Beyond the Hero’s Death – 04 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 4: The Hero Takes His Own Life (4) – Death to the Traitors

The people in the royal capital had no idea what had happened and went about their day-to-day lives unchanged. At best, the knights will send a messenger to the fort that has become unreachable, but that messenger will probably never come back ...... because he will be killed by the demons on the way here.
So I took my sword, mounted my horse, and rode down the road.

―――To that village where the childhood sweetheart who betrayed Alberic and the cuckold son of the village chief are located.

As I got closer to the Black Miasma Mountains, I could hear the sounds and signs of life in the forest diminishing. You wouldn't notice it in the royal capital, but there was definitely something unusual going on. I rode through the forest to the top of the cliff overlooking Alberic's village and saw that an army of demons had already begun marching toward the village in an avalanche fashion. The miasma-like swarm of monsters, starting from the Black Miasma Mountains, was approaching the village, writhing like a living thing in itself. ……From this position, running with physical strengthening would be enough to get me there in time.
I got off my horse, unsaddled him, and set him loose. From this distance and location, I would be able to outrun that horde of demons.
And I ran, sliding down the cliff, physically strengthening my body, and reached Alberic's village before the demons could reach it.

When I finally arrived at the village, I found that the knight stationed in the village was preparing for the swarms of demons by piling sandbags and giving instructions on how to build a barrier. By the looks of it, they might have gotten a message about the appearance of a horde of demons by accident, but I guess they're on the defensive, assuming they won't be able to escape in time.
They are aware that demons are closing in, but they probably don't know exactly how massive the horde is. And they are probably hoping that they will be able to survive until relief arrives. Unfortunately, that's impossible, there are too many demons closing in.

"Ah, you are the hero's Celestial Knight!! "

It was the resident knight who first noticed my presence when I arrived in the village.

"Oh, Celestial Knight-sama, thank God!! It's all thanks to Al."

"Oh, this is divine salvation!! The aid arrived just in time!! "

So said a relieved traitorous childhood friend (Mireille) and a lowly cuckold (Porcas) who had been standing by the side and not helping out with the work. It seems that they have mistaken me for a savior, and the treacherous fiancée is brazenly saying that it's all thanks to Al. Are you out of your fucking mind, did you forget that you betrayed Alberic? I am tempted to denounce them, but I will put aside my boiling anger for the moment. I'm just going to "see it through".

"I'm here to fulfill Alberic's dying wish."

Mireille was in tears of joy at these words, and while hugging her shoulder, Porcas said, "It's all right now, you knew he was such a softy, didn't you? Looking all relieved. Oh, these guys have no guilt or shame for driving Alberic's heart into a corner.

"What are you getting all happy for? And for the record, I'm not going to help you."

After hearing my words, with a pitiful yelp, the cuckold looked at me questioningly. The two of them and everyone else in the village showed their stupefied faces as if they could not believe what they were being told.
No, no, no, think carefully, there is no reason for me to help you guys, right?? The fiancée who betrayed the hero, the trashy man who slept with someone else's fiancée, and the residents who participated in or turned a blind eye to it all. And the stationed knight who should have stopped it in the first place. No one deserves to be saved, not even him.

"What do you mean, Celestial Knight?! You're a hero, aren't you?! Aren't you're supposed to save people! ? "

Mireille, Porcas, and the other villagers who had been listening to the conversation cursed me for being irresponsible, saying I should be ashamed of myself, but I ignored them and continued my story.

"It is the role of the hero to save people. My role is to protect the hero, and since he took his life for the sake of the world, it is safe to assume that there is nothing left in the world for me to protect. What Alberic entrusted me with was to "see things through."

The color of everyone's face changed suddenly at such words. They finally understood, even if only slightly, what they had done here. Alberic, the "hero," wouldn't have been able to abandon them in their current situation and would have helped them in the end, but that's not the case with me. Therefore, there was no one else who would help this village where the demons were closing in.

"I'm only here to witness your unfortunate end for betraying Alberic. The demons might kill you brutally. Like minced meat being ground up, you may be overrun by demons and slaughtered by them. I'll see to that, so just treat me like I'm not here."

Saying this, I sat on a rock in the center of the village. With an uncooperative look and words, I thrust the tip of my sword on the ground, my hands on the hilt and my posture one of contemplation. Some were angry, some pleaded to me, and some even kneeled and begged for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not a hero. I am a Celestial Knight, a knight for protection who has received the blessings of heaven.
My role is to fight as a shield for the Hero's party, and it's the Hero's job to fight to protect others, which is a different role. In the first place, wasn't it you―――I mean, the traitorous fiancée and cuckold there was part of what drove Alberic over the edge and caused him to commit suicide, wasn't it? "

Mireille and Porcas turned pale when I told them so with a snort.

"If it had been him, he would have helped you guys even if he had to push his feelings aside, but not me. I will do nothing to help you guys――― no matter how overrun with regret and despair you may feel. I'll just see it through, nothing more, nothing less."

I told them plainly and without any emotion, and the fuckers started begging for their lives.

"F-forgive me, oh Celestial Knight! I-I apologize! I will also atone for my sins! So please, please, I have a second child in my belly."

Mireille got down on her knees with tears in her eyes. Is the baby she is holding the child she was carrying when Alberic and I visited this village? And now there is a second one, she said. Hmph ……I don't care about that from the bottom of my heart!!

"It's Alberic to whom you should be atoning, isn't it? How can you compensate to a dead man? Besides, it's none of my business what happens to you and your kids. If you want to be saved, you're on your own."

At my words, the son of the village head begged me by clinging to me while offering me a leather bag that was hanging from his waist.

"I-If it's money, I'll pay! There are 30 gold coins here! That's a lot of money you couldn't possibly make, right?! If it's not enough, I'll pay more, I promise! "

"I'll have to decline. I'm not hurting for money, and it's a small price to pay for my services."

Porcas fell to his knees, despair on his face, and dropped the leather bag in his hand, as I showed no signs of moving, even with his beloved money. ……The dull metallic sound was half drowned out by the footsteps of the demons approaching the village.