The Hero's Mortal Enemy

The audience chamber had fallen into chaos in the blink of an eye.

Eniris, who had arrived slightly late, opened her mouth to call out to Dre the moment she learned what the king had done. But the battle erupted even faster.

The knights charged at Dre in a frenzy.

The Royal Guard.

Numbering twenty in total, the Royal Knight Order of the Entiaere Kingdom was famous for displaying strength far beyond what a small nation should possess. It was also one of the few things King Nicholas Sloth Arts Netra the Fifth could truly boast about.

Among them were four knights known for their belligerence and absolute loyalty to the current king. These were the ones now rushing toward Dre.

They had risen despite being knocked down, driven by knightly resolve to protect their lord.

And then—

Two of them lost their heads. One was torn limb from limb. The last was completely disassembled.

A storm of blood erupted. Screams followed a beat too late, slamming into the audience chamber.

Dre smiled.

Eniris had seen that smile before. She had thought it carried a purity and sense of morality unbefitting his age. But now… it was simply terrifying.

She couldn’t explain why. All she knew was that if left unchecked, something indescribable would bring total ruin.

The knight whose limbs had been severed was still alive. Dre grabbed him by the hair and dragged him across the floor until he was right in front of the king.

The king, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had been retching violently, saw his loyal knight and immediately began vomiting again. His pants were already soaked.

“H-how dare you! I-I am the king of this nation… ack!”

The noble king’s leg was shattered.

Dre seized the screaming man’s arm and yanked it with brutal force.

“A-ack! Aaaaaaaaagh! S-stop! Let go! I said let go…! Gaaaaaaaaaah!!”

Crunch.

The arm tore clean off from sheer grip strength. It was a miracle he hadn’t died from shock given the unimaginable pain.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed. Dre, clearly annoyed by the noise, smashed the knight’s face in.

The king’s body regenerated soon after. It must have been one of Dre’s skills. Realizing he was still alive, the king gasped for breath.

“Y-you bastard! So you’re afraid of killing me after all?! You’ve already done something you can never take back… urk!”

A thick rod pierced through his throat.

And then the dismemberment began.

Dismembered. Regenerated. Dismembered. Regenerated.

The other knights who couldn’t bear to watch finally stepped in, but every single one who did was sent flying and never got back up.

Before long, the only person still standing properly in the audience chamber was Eniris. Every knight had been reduced to a blood-soaked corpse.

In the audience chamber reeking of blood, Eniris could only stand there in stunned silence.

“M-mother!”

“Ah.”

Her son was reaching out to her.

The moment Eniris snapped back to her senses and reached out, Dre’s foot came down to crush the boy’s head…

“Aaaaaaaaaah!!”

Flash!

Eniris blinked rapidly.

The knights were just now getting back on their feet. The king was still vomiting. Dre was slowly closing the distance. The prince stood there with a panicked, helpless expression.

The catastrophe had not yet occurred.

Was that… an illusion? No…

Eniris possessed an exceptionally powerful and dense form of Runar. What she had just seen was a warning from her Runar—a premonition of a tragic future that could unfold if things went even slightly wrong.

She shouted.

“Lord Yeo Dre!! I will apologize for the rudeness in your stead! Please stop this at once!”

Dre glanced at her for a moment. She flinched, but quickly realized those eyes belonged to the same young man she knew. He looked somewhat troubled.

Good. If I persuade him properly, we can still resolve this peacefully.

“What nonsense! After assaulting His Majesty, you expect us to just let it go?! What are you even saying?!”

But the king’s mouth ruined everything.

Dre turned away from Eniris and closed the distance anyway. He grabbed the king by the collar.

No!

The instant she reached out, sensing the coming bloodbath, Dre’s fist slammed into the king’s face.

“Urk!”

Thud! Thwack! Crack!

The impacts were dull. For someone of Dre’s caliber, they seemed almost ordinary. Even though the king had no special training, he was enduring them. It looked like Dre was holding back.

In other words, he was still in his right mind.

But when Eniris saw his utterly expressionless face, she felt a chill of dread.

He’s holding it in for now, but if the knights attack or something acts as a trigger and he explodes…

Then the future she had just witnessed would become reality. It was a catastrophe Dre could unleash at any moment.

“Urk! Kgh! Aagh! A-aaaagh!”

Watching their king scream, the loyal knights shot to their feet. Not just them—most of the Royal Guard, proud of their title, rose as one. Among them was the man who had pretended to be a gatekeeper at the first checkpoint and played the “national treason prank” when Dre first arrived in the capital of Sers.

The situation was on the verge of exploding. Eniris shouted.

“Everyone, stop right now!!”

Her voice, infused with mana, made the knights stagger. While they were caught off guard by the usually gentle and refined queen’s outburst, Eniris commanded them with a resolute expression.

“No one is to move without my permission. Anyone who does will be punished under my authority.”

At the same time, a surge of mana erupted from her body. It was the mana of Eniris, the queen and archmage who had personally designed the palace’s defenses.

The knights hesitated.

One of them spoke with a desperate face.

“But Your Majesty the Queen…!”

She knew what he wanted to say. Dre looked like he had no intention of stopping, and it seemed like something terrible was about to happen. But Eniris knew the truth—he was holding back.

Look at him now. He was punching with an expressionless face, without using any technique, ki, or Runar. Without his skills, Dre’s body was no different from an ordinary person’s. The fact that he wasn’t applying Runar meant he had no desire to escalate the situation further.

But if someone provoked him, there was no telling when that fist would start carrying Runar again.

Eniris judged that the best course was to wait for his anger to subside.

Thud! Wham! Thud.

“Kahaak… s-someone… urk!”

Even without Runar, they were still the fists of Dre—the same man who had killed people with nothing but his bare hands back in his original world. To a king who had rarely even been injured in his entire life, it was an unbearably cruel beating.

He wasn’t just hitting the face. Every part of the body was struck evenly. The king vomited again and again. He began to piss himself in small spurts.

The king could not accept this situation… He prayed for someone—anyone—to end it quickly.

And then came the rage. Rage toward the son of a bitch who dared lay hands on him, the king.

Even through the pain, he glared up at Dre. The man’s face was… completely blank. His eyes looked at the king as if he were something utterly worthless.

The king realized Dre wasn’t truly angry yet. He was suppressing his fury, waiting for something. If he got angry on top of this, who knew what would happen.

Their eyes met.

Dre’s expression changed.

A smile. A grin filled with ecstasy, as if something inside him had been set free.

The king felt clear killing intent and, unable to hold it in, soiled himself.

And then—

A hand settled on Dre’s shoulder with a soft tap.

“That’s enough.”

“......”

“You’ve done plenty.”

It was the hero.

Nicholas had ordered him to keep Dre restrained somewhere until he could subdue him. The king wondered why he was here, but right now he was incredibly grateful.

Still, one question remained. Would that madman Dre actually listen to him?

But contrary to the king’s tension, Dre obediently lowered his fist.

“Got it.”

“Good.”

Dre stepped back and stood behind Kaits like a subordinate guarding his superior. Everyone’s eyes widened at the sight that resembled a boss and his underling.

“Your Majesty.”

Woooong.

Golden holy power instantly healed the king. As the pain faded and the situation calmed, fury began to fill his heart.

“H-how dare…”

“It seems there was a misunderstanding between us. We never considered terrorism or treason.”

“That’s not the issue anymore! Now…!”

Kaits let out a small sigh, glanced at Dre who was looking elsewhere, and smiled faintly. It wasn’t the smile of the polite, justice-driven hero who had come for their first greeting. It was the smile of someone plotting something sinister.

Facing the frozen king, Kaits spoke slowly, as if explaining to a child.

“So what do you intend to do? Dre is the one meant to sit as the Sword of Light. He is a comrade, not a subordinate. I cannot restrict his actions.”

The words “Sword of Light” sent a wave of shock through the room.

Kaits ignored the reactions around him and continued.

“If you wish to proceed, I will have no choice but to withdraw from this matter.”

“Y-you… are threatening the king… me…”

The king saw the hero’s smile and understood.

This man didn’t care whether the king lived or died. He was confident he could handle whatever consequences followed.

The king trembled.

After shaking once, he looked at Dre. Just seeing him made his body shake like a leaf. The moment Dre turned his gaze, the king quickly looked down.

“G-get out! I don’t want to see you! Get the hell out!!”

“We are grateful for Your Majesty’s magnanimous decision. Then we shall take our leave.”

Kaits bowed politely, turned with a flourish of his cloak, and walked away. Dre followed quietly behind him. Neither of them spoke.

Only Eniris hurriedly stopped him.

“Lord Yeo Dre.”

“......”

“Please. Could we speak for a moment?”

“......”

Dre looked at Kaits. Seeing his attitude of waiting for the hero’s decision, Eniris sent a pleading glance toward Kaits.

Kaits nodded.

“It is Her Majesty the Queen’s request. Of course we must comply.”

The king, still on his knees, felt even more miserable. But neither Dre nor Kaits paid him any more attention.

Shit, that was nerve-wracking.

I acted on impulse, but I just beat the shit out of the king—who’s basically my boss and Eniris’s husband. My favorability with her has probably hit rock bottom.

The place Eniris led me to was the reception room I had visited a few times before. She personally poured me tea. I hastily accepted it and shivered in the awkward atmosphere.

Fuck. That shitty king bastard.

When Her Majesty the Queen apologized, I thought I had misheard. If only that bastard had spoken to me in that same shitty tone, I would’ve stopped right there.

I don’t want to be hated by her, but it’s probably too late now.

“Lord Yeo Dre.”

“Yesh.”

My voice came out lisping because I was so nervous. How embarrassing. I want to die.

“I am truly, truly sorry about what happened. I will prepare appropriate compensation, so please quell your anger and…”

“Ah, no. The one at fault was…”

Me? No, it was the king.

But I didn’t want to be hated by Her Majesty any more than I already was. I trailed off, and the queen finished my sentence.

“It was His Majesty.”

“......Why on earth did he try to frame me with such ridiculous accusations and put a leash around my neck?”

Queen Eniris fiddled with her teacup, deep in thought. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke.

“It is presumptuous of me to claim I can read his thoughts, but…”

“......”

“He has been quite displeased with how weak the royal authority has become.”

“He has?”

Displeased with weak royal authority?

The guy who dumps all the annoying work on the queen so he can go play around?

Queen Eniris seemed to read my thoughts and gave a bitter smile.

“In one way or another, he wanted to be respected as a king. The weakness of royal power has been an issue since he was a child, long before he ascended the throne.”

“......”

“In any case, there is nothing I can say to excuse what happened today. It is all my fault. I never imagined he would do something like that behind my back…”

“......”

This was a serious situation. I really shouldn’t be thinking this, but… the dejected Queen Eniris is insanely cute. Is this woman really the mother of a son almost my age? No matter how I look at her, she looks like she’s in her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠early twenties.

Right?

“...Previously, I asked you if we could meet privately, didn’t I, Lord Yeo Dre?”

“Ah. Yes, you did.”

“That… will be difficult now.”

Queen Eniris looked lonely.

“To be honest, a large part of it was the shallow desire to build a connection with someone who will rise to great heights. But I also genuinely wanted someone I could speak with honestly. And now… all of that…”

I had no words.

No matter what, after beating up her husband, there was no way she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would want to…

???

Hey. What the fuck, you bastard?

Are you insane?! I already beat up her husband, and now you want me to sexually harass her too?! What kind of trash are you?

What kind of bullshit is that?

I’m not doing it, fuck that.

I wasn’t about to accept something forced on me so suddenly.

This fucking idiot…

.....

Fine. Accept.

?

What the fuck kind of mode name is that…

Then I felt the flow of my consciousness shift. I reached out and took Queen Eniris’s hand.

What the hell is this bastard doing?!

But… damn, her hand is so soft.

“L-Lord Yeo Dre?”

Of course she looked both startled and wary. And I… spoke in a voice that sounded like I was about to cry.

“I feel the same way.”

“Pardon?”

“All my friends and comrades are good people, but I don’t have anyone I can really talk to.”

I looked at Queen Eniris with moist eyes.

“The time when Your Majesty comforted me before… was the only moment I felt like I could speak honestly in this country.”

“Ah… that……”

She must have decided I had no sexual intentions, because the wariness in her eyes vanished. I inwardly cheered and continued.

“Of course I also want to build a relationship with you, Your Majesty. Whether it’s political or personal.”

“......”

“I needed someone to talk to. But… yes. No matter how much I was framed, I doubt you’d want to talk to someone who beat up your husband. I completely understand if you don’t want anything to do with me.”

“What? No, that’s not—”

She was flustered. This was my chance.

“Actually, now that I think about it, it was strange for someone like me to even be having conversations with someone as beautiful and wise as you, Your Majesty.”

“......”

“Earlier you said you had no knowledge of today’s events, but perhaps the suggestion to meet privately was something you regretted, and this was your way of distancing me from the royal family?”

“T-that’s not it at all! You’re reading too much into it!”

I made the most pitiful face I could at the flustered Queen Eniris. I let go of her hand and slowly stood up.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what kind of rude things I just said… I will never show my face before you again. I will make up for today’s rudeness later.”

Normally, a queen might have thought, What an easy mark, and felt relieved that the situation was resolved.

But Queen Eniris was both outstanding and soft-hearted. She grabbed my wrist as I turned to leave, hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“W-well… if Lord Yeo Dre is alright with it… um… shall we continue to meet privately? Not too frequently, but… perhaps twice a month…?”

“......”

“...Would that be… unpleasant?”

“If we meet… would it be alright if I shared my worries with you?”

“Ah. Y-yes, of course. I may not be able to solve them, but I can listen as much as you need. And if it’s something I can help with within my power, I will.”

“That’s more than enough. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

With that, I took both of her hands in mine as if deeply moved. Queen Eniris looked momentarily flustered and blushed, but soon placed her other hand over mine. She looked relieved that things had ended well.

At the same time…

The beast time was over.

Did I let go of her hand then?

Am I crazy?

I kept holding her hand until she started to feel embarrassed.

Then Mangshin said something weird.

What the hell is this bastard talking about? Did he suddenly get chuunibyou?