Cursed Hero (2)
Cursed Hero (2)
I was an ordinary office worker living in South Korea.
Until recently, that had certainly been the case.
Even now, thinking back on it, I have absolutely no idea how it happened.
The moment I clicked on the game icon to play Pure Love Fantasy like I always did, everything changed.
Shwaaa!
Suddenly, a blinding light burst from my monitor, and then I lost consciousness.
And when I opened my eyes again, I found myself possessing the world of Pure Love Fantasy.
Not just that, but in the body of the protagonist who had achieved the harem ending—Ion Rayhard.
"Ion, I'm all ready."
Turning my head at that voice, as gentle as spring sunlight, I saw Demeter standing there, fully prepared to go out.
An outstandingly beautiful appearance that would never disappoint, no matter where you looked.
Long, captivating brown hair that reached just above her hips.
A white mermaid dress that accentuated her bountiful figure and the bareness of both shoulders.
She was truly a goddess.
"Let's go."
The goddess, now wearing her shoes at the entrance, gave me a gentle smile.
Demeter—someone whose heart fluttered even when seen through low-quality graphics.
Her beauty was more lovely than any woman in reality.
"Yeah, sure..."
I answered and slowly began to move.
As I came up beside her, Demeter naturally took my hand, just as she always did.
The warmth of Demeter, felt through her delicate hand, comfortably soothed my body.
"Shall we go now?"
"Yes."
The lovely wife I had somehow obtained nodded demurely.
And so, with our hands linked, we left the cabin.
As the fragrance of the Goddess of Abundance wafted through our close-pressed bodies, memories of last night's pleasures in bed naturally came to mind.
'She's even more skilled than I am now...'
Quite some time had passed since I became Ion.
At first, I was extremely flustered. I thought I was dreaming.
But no matter how many days and nights passed, I never woke from this lucid dream.
'Is this what they call a second life?'
There was no way to return to my original world.
I had to live here as Ion from now on.
It took a considerable amount of time to reach that unavoidable conclusion.
'At least the time I possessed was after the ending.'
This was the era when Ion and the goddesses had defeated the Demon King, and the world had become peaceful.
In all my time living as Ion, there hadn't been a single dangerous battle or adventure.
It was simply a life where I was quietly revered by everyone as the hero who saved the world.
Living in Ion's body wasn't surprisingly difficult.
The real Ion's memories remained intact in this body, and the various knowledge I'd gained from playing Pure Love Fantasy also helped me adapt.
Thanks to that, no one suspected my true identity.
As long as I acted properly, it seemed like I could live a smooth second life.
If only that incident hadn't happened recently...
"Hero-nim! Demeter-nim!"
As Demeter and I appeared near the village houses, the residents who had been going about their work sent us looks of respect and admiration.
Several months had already passed since Demeter settled here, but their enthusiasm showed no signs of subsiding.
"Good morning, everyone."
Demeter waved her hand toward the residents who looked up to her.
This was the Lepodesia Great Forest, located in the northwestern part of the continent.
As befitting a region containing Demeter's middle name, it was the forest under her jurisdiction.
Though it was now a peaceful world called the Age of Divinity, the scars left by the Holy Evil War still remained in this world.
The goddesses who had descended from the heavens spared no effort in healing the wounded world even after the war ended.
Each governed their assigned region, still contributing to the world's prosperity and development.
Because of this, my wives had little time to properly enjoy their honeymoon life with me after the marriage.
So I had no choice but to travel between my wives' jurisdictions like this, alternating our married life.
"Demeter-nim~!"
As we walked side by side, drawing the attention of the forest residents, a young girl approached us.
Or rather, more precisely, she approached Demeter.
"I made this to give to Demeter-nim!"
The girl opened her hand and proudly showed something.
A lovely hairpin, looking as if it had been woven from real flowers, lay on her small palm.
"Child, child! Giving something like that to the Goddess-nim...!"
"Thank you so much."
Just as a woman who appeared to be the girl's mother hurriedly tried to restrain her daughter.
Demeter accepted the flower hairpin, expressing her gratitude.
The girl's mother looked startled and dumbfounded.
"You'll... you'll accept it?!"
"Of course I should, since you made it for me with your own hands."
As Demeter spoke in her benevolent voice, the girl couldn't contain her joy, hopping up and down on the spot.
The girl's mother, unaware of what was happening, scolded the girl, saying she should behave properly in front of the Goddess-nim.
"How is it...?"
Demeter, having adorned her bangs with the flower hairpin, looked at me and asked.
"It suits you well."
"Is that so? I'm glad..."
Demeter's cheeks flushed slightly as if embarrassed, and she averted her gaze.
Every single gesture endlessly stirred a man's heart.
"Thank you so much for the wonderful gift."
Receiving an unexpected gift, Demeter gave the child a sunshine-like eye-smile.
The girl couldn't hide her proud expression, and the girl's mother couldn't raise her head, overwhelmed by the goddess's moving benevolence.
After waving goodbye to the girl, Demeter began walking alongside me again.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Demeter's popularity here in the Lepodesia Great Forest surpassed even mine, the hero.
'Well, I suppose that's only natural.'
During the height of the Holy Evil War, this great forest had once been invaded by the Demon King's army and turned into a sea of fire.
Everything had turned to ashes, and many who had lived in the forest for generations lost their homes.
At a time when no one thought anyone could revive this forest, Demeter extended her hand into the heart of the despair.
Demeter never doubted that if everyone worked together, the forest could be revived.
And her faith was soon realized.
When Demeter fully utilized her abilities as the Goddess of Abundance.
Sprouting green shoots began to emerge from the dead forest.
Soon, those leaves became thickets that composed nature, richly coloring the ruined land.
The forest became an even more magnificent great forest than before its destruction.
To never forget Demeter's grace, the forest's residents who had regained their homeland named the forest after her.
That was how the name 'Lepodesia Great Forest' and Demeter's alias 'Holy Mother' came to be.
"I'm a little nervous since it's been a while."
Demeter, who had arrived at our destination and taken hold of a bow, suddenly said those words.
We had passed through the village and arrived at a quiet forest archery range.
It was an exclusive archery range built only for the Goddess Demeter.
Despite her seemingly slender appearance, Demeter was an outstanding archer.
If she knew the exact location, she could hit a target ten leagues away with precision.
During the Holy Evil War, she fully utilized her incredible accuracy, demonstrating brilliant feats by the hero Ion Rayhard's side.
Pew!
The sharp arrowhead could be heard cutting through the wind as it flew.
The arrow that left Demeter's fingertips struck the very center of a distant target.
It was such excellent skill that anyone would acknowledge it without question.
"As expected, that's amazing."
I applauded Demeter, whose past skills had not rusted, and praised her.
Demeter, brushing back her brown hair that sparkled in the sunlight, wore a shy smile.
"How about you try it too, Ion?"
"Me too?"
"I'd like us to practice together for the first time in a while. Like old times."
I hesitated for a moment at Demeter's unexpected suggestion, but seeing her expectant face, it was hard to refuse.
In the end, I found myself carrying a bow and arrows and standing beside Demeter.
Pew!
The arrow I shot landed quite far from the center of the target.
As expected, archery wasn't easy.
With another person's soul inhabiting the body of the hero Ion Rayhard, even though I knew in my head how to shoot, putting it into action was difficult.
"...Hmm, I suppose my skills have gotten a bit rusty."
"Don't worry about it. Ion's main weapon was originally a sword, right?"
As I scratched my head and gave a wry smile, Demeter immediately defended me.
Indeed, as Demeter said, Ion's main weapon was a sword.
But with the mind of a mere office worker, I probably couldn't even handle that properly.
I could only fervently hope that in living as Ion from now on, I would never have to pick up a weapon.
Even after I shot one arrow and gave up midway, Demeter continued to focus on her archery.
All the arrows Demeter shot pierced the very center of the target harmoniously.
I already knew about her archery skills from memories and knowledge, but seeing them in person, they were truly jaw-dropping.
Now I understood why the Demon King's army had been so helpless against Demeter's long-range shooting during the Holy Evil War.
Pew!
Demeter, staring intently at the target and shooting arrows with her clean form, exuded a different charm than usual.
Her blue eyes, which always held only kindness, now carried a serious glint, making her look somehow different from her usual self.
It was hard to take my eyes off her large breasts that reflexively swayed with each arrow shot, and the pure hips hidden only by her thin dress.
"Ion."
Finding it inappropriate to keep watching Demeter with impure eyes.
Just as I was holding the bow and arrow again and aiming at the target, her voice suddenly brushed past my ears.
"What's wrong?"
"That thing you asked me about last time... I can do it now."
Pew!
Startled, I accidentally let go of the bowstring.
The arrow that left my hand flew in a completely wrong direction, but I immediately turned my head without caring.
"Did you just... say what...?"
I thought I had misheard. Surely that must be it.
And for good reason—the thing I had asked her about last time...
There was no way Demeter had forgotten what that was.
Yet, despite that, Demeter kept a serious expression and spoke.
"That thing you want, Ion. I'll do it."
Lowering her bow slowly, Demeter spoke with a determined voice as if she had made up her mind.
At that unexpected and shocking declaration, my entire body trembled.