Vol 1 Chapter 37 – I’ll Slaughter You, Human!

Thud.

A heavy sound rings out.

It was the sound of Al slamming me—rubble and all—into the ground.

…Me, rubble and all? What’s that even mean? Is he insane? But that’s the reality of the situation, so I suppose it can’t be helped. This is rough.

“Phew, that’s one thing settled.”

“…R-Right.”

When Al spoke as if he’d accomplished something great, Ruru averted her eyes.

I completely understand why she wouldn’t want to just nod along.

After all… no ordinary hero would act like they’d just finished a hard day’s work while standing over a scene littered with corpses.

“…You know, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but don’t you ever try to, say, capture them and hand them over to the authorities? I’d think that even if your opponent is a villain, murder is still murder.”

“What are you talking about? Killing a villain is justice. In other words, I’m innocent. I am utterly flawless.”

“What are you talking about, nya?”

Ruru looks at me. What’re you lookin’ at?

I said, stop looking at me! I don’t know anything!

“Besides, heroes are permitted a certain number of kills, aren’t they? A murder license.”

Oh, is that so. So heroes aren’t charged with a crime even if they kill people.

Well, they’re called heroes for a reason. The fact that they can wield a Holy Sword means they must be fundamentally good people.

Otherwise, the Holy Sword wouldn’t accept them as a wielder.…I haven’t accepted him, though.

“Well, yeah, that’s true, but… you’re not a hero, nya…”

“…………?”

“Would you stop looking at me like I’m the one saying something crazy!? You’re the strange one!”

If you can wield a Holy Sword, you are a hero.

That is the definition of a hero.

Which means Al is not one.

Because I have not accepted him.

He just ripped me out by force, ground and all.

“And anyway, even if you were a hero, you’d get in trouble for killing people this often!”

It was clear from Ruru’s reaction that even if a murder license existed, it wasn’t a right that could be exercised so casually.

For the record, it seems Al exercises this right about as often as he’d toss out a used tissue.

I mean, there are victims lying around right now.

At this, Al was stunned.

“What…? There are fools who show compassion to villains…? I have to… kill them…”

“Would you stop thinking you can solve everything by killing it!!”

I wonder if Al has some kind of disease where he’ll die if he doesn’t kill people. Still, up until now, ever since he dragged me along by force, it’s just been the two of us.

Naturally, I was the only one getting jerked around by Al’s insane words and actions, but now I have a fellow victim. Ahh, this is so different from before…

“Ahhh. It’s so much easier having a straight man around besides me…”

“He’s the monster you spawned! Take proper care of him!”

“He is not! Don’t say such selfish things, human!!”

I’ll slaughter you, human!

◆

We gathered around a bonfire to pass the night.

Of course, we moved far away from the spot where Al had gone on his killing spree.

Only Al is capable of relaxing while sniffing the stench of blood and viscera.

We’ve already finished our meal, and our stomachs are full.

And if anyone asks a garbage question like, “You’re a Holy Sword, so why do you eat?” Al will kill them. It’s not necessary for my survival, but eating is an enjoyable form of entertainment.

As I was thinking that, I asked Ruru something I’d been wondering about.

“What are the other heroes like?”

“The other heroes, huh… I should tell you, I know their faces, names, and their surface-level personalities, but I don’t know them in detail, you know?”

“Really? Even though you’re all in the same position as heroes, and there are only five of you in the world?”

I was a little surprised.

There were only five of them, and they all shared the same circumstances.

I would have thought they’d naturally grow close.

The same environment, the same goal. And since they were chosen by a Holy Sword, they must all be “good people” in one way or another.

You’d think that when similar people get together, they’d generally get along…

For the record, we Holy Swords don’t get along with each other all that well, though.

But we’re not human, so that’s fine.

“Though another one seems to have suddenly appeared…”

Ruru glanced at Al with a completely weary expression.

Well, by definition, the wielder of a Holy Sword becomes the hero, so I guess their personality and looks don’t matter…

Of course, Al is not a hero. Because I have not accepted him.

“But that’s just how it is. Because…”

Ruru said, her gaze growing distant.

**—**Basically, I don’t get along with any of them, nya.

“Ehh…?”

What is this girl talking about…? Aren’t all heroes pretty much the same type of person?

Holy Swords have their own personalities, too, but in the end, they all choose someone good at heart. If their personalities are similar, you’d think they’d get along…

I know there’s such a thing as birds of a feather hating each other, but I wonder if that’s what it is.

“I don’t know why, but every hero besides me is a selfish, eccentric weirdo. It’s a world that I, an ordinary person with common sense, just can’t comprehend, nya.”

It wasn’t a case of hating her own kind at all. They just plain don’t get along.…You know, the people who think of themselves as the ones with common sense are often the craziest ones.

Well, I can see the star of a hard-luck case hanging over Ruru, so she’s probably the normal type. Serves her right.

“Well, if you’re going to force your way into the Hero’s Council, you’ll have to meet them whether you like it or not. It’d be better for you to meet them and see for yourself rather than hearing it from me. If I introduce them, it’ll just turn into a bunch of bad-mouthing.”

“…I don’t know, I always thought of cat beastkin as being free-spirited and whimsical, the type to drag everyone else around…”

I looked at Ruru and gave a bright smile.

“You’ve had it rough, haven’t you?”

“…………!?”

Immediately after, Ruru lunged at me.

H-Hey, stop! My performance as a weapon might be the best in the world, but my body isn’t all that strong!

After spending a night like that, we finally arrived at the place where the current generation of heroes would gather as one.

“Ah, Ruru-san. It has been a while.”

There, a woman with a gentle smile approached.

Sensing a powerful presence from her, I nodded in understanding.

This girl is one of the heroes of this generation.