Evade the Hero and Flee! 230. Why Me? (5)
#3 Other Circumstances: A Hero’s Circumstance
My memories were hazy, like a mountain shrouded in fog. Who am I? However, I saw something.
“Did you wake up?”
Ah, I was in hell. I was about to run…
“Are you going to go?”
“No.”
I shook my head at the Bat’s smiling face.
“Sit.”
“Right.”
I kneeled and showed that I had no will to fight.
“What happened?”
Why had the situation changed from ignoring each other? I was willing to give them what they wanted. I looked up at the Instructor and wondered what he wanted.
“Nothing.”
“Ah…”
I found myself at a standstill.
“Then why…”
I almost cried. What had I done wrong? Was becoming a hero a mistake? Meeting the Instructor? Running away from home? However, the next words stopped my thoughts.
“My goal was that girl and not you.”
I looked where the Instructor was pointing and saw Heal.
“Ah…”
Damn the Order of Nature! My life had changed after receiving that Holy Sword and the God of Nature choosing me as the hero! How could God make me spend time with these monstrous people? Why cannot God observe the world directly? I mean, this time, I had been caught by the Instructor because of Heal.
“What do you need?”
However, I was not going to give up…
“I need her as she is.”
“Ah…”
I had no hope left. Come to think of it, there had been no hope from the beginning.
“But, can’t you let me go alone?”
However, I could beg.
“No.”
The Instructor was concise when cutting me off.
“Why? I thought I did not matter.”
I could give him Heal for any reason!
“She is a Saint of the Order of Nature. You are responsible for protecting her.”
“No, I was going to quit. You can have her.”
I had been dragged in and wanted to quit if I could.
“I have no reason to take a risk.”
“Please…”
He ignored me and started to play with his daughter. That brought tears to my eyes. A bit later, Heal began to scream at seeing the Bat.
“Why?!”
I wanted to say it was all because of you. Why was she screaming her head off?
“Haha! I think he said the reason already.”
“What is the reason?!”
I asked Heal, as she had been the reason for all this.
“That…”
Heal flinched but started to speak.
“He said he is currently being chased by the Demon King…”
“The Demon King?”
He, the greatest Demon King of the Demon Land, being chased by another Demon King? The one chasing the Instructor would be the Evil Disciple himself. That meant…
“You are for warning…”
“Yes.”
I had hope then, as the Instructor needed only Heal as a Saint. Then…
“I will get a Saint for you who meets your standards! Anyone from the land!”
I still had room to negotiate if I captured another Saint!
“Why should I trust you? You can run away.”
“Uh…”
He was right, as he had no reason to let me go.
“I see…”
The Instructor nodded at my words.
“You understand?”
“Yes.”
“Then, stay still.”
“……”
I had nothing else left to say and saw that Heal was in despair. Was there no other way? This meant I had to stay with the Instructor until the Evil Disciple was dispatched…
“Instructor!”
The Instructor looked at me with a look that could kill me, but I could not give up. This was my last chance.
“I will kill that Evil Disciple!”
The Instructor had told me before that while we could not change the past, we could change the future by choosing the right action.
“Idiot.”
However, the Instructor’s answer was cold.
“Do you really think no one in the Demon Land can face you?”
“……”
“All Demon Kings and tribe leaders available went against the Evil Disciple, but we could not beat him.”
…I knew that five of them would be too much for me.
“I cannot do it.”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes. The only thing left for me to do was to ask the God of Nature for salvation. The answer came back.
‘Sorry.’
The divine voice told me to give up.
#4 Other Circumstances: Mirua’s Circumstance
I started to think about how I could reap the most profit.
“…I could not contact you for these reasons.”
I would reveal the confirmed information. I knew trying to deceive her highness was useless, and she and the Instructor could not be lied to. How would her highness react?
“Hmm…good work.”
She lowered her teacup and nodded. There seemed to be no questions.
“It was nothing.”
It was a relief. Usually, there would have been questions. However, she seemed excited that the Instructor had come from the Demon Lands.
“The problem is the Evil Disciple…”
Her highness closed her eyes and started to mumble.
“No, not this…umm…not that…”
As she would not forgive those threatening the Instructor, she would be thinking of how to remove the Evil Disciple. I learned that while there had been many attempts to remove the Instructor from Howling, his students were immensely strong. There had been a legendary hero from his first batch, and the second batch had established an organization of their own. While Howling was wary of this and wanted to remove the Instructor, they and her highness had removed all threats. It seemed that the Evil Disciple was no exception.
“The Metal Bat and the Demon Kings were ineffective.”
I mentioned this again, just in case.
“Also…I heard he had been the Instructor’s student.”
I added in something I had not said before.
“Troubles are adding up.”
Her highness knew very well how the Instructor’s students thought and acted.
“A Demon King who will do anything for his own good…”
She had already formed an opinion, and I could not help but agree.
“I will help out the temple, as heroes, saints, and holy knights will have to be utilized.”
“Yes.”
“If the opponent is Ast’s student, he will act unexpectedly. That means we will have to act in a completely different way.”
In the past, Demon Kings were destroyed until they destroyed themselves. They had been irrational monsters, but this Demon King had a reason, and was looking for a way to become stronger.
“So, Rea.”
“Yes, your highness.”
“We will kill the Evil Disciple first.”
“Right.”
My heart beat faster as everything was going according to plan.
“Mirua.”
“Yes, your highness.”
“I’m sorry to ask you this so soon, but chase Ast. Don’t surprise him until we kill the Evil Disciple.”
I had succeeded. I could fulfill all conditions made by the Instructor. I had described the Evil Disciple as troubling as possible, so her highness would act.
“But, your paycheck for this month will be quite nice.”
“Thank you!”
I bowed. Things were going perfectly. She seemed unsuspecting, and I could receive recipes from the Instructor and a paycheck from her highness. Also…I had a chance to earn a bonus.