Prologue 1
Fifteen years have passed since I was born into this world, and it has been ten years since I became aware of the extraordinary powers within me, memories of a completely different Japanese man sprouting in my mind. I, Ferno Desire, born in a remote village deep in the mountains, now bear a unique and monumental mission that resonates across the globe.
The extermination of the Demon King and his army.
The sudden realization that I was a hero came with the emergence of the Holy Mark, as if to prove my status. This revelation was brought to light when a sister, having witnessed it, caused a commotion, leading to the announcement of my birth as a hero and the mission to slay the Demon King. I was welcomed by knights from the kingdom who had ventured into the mountains, formally recognized as a hero, and publicly declared as such. As a result, I was thrust into a journey to defeat the so-called Demon King and his monstrous army, armed only with three companions and a single Holy Sword.
To put it bluntly, it was a nightmare. If I hadn’t been told to maintain the facade of a hero, I would have likely spat in the face of the king who had given me that order and caused a ruckus right then and there. What made it worse was the one-sided orders with absolutely no support, and the lack of information about the whereabouts of the Demon King and his army. Above all, the three companions I was told were chosen to accompany me were the worst. When I thought about embarking on a journey as a hero, I hoped to travel with beautiful women, not scruffy men. But now, I’d settle for scruffy men if they could actually be of some help.
First, there was the Saint, Elifis Oze. A girl my age, supposedly the most recent and talented selection from the Church, she had a kind heart and couldn’t bear to abandon the injured… or so they said. To me, she was just a burden, always thinking about her childhood friend far away, and during battles, she wouldn’t use her magic as a Saint, not even when I was on the brink of death with severe injuries. After a year of trying to get along and hoping she’d at least do the bare minimum, I found her unwilling to listen, and whenever I tried to discuss our strategy, she would say something ridiculous like she needed to pray at the Church. I still vividly remember the moment I barely managed to kill the first Golem, one of the Demon King’s thirteen high-ranking officers, while on the verge of death. The next day, I went to her, realizing I couldn’t possibly defeat the Demon King in my current state, and suggested we talk things over…
“…I’m going to pray.”
Can you believe that? I was left speechless alongside the innkeeper who had helped treat my wounds. She didn’t offer to heal me or even express an opinion; all she said was that she was going to pray! The look she gave me wasn’t one of concern for a comrade or an injured person. In the end, it was the innkeeper and the townsfolk, led by the mayor, who carried me to the clinic to treat my wounds after I forced myself to move and reopened my injuries. They even tried to gather potions and ointments out of sympathy, but I couldn’t accept their kindness after receiving treatment. I figured I’d need those for rebuilding or when hunting monsters around the town.
Next was the Sage, Trinika Kianis. She appeared to be a young girl, but her actual age exceeded three digits. Thoughtful and possessing unparalleled magical skills, she was said to be an exceptional talent… or so I heard, but she was the worst among my companions. From the moment we met, she looked at me with suspicion and claimed she didn’t consider me a comrade. On top of that, whenever she acted on her own and escalated situations, she would blame me for not acting quickly enough. Despite understanding that we were chosen companions and needed to cooperate, I tried for over a year to find common ground, but it was all in vain. Whenever I spoke to her, her responses were always about how she couldn’t trust me, that I was a nuisance, that she disliked me, and that I should just disappear… Honestly, those weren’t the words you’d expect from someone you were supposed to trust with your life. It was during our encounter with the fifth Golden Dragon that I completely gave up trying to get along with her. While we were busy defeating the monsters led by the dragon to save a besieged town, she went off on her own, provoking the dragon and bringing it back to the town, threatening to cause destruction. In the end, I found myself facing the dragon, battered and bruised, and just after I shouted that we should never engage in such foolishness again…
“Shut up.”
She shot a spell at me without a hint of remorse. I was too injured to dodge, and if I did, the townsfolk who had come to my aid would have been in danger, so I took the hit. Afterward, without a single apology, she calmly rummaged through the collapsed warehouse for supplies and left with the Saint. I had been unconscious for ten days, teetering on the brink of death, so I didn’t realize what had happened until I woke up. The lord governing the area told me that the Saint and the Sage had taken the carriage we received for travel and left. They wanted to thank me for defeating the dragon, and the townsfolk who were working hard to rebuild wanted to express their gratitude as well. However, I refused, knowing that someone who would bring danger upon us and act like a thief couldn’t be considered a true comrade.
Lastly, there was the Holy Knight, Fana Faritia. Two years my senior, she was the daughter of the knight commander and a candidate for the next commander, possessing fierce and robust swordsmanship. She upheld the noble principle of saving every life she could, even going so far as to spare villains… but she was hopelessly dense. Compared to the previous two, she was more useful; she would fight alongside me and buy time if I needed to heal from a severe injury. However, her stupidity was beyond redemption. She would undoubtedly fall for monsters disguised as crying children, step on hidden traps, and rush toward plant-type monsters that wouldn’t harm her if she kept her distance, only to get ensnared… Just recalling these moments gives me a headache.
“Hey! How many times do I have to tell you, you idiot!?”
“But there’s a crying child!!”
“Where the hell is there a kid crying in a poisonous swamp, you fool!?”
“There was one!!”
“Who!?”
“It’s me!!”
“Are you kidding me!!!”
“Hey, watch out for traps. They’re hidden.”
“Ah… I’m sorry, help me.”
“…Hey.”
“I can’t see, it can’t be helped, right?”
“Just walk behind me, for crying out loud!!”
“Walk behind you!? Are you trying to be a male chauvinist!?”
“No, you idiot! I’m talking about safety, you fool!”
“Hey, don’t get too close. You’ll get dragged in by the vines.”
“What do you think I am? I can easily tear this apart, uwaaa!!!”
“Hey, you idiot!! Your gear isn’t cheap!!!”
“What about my well-being!?”
“I can’t worry about someone who’s unscathed after being run over by a Behemoth!!!”
“What!?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’!? Just tear it apart already!!”
“…I’m stuck, I can’t move!!”
“Huh?”
…This is bad; my head and stomach are starting to hurt. Compared to the Saint and the Sage, who don’t even try to move or get along, she’s far better… but she’s still a source of constant frustration. I’ve thought about putting a harness on her to keep her from moving, but if I did that, my arm would probably get ripped off. Besides, her family has considerable influence. If I did that, they’d immediately take notice and come after my life as a family unit, given their strong familial bonds, physical strength, and power.
That said, as long as she doesn’t go berserk, nothing happens, and sometimes if I talk to her or give her orders before she loses control, she’ll listen. She even shows kindness by taking on requests at the guild to secure funds for our journey, though the tasks she brings back are often a pain and sometimes even traps. Still, there are moments when her kindness shines through. The knights stationed in the town know her personality and intelligence, so they sympathize with me, and when I was bedridden with severe injuries, they helped keep her in check.
Overall, my journey as a hero has been a complete disaster. It’s certainly not the kind of wonderful adventure you’d hear from a bard at a tavern, and it’s far from normal when there are dangerous individuals who would openly target our lives. Honestly, I feel like I could travel much more easily if I just cut ties and fought alone… but the Saint is backed by the Church, the Sage by the Magic Union, and the Holy Knight by the Kingdom. Each of them has a massive organization behind them that I can’t face alone. The fact that these three were chosen as my companions by the god who forged the Holy Sword leaves me with no choice. If I were to cut ties, I’d instantly gain a bad reputation and end up isolated and unsupported in battle, so I have to keep them together and fight.
Hmm? Why am I recalling all of this now?
“Ferno Desire. You are a great sinner who has stolen the rightful fate of a hero. With the Sage’s investigation and the Saint’s prayers, we must condemn you.”
Right after I killed a man who claimed to be the strongest among the Demon King’s army and could stop time, the Saint and the Sage brought forth an angel, radiating divine light, with a timid-looking man between them. That angel confronted me, bloodied and battered, with those words.