The Fake Hero Goes to Academy - Chapter 1- The Last Devil

The night sky within this place felt unnaturally dense, its gloom pressed tighter than it should have been.

I stood firm, the replica of the legendary sword steady in my grasp. Its tip was aimed at the enemy of all humanity, the greatest threat to ever exist.

The Seventh Devil of Chaos: Arcana.

Unlike his brethren, this denizen of hell bore a grotesque form. He stood nearly seven feet tall, his slim body wrapped in black scales. His limbs ended in long claws and jagged nails, each one steeped in his curses. A single scratch would make my body age rapidly. Worse, it could stop my heart where I stood.

The being before me was what everyone called the final boss. But to me, it was just another day on the job, another act where I played the hero and brought down the enemy feared by the masses.

[Hero Calastor! You shattered my defenses, slew my General, and split my fortress in half. At this point, I can no longer tell which of us is the true monster.]

Every word he spoke was true, so I saw no reason to argue.

I was here to end him tonight, and my blade would speak well enough for me.

“Blade Eclipse: Gallant.”

With a quiet chant, I activated the blade art, and at once, the weight of my weapon surged, pressing heavily into my grip.

[Like hell I would let you kill me!]

Naturally, the monster knew everything about Sword Arts. The moment he sensed my intent, he opened a portal to escape. But before he could move, I swung my blade in a horizontal arc, sending a radiant white slash toward him.

[Khuk!]

He leapt aside, thinking he had evaded the attack, unaware that my target had never been him, but the portal itself.

Without hesitation, I pushed off the ground, leaving a web of cracks in my wake, and appeared right where he was about to land. Before his feet could touch the ground, I brought my sword down in a vertical strike, aiming to split him in half.

[Not too fast!]

Point one, he shouted every line he spoke. And the second point to be noted; he could levitate.

Crouching low, I slipped under the kick he aimed at my head, a strike meant to tear it clean off my shoulders, and drove the butt of my sword toward his pelvis.

[Hmm? Was that supposed to hurt?]

The move landed, but I had forgotten. This creature had no genitals. Their kind reproduced through blood and other means.

Clicking my tongue, I abandoned the approach and leapt back, widening the distance between us.

As he touched down, Arcana spoke,

[None of your Eclipses can bring me down, and we both know it, Hero. Why exhaust yourself chasing the impossible? If you have forgotten, my offer to join the Dark Side still stands. Think carefully before you take another step.]

What was that offer again… I could not recall.

No matter how tempting it might have been, betrayal was never an option. The Restrictions bound to me would not allow it.

I had to slay this Devil here and now, or those same Restrictions would claim my life instead.

[Hmm?]

For the first time, the Devil did not shout. He seemed taken aback as I extended my left leg and drew it back. My right leg bent slightly while I held my sword close to my waist, its tip angled away from him.

It was true. Every Eclipse technique could be evaded by this foe. That was why the true Hero had failed to bring peace to humanity, no matter how hard he tried.

That was why I existed.

[!!!!]

The surge of aura gathering around me must have made him realize it. I was going for the kill.

The ground trembled, the air quivered, and the very fabric of reality began to tear, threatening to devour everything in a vortex of nothingness.

Yet none of it shook my focus as I cast the technique I had forged myself. A Sword Art unheard of, something once thought impossible to achieve.

There were eight forms of Sword Arts in total, a boundary humanity believed could never be crossed. But that limit did not apply to me.

[I need to flee!]

Strangely, he even shouted his intent. Before he could move, dark purple chains coiled around him, binding him in place. A beam of holy light descended from the heavens, sealing his power and leaving him helpless for at least three seconds.

“GO FOR IT, CALASTOR!”

The voice of the hero’s companion reached me, though it felt unnecessary. My chant was already complete. I was ready.

“Blade Nova: Erupt.”

I swung my blade with the same precision I used in practice. The calm this technique granted allowed a perfectly symmetrical slash to carve through the air toward my target, now utterly immobile.

As if the heavens themselves had descended upon this space, everything turned pure white. In that moment, the only thing that moved was the long, radiant slash I had released.

It was my zone, my domain.

SPLASH

To my eyes, the attack took at least thirty seconds to reach him. To anyone else, it must have been over in a blink. The last Devil was cleaved in two.

[KUH?!]

I sheathed my blade as his confused, pained grunt echoed out.

Letting out a long breath, I looked around at the others. Their bodies were battered, their clothes torn, yet the same smile of victory rested on all their faces.

I forced the corners of my lips to rise and gave them a small nod.

The worst part of my job was never fighting Devils. It was acting like a Hero.

Thankfully, for today, my role as the fake hero was over.

….

“You can retire now.”

After slaying the final Devil, I was summoned by the Emperor, accompanied by the Hero, the first prince of the Empire I served.

I kept my head lowered, waiting for him to continue.

“You have done your job well, pretending to be Calastor. No one seemed to doubt your performance, and the recognition my son received was partly thanks to you.”

‘Partly, huh…’ I wanted to feel bitter, but all I felt was numbness. This was nothing new. It felt like just another secret meeting I had attended countless times before.

“Truth be told, the crime your father committed warranted the execution of his entire family. But considering what you have done, your life is no longer in danger.”

At that, my shoulders eased slightly, though I did not let hope rise. I knew they would never remove the Restrictions placed upon me. The power I held ensured that.

As long as I lived, I would remain their slave. Otherwise, this Empire, no, this entire world would hunt me down.

“I am grateful for your words and your reward, Your Majesty,” I replied in a steady tone, careful not to sound disrespectful.

I thought that would be the end of it. The entire Empire, the palace included, was drenched in celebration after the fall of the greatest adversary… but,

“Now, it is my turn to reward you, Eden. Raise your head.”

I obeyed, lifting my gaze until it met the two blond figures before me. The only real difference between them was their build. The father stood broader, a golden beard framing his face, while the son bore a cleaner, sharper look.

Their blue eyes stirred an odd ache in my head, but I pushed it aside and kept my expression neutral.

“Aren’t you sixteen this year? How about enrolling in the Central Academy? Naturally, all your expenses will be covered, along with a monthly allowance. What do you say?”

To anyone else, the prince would have seemed warm and generous, offering me a chance at a normal life, complete with comfort and opportunity.

But I knew better.

The Empire had no intention of letting me roam free or slip from their sight. To them, I was an asset, something to be used whenever they deemed it necessary. And what better way to keep me contained than placing me in an institution funded and controlled by the central ministry?

For now, though, I had no desire to oppose them. The only thing left for me was to accept it.

“It’s as you say, Your Highness.”

The war-hardened veteran, the false hero who slew the final Devil, was about to become a student.

Great.

*****

A/N:- I hope you liked the chapter.