It was the night of the day the Pope announced that the Hero would be deployed to the battlefield.
I didn’t miss Avis’s mutterings.
Currently, it’s just the two of us in the room. Uncomfortably, very uncomfortably…Me and this guy are sharing a room.
Because of this, I was often used as a servant or an errand boy. Well, recently it has decreased because he is busy and the number of reincarnations has increased, so he has more people to take care of him.
「……What are you talking about?」
「You know what I’m talking about, war. You don’t send a 13-year-old kid into battle, do you?」
「……The previous Hero was eight years old when he went into battle.」
「As a result, even the most powerful Hero of all time died in less than a year!」
Apparently, he doesn’t like it.
「What a surprise. I thought you would be a Hero, awe-inspiring, and try to build a harem on the battlefield.」
「It’s not something I risk my life for. Besides, with my power as a Hero, I can get as many women as I want… Damn, all I had to do was use that power and live the best life I could…I thought it would be two years before I’d be on the battlefield, but that damn Pope…!」
He is scum, just like described.
The rights of a Hero are one of the just rewards for the obligations that come with it, and this man, who has yet to fulfill those obligations, has no inherent right to abuse his rights.
「Moreover, a new executive has been found? A woman who has the power to be on equal footing with the three that are said to be the most troublesome in the Demon King’s Army? …Don’t be ridiculous, if I meet a monster that can destroy the Kingsguard Knights in five seconds, I’ll die too!」
「Don’t you think it’s all right? The world is a big place. Besides, isn’t that one fighting somewhere else right now?」
「Are you stupid? We can’t beat the Demon King’s Army Executive even if we were all together. The woman Lean who is mentioned at lunch isn’t the only one, there are a lot of top-level executives who can change the war situation by themselves. If even one such person shows up and blocks our transfer, we will die!」
I was told that the first battle would be placed on a relatively less intense battlefield, but I think you’re too scared……
After that, I listened to endless stories that I wasn’t sure were complaints or whining, and before I knew it, dawn was breaking.
◆◇◆◇◆
One month later. It was the day Kuroda and his five cronies went out to battle.
…Well, they left quickly without a word of greeting or anything.
It’s not like it’s goodbye for good, and they will be back by nightfall. And since the battlefield is supposed to be relatively calm, there’s certainly not much to worry about.
…Well, to be honest……I think I want those guys dead.
Maybe I’ve always felt that way, since my previous life.
「……Senjo-san.」
Senjo Yona. She was the one who was bullied by Kuroda and his friends, and who was my secret love.
Her grades weren’t good, and her athletics were devastating……She was a quiet girl with a fragile atmosphere.
The Kuroda who bullied her……I hated them so much.
There were twenty-two reincarnations gathered in this church. And the number of people in that class, including the teacher, was twenty-eight.
Six people are missing. I couldn’t find them anywhere…Perhaps some of them were caught up in the battle with the demon tribe and died.
And among the six people who could not be found, Senjo-san was included.
But Senjo-san was not in the classroom that day. Maybe she was the only one who was safe. I hope she was.
「…I can’t believe I let my thoughts from a previous life drag me down so far. It’s heavy on me.」
I know. But I liked her.
◆◇◆◇◆
…Two months have already passed since Kuroda and his team started attending the battlefield.
Kuroda was reluctant at first, but it seems that he is getting better in the war, and recently he has been going out to the battlefield with great enthusiasm.
「Now, let’s go, boys. Let’s go crush those filthy cowardly demon tribes today as well.」
「Yaan, Avis is so cool!」
「That’s the way it’s done, Avis, even yesterday…」
It’s like a conversation between a delinquent and his cronies.
「Okay, then get on with the transfer.」
「Yes. Have a good day, Hero-sama.」
With that voice, Avis and his party were transferred to the battlefield again today.
Avis’s Hero party was quite strong.
Avis, the hero, is a superhuman with an average status of over 8,000, and the other five have leveled up to around 50. The other five have also improved their status to around 5,000.
In addition, there are four S-class adventurers and the eighth, ninth, and tenth ranks of the Twelve Holy Apostles.
We were waiting for Kuroda and the others to return.
『We’re the Hero, remember? We need people to make a triumphant entry, right?』
And for reasons that make no sense, we are gathered to pick them up every time……
「…Hey, aren’t they late?」
「Hey, can they hurry up…?」
「To begin with, what time is it?」
Yes, they back very late today.
The priests around him were also puzzled, wondering if something was wrong…At that time.
The surroundings were buzzing.
It was because the Transfer magic circle began to glow.
This Transfer magic circle was created by specific magic, and when magic is used in pairs, it is possible to return here, unaffected by Transfer Sealing Wards. And only a limited number of people have been taught that formula. For example, a magician who was among the S-class adventurers.
……What the heck, it’s not okay.
Something went wrong, I’m sure it is.
But those thoughts were disturbed by the return of the ragged, unfocused magician, the only one.
「What the……?」
「Hey, are you okay? I mean, where are the others?」
「What about Avis and his cronies? They’re not with her!」
「Heeeey……Heeeey……Aaa……H, Help, me……Aaahhhh!」
「Hey, calm down!」
「Hold her down! She’s gone mad!」
She is supposed to be a magician who is well known as an S-class adventurer, but she is so demoralized and afraid of something.
…Avis and the others are gone. Most of all, the words echoed in my head.
I could only imagine what happened.
◆◇◆◇◆
The next day, the hall was converted into a conference room, where we, the candidates for the Hero party, the influential people of the church, and even the Twelve Holy Apostles were gathered as much as possible.
Led by Revels-sama, the first in the hierarchy, there is Helena-san the『Treasure Eyes』, the second, Gale-san『Heavenly Life』, the third. There is also Noin-san『The Wailing of the Devil』in sixth place, and Edith-san『The White Sword』in seventh place.
「…I’m Julia, an S-class adventurer and a member of the Hero party. I heard that you were in a state of confusion yesterday, but have you calmed down?」
「……………Y-Yes……I-I-I’m sorry for your concern……I’m sorry to have bothered you……」
She hasn’t calmed down at all.
What’s really going on with just one night……?
「……So. Can you tell us what happened?」
「Hii……Ah, aaaa……T, the dreaded……」
「Calm down. There is no fear here. Look ahead. The Twelve Holy Apostles are all here. I, the First, am also here. Do not be afraid.」
「Y-Yes…I am sorry.」
And then she…The S-class adventurer, who is full of confidence when we first met, was completely stressed out, but she began to talk.
「W-We…the Hero party…Around the site of the former Kingdom of Alvera, we encountered the Demon King’s Army executive……After the battle……we were annihilated……」
I had expected this. I was even convinced of it.
But…when I actually heard it, I felt the air around me grow heavy.
Kuroda and the others were dead.
He was a nasty guy. I wanted him to die.
……. But when he actually dies, I feel a little gloom. Sure, he was scum, but he was a fellow reincarnation…We were companions.
「…Okay.」
「Annihilate the Hero party…Is the enemy a group?」
「How cowardly! That’s why they are so lowly!」
「Using many executives just because they are no match for the Hero…! Did you take some of them with you?」
「Ugh…I’m so sad! What a thing to say!」
This is where the questions began.
How many or who were the executives who took him on the road? That kind of information.
Sure, the loss of the Hero was a blow, but if that reduced the number of executives, they thought they could take advantage of it.
But it seems that this thinking was too naive.
「………N-No, it is not. The enemy is……one.」
「……What?」
「There is only one…A single vampire, who calls himself Lean, has decimated…We were decimated by a single vampire named Lean…」