Chapter 18: 【Story of the Red-Haired Hero】The Fall of Fenoben Village and the Hero's Departure

Chapter 18: 【Story of the Red-Haired Hero】The Fall of Fenoben Village and the Hero's Departure 【Story of the Red-Haired Hero】The Fall of Fenoben Village and the Hero’s Departure

* * *

“Now, this world of Ardyst is faced with a crisis...”

In an endless white space, floating in a state of soul, I listened as the beautiful golden-haired goddess before me said these words.

“Currently lurking in the darkness, accumulating power, a Demon Lord has been born. He intends to annihilate humans and claim the world as his own...”

The beautiful voice of the goddess firmly imprinted these words into my somewhat hazy mind.

“Please, brave soul from another world. Become a hero and save Ardyst. Defeat him and protect this beautiful world I cherish...”N/nêw n0vel chap/ers are published o/n n0v/e/(lb)i(n.)co/m

The goddess looked as if she was about to cry.

It’s wrong to make a girl cry.

That’s what my deceased grandfather always said.

...If someone’s in trouble, I’ve got to lend them a hand!

Leave it to me, Goddess!

I don’t care if it’s the Demon Lord or whatever they’re called, I’ll take down the villain!

I’ll become... a hero!

* * *

I remembered this exchange with the goddess, as well as the memories of my previous life as Shouta Suzudou, a while after my 5th birthday in this life.

My name in this life is Torch Fenoben.

Just an ordinary boy living in Fenoben Village.

Yes, until yesterday, I was truly nothing more than a mere boy.

Fenoben Village was small, but it was a warm village where the villagers helped each other.

I respected my father, the village chief, even as a child, and thought that I wanted to become a splendid adult like him, protecting this village.

But now, it’s different.

I have a mission to fulfill!

To defeat the impending calamity, the Demon Lord, and save the people, as well as the world.

The power surging from deep within my body proves it!

I secretly went to the nearby forest, tried out the powers given to me by the goddess as a hero, and was surprised.

Intending to use a small fire magic, I accidentally caused a massive explosion, turning the surroundings into a scorched wasteland!

“...Looks like I need practice to control it. Seriously, the power of 【Holy Goddess’s Protection】 is incredible...”

I couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh and murmur to myself.

【Holy Goddess’s Protection】 is the power to fight, bestowed upon me by the goddess who reincarnated me into this world.

Even now, it’s so powerful, and the goddess said it would become even stronger with training.

Truly an incredible power.

And to think, there exists a being, the Demon Lord, that can only be defeated with such power... it sends shivers down my spine!

Feeling a bit tired from using this unfamiliar power, I decided to head back to the village immediately.

I intended to keep this power a secret from everyone in the village... but Caro, who’s like a little sister to me, found out right away.

Actually, she had noticed when I sneaked out of the village, and she saw me using my power.

I was worried she might be scared, but Caro, knowing I had the hero’s power, was purely happy for me!

Her bouncing around joyfully was very cute.

To protect her smile... I must defeat the evil Demon Lord!

* * *

Fortunately, aside from Caro, no one else in the village found out about my power, and peaceful days passed by.

Of course, Caro and I got a thorough scolding from my father for sneaking out of the village...

Caro kept quiet, and no one realized that the explosion was my doing.

“Disasters...” “Cursed child...” The villagers muttered such incomprehensible things in fear, but I decided to keep the truth a secret for now.

I think I’m too young to embark on a journey of salvation with my power still uncontrolled.

After all, in this life, I’m still a 5-year-old child. No matter the 【Holy Goddess’s Protection】, setting out on a journey now would be reckless.

I’ll wait until I’ve grown and trained more before setting out!

...Wouldn’t it be okay to enjoy a bit more of this warm and comfortable village for a little longer?

...Looking back, that thought was nothing but naivety.

That naivety was shattered to pieces, and I was forced to leave the village, about a month after my power and memories awakened.

* * *

That day, the village was attacked by three thieves.

Calling themselves the Megzam Thieves Band, they dared to take Caro hostage and tried to rob the village of its money!

This was not the time to hide my power.

I diverted the power obtained from 【Holy Goddess’s Protection】 to control my body and faced the thieves with a wooden sword, ready to fight.

To put it simply, the thieves were weak.

With the enhancement of my physical abilities thanks to the protection, the movements of the thieves wielding their large axes seemed almost frozen to me.

In fact, I had to use extra effort just to control my own power, and by the time I drove them out of the village, I was completely exhausted.

After all, even if they were thieves, causing irreparable harm or killing them would be a terrible outcome, right?

I am a reincarnated person from a peaceful country, Japan, and still just a 5-year-old child.

...But, this decision led me to use more power than necessary. That was a mistake.

Thrust.

An ice blade pierced through my abdomen.

“Eh...?”

My thoughts came to a halt at the sudden event.

What? Why? How?

My mind was filled with questions.

I was suddenly stabbed in the abdomen with an ice blade created by magic.

The one holding the ice blade was my dear little sister figure, a childhood friend and housemate with light blue hair.

It was Caro, who had rushed over to check on me.

“You really made me go through a lot of trouble. I was aiming for the moment when 【Holy Goddess’s Protection】 weakened, but it took more time than expected,” Caro muttered in a surprisingly cold tone, different from her usual self.

The ice blade was pulled out of me, and I collapsed to the ground.

My blood flowed out, soaking into the earth...

“Why, Caro...?”

“...Still alive, huh? As expected of the hero,” the light blue-haired girl sighed in response, her complexion having turned pale at some point.

“Then, as a mark of respect for your tenacious life force, let me reintroduce myself. My name is ‘Ice Blade Caro,’ appointed by the Demon Lord to monitor and assassinate you. How about it, have your questions been cleared?”

The Demon Lord?

Monitoring me?

Caro is?

So, Caro is an underling of the Demon Lord?

Confusion swirled.

With the pain in my abdomen and my thoughts jumbled...

“Hehe... You have such a good expression. Indeed, the face of a human betrayed and immersed in despair is truly wonderful!”

“Betrayal... why...”

Saying so jokingly, Arcus tapped his golden armor.

Sitting next to me, Arcus took out a cigarette from his bag, lit it with the fire, and began to smoke.

The cold night breeze occasionally blew through the plaza, carrying away the smoke from the fire and his cigarette.

...Indeed, in this plaza, it was just Arcus and me, no one else...

I had a faint idea, but I had to ask.

“Um, Arcus-san?”

“Hmm?”

“...What happened to everyone in the village?”

“............”

“The people of Fenoben Village...? My father...? My mother...?”

“............”

Arcus turned away from me and let out a long sigh.

The smoke stretched into the sky like a string.

And then.

“I was only able to save you.”

He stated plainly.

“...!”

I clenched my teeth involuntarily. My vision blurred.

“I couldn’t protect... anyone! It’s because I... I was too weak!”

I couldn’t put it into words beyond that. I just cried. I cried out of sheer frustration and disappointment in my own weakness. Arcus sat silently beside me.

* * *

“What are you going to do now?”

After I had finally stopped crying and calmed down a bit, Arcus, tossing what seemed like his tenth cigarette butt into the fire and burning it, asked me this question.

“Do you have relatives in another town? I can take you there.”

I silently shook my head. I remembered being told that my father and mother’s families had all died from an epidemic.

“...So you’re all alone in this world...”

He sighed deeply, muttering to himself.

“I’m the same... With this incident, I lost my only family.”

“...Eh?”

“In that village... my brother’s family lived there. You know a man named Cody?”

Cody... the drunkard who lived on the outskirts of the village.

“After he injured his leg and retired from being an adventurer, I hadn’t seen him for about 6 or 7 years... Was thinking of visiting him for the first time in a while, and then this happens. Heard he had even started a family, what a waste...”

“...But Cody lived alone, didn’t he?”

“Huh?... So his wife and daughter left him, huh...”

He let out a dry laugh. I had never heard about Cody having a family before.

“Well, never mind me. Back to you. If you have nowhere to go, I know a trustworthy merchant named Drogg. Interested?”

...A merchant?

“He’s strict but fair and always in need of hands. With him, you wouldn’t have to worry about food.”

To keep away from danger and live peacefully in the city...?

“How about it? Not a bad deal, right?... I saved you, so no need to be shy. I can take care of that much.”

“...Um, Arcus-san! I...!!”

Surprised by my sudden loud voice, Arcus, who had been looking into the fire, turned to stare at me.

“I have to become stronger! Strong enough not to lose to those monsters... So...!!”

I finished in one breath, noticing Arcus’s gaze had turned sharp... almost glaring.

Without flinching, I met his eyes directly and continued.

“Please... make me your disciple!!”

Silence fell.

Only the crackling of the fire could be heard.

Arcus started smoking again.

He took a deep drag and exhaled.

The smoke, illuminated and tinted red by the fire, stretched thinly and long into the sky.

“...No way...”

Arcus muttered that.

“Please! Teach me how to fight! I can’t stay like this! I can’t protect anything if I stay like this! I, I need to become stronger!!”

“Because you’re a hero... huh?”

“!!?”

I froze at Arcus’s words.

“You’re wondering how I knew?”

With a chuckle, Arcus continued.

“Right before you collapsed in the village, when you were shouting with all your might, I felt an incredible divine aura from you. Besides, the speed of your recovery with the high-grade potion was too fast. It was clear you had been granted some kind of divine protection. And considering the demon girl’s target seemed to be you... What else could it be but a hero, targeted by demons because of his protection?”

He sighed deeply and slumped his shoulders.

“This is usually the job for ‘Sword Saints’ or ‘Great Mages’... Not for a clown like me... I was planning to dump this on Drogg and wash my hands of it...”

After mumbling to himself, Arcus looked up to meet my eyes again, his expression now serious.

“What’s your name?”

“...Torch... Torch Fenoben.”

“So, Torch, huh...? It’s going to be tough.”

“Eh?”

“If we’re doing this, I’ll commit and give it my all. Can you keep up with me without running away, no matter what happens?”

“Yes! I won’t run away, no matter what!”

“Very well. If a hero seeks to become my disciple, then perhaps that’s my fate. I accept your request!”

“Really!?”

“Yes, Torch. From today on, you’re my disciple. I’ll train you hard, so no whining, got it?”

While ruffling my hair with his large hand, Arcus grinned.

“Yes!!”

Looking up at the night sky, the stars were twinkling in their full glory.

In Fenoben Village, it’s said that when someone dies, their soul ascends to the heavens and becomes a star, watching over their family left on earth.

My father, my mother, and all the kind people of the village are probably watching over me from the sky.

I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you...

But I will become much stronger, eliminate such misfortune, and save the world!

You’ll support me, right...?

The stars in the night sky didn’t respond. They just twinkled quietly.

But their light was very gentle and warm.

This was the story of Torch, a 5-year-old hero, on the day he left his hometown.