Hero
Hero
However, Eldmia Ega was always a man who found answers.
It was only after the second lunch period at the academy that I finally found the freedom I so desperately craved.
Rest easy knowing that within a single day, the fairy-tale knight Eldmia handled every female student who was aggressively pursuing him!
"You... you weren't just dragged around high society while you were at the Ogatorf household, were you?"
"Why the hell would I go somewhere like that? My life's already hard enough as it is."
My fantastical eloquence and artful flattery were so utterly perfect that even Ragnis, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but marvel, applaud, and smile. Of course, I wasn't unaware that this was merely the first line of defense, but still, my attitude was like an impregnable fortress, so all the half-hearted students would have been shaken off. It wouldn't be as bad as today going forward.
But the moment Ragnis stepped away, saying she had business to attend to as the Margrave, entirely different beings began to harass me.
"Sir Eldmia. I desperately wish to cross swords with you, just once."
They were the swordsmanship fanatics who had become even more obsessed with their fairy-tale knight. At first, I wondered why people who'd been grinding their teeth because they couldn't beat the Hero were now swarming me so eagerly. Unexpectedly, Siegfried, eating his school lunch right in front of me, gave me something close to an answer.
"Those guys get nothing but a sense of self-loathing if they spar with me, but they believe they can actually learn technique from you."
"Technique?"
"Isn't it obvious? Unless there are two Heroes on the continent, you're just one of countless people who aren't the Hero. So it's only natural they'd think they could learn something from you."
And in truth, that was mostly me relying on Magic Power.
The techniques I had were nothing more than the abbreviated elf swordsmanship I'd learned from Asilie and the Ogatorf swordsmanship I'd picked up in less than two years. Even if I learned fast and absorbed more than others who spent the same amount of time, I hadn't learned some secret art. I was in no position to give them the enlightenment they sought, but since I also couldn't go around advertising that I used Magic Power, it looked like this suffering would continue until the day I returned to the Kingdom.
Lately, it felt like nothing but exhausting shit kept piling up.
"And that's exactly why I'm making such a huge contribution by clearing these pesky flies away for you. I saw all of this coming."
The words Siegfried spat out, looking perfectly fresh as if he had no hangover despite being totally wasted, were infuriating yet not exactly wrong. The absolute majority of these extreme sparring fanatics were beyond reasoning, yet the moment Siegfried showed his face, they magically backed off, just watching their chances and giving up on approaching.
Even right now, in the corner of this dining hall, a whole table was packed with bastards itching to approach the second Siegfried disappeared, their eyes burning with fervor.
The Hero's performance was damn reliable.
"Just how viciously did you treat them for it to be as effective as insect repellent?"
"You little shit, did you just call me insect repellent?"
Even as he said that, Siegfried was nothing but cheerful.
"I came over because you looked like you'd be floundering, partly to help you out and partly to warn you before you got roped into something weird. Keep mouthing off and the useful information goes away."
"Aren't you overlooking the fact that I'm just one attendant of a noble who's returning to the kingdom in six days?"
Info, my ass. I wasn't even going to live here, so how important could that crap possibly be?
But even at my lukewarm response, Siegfried just smiled leisurely.
"The important thing is that absolutely nobody is overlooking that, you punk. You and the Margrave are in a situation where you were called here because of me. But do you really think the Empire would have summoned you assuming I'd lose?"
"Well... no, they wouldn't."
If they'd assumed that, it wouldn't just be a matter of knowing about me—it'd be a level of precognition that sees the future. Even I hadn't known I could beat the Hero fair and square, so how could they have predicted that?
"Of course not. From the moment they brought me here, the Empire has spent a long time laying the groundwork under the pretext of education... mm. Making plans. Not only to show me off and reinforce the Empire's position, but to secure new interests after the Demon King is defeated."
"That smells like a seriously long preamble. Is this story actually related to the info you're planning to give me today? Because it doesn't sound like it."
"That's because I've worked hard at it, you punk. Just listen."
Continuing to eat his meal bit by bit, Siegfried casually ignored my jab and went on.
"The first step of that plan went to shit when I didn't do what the Empire wanted, but do you think an entity as massive as the Empire would end it there? As a backup plan, they aimed to use diplomatic issues as an excuse to put shackles on me this time."
"And you just rammed into me knowing that?"
"Of course, you little shit. I was confident I could end the spar while holding back properly, and I was also confident I could keep things from escalating into the diplomatic problem they wanted."
Even if he looked like an 18-year-old, Siegfried was a Reincarnator too. Naturally, he wasn't so easy to manipulate with a plan built on the assumption that he was some thoughtless kid.
"But unintentionally, by losing to you, I managed to shit all over the Empire's backup plan too. And this is on a completely different level than me just screwing things up by not biting the bait they dangled."
The Hero's fork pointed calmly at me. I hadn't believed that beating the Hero—the one ordained to save the world—in a spar would bring no change to my life, but hearing it from someone else's mouth gave me a peculiar feeling.
"A day is a fucking long time for nobles, Eldmia. A really fucking long time. They're already targeting you, too."
"......Isn't that a bit too enthusiastic, just because I won one spar against a Hero who's still in the middle of growing?"
"You're severely underestimating my skill and your own, you know that?"
Muttering something like "where the hell did this guy pop out from," Siegfried bared his teeth in a grin.
"What's the point of explaining it? Just accept it. With that one spar, you sent your market value straight through the roof... ah, damn it. You raised it. Raised it in an instant."
In other words, I had to be much more careful, and life had just become more troublesome. As Siegfried muttered that, there even seemed to be a faint trace of sympathy on his face.
"But is that really something to be so wary of?"
"Huh?"
Honestly, I figured any country would act similarly if they could get their hands on a joker like the Hero. But Siegfried seemed to have a weird animosity toward the Empire. They didn't seem to be mistreating him or forcibly restricting his actions, so why?
Having lived in the kingdom for a full 15 years, I could say this with confidence. The Empire was the Empire. It was a nation so developed it casually chewed up and devoured other countries in every aspect. At the academy, they spoke of equality and worked hard to recruit talent, and they even mobilized staggering technological prowess.
The gap was so clear that, if the treatment was ultimately similar anywhere, there was no reason to deliberately kick the Empire away. If I exaggerated a little, while other places were stuck in the Middle Ages, at least the capital here was close to modern levels.
Objectively speaking, if an empire like that wanted to recruit me, it would be an occasion to welcome with open arms, and even that wouldn't be enough.
"Honestly, I don't know about other nations, but compared to the kingdom, the Empire's civilization is insanely superior. If the Empire offered you a position, wouldn't you normally accept it?"
"Jeez... This is a bit of an awkward thing to talk about, so I can't tell you yet. But for now, just because the result looks good doesn't mean you should think the process was good. There's a reason I treat this place like shit, too."
I thought life was pretty much the same wherever you went, though. I guess I needed to grind more affection points before I could unlock Siegfried's secrets.
"Seeing as you say 'yet,' you think there'll be a chance to talk about it someday?"
"Probably? My gut feeling about this stuff is pretty accurate. You've got the kind of face I'll be seeing for a long time."
"What the hell is that creepy..."
"I'm telling you, it's real. Even if you go back in six days, you and I are going to see each other a ridiculous amount. I've got a feeling."
I was a Reincarnator too, so seeing a fellow countryman I'd met after 15 years often wouldn't be a bad thing, but how could he be so sure without even knowing that?
...Did he really have a gut feeling?
"Is that gut feeling why you're telling me all this?"
"Yeah. Do you think it’s common for me to leave my women behind just to meet some guy? I’m only here because I’m looking out for my little brother."
Now he was treating me like a younger brother, as if we'd actually sworn brotherhood.
Even while talking the most, Siegfried had already finished his entire meal. Wait, I'd been eating while listening, and I hadn't even finished half of mine?
"When the hell did you even finish eating?"
"I've always been a fast eater. Because of some shitty experiences."
The bastard. Was he a veteran? I couldn't fix my fast-eating habit in my past life either.
Siegfried brushed himself off and stood up as if he'd said all he needed to, lightly rolling his neck as he wrapped up the conversation.
"Anyway, that was the most important part of what I wanted to say. As for the rest... starting today, tourists from other nations will start showing up to see me, just like you guys did, so things will get a bit complicated."
"I'm actually more curious about what you just told me. Weren't we the only ones coming?"
"I told you. Me losing to you wasn't part of the plan. They wanted to show me off to more countries and create lots of chances for me to slip up. You guys are just receiving special treatment among them. Well, I'm not entirely sure what they're aiming for with that special treatment, either."
As if talking about something completely unrelated to him, Siegfried finished speaking with an amused laugh.
"At the very least, one thing's for sure: it's not just the Margrave caught in their schemes now, but you too. The envoys from other countries probably already know and will be coming."
Fuck.
If that bastard had just been a little less of a dick, this could've all ended with me just losing on purpose.