I Came Back from the Dead, Quit Being a Holy Hero, and Just Wanna Shake My Hips in a Harem - Chapter 20; Side Filio

Side Filio: If You Say You’re a Perverted Sword, Then…

Filio Val Eedelshade…

 She, like Lily, thinks it was a dream of sorts, though.

She still remembered fragments from her previous life.

Not clearly—just faint, fleeting echoes, like something glimpsed in a dream.

Honestly, much like Lily, she brushed it off as nothing more than that: a strange, persistent dream.

In that dream… she met him.

The Hero known as the Hero of Pure White Porcelain—

A man who fought with dazzling swordsmanship, cut through evil with elegance, and never wavered no matter how grim things became.

Someone who walked boldly into danger to protect others.

A flawless, picture-perfect hero.

He was the light—

A light so bright it felt like it could fill the whole world with hope.

The kind of person who made people smile just by being there.

But Filio knew better than to believe in fairy tales.

Heroes like that didn’t exist. Not really.

So when she first approached him… she did it as a thief.

Yeah, she thought he looked beautiful the moment they met—

But beauty meant nothing.

Anyone could be hiding something dark beneath the surface.

He had to crack eventually.

He had to break.

That’s what she told herself.

So she stayed.

Watched.

Waited—

To see just how long the illusion could last before the truth came crashing down.

But…

He was a hero.

A true, shining hero, through and through.

No matter how reckless the odds, no matter how hopeless the fight,

He pulled off the impossible—

With style. With grace. With unwavering conviction.

He remained a living legend.

Like something out of a fairy tale.

The kind of story passed down through generations.

A person born with power—who chose to use it righteously.

And she…

She was someone who’d been saved by that light.

When she was finally accepted as an official party member,

She greeted it with her usual breezy smile.

But behind that smile…

She cried.

Alone, all night—

Without even knowing why the tears wouldn’t stop.

If it was for his sake,

She was totally willing to be that “convenient party member”—

Even if it meant wearing herself down to nothing.

But still…

There were moments that made her wonder.

Like how, just sometimes—

He would stare at her chest.

Eyes wide, practically sparkling with joy.

Back when they first met, he was a little awkward.

A bit clumsy in how he carried himself.

But as their journey went on, he grew into the perfect hero—

Poised. Composed. Noble.

Even so, every now and then…

She’d catch him sneaking a peek at her boobs.

Then jolting upright, face bright red—like he’d just committed the gravest sin.

Isn’t that… just a normal guy?

Just your average, pervy dude?

She had always known “perfect heroes” didn’t really exist.

So maybe—

Maybe she just wanted to believe in one so badly, she’d fooled herself into thinking he was flawless.

Even if that were true, his light had still been too bright.

Too warm. Too beautiful to ignore.

So Filio made a vow.

No matter what—she would protect his life.

She revealed her true identity to the party’s priestess in secret—

Like a quiet confession.

And swore never to tell anyone else.

Because someone like her—a creature born of sin and desire—

Had no place in the light.

She didn’t want to ruin the smiles of those basking in it.

That’s why, even if she were surrounded by monsters,

Even if it meant giving up her life—

She would never let anyone see her true succubus form.

That… was the dream she saw.

Filio always believed it was nothing more than that—

A dream, spun from weakness and longing.

Because deep down, she knew better than anyone…

There’s no such thing as a conveniently perfect hero.

And yet here she was—

Fighting with everything she had, in full succubus form, right out in the open.

“—Chiave Sei: Recurve Bow!”

A burst of blue-white light erupted from the Lock-Lock Key embedded in Filio’s right hand.

While soaring through the air, she summoned a bow of pure magical energy, gripped it tightly, and drew the shimmering string back with all her strength—

Then unleashed a flurry of arrows straight at the succubus, Merlulia!

“Tch! Ughhh—so annoying!”

Even while grumbling, Merlulia twisted and weaved through the air with practiced grace, darting deeper into the dungeon chamber to dodge the barrage.

But Filio wasn’t about to let her escape.

With a strong beat of her wings, she surged forward—firing another wave of arrows mid-flight.

“You’re not getting away!”

“…Look at you, all fired up now! Stupid girl! You’re totally gonna regret siding with the humans!”

“I’ve already had more regrets than I can count!”

Ever since the day she took on the name of House Eedelshade, that’s all she’d ever carried.

But her face now—

It was clear. Proud. Radiant.

“Ugh, that smug face! I’m gonna smash it in!!”

Snarling with hatred, Merlulia thrust both hands forward—

And all around them, the dormant lumps of flesh burst open with a sickening POP.

Dozens of grotesque, tree-trunk-sized tentacles erupted from the walls, writhing and lunging in all directions.

They surged toward Filio, aiming to crush her—

But she didn’t flinch. 

Because she knew—her allies were right behind her.

“Yup, here we go—”

With a lazy little quip, every single tentacle was sliced clean through.

It was Haruya.

Sword in hand, cutting down the swarm with calm, effortless precision.

(He’s… seriously beautiful. It’s like he was handpicked by a goddess herself…)

Lily had always hyped him up—calling him some unbeatable swordmaster—so Filio had known he was strong.

But this was… different.

This wasn’t just strength—

She had never seen swordsmanship that beautiful before.

Wrapped in the Holy Vestments she herself had crafted,

He looked like a being of pure divine light.

It felt like he didn’t belong on earth—like he belonged among the gods.

Even Merlulia—

For just a moment, she actually hesitated.

As if she didn’t want to sully something so radiant.

Then again… Lily did say, “Just cover your ears,” so…

“Hah! Gross! Sprouting nasty-ass tentacles like some discount hentai villain—what’s wrong with you?! That your kink, freaky brat?!”

“Like you get to talk, naked guy with the full-on boner!!”

Merlulia spat the words like poison.

Filio couldn’t help thinking, Ah… so that’s what Lily meant.

But still—this was part of his strength too.

Even Lily probably couldn’t argue with that.

Without missing a beat, Filio launched another barrage of magical arrows, forcing Merlulia back even farther.

“Ugh! Are you kidding me?! Could you not?! You’re so unbelievably annoying!!”

The succubus zipped deeper into the dungeon chamber.

Filio streaked through the air like a beam of light—

While Haruya charged forward across the ground like a living quake.

Both of them closing in, fast.

(She’s flying full speed, and he’s still keeping up. His movements are just… unreal.)

And in that moment, Filio finally got it.

Why Lily clung to this guy so tightly.

At the far end of the chamber, Merlulia hit the wall—

Then twisted her lips into a wicked little grin.

“Don’t get cocky, you little shits! I’m the great Succubus Merlulia‼‼‼”

At the far end of the massive chamber, the walls and floor were teeming with fleshy blobs.

Like some grotesque nightmare version of bug eggs, the lumps pulsed and twitched—packed in tight, covering everything.

One by one, they started bursting open with wet, visceral cracks—BAM! BAM! BAM!

Dozens of tentacles erupted out, slithering toward Merlulia and fusing with her lower half.

Was this… her true form?

The pressure in the room surged—

Like a sledgehammer slamming straight into your chest.

Now perched atop a grotesque mass of writhing flesh, Merlulia let out a shriek and lashed out—

A massive whip made of bundled tentacles came crashing down.

“Get crushed into mush, you puny losers!!”

It swung through the air like a damn tree trunk.

Filio fired arrows as she shot upward, but they barely slowed it down.

Haruya ducked and countered with a slash—

But CRACK!

His sword shattered in half!

The broken blade spun end-over-end through the air—then embedded itself in the ceiling like a giant dart.

Merlulia clutched her sides, doubled over with laughter.

“Kyahahaha! What, did you seriously think you could beat me!? You dumbasses! This is easy! I just turned it up one notch and you’re already falling apart! This whole place? Yeah, it’s inside my belly, dumb-dumbs! Gyahahahahaha!!”

She howled like a lunatic, her cutesy face twisting into something cruel and vile.

Even Filio flinched at the sight…

But Haruya?

He stood there—completely calm.

“You’re the fool here. Thanks to you, I figured out your weak spot.”

“…The hell did you just say?”

“You fused with those tentacles the moment things got dicey—basically gave yourself away. Those meat blobs? Yeah, it’s obvious they’re part of you. You carved off chunks of your own body to build this whole dungeon, didn’t you?”

“…Like I’d ever admit that.”

“Man, no wonder the place stinks! Don’t tell me—You used a piece of your nasty lil’ cooch to set this place up? Kinda makes sense! That way you can slurp up human stamina super efficiently, right? Ha! So this is a Stinky Coochie Dungeon, huh!?”

Veins popped all over Merlulia’s forehead—

So many they looked like wriggling worms.

Filio, watching from nearby, was mildly horrified.

She had no idea someone could get that veiny.

“Keh… Even if you did figure it out, what are you gonna do about it, huh!? Gonna slice up these tentacles with your pathetic limp-sword? Y’know, the one that looks just like your sad little di—”

“Wanna find out~? I’m doing your voice, by the way.”

She tried to mock him—

But Haruya hit back even harder.

She’d been completely out-mocked.

Blinded by rage, Merlulia didn’t even notice it.

Didn’t hear the soft, delicate chime that had been ringing this whole time…

riiing.

A faint, bell-like sound echoed gently through the air.

riiiiing…

It wrapped around the room—calm and serene, like a lullaby from the heavens.

Then the tempo picked up—

riri, riri, riring!

Urgent now, but still tender.

A sound that felt like a blessing—like the first thing you ever heard the day you were born.

It was coming from Haruya’s broken sword.

A soft green glow pulsed from its base—

But Merlulia, too blinded by fury, let out a roar and swung her massive tentacles once more.

“DIE AND LEAVE NOTHING BUT CHUNKS BEHIND, YOU FUCKING HUMAN TRASH!!!”

ririririririririririririririring…

A divine chime rang out—clear and resolute.

A holy light swept through the chaos, cutting straight through the corruption.

“—Holy Blade: Draw Slash.”

The ringing stopped.

Then came Haruya’s voice—calm, composed, and almost heavenly.

Like it had descended from above, untouched by the madness around him.

FWOOOSH!

The bundle of massive tentacles was blown clean apart—

As if an enormous blade had sliced straight through.

The severed ends hissed and sizzled, seared beyond repair.

Wrapped in his radiant mantle, Haruya stood at the center of it all—

Like he was the axis of the world itself.

The air around him shimmered, clear and pure—

So much so that even this grotesque dungeon suddenly felt like a peaceful, snow-blanketed field.

(Pure White… Porcelain…?)

Words flickered through Filio’s mind as she stared, breath held, completely entranced.

Even the succubus Merlulia was frozen in awe.

She didn’t notice it at first—

Didn’t realize her tentacles had been chopped clean off.

And then—

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!? IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HUUUUURTS!!! WHY CAN’T I HEAL!? WHY!?!?”

That’s when she finally spotted it—

Haruya’s broken sword, softly glowing green.

Her eyes went wide as she stared at the radiant blade of light stretching from its fractured tip.

“That glow… No way… That’s anti-demon… a divine technique… There’s no way a human could—”

“Nap time’s forever, brat.”

Haruya cut her off mid-sentence as he stepped forward.

Panicking, Merlulia struck a cutesy idol pose—

Throwing up her hands and puffing out her cheeks like she was going full “tee-hee uwu~” mode.

“C-C’mon now, you wouldn’t really kill a cute girl like me, would you? That’d be such a bad look, y’know?”

“Relax. I’m just gonna stab you. You’ll either melt into goo or shrivel up. One of the two.”

“W-Wait wait! Look—see? I’m being super friendly! Totally not hostile!”

“…You know, you just reminded me of an old legend.”

“Oooh? Tell me, tell me! I love story time!”

“It’s about this ancient witch who chopped up parts of her own body to make a dungeon. I’m not sure if she was a succubus or not, but you? You’re one hell of an ancient hag, aren’t you?”

Merlulia’s fake smile twitched—still trying to look cute.

“…Some people are into that, you know♪”

“Only if you’re friendly to humans. Later, crusty old hag.”

Haruya swung his sword—cleaving through a tentacle sneak attack from behind—

Then plunged the glowing blade straight into Merlulia’s gut.

“Gya—!”

She didn’t even get to finish her death scream.

Her energy drained in an instant—

Skin wrinkling, body shrinking, withering away until all that remained was a dry, mummy-like husk.

Since the dungeon was tied directly to her body, that probably wrapped it all up in one go.

Haruya stood there, glowing in the aftermath—

Like a hero straight out of a painting.

Filio didn’t even bother dismissing her magical bow.

She just hovered in the air, wide-eyed and stunned.

Then Haruya turned around and walked toward her… wearing the most awkward, deeply troubled expression imaginable.

“This is my Super Pervy Sword!!”

“Super… Pervy Sword…?”

“That’s right!! A sacred, holy blade fueled by the burning desire to do the nasty—The Holy Pervy Sword of Passion!”

Apparently, this was his attempt to pass it off as some kind of “sacred weapon”…

In the dumbest way possible.

Filio just stared, trying her best to process the logic.

(…That’s a stretch. Honestly, sounds more like a succubus’s dream weapon.)

But Haruya looked completely serious.

Desperate, even—like his life depended on getting this explanation across.

“It’s the Super Pervy Sword, okayyyyyy⁉⁉⁉”

Filio let out a small laugh.

She couldn’t help it—not with how seriously he was saying that nonsense.

Everyone had something they wanted to keep hidden.

She did too.

So…

“That’s Haruya’s special move, huh? That Pervy Sword of yours.”

“R-Right?! Totally! Because, y’know… I’m super pervy!”

“Yeah… you really are incredibly pervy.”

Filio smiled—softly, warmly, full of affection.

And in that moment, Haruya let out a long, deep breath.

Like the world had just lifted off his shoulders.

If he says that’s what it is… then that’s what it is.

After all—

There’s no such thing as a conveniently perfect hero.