Because of the Hero Summoned from Another World, I Got Replaced and Made the Backup—And My Childhood Friend the Saintess… - Chapter 09: “What a Pointless Farce.”

Chapter 09: “What a Pointless Farce.”

—The Demon King was defeated.

The announcement came not long after word reached the castle that the Demon King Subjugation Squad had reached the far western edge of the kingdom.

The royal castle erupted in cheers. So did the capital.

Honestly, the whole country was probably celebrating.

Staying cooped up in the castle all the time made it hard to really feel the weight of it, but ever since the Demon King’s return, monster attacks had been getting worse.

The farther you were from the capital, the more obvious it became.

Local knight units couldn’t keep up, and even the elite knights stationed in the capital had been sent out to assist.

Now that the Demon King was gone, those attacks would start slowing down.

For the people, that was definitely something worth celebrating.

And me?

I’d spent the entire time inside the castle, never once involved in the subjugation—

Not at the beginning.

Not at the end.

That was the role I’d been given, sure…

But that didn’t make the bitter taste in my mouth any easier to swallow.

All the studying.

All the training.

Everything I’d poured myself into since I was a kid—

It all felt like it had been erased in an instant.

As joy filled the kingdom and celebrations echoed all around me,

I stood quietly off to the side… and let out a small breath, making sure no one noticed.

“So, the Hero’s taken down the Demon King, huh.”

“…That’s what it sounds like.”

Even though the castle was still buzzing with celebration, this room remained quiet and composed.

I’d been summoned to the Crown Prince’s chambers—for the first time in a while.

“The knights held off the surrounding monsters, and with the Holy Sword in hand, the Hero and Saintess worked together to bring the Demon King down.”

He was flipping through a stack of papers as he spoke—probably the official report from the subjugation squad.

“Several knights were injured. The Hero himself took a pretty bad hit, but the Saintess healed him. After the Demon King fell, the newly emerged leader-type monsters vanished, and the rest scattered. Now the squad’s on their way back to the capital, being welcomed like heroes straight out of a fairy tale.”

After rattling all that off in one breath, His Highness tossed the papers onto the table.

“What a pointless farce.”

He spat the words out—short, sharp, and bitter.

“…What do you mean?”

“When the Hero returns, he’ll be granted the title of Marquis. That’s the king’s decision. It’s just a ceremonial rank—no real power—but even so, it changes everything.”

Instead of answering my question directly, he launched right into the same thing my old teacher had told me before.

The Marquis title.

Arianna being adopted into the marquis household.

Their upcoming marriage.

Once he finished laying it all out, His Highness leaned back slightly… and gave me a long, quiet look.

“Looks like you haven’t been slacking off on your training.”

“Well… yeah. It’s pretty much the only thing I’ve stuck with. At this point, it’s just part of my daily routine.”

“Good mindset. Seems I wasn’t wrong about you back when you were a kid.”

I still couldn’t figure out where this conversation was headed.

What was His Highness trying to say?

“Um, if I may ask—”

“Always be ready to fight. Oh, and once everything settles down, the Knight Commander mentioned he wants you. Said, ‘If the kid’s got nowhere to go, he should come join the knights.’”

“…That’s… really kind of him.”

“Of course, I turned him down.”

“W-Why would you do that!?”

Your Highness!?

The Knight Commander actually went out of his way to make a spot for me—and you just shot it down!?

While I stood there panicking, His Highness burst out laughing.

It kind of felt like he’d dodged the question on purpose.

Still… that brief exchange with him—

For the first time in a while, it actually felt… fun.

That little moment of fun didn’t last long.

The Demon King Subjugation Squad returned to the capital.

I stood on the balcony of my room in the castle, watching as the group slowly made its way through the cheering crowd.

Knights on horseback waved to the people as they moved forward.

And at the very center were two figures—

A black-haired, black-eyed boy, and a silver-haired, red-eyed girl.

Kanda, the Hero.

And Arianna, the Saintess.

They both waved back to the crowd, responding to the cheers.

I couldn’t see their expressions from this far away, but I could imagine them smiling.

Looking at them like that… it felt like they were in a world I could no longer reach.

Even after the Demon King was defeated, Arianna sent me a few letters.

They were the same as always—updates about little things, written in her usual tone.

Even though she was coming back to marry Kanda… not a single word about it.

Maybe she was being considerate.

Maybe she didn’t want to bring it up.

Honestly, I didn’t know.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask how she felt about Kanda either…

So the truth is—I had no idea what Arianna was thinking.

The journey must’ve been rough.

They probably went through a lot—both of them.

Even Kanda, who was dragged into a world that had nothing to do with him, still gave it everything he had.

So really, I should be welcoming them back with a smile.

As a childhood friend.

As a teacher.

I should be greeting them warmly, praising them, thanking them, celebrating their return.

I know that’s what I’m supposed to do.

And deep down, I really want to do that.

But… it’s also true that part of me feels conflicted.

And I can’t pretend otherwise.

“Not like I’ll get to see them right away anyway…”

I wasn’t family.

Just a regular old commoner.

No way I could push through the crowd and go meet them like it was nothing.

They’d probably be tied up with reports, debriefings, and all sorts of post-mission work once they got back to the castle.

I wouldn’t get to see them until all that was over—and only if they had time.

So I turned my gaze away from the celebration, picked up my sword—the one I’d always trained with—and stepped out of my room.

I just wanted to be somewhere quiet.

Somewhere I wouldn’t run into anyone.

Somewhere I could sort through the mess in my heart, alone.

The Demon King was gone.

The role of “backup Hero” was over.

There were no more restrictions keeping me locked inside the castle.

Just before I looked away, I thought I saw Arianna glance in my direction.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

It was hard to tell from that far away.