The Hero Diana (1)
My memories of early childhood are hazy at best. Most of them have faded away, leaving only fragments behind. What remains is the simple knowledge that Dad struggled in every possible way to raise me on his own.
He was an ordinary mercenary, well past his prime, his body already worn and weakened, yet he still took on the burden of raising me. No matter how difficult things got, he gave me everything I ever wanted. Even when he was injured, he kept taking jobs just to put food on the table for me.
I never had a mother, not even when I was very young. I don't remember much from that time, but the complete absence of any memory of a mother makes me believe she was never there to begin with.
"Look at her! It's the girl with no mom!"
"They say her mother didn't even die in childbirth! The mercenary Paul just brought her home one day!"
"Wait, really? That old wreck of a mercenary? No way he gave birth to her! So she's a motherless girl~. Daddy just picked her up off the street~."
"She's the kid who got abandoned by her real parents and taken in by some random mercenary bum~."
"That's not true! I'm not a picked-up kid! He's my real dad!"
Because of that, I was always the one the other children teased and pushed aside.
In this world, it was always the men who died—dragged off to wars or dangerous labor, never to return. The village was full of children without fathers, but I was the only one without a mother.
Maybe that was why I became the target. Being the sole exception made me an easy mark for their cruelty. I was never fully accepted into their groups.
Looking back now as an adult, I can see it was partly my own fault. If I had handled things differently, maybe it wouldn't have gone that far. But to think I did something so horrible to Dad over a matter like that...
"...Dad."
"Aigoo, my pretty little princess. Did you have fun playing with your friends? Here—Dad bought a brand-new ribbon that our princess loves. Let's put it on you. Oh, how beautiful you are."
"...Dad, who is my mom?"
"Hm? Why are you suddenly asking about your mom?"
"Why am I the only one without a mother? Everyone else has one!"
"Diana. We agreed not to talk about that..."
"Or maybe... maybe I really was someone you just picked up? Was I abandoned by my real parents and you found me?"
"That's not true, Diana. I am your real father. You were never abandoned. You were never picked up."
"Then why! Why won't you tell me about Mom? You're not my dad at all! I hate you!"
With those words, I burst out of the house and never went back.
I was around twelve years old.
Thinking about it now, I can't believe I did something so stupid. Running away from home over the mere mention of a mother. Abandoning the father who had sacrificed everything for me. Driving a nail so deep into his heart...
It became the greatest regret of my life.
In that particular loop, anyway.
A twelve-year-old girl with nothing, standing alone on the streets. It wouldn't have been strange if I'd been sold into slavery or kidnapped and subjected to unspeakable things.
Fortunately, after wandering blindly through the forest, I encountered a kind mercenary band.
"Little one, are you lost?"
"It's dangerous for a young lady to wander around by herself, you know."
The Blossom Mercenary Company.
They took me in despite my weakness and lack of anything to offer. I pretended to be an orphan who'd lost her parents and taken to a life of wandering. They accepted the story without question, teaching me everything they knew and raising me into a formidable mercenary.
Then, one day after I'd become a proper mercenary working alongside them, the Demon King descended.
Countless lives were wiped out. Countless people suffered unimaginable pain.
But whenever the Demon King appeared, the gods would choose a hero. It was the eternal cycle of good and evil that had repeated for thousands of years.
"That sword chooses the hero?"
"That's what they say. It's the holy sword bestowed by the gods. Whoever can draw it receives divine selection and becomes the hero who defeats the Demon King."
"Interesting."
"Let's give it a shot too! Who knows? Maybe one of us from Blossom will be the chosen one."
The imperial capital was packed with people hoping to be selected as the hero. The empire's strongest knight. The Sword Saint who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts. The Mercenary King whose campaigns had never known defeat.
Yet none of them could pull the holy sword. None received the gods' blessing.
After that, everyone was given one chance to touch it. Few were foolish enough to try again after failing—divine punishment could leave you crippled or dead.
Most people made their attempt, including our Blossom Mercenary Company.
"Aigo, not me either, as expected. Alright, last up is our youngest. Give it a try."
"Come on, it's not like it'll work for me..."
Schwing.
"What? No way!"
"Huh?!"
"The youngest pulled it!!"
Chosen by the holy sword, I was immediately taken away and declared the hero. I parted ways with the Blossom Company and became the central figure in the allied hero party formed by the empire, various kingdoms, and the Holy Nation to face the Demon King.
The Saint from the Holy Nation. The Archmage of the eighth circle. The Mercenary King, strongest among all who had ever carried a blade. The Sword Saint unmatched in swordsmanship. The empire's greatest knight.
Though I had some real combat experience, I was still a fledgling. They trained me relentlessly.
After a year, having absorbed the holy sword's power and awakened all my latent potential, I became the strongest being on the continent.
That was when Dad found me.
He must have searched the entire continent. His already frail body, long past its prime, had grown even thinner, covered in wounds and tattered rags.
"...Diana. I finally found you. Do you know how long I've been searching?"
"...You're not my father anymore. Leave. I am the hero who will save this world. You're no longer in a position to speak to me so casually. If you don't leave, I'll call the guards. Get out. Now."
"......I'm sorry, my daughter. No—forgive me, Hero. I have overstepped. Please excuse this old fool. I'll leave at once."
With those words, Dad shuffled away, shoulders slumped.
Why did I act that way? Why did I drive away the man who had sacrificed everything to find me with such cold cruelty?
The truth was, I wanted to apologize. I wanted to tell him I knew how much he had given up for me. That I liked him—loved him—more than anyone else in this world. That not a single day had passed since I left home without thinking of him.
But when I stood before him, the words wouldn't come.
An hour after he left, the weight of my foolishness crashed down on me. I ran outside to find him, but he was already gone. No matter where I looked, I couldn't find him.
"Hero! Urgent report! The Demon King's forces have begun their march!"
The Demon King's army—at a time like this!
I decided to deal with them first, then find Dad and apologize properly. So I marched with my party, slaughtering demons by the thousands.
After repelling several invasions, we switched to the offensive and pushed into demon territory.
I tried to slip away to search for Dad, but...
"Hero, if you don't act now, the chance may never come again."
"Will you abandon the future of all humanity?"
"You can look for your father later."
I couldn't refuse them.
We cut down legion commanders and the Four Heavenly Kings as we advanced. In the end, we succeeded in slaying the Demon King.
With our mission complete, we returned to the imperial capital in triumph. The entire city had become one massive festival.
Once the celebrations ended, I planned to find Dad, confess my feelings, and beg for forgiveness.
During the festival, my old connections from the Blossom Mercenary Company came to visit.
"It's all right to let them in. We're close."
"Wow, our youngest! Look at you now!"
"Where did the little girl we raised go? You've become someone important."
We ate and drank together, sharing stories and laughter.
Then my mana suddenly froze in my veins.
"What's wrong? Your body seems... off?"
"What did you put in the food...? This can't be. Why would you—"
The guards had collapsed too, having eaten the same poisoned dishes.
"We don't have any personal grudge. Some people who wanted the hero who killed the Demon King to disappear simply hired us."
"Even so... you aren't the kind of people who would betray their comrades..."
"Oh dear, how touching. You really trusted us that much? We were planning to sell you from the beginning. If you hadn't been chosen as the hero right before we could, well... Still, you've left us quite the jackpot by becoming this famous."
Were these truly the people I thought I knew?
I must have been wrong about them all along.
I had finally been ready to apologize to Dad...
I'm sorry, Dad...
As they raised their blades to finish me, Dad appeared.
With his aged, broken body, he fought them all. He managed to defeat every last one of them, but the wounds he sustained were fatal.
"Ugh... sob... see? I-I'm sorry... I was the one who abandoned you, Dad..."
"It's all right, Diana. Dad loves his princess more than anything... You don't need to apologize. *Cough.* It seems my time is almost up. You must live happily, our Diana..."
Dad...
I slaughtered everyone who had orchestrated my death. My party members helped me. Dukes, kings, the pope, even the emperor—none were spared.
But Dad never came back.
I clutched the holy sword and prayed.
Please. Please bring back my poor father.
I cried and prayed until exhaustion claimed me. When I finally opened my eyes again...
"Sister. Who are you? You're suuuper pretty."
There, in front of me, stood a young Dad.