Is this Hero for Real? - Chapter 36

[Act 11] The Prince

Back on Earth, I’d been a model student who was too busy studying to know how many kids the President had, let alone their names…

Princes and Princesses…

They are like idols representing the kingdom in a fantasy world where networking doesn’t go smoothly.

Their looks, age, personality, hobbies, talents…

Everyone knew everything, thanks to it all getting advertised nation-wide.

That even included demons.

“Prince Alsus is the third-strongest knight in the Swordmastar Knight Kingdom—he’s a swordsmanship prodigy. He is a second generation monster, resembling the queen in her younger days when she was called the King of Knights.”

However, the demons’ way of seeing it was completely opposite from the humans’.

That’s right. It was only natural that humanity’s hero was the demon’s monster.

“So basically, he’s a human that has nothing to do with me.”

He was like a star up in the heavens.

Far, far away from someone like me, who was just some student A on my home planet of Earth.

As I said that, the demon put on an extremely displeased expression.

“Nothing to do with you?! Did you not listen to what I was saying? The prince said he was looking for you.”

“But we can’t even talk with each other.”

“Why are you worrying about that? That’s something the Prince should take care of.”

“Take care of? There’s magic that helps with translations?”

“Magic isn’t an all-powerful tool like you imagine it would be. If there was a language blessing like the scholars who make a living off of their brains… wh-what’s your problem?”

“You should have told me if there was a blessing as neat as that!”

“Hmph! Even if you did know, you wouldn’t be able to acquire it anyways. So give it up. Do you think anyone can be a scholar? To get a language blessing, one must either master three languages or learn five languages up to a certain level.”

“Those are the worst conditions!”

As someone who didn’t get great foreign language grades, I couldn’t bring myself to try it.

Knock knock!

“Kang Hansoo @! %$*?”

“%$ $! Kang Hansoo $!”

Ladies A and B knocked on the door, calling my name.

‘Interesting. How did they know I was back?’

The male demon, reading my expression, explained it to me with an incredibly displeased face.

“The two ladies asked the worker here to let them know as soon as possible when you came back. I see your strength has made you popular with women.”

“I wonder if they’re trying to ask for help leveling up again.”

“You have a habit of interpreting people’s good will as materialistic. You’re never getting married like that.”

“That’s not something an old demon bachelor should be saying.”

“….”

“Don’t cry.”

The two ladies that’d come into the room were wearing very luxurious attire.

Lady A looked a little more extravagant, but Lady B, the swordsman, had a completely different aura after changing from pants to a dress.

“Kang Hansoo, $. #%$ #$? &% #% & thanks $& *^ to you… this favor #$ &% #% .”

“Huh?! #$ curse?! $# %?! Even an orc &%#. Orcs &%# in the city #$ &.”

‘…Yeah. I don’t know what they’re saying.’

‘It looks like I’m gonna have to buy more diverse picture books and study harder.’

Demon Kogmos translated for me.

“Miss Laysha says she was a bit disappointed because she thought you left when she hadn’t even repaid your favor. Miss Julia is asking how you got the Massacre Curse.”

“Aha!”

“I don’t agree with Miss Laysha, but I am also curious about what Miss Julia asked. The Massacre Curse…. Just where did you go and what did you do?”

“Hunting…”

All I did was get invited to the City of Orcs and massacre the orcs.

“I knew this since the first day, but you really are out of your mind. You can’t even enter the city with the Hero’s Curse, but a Massacre Curse on top of that? And your Hero’s Curse ranked up, I see. Are you back from killing a Hero?”

“I’m being falsely accused here.”

I didn’t have any excuses for the massacre curse, but not the Hero’s Curse.

The Evil Goddess had raised the ranks just because I was breathing in the world of Fantasia.

The demon spoke with a disgusted face.

“Anyways, I’m going to part ways with you in this city. No doubt I’m going to die before marriage if I spend any more time with you.”

“What about the translations?”

“Now that you’re bringing it up, I have something in mind. There is a slave market in the city. Just find a slave with the Language Blessing there.”

“But you said those Blessings were rare.”

“You can find a slave who was former princess of a nation as long as you have money, and you sure have a lot of that since you slaughtered all those orcs.”

“I see.”

I didn’t know I had a lot of money.

‘Then what do I do now?’

My bag was packed with treasures I’d taken as souvenirs from the City of Orcs!

I decided to push back telling him the news. After all, there was no reason for me to tell a demon was parting ways with about my assets.

“$# % $?”

“Kang Hansoo &?”

The two ladies were uncomfortable because I’d talked to the demon for too long!

But I didn’t have anything to talk about. What was I supposed to do?

The demon gave me a pathetic glance.

“You sure can’t read the room. Why do you think a woman would dress up so much to see a man?”

“…To date?”

“You went too far this time. They’re probably trying to see if you’re a decent male while going around downtown. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Aha!”

There was no use believing a demon that couldn’t even get married, but it was obvious they wanted to go out of the inn.

“Have fun.”

“What about you?”

“The monster prince is in this city. I’m done for if he sees me. And I don’t care what you do with your fellow human females.”

“How heartless.”

“You’re the one who can’t read the room! I’d only be in the way if I went with you.”

“Is that how it is?

“That’s how it is. Don’t make me speak twice, I’m really uncomfortable.”

“Okay!”

I went downtown with the ladies I couldn’t even talk with.

***

Hero Choi Kangmin broke out in laughter at the boy he met at the village entrance.

“You look like a mess, Oh Hanwoo.”

“It’s what’s on the inside that matters.”

Choi Kangmin wasn’t just talking about his clothes that’d gotten dirty from scavenging the forest. After getting kicked around like a soccer ball, Oh Hanwoo looked gruesome!

However, not wanting to lose to the superior, handsome, young boy in front of him, he refuted, unabashed.

“The inside? Pff! What a ridiculous excuse.”

“Fight me if you can’t believe it.”

“…Hey, are you serious right now?”

“That’s right.”

Oh Hanwoo was aware.

…Choi Kangmin’s level was much higher than his.

[Revenge]

But the blessing was drastically narrowing the gap—it was well worth trying.

[Special]

After all, he was the main character. He could overcome it with grit!

Just then, a girl went between the two boys and cried out, “w-wait! Hero Choi Kangmin! I’m really sorry to interrupt, but still, I have to ask you to please wait… wait just a second!”

Aria, hero Yoo Bora’s partner, begged.

She couldn’t help but choke up at the sight of her former partner’s horribly beat-up face.

To that, Choi Kangmin spoke with a gentle expression.

“Miss Aria. what is it you must ask? I’ll try my best to listen.”

* * *

* * *

“I wouldn’t dare stop you two from dueling, but Oh Hanwoo is badly injured.”

“Ah! I see. There has to be a fair battle if I don’t want it to bite me later. Thank you for your input, Miss Aria.”

“N-not at all.”

Rather than getting angry, the girl’s face flushed as the hero in grand armor praised her.

Seeing her act shy, Oh Hanwoo’s frown deepened.

On the other hand, Choi Kangmin, getting the reaction he wanted, grinned further.

The Saintess stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes as she came across the group of Heroes.

“Mister Oh Hanwoo. I see you’re still causing trouble even after leaving. Time is being wasted here. Hero Choi Kangmin, please wrap this up quickly.”

Fwp.

The Saintess lightly waved her hands.

It was a miracle!

Oh Hanwoo’s sunken nose and broken teeth, as well as other injuries, went back to normal.

“Thank you!”

“I don’t know why you’re expressing gratitude, Hero Yoo Bora’s partner.”

“I-I apologize…”

“Please don’t forget who you are partnered with.”

“Yes, I promise!”

Though it was pitiful to see the girl freeze like a statue at the Saintess’s criticism, no one paid any attention to her.

The destined duel between the two boys who didn’t accept each other had begun.

“Oh Hanwoo, let’s see those substantial skills of yours!”

Sling-

Flare!

A sword in his right hand, and magic on the left.

Hero Choi Kangmin was the very definition of the all-rounder main character in fantasy genres.

On the contrary…

“…”

Flare~

Having lost all of his gear and relying only on magic, Oh Hanwoo was unstable.

But the flame he produced was bigger than Choi Kangmin’s.

“…You’ve improved quite a bit over these last couple days.”

Noticing he was overpowered when it came to magic, the young boy’s face hardened slightly.

Choi Kangmin was a mage swordsman.

It was inevitable that he lacked practice compared to a traditional mage.

But even with that in consideration, he could tell Oh Hanwoo had an abnormal amount of talent.

How?

Choi Kangmin had heard from the master he’d acquired the Magic Blessing from that mages, who distort reality, are ‘dreamers’.

In other words, they must be skilled with delusions.

Because of that, Choi Kangmin lacked magical talent.

“Choi Kangmin. Did my magic scare you?”

“…Let me wake you up to reality.”

Choi Kangmin made up his mind to kill Oh Hanwoo on the spot.

Not in the sense that he would actually take his life when there were so many eyes on them…

Magical talent…

A mage that opened their eyes to reality stopped progressing—that was basically equal to death for a mage.

[See Through]

With his entire body exposed from the curse, Oh Hanwoo was completely unarmed. There was no such thing as a hidden weapon.

Although Choi Kangmin wasn’t sure why he would see through Oh Hanwoo’s underwear to the parts he really didn’t wish to see, he made a swift decision.

Leap!

He closed the distance with a leap.

If his opponent had been a gnoll, he would have gone into the fight preparing his next ball of flame after throwing the first one.

—But he was going against a mage.

It would be reckless of him to have a magic duel against an opponent with clearly stronger magic skills.

“Hyap!”

A giant fireball from Oh Hanwoo quickly flew in his direction.

[Acceleration]

But Choi Kangmin easily dodged it thanks to his Blessing.

“This is nothing… ah!”

With a content smile, the young boy drew in hot air.

A fireball of the same size was flying towards him again right after he’d dodged the first one.

Just how fast was his magic…?

It wasn’t comparable to his magic master, but it was still abnormally fast compared to the Heroes’ standard.

“Try and block it!”

“…You’re funny.”

If he had dueled only with magic, he most likely would have lost.

But Choi Kangmin’s main talent was swordsmanship, not magic, and he had a hard-earned collection of Blessings.

Pow!

“Alrigh- what?!”

Oh Hanwoo couldn’t understand.

Despite not getting any stronger from the Hunting Curse like the slimes, Choi Kangmin was still fine even after getting hit by the flames.

He tried to shoot more magic, but…

Poww!

“Is magic the only thing you’ve got?”

“Y-you…”

The results were the same.

The young boy was as calm as ever.

Level three magic was laughable to hero Choi Kangmin when he had multiple Blessings from countless gods.

The only reason he’d dodged Oh Hanwoo’s magic at first was that his pride didn’t want to show him getting hit.

“This is it, then.”

“It can’t be!”

“Wake up to reality.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

Oh Hanwoo kept shooting magic in an act of desperation, and Choi Kangmin, ignoring all of that, peacefully went up to his face and lifted his sword high up in the air.

“Goodbye.”

“Eek?!”

Oh Hanwoo, who had been in high spirits up until then, felt fear as he was beneath Choi Kangmin’s sword.

Just then,..

[Special]

Zzzap!

In an instant, the magic in Oh Hanwoo’s right hand ran out of his control and a black ball of fire bursted out.

“What…”

“Huh?”

Poooow~!

A gigantic explosion that was bigger than ever before engulfed the two boys.

“Kurgh?!”

“Aack?!”

And the result?

The duel between Choi Kangmin and Oh Hanwoo ended in a draw!

[A certain Immature God of Dice is extremely happy with the results.]

[A certain Battle God is extremely uncomfortable.]

[A certain Evil God grabs onto their belly and cackles.]

***

“Kang Hansoo #! That’s % @%! %$#? #$ $ &%$. But this is also #$ %$ &^!”

“#@? I think it’s %$ %#$. Kang Hansoo ^% this $% $. Or is this # &$?”

“…”

What about taking around an alien who they couldn’t communicate with made those ladies so happy?

Like demon Kogmos pointed out, it was far from a date.

Restaurants, pharmacies, apparel stores, miscellaneous stores, blacksmith workshops, barbershops, and horse stables…

I learned the table manners of a noble at an extremely luxurious restaurant.

Isn’t one spoon, chopsticks, and plate enough? Those people were making so many dishes to clean with all sorts of weird rules.

“[email protected] ready.”

“Let’s go #.”

Manner lessons were just the beginning. After dressing me up from head to toe, ladies A and B led me to the center of the city.

I knew they told me they were going to take me somewhere, but I was just blindly following along because I didn’t know where that ‘somewhere’ was.

‘At the very least, it couldn’t be hell, right?’

‘…Right?’

[a certain God shrugs.]

“It looks like the house of a noble…”

The place the ladies had led me to was the most extravagant house in the city.

“#@!”

Salute!

As soon as the serious gatekeepers saw the two dressed-up ladies, they respectfully bowed and cleared the way.

Thanks to that, I could also enter the city without identifying myself.

Was I going to meet the mayor or something?

The place felt overwhelming for a simple Earthling like me.

[Outsider]

If I wasn’t protected by the Blessing, my heart would have already shriveled up.

“#. &$”

A cute maid led us into a fancy room.

Creak-

A young boy around my age was looking out the window with a gloomy face.

‘…What a cool aura.’

He turned around to speak.

“Nice to meet you. I was looking forward to seeing you. These two ladies who hold eminent names at the Academy spoke very highly of you.”

“Oh?”

‘He can communicate with me?’

“It is the language Blessing. A prince must be able to communicate with all nations and species. It’s nothing special.”

“A prince…”

It looked like I’d just met the very Prince A that the demon was so vigilant about.