"The Lion Hero Defeats the Demon King."
That was the title that suddenly appeared in my mind the moment I saw them.
It was the very first story that made me fall in love with reading.
The story itself was simple and short. But the way it described the characters—their struggles, their bonds, their growth—was incredibly deep and beautiful.
At the end of the story, three people stood together in the Demon King's castle.
Leo the Knight.
Taiga the Giant.
Dia the Priestess.
Together, they defeated the Demon King.
And then…
Who am I in this story?
The answer was simple.
I'm just a side character.
"Satou-kun, Satou-kun~"
Dia-chan gently shook my arm.
I blinked and looked at her.
"Ah—sorry. I was thinking about something."
Then I pointed toward the two men standing among the villagers.
"That guy was looking for you earlier. I think you should go talk to him."
Dia-chan nodded and walked toward them.
If the story follows the novel, then this should be the moment where Dia-chan meets Leo for the first time.
And after that… she would slowly start admiring him.
Just like the story.
But then—
She spent a few minutes talking with them. I couldn't hear what they were saying from where I stood, but Leo seemed to be explaining something while Taiga stood beside him with his arms crossed. Dia-chan listened quietly, nodding from time to time.
After a short while, she excused herself and walked back toward me.
"Eh?"
That's it?
She stood in front of me and smiled.
"Satou-kun," she said, "I think you should talk to them too."
"…Me?"
Before I could protest, she gently pulled me along.
---
We stopped in front of the two men.
The blue-haired man stepped forward with a polite smile.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Leo."
He placed his hand on his chest proudly.
"I'm the Hero."
"Of course you are," I muttered without thinking.
Leo blinked.
"…What was that?"
"Ah—sorry!" I quickly reached out and shook Leo's hand. "My name is Satou. I'm Dia-chan's friend."
For some reason, when I glanced at Dia-chan, she seemed to be pouting slightly.
Did I say something wrong?
Leo cleared his throat.
"Well… as I was explaining earlier, the king ordered us to recruit Rosalia-san to join our journey to defeat the Demon King."
He looked slightly troubled.
"But she said she would only join if Satou-kun comes with us."
"…What?"
That definitely didn't happen in the story.
Leo scratched the back of his head.
"To be honest, our party already has enough members. So I was hoping you could help convince Rosalia-san to reconsider."
Behind me, I felt someone lightly grab my shirt.
Dia-chan.
"Ah… right," I thought.
She's probably still scared after the bandit incident.
Maybe she doesn't want to leave the village alone.
I took a small step forward.
"Take me with you too."
Taiga immediately stepped forward, towering over me.
"You?" he said bluntly. "You don't even look like a fighter."
"You'd just be a burden."
Leo nodded slightly.
"…I think so too."
I quickly spoke again.
"I can be your porter."
Both of them paused.
"I can carry supplies. I can cook. I can do chores."
I pointed at their equipment.
"You're going on a long journey, right? Someone has to handle the boring things."
Taiga crossed his arms.
"Tch… actually, a porter wouldn't be that bad."
"You're not wrong."
Dia-chan nodded enthusiastically beside me.
Leo sighed.
"…Alright."
"But you stay in the back."
"If things get dangerous, you run."
I bowed my head slightly.
"Thank you."
I did it.
I could finally witness the hero's journey with my own eyes.
---
It took a full day to prepare for the journey.
I packed a large backpack filled with food, cooking tools, and other supplies.
Dia-chan spent the morning saying farewell to her parents.
By the time everything was ready, a horse carriage was already waiting at the village entrance.
Our destination was the north.
The closest village to the Demon King's territory.
And just like that—
The journey of the Hero Party began.