I wanted to become a hero.
Every boy must have thought at least once when they were children, after reading heroic sagas, that they wanted to become like the heroes in those stories.
For example, the adventure of the First Hero, who, alongside the First Saint and a Sage, traveled the world hundreds of years ago to save it from the Demon Lord who ruled over monsters.
Or the biography of Aira, the Sword Saint of the Earth One Empire, a legendary woman feared by humans and monsters alike, who expanded humanity's territory in an era when monsters were more prevalent than now, slaughtering over ten thousand monsters with only her swordsmanship, without skills or magic.
Or the navigational logs of Pirate Drake, the Sea Lord who built an era on the ocean, a pirate who roamed the world by ship with his crew in search of romance.
Or the memoirs of Braizel the Dragonkin, an S-class adventurer and the first-ever solo dragon slayer, who challenged and defeated a dragon-type monster alone to avenge his comrades.
Or the records documenting the great achievements of the Hero of Space, who single-handedly brought down a country and threw the world into chaos, a hero who continued to protect the Great Saintess of the Holy Kingdom from all malice. His strength was so great that he was rumored to be the strongest on the continent.
I read heroic tales every day, my heart pounding with excitement, and I admired the heroes. I was convinced that if I worked hard, I could become like them in the future. But one day, I realized that I didn't have the talent, and that I was on the side of the villains, and that I could never become a hero.
The Browser family has been under the thumb of the Ark House, the most villainous nobles in the Rainana Kingdom, for generations, which meant I was also a member of the villains. As a member of the villains, I could never become a hero. I repeatedly told myself that I didn't have any magic, skills, or anything special in the first place. I closed my heart to the possibility, telling myself it was impossible from the start.
◆
The Ark House has been eliminating organizations and individuals that threaten the country, as well as dark organizations from other countries, for generations. They bear all the darkness so that the Rainana Kingdom can maintain itself as a healthy nation. The Browser family is a noble house created to assist the Ark House. Their role is to dispose of bodies killed by the Ark House, destroy evidence, erect barriers at the scene to keep people away, and deal with any survivors. At the time, Mist, who was only ten years old, was to accompany Absolute, the next head of the Ark House, on a secret national defense mission. Mist, still inexperienced, was assigned to dispose of the bodies.
It was the first time he had ever touched a dead person.
Mist looked at the body of a villain who had recently died, and his body trembled, unable to move. It wasn't that he was afraid of the dead body; he was terrified because it reminded him of his own death.
It was as if he was seeing his future self as a member of the villains, and Mist's legs were rooted to the spot.
(I have to get rid of it quickly… but my body won't move as I want it to.)
Mist was frozen, unable to move. That's when Absolute, unable to bear watching him, took action.
“Dark Hole.”
Absolute himself buried the body Mist was supposed to dispose of in the darkness. Mist stared at Absolute, not knowing what to make of it. Absolute spoke without turning to Mist.
"...Originally, I should be the one to do this since I killed them. So, from now on, I will bury the bodies myself. You can be taught other jobs."
Gradually waking up from his confusion, Mist realized that Absolute was concerned about him.
"S-sorry. But, I can't let the Ark House do the Browser family's work…"
"I've been thinking about this for a while. I… I was taking advantage of your goodwill and trying to ease my conscience even a little. I killed them, but you're all just as guilty, so it's not just my fault… It's strange since I'm the one who's killing them. Seeing you today, I'm convinced that I should be the one to bury them. So don't worry about it."
Seeing the determination and sorrow in Absolute's eyes, Mist couldn't say anything.
(I don't understand… Why does he feel guilty about killing villains and having the Browser family dispose of them? The other party is a villain who is an enemy of the country, and a mere lower noble. There's no need for someone of higher status like Absolute-sama to worry about it.)
After that, Mist accompanied him on missions many times. Absolute carried out his duties as usual, and Mist gradually got used to people dying and developed resistance. However, since Absolute started disposing of the bodies himself, Mist had a little more time to spare on missions. Instead, he spent more time with Absolute. Mist had seen Absolute kill people many times and wondered why Absolute had such a grim look on his face despite having so much power. He asked Absolute about his feelings when they were alone. Absolute thought for a moment before beginning to speak.
"Killing people for the sake of the country might be right in the Rainana Kingdom. But I believe that anyone who kills someone, no matter how justified, is evil. Even if my father, as the next heir to the Ark House, tells me to do it. Life is precious… That's what I think. No, that's not what someone who has taken thousands of lives should say, forget it. It's just nonsense."
(Absolute-sama's values are somewhat distorted. He's been killing people since he was younger than I am now, so why is he still able to feel the value of life so purely…? Even I, who have little experience with missions, can only think of the lives of villains as being worth about as much as animals. That's right, Absolute-sama is too kind.)
"I don't really understand Absolute-sama's feelings, but I don't think it's good for you to be in this country. When Absolute-sama becomes the head of the family in the future, will you take the nobles under your command and become independent?"
Of course, it was meant as a lighthearted joke. If they were to do such a thing, not only the Rainana Kingdom but also the surrounding countries would not remain silent.
"Once everything is settled, that wouldn't be so bad."
"Eh? No, I'm just kidding…"
Absolute was not a person who joked around. Cold sweat ran down Mist's back.
"If we become independent, you won't have to dispose of bodies anymore either."
"…!?"
It might just be a joke. But he was very happy to hear these words, which could also be said to be for his sake.
"Let's consider it positively, this is a secret between the two of us, okay?"
"! Yes!"
Mist was happy that the sharing of secrets made him feel like their relationship had deepened. After that, the two of them talked to each other, Mist talked about how he wanted to be a hero when he was a child, and Absolute complained that there were only old people in the Ark Territory, and so on, the trivial conversations continued. Although the two usually had a superior-subordinate relationship, the two of them talking to each other certainly looked like friends.
Mist snapped back to reality from his nostalgic memories.
In the face of a reality with no way to turn things around at all, he couldn't even sigh. If that was going to happen, he would have preferred to have remained immersed in his memories.
"This isn't the time to be reminiscing, but does this mean things are finally getting serious?"
He had succeeded in allowing Maria and the others to escape from the swarm of monsters by becoming the rear guard himself… But Mist was currently on the verge of death.
Using the skill 【Mist】, he intended to dye the entire area around Mist white, as if clouds had covered the mountain, blocking the monsters' vision and gradually reducing their number while enduring until Absolute came. Of course, Mist himself was not affected by the skill and kept his vision clear.
There was no chance of winning against hundreds to one. But he might be able to manage hundreds of one-on-one fights.
It seemed like a reckless plan, like following a thin thread, but it was working well at first. However, if he couldn't finish them off in one go, he would be telling his opponents where he was, and in reality, he had failed many times and had taken considerable damage.
Mist, who was being chased by hundreds of monsters and cornered, was now surrounded on all sides and was in a desperate situation.
He wasn't afraid of dying… but he had regrets.
Mist's hand holding the knife tightened. There were three options he could take in this situation: run, kill himself, or fight and be eaten.
Mist's answer was already decided. Absolute wouldn't run away. Absolute would have continued to fight to the end, even if he was alone.
If it were Absolute-sama…
If it were Absolute-sama…
If it were Absolute-sama…
He encouraged his mind, which was about to give up and break.
Mist stood up, grabbed his weapon again, and jumped into the monsters.
"Uooohhh!"
He raised his voice as if to put some spirit into himself and swung his knife at the monster. It stabbed into the monster's vital point, but before the monster could fall, the surrounding monsters attacked with their claws in succession.
Mist's face twisted in pain as he was slashed by the claws all over his body.
He felt as if his entire body was burning.
He stabbed the knife into the monster and finished it off.
"Next!"
He set his sights on the next target and swung his knife at its vitals.
"Guu…"
The monster, which he couldn't see, groaned and fell.
"Next."
He repeated the process of pulling out the knife and stabbing it again, but Mist's body was injured each time. So much blood was flowing that he felt as if his head was swaying.
He smelled the scent of death that he often smelled during missions coming from his body.
Finally, he couldn't muster any strength and collapsed on the spot.
(Ah, this is bad.)
His vision gradually darkened, and his consciousness became hazy.
It's over… he mocked himself inwardly.
(I did well for myself. I helped the princess, and I protected Absolute-sama's honor. I've lived my life being called a villain all the time. But only now have I become the hero I dreamed of being when I was a child.)
The monsters attacked Mist all at once, who had fallen.
But the last thing he saw was not monsters, but a beautiful woman-like figure standing as if to protect Mist.
"You did well, Mist. Leave the rest to me."
He thought he heard the voice of the person he wanted to hear, but then Mist lost consciousness.
◆
"Are you awake?"
Mist woke up and was currently being carried on someone's back.
"Absolute-sama?"
Mist understood the situation and was relieved that he had been saved.
"So you've finally awakened, you're too slow. That's quite impudent."
This heartless response to an injured person was exactly Absolute Ark himself.
As someone who had just experienced a cataclysmic event, he felt strangely happy even with this kind of response.
"Is that what you say to someone who was fighting a deadly battle until just now? Well, I'm used to it, so I'm relieved somehow because it's like Absolute-sama."
Mist tried to get off Absolute's back, but Absolute stopped him.
He shouldn't push himself since his stamina wouldn't return even if he had been healed with recovery magic.
He decided to take Absolute's words to heart and let him carry him for a while.
"Thank you for saving me. You made it just in time."
It shouldn't have been more than fifteen minutes since Absolute left.
He didn't know why he had been able to rush to Mist's side.
"It's thanks to your skill. It stands out even from the outside. I knew it was an emergency situation when I saw it, so I was able to rush over, it was a wise decision to use the skill. Now, I'm sorry to ask you this as soon as you wake up, but tell me what happened?"
Mist told him what had happened after Absolute had left. That the barrier had been broken and they had been attacked by superior species of monsters. That Lady had lost consciousness and couldn't call for help, that he had fought the superior species of Ogre with Princess Leone and had been saved by Maria. After that, a swarm of monsters appeared, and he had become the rear guard to allow Maria and the others to escape.
"I see… your barrier was broken, and Lady's situation, there are some inexplicable points, but I understand the situation."
"Absolute-sama, can I ask you something…"
"What is it?"
"This time, the superior species of monsters broke through the barrier and suddenly attacked, and after we thought we had defeated them, a swarm of monsters came, and strange things have been happening one after another. I can't help but feel like it was done intentionally, I can't think of it as a natural occurrence. Do you know anything about it?"
"…"
"I'm not blaming you or anything. But…"
Mist continued, his voice trembling.
"But, I'm disappointed that you didn't rely on me at a time like this. We've been working together all the time during missions! Aren't we friends? You could have relied on me at a time like this…"
Mist trusted Absolute, but he thought that Absolute didn't trust him, and he couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
Absolute opened his mouth and began to speak.
"I was wrong… I'm not saying you have to forgive me. But this was necessary."
Absolute continued.
"I can't say who the source is, but the Church has been planning this for a while. It's possible that there are collaborators within the school, or even among our own people."
"I knew that the Church was hostile to the Ark House because of the Hero, but Absolute-sama was wary of the collaborators who might be among us?"
"If there were collaborators and they found out that I had seen through the plan, and they changed the plan, the damage might have been greater by now. Therefore, I wanted to keep the number of people who knew the information to a minimum."
In the original story, there were people among the members of the Ark House who sold information about the Ark House and faction to Michael and the Heroes. The fact that this remained like a lump in his heart meant that Absolute could trust his comrades, but he couldn't rely on them.
"Did even Maria not know?"
"She's surprisingly bad at lying."
Absolute muttered in a low voice, as if organizing his thoughts.
"I had Maria carry the teleportation inhibition magic tool to prevent teleportation within the barrier, but I didn't expect them to break through the Browser family's barrier and enter. A superior species of ogre shouldn't be able to break through the barrier, so what's going on?"
The problem seemed to be more deeply rooted than he had thought, and Mist was surprised. Certainly, he wouldn't be able to confide in him in a situation where he didn't know who was on his side. He decided to accept that for now.
"But, is it okay? I mean, to tell me all that?"
If Mist were a collaborator of the enemy, he might reveal the existence of the information source he had obtained somewhere. The information source might not be usable next time.
Absolute snorted and replied.
"Hmph. That would be the case if you were a collaborator of the enemy. But I don't think so."
"?"
"You're a superficial guy with a flippant attitude that's annoying from the sidelines."
"…That's a terrible thing to say."
"But, you sacrificed yourself to protect your comrades. I don't doubt you, who risked your own life to stand up to the swarm of monsters in order to protect your comrades."
"Absolute-sama…"
"Look, we're here."
Mist got off Absolute's back and looked around.
Before he knew it, Mist and the others had arrived at headquarters. B-class Chris and the others, Oriana who had evacuated earlier, and Princess Leone, who had received treatment, were at the headquarters.
"Browser-san?!"
Princess Leone ran to Mist's side when she saw him.
"Browser-san, are you hurt anywhere!"
Princess Leone patted Mist's body to check for injuries.
"I was saved by Absolute-sama, so I'm fine. I'm glad that Princess Leone is safe as well."
When the confirmation of Mist's injuries was over, Princess Leone put her arms around Mist's body and hugged him tightly.
"P-Princess Leone? Um… this is kind of bad, everyone's watching."
Mist's heart rate quickened as the soft sensation unique to women enveloped his body.
Mist raised both hands, unable to touch the princess's body.
"If I thought you had shielded me and died… I would have felt so sorry… Ah, I'm so glad, I'm so glad you're alive! I'm sorry, I'm sorry for leaving you behind."
Princess Leone began to cry, and the strength of her arms around Mist's body increased. Mist didn't know what to do and looked at Absolute with his eyes for help.
"Put your left arm around Princess Leone's waist and pat her head with your right hand to calm her down."
Mist, who was flustered, followed his advice and calmed Princess Leone down.
"Princess Leone, I'm glad you're safe. But I think this is a little bad…"
"Mist, you're a hero who risked your life to save the princess… you have the right to receive the princess's embrace. Accept it."
Absolute said to Mist.
(Hero…? Ah, is it because I let the princess escape…?)
The dream of becoming a hero that he had when he was a child. A hero who stayed behind to protect the princess from a swarm of monsters and survived. It was only temporary and only those involved knew about it, but it could certainly be said that it had come true.
"Thank you, Mist! I'm so glad you're safe."
Princess Leone said her thanks while looking up at Mist's face with her arms around him. Her smile was slightly red and very beautiful.
He felt rewarded just by that smile.
