I Came Back from the Dead, Quit Being a Holy Hero, and Just Wanna Shake My Hips in a Harem - Chapter 14: For a Glorious Harem

Chapter 14: For a Glorious Harem

Lily’s room at the inn.

Everything was neat and spotless.

Fresh flowers adorned the windowsill, and the bookshelf was packed with sacred texts from the Grand Goddess Church, along with tomes on holy arts.

There was even a meditation magic circle etched into the floor.

Well, I guess it’s not that weird to customize your room at an adventurers’ inn.

Granule—the trade city—was a major hotspot for adventurers.

So naturally, there were inns tailored just for them.

Places like this weren’t your typical overnight stay—no meals or room service, but if you paid upfront, it was way cheaper than a normal inn.

Some even had the owners cook for you.

This one was like that.

The landlady’s homemade food had this warm, nostalgic taste—

Even for someone like me, who didn’t even know what his parents looked like, it somehow hit home.

But in a humble place like this, her noble aura really stood out.

Filio sat across from me, looking oddly satisfied as we faced each other at the table.

When Lily served us tea, she smiled politely.

“Thank you. I feel bad making the host do all the work.”

“Hosting guests is part of my duty.”

“…Aren’t you going to sit?”

“This is between you and Lord Haruya. As an outsider, I’ll stay out of it.”

Lily gave a small, respectful bow and quietly stepped away.

Did she realize who Filio really was?

Filio might’ve thought she came off like just another scout, but come on—

She was basically the walking definition of a noble, crossdressing beauty.

Seriously, how did I not figure it out in my past life?

After flashing a faint, somewhat lonely smile, Filio turned her gaze toward me.

“So… I lost to you. That makes me your companion now.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that?”

“But you did say, ‘If I win, you’re mine,’ didn’t you?”

“Not in the party member sense!!”

Too bad—Filio just smiled like none of that mattered.

She was easy to get along with. Reasonable enough, most of the time.

But the problem? She always expected way too much from people with power—

And had this annoying habit of dragging them into all kinds of messes.

Well, I’m not a Hero anymore.

It’s not gonna go down like last time… probably.

“…So? What does a Bronze-rank adventurer like me have that you want?”

“No need to keep bringing up the Bronze-rank thing~”

“Of course I’m bringing it up! You practically forced your way into our lives!”

“I didn’t come to ask for anything… At first, anyway. Honestly, my original plan was just to give you a wake-up call. See, when someone with real talent keeps slacking off and refusing to rank up, the Adventurers’ Guild doesn’t take it lightly.”

As she said that, Filio pulled something from her hip pouch—a magic bag—

And gently set the broken remains of her rapier on the table.

“I’m not paying for that, just so you know.”

“Of course not! I’m gonna frame this as a family heirloom—something to remind me of my own arrogance!”

“…No, seriously. Just toss it. Treat it like trash.”

“And now look at this! Check this out!”

She shoved it right in my face.

Way too close for comfort.

Lily’s pressure was serious, yeah—

But Filio? She was intense in a whole different way.

If Lily was the calm, quiet force that nudged you forward,

Filio was the whirlwind that grabbed your arm and dragged you straight into chaos.

Back in my past life, once those two teamed up…

My Hero path went into full turbo mode.

I glanced at the steak knife sitting on the table, heart sinking.

“…It’s a knife.”

“Yes! A completely ordinary steak knife!”

Filio’s sparkly aura somehow went into overdrive.

Her eyes sparkled like she’d just found the Holy Grail.

Even after getting beaten, she looked at me like I was some walking miracle.

She really was a good, honest girl…

She just had this bad habit of expecting way too much from anyone with real power.

“You cut through a sword—with just this steak knife!”

“It was a fluke.”

“How many people in the world do you think could pull off something like that?”

“…No clue. I don’t really know how big the world is.”

“That stings. Especially coming from the guy who just made my world feel tiny.”

Filio gently tucked the steak knife away like it was some precious artifact.

She was the kind of person who never minded putting in the effort to grow stronger.

She probably saw this whole thing as a priceless learning experience.

And honestly, that open-mindedness of hers…

She offered it freely to anyone she believed had real strength.

“But you know? There’s no way someone like you should still be stuck at Bronze Rank! Honestly, you should already be Platinum! Right now! Don’t you think, Haruya Arden?”

She hit me with that bright, sparkling smile—full of pure, unfiltered hope.

Platinum Rank came with all kinds of baggage—

Emergency summons from the kingdom, high-priority guild missions…

Basically, a full-course meal of stress and responsibility.

Same nightmare, different badge.

Lily stayed quiet, but her expression said it all.

She was clearly enjoying this.

The conversation was heading exactly where she wanted.

“My win was a total fluke. If you want, we can redo the match—have a proper rematch.”

“No thanks. I hate losing, sure—But I really hate it when someone pulls their punches and lets me win.”

Filio puffed out her cheek in a pout.

Yeah, she totally knew I was holding back.

Worse, she probably thought I was way above Platinum.

No way she’s letting this go anytime soon…

Alright, time to just lay it all out.

“I’m just a guy who wants to build a harem. So stop expecting anything serious from me.”

“Oh, I’ve heard all about that. And honestly? Judging by how you acted when we met… I figured you were just some violent, arrogant jerk. But then we actually talked, and turns out… you’re not. So this whole harem thing—It’s just a cover, right?”

Right then, Lily finally spoke up.

“No. Lord Haruya genuinely seems to want a harem.”

“Huh? Really? That’s… kinda disappointing.”

“Yes. Very disappointing indeed.”

Then—

Perfectly in sync, like they’d rehearsed it—

They turned to each other and went:

““Right?””

Crap.

They’re bonding.

It’s happening.

The pressure combo—again.

They were close in my past life too, weren’t they…?

Ughhh.

I really don’t wanna let this conversation drag out.

Better just act flexible, toss in a compromise, and get out of this alive.

“…If people are really in trouble, I’ll lend a hand too.”

“Really⁉ I knew I had an eye for good people!”

Filio lit up with the brightest, most genuinely radiant smile.

Back in my past life, yeah—I was the Hero, so saying no wasn’t really an option.

And sure, being a busty, baby-faced blonde definitely helped her case…

But this smile?

This was the real killer move.

Every single time, it bulldozed my defenses.

“Okay, okay! Then you’ve gotta see this!”

Uh-oh.

She’s bouncing.

She’s got that excited sparkle going.

Yup—here it comes.

The red envelope.

Filio cheerfully placed the crimson-sealed envelope right on the table.

CALLED IT‼

It’s one of those—a red-sealed request!

“A red-sealed request…?”

Lily murmured, visibly intrigued.

Not surprising.

These missions only go to elite adventurers who’ve earned the Guild’s full trust.

Some even come straight from nobles or royalty.

You need both skill and reputation just to qualify—

At minimum, Platinum Rank.

In other words—

High-difficulty. High-stakes. Maximum hassle.

The reward’s great, yeah…

But back in our previous life, Filio only ever took the minimum payout.

She’d donate the rest—rebuilding villages, helping locals, all that noble stuff.

Her heart was totally in the right place, and I didn’t mind the donating part.

No complaints there.

But the real problem was…

“Look, Hero‼ Everyone’s smiling! That’s the best reward ever, right!?”

“Hero, if everyone’s smiling, we don’t need anything else. Right?”

“Hero, our adventuring party is one big happy family, full of smiles! Isn’t that amazing?”

…Yeah. That kind of thing.

All the time.

There’s gotta be a limit to this smile-powered madness!!

Sure, having Filio on the team came with plenty of perks.

Our combat power shot way up, absolutely—

But also? Town services got smoother,

We scored free nights at luxury inns,

And our travel funds stopped bleeding out like a wounded pig.

But on the flip side…

We suffered. A lot.

And no matter how much you smile—

Smiles don’t fill your stomach!

Then came the absolute worst moment.

Our party had to split.

Filio got left behind—completely solo—defending a village from a monster horde.

“Hero… w-what do you say… everyone’s still smiling…?”

She asked me that while lying half-dead, drenched in blood.

After that?

I couldn’t say a single word about how reckless she’d been.

…Thinking back on it, she’s got the same kind of core as Lily.

That pure, self-sacrificing thing.

But honestly?

I can’t keep up with that.

Sure, monster behavior’s been weird lately—

But the Demon King’s dead.

No looming world-ending threats anymore.

So maybe she won’t go overboard like before.

Still.

There is no way I’m spending every day grinding red-sealed quests.

No. Thanks.

And if I turn her down flat, she’s just gonna double down and push harder.

So instead—

“…A red-sealed quest, huh?”

I put on my most serious, solemn expression.

“Do I really deserve to take on something like that…?”

“Of course you do! Haruya belongs on a much grander stage!”

“A stage for… an orphan who never even knew his parents… A guy whose only dream is building a harem to fill the empty void inside…”

“Haruya…”

Time to break out the good ol’ sob story.

Add a touch of sad eyes, stir in a bit of fragile insecurity—

Just enough to keep Filio from digging too deep…

Or dragging me too far in.

“Stuff like duty and responsibility… I get that it’s important. I do. But could you give me a little time to think about it…?”

Polite. Respectful. Buying myself a little breathing room.

So? Did it work!?

“…You’re right. I rushed things. Sorry.”

Filio gave me a sheepish little smile and stood up from her seat.

Yes! Yes!! Good girl!!

Just walk away nice and easy—go on, shoo shoo!

“I’ll come back later to hear your answer, okay?”

“…Just so we’re clear—do not go on that red-sealed quest alone, got it?”

“Ahaha, I know that much at least.”

She gave me a playful wink—like, “I’ll wait for your yes~”—

Then gracefully swept out of the room like a noble should.

…Alright.

Time to vanish.

Let’s pack up and disappear for a bit!

If I hide long enough, she’ll give up, right!?

I’m not the Hero anymore.

Which means I can totally run away like a sneaky little coward!

Fwahahaha!!

〇〇〇

The next day.

I jolted awake—on the deck of a ferry.

Felt like I’d been knocked out cold by a high-level priest’s sleep spell.

And as I opened my eyes…

Bam.

There she was.

Filio, grinning ear to ear with that same sunny, sparkling smile.

“Lovely morning, isn’t it? Oh, and don’t worry—I’m not going on the quest alone!”

Tch!

So she saw right through my sad puppy-dog routine, huh‼‼‼

But I won’t give in to fate!

No matter what—I’ll fight it to the end!

For the sake of my one true dream:

The Glorious Harem Life—

A lazy, no-pressure, sweet, responsibility-free paradise!!

For a Glorious Harem!!