When I said, "You can be a hero," to a child with no talent, he really started to become a hero, so I acted like I knew what I was doing, like I was a wise master.

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He wanted to avoid getting the tuxedo he had prepared with great care dirty or torn by making flashy movements.

That was all. He wasn’t holding back, but that didn’t mean he was going all out either. A bottomless, unfathomable mass. That’s why he was called the strongest hero.

And there was another reason why he didn’t go all out from the beginning: Lin’s influence. In the past, he had purposely put on a show of evenly matched strength against formidable opponents in front of Lin.

There had been a time when he thought Lin might worry about him, or say he looked cool for making the fight last longer. That habit was gradually fading, but it still lingered slightly.

He wouldn’t go all out. He wasn’t, and he didn’t need to. The Demon King felt as if he was being told that by him.

“Ho ho ho… I see, you purposely show the depth of your opponent, and then strike with the maximum immense power from above to make your presence look even larger. By doing so, you spread your power, make it known, and use it as a deterrent to peace, don’t you?”

“Eh?”

“Ho ho ho, but I also feel that holding back doesn’t seem fitting for a hero’s caliber, does it now?”

He said it as a bit of sarcasm, but… the person he was speaking to didn’t show any particular pronounced reaction, perhaps being used to such comments.

“My caliber isn’t that large. It’s standard size.”

“…Ho ho, you speak with such a flippant tone, don’t you?”

Even during this conversation, he was growing rapidly in physical ability. However, the Demon King was beginning to feel that his strength still wasn’t reaching.

Even if he grew and added to his strength until his magical power ran out, he might not be able to win. More so, even if his magical power was infinite and he devoted many long years to strengthening, he might not win.

The difference was dimensional; that expression was indeed accurate.

If he becomes stronger, he can win. But the opponent is stronger, stronger, stronger, and stronger. Even more and more powerful. No matter how much he swells in size, there’s a wall there that cannot be overcome.

“Ho ho ho, but you see, I have a trump card…”

He spread his wings wide and flew into the sky. Then he encapsulated all his magical power into his heart. His body flickered with blinking lights.

“This is explosive magic… You could also call it a self-destruct spell… If it’s triggered, this entire area will be obliterated… Even the Elf Kingdom will disappear!”

He chose the option of self-destructing. If he couldn’t win, he thought he might at least make it a draw. Magic and magical power capable of collapsing a star.

— The view before his eyes was filled with light.

What unfolded before the Demon King was a fantastical sight. A scene so touching that no place in the world could possibly offer such a beautiful view. Light emanated from the back of a man’s hand. The light that came from inside just one person converged into something like a sword.

A vast torrent of light coiled around the sword he held, and then it was swung. It was a sight exactly like the ancient magic used by Will, but the quality was different.

The light did not merely shatter stars; it left not even dust behind. It went even beyond the heavenly peak as it headed for the Demon King.

Literally, the light extended towards the heavens, and with that, everything was settled.

“I can’t let you lay a hand on Lin’s kingdom, after all.”

After swinging the sword and erasing everything, he sheathed it, and then looked at his clothing in astonishment. The effect of swinging the sword of light had torn his clothes.

“Ah, I knew it, swinging the sword too hard tore my clothes…”

He sighed and left the scene, carrying the injured Will on his back, and headed towards the Fairy Kingdom.

***

Slowly, Will opened his eyes. He woke up on a bed in an unfamiliar place and looked around. A blond boy was sleeping in the next bed.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

“Ban-san…”

Ban, an adventurer with spiky hair whom he sometimes relied on, noticed that Will was awake.

“Um, the demons attacked, and what happened after that?”

“It seems to have been resolved. They say that Hero Dan defeated the Demon King.”

“Is that so… I… didn’t do anything…”

“I heard you fought pretty hard, though?”

“Who would say such a thing…?”

“Your childhood friend.”

“Menmen… Is Menmen safe!?”

“She’s fine. Well, you did fight quite hard, so isn’t that good enough? I don’t know the details, though.”

“But in the end, I had to rely on Hero Dan…”

“You know, Will…”

“…?”

Ban continued to talk to him in his usual tone, as Will was feeling down.

“Are you the type to have ‘it’ out even when you’re not peeing?”

“What!? What do you mean? We weren’t talking about that at all.”

“It’s just a metaphor… You know how some people have ‘it’ out just before they go to the toilet because they feel like they might pee? But with you, it feels like you have it out all the time just in case you might need to pee.”

“Uh, huh? I don’t understand at all.”

“In other words, you should be proud to be alive right now. It’s good to worry and think deeply, but if you keep doing that, you’ll get tired. You should just be happy that you survived in front of a powerful demon and that everything turned out okay.”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s right. If you think too much, you’ll get tired and won’t be able to use your strength when you really need it. You don’t have to worry or feel anxious now.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

“Your childhood friend will be worried if she sees you looking like that. Come on, just smile for now.”

“Ah, ahahaha.”

Will showed a clumsy smile, and following Ban’s words, he changed his feelings, realizing that worrying too much wasn’t good.