A Hero No Longer Needed
What she had been born with was beyond denial.
She was strong. She was capable. What she could do, she did—and even what she couldn't, she could force her way through if she truly had to.
Olivia Reinhardt was a genius, and she knew it well enough herself. She had worked hard, yes—but no amount of matching effort would have let anyone else climb to where she stood. That endless, almost venomous drive to claw her way higher was, in her view, a talent of its own. Whether it was the kind of gift that detonated in a single instant or the kind that ripened with time, she couldn't say.
"You're going to cook?"
"Yes. Leave it to us. You must be exhausted, Hero—body and soul."
"Not particularly, no."
At first, Lois had been in charge of the cooking. After they banished him, there was no designated cook. Olivia had decided that wouldn't do, so she learned in a hurry, got herself to the point where she could put together something decent, and taught the others as well. She may have been a touch harsh about it. Still, thanks to that, they could all manage well enough. Cooking had been done on rotation, but Olivia was the fastest, the most precise, and simply the best at it, so depending on her mood, she often just took over for the day.
"Hm."
Even so, Olivia hesitated.
Watching other people fumble at something she could do herself was irritating. It was simply more comfortable to do it herself. Leaving things to others made her anxious, so doing it herself was better.
But the Demon King was already dead, and they had left the Monster Realm behind them. They had been in human territory for some time now.
Well. I suppose they want to feel useful.
It wasn't a kind thing to think, but aside from Olivia, they were all supporters. Maybe they just wanted the satisfaction of doing something. And for all her complaints, she had grown fond of these companions she'd traveled with for so long.
One was a man designated the Sage of the current age. The second, a woman designated the Saintess of the current age. The third, the daughter of Titania, Queen of the Elves. All of them were of excellent standing. As a Hero's party, there was nothing lacking. They were easy on the eyes, too, and each of them had worked to give the people something to call hope. They'd also been the ones to clean up after the incidents Olivia caused.
"All right. I'll leave it to you."
"Thank you. It may not match yours, Hero, but we'll make you something delicious."
"I've eaten your cooking until I was sick of it, but... I'll look forward to something new, I suppose. I'll keep watch on the perimeter. Cook in peace."
"Ah, yes... Thank you, Hero."
"Be careful."
"Me? Careful? We're not in the Monster Realm. This is human territory."
"Ah, that isn't what I meant..."
"Heh. I'm kidding. Kidding. No confidence to the very end, huh? You followed me on this adventure—that alone should be enough to give you some."
"Mm."
With that, Olivia put a little distance between them and kept watch on their surroundings. This was human territory, so nothing truly terrifying was likely to appear—but the unexpected always struck in the moment you let your guard down. There could still be monsters that hadn't made it back to the Monster Realm, or ones that had slipped in unseen. Olivia could handle herself. But if her companions were ambushed, they might not react in time.
The wind blew.
So this is what it feels like to have room to breathe.
Now that the Demon King was dead, she felt the faintest trace of ease. But she couldn't allow it. It was as if someone were whispering in her ear.
She had to remain the perfect Hero. Save more people. Give them hope.
"...I am the Hero."
She was the Hero. She had been born a Hero, raised a Hero, and she had to die a Hero.
In that final moment, facing the Demon King—what had Olivia been hoping for? Dying as a Hero had always seemed so difficult that she'd thought that would be the best time for it. And yet it had ended like this. She had survived.
Then she would spend the rest of her life saving people. It might be a Hero's life stretched far too long—but Olivia could do it. She had the strength. She had the talent. And the wish to save people was not a lie. She was certain of that. The Hero's Stigma had descended upon her because she was the strongest, and because she was the one who suited the role.
The journey to slay the Demon King is over. Once the kingdom looks reasonably stable, I should check on the other nations as well. I killed the Demon King, but there are still Demon King Army Cadre we never caught—and it's not as if every monster in the world vanishes just because he's dead.
The perfect Hero. Perfectly.
"Hero."
"...Ah. Sorry."
"No, no. The Hero, of all people, zoning out... I feel as though I've witnessed something rare."
"Even I can let the tension slip a little after killing the Demon King, apparently. Is the food ready?"
"Yes."
"...What's wrong? Velita, you look awful."
Velita's face had gone paper-white. She looked like a frightened puppy, and Olivia studied her with a puzzled frown.
"No, I'm fine. I think the fatigue of the long journey is catching up with me, same as you, Hero."
"Is that so? That's a relief, then. Still, you're the Saintess—look after your health. If people hear the Saintess is unwell, they'll start to panic."
A Saintess who held every manner of healing power falling ill would be enough, on its own, to spread unease among the people. That would not do.
"Hero... do you truly think I suit the role of Saintess? All I can remember doing is healing a few of your wounds."
"That's enough. The ones who fight at the front aren't the only ones fighting. The ones who fight from behind are using their strength just as well. Everyone has their role, everyone has their vessel, and everyone has their place. Chasing a record and throwing yourself out in front is worse than knowing the size of your own bowl and quietly doing your job."
As she said it, Olivia found herself frowning without meaning to.
It's dangerous!
The memory that surfaced was unpleasant, and it made her head ache. People were meant to know their place. They were meant to live according to their vessel. They were not meant to reach for a life beyond it, and they were meant to fulfill the duties that vessel demanded. If those with power did not take responsibility, then who would? Ordinary people had never fought a monster. Most of them didn't even know how to hold a weapon. That was why Olivia—who stood at the very pinnacle of those who fought—had to do it.
"Please. Eat."
"Right."
Alex was wearing that same unpleasant smile as always. At least she'd grown somewhat close to Velita and Rayna, being women themselves—but she could never tell what Alex was thinking. And apparently he'd been engaged, something she hadn't even known. Thinking back, he'd invited her out for drinks more than a few times during the journey. Had that been his way of wanting her to get along with his fiancée? They'd been in the middle of a campaign to slay the Demon King, so she hadn't touched a drop. She probably should have just had one.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"N-no...! We were just worried it might not suit your tastes, Hero."
"I know what you can do. I'm not expecting much, so don't worry about it."
She said it, and put the food in her mouth.
"...It's bitter."
"Eh?"
"It's bitter! What did you do to this? I taught you so thoroughly—how do you get a bitter taste out of a simple stew?!"
"W-we're sorry!"
A bitter stew was a novelty, at least. She almost wanted to ask how they'd managed it.
"But, well. I'm in a good mood, so I'll let it go."
Olivia understood herself well enough. She was emotional. A creature of moods. Things that were forgiven when she felt good were the same things that made her fly off the handle when she didn't. If anyone asked whether she regretted it, she had always figured that as long as she was carrying the responsibility, she was entitled to the rights that came with it. She didn't dwell on it.
"Honestly. It'd be a waste of food not to eat it. Before I leave the kingdom this time, I should sit you all down and teach you how to cook properly. Alex aside, Velita and Rayna would only benefit from learning."
No—Velita and Rayna had only cooked because this had been that kind of journey. Under ordinary circumstances, they were people with more than enough money and power to live somewhere that someone else did the cooking for them. Come to think of it, they probably never had to cook at all.
"Hero."
Alex was watching her eat, his face taut.
"What?"
"Are you quite all right?"
"All right about what? ...More importantly, why isn't anyone eating? Don't get too comfortable. This bitter cooking will only taste worse once it goes cold..."
A beat of her heart.
The spoon slipped from Olivia's fingers and clattered down. Her hand shook violently.
"Ghk."
Pain bloomed from her heart and raced through her whole body. The stew bowl tumbled from her other hand.
She coughed up blood. In an instant, she could feel it herself—the mana that had been protecting her, draining away.
Poison?
But that was impossible. Olivia had been trained since childhood, as a Hero, to resist every kind of toxin. Ordinary poisons she could ignore outright, and with Velita there, she had been able to fight without giving poison a second thought. There had even been a member of the Demon King Army Cadre who used venom, and Olivia had found it little more than painful. It had never truly affected her.
And yet, in this moment, something was going terribly wrong inside her body.
"Ve—Velita...!"
She didn't understand it, but if it was poison, she needed Velita to treat her—and in the same breath, she felt the danger. She drew the Holy Sword and threw herself aside.
A blade of condensed mana tore through the air. The arm bearing the Hero's Stigma went spinning into the empty sky, the Holy Sword still clutched in its fingers.
"Ghhhk...!!"
She barely swallowed the scream, staggering back. Alex was looking at her with cold eyes.
None of it made sense. Olivia's face twisted as she took in the scene. Velita and Rayna would not meet her gaze. They looked away, as if they could not bear to. Only Alex did not look away. He held her eyes.
"You swallowed the God of Death Poison and lost an arm, and you're still alive? ...What a monster of a woman."
"What."
Blood ran from her eyes, her nose, her mouth, her ears, without discrimination. For the first time in her life, Olivia felt the complete theft of her body's freedom, and she staggered.
My mana...
The mana would not come. No—more precisely, it came, but she could not make her body move as she willed it.
"What the hell is this... hack! What do you think you're doing?! Alex! Velita! Rayna!"
"..."
"You defeated even the Demon King without difficulty. It wasn't a narrow victory. You had room to spare. In a direct confrontation, no one can beat you."
What did that have to do with anything? Was being strong a reason to kill her?
She may have been somewhat violent, but Olivia had never once raised a hand against an innocent citizen. Except for those who picked the fight themselves, and except for criminals, she had never used a Hero's power on anyone—and she had not the slightest intention of ever doing so. Alex spoke as if, in a world without a Demon King, a Hero was a threat no different from the Demon King himself. She could not understand it.
"If you had quietly remained in the kingdom as a symbol, that would have been ideal. But that wasn't the choice you made."
"..."
She said nothing. Olivia was using every scrap of her mind to understand the situation in front of her. Why they were attacking her. Where they had even obtained the God of Death Poison. The questions piled up, and none of them had answers.
I have to run. Whatever else, I have to get out of here.
She didn't know precisely what the God of Death Poison was, but anything that could affect her this badly was no ordinary toxin. She had to fall back. She reached to take the Holy Sword in hand again. The blade did not concern itself with physical distance. If Olivia willed it, it would appear in her grip. Even if it had gone flying with her hand, it would return to her. The Stigma was the same. It sat visibly on the back of her right hand, but she could move it elsewhere if she chose.
"...! What— khh!"
"The Holy Sword won't come, will it? Even though it's right there beside you."
"What did you... do."
Alex held up a sphere in his hand, and she knew it at once for what it was. The Goddess's Orb.
"That—how."
"The Goddess's Orb. Insurance, created in case a Hero ever ran wild and crossed a line. A tool that forcibly severs the contract between Hero and Holy Sword."
"That's a royal treasure! Without the king's permission—without his permission—"
She stopped. Closing her mouth. Breaking through the kingdom's security and taking a risk like this themselves was far less plausible than doing it on the king's orders.
"A person like you—a walking natural disaster—refusing to become the kingdom's weapon, wandering the world as you please."
Alex looked at her as he spoke.
"How are we supposed to sleep at night? Who's to say when you'll decide our kingdom is the enemy?"
"..."
Alex smiled. Her skin was already changing, the God of Death Poison killing her by degrees, and still he spoke.