Quit The Hero Party

EP.5 What the heck, give it back (4)

The city located directly opposite Kadinak.

A lodging in the aquatic city of Rapelern.

“Ugh…”

Kyle stepped outside after tucking the tired Sara and Remia in. Despite wearing lightweight leather pants and just a shirt, he felt no chill at all.

Because a Hero’s body is always like that.

A Hero’s body is not bound by trivial matters. There’s no need for rigorous training or management. It exists solely to vanquish the Demon Lord, maintaining peak condition in any situation.

A Hero chosen by the Star.

That body must always be perfect.

Even in the cold air, Kyle wore a crooked smile. As he strolled the dawn streets to cool off, he suddenly spotted a boy.

Early dawn.

The boy was running fervently down the still misty streets, dripping with sweat as he shoved a bundle of newspapers into each house.

“…”

At last, the boy brushed past Kyle.

In that brief moment, old memories surfaced in Kyle’s mind. Horrible times from before he became a Hero.

‘That’s all in the past now.’

Like shaking off dust, Kyle brushed those memories away.

‘I’m not like back then.’

No one now would demean Kyle. No one could taint his achievements. Therefore, he was no longer the pitiful version of himself from that time.

The past of licking the feet of nobles was tossed aside.

He had eliminated all nobles involved in that past.

So now, nobody knows about Kyle’s past. Nobody could connect the miserable, cowardly boy to the brilliant Kyle of today.

‘Except for one person.’

Raniel.

Kyle chewed on that name in his mind.

—Hey, Kyle.

—How long are you going to keep this up?

A voice.

—I have nothing to say about you running from the Demon Lord. It was the right choice. Even if it means Sara, Remia, and I die, you, the Hero, must survive.

—So I’m not going to say anything about that.

—I really need to say something about your attitude right now.

That voice that had lifted him time and again.

—Get up.

—Grab the Holy Sword.

—How long are you going to stay there? If you have no answers, find one. That’s why you received that sword.

That voice never lets go of him. No matter the situation, no matter how he shows himself, it sighed deeply and reached out again and again.

—I’ll help if you can’t make it.

—Hey, fuck off! Who do you think I am? I’m the next Master of the Ashen Tower for crying out loud! If I support you, who would dare look down on you?

Kyle could no longer endure that voice which never gave up, especially when he stood before that figure.

Standing by the always forward-looking mage Raniel brought back the feeling of his own past being laid bare.

“…”

But that was all over now. Finally, that person had given him up. Let him go.

—Live well without me, you bastard.

After chewing on Raniel’s last words, Kyle smirked. “Live well without me”? Who the hell should say that?

“You’re lucky you don’t know, Raniel.”

You, who bound the Demon Lord’s feet in exchange for half your lifespan.

What deal did I make with the Star that day?

—

Fl blinked.

As sunlight poured in, I blinked rapidly. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I slowly propped myself up.

“Ugh.”

Crunch. Every movement split the dried blood clotted on my clothes. I looked down at the robe spattered with crimson powder.

It was the robe I had worn since leaving the Tower.

For some reason, it felt bigger today.

“…”

With bleary eyes, I raised my arm. My arm, covered in dried clots. The stock of spells that should have filled my forearm felt absent.

‘…Well, that makes sense.’

To face the black fog, I needed to feed spells to the mana. Given that, this isn’t bad at all.

‘When I first met it, I lost half my lifespan.’

Compared to that, losing a few dozen stored spells isn’t that huge of a deal.

In any case, I figured it was worth noting that I survived a confrontation with the black fog. There was a small sense of satisfaction that my magic had affected the fog.

“Ugh.”

But, that was short-lived.

I soon let out a heavy sigh and lowered my head.

‘What’s the point of realizing it now.’

What good is it knowing how to face the Demon Lord?

I’d already been expelled from the Hero party, and I didn’t want to be involved with those damned Demon Lord soldiers anymore.

And if I just laid out the results, it was tragic.

All my stored spells—gone.

Plus, I missed the Succubus Queen and the Black Knight.

All I had gained was this insignia pinned to my chest.

‘The cost-efficiency is absolutely terrible.’

I gave a bitter smile as I touched the insignia on my robe. I’d stuck it back on as soon as I got it back from Refe. Well, at least I got that back.

Just as I was about to smooth it down, I felt something weird in my hand.

“…?”

I blinked in confusion and looked down.

“…What is this?”

As I tilted my head, Ashen hair slipped from my fingers. The length was concerning.

“What the hell is this?”

Something was off.

“Why does my voice sound like this, damn it.”

My voice felt strange too. Just as I was puzzled by the absurdity of it all.

—….!

—…ra. ….!

A presence was felt nearby. I halted my thoughts and focused on the distant sounds.

—Find it!

—…was said to have spread the barrier. We need to retrieve it before the Knights notice. Hurry!

—Hurry, it’s the command of…

The voice.

—The Succubus Queen is definitely inside.

—It’s a fist-sized orb. Find it!

Footsteps.

Clink, clink, the sound of armor clattering.

“…”

I narrowed my eyes and scanned my surroundings.

The ruins of broken buildings surrounded me. The structures had collapsed, and by sheer coincidence, a small space had formed around the column I was leaning against.

I lifted my head.

Walls piled above my head.

There were small gaps in those walls. Light filtered through the openings, and sounds spilled in.

—It’s a black orb!

—As soon as it’s found…

The orb.

The only orb I remember is the one from last night, the orb Refe had split. The appearance of that damned orb that had called forth the black fog swam in my mind.

‘It was definitely somewhere around here.’

Refe had dropped the orb while engulfed by the black fog. And if she didn’t take it with her… it should still be around here.

I slowly got to my feet.

My body felt weird, but I decided not to worry about it for now. What mattered now was not my body.

—Follow the traces of battle.

—I heard there are marks, as if something clawed through it.

Those voices must belong to the Demon Lord’s army. Their words, combined with the foul stench seeping through the gaps, confirmed that for me.

The smell of monsters.

The stench of rotting flesh.

I have no idea why the Demon Lord’s army is in a human city in broad daylight. The worst-case scenario would be that Kadinak had been conquered by the Demon Lord’s army…

‘That’s unlikely.’

Even for a small city, Kadinak is close to the knights’ stronghold. It would be difficult to launch an attack on such a place overnight, unless the Demon Lord himself appeared.

So there’s only one remaining possibility.

‘They’re after the orb that Refe dropped.’

They’ve come here, risking significant danger, just for that.

Thud.

I planted my feet on the ground.

Then I turned my head to follow the sensed presence.

—Crack!

The ceiling wall was being torn down by someone.

As the gap widened, more sunlight streamed in. Sounds filled the space. The stench wafted through.

“There’s an empty space here! Quickly, Lord…”

The voice.

“Eh?”

Startled eyes.

I made eye contact with the soldier who’d torn open the wall.

Naturally, I sensed the malice. The moment he opened his mouth to say something, I grabbed his throat.

Then, yanked him into the gap.

“Ugh!”

I tripped the soldier’s feet. Toppled him. I thrust my fingers straight into his mouth.

“Um, urgh!”

I felt the coarse texture of his tongue on my fingertips. Not human, but split like a lizard’s. I shoved my hand deeper.

“Ugh, urgh!”

My fingertips reached his uvula.

From there, I conjured a spell.

‘Smite.’

Ashen mana flashed from my fingertips.

The hastily conjured spell pierced the soldier’s throat.

“Kerg!”

Blood sprayed.

I pulled my fingers from the soldier’s limp mouth. As I brushed off my blood-stained hand, a chunk hit the ground with a thud.

The improvised spell lacked both speed and power. To ensure efficiency, I had to resort to this dirty method.

And it made me feel uncomfortable.

Normally, I wouldn’t need to use spells to deal with such a rabble. I could just trip them and snap their necks or knock them out with a blow to the head.

But for some reason,

I sensed from the moment I tripped the soldier.

This body couldn’t handle it.

I lacked strength.

Trusting that instinct, I immediately conjured a spell.

Indeed, that instinct was correct. This body didn’t have sufficient power.

“…”

I looked at my blood-stained arm.

A pale, slender arm.

I could roughly guess how my body had changed. Honestly, it was easy to figure out.

Succubus, bodily mutation, black fog.

And the unsettling feeling from earlier in my chest.

Not to mention my unusually thin voice.

The only conclusion from those clues was clear.

“Ha…”

I let out a sigh and wiped my eyes.

My emotions screamed to capture that bat-like bitch, but sadly, I didn’t even have the luxury of that thought.

—…

The previously audible voices fell silent.

The erratic sounds of footsteps converged solely in one direction. Footsteps echoed all around me.

Yes.

A presence was approaching this way.

“…”

As I sipped in that sound, I gathered my breath. I organized my thoughts. I checked each of the conditions I had been given.

Is the number of stored spells sufficient?

No, there are none at all.

Is the terrain favorable?

Rather, it’s a disadvantage. I’m surrounded on all sides. There’s nowhere to run.

How many opponents are there?

Easily over ten.

Finally, I ask myself.

‘So, what do I have?’

The answer was always the same.

‘Mana.’

More than enough mana.

That was sufficient.

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