Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 115

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 115   Goddess’s Thoughts

The Goddess of Creation couldn’t help but feel awe towards the genuine “hero” who effortlessly accepted his own past and faced reality.

How many of the previous heroes, who had overcome the trials of mental attacks that had always occurred whenever the world faced crisis, had possessed such resilience?

The goddess couldn’t help but wonder.

To have acquired such resolve, or rather, the heavier the resolve, the greater the disappointment of being betrayed by the very humans one should protect must have been immense.

Yet, this hero, Ars, despite harboring anger towards the holy knights who destroyed his homeland, hadn’t lost an ounce of despair or disappointment in humanity.

What kind of mental structure could give rise to such an existence?

Once again, she shuddered at the peculiarity of this supposed strongest hero in history and the demon god, Kakyu.

“…If, if by any chance, you were to become disappointed in and enraged by humanity, I had thought it would be unavoidable.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The goddess answered.

She explained how the heroes born whenever the world faced crisis had, since ancient times, accepted the ugliness of humanity and challenged the Demon King.

How their ideals, upheld to save the world and to preserve something precious, had continued to work miracles.

How this cycle had eventually become legends, passed down through generations as heroic tales deeply ingrained in the instincts of humanity.

It was indeed a wonderful, beautiful story.

Truly a legend deserving to be called the greatest hero in the world.

But, at some point, the goddess couldn’t help but think.

Why is it that those who seek to save others are always the ones who end up being hurt for someone else’s sake?

Why is it that the kind souls who ignite hope in others are always accompanied by despair in their own hearts?

Saving someone is good.

Protecting them is also good.

But why is it always the ones who become heroes that must endure such malice?

Especially, why must one rise up for the sake of humanity, even when betrayed by holy knights who, using their own name as a shield, burn down their own homelands?

Even if it was the will of the world she governed, the Goddess couldn’t accept it.

Because that’s how it is.

Stronger than anyone.

Kinder than anyone.

The hero who saved the world more than anyone else…

“…Who will protect them?”

“…”

So the Goddess, in this trial, came to break Ars’s spirit.

There was no need for heroes to sacrifice themselves for the world anymore.

If that led to the world’s destruction, then it was the responsibility of those in that world.

How many times have you heroes saved the world?

Once, twice, three times… or even more?

But I want you to remember.

For every world you saved, you heroes have suffered and endured.

For the world, heroes are hope.

But for the Goddess, heroes are also like her own children, dear and beloved humans.

So, this time and every time, I wanted to make you forget your mission to save the world and let you rest.

If you were to resent, I wanted you to resent.

I wanted you to direct your anger and regret for your burned homeland towards me, the Goddess.

Because it was I who created a world that allowed such misfortune to occur.

After listening to the Goddess’s soliloquy, Ars closed his eyes, accepting her thoughts, and then, with a faint smile, he said this.

“Goddess, that’s a misunderstanding on your part. I harbor no resentment towards you.”

“…Why do you say that? Is it because your heart is too strong to show otherwise, or because you’re merely enduring it?”

“No, it’s neither of those.”

However, Ars firmly asserts that the Goddess’s soliloquy is a misunderstanding. As evidence, there is no hint of bravado in his smile, nor does he seem to be hiding any negative emotions.

The Goddess finds this hard to believe.

“But it must be true. I have my father. I have my mother. I have Hades, friends, comrades… I have the hearts of all the people I’ve met by my side. That connection with them shapes my courage. It has nothing to do with the Brave Engine. It’s the power of all those who have given courage to the hero, why would I ever think that this courage would falter in the face of disappointment or despair, once or twice? The balance between happiness and unhappiness doesn’t add up at all.”

When he asked his father if he had been happy as his son, the answer he received was enough to save the heart of the hero Ars.

Yet, here she was, talking about his misfortune.

Ultimately, the balance of happiness and unhappiness is something he decides, not something someone else can decide for him.

Even if it’s the Goddess.

So Ars said:

“Surely, those who have been called heroes so far have been the same. Each one knew despair in your trials, and then questioned something, and found an answer they could accept, which is why they were able to face it. It surely wasn’t just stoicism born out of strength… because the trials they faced weren’t ones that could be overcome with mere endurance.”

The Goddess thinks.

Did not the heroes who lost loved ones in the invasion of the Demon King’s army, or who had a miserable childhood, or any of them…?

Didn’t all the heroes of the past ask someone during this trial?

The phenomenon of hearts connecting with someone who is not present in this place.

Perhaps it’s possible because this is a place where the boundary between the mortal world and the heavens wavers.

And so, within this ambiguous boundary, each one must have found their own answer and been saved…

“Goddess, you knew, didn’t you? You somehow prepared for me so I wouldn’t break, didn’t you?”

It hit the nail on the head.

“Goodness gracious… This hero is just too perceptive for his own good. But, it’s true that I also wished you would harbor some resentment towards me to find solace, isn’t it?”

Moreover, even though she had intentionally chosen this place as a trial site, the fact that everything was seen through left her helpless.

Even if she understood, the Goddess herself couldn’t match the hero.

That’s what she thought.

“Very well. You have passed the trial. Then, I shall bestow upon you the power to save the world, hope of the hero Ars. Ars, onwards…”

With that, the Goddess concentrated her golden magical power into a single point and placed her hand upon Ars’s head.