The Third Hero (10)
Hmm... better focus on what's in front of me right now.
I'd run into some strange things lately — word that someone had put out a request looking for me, among other oddities. None of it felt ordinary, and I had the distinct sense that something big was about to break, for better or worse.
I might need to prepare in my own way. Not that anything catastrophic would happen just because a Hero like me failed to brace for it... but still.
For now, though, I decided to concentrate on the task at hand.
I'd promised to train Aji, so the smart move was to finish that properly first.
I took her into the forest, heading for a cave said to house monsters. My plan was to give her some real combat practice — and for that, we needed a suitable opponent.
"Hey, Aji. See that?"
"Yeah."
Conveniently enough, a decent monster had shown itself. The moment she spotted the one I pointed out, Aji nodded.
Something that size shouldn't be too much trouble. Not especially large, either. Might as well see what she could do.
I gave the order.
"All right. Attack."
"Okay."
She charged the instant I spoke. Watching her go, I couldn't shake the feeling I was sending out a Pokémon. Probably just me.
Aji closed the distance in a flash and the fight was on. She took the initiative — a fist slammed into the monster's face so hard it went flying, though it stayed conscious. The creature recovered and counterattacked at once, trying to punish the beastkin girl with quick movements and razor fangs.
Aji slipped every bite with calm precision. Her reaction speed was excellent; she kept dodging at the last possible instant and landing counters each time she did. Even so, the monster's raw specs outclassed hers, so the damage stayed light. The wolf-like thing pressed its assault again. Aji simply repeated the same calm pattern.
In the end, it was her complete victory. It took a little while, but she brought the monster down without a single scratch on her.
"That was a piece of cake."
"You're stronger than I expected."
I was a little surprised, honestly. I hadn't thought she'd take it down that cleanly. I might need to revise my assessment.
Even for a beastkin, the opponent had been a monster with similar traits. Dropping something like that without taking a wound was no small feat. Aji's talent might run deeper than I'd given her credit for.
Nafira, the beastkin from the Hero's party, had been sharp in a fight too — but I didn't remember her being this good from the start.
This kid was going to grow into something formidable. That was a Hero's judgment.
But she's still a long way off.
Talent was one thing. Her actual combat was still a mess.
As a beastkin, her foundations were solid enough. Outstanding physical gifts, senses well into the upper tier. The problem was that she couldn't use any of it properly.
She fought almost entirely on instinct. No real thought for the flow of battle — just react to an attack, dodge, and strike whenever an opening appeared. Over and over.
That wasn't inherently bad. Staying true to instinct meant making the call best suited to the moment. Nothing wrong with that on its own.
The issue was that the method became completely useless the second she faced someone equal or stronger. Against a peer or a superior, pure reaction fighting got her nowhere. She needed to start thinking strategically — planning her moves instead of simply answering them.
That was what I could teach her.
"Hehe. Easy as pie, right? I'm strong, aren't I?"
"You are."
"Really, really strong?"
"Yeah. Extremely strong."
When it was time to praise, you praised properly. By Hero standards she still fell short, but Aji genuinely had excellent combat sense. That much was true.
She trotted back to me after finishing the monster, eyes bright, clearly fishing for compliments. Her tail whipped back and forth; she looked ready to burst with anticipation over whatever praise was coming next.
Hmm. Was it really that big a deal? Taking down one small monster didn't seem like much to get excited over... but good vibes were good vibes.
I wasn't the stingy type when it came to praise. If she wanted it, I handed it over without fuss. No harm in laying it on thick. They say praise can make even a whale dance, right?
"Hehe..."
Aji beamed under the compliments, tail wagging so hard she could barely contain herself. Moments like this, she really was pure puppy.
If it made her this happy, I might as well keep praising her whenever I could. That was the decision I'd just reached when—
"How strong am I? Stronger than the Demon King?"
"...Huh."
I froze. The words hit me like a slap.
The Demon King. That was not a name you threw around lightly. It wasn't some neighborhood mutt's name. Nothing about it invited casual talk.
"Don't say things like that so carelessly."
"...?"
My tone had gone cold, and the mood dropped with it. Aji's tail stopped mid-wag. She seemed to sense, on pure instinct, that she'd done something wrong — even if she didn't understand why.
The air had iced over in an instant. Maybe I'd overreacted. Maybe I should have just joked along and told her she was stronger than the Demon King. It felt immature, like I couldn't keep my own feelings in check.
But that was exactly the point. Even I couldn't joke about that existence. If the same moment came again, I'd react the same way. The Demon King was simply too dangerous a being to treat lightly.
"You are strong, though... We're not done yet. Let's keep fighting."
"Okay."
I'd gotten lost in my own head for a second. We were still in the middle of training.
I offered Aji a little reassurance while she looked downcast, then set up the next round. She perked up right away and got ready again.
This place gives me the creeps...
Alex had arrived at the Demon King's Castle, and he saw no reason to delay. He pushed the gates open at once and strode inside to meet the Demon King.
The castle was empty and desolate. The demons had probably cleared out after Hero Lee Hansu and Hero Herald had come through. Even so, it was still a demon stronghold. A little trembling was only natural.
Alex became aware that his own body was shaking. The deeper he walked, the more a nameless unease settled over him. An unpleasant, hard-to-name feeling.
It's fine. I have the Holy Sword.
His feet never stopped. Every time the anxiety spiked, he glanced at the sword at his hip.
To the eye it looked like an ordinary blade in an ordinary scabbard. It was anything but. This was the Holy Sword — the legendary weapon passed down exclusively to Heroes.
It was the true source of Alex's confidence that he could bring down the Demon King.
With this, I can defeat her.
Long ago the Holy Sword had vanished from history. In truth, Alex's family had been hiding it the entire time. His ancestor had stolen it from the imperial house — out of jealousy toward the Hero of that era, or so the story went. The man had wanted the Hero to fail. Instead the Hero had slain the Demon King, rendering the whole scheme pointless.
Alex's ancestor had kept the sword anyway. And now it had come down to Alex.
He alone knew the truth.
Only I can defeat the Demon King.
Now that the Demon King had risen again, no Hero had faced her with the Holy Sword in hand. There had been cases of Heroes winning without it, true — but going in empty-handed was still a clear disadvantage. That was surely why both Lee Hansu and Herald had lost.
Alex alone carried the blade that could kill the Demon King. He was walking into this fight with an overwhelming edge. Failure was unthinkable.
The Demon King Herald couldn't bring down... I'll be the one to finish her.
Deep down, Alex understood he was weaker than Herald. He hated admitting it, but for all his talent, he knew he came up short in overall ability. Herald, however, had not had the Holy Sword.
Whether Alex's skill sat above or below Herald's hardly mattered. The man who actually killed the Demon King would be the one whose name history remembered.
Alex had no doubt whatsoever that the Holy Sword in his grip would put the Demon King in the ground.
Hoo... is this the place?
Expectation quickened his steps. Before long he stood before a chamber thick with a sinister presence. Open this door and the Demon King would be waiting. Alex swallowed hard, then shoved the doors wide with all the confidence he could muster.
"...?"
He had braced himself to come face-to-face with the Demon King. What he found instead was... unexpected.
What was this? Mid-meal?
A demon woman sat at a carefully laid table. When the doors opened she lifted her head and looked straight at him.
That woman had to be the Demon King.
"So you're the Demon King? A woman... surprising."
Of all the times to walk in — right in the middle of dinner. Maybe he should have arrived a little later. And the Demon King was female, on top of everything else.
Alex couldn't hide how thrown he was. He'd wound himself tight with tension the whole way here, and now it was draining out of him all at once.
He forced himself to snap back into focus.
"How irritating... truly."
A single line from the Demon King, and the air itself froze solid.