Please Believe in My Love

What was the Hero?

Why did Divine Blessings exist? What was Demis's goal in creating

Divine Blessings? Why did God create this world at all?

The ancient elves could manipulate Divine Blessings, and thus, they

knew the answers to those questions.

The Hero blessing burdened a single person with the fate of the entire

world. What possible reason was there for such an unreasonable destiny?

I couldn't begin to imagine the number of lives that had come and gone

during this world's millions of years of existence, but they all had their own

stories. And yet the story of a single person picked out from the rest in the

world determined the fate of every other tale.

From a human's perspective, the Hero could easily seem like a martyr

for the rest of the world. But from God's perspective, perhaps the world was

a stage all for the Hero.

When I was studying the Hero blessing to help Ruti, I thought I wanted

to know the answer to that question. But after choosing to live a simple,

slow life, I realized I no longer needed that information.

And that was still true. Without the Hero, the demon lord across the sea

would likely continue living. However, the forces of Avalon were still

pushing the demon lord's army back. Kingdoms were strong enough to

protect their lands. That was enough to end the war.

Someday in the future, humans might advance in the art of shipbuilding,

and that could lead to a larger conflict. Perhaps that would lead to the

demon lord's downfall. Regardless, it was a story for the future.

Wasn't it enough to protect our families here and now?

There was a clicking sound.

"The lights are back," I muttered.

They flickered to life in the hallway.

"It feels like this place is on its last legs…"

We'd made a lot of progress in our exploration.

There had been dozens of abandoned structures. More than half of the

tanks filled with monsters were destroyed, and their inhabitants were dead.

Some looked like they'd been smashed long ago, but most of the damage

appeared recent, judging by the decay—no more than a few months.

Had something occurred here not long ago that shortened the facility's

life span?

Undoubtedly, it had to do with Ruti and the Asura demon Shisandan

breaking into the ruins.

"A lot of the magic power stored here has seemingly been exhausted," I

said.

"That's why the system to kill the chimera didn't properly activate," Rit

replied.

"That magic weapon fired off a massive amount of magic power. It ran

out partway and made the entire facility stop functioning."

"But then why did the lights come back on?" Rit asked.

"I'd guess that when the magic power gets low, lesser systems are

abandoned for more important ones."

"Like a lizard sacrificing its own tail."

"Yeah, almost like it's a living organism."

The people who built this compound died long ago, yet the structure

itself persisted, sacrificing parts of itself to keep going. Even though there

was no one left to use it.

No, that's not true. We're learning a lot because it managed to survive

all this time. It's lived on to teach someone about those who made it…

I mulled over the idea while we walked.

"It looks like we are almost at the end," I said when we reached a sturdy

door.

"How do you know?" Van asked, curious.

"Instinct."

"Instinct… Is that reliable?"

"More than you'd think."

I had explored countless dungeons. Those experiences had given me an

idea of how dungeons were typically constructed, and that granted me the

insight to predict what might lie ahead.

"Most of your adventures have been for raising your level, but you'll

gain the same feeling in time," I assured him.

"You think so?" Van looked doubtful.

I wonder how Ruti would feel?

She'd been everywhere, too. Did she have the same kind of instinct?

Perhaps we could all visit some safe, fully explored ruins for a bit of

sightseeing one day. Sharing stories about old dungeons while walking

around sounded like fun.

That would have to wait, though. We needed to deal with the door.

"Rit, please."

"Leave it to me." Rit approached the door and examined it. "It's locked.

It looks more complex than the ones before, but I'll see if I can force it."

After a little bit of time…

"Argh! There's no way! It doesn't feel like this door was even made to

be opened!" …Rit threw her hands up in frustration.

"Should we leave it to Lavender?" I suggested.

"Yeah, I'm out of tricks." Rit looked over at Lavender, who was sitting

on Van's shoulder. He nodded and asked the fairy, "Could you?"

"Of course! Anything for you!"

Lavender was in a great mood. She cheerfully called upon the spirits.

"Wait," Esta said, hurrying up to Van. "If Lavender does it her way,

something unexpected might happen again."

Click.

All of a sudden, the door began to shudder. A massive amount of dust

fell to the floor as it opened.

This seemed like more than a simple door. It was a complex mechanism

made up of several parts that each unlocked in turn.

What elaborate construction… No wonder Rit couldn't do anything with

it.

"It opened," Esta remarked.

"It did," Van agreed.

They both looked surprised.

"Esta, something on you is shining," Van said.

"What?" Esta pulled out the proof of the Hero, which was faintly

glowing, from a pocket beneath her armor.

"Is the proof of the Hero reacting to something?" I asked.

"It looks like that is the key to this door," Esta replied.

A key? Was this complex linked to the Hero's ruins near the capital?

"Only the Hero can obtain this item. Which means the area ahead is

reserved for the Hero," Esta remarked.

Rit nodded. "So the ruins where the proof of the Hero was found had to

be cleared first."

The two women seemed to agree. Was that all there was to this, though?

It made sense if God had made these ruins, but the ancient elves built

these halls. Why would they make a section only accessible to the Hero?

The proof of the Hero was an item that enhanced the Hero's blessing.

Maybe we just never considered its actual purpose because its power was

linked to the Hero, and only the Hero could obtain it. Perhaps the answer

was simple: It was a difficult key to reproduce.

I had no way of knowing, but one thing was for sure.

"Demis and the ancient elves had very different goals."

What did the ancient elves see in the Divine Blessing of the Hero?

Presumably, there were more systems for the Hero in the ruins. Most of

them had stopped functioning after ages of no use, and we'd walked past

others because we couldn't discern their purposes with our limited

knowledge.

There was no way we could skip what we found here, though.

"Another Holy Demon Slayer…"

The path beyond the door split to the left and right. There was another

door at the end of both routes. We were in the room beyond the door at the

end of the left way.

This chamber was, to put it simply, the Hero's armory.

"Twenty-four Holy Demon Slayers, eleven proofs of the Hero, and lots

of armor, helmets, and shields that were likely for the Hero," I remarked.

Legendary equipment lined the place as though it were a shop.

If a cleric of the church saw this, they'd faint on the spot.

I glanced at Esta.

"I see…," she muttered, approaching one of the sacred swords and

picking it up.

"Are you all right?"

"Red, if you were God, and you wanted to defeat the demon lord…"

Instead of answering, she asked me a question. Entertaining the idea of

someone else being God was pretty taboo, yet it didn't seem to trouble Esta.

"…What would be the most efficient way to give people sacred weapons to

achieve that goal?"

"Hmm. I'd probably spread them among all of the Hero's party. Or

maybe teach people how to make them for themselves."

"Yet that isn't what Demis did. God's machinations are beyond mortal

comprehension." Esta nodded as she looked at the blade. "A fine sword. It's

a match for the one that Ruti wielded."

"Esta."

"I don't know God's plan, but I do understand what the ancient elves

thought. They were of the same mind as you, Red."

"You mean we can wield these?" I asked.

"Yes. The ancient elves took the Holy Demon Slayer—or more

precisely, the Sacred Avenger that Shisandan used—modified it, and

replicated it so anyone can wield it."

"An imitation sacred sword…"

"It's not that shocking. Taking the knowledge gained from a sacred

sword meant for the Hero to create armaments for everyone else is a pretty

reasonable notion." Esta put the sword back. "Mass-produced sacred blades

and ancient elf magic spears. Both would be useful for slaying the demon

lord."

"You look calm. I'm surprised."

"I've been thinking about God and Divine Blessings a lot recently. I

believe I have some idea of what the Hero meant to the ancient elves."

There was confidence in her words.

"What the Hero meant, huh?" I muttered.

"Just the answer the ancient elves reached," Esta reminded.

I didn't feel nearly so confident. After thinking about it for a while, I

noticed Van approaching the swords with a deep interest.

"So this is the Holy Demon Slayer…," Van whispered with reverence.

"Don't touch it!" I shouted on reflex. The boy looked at me in surprise.

"Sorry for shouting. When Ruti held a sacred sword here, her blessing

went berserk."

"What?!"

Shisandan's final plan had been to force Ruti to take the Sacred Avenger,

causing the Hero blessing to overtake her consciousness. As a result, Ruti

had tried to cut through Tisse and me because we were in the way of her

fulfilling the Hero's duties.

It was a terrible memory for her.

"It's okay," Esta said as she picked up the sword. "These weapons don't

have the power to make the Hero run wild."

She passed one of the swords to Van. He took it from her cautiously.

"…!"

There was a look of shock on his face.

"It's like power is welling up inside me! This is the holy blade that

Demis gave the Hero to defeat the demon lord."

"It's a replica of that weapon," Esta corrected. "As you can see, it does

not affect the Hero's impulses, even when Van touches it."

I brought a hand to my chin. "So the ancient elves removed that quality."

"Well, that aspect is quite the drawback," Esta replied frankly.

"Are you really okay, Esta? What have you figured out about these

ruins?"

"I'm sure you'll realize it soon enough."

Van and I were confused by her response, but Esta was content to leave

it at that. She addressed Van and the rest of the party with a little smile.

"All right. This is an armory stocked with the most powerful weapons

and armor. Let's take as much as we need."

Van grabbed a holy blade and a full set of armor. Albert switched into

equipment that Esta recommended. And Esta also picked up a sacred blade

and hung it at her hip.

"This will do just fine as a backup if my spear ever breaks."

It was the sacred blade spoken of in legends of the Hero, even if it was

just a copy fabricated by the ancient elves. Esta had distanced herself from

the church, but she'd been raised as a cleric. To carry a sacred weapon as a

spare should have been unthinkable.

Next was the final room.

Rit forced the lock on the last door, the entrance to the deepest corner of the

Hero Administration Bureau.

Inside were three long desks lined up together. A mysterious orb floated

in the air. Close inspection revealed it was a map of the world.

"The map is a little different, but I guess that's because it's thousands of

years old…or maybe our maps just aren't that precise. Amazing." I moved

closer to the orb.

When I touched it, the area I prodded with a finger floated up and

expanded. It was like a magic-induced illusion. However, this one wasn't

meant to conceal something or befuddle people, but to show greater detail.

It seemed like something that modern-day magic could replicate.

"All the last room has is an atlas?" Danan sounded a little disappointed.

"I guess the secrets of the Hero ended with that armory."

"Hey, there's a black mark and characters written on the globe," I

motioned to the spot in question.

Danan squinted. "Huh? That's where Zoltan is, right?"

Many black dots covered the map section that had expanded.

Danan and I were suspicious.

"So that's it." Peering closer, I realized what it was. "These are people."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, that big bunch of dots is a town, right?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah, it's gotta be."

"And we can enlarge the map again."

The globe's controls were intuitive. Touching the enlarged section

created another section that was more zoomed in. Pushing in against the

original expanded area closed it.

How convenient.

"This is incredible. You can see everyone moving around," I said.

The people came and went, moving along the streets. Some stopped at

food stalls, others chatted near walls, and more talked in the church…

"With this, you could know the movements of every army in the world."

This globe solved almost every issue there was with commanding an

army.

If you could carry it with you, your forces would be invincible. The

globe seemed wasted below the ground in the middle of nowhere.

"Hey, what's this writing?" Van pointed at the map.

Small characters were lined up vertically next to the moving people.

"I wonder…" I took a careful look. "Hmm. I can read some of them…"

"You can?"

"As long as they're just single words. This one is probably 'Warrior.'"

I'd reviewed ancient elf documents about blessings before. Warrior was

the most common blessing among ancient elves, just as it was with humans,

followed by Fighter, Mage, and other lower-tier blessings. I still recalled

how Warrior was written on that old document.

"So then this place has an Appraisal ability?!" Van cried in disbelief.

He had every reason to be surprised. Honestly, I was, too.

There were only two blessings capable of using Appraisal: Sage and

Saint. But the ancient elves were able to replicate it via pure magic. No, it

went beyond mere imitation. Casting Appraisal on every single person in

the world was an absurd achievement.

"Ancient elves…" I felt like we were missing something very critical.

The map only showed people's blessings. There were no monsters listed.

I zoomed in on the area around Zoltan, focusing down to the room we

were in. There were six dots. Van was highlighted on the display, perhaps

because the Hero was special. However, there were eight of us. Two were

missing.

One was Lavender, since she was a fairy. Who was the other?

"Yarandrala's not marked."

The high elf Yarandrala was absent from the map.

This device only showed humans, so it followed that she was left out.

But why only track humans?

"If the ancient elves made this globe, don't you think it's strange that it

doesn't show elves?"

There were no records of how prosperous humanity was during the age

of the ancient elves. However, humanity had struggled to survive in tribes

several hundred years ago, during the era of the wood elves. I doubted that

humans had powerful societies even further back in history. The prevailing

theory posited that any humans living at that time were mere barbarians.

So why track human blessings?

Lavender was the only one among us who'd ever seen an ancient elf

before, so I asked her.

"Lavender, please tell me something. Were ancient elves' ears more like

mine or Yarandrala's?"

"Ears? Those annoying creatures had ones more like yours." Lavender

pointed at my head.

"I see. So there never were any ancient elves."

To Lavender, there was hardly any difference at all between humans and

elves. She'd never given much consideration to the meanings of the words.

Ancient people or ancient elves, the difference was for others to concern

themselves with, not her.

"Humans made these ruins," I said.

Esta seemed to realize something at that. "I see." Turning around, she

examined an ancient elf device attached to the desk. "That makes it a lot

easier to understand the point of this Hero Administration Bureau than if

some mysterious extinct people had created it."

"The point…"

"Hmm, looks like I should be able to make it work."

"You know how to use it?"

"As a clerical magic user, I've studied many spells, although I really

only understand one function. It helps that they made a display that anyone

can use."

Esta moved the device using magic, and the globe changed.

"The points on the map moved," I commented.

At Esta's alteration, the dots representing people changed.

"Now there's no marks in this room… Oh! These are past records?" I

said.

"Yes. This should be from one year ago," Esta replied.

"…Incredible. So we can view where people were in the past."

"You were still in Zoltan a year ago, correct?"

"Yeah. I hadn't opened the shop yet, but I was living in a town house." I

shifted the map back to Zoltan and pointed to a single dot.

Esta pursed her lips. "If this is a record of the past, then let's see if my

guess is right."

"Guess…?"

The points representing people started flickering violently. The number

of black dots shrank. We were watching time rewind to the era of the wood

elves. History was flowing backward at lightning speed.

Suddenly, the number of humans exploded.

"What's going on?! There are humans everywhere, even on the dark

continent!" I cried.

"This is during the time when this facility was built…when humanity

was in its golden age," Esta explained. She continued to operate the device.

Time began to move more slowly for the globe.

"There," she said. "The Hero and the demon lord." There were two

points highlighted on the map. "The demon lord wasn't a human, but

they're highlighted because they're special, I guess."

"Probably," I agreed. "It makes sense, given the goal of this map."

Esta slowly moved backward through time.

"Back then, humans ruled the dark continent, too, so the demon lord was

surrounded by the Hero and other warriors and immediately slain."

"It was over in an instant…," Van muttered.

"The demon lord was easily dealt with in that era," I said.

"Sounds like a good thing," Yarandrala remarked.

"Right, the demon lord couldn't hurt anyone," Rit agreed.

Van did not take this news as well as the others. "But then there's no

reason for the Hero and the demon lord to exist!" he shouted.

Esta nodded.

"That's what the ancient humans concluded. Rather than trusting the

Hero to complete God's trial, they created a situation where they would win

every time. The Hero's mere existence doesn't change much. God made the

Hero and the demon lord as the most important pieces on the board, but the

battle was too important to risk. The people stole it away from the Hero."

Esta reversed the flow of time for the map. History marched forward in

its natural course now. The Hero's short adventure began and ended

quickly. After defeating the demon lord, the Hero returned to the Hero

Administration Bureau here and remained inside.

Hmm… I see.

"If the Hero remained outside, their impulses would compel them to

save others. This place is so deep and hidden because it's meant to sever the

Hero from the outside world," I stated.

Esta nodded. "Yes. That's the same conclusion I came to."

So that's why she'd been brooding.

This was the solution to the Hero and demon lord problem that the

ancient, advanced humans devised—this bureau. It was a facility dedicated

to managing the Hero's life so they didn't have to quest or battle.

"That's… That's the Hero's life? I can't accept that!" Van shouted.

Van was driven to fulfill his role as the Hero by his religious faith. The

Hero of the ancient human era was inconceivable to him.

"You don't have to accept it. It's merely how things were in the past."

Esta's blunt remark seemed to shock Van.

The ancient humans understood and commandeered the Divine Blessing

system God created.

"Once, I thought if God wished for the Hero to die for the world, then

that was simply a necessary sacrifice." Esta stared at the dots representing a

long-gone Hero and demon lord. "However, that would mean the Hero

existed purely to be offered to stop a recurring phenomenon. That hardly

seemed like the sort of person who'd inspire courage in others."

"…You're right. The ancient humans just chose the most effective and

efficient method of limiting damage," I said.

"Indeed. The humans didn't make a mistake. Demis did." Esta, a cleric,

was rejecting God's actions.

Everyone else in the room was floored, but I understood Esta's feelings.

"Demis clearly wanted something to come of the battle between the

Hero and the demon lord, but it wasn't this pointless, repeated fighting.

From the moment things turned out that way, Demis should have

abandoned the Divine Blessing of the Hero altogether." I looked at Van. His

eyes were fixed forlornly on the shifting map.

Lavender snuggled up to him, trying to warm his heart and break the

chill that had settled over him.

"Van," I called.

"Red…what is the Hero's purpose? You said I would find an answer if I

came here, but I feel all the more lost…"

"Ancient humans used the Hero as a method to quell the recurring

disaster that was the birth of a new demon lord. It's a logical way of looking

at it."

"I hate the idea of that kind of Hero!"

"But with a broader perspective, you could say that it does fulfill the

blessing's role. There's no adventure and no drama to a battle that will

never be lost, but it's still a fight against evil."

"It's wrong, though! My heart tells me that isn't heroic at all!"

I smiled and nodded. "Sounds like you have your answer, then."

"My…answer…?"

"You are the one who will decide the sort of hero you become. The hero

you want to be, the life you want to live, the ending you want to reach. I

think you should live as you please."

I wanted Van to know more about his blessing not because I wanted him

to be a proper Hero, but because I wanted him to live his life for himself.

The Hero's impulses were powerful. The Divine Blessing would surely

shackle him, and it would be difficult for him to live freely. Still, I didn't

want him to give up on his life because of that. Even if he lived as his

blessing demanded, I wanted it to be because he decided to.

"I don't understand…," Van muttered with his head lowered. After a

moment, he raised it with a determined look. "But I want to travel, talk to

Esta and Lavender and Ljubo, meet lots of other people, and discover the

sort of hero I want to be."

"That's fine," Esta said. She and everyone else smiled at Van's answer.

This moment was surely the true beginning of Van the Hero's journey.

"Lavender, do you hate Van now that he's like this?" I asked.

"I'll kill you for saying something so stupid. Van is always wonderful…

but today, he's even better than usual!"

Lavender started to kiss Van's cheek…but then froze.

"What is it, Lavender?" I had a terrible feeling that something was

wrong.

Lavender slowly turned her gaze toward the ceiling. She glared hard at

it, as though looking through it.

"Don't you dare touch Van!!!" Lavender screamed as cracks appeared

all over her small body.

Something in the sky seemed so threatening that her true nature

emerged.

"Lavender?!" Rit shouted, but the fairy did not have the wherewithal to

reply.

What's happening?!

Everyone was just as confused as me.

Van alone was different. His expression remained unchanged—frozen in

a smile from the end of our conversation.

This is bad!

I drew my sword and ran over to Lavender.

"Ahhh." Lavender gasped. Her body was rigid. "Van…"

Misery colored her voice.

Van's sword had cut into her. Blood erupted, and she collapsed to the

floor limply. Just as Van was about to deal the final blow, I grabbed

Lavender's body and tried to escape the reach of his blade. Unfortunately,

he was too fast.

He's quicker than Ruti!

"Kh!!!"

I raised my sword to meet the strike. It was the perfect defensive

response, yet I was sent flying through the air by the force of the blow.

While tasting that special sort of uneasiness that came from being aloft, I

readied myself for the landing.

Something slammed into my back.

I was flung all the way to the ceiling…?!

I bounced against the ceiling and dropped to the floor at high speed.

There wasn't even a moment to activate my Acrobatics skill.

"Argh…!"

My body shuddered from the violent impact. That single attack was

enough to incapacitate me. I couldn't stand.

"V-Van…"

I struggled to get that word out of my spasming lungs.

Van was smiling with the expression of a true believer, just like when he

first came to Zoltan.

"Ahhh. The Lord has come. The Hero shall destroy evil and save the

people. Because that is why the Hero exists." He spoke with feverish

excitement.

Esta was next to react. "Has he gone berserk like Ruti?!"

When Ruti was ensnared by the holy blade because of Shisandan, her

Hero blessing overtook her when she tried to abandon her role. It had dulled

her senses and compelled her to eliminate us.

Had Van's blessing gone wild in the same way?

"N…no…"

I couldn't form words properly, but I had to warn them.

"Van! I'll heal you later, but I'll need to take a limb for now!"

"I'll help!"

Esta leaped forward to stop Van while Yarandrala conjured a seal to

support her.

I had to stop them… They couldn't win against Van now… No one alive

could.

"Red, are you okay?!" Rit rushed over to me to heal my wounds and

Lavender's.

Esta and Yarandrala collapsed in the blink of an eye.

Two of the strongest people in the world were cut down in a single

stroke.

"No…" Rit couldn't believe the terrible scene before her eyes. She

stopped moving for just a moment.

Not good…!

"Ah?!" Rit exclaimed.

Van closed the distance immediately, turning his sword on Rit.

Emotion consumed me as I poured all my strength into my limbs in an

attempt to stand. But I knew I couldn't make it in time.

A large shadow lunged for Van from a blind spot.

Danan!

He'd kept still until now because he understood instinctually that Van

now possessed a terrifying level of power. Normally, he would've been the

first to dive in, yet he hadn't flinched as Esta and Yarandrala fell. He'd been

waiting for the right moment.

"Martial Art: Rising Dragon's Roar!!!"

Danan's full-powered attack…never got off the ground.

"S-sorry, Red…"

Van's sword moved far faster than Danan, piercing his body.

He was too strong. Even the ultimate Martial Artist couldn't do

anything.

This was more than the Hero going berserk.

When she lost control, Ruti was weaker than usual. Because she

couldn't wield a sword to her true capabilities when acting solely on

impulses.

Van was different. His fighting style remained. However, his physical

abilities, his reaction time, and his blessing's skills had all been enhanced to

an impossible extent.

The map that displayed blessings turned red. The point marking Van was

highlighted. Next to it, written in the ancient script, was his blessing and

level.

The Hero, Level 100.

It was a true miracle.

There was only one being who could possibly do something like that.

Van's Divine Blessing changing from the Cardinal to the Hero was

already a miracle. Had he decided that another wouldn't hurt? Had he

poured strength directly into Van's blessing to bring about one more act of

providence?

The being who brought so much chaos to people's lives was here before

me.

"Is that you, Demis?!" I demanded.

God was present, through Van.

"The Lord has come. I have awakened as a true hero… I am a savior."

Demis was speaking in Van's voice.

It was a farce. What true hero? What savior? Demis had merely inserted

himself into his own creation to speak through a puppet's lips.

My head grew hot, and I trembled in rage.

Van had grown.

His transformed blessing had confused him, he'd made lots of mistakes,

but he'd finally managed to find his own way. He'd discovered the hero he

wished to be. He had tasted frustration after losing to me, learned the joy

and fun of swordsmanship, and he could smile and laugh during adventures

with his comrades.

He was finally ready to set off on his journey.

And this miracle overwrote all of it.

Demis was obliterating everything Van had gained, deeming it

worthless.

"Bullshit…"

I was furious.

The absurdity of this development made me forget my pain. I stood and

leveled my sword at God.

"Demis, you are the creator of this world. Van's body, Van's blessing,

Van's soul—you made each. Maybe that's why you think you can do

whatever you please with them." I glared at Demis. "But Van's resolve was

born of himself! That doesn't belong to anyone else! That was his alone!

Right?! Answer me, Demis!"

"No," Demis answered gently in Van's voice, as if patiently explaining

to a child. "The bodies, the blessings, the will that God gave all of you are

your own. God loves you."

"Love?"

The blood of Van's comrades dripped from the sacred sword Demis held

loosely.

"You talk of love after cutting down Van's friends?"

"Be not sad. Flesh and spirit may perish, but souls are eternal. God's

love is devoted to all of you. This world knows more of God's love and

benevolence than any of the infinite others."

I'd always imagined what the deity who forced the Hero onto Ruti was

like.

I didn't like Demis. You could say I held a grudge against him.

However, I understood that God had his reasons for things and also that

people wished for Demis to save them. The morals of society had been

shaped through the lens of religion.

So even if I carried a grudge, I didn't hate him.

Until now!

"This isn't the first time you've deigned to come down here, is it?" I

pressed him. "When the world fell out of line from what you desired, you

intervened and created another Hero…and you were the one who destroyed

the ancient humans' civilization."

Demis was the reason for the differences between Ruti's and Van's

blessings. Van's was just like the sword in his hand. Ruti's was the true

version, modeled after the soul of the Asura demon who was the first hero,

while Van's was a knockoff created by God.

"Yes. The people forgot the love of God. The only thing that could be

done to save those sad people was to force them to abandon all the

civilization they had developed. God has always loved people. And it is

thus even now."

Demis did not feel any regret or compassion for the lives he stole and

destroyed.

There was only love, a love that killed in order to save.

Souls were reborn. So to Demis, a person's death was nothing more than

the next step in sending a soul to its future physical embodiment… There

was no tragedy in it.

"I won't accept that," I growled, gripping my sword tightly. "This world

is filled with bloodshed. Countless lives are lost every day."

"Death is not the end," Demis answered gently. "All life merely

continues after, swaddled in God's love. The lives you speak of are but

transient dreams."

"This moment! Not the next life! Now! Lives here are precious!"

My life in Zoltan with Rit—this life was happy.

Seeing Ruti freed from the Hero and having fun and smiling with Tisse

—that was bliss.

In this world, where living in accordance with your blessing was

efficient, I chose to exist the way I wanted.

I couldn't accept Demis or anyone else who trivialized Van's will and

his life!

"Wait, Red!"

Rit broke in front of me before I could act.

Her healing magic breathed energy back into me and Lavender, who still

lay on the ground.

"Don't stop me, Rit! I can't forgive him!"

"I know! But can you win?!"

"But he—!"

"Forgetting yourself in anger isn't like you at all! Danan or Esta might

get stronger when they're angry, but that isn't how you fight!"

Rit's words cooled my head just a little bit.

A chance… Do I have a chance?

My opponent was God. The Hero had been raised to level 100.

This enemy was beyond anything imaginable, a being more powerful

than Ruti the Hero or Demon Lord Taraxon.

"There's no choice but to trust my fate to the sword," I said.

"Don't stop thinking!"

"The only reason we're even speaking right now is because of Demis's

mercy. He's allowing us the time for a final conversation before killing us."

Demis wasn't wary in the slightest. If he could defeat Danan or Esta in

an instant, he could kill the likes of us with ease at any moment, too. He

was simply waiting for us to work up the resolve to die.

"Please, Red! Don't give up! I'll stall for time! So please don't give up!"

"Stall for time…"

"I will, too."

"Albert…"

"Even if it's just one second more, I will stall with Rit. So please…"

Albert glanced at the fallen Esta for a moment and gritted his teeth. "Please

defeat Demis."

It was an absurd ask.

But I was calm.

I needed to save my comrades. Everyone lying on the ground had

suffered mortal wounds. They would die if left there. Only Esta could save

them, but she was among the injured.

Her…or Van, with his Healing Hands.

I'd forgotten something important. I needed to rescue Van from Demis

as well. I couldn't afford to fail.

"There's a way," I said. "It's one in a million, but there is a way to win."

"Red!" Rit cried.

"But…"

It would take time. No matter how fast I ran, I would need at least six

minutes. Surviving for six minutes against Demis was impossible for Rit

and Albert.

"Red, believe in me," Rit said.

"Six minutes! I'll leave it to you!"

"Roger!"

All I can do is run! All I can do is believe in Rit!

The moment I started running, Demis moved.

Can't you just wait for me to come back?!

"Ketu Elemental Storm!" came a little voice.

There was torrent of powerful magic.

Crackling lightning, flame, wind—every sort of destructive energy

converged on Demis's body.

With blood running from her body, Lavender hurled all her strength at

Demis.

"Lavender!"

"Don't look back!" she shouted.

I ran to the exit.

As I left, a large, slender shadow entered the room.

What now? A clockwork dragon?! And clockwork knights are riding on

its back!

I didn't look back, but I could sense the clockwork dragon transforming

into its original, geared dragon form to face off against Demis.

Demis was the being who destroyed the ancient humans' civilization.

They must have understood that Demis was an enemy in their final

moments. Their last orders still survived in their clockwork creations.

Calling this good fortune felt wrong. Demis had brought this on himself.

The dying wish of the people he had killed, the final blade of the humans

who'd been destroyed, would keep God in check.

I ran desperately, calling upon Lightning Speed and Immunity to

Fatigue. Demis had granted me my blessing and skills, but they were mine

now. I wouldn't accept any complaints about using them.

"The clockworks!"

The constructs marched down the passage one after another toward

Demis.

There were this many left in the ruins?

With the last of their power, the clockworks were challenging the deity

who'd destroyed their creators.

The lights in the ruins went out. The facility was dying.

Fortunately, we'd already explored the route back.

I just have to remember the way out!

I reached the gondola. There was no time for a leisurely ride, so I

jumped onto the rail and used Acrobatics to run along it. From there, I

arrived at our camp and kept going.

Van's delight at learning the sword surfaced in my memory.

Calm down. Focus on what needs to be done.

I set my sights on the lowest floor, the deepest point, past the door that

Shisandan had opened.

"There!"

It was the final sword remaining from Ruti and Shisandan's battle. This

was the weapon that had caused Ruti's blessing to go berserk. I picked up

the Sacred Avenger.

It was heavy, like lead. Only the Hero was meant to use this blade. I

stowed it in my item box so that I wouldn't feel the weight.

I had what I came for, so I turned and sprinted back to Rit.

The battle was still ongoing when I burst into the room.

Lavender and Albert were on the ground.

The clockworks had been smashed to tiny pieces.

The monsters in the tanks around the facility had even arrived. Amid the

piles of countless monster corpses, a juvenile gem beast was the last one

standing, although it was on the verge of joining its kin.

Where's Rit?!

"You made it, Red."

"Rit!"

She was still alive.

Her clothes were covered in blood, but Danan, Yarandrala, and Esta

were behind her. She'd carried them to a safe place while fighting.

"I believed in you, Red."

"Are you okay?! Your wounds…"

Her hand stopped me.

"They can wait."

"Okay…"

I pulled the Sacred Avenger from my item box.

"That is the blade given by God, is it not?" Demis sounded almost

surprised. "Unfortunately, that sword can only be used by the Hero."

"That's not quite true, is it?"

Next, I pulled out the wild elf medicine.

"Poison that rejects God's love," Demis declared.

"Poison that rejects god's love," huh? Sounds like just what the doctor

ordered for a situation like this!

I gulped down the medicine. It had a horrible taste.

"You said this sacred blade can only be used by the Hero? That doesn't

make any sense. The first hero was an Asura demon who didn't have a

blessing," I said.

"Shrewd…"

This sword was a sacred blade that the Hero alone could wield. But it

had been given to a creature without a Divine Blessing.

There was one answer that solved that paradox. The Hero blessing

wasn't the key to drawing out the weapon's power. Rather, the Sacred

Avenger rejected every blessing other than the Hero.

Shisandan had been able to wield it not because he was an Asura demon

like the first hero, but because he didn't have a Divine Blessing.

I drank vial after vial of the wild elf elixir. I could feel my skills and

blessing growing weaker.

"Sad. God's love can no longer reach you. But God loves you even so."

Demis moved toward me.

Please answer me.

Sacred sword. First hero.

I am no hero.

But please, even if only for a moment, lend me strength.

To save my friends who have fallen.

And also…

"Lend me the strength to save the boy who will someday be a hero!"

I gripped the sword with both hands.

"Very well," spoke a voice in my mind. "The hero is nothing so grand

as that. If you wish to save someone other than yourself from the bottom of

your heart, that is qualification enough."

You're…

"Just a fragment of a meaningless soul lingering in this sacred blade. I

caused you all terrible trouble before…so I shall give you everything I have.

Get ready!"

Demis raised his sword.

I saw the movement, the divine speed that even Danan had failed to

react to. I saw it clearly.

I moved in sync with the blade.

Defense, and then victory from an instantaneous counterattack.

I saw the ideal form of swordsmanship.

But that will kill Van!

"Believe in the hero's power."

There was a split-second clash. Holy blades crossed.

Power flowed into me through the Sacred Avenger, raising my physical

abilities and reaction speed to Demis's level, possibly even higher.

And I wouldn't lose in an even battle of sword techniques.

Demis's sword was knocked to the left as mine came down now that his

defense was broken.

"Why do you reject God's love?"

"Because it's a selfish love."

The Sacred Avenger pierced Van's body. I could feel it slicing into him.

But there was no blood… Only Demis's essence was cut.

It was ironic.

This blade was the only weapon in the world made by God; it was the

sole armament with that same divine status. That allowed it to reach the

hand of God that had touched Van.

"Unfortunate."

Van's body slumped like a puppet whose strings had been cut. I could

feel the tremendous power leaving his body.

"Van!"

He rose unsteadily to his feet, as if responding to my voice.

"I-I'm okay… My memory is hazy, but I know what happened."

"You're back! Quickly! Heal everyone!"

Van was still a little wobbly, but he looked me in the eyes and nodded,

heading to Lavender first and then everyone else, restoring them with his

Healing Hands.

Somehow, everyone managed to make it through.

The battle was over.

"Rit…are you okay?" I asked.

"I believed in you. I was sure you'd find a way to win."

"This time…this time, I was about to give up. I would have broken

without you."

"Ehehe. My Red's amazing."

Rit's wounds had been mended perfectly. Van's Healing Hands ability

really was something. Mastering a skill was for more than show.

"Well done."

The voice rang in my ears again.

I'd accepted it earlier, since I had to focus on defeating Demis, but…was

I really speaking with the first hero?

I couldn't really help but feel a bit nervous. This was the most legendary

hero of them all.

"No need to clam up. I am but a fragment of an Asura who died long

ago. You, though—you did well to stand against Demis."

Because you told me to trust you. The opponent was almighty God

himself, yet courage welled up inside me.

Surely, that was the power of a true hero's words.

"As I am now, I don't have any such power. That courage was merely

what resided in you."

If you say so, then I have to believe you. I'm honored.

"This sword once tormented your sister. I'm glad I could atone for

that."

That wasn't your doing. It was because the Hero blessing grew stronger

while holding this sword.

"Indeed. In truth, being a hero has nothing to do with blessings or skills.

The Hero blessing's nature was shaped by the way I lived my life."

Why did Demis create that blessing? Why did he intervene with a

miracle simply because the Hero decided to live his own way?

"I don't fully understand, either. But apparently, my life fulfilled the goal

Demis had in making Divine Blessings."

I see…so that's why he used your soul as the model for a Divine

Blessing. Demis wanted to have people live as you did, to re-create a soul

like yours, I guess.

"Demis is a god who's not content to reap a ripe harvest. He believes he

can make a hero's soul like mine by forcing others to live like me. So instead

of reaping the fruit, he buries it in the ground, hoping to produce a new

crop."

The first hero's voice grew faint.

"It seems your suppressed blessing is recovering. It has been a long time

since I spoke with anyone."

Wait! One more thing! What is New Truth?! What is the blessing that

appeared in my sister?

"The power of people, the true demon lord, a part of the greatest

strength in this world that I challenged."

The true demon lord?

"Take care but do not fear. The demon lord is a power that everyone

possesses. Love can also be born from it. How you use it is up to all of

you…"

The first hero's final words were so weak, I could only just barely make

them out. However, I felt them as surely as if he'd shouted in my ear.

"Brave hero, live in happiness."

With that, the first hero vanished.

"Red, are you all right?"

Rit watched me with obvious worry in her eyes.

Apparently, I'd sat down while talking to the first hero.

"How long was I like this?"

"Hmm? Just a few seconds, I think. I asked because I thought you might

be tired."

"I see."

I thought my conversation with the first hero had lasted for a minute.

Had it really only been a second or two?

The sword in my hands felt terribly heavy.

"He said my blessing has returned, but…my skills still feel weakened."

The effects of the wild elf medicine yet remained.

I'd downed six doses. Typically, you weren't supposed to take more than

one.

Will I be okay?

"R-Red, your face looks really pale," Rit said.

"I don't actually know what happens after taking a bunch of that

medicine…"

"What? Huh?!"

"There wasn't any other way, so I just…"

"Your blessing reacts to it like a poison, right?! I'll cast Cure Poison!"

Rit immediately conjured a seal and summoned spirits to neutralize the

poison.

Hmm, it sort of feels a little better, but also not really.

"It isn't getting better…!" Rit exclaimed.

"I think the toxin of the elixir is gone now, but I guess spells can't heal a

blessing disorder. At least we know this isn't some unexpected side effect

from the medicine's ingredients. Thank you, Rit."

"Urgh."

Rit looked worried.

"Let me help, too."

"Van."

After healing everyone else, Van approached me and activated Healing

Hands.

The trouble with my blessing remained, but my exhausted body did feel

much improved.

With my blessing enfeebled, my skills became weaker, so all that

fighting put more strain on my muscles and bones than normal.

Now that the battle was over, true hell awaited me.

"Thanks, Van. My blessing isn't improving, but my body is definitely

better."

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't need to apologize. God intervened with a miracle."

Obviously, this wasn't Van's fault.

"Thank you for saving my precious friends. Without your Healing

Hands, everyone would have died." I meant that with all my heart.

Van looked unsure how to respond, but after a moment, he nodded

slightly.

That was enough.

"You just experienced a true miracle. What will you do now?" I said.

"I…will stick to my plan. I still don't know what sort of hero I want to

be."

"I see."

"This adventure changed my life as dramatically as the miracle that gave

me the Hero blessing… Thank you, Red."

Van remained hesitant, but that uncertainty didn't seem to trouble him

the way it used to. His doubts represented possibility.

This was as far as we would journey together… I didn't know what sort

of hero he would become. However, he would undoubtedly find a life of no

regret.

And that made me happy.