Our battles with the Demon King’s Army continued.
Though Yuu and Mei were gone, our enemies hadn’t changed; the Demon King’s Army continued to attack people and destroy nations. I would not overlook their actions, and I continued playing my part as the hero.
Even so, that did nothing to salve the wounds on my heart; all I could was keep fighting, to distract myself from the pain.
On a certain day, another one I had spent numbing myself in the same way…
That night, under a cloudless, moonlit night sky, I would have a chance encounter.
That day, we were visiting a certain country.
I had excused myself from the welcome party that was happening, claiming I was feeling unwell, and slipped out to train alone in the forest behind the castle.
There were no annoying distractiosn here; I was free from the buzz of noise, from the weight of flirting stares, from words, authority, and everything.
From where I was, deep within the forest, my eyes could still make out the bright lights coming from the royal castle. Those within the safe walls knew not what tomorrow might bring, but still they celebrated the present with an extravagantly festive party.
“Hngh..!”
I gave the Holy Sword a practice swing. There was no one else here but me, so I was not afraid of being watched. I watched and thought over the arc my swing drew before letting out a deep sigh.
“Oh, it’s gotten heavier again…”
Originally, only a hero could wield the Holy Sword; the only reason why I could use it now is because technically, my Job is still Hero.
It may have been False Hero in truth, but that was still a Hero nonetheless; that had given me the power to wield the Holy Sword. And when our journey had just begun, the Holy Sword had a sharpness and majesty to it that truly befit its title; recently, it had begun to lose its edge, dulling until it was no sharper than a pillow.
“Holy Sky Slash..! Doesn’t work either, huh? Maybe I’m just not allowed to wield it anymore… What a laugh.”
The Holy Sword’s weight aside, I have not been able to use most of my skills recently, either.
I had managed to keep that fact hidden through pure effort and technique, but it was only getting tougher as time went on.
The light emitting from the Holy Sword grew dimmer by the day as well; I suspected I knew the reason.
It was strictly impossible for the Holy Sword to lose power, so the problem lay in its wielder — that is, me. And if I was losing the ability to wield the Holy Sword, that meants its rightful owner was gaining it — that is, Yuu was growing stronger.
Through bits and pieces through gossip, I learned Yuu and Mei formed a new party and have been helping people in all kinds of places and how they’ve made new friends. However, I couldn’t show that I was interested, so ultimately these were all just rumors to me.
Still, I was certain these rumors were true.
And I was just as certain that my time was drawing near.
“Aaaaahhh!!”
As I thought about such things, I suddenly heard a scream come from afar. I whipped my body into action, springing to my feet and taking off in a run in that direction.
I raced through the dark night and emerged in a clearing to find a wolf — between its oversized, sharp claws and the tense aura about it, I could sense it was no ordinary creature.
“A demonic beast?!”
A demonic beast — that is, a minion of the Demon King.
Was it a stray demonic beast, or was it the remnant of a scattered unit?
The demonic beast was winding up to tear apart the victim before it: a small girl.
For a moment, my eyes saw Yuu’s figure from back then instead.
And before I knew it, my body was already moving.
“Please let me make it..!”
“Roooaarrr!!“
The wicked claws came down at the girl… and stopped against the Holy Sword.
The once-sharp Holy Sword had turned dull. My body was sluggish in handling its weight, and I could no longer use my skills. But..!
I briefly peeked at the girl behind me; she was clearly frightened. If I fell here, she would be in danger.
I won’t back down.
I won’t abandon her..!
I raised my voice and focused more strength into my arms. The burst of power allowed me to push back the demonic beast’s claws, unbalancing it. Without giving up my own stance, I shifted the Holy Sword around and put my strength behind a thrust into its heart, crushing it.
The demonic beast let out a short, pained whimper before going limp.
“(Huff..! Huff..!) I would’ve just lopped off its head if this were back then…”
Without any of my skills, fighting even a single demonic beast was tough.
I forced my protesting body to twist around so I could see the girl whose scream had set this all into motion.
“You’re… Wait, those ears, are you…”
I felt myself freeze up in surprise.
The girl I saved was an elf — a legendary race I had only heard about in stories and rumors.
Her golden hair sparkled under the light of the moon, her face was like a crafted masterpiece, and her delicately long ears featured most prominently of all. In all these things, in every way, she was beautiful.
She stared blankly back at me, but upon realizing she was now safe, began to speak.
“O-oh, um, th-thank you for helping me! Um, your sword, it shined, right? I heard stories about a sword that shines with holy white light — does that mean you’re the hero?”
Her eyes gazed down at the Holy Sword; of course, there was only one person who could wield the Holy Sword. However, maybe because my fatigue was weighing down on me, I said something else.
“No. I’m just the fake. I’ll never be the real thing.”
“Huh?”
I blinked in surprise when I realized I had spoken my true feelings. I forced myself to focus and slipped a smile back on to smooth things over.
“Err, I mean, Of course, that’s me, Foil Austin, the hero.. And I’m glad you’re safe. What’s your name?”
“Um, my name is Iris. I’m an elf living in the village deeper in these woods, and,, I was, um, just gathering some herbs when I ended up lost.. and that’s when this scary thing showed up.”
“Is that what happened? Well, you’d better get back to your village as soon as possible. The thing just now, that’s called a demonic beast, and it’s dangerous — well, there are other demonic beasts in this country that are even worse demonic beasts, but basically, it’s dangerous for a girl as cute as you to be getting lost in a place like this.”
“C-c-cu… Hey!”
Iris’s face turned bright-red, and she quickly turnd her head down to hide it. She looked so cute doing so that I couldn’t help but chuckle; when I did, she brought her head up to face me, puffing her cheeks and glaring indignantly before turning away again in a huff.
What a cute and innocent child.
“Anyway, I’ll bring you back to your village. Are you able to stand?”
“S-sure. Oh, but the elder said we cannot allow humans into the village.”
“Then I’ll just bring you to the front of your village. Would that be all right? I wouldn’t want to leave you alone only for something terrible to happen again.”
“Hey! Don’t treat me like I’m a kid! I’m at least old enough to be your older sister, you know!”
“Oh, okay, sure. Oh, but would you like some candy?”
“Yeah! …Hey, wait, no!”
Shocked, Iris blushed again, but this time the red extended to her ears. As she stalked off in a huff, I quickly catch up, walking alongside her as I offer the candy.
“Really now! I’ll have you know making fun of your elders is grounds for punishment! But anyway, since you gave me this tasty candy, I’ll forgive you.”
“Ah, I see, thank you, Iris. I expected no less from a proper older sister, to be so kind and big-hearted.”
“Yep, of course, that’s me! Because I’m like an older sister! So, um… you are a hero, right, mister Foil?”
“It’s a little embarrassing if you add the ‘mister’, so just call me by my name.”
“Wouldn’t that be… Well, just Foil is fine then, right? So, um, like I said earlier, thank you for helping me.
Iris bows her head to me.
I already told her it was fine, but she sure was an earnest kid. Though, when she insisted this much, it did feel a little embarrassing…
“You really don’t have to worry about it, you know. After all, as the Hero, it’s my mission to protect powerless people from demonic beasts like that.”
“But still, that doesn’t make the demonic beast any less scary, you know! I was so scared I couldn’t even stand! I can’t believe you’re able to stand up against something like that, just to protect people… Don’t you feel scared, Foil?”
Scared… Feeling scared… was it?
Even now I could remember how I felt back then, facing that demonic beast from my childhood. The fear had seared a permanent mark on my heart. She was right; demonic beasts and demons were both terrifying. And yet…
“Well… Yeah, it’s definitely scary. But still, someone has to stand up to them. Someone has to…”
Right, and because it had everything to do with a Job, it meant that someone… had to be me.
That was what it meant to be the False Hero, so I had to do it myself.
“And besides, if you have the power to fight back, isn’t it normal to want to use it to help someone else?”
“…I’ve never thought of it that way. Even if I had that kind of power, I only would have thought of protecting myself.”
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that idea. Still, for me, if there’s someone who just can’t fight, and I’m there with the power to help them, then I do want to use my power to help them… Oh, oops, haha; sorry, I must’ve sounded like I was lecturing you or something.”
“No, it’s just, I think that’s a very admirable way to live.”
“…You think so? Thanks.”
I hurriedly scratched at my cheek to hide the embarrassment her words set off.
“Um, I have a question I want to ask… Oh, but if it’s rude, you don’t have to answer.”
“Sure, what do you wanna know?”
“Let’s see, what is it like, outside of the forest? I’ve never really been outside — um, actually, the truth is, I wasn’t gathering herbs, I secretly came out to see outside world, and then that, um, demonic beast? attacked me…”
Iris grew quieter and and more hesitant as she spoke.
I see, so that was the real reason why she was out there.
“Haha, oh, is that all? It certainly does seem like you pushed yourself too far.”
“Hmph! It must be seem really stupid to you, what I did.”
“No, no, I get it. I’ve done the same, after all — a reckless brat sneaking out of the village at night. And wouldn’t you know, I also encountered a demonic beast back then, too.”
“What?! Were you all right?”
“Ah, well, the adults came and found us because of all the commotion. I got scolded pretty harshly afterward, too.”
That was a nostalgic memory.
Even so, ever since then, I’ve… always been secretly ashamed of myself.
I wanted to be a hero, after all, and not just be all talk.
And, well, the truth was… Oh, I might have gone on for longer than I should’ve with my self-deprecation…
I raised my head to see if Iris had yet to catch on… only to find her already staring at my face.
“Hey, uh, earlier, what I meant was…
…uh, what I mean is, sorry if I come across as rude; I’m usually a little more reserved, but I’m more comfortable speaking casually, so it’s a little awkward when I have to talk with important people. Anyway, what I’m saying is, could you keep that part about me a secret? In exchange, I’ll tell you everything I know about the outside world.”
“S-sure! I won’t tell anyone your secret!”
And so I told Iris everything i could; she nodded along to my story, and her eyes occasionally lit up in excitement. As for me, I also enjoyed seeing her reactions to my story.
We continued walking and talking this way, and before I knew it, so much time had passed in the blink of an eye.
“Okay, we’re here.”
“Really?”
I couldn’t tell, but according to Iris, we were near the elf village. Was there illusion magic keeping it hidden? Or maybe it was some sort of skill? Either way, the scenery appeared to be the same forest as usual, though it seemed Iris recognized the area.
Well then, I guess this is where we part ways. And remember: don’t just recklessly wander out of your village anymore, all right?”
“Yeah, I know. And, um, I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“Hey, no need to worry about it. And I know it was just for a short time, but I enjoyed talking with you.”
Iris smiled, but after a moment, her face turned into a pout, and she began to fidgetas though she were looking for something. After another moment, she fiddled with her hair.
“Oh! Um, could you, um, take this?”
“Hm?”
Iris had a single flower in her hand, and she was offering it to me.
“This was in my hair. Because, um, after thinking about it, I realized I haven’t given you anything as thanks for your help. But, um, well, the problem is that since I’ve never been out of the village, I don’t have money or anything like that…”
“…No, thank you, Iris. This is more than enough. I’ll cherish it, thinking of you.”
I gently stroked the place on her head where the flower once was. I could feel the silky smoothnessof her hair, pleasant against my fingers. Iris seemed to enjoy it, closing her eyes and pushing her head into my hand.
“All right. Take care now.”
But I reluctantly withdrew my hand, letting her hair free from my fingers.
Because if I stayed with her for any longer, my feelings would…
I said my goodbye and began to leave.
“Oh! Um..!”
Contrary to my wish, I found myself stopping when I heard her call out.
“I want to see you again! So next time, I’ll come find you!”
She shouted something about wanting to see me again, but… I’m sorry, Iris, but I won’t be able to come here again, because soon enough…
And so I walked on without looking back; in lieu of showing my face, I raised my hand to give a backward wave.
Foil was unaware, but Iris had continued staring after him the entire time, even as his back faded into the distance.
◇◇◇
Already a month has passed since Yuu and May left. Our journey continued nonetheless.
Though, with Yuu and May gone, there was no longer anyone stopping Gladius and Mary from rampaging.
In a certain town, one currently under attack by the Demon King’s Army…
“Kyaaaah!”
“It’s the Demon King’s Army! They’ve come all the way out here!”
The Army, made up of demonic beasts, had suddenly appeared from the town’s slums. The three of us immediately rushed over and began cutting down the demonic beasts attacking the people.
“Take this!”
“Gobobaa!”
I struck down demonic beasts left and right with one gleaming swing of the Holy Sword after another.
The demonic beasts here were weak enough for even me in my current state to easily handle, but… there were too many of them. I wouldn’t be able to protect the people like this, so I shouted to get their attention.
“Go towards the church! They’ve fortified their defenses, and there should be no demonic beasts over there!”
“Y-yes!”
“Gladius! Mary! We have to hurry and defeat the demonic beasts, before they hurt anymore people!”
“Hmph, this much poses little challenge.”
“Oh dearie me, I suppose if you insist, my lovely, beautiful flames can turn it all to ash.”
“Onward then! We will do our duty, as heroes!”
While there was a problem with their personalities, I could not deny the overwhelming power both Gladius and Mary wielded.
And it was their strength alone that I trusted, which was why I would leave them to handle this area, while I went to help the civilians who were late to escape.
◇
The demonic beast collapsed with a dull thud, spurting blood all the while.
That should be the last of the demonic beasts attacking this area. I paused to catch my breath, scanning around to make sure no demonic beasts remained.
“Were most of the civilians able to escape..?”
“Lord Foil.”
“Oh, Mary. How did it go on your end?”
“To call things of this level demonic beasts would be an exaggeration, Lord Foil. And I believe Gladius is on his rampage elsewhere. A savage, really — truly barbaric.”
“…Right. Then–“
“Waaaaah!! Mommyyy, help meee!!”
A scream suddenly rang out.
I looked over to see a child… and the demonic beast beside them; it seemed the demonic beast had found and taken the child out of their hiding spot.
I dashed over, to try and save the child–
“By cleansing inferno, let scorching flame purge the filth! Blaze Fang1!”
A roaring jet of fire suddenly streaked past me, engulfing the demonic beast.
…and the child the demonic beast had taken hostage with it.
“Wha– Mary?! Why did you use your magic?! Did you not see the child?!”
“Hm? Was it not all filth, Lord Foil? As you know, it is not people that fill these slums but trash. Is there an issue with burning it all away?”
“Argh! Don’t you see what you’ve done?! You took the life of someone we could have saved!”
“Again, what is the issue? In fact, it was most likely for the best; I imagine that thing hardly had a Job worth our effort.”
“You…”
“Aaaahhh!! No! Please, tell me this isn’t happening!! Miria, Miriaaaaa!!”
A woman suddenly rushed past us as we argued.
The woman — the mother scooped up the charred corpse that was her child, embracing it without hesitating before the heat or flames. It seemed the corpse was truly lifeless, because she collapsed in tears a moment later.
“Oh, I guess that did affect someone. Well, it’s just a commoner, so I suppose it is no problem at all, really.”
“Mary, you did this..! Ah!”
The grieving mother, hearing my words, suddenly got to her feet and pulled out a knife.
“I will avenge my daughter!”
And she dashed straight towards Mary.
At the same time, Mary readied her staff — was she planning on burning away this woman too?!
Before Mary could chant her spell, I stepped forward to grab the woman, disarming and restraining her at the same time.
“Why, Lord Hero, how thoughtful. Protecting me? I expected nothing less of one so heroic!”
Mary gave an innocent, happy cheer. On the other hand, the mother turned to me, sending a hate-filled glare.
“Why?! You’re the hero, aren’t you?! Give me back my daughter! Give me Miria back! Please, just return her..!”
“But I…”
That’s not right. I’m not the hero. I’m… just a fake.
A moment later, a group of knights came over, seemingly having heard the screams of the grieving mother.”
“Lord Hero, what is going on?”
“Oh, good timing, knights; seize this insolent woman, if you would. She had the audacity to threaten me, a companion of Lord Foil Austin the Hero. See to it that she is punished immediately.”
“Of course, my lady. Lord Hero, please allow me.”
“No, wait, she is simply distraught over having lost her daughter. She simply needs a quiet place to calm down and recover…”
I tried to stop them as one of the knights took the woman out of my arms… and another cut off her head.
“No… why? Why did you kill her?!”
“Hm? What are you asking, Lord Foil? Were you not aware of our standing, that it is a crime for a commoner to threaten a noble?”
“Indeed, Lord Hero. The life of a single commoner has no weight compared to the disrespect that is shown to you, Your Lordship, and your companions. And for us, those holding the Knight Job, the difference compared to those with Jobs for the riffraff is like comparing the heavens to the earth!”
“No, what I’m saying is..!”
…did you really have to kill them?
But I saw not even a hint of guilt in the eyes of Mary or the knights. If anything, they seemed to be staring at me with confusion.
What is going on here?
What is going on with them?!
The hero, the knights — they exist to protect the people. That’s supposed to be how it works.
And yet, these people… they did not hesitate to cut down a parent and her child.
“Argh?!”
I looked around.
The people emerging from their hiding spots were staring at us, staring with more fear and more anger than they had at the demonic beasts from earlier…
In another country…
We were in the middle of a city-turned-battlefield, and I was fighting against a group of demons that had invaded the town.
“Hng!”
“Gaaahh! Curse you… hero..!”
I cut down a wolf-like demon with the Holy Sword; its last words were pure resentment.
“All right, that should be the last of them on this side… All that’s left should be over there.”
At the other end of my sight were more demons and demonic beasts.
It seemed the burden from wielding the Holy Sword was taking a heavier toll, and my body only grew more sluggish and unresponsive as I continued to do so anyway.
“Hm? Isn’t that… Gladius? And the ones with him are… Huh? What’s going on?!”
At that moment, a familiar figure appeared at the edge of sights; straining my eyes, I could see it was Gladius… and he was leading a group of spear-wielding civilians.
What was going on? The civilians should have evacuated by now. What were they still doing here?
“Pl-please, wait! We’re exhausted! We already don’t know how to fight demons, how are we supposed to do it when we’re tired?”
“Silence!”
“Gyaaah!”
“Stay quiet and follow me, the lot of you! The only use weaklings like you have is to assist the strong! And for that matter, the lot of you are to march! Do the only thing you can do; be bait to draw in the demonic beasts! And if you don’t go, I will kill you myself!”
“Ah… ah..! Aaaahhh!!!”
The mass of commoners charged at the demonic beasts before them.
And since they did not know how to fight, much less win, most of them lost their lives.
But their sacrifice had created an opening in the demons’ formation.
“Hahahahaha! See, even the weak can be of use when they try! Now, time to take down the strong ones! All glory shall go to me!”
Paying no heed to the commoners he left behind, Gladius led a charge with the knights following him.
I forced myself over, swinging the Holy Sword to cut down the demonic beasts that were swarming the straggling civilians and looking for corpses to feed on. By the time things had cleared, almost none of the civilians still breathed; there was just one, barely hanging on.
“Are you all right?! I’ll have someone–“
“Oh… You’re the hero… Please, tell me… Was there… any meaning… to our sacrifice?”
“I…”
“Why… did we… Emmy… Ares…”
“Wait! Don’t die on me yet! Hey!”
But after gasping some names, the man slowly closed his eyes, and his body fell limp. No matter how many more times I called to him, his eyes did not open.
“Who would… call me a hero? All I did… is watch people die, before my very eyes..!”
It was my fault that they had to lose their lives like this, because my body no longer moved the way it used to.
In the end, we routed and repelled the invading Army. And yet, there I stood, atop a mountain of rubble and debris of what was once a city.
I’ve witnessed it.
I’ve witnessed the goodness in people, and its strength.
I’ve witnessed it.
I’ve witnessed the wickedness in people, and its depths.
I’ve witnessed it.
And I’ve overlooked it.
The fact that the Demon King’s Army was mankind’s greatest enemy remained unchanged.
And yet there are also people hurting the people.
I am the False Hero. As a mere fake, I can neither defeat the Demon Lord nor save the people.
What am I even fighting for?
Who am I even fighting for?
I did not know. I no longer knew.
I could only hear their screams. I could only hear their hate. I could only hear their grief. I could only hear their resentment.
My heart creaked under the pressure, screamed with agony. How much easier would everything be if I simply let my sanity go altogether?
Everything… was gray.
If having to deceive people was causing my heart to ache so…
…maybe it would be better if I…
As dark thoughts polluted my mind, the flower I received that day from that elf – from Iris – fell out of my chest pocket and onto the Holy Sword.
“The Holy Sword… Oh, I see.”
Yuu and May.
My precioius childhood friends, more dear to me than anything… Yuu must be well on his way to becoming the True Hero. I have not heard anything of the sort, but seeing for myself how much darker the Holy Sword becomes with each passing day told me everything I needed to know.
You guys will definitely come and find me. And when you guys do…
Everything will be just fine.
I can still keep this going.
I carefully picked the flower up. I had crossed so many battlefields, fought so many enemies, and yet the flower remained in beautiful bloom, free of even a single drop of blood. Its innocent purity reminded me of Iris, of the smile of the girl I helped that day, and recalling the memory made my heart grow lighter.
In the end, the attack by the Demon King’s Army had left the city completely destroyed.
I turned my gaze to look over the city that had suffered the ravages of battle.
Civilians milled about in gloomy sadness. There was no need to wonder why; they had no desire to live, no desire to see the next day.
They needed hope.
They needed something to drive them to live.
I could not give them hope.
But if the Demon King’s Army gave them despair…
…then I simply needed to give them anger. And their hatred would drive them to live.
“Hear me, People of this city!”
Everyone – all eyes – looked toward me.
“We were able to stop the Demon King’s Army this time! And while many lives were lost to do so, do not grieve! Their sacrifice was inevitable, for that is the way the world works, because your Job is everything! And those with lesser Jobs have but one duty: to be of use, to give their lives in service of those with superior Jobs!”
These people have lost friends, families, lovers.
I will not allow them to dismiss this tragedy as something no one could have done anything about. And since the Demon King’s Army was not here, there was only one thing I could do: I will have the people focus their hatred on me.
As I looked around, I could see fires blaze to life in many, once-hollow eyes.
They were the flames of anger and hatred.
That’s it. It’s working…
Now, remember my name!
Do not forget that I was here!
And then hate me!
Hate me so that when hope2 does come, it can shine even brighter!
“And know this! I, the hero, Foil Austin, promise to destroy the Demon King! Know this, so rest assured, when you put down your lives, you die for the world, and for us!”
Gladius nodded in agreement.
Mary let out a laugh.
And I pretended I was truly satisfied in every way.
Because as the False Hero destined to be defeated by the True Hero, I must play the role of the villain3 until the very end.
So Yuu, when the time comes… you must make sure to kill me.
Headcanon TL 
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