Because of the Hero Summoned from Another World, I Got Replaced and Made the Backup—And My Childhood Friend the Saintess… - Chapter 14: No Matter How You Look at Him, He’s Just a Regular Boy

Chapter 14: No Matter How You Look at Him, He’s Just a Regular Boy

When I heard the news, the only thing I felt was anger.

Who gave them the right to decide something like that?

What were they even thinking?

To take away his role as the Hero…

Even if the order came from the king himself, I could never accept it.

To erase everything he worked so hard for.

To deny him the future he fought so desperately to reach.

“The Hero summoned from another world shall be recognized as the official Hero.”

That’s what they told me—on the day we learned the Demon King’s revival was near.

Words so ridiculous, I could hardly believe them.

“Uh… Nice to meet you. I’m Hiroto Kanda. ‘Kanda’ is my family name, and ‘Hiroto’ is my given name.”

The so-called Hero summoned from another world was introduced to me in a small room at the church.

And honestly?

He looked totally average.

No presence.

No confidence.

Not even a hint of fire in his eyes.

Just a boy with a sheepish smile, eyebrows lowered like he didn’t know what to do.

—This is supposed to be the Hero?

No matter how you looked at him, he was just a regular guy.

“…It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Arianna.”

As a matter of manners, I returned his greeting.

Then I took a good, long look at him—

From the top of his head to the tips of his toes.

A scrawny-looking body with no muscle to speak of.

Strange black-and-white clothes I’d never seen before.

Black hair, black eyes, and a face that looked perfectly healthy.

This Hiroto Kanda guy…

There’s no way he should be taking the Hero’s place.

Not a chance.

He didn’t have even a hint of the radiance a true Hero should carry.

He was just some guy with power—

And even that wasn’t something he earned himself, like he did.

Sure, I’d heard the rumors.

That he had the Holy Sword ability.

That he possessed an enormous amount of magic.

That whenever he summoned the Holy Sword, his flimsy-looking body would get a massive physical boost.

But that’s all it was—rumors.

Back during the “Divine Revelation,” when the Goddess spoke of the Hero,

She never once mentioned a black-haired, black-eyed boy like this.

So why?

Because the King said so?

Because the Church officially recognized him as the Hero?

Even so…

Even so—I couldn’t accept it.

That someone like this got to be called the Hero,

While he—the one who worked so hard for it—was cast aside.

A complete stranger just shows up out of nowhere,

And they hand him the title of Hero?

Then what was the point of all those years of brutal training?

All the times he kept going when it felt like he’d shatter—

When any ordinary person would’ve broken and run, he held on.

He endured.

I remembered how he looked that day, when I saw him at the castle.

On the surface, he seemed fine.

But anyone who truly knew him would’ve seen it immediately.

He was in pain.

He was devastated.

And of course he was.

He’d spent his entire life chasing that one dream:

To become the Hero.

To defeat the Demon King.

And in a single moment, they took all of that away.

It was like they spat on everything he’d done.

And yet…

He didn’t cry.

He didn’t rage.

He just… kept it all inside.

All by himself.

“Um… You’re kind of glaring at me, and it’s honestly a little scary… Did I do something to offend you?”

Apparently, at some point, I’d started glaring at the boy in front of me without even realizing it.

“…Sigh. No, not at all. Also, you don’t need to be so formal with me. You are the Hero, Lord Kanda.”

This was an official meeting at the church.

People from both the church and the castle were watching.

I knew I couldn’t let my personal emotions boil over here.

Still, I couldn’t understand why this boy had been summoned in the first place.

Was it because they didn’t trust him enough?

But that didn’t make sense.

At the very least, he had the trust of His Highness, the Knight Commander, the Order, and even the church members closest to me.

“Got it. Nice to meet you, Arianna.”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure.”

The ones who summoned Kanda were a group made up of royal court mages and prophets.

Now, prophets…

They’re the type who read the stars and use magic to predict the near future—supposedly helping guide the kingdom’s decisions.

Personally, I always found them more than a little suspicious.

I mean, when something truly important needs to be known, it comes straight from the Goddess during the once-in-a-decade Divine Revelation.

The prophets handle the minor stuff—and even then, their predictions are hit or miss.

Anyway, about a year ago, a new man joined the prophet circle.

He was the one who apparently led the charge on this latest summoning.

Thanks to his smooth talk and supposedly more accurate predictions than the others, he quickly became one of the king’s favorites.

So when he insisted that a Hero summoning was necessary, the king must’ve just gone along with it…

And here we are.

“Why did we even need another Hero?”

“The predicted power of the resurrected Demon King is just too strong. They said the original candidate wouldn’t be able to handle it—so they decided to bring in someone else.”

That’s what a church official told me when I asked.

But it didn’t sit right with me. Not one bit.

Still, arguing wouldn’t change anything, so I just thanked them politely and quietly returned to my room.

I don’t agree with Kanda being named the Hero.

No matter what anyone says, it’s not something I’ll ever accept.

To me, there’s only one Hero.

Only him.

That’s never changed—and it never will.

“I’m just a stand-in. A spare. In case something happens to the real Hero.”

I’ll never forget the look on his face when he said that to me…

That quiet, pained expression.

That’s why—

I want to do whatever I can for him.

It might not be much, but… I still want to help, even if it’s just in a small way.

Until the Demon King revives, he’s been assigned to train Kanda.

I don’t know who made that decision.

But considering how thoroughly he’s been trained in everything a Hero needs to know… it makes sense they’d turn to him for that role.

Assuming, of course, you ignore how he feels about it.

Calling him a “stand-in” means exactly what it sounds like—

If anything happens to the Hero, he will take over.

In other words, if Kanda is ever injured, or loses the ability to fight, or—

Worst-case scenario—dies…

Then the role of Hero would fall to him.

Not that anyone’s hoping for that.

There’s no way something like that could happen inside the castle.

And of course, no one actually wants it to happen.

“Didn’t I tell you to never let go of your sword? That goes for when you fall, too. Now pick it up—quickly.”

I accompanied Kanda during his training sessions under him.

It wasn’t unusual—I’d always been there for his training too.

He carried out the role he’d been assigned with full focus and dedication.

The training he gave Kanda was definitely lighter than what he himself had endured—

But it was still harsh, and it clearly pushed Kanda to grow.

“Wait, please! Let him rest for a bit!”

The moment Kanda’s sword was knocked from his hands, I quickly stepped between the two of them.

I ended up face-to-face with him.

It made my heart skip a beat for a moment, but I told myself—this was something I needed to do.

Seeing me intervene, he let out a small sigh.

That familiar troubled expression crossed his face, his brows drawn slightly downward.

To him, it probably looked like I was trying to protect Kanda.

But what I said wasn’t quite that.

“You’re pushing him too hard. Lord Kanda… isn’t like you.”