After that, well... it was a predictable story. I became a Hero at the Hero Selection Ceremony held by the Imperial Family.
The ceremony was held in the Imperial capital, and the structure was simple—whoever pulled out the Holy Sword bestowed by the Goddess of the Sun naturally became the Hero. This ritual had been conducted for several generations and was practically a continental tradition.
Anyone could become a Hero just by pulling out the sword, regardless of rank, personality, or image. Quite fortunate, really. I entered the Imperial capital contemplating these established settings.
"Come one, come all!! A chance for anyone to become a Hero by pulling out the sword!!! Those looking to change their lives!! Those who believe they are the chosen Hero of the Goddess!! Step forward and try your luck with the Holy Sword!!!!"
"You need strength to pull it out! Buy some food!"
"Argh! Failed again!! That was my third attempt."
The selection ceremony was already in full swing at the center of the capital. The announcer was shouting at the top of his lungs, merchants who smelled profit were selling food along the streets, and people hoping to change their fortunes kept failing to pull out the Holy Sword. From a makeshift throne set up for the royalty, the King watched the event with a bored expression.
Since the Hero Selection Ceremony had been going on for 14 days now... he was certainly entitled to his boredom. Since they were selecting just one person from the entire continent, the ceremony often lasted more than a day. The ceremony was still ongoing when I was dropped into the game.
Even considering that, two weeks was quite long. Usually, a Hero would emerge within a week. Perhaps because of this, there weren't many people in the square. The event had already lost most of its excitement.
As a result, the atmosphere among the people showed more anxiety about what would happen if no Hero appeared, rather than anticipation about who the Hero might be. The King probably shared similar thoughts. That's why he was considering the insane plan of marching into the Demon Realm without a Hero, which he would implement soon. He must be eager to end this tedious ceremony.
So, in a situation mixed with faint hope, anxiety, self-interest, and boredom... I stepped forward.
"Now! Another challenger has... uh, huh?"
I passed through the crowd in the square, went past the announcer, and finally stood before the Holy Sword. I ignored the announcer behind me who looked at me in confusion. He must have felt fear. After all, I was also cursed with something related to fear.
"...Hmm."
I also ignored the King's displeased gaze. Instead, I focused on the sacred Holy Sword before my eyes.
The sword, embedded in solid rock, seemed to be taken straight from the Excalibur myth. Tens of thousands of people had tried and failed to pull it out. Among the challengers must have been the Empire's finest knights and even the Tower Master of the Great Magic Tower.
"Hurry up and try. You'll just fail anyway, I suspect."
Hearing the King's words from the front, I pulled out the Holy Sword.
Swoosh!
There was no resistance whatsoever. I felt neither the weight of the Holy Sword itself nor any sensation of it being stuck in the rock.
As if it had been my sword all along, the Holy Sword fit perfectly in my hand. And thus, the true form of the Holy Sword was revealed.
A magnificent double-edged sword that shone brilliantly in the sunlight, the blessing of the Sun God.
"!!"
"!!!"
The shock spreading around me was just a bonus. An unlikable guy from first impression effortlessly pulling out the Holy Sword that no one had been able to extract for two weeks. It must have felt like having not just their expectations but their very souls shattered.
Various noises erupted around me.
"What, what!" The loud-voiced announcer's surprised voice.
"This can't be!" A guard knight's shocked exclamation.
"My goodness, the end times must be near... Is there such a lack of talent on the continent?" The muttering of an elderly citizen nearby.
People I'd just met today already despised me. The situation was so amusing that I couldn't help but smirk.
Everyone seemed to feel resistance to this unexpected situation, but what could they do? I had already pulled out the Holy Sword, and this couldn't be replicated even through manipulation. The countless people who had failed over the past 14 days proved that.
It was also impossible to invalidate it. To nullify a centuries-old national tradition just because they didn't like the outcome? Impossible.
Even if it were possible, the current King wasn't that kind of person.
"I... I hereby appoint you as the Hero..."
Thanks to this, I was able to be selected as the Hero without much trouble, just some commotion. The sight of the King bestowing the title upon me with a face like he'd eaten something foul was quite entertaining.
Though it hurt when the Hero party members had fits upon seeing me...
*
What!? This thing is supposed to be the Hero? Don't lie to me!!
The Empire's fate is sealed... destined for decline after all.
Oh Enen... if this is your will, I'll follow it for now, but...
This is wrong. I can see evil overflowing from his very soul. Is this person really the Hero? Or a spy sent by the Demon King's army?
These were the words I heard when I first met them after becoming the Hero. Since they had high expectations for the Hero, their disappointment must have been immense. After all, my body was covered with all sorts of unlikable curses.
I don't know exactly how I appear to others... but it's certainly not a good impression. Because of this, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles from our first meeting.
"But thinking about it, that time seems better than now."
Of course, looking at the current situation, those days were better. At least back then, we were awkward with each other, so they couldn't openly criticize me. But now that the distance between us has somewhat narrowed, I'm just getting bullied every day.
Getting bullied means we've gotten closer? Is this what normal human relationships are like?
"What are you thinking about all by yourself?"
As I was hiding my bitterness alone, the knight in front asked. I smiled vaguely and answered.
"Oh, just some random thoughts."
"Tsk, look straight ahead when you walk. Does the Hero not even know basic reconnaissance?"
She snaps at me for looking away for just a moment.
Anyway, that's the story of how I became the Hero. What remains is what happened over the past half year... but let's skip that predictable and boring story.
I was just unfairly blamed while fighting monsters. I was scolded while cooking meals. There was a tragicomic incident where I was suspected of being from the Demon King's army while on night watch, and none of us could sleep. We fought over differing opinions while traveling, I was personally insulted, and when I stepped forward, I was called incompetent. They deliberately delayed healing me when my skin was torn by monsters, and somehow dismembering monsters became solely my responsibility.
...Just stories like that.
The curse related to bonds was far more vicious than I thought. The curses of distrust, dislike, and evil seem to intensify the longer people know me, rather than just affecting first impressions.
Half a year was enough for the Hero party members, who should trust and rely on each other, to doubt and hate me. I became what people commonly call a nuisance.
It gradually nurtures the doubt inside and turns it into conviction. That's the true effect of the curses placed on me. No wonder I can't build relationships.
Do you know what they think of me in this party now?
"No matter how I look at it, he's suspicious... Isn't he actually the Demon King or one of his subordinates?"
"Indeed, there's a possibility. When I looked at his soul, it was stained black like darkness."
I was the hidden villain. Unnecessarily unlikable and suspicious—perfect for being suspected as the hidden villain. The current conversation between Lily and Adel was also about suspecting me of being from the Demon King's army.
*It's such a cliché.*
The revelation that there was a hidden villain in the Hero's party. It's a predictable cliché, one that people can easily imagine.
As easily as people can imagine it, it's just as easy to fall into it. If you roughly piece together a scenario, it's easy to become convinced of it.
"Let's keep pressuring him. If he's psychologically cornered, something will show."
That's probably why they keep bullying me. Since I'm still officially the Hero, they can't directly expel me, so they're hoping I'll leave on my own. Like office workers recommending voluntary resignation.
It was a situation that made me sigh involuntarily.
"Haah..."
As is the nature of human hearts, they typically have a fluid quality. They're not constant and always flow like water. Because of this, they change drastically depending on the situation.
The determination to live diligently that one has in the late dawn easily dissipates with the fatigue that comes in the early morning.
Even resolute determinations made on special days naturally erode over time, like rocks on the seashore.
By that principle, my initial determination was also eroding. Simply put, I was tired.
The gloomy times of the past half year were enough to make me tired and regretful. The unseemly behavior of the heroines who always looked impressive in the game. The expressions of contempt and irritation that came with meeting them in person.
Amidst countless gazes of contempt, doubt, and persecution, I could only repeat to myself today as well:
*Should I quit?*
That phrase I've repeated hundreds of times until now.