Chapter 51

Sion was feeling bewildered.

Suddenly hearing a voice in his head was a completely new experience for him.

‘No way.’

Sion’s gaze turned toward Excalibur, which he held in his hand.

If a voice was speaking in his head right now, there was only one possible cause.

Communication.

Finally, he had established a connection with Excalibur.

Sion asked Excalibur, “Was that you talking to me just now?”

[Y-yes…]

“Whoa!”

A smile spread across Sion’s face.

“Why did you only start talking to me now?! I was getting so anxious! I thought maybe I wasn’t the hero or something…”

[You… are not the hero…]

“Huh?”

[You are not the hero… You were not chosen by the gods…]

“…?”

Sion felt like he had been hit on the head with a hammer.

After finally establishing a connection, he’s told he’s not the hero?

“Wait, hold on… Then how did I even pull you out? If I wasn’t chosen by the gods, shouldn’t I have been unable to pull you out?”

[W-well…]

Excalibur seemed to struggle with its words.

[The barrier… was broken… That elf… used brute force… It’s ridiculous…]

At that moment.

A sharp scream echoed from the banquet hall.

Sion turned his gaze toward the hall and, through the window, locked eyes with something inside.

A massive, four-legged monster.

It looked like a rhinoceros, but it was clearly no ordinary creature.

It had a threatening horn on its head, sharp spikes densely covering its tail, and its body was a dark crimson.

A demon beast.

A creature that only inhabits the demon realm.

Demon beasts cannot enter this world unless summoned by a demon.

Meaning, there was a demon nearby, and that demon was likely targeting Sion.

Because Sion was the hero.

The one who would fight on behalf of humanity if war broke out with the demons.

They were clearly trying to eliminate him early.

The demon beast began charging.

Straight toward Sion.

“Gah, gahk!”

Sion stumbled backward with a pale face, soon hitting the terrace railing.

There was nowhere to run. No, he shouldn’t run.

Sion was the hero.

Even though Excalibur had just told him he wasn’t chosen, at this moment, he was still the hero holding Excalibur.

He couldn’t run. He had to defeat the demon beast somehow.

[Is that a Behemoth…? A fairly high-level demon beast… Kid, can you handle it?]

At Excalibur’s question, Sion’s expression turned slightly tearful.

That was the question Sion wanted to ask.

If he wasn’t chosen by the gods, could he really defeat a demon beast?

Sion had only ever held Excalibur; he had never swung it at anyone.

[You have to do it. The process of pulling me out was a bit ambiguous, but… this must also be fate. Anyway, since you pulled me out, you have to do it. So defeat that thing. Defeat it and become the hero.]

Now, Excalibur’s voice was relatively clear.

As if it had finally come to its senses.

“H-how do I do it? I’ve never used a sword before.”

[First, stay calm, kid. I’ll lend you my power anyway. Leonhardt wasn’t good at it from the start either.]

“I-I can’t stay calm…!”

Clang!

Finally, the demon beast burst through the terrace window.

Sion almost screamed but clenched his teeth and barely held it together.

[First, hold me straight.]

Sion held Excalibur straight.

[Spread your legs and focus. Breathe slowly. Yes, like that.]

Sion desperately controlled his breathing and focused.

Then, he felt a surge of energy rising within him.

His entire body’s muscles tightened.

The trembling in his body gradually stopped.

Just moments ago, he wanted to run, but now he felt a strange confidence that he could do it.

Sion glared at the demon beast, and the demon beast glared back.

Thud!

The demon beast charged at Sion, kicking off the ground.

Sion tightened his grip on the sword.

And as the demon beast approached, he swung the sword with a shout.

“Haaah!”

Excalibur, swung by Sion, cleaved the demon beast vertically.

Swoosh!

The demon beast, still charging, was split in two and scattered into black smoke.

“Huff, huff…”

Sion gasped for breath.

People from the banquet hall rushed over.

The demon beast’s body was dissipating into black smoke, and Sion’s body was glowing gold.

“T-the hero…”

Someone murmured softly.

A golden glow was a major characteristic of the hero.

The previous hero, Leonhardt, also always glowed brilliantly gold during battles.

Meaning, Sion had now become a true hero.

Moreover, everyone had already witnessed it.

Sion defeating the demon beast.

“The hero defeated the demon beast!”

“Ahh, the hero is so cool!”

“Long live the hero!!”

People cheered and applauded, and Sion awkwardly smiled as he sheathed Excalibur.

*

The demon beast that attacked Sion was called a “Behemoth,” a high-level demon beast that had devoured many humans during past wars with demons.

With its horn, it could ram and destroy castle gates, and its spiked tail had slaughtered countless humans. Its skin was so tough that ordinary magic or swords couldn’t even scratch it.

Summoning a Behemoth meant there was a fairly skilled demon in the banquet hall, but unfortunately, that demon wasn’t caught.

It was assumed the demon had fled while the Behemoth was rampaging.

In any case, one thing became clear from this incident.

The demons were targeting the hero, meaning they were planning for war.

Peace wouldn’t last long.

It was highly likely the demons would start another war soon.

In that sense, the birth of the hero was a very fortunate event.

Without a hero, humanity would suffer great losses in a war against the demons.

The banquet was temporarily halted.

With demons targeting the hero and summoning a demon beast, it was impossible to continue enjoying the banquet.

The hero had to quickly move to the Imperial Capital.

He needed to stay in the much safer Imperial Capital, train as a hero, and prepare for war with the demons.

“Hey, Ariel.”

Sion approached Ariel.

Originally, they were supposed to leave for the Imperial Capital tomorrow morning, but given the situation, it was decided they would leave immediately.

So Sion wanted to say goodbye to Ariel.

“Ariel?”

Ariel was sitting quietly in her chair.

Her eyes were closed, her head slightly tilted, and she wasn’t moving.

Her breathing was soft.

She seemed to be asleep.

‘She’s sleeping in all this chaos…’

The banquet hall had turned into a mess because of the demon beast.

People were screaming, food was spilled everywhere, and when Sion slashed the demon beast, everyone cheered and applauded.

Even in all that chaos, Ariel was peacefully sleeping.

And next to her, Rakia was also sleeping, her head resting on Ariel’s shoulder.

Ariel held a fork in her hand, and Rakia held something like a bone.

‘What’s with these two…’

Sion stared at them in bewilderment for a moment before shaking them awake.

He felt bad waking them since they were sleeping so soundly, but the banquet was over, and Sion had to leave.

“Ugh, what is it, human… How dare you wake a sleeping dragon, how insolent…”

Rakia muttered without even opening her eyes properly, and Ariel’s eyes were slightly open but unfocused.

“Hey, the banquet’s over.”

“Yeah…?”

Rakia lifted her head groggily, shaking it to wake herself up.

Ariel just sat there, blinking.

“By the way, a demon beast appeared earlier. Did you two know about it?”

“Demon beast…? A demon beast appeared…?”

Rakia tilted her head, and Ariel quietly looked at Sion.

‘They really didn’t know, huh.’

Sion was certain.

Ariel and Rakia had been sleeping through the entire demon beast incident.

How that was possible, Sion decided not to ask.

From the beginning, Ariel and Rakia had many aspects that were hard for Sion to understand.

“Anyway, I have to leave now. I’m going to the Imperial Capital to train as a hero. So I wanted to say goodbye.”

“No need for goodbyes, human. Just go.”

Rakia waved her hand dismissively.

Sion chuckled.

He had somewhat expected Rakia to react like this.

Of course, he had also expected Ariel’s reaction.

Ariel would probably just stay silent.

But that was fine. It seemed to be her nature.

“Take care, Sion.”

But Ariel waved her hand and said goodbye.

She even called Sion by his name.

“See you next time.”

“……”

Sion’s eyes moistened with emotion at just that.

“Y-yeah, thanks. See you next time, definitely…”

Sion muttered in a suppressed voice and quickly turned away.

Unconsciously, his face turned red, and he felt like he might cry.

But he didn’t want to show such a foolish look.

After all, he was now a true hero.

‘That’s right, I’m the hero.’

Even if Ariel and Rakia didn’t seem to acknowledge it, Sion was the hero.

Though he was still young and a bit awkward, it would be different next time.

By then, Sion would have the dignity befitting a hero.

After all, the position makes the person.

By then, Ariel and Rakia might find it hard to treat Sion the same way.

They might shrink under the hero’s presence.

Not that Sion particularly wished for that, but he thought such a situation might be quite enjoyable.

[S-Sion…]

At that moment.

As Sion was walking away, Excalibur spoke.

[B-be careful around that elf… D-don’t mess with her… Got it…?]

“Huh?”

Sion tilted his head.

“You mean Ariel? Why Ariel?”

[……]

Excalibur didn’t answer further.

Excalibur, which had stood tall and unyielding even before the Demon King and dragons, now felt an immense fear toward a single elf.

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