Because of the Hero Summoned from Another World, I Got Replaced and Made the Backup—And My Childhood Friend the Saintess… - Chapter 12: With the Sword Gripped in Both Hands, I Tore It All to Pieces

Chapter 12: With the Sword Gripped in Both Hands, I Tore It All to Pieces

What does it really mean to be a Hero?

Who gets to decide that?

What do you have to accomplish to earn that title?

Who needs to acknowledge you for it to matter?

Kanda’s not a Hero?

Come on. That’s ridiculous.

Even if—even if—he didn’t have the power to defeat the Demon King,

He still got dragged into a world he’d never even heard of.

And even then, he trained like hell, set off on a life-threatening journey, and fought through it all.

He stood up to the Demon King face-to-face.

You’re seriously telling me someone like that doesn’t deserve to be called a Hero?

Please.

How many people in this world—even if they had the power—would do the same?

How many would risk their lives in a strange world for people they don’t even know?

That kind of courage—

That alone makes him a Hero.

That’s what I believe.

…And me?

What the hell have I been doing?

Sulking because I didn’t get chosen?

Whining that my life has no meaning anymore?

But the truth is—

I haven’t lost anything.

The knowledge I worked so hard to gain,

The strength I built through training,

The bonds I forged with the knights,

My connection to His Highness…

It’s all still here. Still in these hands.

Honestly, maybe it’s no surprise I wasn’t chosen to be the Hero.

If something like this is all it takes to break me…

Then maybe I was never meant to hold that title.

But even so—

Even so—there are things I won’t give up on.

Feelings I’ve carried in my heart this whole time.

Things I refuse to let go of.

No matter what.

It was His Highness who saved me when I was on the verge of death.

He was the one who reached out… who gave me a reason to live.

It was because of him that I decided—

I wanted to live for someone else’s sake.

Then there was my teacher.

I was just some dumb kid who didn’t know anything, and still—he taught me everything he could.

I’m sure a commoner like me wasn’t someone he wanted to deal with.

But even so, he never cut corners.

He never gave up on me.

The Knight Commander and the entire Order—

They trained my weak, scrawny self until I could actually fight.

And the first time the Commander praised me, they all cheered—like we were family.

And… most of all—Arianna.

She’d been by my side since we were little.

It was because she stayed with me, supported me, that I didn’t break.

That I never gave up.

These feelings in my heart?

They’re not going anywhere.

No matter what happens… I’m never letting them go.

“So if you’re telling me—you’re the Demon King…”

Then—

These black, writhing tendrils crawling toward me,

Trying to wrap around me, trying to pull me in—

“I’ll take you down. That’s what I can do.”

With the sword clenched in both hands,

I tore them all to pieces.

“You said it! Knew I wasn’t wrong about you!”

Right after I swung my sword, I heard that booming voice behind me.

A strong, commanding voice—overflowing with life and certainty.

“…Your Highness!?”

I turned around—

And there he was—His Highness the Crown Prince himself, clad in full armor, sword in hand, riding a towering black steed.

And all around him were the knights of the Order.

Even the Knight Commander had come.

“Surround the Demon King! Support the Hero! Listen up—this ends here and now!”

““Sir!””

At His Highness’s command, the knights sprang into action, forming a circle around the dark sphere—the Demon King.

Little by little, the ring closed in, boxing in the monster… and me, standing at the center.

“Tch… What’s this now? This wasn’t supposed to be part of the Hero’s heart.”

The Demon King growled in frustration as more tendrils started slithering outward.

“Your Highness—why are you here?”

I asked quickly as he rode up beside me, reins tight in his grip.

I hadn’t told anyone where I was going.

I never expected him to show up—much less with the entire Order behind him.

“To slay the Demon King, obviously. Details can wait. And also—”

“—It’s been so long! I missed you!”

Suddenly, someone jumped down from one of the horses and wrapped their arms around me.

“Arianna!?”

“It’s really been a while… I’m so glad to see you again.”

It was Arianna—the Saintess.

She should’ve been back at the castle right now, tied up with debriefings and royal banquets after the Demon King subjugation…

And yet—

Here she was.

“Why…?”

“That would be because—”

“Save the emotional reunion for later. Focus on the Demon King in front of you.”

It was the Knight Commander who cut into my conversation with Arianna.

And honestly, he was right.

The Demon King was still right in front of us.

I had a million questions, sure—but now wasn’t the time.

“What a bunch of noisy pests…”

All the tendrils stretching out from the black sphere suddenly detached at the base.

They writhed and curled in that same sickening way—

Then began to shift, twisting and mutating—

Before we knew it, a horde of monsters had spawned from them.

“Go. Wipe out those annoying little flies.”

At the Demon King’s command, the newly-formed monsters charged straight at the knights.

“Stick to the usual plan! Engage in squads! Eliminate them fast and clean!”

The knights moved with perfect coordination at the Commander’s orders.

Each squad took on a group of monsters, but their formation held tight—

They never let the circle around the Demon King break.

That’s the Order for you.

“The Goddess once said—”

Still mounted on his horse, His Highness locked eyes with the Demon King and spoke.

“The Demon King is a being born from the darkest sludge of this world—Fear, sorrow, rage, loneliness, hatred… all those emotions twisted together into one existence. And only something from this world can truly destroy something of this world.”

“Something from… this world…”

“That’s why you are the only one who can truly defeat the Demon King. Not the Hero summoned from another world—But the Hero born in this one.”

…Honestly, I still couldn’t wrap my head around all of it.

Everything was happening way too fast for my brain to catch up.

But even so—

There was one thing I knew for sure.

“This is the moment to show what all your years of effort were for.”

The Knight Commander’s voice rang out.

“Show me the strength of the sword I’ve forged.”

His Highness looked at me—eyes filled with unwavering trust.

“Come, let’s defeat the Demon King together!”

Arianna stood right beside me.

I didn’t understand everything.

But just having them here with me…

That was more than enough to keep me moving forward.

※From the next chapter, the perspective shifts to Arianna.