Prologue 1
Having been born into this world for fifteen years, and having awakened to the memories of a completely different Japanese man within my mind, I have been aware of the extraordinary power that resides within me for the past ten years. I, Ferno Desire, born in a remote village deep in the mountains, now carry a singular, monumental mission that is unique on a global scale.
The extermination of the Demon Lord and the Demon Lord’s Army.
With the sudden realization that I am a hero, the Holy Mark appeared on my body as if to prove my status. This revelation was brought to light when a sister witnessed it and caused a commotion, leading to the announcement of my birth as a hero and the mission to slay the Demon Lord. I was welcomed by knights from the kingdom who had ventured into the mountains, and I was officially recognized as a hero, resulting in a grand public declaration… Thus, I was entrusted with the mission to vanquish the Demon Lord and the monsters and demon kin that followed him, 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 so terrible was not only the one-sided orders with no support whatsoever but also the complete lack of information regarding the whereabouts of the Demon Lord and his army. More than anything, the three so-called chosen companions I was brought together with were the worst. When I thought about embarking on a journey as a hero with companions, I had hoped for beautiful women by my side, not rugged men… but now, I would settle for even a rugged man if he could be of any help.
First, there’s the saint, Elifis Oz. A girl my age, supposedly the most recent and outstanding selection from the church, she possesses a kind-hearted nature and cannot abandon those who are injured… or so they say. To me, she is merely a burden, constantly thinking of her childhood friend far away, and during battles, she doesn’t even use her magic as a saint, standing idly by even when I am on the brink of death with severe injuries. After a year of our journey, I tried to get along with her and at least have her contribute minimally, but she wouldn’t listen to me, and whenever I tried to discuss our strategy, she would only say something foolish like she was going to pray at the church. I still vividly remember after we barely managed to defeat the first of the Thirteen High Commanders, a golem, while I was on the verge of death. The next day, since I couldn’t possibly kill the Demon Lord in my current state, I went to talk to her about discussing our next steps, and she simply said…
“…I’m going to pray.”
Can you believe that? I was left speechless along with the innkeeper who had helped me with my treatment. She didn’t offer to heal me, nor did she express any opinions; she just said she was going to pray! And the look she gave me was neither that of a companion nor of someone concerned for an injured person. In the end, it was the innkeeper and the townsfolk, led by the mayor, who helped carry me to the clinic to treat my wounds after I had forced myself to move, reopening my injuries. They even tried to gather potions and ointments out of sympathy, but I couldn’t accept their kindness after having received treatment, knowing I would need those supplies for the town’s reconstruction and when hunting the monsters around the area.
Next, we have the sage, Trinica Kianis. She appears to be a young girl, but her actual age exceeds three digits. She is said to be exceptionally talented, possessing unparalleled magical skills and deep insight… or so I’ve heard, but she is the worst of the companions I’ve been given. From the moment we met, she looked at me with suspicion and outright stated that she didn’t consider me a companion. Moreover, whenever she acted on her own and things escalated, she would blame me for not acting quickly enough. Despite understanding that I had to cooperate with the chosen companions, I tried for over a year to reach an understanding with her, but all my efforts were in vain. Whenever I spoke to her, her second response would be that she couldn’t trust me, that I was a nuisance, that she disliked me, and that I should just disappear… Frankly, those weren’t the words one should direct at a companion whose life they were supposed to trust. I completely stopped trying to get along with her after the fifth Golden Dragon incident. While we were busy defeating the monsters led by the dragon to save a besieged town, she went off on her own to provoke the dragon, attacking its sensitive spot 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 do something so foolish again…
“Shut up.”
She shot a spell at me. I was too injured to dodge, and if I had, the townsfolk who had been gathering around me would have been harmed, so I took the hit. Afterward, without a single apology, she calmly rummaged through the collapsed warehouse in the town, stealing supplies, and took the saint away somewhere. I hadn’t even realized what was happening because I had collapsed from the strain and was teetering between life and death for ten days. When I finally woke up, I was told by the lord governing the area, including the town, that the saint and the sage had left with the carriage we had received for travel. They had come to thank me for defeating the dragon, and the townsfolk who were working hard on the reconstruction wanted to express their gratitude as well, but I refused, knowing that someone who would bring danger upon us and act like a thief could not be considered a companion, no matter how noble their intentions.
Finally, there’s the holy knight, Fana Faritia. Two years my senior, she is the daughter of the knight commander and a candidate for the next commander, possessing fierce and robust swordsmanship. She upholds a noble principle of saving every life she can, even going so far as to spare villains… but she is hopelessly dense, almost to the point of being foolish. Compared to the previous two, she is more useful; she fights alongside me during battles and buys me time when I need to heal from severe injuries. However, she is so incredibly foolish that she would definitely fall for a monster disguised as a crying child, step on hidden traps, and eagerly approach plant-type monsters that wouldn’t harm her if she kept her distance, only to get ensnared… Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
“Hey! How many times do I have to tell you, you idiot!”
“But there’s a child crying!!”
“Where the hell is there a kid crying in a poisonous swamp, you fool!!”
“There was one!!”
“Who was it?!”
“It was me!!”
“Don’t mess with 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?”
“I’m leading the way, so just walk behind me!!”
“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 caught in the vines and dragged in.”
“What do you think I am? I can easily tear this apart—whoa!!”
“Hey, you idiot!! Your gear isn’t cheap!!!”
“What about my worries!?”
“I’m not worried about someone who can get run over by a Behemoth without a scratch!!!”
“What!? What did you say!?”
“Don’t act surprised!! Just tear it apart already!!”
“…I’m tangled, I can’t move!!”
“Huh?”
…This is hopeless; my head and stomach are starting to hurt. Compared to the saint and the sage, who hardly try to move or get along, she is far better… but she is still a source of constant worry. I’ve thought many times about putting a harness on her to keep her from moving, but if I did that, my arm would probably get ripped off, and besides, her family is quite powerful. If I did that, they would immediately take notice and come after my life with the full force of their family, as their love for her is strong, and they are physically powerful and influential as well. That said, as long as she doesn’t go berserk, nothing will happen, and sometimes she listens to me when I talk to her or give her orders, which is enough. 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 often helped take care of her when she was on the verge of going berserk, which was a relief.
Overall, my journey as a hero has been nothing short of a disaster. It’s certainly not the kind of wonderful adventure you’d hear about from a bard in a tavern, and with dangerous individuals who would openly target our lives, it’s anything but normal. Honestly, I feel like I could travel much more easily if I just cut them loose and fought alone… but the saint is backed by the church, the sage by the Magic Association, and the holy knight by the kingdom, each with massive organizations behind them that I cannot 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 them loose, I would immediately become isolated and unsupported, forced to fight alone while facing a bad reputation, so I must continue this journey with all three of them intact.
Huh? 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 Lord’s Army and could stop time, the saint and the sage brought an angel, radiating divine light, with a timid-looking man between them, and that angel confronted me, bloodied and battered, with those words.