Shujinkou Janai! - Ch 7

————–I wanted to be a Hero, the protagonist of a story.

I had been quarrelsome since I was a child, and was treated as a nuisance at home and in the village.

I was always compared to my brother, who was brilliant and smart, becoming a vicious cycle where I became more and more cynical.

What triggered a change in me was a book.

The book “The Adventures of Radd, the Hero”, which my brother bought as a souvenir from the royal capital, was a perfectly ordinary tale of a hero written for children.

A boy who was just a villager meets his friends, overcomes many difficulties, and eventually becomes a Hero.

I was fascinated by the story, and it wasn’t long before I found myself comparing myself to the Hero of the book and decided to become an adventurer.

When I heard that my name “Radd” was based on the Hero of the book, I was even more enthralled.

I used the time I had been wasting to train.

The training was hard, but fortunately, I was physically strong and physical activities are my strong point.

I was happy to see the number of things I could do increase little by little, and more than anything, the feeling that “I was moving forward” gave me strength.

Gradually, the people in the village began to look at me differently.

The villagers began to greet me, and eventually, I learned to use a sword from a retired knight and the habits of monsters from a hunter. The range of things I could do expanded even more.

This was probably one of the reasons why……

By the time three years had passed, there was no one my age who could compete with me, and I felt that I was taking the first step toward becoming a Hero.

※　※　※

On my 16th birthday, I left my village and registered with an Adventurer’s Guild in a nearby town, and on that day, I met three other people in similar circumstances and formed a party with them.

Yes.

It was like a miracle that four newcomers came together at that place, at that time.

No, this must be fate, or so I thought.

————–The Hero is loved by fate.

It’s one of my favorite sayings.

The Hero of the story is always in the midst of a strange destiny, sometimes thrown into harsh circumstances, and yet they hone their powers.

That’s why, I’m sure that my new life is also blessed by fate.

With the four of us forming a team, we would one day become the best adventurers in the world.

I was so excited that I had such thoughts in mind.

And in fact, all of my party members were amazing people.

Nuku, the Mage, not only could use magic, but he was always calm and always gave the best answer when the party was in doubt.

Prana, the Scout, has a tough personality and someone I don’t get along with, but she can assess situations faster than anyone else and has an uncanny ability to sense enemies.

Then, there’s Mana, another girl who is good at recovery magic.

Mana is an introverted, timid fellow, but our first adventure in the cave blew that impression away.

She saw through the traps in the <Cave of Trials> with a keen eye like no one else and solved the riddles in no time, which I had no clue how to do.

And yet, she didn’t seem at all proud of herself, and when I praised her, she smiled with a slightly troubled look on her face.

When I saw Mana’s smile, I don’t know why…… but I felt my heart skip a beat.

Anyway, I was thinking that our party was all great guys and that our adventure was going well.

That is, until we met “that guy” at the deepest part of the cave.

“”

※　※　※

At the deepest part of the cave, we encountered a strange man.

He was dressed all in black and started shouting incomprehensible things as soon as we met him.

Apparently, he was an A-Rank Adventurer named Rex.

I know that being an A-Rank Adventurer is great.

But to tell the truth, he didn’t look like such a skilled adventurer to me.

He was too thin to be an experienced adventurer, and he doesn’t have the presence of a strong person in his behavior.

His delicate appearance might have been acceptable to win, but I felt that he was a bit thin.

Even the C-Rank Adventurers who I had met in the guild before our departure looked stronger than us.

Even his attitude was the same.

I wasn’t amused that Mana was praising that suspicious man so much that I swore at him, but that man, no, that old man didn’t even refute me.

Adventurers are finished when they get underestimated.

If he won’t refute my words, he definitely isn’t an adventurer.

(As I thought, this guy must be a fraud pretending to be an A-Rank Adventurer huh?)

However, those suspicions I had were quickly dispelled.

The Goblins we met on the way back, he used an Art technique that I had never heard of.

The terrifyingly brilliant technique that took down a Gargoyle that had attacked the girl with a single blow.

The prompt quick-wittedness that dared to take refuge in a cave in order to throw off our pursuers.

All of these are actions worthy of an A-Rank Adventurer, or rather, they were beyond what I had imagined a skilled adventurer to be. Even though I was still saying curses, I was inwardly completely overwhelmed.

And then……

Just as we were about to finally reach the safety of the town……

————–Despair descended upon us.

A demon with a sinister aura.

A winged demon, more fearsome than any monster I had ever seen or any warrior I had ever met.

Even I, who had no ability to tell the ability of others, could tell how strong that demon was.

Even at a distance, I could feel the strong pressure on my skin and the pressure of the spear it nonchalantly wielded.

……The “status” of our existence is just too different, so to speak.

I don’t think a “human” could ever hope to compete with such a thing.

Even if he is an A-Rank Adventurer, there is no way he could fight against such an opponent.

Such imaginations were easily overturned.

As if he could read the enemy’s next moves with perfect foresight……

Using unbelievable techniques, Rex managed to oppose the demon.

(No way! He’s stacking Arts on top of each other!?)

Arts are already perfectly complete techniques.

It was a power bestowed to everyone by God, so to speak, so using them in a different form never occurred in my mind.

It was as if the common sense I had cultivated over the past 16 years rattled and crumbled.

However, it didn’t end there.

There was an exchange of techniques I had never seen before, and an incomprehensibly sophisticated reading of each other’s moves.

Forgetting that I had said I was going to help, I just watched the battle of the heavens.

……But eventually, even I realized it.

Rex might be able to go toe-to-toe with the monsters with his superb skills, but it’s like he’s walking on thin ice, constantly balancing himself on a tightrope.

Rex’s moves certainly are outstanding.

But on the other hand, he hasn’t been able to overpower the demon even after all that fighting.

If Rex makes the wrong move even for a moment, his life could be reaped in the blink of an eye.

And yet, how……

(How can you continue facing it……!)

As the demon cowered, its spear roared, and a blow that sliced through the air easily gouged the ground.

If even one of these blows catches Rex’s body, it will easily cut him in two.

On the other hand, Rex’s full force attack only made a small wound through the demon’s skin.

Normally speaking, the outcome of this battle is clear.

Even so, from the times I saw Rex’s face, I couldn’t see any resignation at all.

He is neither frightened nor was he unable to move, and on the contrary, he seemed to be basking himself in the madness of the battle.

Rex, still being himself, was still in that despairing battle.

————–All just to protect us, a party of newcomers he has only known for a few hours!

Seeing this scene, I recognized it.

I realized it with my heart, rather than my brain.

————–If this world were a story……

————–The main Hero would definitely be someone like him……

Regardless of my inner thoughts, the mind-numbing battle continued.

As if I had returned to the days when I was absorbed in reading books about Heroes, genuinely rooting for the Hero, I keep cheering him on in my heart, telling him to do his best and not to lose.

……However……

However, I guess deep down, I never doubted his victory.

I think I believed that, as in so many stories, just like the tales of the peerless heroes, the Hero would end up defeating the villain.

[……Eh?]

That’s why, when a red light suddenly covered the demon’s body and its arm pierced Rex’s chest, my mind went blank and I couldn’t think of anything else.

When Rex slowly fell to the ground and his body stopped moving even a twitch, I finally realized it.

————–The Hero had fallen before the demon and would never get up again.

And……

[……Ah.]

My eyes met with the demon, who had removed his gaze from Rex, who had stopped moving.

At that moment, my body trembled.

Rex, who had been trying to protect us, isn’t here anymore.

We must face this terrifying monster on our own.

[……Uwaah.]

The demon, which had turned its back on Rex, now set its sights on us and approached.

Shameful it may be, my legs trembled with fear and even though I knew I had to face it, I couldn’t move my feet.

However……

[It will be alright.]

The softly whispered words came from Mana, who was standing next to me.

At that moment, just as the demon was about to step towards us. an arrow that flew from somewhere pierced the place it was about to walk to.

[That arrow!]

I immediately turned around.

There, I saw the town guards and our friend, Prana, who had gone to call for help.

※　※　※

“”

The guards and Prana, while keeping the demon in check with her arrows, joined us on horseback.

The number of guards who came was about 20 in all.

The battle was reversed, 24 against 1.

—-is what should be the case, and yet……

[This guy……]

Against a single demon, and a fully wounded one at that, none of the guards were able to do anything about it.

The demon doesn’t have that red light around it anymore, and it looked like it was on the verge of dying.

No matter how strong that demon was, if everyone in this place attacked it at once, it would have been highly likely for that to die.

But even so……

The difference in numbers isn’t enough to make up for the overwhelming difference in power that had driven them to a halt.

————–What if, being on the verge of death, it launches its final resistance toward us?

————–What if it still had a secret move that I can’t even imagine about?

Such fears kept them on their toes.

They were glaring at it.

They were just glaring at it.

The men with their weapons at the ready and the demon continued that quiet tension, and then, after a long time that felt short……

Flap!

The demon moved its wings.

[Is it going to escape?]

Someone murmured.

As if to say “These people aren’t worthy opponents”, the demon flapped its wings and was about to fly to the sky.

If we are going to defeat this demon, this would be the best opportunity to do it.

If we let it go now, this demon, healed from its wounds, will become an even stronger enemy, killing even more people.

And yet…… And yet, no one moves.

No one can move.

……No!

[————I’ll create an opening!]

While no one else was able to make a move, I found myself saying such things.

I could see my friends around me and the adult guards looking at me in surprise.

That’s reckless. That’s absurd. That’s impossible.

Such silent complaints seemed to pierce my skin.

(I know. I already know that. I’m no Hero.)

Compared to him, who was loved by the God and favored by fate, no matter how one looks at it, I’m just an average guy.

I am far from being the protagonist of a story, far from being a Hero.

With the Hero gone, only ordinary people remain.

In a story, this would have been the End, the last page of the book.

However, this isn’t a story, but reality.

The Hero may be dead, the protagonist of the story may not be here anymore, but the world continues on.

(After all, I witnessed it.)

The sight of the Hero that I used to admire back in the day.

The sight of the protagonist fearlessly standing against a powerful enemy.

(I might die here.)

It’s a bit too much to ask for an average guy like me to imitate the Hero.

However, the piece of the Hero that remained in my heart won’t allow me to run away.

After all, I just couldn’t allow it.

If that demon escaped, what he risked his life for would be in vain.

I could not allow the brilliance he had shown me to end here.

After all, I was fascinated by that battle.

I had seen before my eyes that even humans with inferior strength can fight against powerful monsters.

So this time, it’s my turn.

(Rex put his own life on the line to show us hope!)

I’m just an average guy, far from being a Hero.

However————

(————But just for this moment, I’m gonna be the Hero!!!)

Gulping down these feelings within my mind, I ran towards the demon.

(One strike! I’ll give my all with this one strike!)

Compared to Rex, who had read through and avoided dozens of attacks, this was a tiny, but too great of a challenge.

Even so, I have no intention of backing down.

[Uwooooooooooohhhhh!!!]

The demon took an intercepting posture.

Putting aside whether I succeed or fail, I stepped on the ground to leap into the gap between the demon and me, but at that moment————

————A sword sprouted from the demon’s throat.

No one could understand what happened.

Everyone was frozen.

In that moment of stillness……

The demon’s body shook and tilted at an angle.

The sword was pulled out of its throat, and as the demon fell and disappeared, a man appeared behind it.

[Told ya. “You’ve always gotta be ready for the worst-case scenario”, right?]

The familiar-looking A-Rank Adventurer brushed away the <Healing Phantom Dust> that got on my clothes, giving me a triumphant grin.

Seeing this, I felt warmth in the corner of my eyes, and I couldn’t help mumbling in my mind.

[You’re so late, Hero……]