The Hero Runa's Awakening (6)
The day of the move. The hero party bustled about, gathering their belongings.
“Keep the weight to a minimum. Everyone, only pack what you truly need.”
“Y-yes! Understood, mister…!”
Hare nodded vigorously. Come to think of it, she probably didn’t have much to pack anyway. She had arrived with nothing but the clothes on her back. At most, she would take the books and the plain outfits I had bought her.
While I watched the hero party pack their things in the living room, someone tugged at my sleeve.
“Runa?”
“U-um… mister? What exactly is going on right now…?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? We’re packing to move.”
“M-move? Why?”
Runa’s blue eyes shimmered with confusion. Telling her about the letter now would clearly cause a scene on the train, so I decided to give her a vague excuse.
“House prices in the capital are too high.”
“Huh?”
“If we sell now, we can make a decent profit.”
“Wow, mister… you’re more practical than I thought…”
As the saying goes, everything comes down to money. It seemed Runa accepted the half-baked explanation. I hovered nearby and helped her pack.
Saten must have finished preparing; she emerged from her room carrying a small bag.
“Saten, are you all done?”
“Yes, I’m finished. Should I give this bag to the child named Hare over there?”
“…? Why would you give it to Hare?”
“Because it’s obvious. A servant should carry the bags.”
“Hare is not a servant.”
Perhaps she had mistaken Hare for a servant after seeing her help the others lately. At least Hare wasn’t nearby to hear it. Saten tilted her head at my words.
“Why not? Everyone who acts so subservient is always a servant. So shouldn’t that Hare child be one too?”
“That may be how things work in noble houses, but it’s different here. There are no strict social ranks, even if someone behaves humbly. It’s simply a matter of personality.”
“…I see. Understood.”
Saten looked displeased, but she seemed to have decided to carry her own bag.
“Also, Saten. Put on this hood. We mustn’t draw attention.”
“Hmm, is that so? Give me a black one. I won’t wear anything but black.”
Saten, who loved monochrome black. With her sharp eyes, she really did resemble a black cat. I told her to wait in the yard, and soon Runa finished preparing. She emerged from her room holding a bag in one hand and Estia’s hand in the other.
“Mister! I’m all ready! Let’s go, Estia!”
“If you stay still, Holy Water will descend. If you stay still, Holy Water will descend. If you stay still, Holy Water will descend…”
“…Mister, is something wrong with her?”
“She’ll be fine if we leave her be.”
I placed a white hood on Estia, then handed hoods to Runa and Hare as well. Once everyone was ready, I addressed the group gathered in the yard.
“Right then. Let’s go move houses.”
Our first destination was Aden Village. The final one was Henencia. As I pondered what the traces of the Demon King on the charred black page might mean, I left the house I had grown attached to.
The train station in the capital, Grancia. Five figures wearing hoods appeared. One adult and four young girls. The combination was quite unusual.
“Ahem, kids! Did you know? You have to take off your shoes to board the train! None of you knew that, right?”
“…Is that true? D-do we really have to take them off…?”
“Of course! If you board with your shoes on, the conductor will throw you out while the train is moving! For real!”
…Runa was selling nonsense again. The children who had never ridden a train might actually believe her. I wouldn’t fall for it, but I wondered about the others. I decided to watch without intervening.
“Hare, take your shoes off quick! You’ll get kicked off!”
“O-okay. Um, mister… I’m taking my shoes off…?”
“…You don’t have to ask about every little thing.”
Hare, deceived by Runa, removed her shoes. The moment a thief was tricked by the hero. Runa giggled as she watched the fooled Hare. Her next target was Saten.
“Saten! You too, take them off! You can’t wear shoes on the train!”
“Why should I take my shoes off?”
“Uh…?”
“I don’t want to.”
“B-but it’s a rule people decided on—”
“There’s no need to follow such worthless rules. They’re inefficient and primitive. The conductors can just clean the floor. There’s no reason for me to remove my shoes.”
“O-okay… Saten, you can keep your shoes on…”
Defeated, Runa’s shoulders slumped. She must have felt like she had hit a massive wall. Runa turned her gaze away. One target remained.
With a mischievous smile, she said, “Estia! If you don’t want to fall off the train, you’d better take your shoes off right now!”
“No. Must stay still. Must stay still. Must not act recklessly. Must receive Holy Water.”
“…Mister, she really is acting weird.”
“Just leave her alone.”
“…Yes.”
Runa turned away dejectedly. Estia was working so hard to obtain Holy Water. It wouldn’t do to interfere. Like a parrot, Estia kept repeating the same words. While watching her, the magic-stone-powered train—the magic train—arrived at the platform.
“Before we board, Hare.”
“Yes, mister…?”
“Put your shoes back on. Runa was lying.”
“Runa… was lying…?”
A chill ran through the air. Hare shot Runa an icy glare. The life seemed to drain from her eyes. Runa quickly shouted, “Sorry! I-it was just a joke!” and dashed onto the train.
It might have looked harmonious on the surface, but in reality, two had been kidnapped and two were being raised. A very strange situation indeed.
“Everyone, board the train. And try not to cause a commotion inside.”
“Yes!”
“O-okay, mister…!”
Only two answered. And so we boarded the train. Inside, a nauseating lingering scent greeted us.
‘Not today… it must have been up until yesterday…’
The stench of the Grimoire bastards hung thick in the air.
The move was not today, but yesterday.
Fortunately, nothing major happened on the train. Saten and Hare pressed their faces to the window, absorbed in the passing scenery. Estia kept her head down, muttering in a small voice. And Runa, who had been the most excited before boarding…
“Ugh… ughhh… uwaa… aaah… save meee…”
She had fallen asleep with her head on my shoulder, seemingly trapped in a nightmare.
Our compartment was a private room, so we didn’t have to worry about other passengers’ stares. Hare, who had been enjoying the view, looked at me with concern.
“M-mister… your shoulder must hurt… Should I sit next to Runa instead…?”
“No, it’s fine. There’s no need.”
“…Really? If you say so… Okay… But if it starts hurting, please tell me… I’ll take responsibility for Runa…”
Before turning away, Hare glanced at Runa once more, then focused on the scenery outside again. Vast grasslands unfolded as the magic train sped along. Before long, it arrived at Aden Village.
“Everyone, don’t forget your luggage.”
“Y-yes!”
“Okay.”
The two who answered. Just as I was about to wake Runa, who was still asleep—
“Uwaaaack—!! I-it’s a nightmare—!!”
She woke up screaming on her own. She touched her cheek as if something felt off. She looked completely out of it.
“H-huh…? W-was it a dream…? Or not…?”
“Runa, wake up. We’ve arrived at Aden Village.”
“A-Aden Village?! Wait, are we moving to Aden Village?!”
“That’s not it. Read this slowly once we get off the train.”
“Huh? This is a letter from my family?! Why are you giving it to me now?!”
The moment we stepped off the train, I handed Runa the letter. At first she was delighted, thinking it was from her family. But after reading the single sentence, her expression hardened instantly.
“M-mister… Don’t tell me this is…”
“Exactly as you suspect. The knight order conducted an investigation. It seems your parents realized you’re not with the order.”
“W-what…? T-that can’t be…?! I-I never wanted to make them worry…”
Runa’s head drooped. Was the hero really hanging her head for such a reason? How pathetic, I thought.
“Then we simply make sure they don’t worry.”
“How?! They already know everything!!”
“Cleverly conceal the information. Mix lies into the truth.”
“What? What does that even mean?”
Hare seemed to grasp the meaning. She muttered to herself, “Mix lies into the truth…”
‘Runa, who has lived so honestly, doesn’t understand it.’
While giving Runa time to think, we left the station and arrived at a small lodging in Aden Village. We rented a large family room that could fit five people. After roughly unpacking, I spoke to Runa.
“Did you understand what I meant?”
“No! If you say it so vaguely I won’t get it!”
“…Runa, mister’s words aren’t vague. Watch your tone. It’s you who didn’t understand…”
“Tch, fine…”
It was only natural she wouldn’t understand. So I decided to show her what I meant and took only her outside.
“Tell your family the truth—that you weren’t kidnapped, but are living as an adventurer.”
“…An adventurer?”
“Yes. That way they’ll accept the source of the money.”
“But adventurers are dangerous. They’ll still worry…”
“No, it’ll be fine since I’m with you. Just introduce me as your comrade, not a kidnapper.”
“Ah—!!”
Runa let out a gasp of realization. She finally understood. She clapped her hands together and shouted.
“Mister! You’re a total genius… Wait, no! I-I thought of that too! You just said it ten seconds faster! I definitely didn’t agree with your idea!”
“…”
Whatever. I ignored Runa’s words and started walking toward her house. The address was written in the letter, so finding it was easy.
“Ah! Wait for me…!! If I get separated from you I’ll really die…! Please wait…!!”
Thud thud thud— Runa ran after me frantically, as if she couldn’t bear to be apart. I chuckled at the sight, but as we walked further, the smile gradually faded from my face.
The stench of the Grimoire was growing much stronger.
‘This direction leads to Runa’s house…’
…I prayed it wasn’t what I was thinking.
As we walked along the path lined with farms, I checked the sky. The closer we got to Runa’s house, the more black clouds gathered.
“Huh, is it going to rain? The clouds appeared so suddenly?”
“…”
Without a word, I quickened my pace toward Runa’s house. A single house stood alone on the distant meadow. Its exterior looked fine, but the stench of the Grimoire wafted from within. I placed my hand on the doorknob.
“Runa.”
“Yes?”
“Turn around.”
“Huh? What do you—”
“I won’t repeat myself. Turn around.”
“Y-yes!”
Runa immediately turned her back. …Please, let nothing have happened. Even though I already knew that was impossible, I opened the door to Runa’s house.
The place reeked of blood. Among several Grimoire believers, one figure radiated especially thick demonic energy. That must be the Demon King. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the one I was looking for.
“Runa.”
“What is it? Why do you keep doing that, mister!”
“…Even if you hear strange noises, run away immediately.”
“Run away…? What are you—”
Runa eventually turned around. She saw the horrific scene behind me.
The brutally murdered bodies of her family. The mercilessly destroyed interior of the house. All of it reflected in her blue eyes. Unable to accept reality, Runa fell to her knees and screamed.
“N-no… T-this can’t be… This can’t… Aaaah…!! D-dad—!! M-mom—!!”
“…”
Thud— I wanted to comfort Runa as she burst into tears. But the gaze from inside was far too intense. It felt like a threat, demanding I come in right now.
To Runa, who was trembling and shouting that it wasn’t true, I said firmly, “Leave, Runa. This is no place for you.”
The hero must survive. Therefore, I had to choose.
[The World Is Not Equal]
1. Hand the hero over to the Grimoire and escape.
2. Fight the Demon King to buy the hero time to escape.
“There’s no need to see the future of choice one.”
For the battles that would come later, I had to see the future of choice two. The answer sheet burning with black flames unfolded before my eyes.
…The Grimoire grunts were easy to deal with, but the Demon King was not. Even for me, defeating a Demon King was difficult. So I chose.
‘I can’t run, and I can’t win. As you know, our skills are about equal.’
If you have no intention of backing down, then we’ll both have to die.
In the end, I fought the Demon King and lost my life. Since he wasn’t killed by the Holy Sword, he would resurrect in a hundred years… but I would not.
Yet even after my death, the answer sheet strangely did not end there. Countless pages remained.
‘So this isn’t the end…’
Future me muttered those words and closed the page of life.
…
“So it ends up like this after all.”
I chose number two. Meeting the Demon King’s gaze, I stepped into the house. Then I tried to close the door so Runa wouldn’t see. After leaving her one last message.
“Runa, when you open your eyes, explain the situation to me in detail.”
Because this wouldn’t be the end.
Bang— I slammed the door shut and stared at the man sitting on a chair, stepping over the corpses of Runa’s family. A handsome man with red hair and no horns, looking no different from an ordinary person. He asked me with a mocking smile.
“Nice to meet you, Goddess’s dog. You obviously know who I am, right?”
“…The Demon King of Greed, Grid. You’re the only one looking for the hero party, so you must be Grid.”
Grid smirked and answered.
“Correct. Looking at you now, you’re quite tempting too, Goddess’s dog. So here’s the thing…”
Wouldn’t you offer me your life? I want you.
The Demon King of Greed, Grid. He shouted at me with eyes drenched in greed. There was only one thing I could give to such a greedy bastard.
“Go fuck yourself.”
Along with the sound of Runa’s sobs from outside, the battle with the Demon King began.