Vol 1 Chapter 25 – Whether You’re a Hero Is for Others to Decide

“Well, there’s always been an unspoken understanding through the generations that the reigning Hero’s wishes are respected. I guess I can go along with it.”

“Wonderful! Utaki, Titania-san said she’ll join us!”

“She’s the Crimson Rose and part of the Dungeon Survey Corps. Do I even need to be here anymore?”

“You don’t. But a broom only matters when there’s garbage to clean up.”

“See, that sounds almost roundabout, but I’m just flatly being called garbage.”

The female knight said it with a slightly troubled look. What she said almost sounded kind, but she was clearly calling me garbage. And she’s supposed to be on my route? If she’s the yandere type, couldn’t she treat me a little better than that?

“Come to think of it, we haven’t had a proper introduction. I’m Titania, Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Knights. Class: Saber. Attribute: Fire. I don’t have a particular specialty, but there are a few things I can’t do either. My current goal, as you might guess, is to kill you and make your existence unforgettable by my own hand.”

I really wished she hadn’t said that with such a bright smile. I’ll just keep that thought to myself.

“Excuse me—coming through!! Your Majesty! Is His Majesty here?!”

“Hm? Oh, Rito! What’s going on?”

“Emergency, Your Majesty! Oh, Utaki-san and Elena-san?! Perfect, everyone, please come to the bureau right now! It’s a national crisis!”

The one who came bursting in, half in tears and oddly nostalgic, was Ritros from the bureau.

◆

It felt like ages since I’d last been to the bureau—not since the day I first arrived in this world.

Even back then, everyone was running around in a frenzy, but the atmosphere wasn’t this tense. Something was happening. Even I could tell. Rito was crying as he called out to a man sitting in a chair at about mezzanine height.

“Director Amarea!! I’ve brought His Majesty and Utaki-san!! What’s the status?!”

“Sorry for the trouble, Rito. Your Majesty, over here!”

*Clang clang clang* The King crossed the floor with a quick, no-nonsense stride toward the Director’s station. He glanced back at me, and I took that as a sign to follow.

When I did, the Director gave me a polite bow as well.

“Utaki-san, I’m Amarea, the bureau director. Now, do you see this large display? The blue section in the center is the royal capital; the other colors each represent different towns. Do you see that yellow area to the north, and just above it, a cluster of red markers?”

Amarea-san spoke quickly but explained everything clearly. Meanwhile, the King stood with his brow furrowed, staring intently at the screen.

“That cluster of red markers is, simply put, a vanguard of the Demon King’s army. And that yellow area—that’s a town. It’s called Calselm.”

The Demon King’s army. Until then, my understanding had been vague at best—just that they were being attacked. But when Amarea-san said that name, I felt something inside me turn cold.

The two of them, along with the people below on the floor, looked startled when I leaned forward over the railing to stare at the screen.

“You just said Calselm, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yes—have you already learned the geography?”

“Not even close. I can’t even navigate the royal capital.”

“Then why—”

‘There are no doctors there, you see.’

“Hey—when that army reaches the town, what do they do?”

“Looting and destruction, most likely. As for killing—that’s less certain. The current Demon King and those of past generations differ entirely in method and intent…”

“Your Majesty—can people actually die? Killed by the Demon King’s army, not just by accident?”

“Yes. It happens. They kill people.”

‘Right now, we’re in Calselm… a town to the north.’

The two of them had said it so tenderly.

It was written all over them—how much they loved their father.

“Clara and Cleo’s dad is in danger.”

Vol 1 Chapter 26 – They Say Desperation Brings Out Hidden Strength, and They Also Say Genius and Fool Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

“Elena, Titania-san—how long does it take to get from here to Calselm?”

“By balloon unit, about two hours, I’d say… You’re not actually thinking of going?”

“Utaki. This is not personal animosity speaking—it is an objective assessment: in your current state, going there will accomplish nothing except getting you needlessly hurt.”

Both of them were right. I could barely handle a mace. The fluke that passed for my win against Titania-san was just that—a fluke—and I understood better than anyone exactly how far my combat ability lagged behind even Elena’s.

But being cautious didn’t mean I was cowardly enough to abandon people I knew and feel nothing about it.

“I made a promise to Cleo—there’s something I need to look into, and I need to tell her about it.”

“Even so, it’s too dangerous.”

“Their father is from my world, too. If I leave him behind and something happens, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Getting hurt would be better than that. I’m supposed to be the Hero, right?! Then I’ll be the one who does something about it!”

Something like a collective intake of breath rippled through the room—or so it felt. Beside me, the King alone was chuckling, as if thoroughly entertained.

“Alright then! Bureau staff, issue an emergency evacuation alert to Calselm immediately! Contact the Calselm Militia and have them reinforce their defenses! Ashthal, arrange a balloon unit—Utaki, Elena, and Titania, head straight for Calselm! Dispatch a reconnaissance squad from the Fifth Division of the Royal Capital Knights and have them coordinate with the Northern Border Guard! And—Rito!”

“Sir, yes, sir?!”

“You’re going with Utaki. Pakira, too.”

“M-Me?! I don’t think I’ll be much use, sir!”

“A man alone has a hard time of certain things, doesn’t he, Utaki?”

The King flashed a grin—slow and knowing. This man was sharp when it came down to it. Bureau staff knew the geography and day-to-day goings-on better than Elena and the others—he was telling me to bring Rito as a navigator. The fact that he’d processed all of that and issued those orders in the span of a single moment almost made me sigh despite myself. We’d talked about whether the King was just a figurehead or a decoration—but it was looking more and more like that wasn’t the whole story.

“Utaki—thou drank the crystal water, didn’t thee?”

“Huh?”

With a fluid, cat-like motion, Pakira slipped from wherever she’d been and landed on my shoulder. She sniffed at me a few times, then grinned—showing off every one of those jagged teeth.

“The smell of crystal water clings to thee. I don’t know where thou had it, but if thou drank it, thou must be prepared for the consequences, aye?”

“Consequences? What consequences?”

“Oh? Thou drank it without being told what it does? That’s unfortunate.”

“Pakira—Utaki-san drank the crystal water?”

“Elena-dono smells of it too.”

“What—me?”

Elena and I. Crystal water.

There was only one place that could point to.

“We drank tea at Aria-san’s, but surely that wasn’t—”

“Well, I suppose I can explain as we go. What an interesting turn of events this has become.”

Pakira laughed out loud. Rito stared blankly. Amarea-san’s permanent frown is still firmly in place. The King’s cool, knowing smirk. Ashthal-san is giving commands in his usual stone-faced composure. Titania-san let out a long sigh. Odette-hime was silent behind her, as if trying to disappear. And Elena—on the verge of tears.

Chaos. The only word for it.