The Simple Job of Only Perishing to the Hero

At the time, the mere concept of using magic to seal one’s powers did not exist among the inhabitants of Remfilia. 

This was due to the fact that this type of magic was not needed by anyone. However, even if the existence of this magic was well-known, it would not be practiced by many. 

Sealing magic fell under the category of Dark Magic, a field of magic that meddled with the mind and the soul. Even though the belief that the God of Darkness controls the Mazoku was proven to be false a very long time ago, many people avoid Dark Magic altogether because of the stigma attached to it. As a result, little to no research is ever conducted in the field.

Despite the fact that books on the topic were never banned, it was nearly impossible to find anyone that was willing to sell Dark Magic literature. And due to the lack of research being conducted, there weren’t many books being written in the first place. Even if Dark Magic researchers existed, they would have to operate in secret.

But even then, Kain did not give up. He became absorbed in his studies of Dark Magic. He spent hours and hours on his research, almost as if he were possessed, using himself as a test subject for his experiments.

However, not wanting to make his parents worry, he continued to live a normal life outside of his research. He did his best to make sure that no one around him was negatively affected.

Kain carried on with the development of “Sealing Magic,” devoting all of his free time to his extensive research.

As soon as his magic seal was completed, he began to apply it onto himself layer by layer, forming a powerful disguise that would suppress his abilities. When he realized that his work was finally done, Kain began to experience an overwhelming sense of fear.

If all of the kindness that he had received up until now had been a result of his Hero abilities… What will become of him now?

Desperately pushing aside his fear, Kain went on. And so, with his power-suppressing magic seal, he decided to restart his life as “Kain Stadius.”

Because of how powerful his initial abilities had been, he often found himself getting stuck in troubling situations… But still, Kain fought on, constantly working to help others.

Maybe his motivation came from the words of the God of Life Philia, when she told him, before his reincarnation, that she wanted him to “protect this world” from danger. Or maybe his identity as “The Hero” had ignited within him a strong sense of duty. Or maybe he was trying to cope with the guilt that he felt toward his past self, at how he had abused the Hero’s power for years without even realizing it.

Or maybe… It was for all of these reasons.

Because he had completely lost sight of his own goals, he looked fondly on those who continued to chase their dreams. He did everything he could to save others from injustice and suffering.

He lived fiercely and recklessly, and in an effort to re-discover his goals, he decided to enroll at the Edius Adventurer School.

Arriving at the royal capital from his hometown, Kain witnessed all kinds of corruption. He did everything in his power to fight against this corruption. And eventually, he found himself standing in this place.

「…If I had embraced my role as the Hero, I might have had an easier time getting through life. I might have been able to save more people from their suffering.”

Kain whispered.

「But, even then… Either way, the mere existence of “The Hero” is sure to throw off the balance of the world. Even without the power of “The Dignity of the Hero,” the legacy of the Hero Ryuuya and the presence of Philia will put “The Hero” on a pedestal higher than any human could ever reach. And if that were to happen… I’m not stupid enough to not understand what that would mean.」

It would be reasonable to assume that the arrival of the Hero is likely to throw the people into a frenzy of excitement. News of the second coming of that legendary figure is sure to fill everyone with a newfound sense of hope and vitality.

But who was the “enemy” that the Hero had to face?

Vermudol had worked endlessly and tirelessly to make sure that the Zadark Kingdom would not become this enemy. There was no logical reason for the Hero to view Vermudol and the Zadark Kingdom as an “evil” that he had to destroy.

However, that reason would eventually create itself.

In the past, the Great Demon King Gramfia was killed by the Hero despite the fact that there was no evidence of any immediate threat that he posed toward humanity. It had been done simply because the Demon King Shuklous had described Gramfia’s existence as “the root of all evil” shortly before his own death.

Even now, with news of the arrival of “the new Demon King Vermudol” spreading across the continent, there are some people that claim that the Alva were sent by the Zadark Kingdom to wreak havoc on human land.

Though this was nothing but a baseless rumor born of fear and ignorance, what would happen if it were to spread?

「Hmph, I see that the scenario is different this time around. For this Hero Legend, the Hero was never summoned.」

The God of Life Philia understood that the new Demon King would take precautions against the summoning of the Hero. And if the Demon King never committed a wrong that would give her a reason to summon the Hero, Philia would not waste her power on the summoning.

However, it would make sense to send the Hero into the world in advance to serve as a guardian of the people. Even if there was no significant wrong that the Hero had to right, he could still work to solve the problems faced by humanity.

Vermudol had been cautious of the Hero, constantly eliminating any reason for him to appear.

「….Well, I guess it was quite unexpected for the Hero to appear in this way.”

「Scenario…?」

「Have you not noticed yet? I’m talking about this massive act that Philia has set up. She’s trying to create a common enemy in order to bring everyone together to solve humanity’s problems.」

It’s often said that having a common goal will cause people to set aside their differences to work together. It’s also often said that the enemy of one’s enemy is their friend.

Philia’s scheme is meant to teach humans the foolishness of their meaningless quarrels by presenting them with a larger problem.

Last time, the “larger problem” was the threat posed by the Demon King Shuklous and the Great Demon King Gramfia.

So what was the problem this time around? That would probably be the new Demon King, Vermudol. And what are the “meaningless quarrels” that need to be stopped by the Hero?

「This time, the problem with humanity seems to be the spread of the Demi-Human Rejection Argument. If nothing is done about it, a war will break out among the humans. Even the Canal Kingdom’s own civil war stems from that horrible ideology.」

The Demi-Human Rejection Argument claims that pure humans are the only race loved and accepted by the God of Life, Philia. It claims that the existence of Demi-Human races—such as the Sylphids, Metalio and Beastmen—goes against nature and Philia’s will, just like the Mazoku.

This ideology, which originated in the St. Altlis Kingdom, has spread throughout the world, bringing hatred and conflict into every kingdom that it infects.

「So, I’m going to ask you, Rydolg. Why haven’t you done anything about this? Why have you been leaving it alone for so long?」

He had been leaving it alone. To Vermudol, it had seemed that way.

The Canal Kingdom was a kingdom that worshipped the God of Light, Rydolg, and the kingdom’s royalty were loyal followers of him.

Therefore, if Rydolg had just descended, and… He didn’t even have to go that far. Even if he had simply deterred the previous king from going down the wrong path, the situation could have been helped greatly.

This is what Vermudol had meant by “leaving it alone.”

「…I understand what you’re saying, but it couldn’t be helped.」

「That’s a strange thing to say. Are you trying to imply that there was a reason for you not to interfere?」

「Hmm… Well, now that the situation has come this far, I guess I have no choice but to talk.」

Rydolg gently stroked his beard. He looked at Vermudol, then at Kain.

「How much do you two know about this world?」

「I don’t quite understand the meaning of your question. But to answer it directly, not that much. I haven’t seen the entire Shutaia Continent yet, and I still haven’t even seen the entirety of the Dark Continent with my own eyes.」

「Hmm, I see. To most people, even the land known as the Dark Continent is seen as a distant, uncharted territory… Now, would you believe me if I told you that there exists yet another continent?」

Kain let out a loud gasp. Vermudol fell deep into thought.

「The kingdom that I am tasked with protecting is located on that continent. I do also look over this kingdom as much as I can, but… Well, even with the body of a god, it is a very difficult job to do alone. Maybe I might have been able to pull it off if I were as clever as Aklia.」

「Wait, but… What do you mean there’s another…?」

「Well, I definitely can’t deny the possibility that it exists.」

Interrupting Kain, Vermudol gave a slight nod.

In Remfilia, the ocean was often associated with the concept of “discontinuity.”

The space between the Shutaia Continent and the Dark Continent is filled by a massive body of water that is known as the “Sea of Farthest Ends.” The sea is so wide that, before the Hero Ryuuya arrived at the Dark Continent, no one even knew that another continent existed.

Even after the Demon King was defeated by the Hero, no one was willing to risk their lives trying to cross this sea. Because of this, the only thing known about the Dark Continent was that it was a distant land on the other side of the sea that was inhabited by Mazoku.

Therefore, it became a commonly held belief that the “Sea of Farthest Ends” was a natural barrier that had been formed to protect the Shutaia Continent from the Mazoku, and that the sea was impossible to cross.

However, the Hero Ryuuya and the Holy Dragon Exlet were the only ones to ever cross it, so no one really knew what lay on the other side of the “Sea of Farthest Ends.”

The Mazoku that lived on the Dark Continent were focused solely on heightening their own power, so most of them did not have even the slightest bit of interest in the “outside world.”

Even Vermudol had not thought too much about the possibility of another continent.

「…Because no one has even tried to look for anything on the other side of the sea, I have no reason to not believe your claim that there are other continents out there. In fact, now that I think about it, I have seen several things that hint to its existence.」

「Ho? And what would they be?」

Rydolg asked in amusement. Clicking his tongue, Vermudol continued talking.

「The large ship in the Cylus Empire.」

「I see. However, if there’s an ocean nearby, there must be boats. Isn’t that pretty weak as evidence?」

「It would be if that was all there is to it. However, the ship is simply too large and well-built to be meant for cruising along the shore. It was clearly designed for long-distance travel.」

Advancements in technology tend to be made only when they are needed, a principle that can be easily understood by looking back at the history of weapon design. If no further advancements are required, no developments are made, and in some cases, certain technologies may even fall into disuse. This pattern mirrors the evolution process of biological organisms, and it makes logical sense.

So, when taking this into consideration, it seems strange that the Cylus Empire is the only kingdom that possesses a ship so massive.

One possible explanation is that the ship had been constructed back when the Great Demon King Gramfia was still alive, in anticipation of an invasion of the Dark Continent.

However, this could not be the case.

That is because the existence of the Dark Continent had been revealed shortly after the battle between Demon King Shukrous and the Hero Ryuuya, and not much time had passed before Ryuuya and the Holy Dragon Exlet set out for the continent.

Therefore, the Cylus Empire had no clear need for a large ship. There was no reason to spend so many resources building a ship that large and technologically advanced, especially since all of the ships used for fishing were significantly smaller.

Even a medium-sized ship would suffice for inter-kingdom travel, and considering the widely accepted belief that the “Sea of Farthest Ends” was uncrossable, it would be hard to believe that enough people felt the need to build a ship that large.

So why had it been created?

There were a few important things that had to be considered. The first is that ship-building technology was originally invented in the Cylus Empire. However, the empire is located in a very mountainous region, and many of its inhabitants work as blacksmiths. Was there really a need for a boat in a place like this?

A boat may be necessary in every kingdom for the gathering of marine resources such as seafood, but because of the Cylus Empire’s abundance of mountainous regions, it didn’t have as much of a need for these resources.

So why were they the first to develop ship-building technology?

Taking these factors into account, there was only one possibility that Vermudol could think of.

「…Therefore, the ship is made with technology borrowed from the “other continent.”」

Of course, this was just a theory.

If a group of blacksmiths were to, one day, discover some sort of bizarre technology that they did not understand, what would they try to do? If they did not yet understand the workings of the technology… They would definitely try their best to understand it. They would also attempt to replicate that technology, to reproduce that “something” that they found.

They may use that technology as a sample, copying its shape and design as they grow their understanding of it. Eventually, they would be able to replicate it perfectly. It would be a moment of discovery, a sudden, unexpected development of a new form of technology.

Therefore, it was not something that was invented because it was “needed.”

If all of this was true, it would significantly support the existence of another continent.

「Wait, but, if that’s really the case, does that mean that the people who were on the ship are now in the Cylus Empire…?」

Vermudol brought his hand to his chin, thinking about Kain’s question.

It made sense to predict that they remained in the Cylus Empire.

After all, they were visitors that arrived with a new, innovative technology. There’s no way that the Cylus Empire, an empire that specializes in technology, wouldn’t welcome them with open arms.

However, there were more possibilities that had to be considered.

What happened to the “visitors” after they arrived? Did they remain in the Cylus Empire, assimilating into its culture? Or maybe they kept traveling onto another kingdom? Maybe they started their own civilization somewhere else?

「……Hm?」

Vermudol shifted his gaze toward Rydolg.

「Rydolg, I need to ask you something.」

「What is it?」

「You said that the kingdom that you need to protect is on the other continent, didn’t you?」

「That’s right.」

Vermudol thought back to the Creation Myth of Remfilia.

In the beginning, the God of Earth, Atlagus, created the land.

The God of Fire, Agnam, bestowed upon the land the power of fire.

The God of Water, Aklia, created streams of water that ran through the land.

The God of Wind, Wyrm, created great winds that ran through the sky.

The God of Light, Rydolg, and the God of Darkness, Dagulas, created day and night.

The God of Life, Philia, sowed the seeds of life upon the completed land.

And from these seeds, humans, the first form of life, emerged.

The gods bestowed blessings upon these innocent humans.

And with these blessings, humans began to feel emotion.

And at the same time, many other forms of life were born.

This is the story of how the human species was created on the land of Remfilia.

First, the God of Life, Philia, created humans. Then, as other races were born, one by one, they each received blessings from other gods.

So which gods were responsible for which race?

The blesser of the Sylphid race must be the God of Wind, Wyrm. There was no doubt about this, since Wyrm was in the Jiol Forest Kingdom. 

It was also clear that the blesser of the Spirit Kingdom, Lucretio, which does not exist anymore, was the God of Darkness, Dagulas, since the Elements that lived in the kingdom worshipped him.

As for the Cylus Empire… It must have been the God of Land, Atlagus, or the God of Fire, Agnam.

Now that he thought about it, Vermudol realized that each kingdom is primarily inhabited by the race that received blessings from the god they worship.

Though there wasn’t anything particularly strange about that, Vermudol thought of one kingdom that didn’t follow the pattern. Even though it wasn’t some sort of minor kingdom by any means, it was clearly different from the others.

「…Even though the Canal Kingdom worships Rydolg, it is not home to any races that were blessed by Rydolg.」

「Huh!? So does that mean that humans… Huh, I guess that makes sense. It must be that way because the other races were originally derived from humans…」

Kain was correct.

According to the creation myth, the other races developed their own unique traits due to the divine blessings that they received from their god.

Therefore, there must be a race that received blessings from Rydolg.

However, the royalty of the Canal Kingdom were all human. Apparently a few generations ago there were some people that had Beastman blood mixed in, but everyone who has assumed the position of “King” has been pure human. This history is also one of the reasons for the outbreak of the civil war.

Because the Canal Kingdom’s people include such a wide variety of different races, it is very possible that they originally assembled under the banner of “equality” to form a “mixed-race” kingdom.

But why did they choose to worship the God of Light, Rydolg?

If only humans could become king, why didn’t they worship Philia?

Of course, the people in the kingdom were free to worship whoever they wanted, but there had to be some underlying reason for the kingdom to choose to worship the God of Light.

However, the reason was incredibly unclear, and it was clear that there were contradictions being made.

「Could it be….?」

Finally approaching a potential answer, Vermudol continued to think.

Maybe, if the decision to worship Rydolg had not been made after the kingdom was founded, maybe the founder of the kingdom was a follower of Rydolg.

「Hm. Let’s stop the conversation right here, for the moment.」

「What?」

Vermudol gave Rydolg a confused look.

「This is not the place to be talking about that. But more importantly, I was trying to be considerate… Would you like to go ahead?」

Though he was confused at first, Vermudol realized that he was talking about Kain.

They were the “Hero” and the “Demon King,” after all. There were some things that needed to be cleared up.

Vermudol was still quite confused as to why the “Hero” had still appeared in spite of his efforts to stop him from appearing, but it was too late to be worrying about that.

However, there was still one big concern that he had to address. He was pretty confident that it would be okay, but he had to make sure, just in case.

「Kain. Do you wish to kill me? You were commanded by Philia to kill me, weren’t you?」

「No. The only thing she told me was that I need to protect this world…」

Vermudol nodded.

「Then wouldn’t it be your duty to defeat me? There are tons of people out there that still stubbornly claim that I’m the root of all evil. And that might even be true, don’t you think?」

「Nope. Someone like that would never try to help the Canal Kingdom.」

「Anyone else would do the same if it aligned with their own self-interest. That’s how kingdoms function, after all.」

「That’s what I’m talking about.」

Kain put on a serious expression.

「You’re acting as a king, as the leader of a kingdom. You’re cooperating with other kingdoms on equal grounds, attempting to form friendly relationships. An “evil king” or a “conqueror” would never do that. You’re a normal “king”.」

「Maybe I’m just posing as one. There are tons of evil people that just pretend to be good, don’t you know?」

「…Well, that’s true as well, I guess.」

Kain struggled to find the words to respond. Vermudol took a deep sigh.

「Ahh, I give up. There’s no point in partaking in this meaningless wordplay. Kain… Do you ever even intend to see me as an enemy?」

Hearing this, Kain quickly averted his gaze.

Rydolg was watching this all with an amused expression on his face. Glaring at him, Vermudol faced back towards Kain.

「Look, it doesn’t matter whether or not you do, because I’m not going to let that get in my way anyway. I’m just asking this because… Everyone is probably expecting you to defeat me, don’t you know?」

「…I guess so. I’ve had countless experiences where people have tried to lead me down that path.」

「Then why didn’t you listen to them?」

Kain put on a sorrowful, self-scorning smile.

「Because I began to lose faith in what I was told, I guess. With the weight of the responsibility that I have to bear, I can’t just go around blindly following what people tell me to do. But if this new life of mine really has a purpose… I felt that I should really think more about what I should do to help this world, in the best way possible.」

「And through that thinking, you came to the conclusion that you shouldn’t make me your enemy?」

「Yes. Ever since I first met him, I had always admired Shion, the adventurer. He’d only take on quests that no other person would ever take on, always doing his best to help others. He was an ally of the weak, a true symbol of justice… I thought to myself, this is what a true hero is like, isn’t it…」

「Stop. Who are you even talking about?」

In the past, Vermudol had disguised himself as a human adventurer named Shion, fighting alongside Kain on human land.

Though he understood what Kain was trying to say, Vermudol’s actions as “Shion” were nothing but a series of investigations of the human world. He felt something very wrong with being likened to the Hero.

Kain seemed to realize this as well. He tried to laugh it off.

「Also… Looking at Ein is enough to tell me that you’re not even close to being an “evil” king. If there’s some sort of enemy that I’m destined to destroy, it’s certainly not you.」

「I see.」

Vermudol nodded. He looked over at Rydolg, who was stroking his beard with a satisfied look on his face.

「Hey, Rydolg, you nosy old geezer. When are we going to move on to our main topic?」

「What do you mean? That conversation was something that needed to be had at some point. In fact, you should be thanking me for giving you the opportunity to have it.」

Vermudol clicked his tongue. Rydolg shrugged.

「So. Let’s head into our “main topic,” as you like to put it… There!」

A bright sphere of light materialized in the palm of Rydolg’s hand. It began to emit a blindingly powerful light.

Before they knew it, they had teleported.