I Came Back from the Dead, Quit Being a Holy Hero, and Just Wanna Shake My Hips in a Harem - Chapter 24: The Arrival of a New “Man”

Chapter 24: The Arrival of a New “Man”

Lily gave me the most exasperated look imaginable and let out a long sigh.

“Ten rounds of solo play… really now?”

We were in Lily’s room at the adventurer’s inn.

She and Filio were sitting at the table, apparently discussing future adventure plans and scribbling notes on some papers.

I stood nearby, feeling… just a little ashamed.

“Guess I cleansed myself too well… the mirror saw my heart as pure or something.”

“Hah… So that’s the loophole, huh. Since it wasn’t the main cathedral mirror but a smaller one, maybe the accuracy was off. Filio and I were just saying how ridiculous it was that you got picked as a Holy Armor candidate.”

Oh, please!

You literally wrote out a whole plan titled ‘Adventures with Lord Haruya (Holy Armor Ver.)’ on that paper!

You’re not even trying to hide it!!

“Haruya, don’t you think it’s time you chilled out a bit?”

Filio smiled like a radiant angel, practically glowing with sparkles.

Don’t let the sparkle fool you! You filthy perv!!

“Wanna hear the detailed breakdown of how and why I ended up hitting double digits?”

“U-Uh… no, that’s okay… Let’s, um, keep things in moderation, yeah?”

Filio’s face turned bright red as she added softly, “I-I’ll try to… keep things in moderation too…”

…If I got checked again now, I’d definitely be kicked off the candidate list.

Meanwhile, Lily’s expression hadn’t budged a single inch.

With her steely maiden composure still locked in, she narrowed her eyes at me—

And gave me a long, probing look.

“…A pure heart alone isn’t enough to show up as a candidate in the Mirror of Revelation, you know.”

“Yeah, but I’m good with a sword, right? I heard that if you’re sword-savvy, the mirror kinda goes easy on you. That’s a thing, right?”

“…That response sounded way too rehearsed.”

She’s suspicious—super suspicious of me…

Can’t really blame her though.

Being pure of heart alone doesn’t cut it when you’re supposed to be a chosen hero.

The main temple’s mirror is way more precise, but the one they used here?

Kinda janky, to be honest.

“Wait, why are they even looking for new candidates? The Demon King’s already toast. Is it really necessary?”

I mean, sure, I had a natural resistance to demonic miasma—

But even a modern gas mask could handle that just fine.

Honestly, I wanted to steer the conversation away…

But yeah.

It was something I’d been wondering about.

Lily hesitated for a second—

Then eventually answered, her tone honest and steady.

“That Succubus in Gosse Town… she was quite the monster, wasn’t she?”

Filio’s expression darkened, like even the memory alone made her uncomfortable.

“She never showed herself while the Demon King was alive. Probably stayed hidden the whole time.”

“Exactly. As we discussed before, Lord Haruya… the shifts in the monster ecosystem seem to be affecting even the higher-ranking demonic beings. The Grand Goddess Church suspects that some are trying to claim the now-empty throne—or, like that Succubus, gathering power in secret.”

Right…

Merlulia did say something like “the world’s becoming a real pain,”

And that she’d come to town to power up.

Guess there are a lot of shady beings out there with the same idea—

Gearing up for some chaotic power struggle…

And we’re all caught right in the middle of it.

“Lord Haruya, could you explain the difference between monsters and demonic beings?”

“Huh? There’s no clear-cut definition, I think.”

Honestly, people kinda switch between the two terms depending on their mood.

“Even a general explanation is fine.”

“…Then I’d say it comes down to intelligence. The more beast-like ones are monsters. The ones closer to humans? Those are demonic beings.”

Like, if it’s just a savage, four-legged beast—people usually call that a monster.

But if it’s a dragon—even if it still walks on four legs—if it’s smart, they’ll call it a demonic being.

Basically, once a creature starts gaining knowledge and getting dangerously close to breaking natural limits,

It stops being just a monster.

It levels up to full-on magical threat territory.

Also, if a human awakens to dark powers?

Yeah, they get bumped straight up into demonic being status too.

That Succubus, Merlulia?

Definitely a top-tier demonic being.

That weird parasite thing, Lagion?

Feels more like a high-level monster…

But honestly, call it whatever. Either term works.

Lily seemed satisfied with my answer and continued.

“There may be more clever, cunning demonic beings hiding around the world than we ever imagined.”

“…Well, I wouldn’t get too pessimistic about it.”

I mean, Demon King Chronova was a one-of-a-kind nightmare.

But as for other demonic threats?

We’ve got plenty of ways to deal with them.

Even Merlulia was being careful—factoring in the risk of getting wiped out by knights or adventurers.

Humans aren’t that easy to mess with.

And I think she knew that too.

Still…

Maybe what Lily’s really looking for—

Is the presence of a light strong enough to stand against the coming darkness.

“That’s why the Grand Goddess Church decided to bring out their treasured holy armor. Most high-ranking demonic beings use miasma, after all.”

“…But there are other ways to deal with miasma, aren’t there?”

“This armor comes with a bunch of special abilities. Leaving it in storage forever would be… well, kind of a waste.”

So basically, there’s no current Hero,

But the armor’s super useful, so they figured it’d be dumb to let it just sit there collecting dust.

Still—

Personally?

I really think they should just lock that thing up for good.

Seriously—for their sake, and whoever ends up wearing it next.

“So, does the wearer have to be a Hero?”

I shot a look Lily’s way, trying to read her.

I had a hunch…

Maybe the Grand Goddess Church had finally started up their full-blown Hero Hunt again.

Lily’s eyes flicked to the side for a split second—

But then she turned and faced me properly.

“There are many sects in the world—The Grand Goddess Church, the Saint Roachin Church, the newer ‘People-People’ Faith. But their core belief is the same: Salvation through Light. The idea that a great light will shine across the world and save it.”

“Huh. Fancy.”

I gave her a half-hearted reply.

It’s not that I didn’t care—

It’s just… when the Church starts throwing around words like “light,”

They’re usually talking about Heroes.

And, well…

Let’s just say I’ve got some trauma there from my last life.

Filio tilted her head, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“Umm… I think the main difference between the sects is whether their beliefs put the focus on the gods… or on the people, right?”

“Correct. The Grand Goddess Church believes in a people-first approach.”

Lily gave me a gentle smile.

With a name like Grand Goddess Church,

You’d think their whole belief system would be centered around the goddess herself, right?

But nope—it’s actually all about the people.

To put it super simply: “Let the Hero’s light save everyone, yay~!”

Goddess Flora… is more like a guide, really.

She finds people with potential and leads them toward becoming Heroes—

That’s how she’s helped save the world in the past.

All those Hero legends scattered across the world?

They exist because Flora guided those Heroes into greatness.

She’s definitely a goddess with some solid results and a good rep.

…Not that I ever wanna deal with her again.

“Lord Haruya, since the doctrine puts people at the center, it’s not so strange that the armor’s new candidate doesn’t have to be a Hero.”

“…So basically, they’re lowering the bar.”

“They’re not just picking anyone at random.”

“Well, still—only a handful of people can actually wear it.”

“By the way… you seem pretty confident that you can wear the holy armor, Lord Haruya. But you do realize, right? That mirror only checks your heart. When it comes time to actually equip the armor, your affinity with holy magic will be tested again.”

Yeah yeah, I know.

I know that very well.

To fully bring out the armor’s power,

You need a certain level of holy energy—that sacred vibe or whatever.

That armor’s picky like that.

And man… that tiny version of the mirror really is janky.

The one I used in the main cathedral back in my past life?

Way more accurate. That thing told you everything.

Are they really that desperate to pass this armor on to someone…

Even if they’ve gotta lower the bar?

Hmmm.

Well, if they haven’t figured out who I really am yet…

“Confident? Nah nah, not at all! No way~”

If they ever found out I had super high affinity with holy magic,

It wouldn’t just be Lily watching me—

Other priests might start poking around too.

Worst case?

The goddess herself takes an interest in me…

Honestly, that armor’s no different from cursed gear made by some evil god.

I don’t know if Lily’s past life memories are starting to kick in or what,

But she’s definitely been acting suspicious of me lately.

And if I outright refuse to wear the armor?

That might just make her even more suspicious.

And the church’s intentions are still unclear. 

I need to do something…

Something that’ll fix everything in one shot.

Quietly.

Behind the scenes.

Something super convenient for me—

…Yeah no. That’s a fantasy.

There’s no way anything like that actually exis—

Wait. Wait, wait… huh!?

…No no no, come on, that’s crazy… right?

“By the way, Lily—where’s the holy armor now?”

I asked with the biggest, most innocent smile I could manage.

“It’s being delivered soon to this city’s Grand Goddess Church. After the ritual, they plan to let all the local candidates try it on.”

Lily answered with her own bright, suspiciously sunny smile.

“Whaaat? I see! So they’re actually gonna make everyone try it on, huh~?”

“…No funny business, okay?”

“I wouldn’t dare! That’d be so disrespectful.”

“Yes, of course. Even you wouldn’t do anything that absurd, right, Lord Haruya?”

“Yup yup, of course! Ahaha!”

We both smiled at each other with the most totally-not-suspicious expressions imaginable.

Very peaceful. Very normal.

…Though apparently not that peaceful—

Because Filio, sensing the weird tension, gave us a polite little smile and quietly said:

“I’ll make us some tea.”

Then served up a lovely, soothing cup.

It was delicious.

○○〇

It was a beautiful full moon night.

Atop the clock tower of the bustling trade city, Granule,

A lone man stood.

The cold night wind howled around him, making his cape flap dramatically.

With the starry sky at his back and a gas mask covering his face,

The man stared out into the distance…

Brooding.

My name… is the mysterious gas mask guy—Haruya.

But tonight—

I am something more.

“Light to all people! I’ll grab my destiny with these very hands! I am… The Man Who’ll Absolutely Destroy That Goddess Armor—AND I AM HEREEEEE!!”

That thing…

That armor…

It must never exist in this world.

NEVER.