Let's Never See Each Other Again
I never wanted to see her again. Ever.
“What the hell do you want, you bitch?”
“…………”
Cynthia’s eyes burned with fierce determination, a conviction that she absolutely could not let Werther leave like this. I had no idea what this damn woman was trying to say, but one thing was certain… every single time she opened her mouth, my mood took a nosedive.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“None of your damn business.”
“What are you going to do after leaving the party?”
“That’s also none of your business. Get lost.”
When I turned left, Cynthia followed. When I moved right, she did the same. Why the hell was this bitch blocking my path?
“If you’re doing this because you want your stupid bun-head ripped off, I’ll gladly grant that wish.”
“Ouch! Don’t pull on the hair of the adorable Lady Cynthia!”
“Then get out of my way. Stop blocking the path.”
Cynthia’s weakness was her signature bun hairstyle. Well, calling it a “weakness” sounded a bit too dramatic. She just hated it when people touched her hair because it was a pain to style. But today, this girl was being unusually persistent.
“I asked what you’re going to do after leaving the party! I’m not letting you go until you answer!”
“Is it really that important to you? Fine, I’ll tell you. I’m going to hole up in the countryside, drink myself stupid, and waste the rest of my life. Eventually I’ll just grow old and die.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“It means I have no lingering attachments to a world without my little sister. Who knows, maybe I’ll reunite with her in the afterlife. That’s the only hope I have left.”
“People don’t usually call that ‘hope,’ you know?”
“I have no interest in arguing with you. I gave you an answer, so get the hell out of my way now.”
Before she could say anything else, I shoved her shoulder aside. There was no need to be gentle anymore.
“Werther!!”
But that annoying voice called out from behind me again. Wondering what the hell she still had to say, I turned around to see Cynthia trembling violently, her face deadly serious. As if she were about to say something incredibly important.
Just like always, her cat-like eyes narrowed arrogantly. She placed a hand on her unnecessarily large chest and declared,
“………….”
“W-what’s with that face? A peerless beautiful girl is offering to step on you!”
Cynthia was clearly recalling a highlight scene from the book Hero Who Wants to Be Stepped On. It was the line the mage said to comfort the hero who had fallen into despair after losing a comrade. The illustration of the hero regaining his strength while being stepped on in shiny shoes was still vivid in her mind.
However, Werther simply let out a long sigh, his expression making it clear he no longer wanted anything to do with her.
“…You stopped me just to say that?”
“Y-yeah? So…?”
“…Cynthia.”
“W-what?”
Werther grabbed her by the shoulders and spoke as if she wasn’t even worth hating.
“Let’s never see each other again. Don’t talk to me. Let’s live as if we never knew each other. That thing earlier, when I saved you? Don’t worry about it. If I had just stayed put, I would’ve been taken hostage by that bastard emperor anyway. I had to fight my way out, so I saved you while I was at it. Got it?”
“…Huh? W-Werther, wait. I… I… why?”
Tears welled up in Cynthia’s eyes.
Why? What kind of reaction did she expect after spitting out something like that to me in this situation?
“I just want to die quietly. Never appear in front of me again, Cynthia.”
“…………No.”
Cynthia tried to say something through her sobs, but her throat closed up and she couldn’t continue.
…Well, not my problem.
“Werther!! The entire human race will become your enemy! Prepare yourself!!”
“Don’t forget the sin of insulting your lord and the party!”
“Werther… that’s too cruel! How could you betray us!”
“Who will end up regretting this… only God knows.”
Even until the very last moment of my departure, those bitches and the hero showered me with curses. Honestly, I was grateful. Thanks to them, I didn’t feel even the slightest bit of guilt.
And Cynthia, whose tears I still couldn’t understand. You take care too. If possible, I hope you keep forming parties and going on adventures forever. And I hope you all get wiped out on your next expedition.
“Anyway, there’s no reason left to kill the Demon King, so maybe I’ll just live a quiet life in the countryside. I feel like I’ve only ever lived in a rush… haa.”
I found the safest, quietest rural village located at the westernmost edge of Lydorphia—one that had never been attacked by the Demon King’s army in over a thousand years—and settled there.
I chopped down trees with an axe and built a crude cabin. I caught minnows in the stream and made spicy fish stew. Occasionally I’d hunt rabbits or deer and grill the meat.
I didn’t make any new friends. Even when I went to the tavern, I drank alone before returning to my cabin. Since an outsider had settled in this rural village, rumors must have spread somehow, but I didn’t care about that either.
Who gives a shit. All I had to do was stay here and endure until I grew old and died.
——It was six months later when news of the Demon King’s army invading Lydorphia reached me.
It was such a massive invasion that even the residents of this remote western rural village where I lived were buzzing with worry, saying this time it might actually be dangerous.
The emperor once again summoned the Hero Party.
Good luck with that.
The imperial palace was packed with ten times more foreign dignitaries than half a year ago. Last time, people had simply been curious about what kind of state the Hero Party would return in. This time, the situation was completely different.
For a long time, Lydorphia had enjoyed its geographical advantage of being located on the western edge of the Pangaea continent, steadily building up its national power. But now, shocking news had spread to every nation: the Demon King’s army had crossed the skies and launched a full-scale direct assault on Lydorphia.
Perhaps the winged forces of the Demon King’s army had ignored the other countries and targeted only Lydorphia. That was the speculation offered by Protector of the Realm Zero.
“Why? Why Lydorphia of all places? What kind of grudge do they have? If anything, Grimoire should have far more old grudges.”
The emperor, facing his first true crisis since ascending the throne, was terrified. Zero answered his question as expected.
“The enemies currently flying toward Lydorphia are the Eight Protection Army formerly commanded by one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Bael. They are most likely seeking revenge for their lord.”
“T-then their target is…”
“Revenge against the Hero Party that killed Bael.”
“Summon the hero immediately! Right now!!!”
After the disgraceful scene at the imperial palace half a year ago, support for the Hero Party had been temporarily suspended. The party had been resting at an inn in the capital. Even without funding, they could have left at any time, but having grown accustomed to a comfortable life, they no longer had the willpower to choose a difficult path.
Especially Leonhart, who had strongly insisted that since they had already returned to the capital, they might as well rest. The others pretended they couldn’t refuse their leader and went along with it.
Now, after six months, they finally had a chance to do something resembling actual work.
The news that Lydorphia was being invaded had become an enormous topic even abroad. Half the people who gathered did so with the thought, Serves that detestable Lydorphia right for quietly building up power while the rest of us fought the Demon King’s army on the front lines. The other half came out of pity for their fellow humans and fear that if even the strongest nation, Lydorphia, fell, everything would be over.
The crowd exceeded ten thousand, an overwhelming number. The imperial palace couldn’t accommodate everyone, so lower nobles such as barons and viscounts had to wait outside the palace grounds. That alone showed just how historic this invasion was.
But what was there to worry about? They had the hero.
They had the hero who had defeated the terrifying Bael, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
The current invasion was nothing more than the death throes of the remnants left behind by a dead ghost. If they had killed Bael, why wouldn’t they be able to kill his subordinates?
That’s right. Humanity had not yet been defeated. Lydorphia still stood strong.
As proof, the valiant hero appeared in the main hall of the imperial palace, fully armed! The handsome hero, who had completely recovered from the injuries he suffered half a year ago, stood tall and proud in a custom-made golden suit of armor tailored especially for this day.
“In response to the emperor’s summons, the hero Leonhart has arrived to protect humanity!”
Clang!
The sound of armor rang out as the hero dropped to one knee. There was no denying that Leonhart looked every bit the majestic, handsome hero at first glance… but the people in the audience watched him with rather suspicious eyes.
It was because of the rumor that half a year ago, he had been beaten bare-handed by a repulsive traitor.
Thanks to the Octopus-Head Emperor incident, the hero’s scandal had been somewhat buried, but it still lingered in everyone’s minds.
Can we really trust this hero?
If we lose this time, Lydorphia’s capital might be destroyed for the first time since its founding?
If Lydorphia falls, what happens to the balance of power between nations?
Lydorphia is currently the de facto leader of humanity…
On one hand, it would feel satisfying to watch Lydorphia collapse, but on the other, the fear that humanity would truly be in danger afterward created a contradictory emotion.
In truth, most of the spectators were hoping the hero possessed the legendary power to easily slice through the Eight Protection Army.
“…I understand. I know exactly why you are all looking at me with such worried eyes.”
The quick-witted hero had already prepared a way to melt the frozen hearts of both domestic and foreign dignitaries. After exchanging a glance and a signal with the emperor, he rose to his feet, looked around at the crowd, and shouted.
“Shall we talk about the traitor who cowardly attacked me half a year ago? Please listen carefully, everyone.”