Hero Story

A few minutes passed and we had arrived at Roc Tavern. My feet hurt from running nonstop. I sat down on the street to catch my breath slowly and regain my strength.

(She really made me run for 30 minutes straight even when I told her to stop.)

Maia: “You, ok?”

Rei: “Yes, just give me a second.”

Maia grabbed my hand and pulled me inside Roc Tavern. She opened the door with such excitement that everyone inside turned to look at us.

(Ughh… I don’t like their gaze. It makes my stomach hurt.)

I lowered my head and averted my eyes from their stares. It reminded me of the same looks I had received in the past. Annoying looks.

Maia: “Let’s see, oh that guy looks depressed. From my experience, he’s the one we’re looking for!”

Maia: “Let’s ask him!”

Rei:”Huhhhh???”

We both approached a man who was busy drinking beer. He looked drunk, so I wasn’t sure if he would give me the information I needed. But seeing Maia so optimistic made it hard for me to tell her otherwise.

(I think I’m just gonna go with the flow.)

Maia: “Excuse me, sir. Do you have a moment?”

Drunk man: “Haaahh?! Why are you staring at me, man? You want something from me?”

Maia: “You’re ignoring me?”

He ignored Maia and focused on me instead.

Rei: “Uhh… I-I just want to ask you some questions.”

Drunk man: “Buy me a beer first, then this great Choki will talk.”

I ordered a beer and handed it to the drunk man. At the same time, I managed to brush against him with my elbow, which meant I could give him an illusion whenever I wanted.

Choki: “Wahhhh!! This stuff is so good, I’m glad to be alive.”

Choki: “So, what do you want to ask about?”

I couldn’t ask him about the information I really wanted, so I lied instead.

Rei: “I just want to know if you can use magic or not?”

Choki: “That’s it? Yeah, I can. But you’ll need to buy me more drinks if you want more answers.”

Rei: “No, thank you. We’ll be going now. Take care.”

I paid my bill with a silver coin and left Roc Tavern. I waited a few minutes outside, then cast an illusion on him, making him stop drinking and follow me a few minutes after I left. Maia, who was still beside me, I asked to leave with the excuse that I wanted to go home.

Rei: “Maia, I want to go home. Thank you for your help.”

Maia: “No problem. Could I know where you live?”

Rei: “………… No.”

I planted an illusion that made her unable to see me, which left her confused.

Maia: “Where is Rei?”

Maia: “Did he use teleportation magic? Well, maybe I’ll meet him again. Especially with the way this world is right now.”

I was shocked by her words, and at the same time, Maia walked away, leaving me behind.

(What did she mean by that?)

Moments later, the man came out of the tavern, and the illusion I planted on him took effect. He started following me from about 100 meters away.

The streets were getting crowded, so I looked for a quiet place—and luckily, I found a fairly empty alley.

(That place is perfect for asking questions.)

I walked there, with the drunk man trailing behind me. Finally, I had him in a situation where I could freely ask what I needed. The illusion I cast made him see me as a mercenary.

Rei: “I’m looking for information. If you know something, I’ll pay you one gold coin—and I won’t accept lies!”

Choki: “One gold coin, huh? You got a deal!”

Rei: “What’s happening to this country? Why is the king giving out money so easily?

I know a refugee who received money just by telling the king about monsters.”

Choki: “I see, you’re new here, huh?”

Choki: “Well, the truth is, the king is doing it to reassure the people about the demon invasion.”

Rei: “Demon invasion?”

Choki: “Yeah, considering how bad those invasions are… we only have a little time before we’re wiped out.”

Cold sweat ran down my face when I heard that, but I calmly pressed on with my next question.

I began to understand the situation more clearly and asked about the existence of a hero.

Rei: “Damn, I hope there’s someone strong enough to deal with them.”

Choki: “Well, there was. The Hero and his party tried to wipe them out from this world. Back then, we all believed the Hero and his companions would succeed—and at first, the results were incredible! They slew demons day and night. No matter how strong the demons were, they kept getting killed. Demon soldiers, demon lieutenants, demon commanders… and eventually even the Demon King was slain by them. But then… the Demon King dropped a bomb of truth on us.”

Rei: “What’s their name?”

Choki: “You don’t know their names!?”

Rei: “My work keeps me too busy to care about what’s happening in the world. That’s why I don’t know much.”

Choki: “I see… The Hero’s name is Volse. The woman magician is Fana. The monk is Toba. The sword knight is Aldegier. And the elf archer girl is Eva.”

Rei: “Fana? Is she the same person who runs the refugee camp?”

Choki: “Yeah, that’s her.”

Choki: “Back then, when we slew the Demon King, we were incredibly happy. We thought demons would never again exist, but…”

*Flashback to Hero*

After a long and exhausting battle, the Hero’s party finally managed to bring the Demon King to brink of death.

Demon King: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YOU ARE TRULY STRONG, HERO. BUT YOU MISUNDERSTAND SOMETHING… I AM NOT THE TRUE DEMON KING!”

Fana: “You’re delusional. The prophecy says we’ll kill you and save the world!”

Toba: “You’re the last of the demons—we know it!”

Aldegier: “Even if you’re not the true Demon King, whatever you call the real one, we’ll defeat him as well!”

Eva: “We’ll hunt down every demon until not a single one of your kind remains alive.”

Demon King: “WE SHALL SEE! MY LORD’S POWER IS BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION—AND NOW HE IS COMING!”

The Hero then plunged his blade into the Demon King’s heart, bringing an end to the war between the demon race and all the other races. The battle was broadcast live through Fana’s magic, and seeing the Hero’s victory filled everyone with joy. The war against the demons had finally come to an end.

Volse:”We did it. WE WOOOOOONNNNN!!!”

Aldegier:”Hahahah… we actually did it!”

Eva:”Hey Fana! Could you use your magic to connect me to my people?”

Fana:”Sure!”

Fana used her magic to link Eva with her people, projecting her image on a screen like a great magical television.

Eva: “We’ve won the war, everyone! From now on, the demons will no longer be a threat to us!”

Elves: “Yes, you did it, Princess! Now it’s time for you to find a soulmate.”

Eva: “Please, don’t bring up that topic!”

Elves: “Hahahahahaha!”

The rest of the party smiled and laughed at the scene. The Hero seeing Fana and she knew that he wished to speak. Understanding his intent, Fana wove her magic again, connecting Volse to every race in the world.

Volse: “After five years of journey, we have finally defeated the Demon King. My people, I promise you—the Hero Volse will protect you all. Praise the God!”

Everyone: “PRAISE THE GOD!!!”

Everyone: “YEAHHHHHHH!!!!”

The entire world erupted into cheers of joy. Tears of happiness flowed, and the nightmare of demon attacks slowly began to fade.

The King of Rosos: “Good job, everyone! You’ve saved the world. I cannot express how grateful we are for your sacrifice. That is why—I invite you to the capital. We will hold a grand celebration in your honor!”

Volse: “Thank you, my king. Well then, we shall head to the capital. Everyone agrees, right?”

Hero Party: “Yeah, we agree.”

Volse: “Wait for us—we won’t let the fun pass us by!”

Everyone: “We won’t!”

The Hero smiled, and with that, Fana ended the magic broadcast.

Aldegier: “So, what do you guys think about the Demon King’s last words?”

Eva: “That he wasn’t the true Demon King, huh?”

Toba: “He also said ‘he’s coming,’ but I don’t see any sign of him.”

Volse: “We’ll wait here for a while. If it turns out to be nothing more than the Demon King’s bluff, then we’ll leave. Agreed?”

Hero Party: “Agreed!”

Fana: “I’ll use my magic to help us recover faster—and also to search for any trace of this so-called true Demon King. Recovery of Mortality!”

The moment Fana cast her spell, the bodies of each party member glowed and quickly began to heal.

Fana: “And now… Truth Tracker!”

Thousands of orbs of light, visible only to the caster, appeared all around. This magic could record an event and move at the speed of light to verify the truth behind spoken words. If the words were true, the orbs would capture that truth, dissolve, and deliver the information back to the caster.

Fana: “Now, we wait.”

While waiting, the Hero and his party began to chat about what they would do once everything was over.

Volse: “What will you guys do after this?”

Fana: “I’m going to build a magic academy. How about you, Eva?”

Eva: “Me? I’m not really sure. I guess I’ll just go home for now. Your turn, Aldegier.”

Aldegier: “I’ll ask the king to grant me nobility, then laze around.”

Toba: “As for me, I’ll become an adventurer.”

Volse: “An adventurer? Why’s that?”

Toba: “These past five years of our journey have taught me so much about life. When I was younger, I thought it was stupid to fight opponents stronger than yourself. But today, I finally understand why. That’s why I want to help and teach new adventurers how to live and survive.”

Aldegier: “Noble work. Now, what about you, Volse? What’s next for you?”

Volse: “I’ll……finish the job. Until then, you’ll see what I do.”

The other members turned their eyes toward Volse—and came to a decision.

Aldegier: “Heh, I guess I can put my goal on hold for a while.”

Eva: “Thinking about it… I don’t really have a plan after this.”

Fana: “Well, building a school will definitely take me a lot of time.”

Toba: “Adventuring is great, especially when you do it with friends.”

They all said this with warm smiles. Seeing them, Volse also smiled and spoke from his heart.

Volse: “Thank you, everyone.”

Then, Fana announced that her spell had completed its task—and revealed to them all that the Demon King’s words had been nothing but bluffs.

Fana: “Done. I used my magic and found that all his words were just bluffs, so we can rest assured.”

Volse: “Good work. Now, it’s time to go home. Fana!”

Fana then cast her space-time magic to teleport the party.

Fana: “Teleportation!”

Each of their bodies glowed before vanishing, reappearing in front of the Rosos Kingdom. The gatekeepers, seeing their arrival, quickly rushed to announce that the Hero and his party had returned.

Gatekeeper: “Welcome, heroes! We welcome you to our kingdom!”

As soon as they entered the gates, thousands of people were already waiting, cheering with joy. The crowd rushed to the heroes and lifted them into the air. They did not resist as they were tossed skyward, except for Fana and Eva, who used flight magic to keep themselves steady.

People: “HIP HIP HOORAY! — HIP HIP HOORAY!”

Aldegier: “This is incredible!”

Toba: “Are you guys down there alright? I’m pretty heavy, you know.”

Volse: “Hahahaha!”

Eva: “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Fana: “Yep.”

The celebrations went on joyfully until late at night. The streets were crowded and bright as if it were daytime, with everyone joining in the festival. People came from all over to see the heroes, making the festivities even grander—unaware that tomorrow would bring a new nightmare.

—The Next Day—

The day was bright and clear, perfect for making history. Kings from many nations had gathered in Rosos Kingdom to bestow honors upon the heroes. The ceremony was held inside the royal castle and broadcast to the entire world through magic.

The kings arrived with their knights and took their thrones. Minutes later, the Hero’s party entered, escorted by royal knights. They knelt as they faced the rulers.

King of Rosos: “Congratulations, Hero! You have saved the world!”

Volse: “I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help.”

King of Gralia: “We know that very well.”

Volse: “Thank you very much.”

King of Zerdhes: “We shall grant you and your companions a wish.”

King of Halaf: “And we will each gift you five million gold coins.”

King of Rosos: “So tell us, Heroes—what will you do now?”

Volse: “We’ve decided to finish our task before claiming our wishes. We ask that Your Highness wait until then.”

King of Rosos: “I see. Then we shall wait for the end of your journey.”

Volse: “Thank you very much, Your Highness.”

But the bright day suddenly darkened. Thick clouds swallowed the sun, plunging the world into gloom. A suffocating pressure filled the air, making it difficult for people to breathe.

Then, a colossal, transparent figure appeared, towering into the sky. Upon its head rested a crown shaped like a great sphere, showing visions of the cosmos. Its face twisted reality itself.

The Hero and his companions immediately drew their weapons and rushed outside to confront the being.

True Demon King: “Well, well, well… The Hero and his friends are enjoying themselves. Did you forget about me, hmm?”

Volse: “Are you the true Demon King he spoke of!?”

True Demon King: “True, huh? If that’s what you want to believe, then yes—I am.”

True Demon King: “My name is Zcheidravares. You may call me Vares.”

Volse: “Are you here to avenge your kind?”

Vares: “Not really. I’m here to tell you that you’re disturbing me. That is why I want you all to kneel. If you refuse… then suffering will fall upon you.”

Vares: “If you understand, then come to the Demon King’s castle—and choose wisely.”

Vares’ body slowly faded, and the clouds cloaking the world gradually dispersed.

Anxious whispers spread among the people at the revelation of the true Demon King. But Volse raised his voice to calm them.

Volse: “Do not worry! Tomorrow, we will defeat him!”

His declaration steadied their hearts, and hope returned to their eyes. The Hero’s party began their preparations for tomorrow’s battle against the Demon King.

King of Rosos: “To think the true Demon King exists… it makes me uneasy.”

King of Halaf: “Indeed. And to think he appeared so quickly… We must aid the Hero in defeating him!”

King of Gralia: “Agree! Hero, wait a moment!”

Volse: “Yes?”

King of Gralia: “We must prepare thoroughly. If we underestimate the Demon King, we will surely lose. That is why… we should face him next month.”

Volse: “I see. Fana, please inform everyone that we will defeat the Demon King next month.”

Fana nodded and used her magic to announce it to the world. Though people felt disappointed by the delay, they also understood—the enemy they faced was the true Demon King.