

The owner of the unfamiliar voice, before I knew it, already stood at the corner where Yunikram came out.

The figure is wrapped in armor all over its body and, for a moment, it reminds me to Baulova but… it’s different.

But, no way. When the hell did you start standing beside us?

[You… Zionik! Why are you here…]

Yunikram shouted at the owner of the voice. Eh? What? Do you know each other?

No, even if he knows him, Yunikram’s voice is unusual and it doesn’t feel like his friend either.

Well… Given the situation, I think I should prepare for the worst situation.

[Hmm… So you’ve escaped to such a place. I searched for you, you know.]

The guy called Zionik took a step here while saying that.

Along with that, Sharon and Laurier moved behind me.

I told them to go behind me if anything happened.

[Umm… I’d like to confirm, but you, you’re Leon’s friend… aren’t you?]

Confirmation is important for everything.

The situation clearly needs to explain the identity of this guy if, by chance maybe, there is misunderstanding. But, it’s probably not.

[Friends? Fufufu. I wonder about that. Friends, huh. Ahaha.]

Zionik laughed with an annoying grin. It’s definitely not their friend, huh.

[Haruto-sama! That is Zionik, one of the four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King Army.]

Yunikram told us the true identity of Zionik. I was considering it too, and it seems that’s the case.

[That’s right. I’m one of the four Heavenly Kings, so I wonder if I can make friends with the Hero?]

[Somehow, his way of talking is unpleasant.]

Laurier complained about how Zionik speaks, whose tone sounds prideful.

I totally agreed with her. Even if he has a good personality, I can’t make friends with anyone who speaks to others like this.

[That’s terrible. But, it’s okay. Everyone will die here anyway.]

At the exact moment he looked at us, the atmosphere around Zionik has changed.

Thanks to that, there is one thing that I found out.

I was wondering why this guy could suddenly appear behind us but now I figured out why.

I knew that Zionik was standing there and even though I saw him in front of me, I couldn’t feel his magical power at all. Of course, even now, the atmosphere of Zionik has changed suddenly.

That is because Zionik does not release any magical power.

If he didn’t emit any magical power, it makes sense that I can’t detect his presence with my Search, even if he has a powerful magical power.

So, this guy is one of the four Heavenly Kings…?

The Four Heavenly Kings that Leon said that the magic did not work at all and neither can be used on his hands and legs… That is probably this one.

[Kukuku… I was wondering what to do if you managed to escape, but your friends guided me here so I’m grateful for that.]

Zionik closed the distance again while laughing, and I can see it even if he tried to hide it by his armor.

Tsk.

It was annoying that I didn’t notice it at all, even though we were being followed and guided him to this place.

[Moreover, the rescue party who came to help were only three people, one man and two girls. In addition there are also the two people who managed to run away last time, this really made me laugh. I was hoping there is someone who can be a rival for me, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Zionik.]

He’s the kind of guy who loves to talk a lot, isn’t he? But, thanks to that, I came up with an idea.

[I’m the man who came to rescue him, my name is Amagi Haruto. Do you know about me?]

[Amagi Haruto …?]

Zionik’s movement stopped suddenly with just one word.

Oh, it’s effective.

[That’s right. Didn’t the Demon King tell you to not put your hands on me? Is it okay? To cause trouble with me.]

I just thought earlier when I pulled out a legendary trump card [Demon King Command].

[I see. So, you are Amagi Haruto… Fufu… Well, it can’t be helped. I was told to not get in your way. However, if I ended up killing him, there’s no reason to complain, right?]

What? Although I saw it as effective, it didn’t happen at all.

Damn, Demon King, you’re lacking dignity to your subordinate. Please be more firm in teaching them.

[Hey, isn’t it okay? Shall we do it? I’ll kill everyone already?]

When Zionik says so, the blade of the sword pops out from the armor of his arm with a jarring sound.

Oh… what a cool weapon, even though you’re an enemy.

This is not the case.

[He’s coming!]

At the same time as my voice, Zionik jumped at me.

His slash is sharp.

Should I avoid it? No, even though this space is wider than I expected, it is still too small to fight.

And behind me, there is also Caroin. We cannot retreat anymore.

I held my sword and imbued it with magical power.

The blade is formed momentarily and the Japanese sword is completed.

As expected, this is too convenient. However, the drawback was that it consumed a lot of magical power.

I clashed Zionik’s sword with the magically formed Katana.

A high-pitched sound of gambling echoed in the cave.

Kuh…!

Leon said that magic won’t work against him.

But, I wonder if the sword is made of the same material. You can see that my sword part that clashed with Zionik’s sword got canceled out.

However, my opponent’s weapon does not contain magical power.

It is a conflict between the characteristics of canceling magical power and my magical power.

I’m confident in the total amount of my magical power…!

[Haha! You used an interesting weapon!? And it’s as expected! You’re just the reason why the Demon King said to not touch you!]

Zionik shouted and pulled out his swords one after another.

I took on his relentless attack as much as possible with my sword.

I really wanted to not receive the attack and keep fighting while avoiding it, but I couldn’t move back because there was no space behind me and there was also Leon and the others.

Every single blow comes with a slamming shock to my arm… I can still manage them somehow.

I won’t lose.

However, there is also a possibility that things can get worse.

You can accept the opponent’s attack, but you’re just consuming more magical power.

It is still possible to receive the attack with a normal weapon, but this is incompatible itself.

However…!

[Tei!]

While I and Zionik were busy having sword clashes, Laurier moved around to the side and hit him within the gap.

Nice, Laurier.

It’ll be a tough situation if I’m alone in this situation, but I have my companions with me

[Fuh.]

However, Zionik catched Laurier’s fist with the armor on his left hand.

[It hurts!]

Laurier jumped away while holding down her right hand.

If you hit the armor that canceled the magical power, it’s like hitting an iron plate with a raw body without reinforcement.

That would hurt.

[Here!]

I also slashed when Zionik caught Laurier’s attack.

[Whoops.]

However, while being well protected by his armor, this guy can also do a lot of jujutsu techniques.

[Here.]

This time, on the contrary, while looking for a chance, Zionik’s sword is aiming at me.

Damn. Unfortunately it’s not an option to receive his attack with my body. I twisted my body to evade, and hesitated to continue the attack.

[Haa!]

[Hey!]

[Tah!]

Yunikram, Aura, and Sharon also participated in the attack, but their attempts were blocked by Zionik’s armor.

This guy… he’s strong.

Moreover… that armor.

What’s with that armor? It’s cheating.

[Haha! What’s wrong? There are so many people attacking me, but there is no decent attack at all?]

Zionik said something provocative while dealing with everyone’s attacks.

Shut up, your attack also didn’t hit me at all, you know.

…But, what should I do?

The cliche hit kind of thing is to insert an attack into the gap in the armor, but… of course, Zionik will be on guard for that…

Besides, Zionik’s taijutsu skills are also quite high. There is no knowing that it will work for that though.

[Kuh…!]

During one of Yunikram’s attacks, Yunikram got hit on his shoulders when I was still thinking of any breakthroughs.

[See! So naive. Hahaha!]

Fresh blood splattered from Yunikram’s shoulders.

Zionik tried to chase after Yunikram, but Sharon and Aura successfully prevented it.

[Yunikram, retreat! Caroin! Give him treatment!]

[Y-yes!]

I gave instructions to Caroin, who was standing in the back.

If we lost Caroin, who acted as our healer at the back, let alone the fight will be extended, but it would also get worse.

…and when I gave her instructions to Caroin, I saw Leon in my sight.

Leon was still on the sidelines of our battle with a lifeless look.

[Oi, Leon, what’s wrong? You must also stand and fight!]

I understood it well after fighting. Zionik is a very tricky opponent.

Even if his attack didn’t reach us, it is still giving us a lot of trouble.

I cannot afford to get Leon standing there not doing anything.

[I- I am…]

However, Leon didn’t try to stand up, his face was still looking down when he muttered small words.

Oi oi, what’s wrong with him?

[Hahaha! That’s not gonna work. Hero-sama is not gonna do anything. Because he is right now… oops.]

Zionik, who saw Leon’s situation, said something.

Even so, he still managed to evade Laurier’s lower kick.

Well, what’s happening now… Does this guy know why Leon became like that?

[Do you know anything?]

I tried to attack the gap in the armor but unfortunately, when Zionik twisted his body a little, the angle was offset and my attack only bounced off by his armor.

Tsk.

[Fufu. That’s right. I know. The Hero-sama can’t stand up because he’s shocked to know that he wasn’t a Hero-sama or anything.]

Huh? Leon is not a Hero?

Zionik jumped back and took a big distance when he said that. The offense and defense temporarily stopped due to the distance.

[What does it mean that Leon is not a Hero?]

Aura raised her spear and asked Zionik.

[Hmm… let’s see, since this is interesting, I’ll explain it to you all.]

Zionik spoke happily.

Did he take some distance for that?

However, no one from our side was chasing after him, waiting for the continuation of Zionik’s words.

The two people… except for Leon, who still had a blank face, and Yunikram, who had a bitter expression.

[That guy, you see, he was built by the Harmonia Church… well…to be detailed, he’s a cyborg.]

Ha?

C-cyborg…?

That Leon?

[The church used a part of the corpse of a Hero of the past which was cultivated by magic, and recreated a disposable Hero-sama.]

The old Hero… cultivated by magic… disposable…?

No one on the spot can speak, perhaps because they cannot catch up with Zionik’s words.

No, it’s more like they cannot say anything? I’m one of them.

When he saw us like that, Zionik continued to talk to us full of joy.

[How many Heroes have died so far? Obviously, the group of a disposable Hero wouldn’t know… I expected the Hero-sama this time to be a good one since they even advertised it extensively. Well, even if that Hero-sama died, he would soon rebuild and be sent as the next Hero-sama, but… in the end, he is disposable… That’s all.]

Zionik emphasized the [disposable] part.

[You! Shut up!]

[Aura.]

Aura couldn’t stand those words and shot the tip of her spear at Zionik from a distance.

No, Aura.

That attack can certainly be used at medium and long distances, but it is only effective at short-range surprise attacks.

[Oi oi, don’t rush. My story isn’t over yet.]

Sure enough, the tip of the spear that she shot was easily knocked down.

[Kuh…!]

Aura had no choice but to make a frustrated face.

[Well, but it’s ridiculous, isn’t it? He was shocked when he knew that he was only a disposable piece, and lost his will to fight. Because you see, the title of Hero-sama was originally given by the church. But, it was more just like their puppet! Ahahahaha!]

Only Zionik’s laughter echoed in the cave.

[I am… I wasn’t a Hero for the people… On the contrary, I was perhaps not even a human being … I don’t have any memory of my childhood, because I was a created existence, so that was obvious……]

[Leon-sama…]

I can hear Leon’s voice muttering in self-ridicule. I don’t know how to answer it, and Caroin’s voice, which can only call his name, is full of sorrow.

I see.

So, that’s why Leon didn’t remember his childhood days, huh.

Unexpectedly, I was able to complete Rithina’s request.

[Yunikram! Isn’t everything that he said just garbage?]

Aura questioned Yunikram.

Well that’s right. You should never really take everything that your enemy says.

Rather, you don’t even have to accept one.

[No… What he’s saying is true. I also found out about it when examining the church with Leon.]

However, Aura’s wish ended up in vain and Zionik’s words are confirmed by Yunikram.

I don’t know what triggered it, but is that their reason for returning to the Royal Capital?

Leon himself was wondering about his birth and why he was chosen as a Hero.

[I told you, right? That’s why the life of such a doll should end here. And, obviously, there will be another Hero who will replace you…]

Zionik’s eyes glowed mysteriously… it looked like.

[Kuh…gu…I am…]

In response to that word, Leon began to cry. This is terrible.

[Haa… Good grief. Now, you understand the situation.]

It seems that Zionik’s story has ended and I was able to understand the situation so I decided to just say what I thought.

[Hey, Leon. What worries you so much?]

[Eh?]

When I said that, Leon and everyone looked at me with confused faces.

Huh? Did I say something so strange?

[No, even if you’re not a human, it shouldn’t be something that worries you so much, right? You see, there are a lot of demons, beasts, and non-humans? And also, I’m an earthling. Strictly speaking, compared to humans in this world, I am a whole different existence from human beings. I am the only one in the world.]

The fact that I’m an earthling may not be best I should say in this place where Zionik is still here, but it’s better to say this in order for Leon to recover.

[Earth…?]

[This…world?]

Caroin and Zionik, who don’t know about my circumstances, couldn’t understand what I just said.

[That’s… No, but still…]

Leon may have had some thoughts about what I want to say, but he seems still to be worried since he is not convinced yet.

The problem with Leon is too stubborn.

You should take it easy to have an enjoyable life.

[Moreover, a Hero is not a title that can be given by one source. Anyone can easily claim themselves as a Hero. Instead, you’re a Hero of people because everyone thinks of you as a Hero. There is no one else who can replace you.]

I feel like I’m saying something good just now. I’m grinning now…

…No, I’m a little embarrassed to say it myself, but I’ll say everything that I should say at this time.

[To put it simply, you are Caroin’s only Hero-sama for the time being.]

[Ah…]

Leon looked at Caroin who stood next to me as if he was surprised at my words.

Caroin’s face, when Leon’s and her gaze made perfect contact, dyed red.

[Caroin…]

[Leon-sama…that…it’s as Haruto-sama said, my Hero is only Leon-sama.]

Two people staring at each other, it’s as if they let something more than words pass among them.

Shouldn’t both of you just confess as it is now?

However, if it were me, I wouldn’t do it in the current situation though.

[That’s right, Leon! No matter what anyone says, you’re a Hero!]

[Leon! You are the only Hero for us.]

Aura and Yunikram also make a strong declaration.

[Aura… Yunikram… Thank you.]

Listening to their voices, Leon stands up. Revival! It’s a Hero’s resurrection!

[Everyone… Haruto-san. I’m sorry. It’s okay now. Thank you.]

His usual spirit and energy has returned to Leon’s eyes who stood up. It looks okay now.

[Hey… So, you managed to recover.]

Zionik, who had been silently listening to this exchange until now, finally speaks.

[Well, that’s fine. It was boring to kill the empty shell of a Hero… More importantly, You, Amagi Haruto… You said something that interests me. I’m pleased.]

[I’m not happy at all even if you said you felt pleased.]

[That’s regrettable.]

With that said, Zionik doesn’t look disappointing at all. What an unpleasant guy.

[Well then, since Hero-sama has recovered, everyone should die here!]