Exiled to the Graveyard of Heroes, I Revived Them All and Now an Unprecedented Nation of Legends Has Been Born - Chapter 14: The Hero of [Blade]’s Soliloquy

Chapter 14: The Hero of [Blade]’s Soliloquy

My life had always been… simple.

My hometown was destroyed by the Demon Lord, and as a hero, I chose to fight.

Because I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I did.

And in the middle of that fight, I met someone I thought was my destined partner.

Maybe it was ironic.

The one I loved was the first prince of the Iclessia Empire, the nation that would one day become the Ixion Kingdom.

He was kind to a country girl like me—always caring, always gentle.

But then—

“You filthy whore!! The very thought that I once loved someone like you makes me sick!!”

The prince spat venom at me.

And standing behind him, smirking with that vulgar grin, was a man I knew all too well.

A high-ranking officer of the imperial army.

The same bastard who once threatened me on the battlefield: If you don’t want your prince’s supplies cut off, then service me with your body.

I couldn’t refuse.

Because I loved the prince. And for his sake, I would do anything.

But in the end, the prince came to despise me.

I was accused of seducing the soldiers and trying to sabotage the empire.

I was arrested, and as punishment, they ordered me to “comfort” the troops.

To make sure I couldn’t sweet-talk anyone again, they carefully slit open my throat.

Honestly… it was nothing but misery.

My throat always itched and burned, and the way the soldiers looked at me—like starving beasts—made me want to kill them more times than I could count.

But with the shackles that sealed my hero powers, I was just a powerless girl.

And so, day after day, I was used however they pleased.

Even in the depths of that hell, though, a tiny bit of hope remained.

I managed to befriend one of the prostitutes who had also been ordered to “comfort” the soldiers.

“You’re a hero, right!? This is my first time seeing one!! Your eyes really are gold!!”

She was such a carefree person.

Even though I was branded a criminal, she never avoided me, never looked at me with disgust. She comforted the soldiers with that same gentle smile, always so graceful.

Also—her boobs were huge.

When she learned that my throat had been slit and I couldn’t speak, she taught me how to write.

“You can still talk if it’s with a pen, right?” she said with such innocent cheer. That smile is burned into my memory.

“I have a little sister!! She’s about the same age as you, Silesta, and she’s super cute!! Once the war’s over, you have to come visit us!!”

She smiled when she said that.

And then she died.

A high-ranking officer—who hated seeing me look even the slightest bit happy—framed her for a crime and had her executed, her head put on display.

…I blamed myself.

Because I’d given up on everything, she tried to be kind to me.

And because of that kindness, she was marked and killed.

Later, I was accused of plotting to assassinate the prince. Another false charge. This time, I was sentenced to die.

By then, nothing mattered anymore.

If anything, I just wanted to apologize to the woman I’d gotten killed.

But the dead don’t come back.

Falling into the Great Pit, drowning in despair, I cursed this world.

…And when I opened my eyes, I was standing in darkness.

A young man with golden eyes—the proof of a hero—was about to be mauled by a massive wolf. He needed help.

And I understood.

With my [Blade], I could cut down that wolf easily.

But honestly? I didn’t care.

“…I don’t really get the situation, but…”

That’s why I couldn’t even understand my own actions.

Why I was suddenly speaking with the very voice that had been stolen from me when my throat was cut open.

“I can tell just by looking—you need help, don’t you?”

And so I helped that young man.

For no real reason. Just because, in that moment, I wanted to.

Maybe I thought of it as a chance.

A chance for someone like me—who couldn’t protect anything—to finally protect something again.

And also…

(…Wait. These are his memories?)

Strange recollections surfaced in my mind.

Memories of a happy childhood, spent with loving parents and caring friends.

Then, the memory of monsters attacking, of his home being destroyed.

Only to learn it had all been the scheme of the very kingdom he trusted. He was branded with false crimes and cast into the abyss.

(Just like me… but not the same. He lost everything, yet he still hasn’t given up on living. …I want to help him.)

After he woke up, I spoke with him—and I started to like him.

Unlike me, who had lost everything and let go of all purpose, he had chosen his own will.

He had chosen revenge.

And I wanted to support that with all my heart.

And also…

I wanted to kill the descendants of the Iclessia Empire that stole my friend away.

No—more than that—

I wanted to rip apart the descendants of those filthy officers piece by piece.

That’s why. That’s exactly why—

“We… we did it!! The tank just killed that freak!!”

“Look!! Its lower half is shredded to bits!!”

“Wait—no!! It’s still moving!! Don’t let up, pump it full of lead!! Finish it for good!!”

The Ixion Kingdom soldiers closed in around me.

Looks like I’d taken that so-called “tank” attack head-on.

I couldn’t feel my lower half anymore.

One glance told me enough—it was nothing but minced meat.

I knew right away I didn’t have long.

With damage this severe, not even mister’s [Resurrection] might be able to bring me back.

If that’s the case, then I’ve only got one thing left to do.

“――Raging Stormlight Slash!!”

My ultimate technique, developed for the sole purpose of slaying the “Wicked Dragon” in the Abyss.

Blades of light, unleashed in a storm, faster than the eye can follow.

But this move came with a massive drawback—the recoil was brutal.

That’s why I’d spared Hachi the burden and never used it against the dragon…

But if I’m dying anyway? No reason to hold back.

“Wha—what the—”

“Gyaaaah!!”

“Uwaaaah!!”

Soldiers were torn apart—not just “cut down,” but minced.

Flesh and bone alike were shredded into dust-fine scraps.

Those closest to me didn’t even leave bodies behind—just sprays of blood scattering into the wind.

Even the tank that had blown my legs clean off—though it withstood the first few strikes—was soon reduced to nothing more than twisted scrap iron.

Yeah. Even I had to admit—that was one hell of a nasty attack.

“Gah!”

The recoil tore my arm muscles apart—bones crushed, twisted, and blown to pieces.

At this point, the pain barely even registered anymore.

“Haa… haa… damn… I got careless.”

After boasting to mister about how good I was at fighting against overwhelming numbers, this was the result.

He’s definitely going to be sad.

With my lower body and both arms gone, not even his [Resurrection] should’ve been able to bring me back.

…But maybe that’s fine.

At least this way, I’d stay in his memory forever.

My consciousness slipped away—

“…Huh? Where… am I?”

“Hell yeahhh!! She’s back!! I nailed it!!”

I opened my eyes to see mister pumping his fist in victory.

Not just him—Imuru, Tiara, Meimei, and a bunch of other heroes were staring down at me with worried eyes.

Wait… what? I… came back?

“B-But how…? With that much missing, I shouldn’t…”

“We all gathered up every last piece of Silesta’s flesh and bone and put the puzzle back together, of course!!”

“Never again!! Do you know how hard it was checking one grisly chunk at a time so it wouldn’t get mixed with other corpses!?”

“Y-Yeah… it was really gross…”

Apparently, the whole hero squad had gone out of their way to scrape me off the battlefield and reassemble me.

…Looks like I caused a huge mess for everyone.

“Silesta.”

“Mister?”

“Could you sit down properly for a bit?”

With a serious tone, he said that—and what followed was nearly an hour-long lecture.

“I’m at fault too for not stopping you, but if it’s going to risk your life, don’t ever charge in alone again.”

“B-But… I didn’t think that tank—or whatever that thing was—would land a direct hit…”

“…Yeah. Even though Shizukuishi warned us, I wasn’t cautious enough either. I’ll admit that’s on me.”

“Mhm. Glad you understand.”

“But even so, that doesn’t erase what you did.”

Mister leaned in closer.

He looked genuinely angry—not at me, but at the thought of losing me.

“I was really panicking. I thought I might not be able to bring you back.”

“Mister…”

“I’m just… I’m really glad you’re alive.”

The relief written all over his face made my heart race.

“M-Mister, let’s get married right now.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t sweat the details. Just marry me and let’s have kids. I want both a boy and a girl—how about you?”

“Eh? N-No, Silesta? You can’t just dodge my lecture by—”

“Lecture later. Cuddling now.”

I leaned in, closed the distance, and stole his lips.

Mister’s dumbfounded look was so cute, it made my heart pound even harder.

“W-What are you doing!? Everyone’s watching!!”

“Exactly. The whole point is to show off.”

“That’s a huge problem!! Hey, everyone!! Stop smirking and help me out here!!”

At that moment, [Devotion]’s hero, Hachi—who’d been watching the whole thing—murmured:

“Boss, are you gonna mate with Silesta?”

“I am not!!”

“I am!!”

“Hachi wants to see mating!!”

…Right. In the era Hachi came from, beastkin had a totally different view on sex compared to humans.

Still, there was no way I could bring myself to start doing naughty things with mister right in front of Hachi.

So this time, I had no choice but to back down—grudgingly.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

In Hachi’s time, beastkin kids learned about mating early… mostly by watching their parents in the act.

If that wild bit of beastkin culture made you go “Wait, what!?” then toss those ★s my way!

And if you thought, “Those military bigwigs are scum,” “Silesta’s special move is busted strong,” or “Thank god she came back to life,” don’t forget to drop a comment, bookmark, ★rating, or review!