Why Is the Hero Here?
“Why is the hero here?”
“The hero… what?” Ilios asked, her voice thick with genuine confusion.
Elisa blinked, suddenly uncertain. Her mother’s reaction was far more intense than she had expected. She asked cautiously, “What do you mean, ‘why’? The person you like is the hero, isn’t it…? Or… was I wrong?”
“Not even close.”
“…Huh?”
Ilios answered so firmly that Elisa’s mind went completely blank for a moment. A hollow emptiness swallowed every thought. Only after several long seconds did something click back on inside her head, like a lantern that had been relit. She stared at her mother, who was watching her with a puzzled frown, and asked again in a trembling voice.
“R-really…? You’re saying it’s really not true? The person you like… the one who might even become my new father… isn’t the hero?”
“I already told you it isn’t. The hero? That boy isn’t my type at all. Besides, he’s a human. I’ll acknowledge him as a fellow warrior because of everything that’s happened between us, but he’s hardly someone I would consider a serious romantic partner.”
“Ah…”
When she actually thought about it, the two of them had once tried to kill each other in earnest. On top of that, Ilios had always disliked humans by default. So when Elisa had first learned that her mother supposedly loved the hero, it had felt impossibly hard to believe. Now that she looked back, the entire misunderstanding had been built on a completely false premise from the start.
Yeah… now that I think about it, it really was strange. How could Mother possibly… with the hero…?
The moment Elisa realized everything had been nothing but her own wild delusion, she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. The more she reflected on her behavior, the more unbearable the shame became.
Oh no… what was I even thinking? No matter how you look at it, how could I have jumped to such a ridiculous conclusion? The idea that the hero and Mother might be in that kind of relationship… it doesn’t make any sense at all!
Now that the filter in her brain had been completely removed, she could finally see how absurd her actions had been. If she could, she would have rolled around on the floor in mortification. Just then, new questions began rising in her mind. One of them was: then who on earth had the hero confessed to that day? And the other was…
“Um… Mother? Then… who is it? The person you’re even thinking about marrying… who exactly…?”
“Ah… that… well…”
At Elisa’s sudden question, Ilios’s face turned just as red as her daughter’s had been moments earlier. And then—
“Ugh…!”
“Mother?!”
The very next instant, Ilios let out a slightly awkward groan and collapsed to the floor. Seeing her mother—who had been speaking normally just seconds ago—suddenly like this, Elisa felt the urge to press for more details. But she quickly abandoned the idea. The injuries Elisa herself had inflicted on Ilios were no light matter. More importantly, those wounds had been caused by her own misunderstanding. It would be ridiculous to interrogate her mother while she was hurt because of her mistake. Besides, now that it was clear the hero wasn’t the one Ilios loved, Elisa felt it would be wrong to force her to reveal someone she clearly didn’t want to talk about yet.
Well… Mother will tell me when she feels ready. I am curious who it is, though…
Having sorted out her feelings for the moment, Elisa slowly descended from the arena stands.
Soon after, even though it sounded a little forced, she heard a voice declaring her victory.
*
“Haa…”
Ilios walked down the corridor, dragging her injured body along. The wounds weren’t fatal, but they were serious enough that she frowned slightly from the pain.
It hurts more than I expected… Still, I’m glad my daughter has grown strong enough to do this much damage…
Despite the throbbing pain that pulsed through her entire body, a warm joy bloomed in one corner of her heart as she took one step after another. Then, just as she had somewhat anticipated, that person appeared before her.
“So you ended up dropping out in the semifinals again? You boasted that you’d win the championship this time, yet here we are. It really seems like you and the title of Narsil have no connection whatsoever.”
“Tch…”
Samson spoke in his usual arrogant tone. Ilios clicked her tongue softly, then glared at him with clear irritation.
“It was two hundred years ago. Back when I lost to you in the finals, I thought I’d be able to win without much trouble next time… Yet here I am, still stuck in this tiresome cycle.”
With those words, she slowly leaned her body against the wall. Samson stood beside her and spoke in a calm voice.
“To be honest, even back then I never imagined we would end up like this…”
“At the time, I was still a married woman with a husband. Even after he passed, I never dreamed my next partner would be you…”
Her usual prickly tone remained, yet between them flowed a subtle but surprisingly solid emotion—like two crooked trees whose branches had become tightly intertwined. After a moment, Samson carefully reached out and gently pulled Ilios closer.
“…It hurts.”
“A legion commander shouldn’t be so weak that she can’t endure even this.”
“Are you saying that only applies to legion commanders, or is it just about you?”
“Should I let go then?”
“…That’s not what I meant…”
Ilios answered in a tone that suggested she had no choice. After that, the two of them simply leaned against each other in silence. In that place where no one else could see, they shared a quiet moment that belonged to only the two of them.
*
After the match, Elisa returned to the waiting room. Unlike the solemn determination she had shown when stepping into the arena, she now wore a completely dazed expression, as if she had been hit by a sudden wave of reality.
“Ughhh…”
“…Um, Elisa? Did something happen? Your face looks…”
“…Huh? No… it’s nothing… Just… let me be alone for a bit.”
“Ah… understood…”
Elisa answered my question with an utterly empty look on her face. Seeing her like that, I could tell something had definitely happened, but I also felt I shouldn’t pry carelessly. So I decided to give her some space.
Well… I’ll ask for the details once she’s calmed down. For now, I need to prepare for my next match.
With that thought, my gaze shifted to the person who had just finished maintaining their weapon and was slowly rising from their seat. It was a figure wearing heavy red armor that completely concealed their identity. The armored warrior began walking toward the passage leading to the arena. After watching them for a moment, I finished equipping my own greatsword and approached the red-armored figure.
“Please take care of me.”
I greeted them with a relatively light heart. The red-armored warrior immediately stopped in place, then slowly turned their head toward me. They gave a small nod in response to my greeting and continued forward without a word. Watching this, I thought my opponent seemed quite taciturn and followed quietly behind them toward the arena.
A short while later, we stood facing each other. I gripped my greatsword and stared at the opponent before me. In response, the red-armored warrior drew their longsword and assumed a combat stance.
Just like during the greeting earlier, it looks like they have no intention of talking.
This match felt like the complete opposite of Elisa’s, which had been centered around conversation. With that in mind, I poured mana into my greatsword and prepared to strike the red armor in front of me.
At that moment—
“!”
“Eh?”
A suspicious presence suddenly appeared. Almost simultaneously, both my gaze and the red-armored warrior’s turned in the same direction.
And then—
“Kyaaaaaagh!!”
“Th-there’s an intruder here!”
Shouts of panic rang out from the opposite side of the explosion. Realizing something serious was happening, I immediately turned and rushed toward the VIP seating area where the Demon King was located.
“Damn it! Your Majesty!”
Just then—
“Hm?”
Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist. I turned my head and instantly recognized the owner of that hand. It was the red-armored warrior who had been my opponent.
But then the warrior spoke.
“Wait. I am here, hero.”
“…!?”