"Your body should be recovering by now... I didn't do it, so don't look at it that way. Even if you hadn't met me, things would have progressed."
Then why did you meet me? Didn't you say you stayed to save me?
The hero naturally answered the question of whether emotions and thoughts could be revealed honestly in the inner world.
"I respect your will. As someone who has observed your life and past, I cannot dare to force your life, so even if your life is in danger in the future, I will not step forward. So, since I have become useless, I would like to use this awakening of the hero as an opportunity to disappear. By providing a little help with the handover."
... Handover?
"You originally had a weak constitution. Even though the World has been remodeled your body to become more accepting of the power over a long period of time, it is still a bit lacking. If things continue like this, you can receive the full power, but the process will be quite painful."
According to what he said, I should be in pain by now, but I don't feel anything. Is it because we're in the inner world?
"When you wake up, you will probably feel like your body is being crushed alive."
Since I became a hero, I won't die of shock... but since he even died of shock, there's nothing more to hear.
Please take care of the handover.
This time, the hero must have guessed what I was thinking, but instead of laughing out loud, he smiled steadily. The lips, which rose in a nice curve, began to give kind explanations.
In the first place, handovers between heroes made no sense. Because the power of a hero cannot be passed on to a target.
However, by coincidence, the target the hero attempted to transfer power to and the target chosen by the World overlapped. Moreover, the hero's power had already passed through me once and left a small trace, making it easier for him to intervene.
"I will disappear now for the last time, but I still want to leave a few words for your life. As someone who once wanted to save you, I can do this."
The warrior took a step closer. He reached out to me and breathed in a faint light.
"You are loved more than you think."
No way.
"There was someone here who wanted you to live even after death. And there are people who want you to be happy even after death."
The outstretched hand went down a little and brushed my neck above the collarbone. I knew it right away because it was a place the Demon King often touched. This was where the stigma was.
"Free, not tied down by something, not oppressed. There are people out there who want you to live the life they want you to have."
... Was he referring to himself? Yes, that is possible because he is a hero. If you look at the reality right now, there are countless people who want me dead.
Thanks to him, I realize it again. Heroes are selfless. At least, that was the case with the hero in front of me.
A person like the epitome of a hero who willingly sacrificed himself for others. He was my last companion who came all the way to the Demon King's Castle, and he did everything for me even in death.
I can't believe I'll become a hero after someone like that.
Would someone like me dare to live like that?
As if he had read these thoughts, the warrior smiled bitterly.
"Don't try to be a warrior like me. I told you so. 'Unbound, unoppressed, free.' I even forgot my name, but I hope you haven't."
Ah, his name.
"... Cassius."
I opened my mouth and called his name. I heard his name called at a funeral. Even though we had been together for quite some time, it was an unfamiliar name I had heard for the first time in my life. At first, I was dumbfounded for a moment, not realizing who the name referred to.
How many people will remember his name mentioned in passing?
As long as the Demon King is alive, another hero will appear, and the world will cheer for the new hero and erase the previous hero from memory.
Still, as someone who saw his last days and collected his body, I wanted to remember his name. Of course, I had no idea it would be called that.
Cassius, who was not a hero, opened his eyes wide as if he was surprised.
For a moment, he smiled as if he was melting.
"Yes, I remember. My name was Cassius. I was the son of a village blacksmith."
"..."
"I didn't think you would remember. Thank you."
As if he had breathed all the light into me, he withdrew his hand and stepped back. A gentle smile lit up the dark space, as if to say it was the last time.
"The short words I added probably didn't have any effect on you... It's unfortunate, but it's natural. It would have been the same even if it had been someone other than me."
Because someone's mindset based on strong shocks or a long past is not easily shaken by just a few words from others. If people had changed so easily, the world would have been boring, simple, standardized, without crime or individuality, instead of what it is now.
"Poor guy."
Nonsense.
Before I could refute anything, Cassius' body became blurred.
Still, I thought it would be better to finish off the beauty of him at the end, so I quietly watched the scene, and before he disappeared completely, he said.
"Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing. The day you were kicked out of your nightmare, I was asked to convey a message to you."
At first glance, a soft smile appeared in my field of vision.
"A man with black hair and green eyes asked me to say hello."
"...!"
What did you just say...!
Light burst out.
***
The poor man carrying the bomb clung to it and an explosion occurred.
The moment Dan froze at the fact that he had been hit directly, a strong light burst out from Deon Hardt.
That alone was shocking, but a pillar of light fell from the sky and centered on him. The light was strong enough to brighten up the entire continent, but strangely, there was no damage to eyesight.
A gentle light that feels wonderful and divine. A tattered Deon Hardt was recovering inside.
Judging the situation was quick.
'The hero awakened!'
He was distraught because a series of shocking incidents occurred without warning, but he knew one thing for sure.
'The World is completely crazy to choose someone who was at the forefront of the Demon King's army as its hero.'
But that's not important right now.
Rather than that, the priority was to deal with those who attacked with bombs. The poor people suddenly appeared inside the mansion, where there was clearly no sign of them.
'... It looks like the Duke used magic.'
Was it because he found out that the Duke was a contractor for the Demon King before coming here? That's the only way that comes to mind that can neatly hide the clumsy presence of poor people.
"Anyway, I really can't understand those crazy about religion. You're out of your mind."
The Duke who created such a religion was also insane.
Dan decapitated the guy who was running from the front, kicked his chest, sent him into another guy, and quickly approached Deon. From behind! He quickly killed the person sneaking up behind him.
First, he snatched the communication device that might still be connected, threw it out the window, and roughly picked up the body lying nearby. His appearance was terrible, as if he were a corpse wearing a bomb, but Dan just looked at Deon. Besides the wounds that were healing smoothly, there was something else that caught his attention.
'The stigma...'
The black stigma that was clearly visible through the tattered collar was disappearing.
In the Empire, the brand was known as the Demon King's Curse and was placed by the Demon King himself.
***
The moment the pillar of light connecting heaven and earth appeared, the Demon King suddenly raised his head.
Surprisingly, he received not one, but two pieces of information.
One was that the archenemy, the hero, has finally been born.
And the other one is...
'The location tracking brand on Deon Hardt has been erased.'
It was carved with great care. Even if he became a 'hero candidate', it wouldn't be erased.
But it's different if he were a hero. Because the hero's body has immunity to magic. Since he can withstand a certain amount of killing magic, small magic engraved on his body will not leave a trace.
Coincidentally, the magic engraved on Deon Hardt was erased at the moment the hero was born? This was obvious even without thinking about it.
'Deon Hardt has become a hero.'
He quietly raised his hand and covered his mouth. The inside of the office went crazy, and then the sound of stifled laughter filled the room.
"Oh, my."
Why do they only choose pretty things?
He picked up a fortune. Even without that, he felt like he was going crazy because he was so happy every day after meeting him, but he revealed something even more!
Without erasing the smile from his face, he reached out and grabbed the communication stone.
"Notify the entire demon world."
Being happy was being happy and doing what you have to do.
Now that a hero has been born, it was time to withdraw unnecessary orders.
"From now on, we will lift the ban on magic."
An order that seemed like it would last forever has been lifted. The demons would soon find out. Those who were astute would have already noticed.
How would they react if they found out that the Commander of Corps 0 had become a hero?
Perhaps they will be happy in a different way than himself.
Because the Demon King and the hero were on the same side. They saw that their power has increased significantly, so they will be happy and think that it is their world now.
'Is that really the case?'
... Well, he's happy because he's the same way.
Let's just enjoy this happiness. The Demon King smiled and put down the communication stone.
***
Ben escaped from the Demon King's Castle and was running toward where Deon Hardt was.
The reason was simple. Because he received a signal for hemoptysis. In addition, abnormal signals were occasionally transmitted from various parts of the body, as if he was not sparing his body, so how could he, as the attending physician, remain still?
With the intention of using this opportunity to cure them all, he left the Demon King's Castle and entered the human world.
He was working hard to chase after the fast-moving location...
'How can it be so fast...!?'
The distance showed no signs of narrowing and kept getting further away!
What straw was the gate of the human world made of? Will it open if he just touched it?
It would be normal if there was a delay in the battle, but there was no sign of that. Despite moving with the thought that he would catch up quickly as they would be tied up in the siege, the troops led by Deon were moving forward diligently without staying in one place for too long.
'Should I be happy about this or not?'
If this continues, it would be difficult to catch up.
While resting for a while in Paras territory, he was contemplating whether to just give up and go back, but at some point, Deon's travel route changed.
A movement that perfectly retraced the path he came from! Ben cheered.
'We can meet!'
He didn't know why he suddenly returned, but it was possible to meet him!
As time went by, the signal got weaker and minor wounds could not be detected, so he should check them carefully when he sees them. In particular, he will definitely check to see if the burns on his thighs have increased.
So Ben went out to meet Deon Hardt in the direction he was returning from.
"Master Deon, Master Deon! Just a moment...! It's Ben...!"
Doo doo doo doo!!
Dust rose. Ben looked vainly at the group passing by him.
'I was ignored...'
It seemed like he wasn't even aware of his existence. He was completely ignored.
'But I am a doctor who never gives up.'
He can move more as long as it is for the health of the patient in his charge.
He lifted the magic stone necklace and checked Deon's location.
He's moving away at a fast pace, but...
'Still, the distance isn't as wide as it was before.'
This was worth doing. Ben set out on his journey again and managed to come close to the Illuster territory.
The problem was next.
A huge pillar of light. A signal from the necklace that rang seriously and then suddenly cut off.
Ben looked blankly at the magic stone necklace and the pillar of light, which had lost signal.
He knew what that pillar of light meant. There was probably no one in both the human world and the demon world who did not know this.
'The birth of a hero...'
Then, the reason why the signal was cut off...
He realized it instinctively before he could even think about it with his head.
"Deon... you have become a hero."