I Came Back from the Dead, Quit Being a Holy Hero, and Just Wanna Shake My Hips in a Harem - Chapter 49 & 50

Chapter 49: A Dangerous Trap

For the past four days, ever since then, I had been running through the night trade city of Granule every single evening—as the mysterious gas mask man Haruya, or rather, as “You Are Certified as a Hero of Light Man.”

As I sprinted along the walls of a back alley in my black outfit, an arrow suddenly flew at me.

I casually drew my sword and sliced it out of the air.

Several adventurers pointed at me, lamps in hand.

“There! It’s the gas mask guy!”

“He’s out again tonight!”

“This time we’ll corner him!”

“For the pride of adventurers!!”

Pride, huh… pride.

Man, they really weren’t holding back with those attacks.

Well, they clearly knew that something like that wouldn’t be enough to just scare me off.

The adventurers spread out and steadily closed the distance.

“Keep the lamp light to a minimum!”

“He’ll slip back into the darkness again!”

“We’re ripping off that stupid gas mask tonight—Whaaa!?!?”

I closed the distance in one burst and swung my sword at high speed right in the middle of them.

I precisely destroyed only their weapons—and while I was at it, I smashed their lamps too.

Anyone who still looked eager to chase me got neatly tripped.

Leaving their frustrated shouts behind me, I melted back into the darkness at a run.

The way they handled me was like I was some kind of dangerous monster.

Inside the guild, people were even whispering things like, “Could he be a high-tier demonic entity?”

Honestly, I should’ve just stopped showing myself altogether—but right now, I was under contract.

After Dangen issued that emergency quest, I fled back to the adventurers’ inn.

I did consider leaving town for a while, but then a package arrived.

Inside were a first-class sword, high-grade recovery potions, and a pile of money.

There was also a contract included.

When I checked it, it said: “If you evade adventurers for four days, all matters will be forgiven. Compensation for restraint and the request fee have been enclosed.”

…Fast.

Way too fast!!

It even had Dangen’s personal signature.

He wasn’t going to break his word.

I had no room to talk, but still—what kind of ridiculous stunt was this?

What was his goal?

It was honestly kind of terrifying.

But as time passed, things slowly started to make sense.

And so!

Here comes the Four-Day Digest!

The love- and sorrow-filled tale of the gas mask man—begins now!

Day One.

Even though I’d easily beaten a skilled adventurer, that had only been one person.

On the adventurers’ side, everyone came after me in full bonus-hunting mode, spirits sky-high, ready to bag the gas mask man.

“Come oooout, gas mask maaaan—”

“Let’s have a match with us, big brooo—”

“We’re not scary at all~ We won’t hurt you~”

“This side’s nice and sweet, you know~”

They moved in groups, with a ridiculously cocky attitude.

I figured there were people who didn’t feel anything good toward the mysterious gas mask man.

Honestly, if I were in their shoes, I’d probably think he was just messing around too.

“Bonus! Bonus! Bonus!”

“Lewd shops—full pervert fever!”

“Man, the new Guild Master really gets it—HUH!?”

They were way too relaxed, so I didn’t hold back and wrapped things up quick.

I launched surprise attacks from the darkness, knocked their weapons away, and if anyone still looked like they wanted to fight, I destroyed their weapons without further discussion.

After taking care of a dozen or so, Day One came to an end.

Day Two.

Looks like they finally realized that getting utterly wrecked by one guy wasn’t normal.

The adventurers tightened up their attitude.

Inside the guild, someone shouted, “Treat him like a Rainbow Steel–rank adventurer!”

They raised their coordination, set up formations, and even laid down an encirclement.

For reference—

Rainbow Steel rank was a level only a dozen or so people in the entire world ever reached.

Scout teams flushed me out of the darkness.

While I was escaping across rooftops, magic came flying at me.

“This won’t just leave you numb! Lightning!”

The female mage Akemi raised her staff and fired off a bolt of lightning.

I swung my sword faster than the spell itself, slicing the magic apart—and she stared at it like she couldn’t believe it wasn’t a dream.

“No wayyyy!? You cut magic!?”

“If you’re a mage, question your common sense.”

“C-Cutting magic is just—ththat’s way too impossible!!”

“…Still, you’ve got skill. You just overestimate your own ability a bit.”

I said that in an extra low voice.

“Ugh… you and Haruya, both of you! Why are all the annoying guys like this!?”

…What did I even do to her, anyway?

Thinking they could finish things with long-range attacks, the adventurers fired arrows and spells nonstop—and I just kept slicing them apart one after another.

Their coordination completely collapsed, and just like that, Day Two ended.

Day Three.

Inside the guild, information was flying everywhere.

He cuts arrows. No—he cuts magic. Isn’t that inhuman? Is he some embodiment of mystery? Does he have divine blessings from the gods?

Most of it was unreliable, but even so, the adventurers carefully studied my movements, desperately trying to figure out how to corner me.

Since rumors were spreading anyway, I figured I’d jump in and add some myself.

“He slowed down when facing girls! Women are totally his weakness!! If we all fight in bikini armor, we’ve definitely got a chance!”

All such unnecessary information was promptly corrected by Lily.

And so, Day Three.

Scouts. Mages. And now—traps were added to the mix.

They were done holding back.

They refused to let a single man toy with them any longer.

…But hey, I couldn’t afford to hold back either.

“Wha—! Sticky threads!?”

“A smoke trap!?”

“A-A paralysis trap!?”

Not quite top-tier, but I’d been trained hard by Filio in my previous life.

Detection, presence concealment—and traps, too, at least to a decent level.

We rarely used that stuff as a Hero’s Party, but this was an urban fight full of ambushes.

I was using everything freely.

The fourth day—the end of the contract—was almost here.

Even Lily, who’d been quietly observing, would probably move soon.

I needed to draw attention.

And so—Day Four.

It seemed adventurers who’d heard the rumors were starting to gather in the trade city of Granule.

Veteran groups who’d been earning money far away were trying to rush back as well.

At that timing, Dangen announced the end of the search.

According to him,

“It’s unfortunate, but after all this commotion, the gas mask man will probably disappear. The city’s had enough trouble, and someone might get seriously hurt.”

Dangen had set my limit at four days.

It was right on the edge of not interfering with guild operations—and at the same time, long enough to measure the skill of both me and the adventurers who called Granule home.

Around then, it clicked for me.

“Ah… I see. He’s the same type as Lily.”

The difference was that Dangen leaned more toward being a rogue.

Not a full-on villain—more like a mischievous troublemaker.

The guild did screen people, sure, but in an adventurer world full of problem children, you needed a certain level of cunning to survive.

There was a strong sense of playfulness to him.

Honestly, it felt like this quest would’ve been fine for him no matter how it turned out.

It seemed he’d estimated my skill level way higher than normal—and annoyingly enough, he was almost spot-on…

Ughhhhh… who was it that picked a fight with that troublesome old man anyway!?

ME!!

WAAAAAAAAAAH!!

Back to the back alleys again.

The adventurers clearly weren’t about to just take it lying down.

Magic, arrows—everything came flying at me nonstop.

I ran like a gale through the streets, slicing everything apart while disabling their weapons one after another.

“My weapon got shredded in an instant!?”

“T-This is way too strong!!”

“Who the hell is this guy!?”

“D-Don’t tell me he’s the one who beat the Demon King!?”

Crappppp!!

They’re getting dangerously close to the truth!!

If my identity got exposed after causing this much chaos, things would go completely off the rails!!

B-But still!

If I just keep focusing on running away, I’ll safely reach the end of the contract!

I can do this! Let’s go!

The road to freedom!!

“Bring it on—cannons, grand magic, traps, whatever you’ve got!!”

Dangen!!

Giving me a first-class sword wasn’t exactly a mistake… but maybe that was a bit too generous!

I’ve got absolute confidence when it comes to swordplay, damn it!!

Fuhahahahaha! If you think you can catch me, then try it!!

Former Hero—and future Harem King, Haruya Arden, stands right here!!

That’s what I was thinking as I kept running—when I suddenly slammed to a halt.

Before my eyes was something I simply couldn’t believe, and all I could do was stand there, frozen in place.

“T-That’s impossible! Am I… hallucinating right now!?”

I didn’t sense any magic being cast on me.

If that was the case—then what I was seeing had to be real.

A single book was floating there, gently bobbing in midair.

That alone was bizarre enough, but the real problem was the title.

“L-Legendary erotic novel! ‘The Harem King and the Three M○○ Pigs’—no way!?”

The Harem King and the Three M○○ Pigs (Self-Published).

A forbidden book.

When the author later tried to go mainstream as a “pure romance novelist,” they apparently panicked—‘If people find out I wrote hardcore erotic novels, I’ll die of embarrassment…’—and recalled every single copy themselves.

A banned erotic book.

And now that very book was floating right in front of me, like bait.

No—this had to be a trap, right!?

Obviously a trap!!

Who do they think I am!?

Do they think I’d fall for something like this!?

…But wait.

Was it really a trap?

I’d never once seen the actual physical copy of this legendary erotic book.

Maybe it wasn’t a trap.

Maybe it shouldn’t be a trap.

Come to think of it, even if it wasn’t a trap… wouldn’t that be fine?

An erotic forbidden book just floating there so conveniently—something like that could happen at least once in a person’s life, right?

So then… maybe it’s not a trap…?

Chapter 50: Because Someday, I’ll End Up Following That Fate Anyway

“The Harem King and the Three M○○ Pigs (Self-Published)”

It was a forbidden book that had been voluntarily recalled.

When the author decided to go legit as a pure-love novelist, they apparently thought, “It’d be mortifying if people found out I used to write hardcore erotic novels…”

And so—poof—gone.

And yet, that erotic forbidden book was floating there, bobbing gently in midair, right in front of me.

Like a trap.

“No, that’s way too much of a trap, isn’t it!?”

Not like a trap—it was a trap!!

A trap aimed at me with pinpoint accuracy.

There was no way anyone but my companions would pull this.

I mean, seriously—did they think I’d fall for something this obvious and brain-dead!?

…But after thinking it over.

And then thinking it over again.

And again.

I concluded it wasn’t a trap.

And besides—

“Trap or not, there’s a forbidden erotic novel right there!”

Even if the technique was rough, there was something you could only get from erotica created purely by passion!

And if that erotica came from someone who was now a pure-love novelist?

The added layer of taboo cranked the excitement way up!!

“How could I not go for it!? Who do you think I am!?”

I was Haruya Arden—a man who was no longer entirely sure if he’d really been a Hero at all!

A being of Light who had faced danger head-on even knowing it was a trap!

And if what awaited me there was a forbidden erotic novel that deserved to be recovered—then that was a challenge I had to accept!!

“Traps, be damned! Traps, be damned!!”

I charged forward—dudududu!—straight at the erotic novel.

“The Harem King and the Three M○○ Pigs (Self-Published)” floated away like a wandering spirit.

I zigzagged through the back alleys, chasing it with everything I had.

Then—the erotic novel rose even higher into the air.

I kicked off the wall.

Kicked again.

Thunk, thunk, t-thunk!

With a series of wall jumps, I sprang up onto the rooftops.

It was a bright night, the full moon shining beautifully overhead.

The trade city remained as sleepless as ever, and with nowhere left to hide, a cold night wind brushed against my body.

That wind—like it was telling me to calm down even over an erotic novel—fluttered the blond hair of the enemy standing before me.

Filio stood there, holding the erotic book in one hand.

“I’m honestly surprised you went all-in that hard.”

Smiling like this had to be a joke, Filio tucked the erotic book into her waist pouch.

So she’d been controlling it with magic threads.

“Hmph… You use some unusual techniques, young lady.”

“Wow. You really think you can keep playing dumb at this point.”

Because what else was I supposed to do!?

The whole city was in an uproar!!

Not only was my identity on the verge of being exposed, but it looked like veteran adventurer parties were secretly fighting over who’d recruit me first!

If I got found out, it’d be a total disaster!!

Whose fault was that?

Mostly mineeeee!!

Hey—self-awareness is important, okay!?

“Haruya? Are you okay?”

“I’m getting dizzy from my current situation… And for the record, I am not Haruya.”

“I’ve got a message from Lily. Want to hear it?”

“I don’t know any priest named Lily, but go on.”

“Umm… ‘This is probably the perfect opportunity,’ she says.”

Filio gave a slightly troubled smile.

Yeah… figures.

The gas mask man’s evaluation had gone completely insane by now.

Whether to capture me or make use of me, my value had skyrocketed to a ridiculous level.

Heh… Lily had really grown strong.

Knowing what she was like in my previous life made this hit deep.

But go easy on me, will you?

I’m technically still your ally, you know…?

“…Sorry, but I can’t let myself get caught.”

“Detection’s my specialty. You know that, right?”

“It comes down to speed. I’m not losing in mobility just yet.”

In my previous life, Filio had reached Rainbow Steel rank—and in pure agility, I’d lost to her.

But right now, the gap between us wasn’t that wide yet.

“Haruya, you were flawless in urban combat too, weren’t you? So—hey? Why don’t we form the ‘Righteous Thief ☆ Twinkle ☆ Sparkle Star Brigade’ after all? Let’s go punish bad guys together!”

“Find someone else for your pretend games.”

“P-Pretend games!? Hey! I’m not holding back anymore!”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

When I snapped back bluntly, Filio let out a small chuckle.

You don’t really get many chances to play a serious game of chase with your own companions.

She’d grown a lot, sure—but I still had the advantage from my previous life.

As long as she didn’t go succubus, there was no way she’d catch me.

If I got hit with Drain, though, that’d be an instant capture.

And there was no way she’d transform into a succubus in public—in the middle of the city, no less.

…Or so I thought.

Filio raised a finger to her lips.

“Then maybe I’ll get serious.”

A sinister wind blew.

Horns. Wings. A tail.

She transformed into a succubus without hesitation.

Caught completely off guard, I rushed up to her, face going pale.

“H-Hey, hey!! Why are you going full succubus right now!?”

“? Is that cheating?”

“It’s not about cheating!! If people find out you can do that, won’t it cause huge trouble!? Your family situation alone would be a nightmare, wouldn’t it!?”

The reason she’d kept it hidden until now was mostly because of the Eedelshade family.

Being tied to a prestigious bloodline came with all kinds of nasty complications.

That was why I’d never told anyone either.

And yet—

this time, Filio was the one who looked surprised.

“…………”

“Y-You should probably hide it already, shouldn’t you!? There are adventurers gathering everywhere trying to catch me!”

“…Fufu.”

“…Hey?”

“…Fufufu—ahahaha! No, seriously, this is too funny! Fufu… ahahahaha!”

She burst out laughing, completely carefree.

Filio laughed so happily she had to cover her mouth with both hands.

Giggle, giggle—it didn’t feel like she was making fun of me.

If anything, she just looked… genuinely happy.

I scratched my head, totally lost, when Filio spoke while holding back her laughter.

“F-Fufu… okay, I get it. I’ll undo the succubus form. Even now, you’re still worrying about me, after all.”

“…I’m not worrying about you or anything.”

“Yeah, yeah. Totally not worried.”

While casually brushing me off, Filio released her succubus transformation.

Damn it—maybe I should grab her chest again!

Total losing flag, though!

As I sulked behind my gas mask, she smiled gently at me.

“…Haruy, it’s fine. There’s no one around us right now. Lily and Kokono are creating a diversion with a wraith that looks like you. Everyone’s being lured over there.”

“Huh???”

“We were planning to apologize together, you know?”

Filio stepped closer and reached for my gas mask.

As she slowly removed it, her sweet scent drifted over, and I could clearly see her cheerful face.

“What’s going on here…?”

“According to Lily, ‘The new Guild Master is a reasonable person. If we prepare the right bargaining chips, he’ll surely show us some consideration.’”

“Ah… yeah. Sounds like he’s the same type as Lily.”

“She doesn’t want to just end the quest normally. She wants to talk.”

Was Lily keeping her distance all this time to build up her cards—to raise my value?

If my strength came fully into the open like this, it’d just cause endless trouble between adventurer parties.

So instead of that, did she look for a different advantage?

…It also felt like she was giving me a mild scolding along the way.

Then Filio said something unbelievable.

“I’m planning to add my succubus form to the bargaining chips too.”

“Huh? No, wait—if rumors spread, that’d be bad, right? Bad press and all that…”

“I’m already using succubus powers. Someday, it’s going to come out anyway.”

“B-But still—”

“If nasty rumors start spreading… if someone tries to hurt me—what would you do?”

“That’s…”

I couldn’t say it.

I’d do nothing. I’d abandon you. I wouldn’t protect you.

Those words just wouldn’t come out.

I fell silent.

As if she could see straight through me, Filio smiled.

“You know… we feel the same way.”

“…About what?”

I was still scowling when Filio spoke slowly.

“Kokono is different, but… I think our relationship is tied together by benefit. We use each other. We maneuver for convenience. It’s probably not a relationship where you can fully let your guard down.”

Filio looked out over the sleepless city.

The wind swept through her bright blond hair.

“But even so… I still say we’re companions.”

“…”

“Because we’re companions, we genuinely want to do something for each other. But there’s only so much a person can do, and there’s only so much I can do. So…”

Filio looked straight at me with a sincere expression.

Her voice sounded like she was speaking to someone who wasn’t here—like she was apologizing to someone, like she was wishing, this time for real, to be companions.

“Please let me share your burden this time. The bad reputation. The ugly reputation. The pathetic reputation. I want to accept all of it together with you. …Is that not okay?”

It felt like a question overlapping with someone else who wasn’t present.

That white porcelain vessel—so heavy, so troublesome to carry, so hated—felt just a little lighter.

When I couldn’t answer right away, Filio smiled mischievously.

“Haruya… what do you think of us?”

“…Companions.”

“Important ones?”

“Haaah? Don’t push it. Don’t get carried away.”

“…Fufu. Fufufu. Geez—what’s with that reaction!? Fufufufu—ahahahaha!”

Even after I shot back with a reply colder than the Great Ice Labyrinth, Filio laughed happily.

Damn it—don’t think you’ve won with that!!

Seeing my disgruntled expression, Filio looked extremely satisfied.

“Then let’s regroup with Lily and the others. After that, we’ll go see the Guild Master.”

“Ugh… do we really have to…?”

If I could run, I’d rather keep running.

The contract ended tonight, after all.

From Lily’s point of view, she probably wanted to build a strong connection with the Adventurers’ Guild…

But would things really go that smoothly?

If I obediently went along with this, it felt like I’d never be able to hold my head up to Lily again.

Sensing my reluctance, Filio smiled gently.

“Can’t be helped then— I’ll cast my magic on you, Haruya.”

“What kind of magic is that?”

“A spell that makes you obey honestly. …I mean, there’s also succubus training involved, but this one’s more of a hobby. It really makes me feel it—yeah, I do have succubus blood in me.”

“There’s no way a magic that convenient exists.”

Was she about to say something lewd?

Let me be clear—after getting baited by a legendary erotic novel, some half-baked dirty talk wasn’t going to sway me that easily.

Right now, I was the Erotic Gourmet King, a man forced to wait while a feast dangled just out of reach.

“…Once I can properly control my succubus powers, that is.”

Filio smiled with a glossy, alluring expression.

Then she stepped closer, smoothly looping her arm around mine.

Pressing her generous chest against me, she whispered sweetly—

“………………Look forward to a titjob, okay? ♥”

…………
………………………

Calling her an important companion was still kind of hard.

We were still immature—our relationship, that is.

It wasn’t because we’d lost our memories from our past life.

It was simply because we hadn’t built up enough together yet.

Still…

I’d started to honestly wish that someday we’d laugh together, that someday we’d become companions who could share each other’s pain.

—Alright! That inner monologue totally wrapped things up like a heartfelt scene!

I was always ruining the important moments with dirty jokes and constant arousal.

Sometimes, it was good to end things on a nice note.

“…Fine. I’ll go meet them properly.”

“Mm-hm, good boy. Very obedient~”

Believing that someday we’d end up tightly squeezed together like that—

A lewd breeze blew through my dry, empty vessel.