The Forgotten Hero Kyle, The New Hero Damian
A full month had already passed since the Hero Kyle died.
"Hey, you hear the rumor? About the new Hero."
"Damian, right? Youngest Hero on record, from what I hear."
"And you know who his master is? The hero Yuli himself!"
"Y-you're serious!?"
"I'm telling you! That's why everyone's pinning so much hope on this one."
The citizens spoke with eyes full of longing and hope. Among them, not a single soul still remembered the Hero Kyle. He was nothing more than a great traitor who had betrayed humanity and taken his own life. All the Empire talked about now was the new Hero Damian—and the hero Yuli, appointed by the Emperor himself.
"More than that, I hear the Hero's joining the Demon King subjugation force Yuli's leading this time."
"Hell yeah! Then this is it for the Demon King's army!"
"Damn right! Peace's finally coming to the Empire. Hahaha!"
Hero Yuli and Hero Damian's Demon King subjugation force. The news had the people of the Empire more excited than ever—as if they had already defeated the Demon King. In the span of a single month, the people had already forgotten Kyle and were welcoming their new heroes.
And Kyle's former companions were no exception.
He had had five companions, but of them all, the one most shattered by his death was without question the Knight Commander, Jain. After all, she had witnessed his hanged corpse with her own eyes on the day he took his life. That shock had driven itself deep into her mind like a trauma she would never forget.
"Hic… sob… Kyle. Kyle…"
After he died, she had shut herself in her room, drowning in despair. Curled up in a corner, she repeated only his name—and every emotion imaginable was packed into that single word. Longing. Regret. Self-reproach. And the sheer horror of having seen the body of the person she loved.
Every night when she slept, he appeared in her dreams. Hanging by the neck. Squeaking and swaying right before her eyes. Day by day, she was wasting away.
"Kyle… Ky… le…"
All she could do was rasp his name over and over. She ignored her subordinates' pleas to come out of the room. She ignored even the Emperor's order to return to duty. She looked no different from a condemned prisoner waiting for the gallows—barely eating, never washing, barely sleeping.
…At least, until a week ago.
"Hmm, hm-hmm. Hmm♪"
Jain hummed to herself at her vanity, dressing up. That broken woman was nowhere to be found. Her hair was neatly arranged, she had changed into a pretty dress, and her face was full of life. There was no comparing her to the living corpse she had been only a week before.
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped on her door.
"May I come in for a moment?"
A familiar voice. Jain knew who it was without looking. It was Damian—the one she had been waiting for all this time. She hurriedly put away her cosmetics, composed her voice, and answered.
"C-come in."
For nearly a month, Jain had allowed no one into her room. Yet now the door that had stayed locked even against imperial decree opened with almost absurd ease. Or rather—it opened for him alone.
"Excuse me."
With that, the Hero Damian stepped inside. He offered her a warm smile and a greeting.
"Lady Jain. Have you been well?"
"Mm. You too, Damian?"
"Same as always, really. Trained with Master Yuli from first thing this morning—my arms are so dead I can barely lift them. Look."
He deliberately flopped his arms around like limp noodles. Jain giggled at the little performance.
"Hehe. What is that."
She laughed shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear like a girl in the thrall of first love. In her, there was no longer any trace of the woman who had pined for Kyle.
"Want to sit for a bit? I'll make some tea."
"Ah—thank you."
Damian sat in a nearby chair and waited. Watching him, Jain briefly lost herself. Framed by the blue sky beyond the window, his hair stirring in the breeze, he looked to her like a work of art. Simply being with him had already become a happy part of her everyday life.
This is all thanks to Damian, isn't it…
She truly believed it.
Until a week ago, she had still been locked in that room. Then one day, while she was still grieving Kyle's death and blaming herself, Damian had come to her door.
"Lady Jain! I'm Damian, the newly chosen 183rd Hero! If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you open the door for a moment?"
A new Hero? Had they already chosen one when Kyle had been dead less than a month? Jain bit her lip in fury. It felt as if everyone had already forgotten him, and she couldn't stand it.
"Get lost while I'm still being nice."
She had spat the words at him like a lash. But the answer that came back was nothing she expected.
"Then I'll stay right here until you open it."
And he did. He talked to her through the door the entire day. No matter how much she cursed him, no matter how many times she told him to leave, he would not go. The next day, half out of curiosity, she opened the door—and found him asleep, leaning against it.
"Haha. You finally opened it."
"W-why would you go that far…"
"I've admired you for a long time, Lady Jain."
For a reason that small? Yet he smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"So please don't misunderstand. This isn't an imperial order, and it isn't my master's command. I'm here simply because I want to be."
"Ah…"
That smile was brighter than the sunlight outside her window, and it swept the darkness from her heart clean away. From that day on, Jain met Damian every day. The mere sound of footsteps in the corridor set her heart racing; a knock at the door was enough to make her flutter. Before she knew it, she no longer thought of Kyle at all.
"Here. It's hot, so drink slowly."
"Thank you, Lady Jain."
She served him the fine kingdom-blend tea she had stocked specially for his visits. When he took a sip and said it was delicious, she felt the effort of hunting it down had been worth it. The two of them sat for a long while, drinking tea and trading idle talk.
"By the way, Lady Jain—you've been eating properly lately, right?"
"Mm."
"And sleeping well? You're not still staying up late, are you?"
"Honestly, would you stop treating me like a child? I'm the senior here!"
"Ahaha, sorry. I couldn't help myself."
"Hehe. Really."
In truth, ever since he started coming, she had been eating three meals a day, bathing every day, and sleeping soundly through the night. The dark circles under her eyes had vanished without her noticing. She no longer dreamed of Kyle.
"Well then, I should be going. The tea was lovely."
Having finished his cup, Damian rose from his seat. Had time already slipped by so quickly? Jain felt only reluctance.
"You're leaving already?"
"Yes. I have someone I'm supposed to meet after this."
At those words, Jain's brow twitched. There were rivals competing for Damian even now—and among them were her own former companions. She did not want this chance alone with him stolen away.
"W-wait a second!"
"Yes?"
"Actually… there's something I wanted advice on."
"Huh? Is something wrong?"
"Uh? Y-yes! That is, well, you see…"
What was she supposed to say? There was nothing she actually needed advice about. Ever since she started seeing Damian, every day had been happy. If anything, being too happy was the only problem worth fretting over. But she still didn't want to send him away. She wanted even a little more time together.
In the end, Jain spoke a name she had not uttered in some time.
"Th-the truth is… I couldn't sleep properly last night. I dreamed of Kyle again."
Tears sprang to her eyes in an instant. Of course, every one of them was calculated. Damian, who had no way of knowing that, only looked at her with pity.
"I guess I still haven't gotten over it."
"Lady Jain…"
"Hehe. Pretty pathetic, right? Showing a junior a weak side like this…"
The death of a former companion. Worse—the suicide of the leader she had trusted and followed, witnessed with her own eyes. Jain was brandishing that tragic heroine's card now, holding Damian's attention fast. And the effect was tremendous.
Suddenly, Damian pulled her into his arms.
"Wha!?"
Jain let out a happy little cry at a harvest she had never even imagined. Her heart nearly stopped. Damian held her and stroked her back, murmuring comfort.
"Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault, Lady Jain."
"B-but I… I really never thought Kyle would end up like that. If I'd only noticed a little sooner…"
Even as she said it, she pressed herself deeper into his embrace.
"I'm scared. Scared I'll lose you too…"
"Don't worry. I will never leave your side, Lady Jain."
"Really?"
"Of course. Absolutely."
"Then… will you stay with me a little longer? Even just a little."
Damian hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He would have to properly apologize to the person he was supposed to meet later. Thinking that, he held the woman leaning against him and soothed her.
At the clock tower in the Empire's central square, Emilia was waiting for the person she had arranged to meet. She was dressed to the nines, for all the world like a girl on a date. But no matter how much time passed, her appointment never arrived.
"…Hah. Would you look at that bitch Jain?"