My name is Will. I always wake up early because it’s time for training in the morning. It has become a daily routine to practice my sword swings. Usually, I would find this a bit painful or feel sluggish, and I would become anxious about whether I can catch up to my aspirations or not. Negative thoughts would cross my mind.

However, today was different.

“Hey, your footwork is full of openings.”

“Yes!”

“Your head is also full of openings.”

“Yes!”

“Your whole body is full of openings.”

“Y-Yes!”

In front of me is that hero, training together with me. Even though the sun hasn’t fully risen, my eyes are sharper than during the day. Is this the Hero Effect, I wonder?

The hero brought a wooden sword and we’re practicing swordplay together. Calling it practice is just like a real match. Hero Dan versus me, Will. It’s no contest.

As expected, he lightly taps my head, legs, and torso with the wooden sword.

To be honest, it stings a bit. But just to witness the hero’s swordsmanship in person fills me with a strange sense of happiness. I couldn’t ask for more luck. However, there’s one concern: his sword is too fast for me to clearly see his techniques.

He’s probably not using body enhancement through magic… but before I know it, the sword is above my head and coming down on me. The speed is sharp, and though he’s probably restraining it, my responses can’t keep up.

Incredible… As expected of Hero Dan!

“Cough, cough.”

I realized I was lying on the ground, looking up at the sky. I had almost no energy left. Gasping for breath, I gazed at the faint blue sky, feeling that his back was as distant as the unreachable heavens.

“Here, drink.”

Hero Dan handed me a water-filled canteen. Even this gesture filled me with admiration. I removed the iron mask that I always wore out of admiration and drank the water.

The sensation of water flowing into my body felt strangely satisfying. A refreshing feeling rushed through me, unlike anything I had experienced before.

After finishing my drink, I glanced at Hero Dan. Unlike me, he didn’t seem tired at all. Perhaps he didn’t need to drink water.

I felt a slight disappointment. It was because there was a chance that I could have seen Hero Dan’s true face. This was one of the famous legends—nobody had ever seen the face of Hero Dan, except for himself and his family.

To be precise, the three heroes who fought alongside Hero Dan against the Demon Lord had spent many years together, but even they had never seen it.

Hero Dan was surrounded by many mysteries. His birthplace, place of residence, age, and all of his abilities were wrapped in enigma. Some say it’s to keep himself from being recognized, while others believe he hides this information to protect his loved ones from being used as hostages. However, all these theories remained mere speculations.

Indeed, Hero Dan is surrounded by numerous secrets. His enigmatic nature adds to his allure and makes him even more captivating.

I used to believe that these mysteries and the unknown brilliance would continue indefinitely. However, recently, I discovered one piece of information that hadn’t been mentioned before.

It seems that the Hero is approaching his limits. If this is true, it could be a catastrophic event.

“Once you’ve finished drinking, do it again.” 

This is no exaggeration; his absence would leave a gaping hole in the world, endangering peace as we know it.

“Um, excuse me…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I-I heard that no one has ever seen Hero Dan’s true face… Is it really true that no one…”

“Ah, about that. It’s true; even my former party members have never seen my face.”

“So, you won’t reveal it to anyone?”

“It’s not that I won’t reveal it, more like I can’t reveal it.”

He said it decisively, as if pouring cold water over me. My body, which was warm from the training just moments ago, now felt like it was cooling down. He wasn’t lonely, but there was something about him that seemed strangely close to it, a mysterious presence.

“I see. Um, could you increase the training time a bit more?”

“I can’t do that. Once every seven days, that’s the limit. I’m not free to spend more time on it.”

“I understand, sorry for asking the impossible.”

“No, your enthusiasm is not a bad thing. Anyway, is there something else you want to say?”

I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words.

“I mean, how old are you, hero-sama?”

“What’s the point in asking?”

He sounded exasperated. Perhaps there was no real significance in knowing his age. I’ve heard that Hero Dan has been active as an adventurer since he was around five years old. If that’s the case, he would be around 30…?

I couldn’t help but ask because I wanted to know more about Hero Dan, but from his perspective as someone focused on nurturing a successor for the world, it must have been a rather trivial question.

“Well, never mind. You’ve finished drinking the water. Let’s swing the swords.”

“Yes!”

We continued swinging our swords until the sun had fully risen.

+-+

In order to bestow the role of a hero and train the next generation as successors, I conducted training with a boy named Will in a place called Ishi Village. He seems to admire me, wearing an iron mask and carrying the same single-handed sword as me. He’s around 15 years old.

After sparring with him for a while, it became evident that he lacks any discernible talent. It’s possible that he has hidden potential that is not easily noticeable, but he doesn’t seem to possess any outstanding abilities that can be immediately recognized.

“Oh, that matter… It’s true that almost no one has seen my real face.”

While I stood next to him, arms crossed and facing the opposite direction like a mentor, Will, who had just drunk some water, approached me and asked that question. Ah, I see… He’s talking about that.

It’s true; hardly anyone knows my true face. That’s because I’m just an average-looking guy, and with so many handsome individuals around, I started feeling self-conscious and ended up wearing this iron mask.

Will also wears an iron mask, so I thought he might be just an average guy like me. However, he turned out to be a moderately handsome young man with black hair and black eyes. In this world, it seems like there are many people with attractive features. That just adds to the feeling of inferiority.

Especially the party members; all of them are perfectly symmetrical. It was quite a dilemma for me. I couldn’t take off the iron mask. Moreover, I played the role of a cool and charismatic character, which made it even harder to remove it. In the end, appearances matter in this world, and being incredibly handsome usually gets you forgiven. But who cares about a normal-looking cool guy like me? It’s just embarrassing, and the thought of it makes me cringe.

Because of all these reasons, I’ve been hiding my face behind the iron mask all this time. Just recalling the awkwardness I felt at the party makes me feel down. Even in a four-member party, I felt like a loner most of the time. I was practically alone.

“I see. Um, could you increase the training time a bit more?”

“I can’t do that. Once every seven days, that’s the limit. I’m not free to spend more time on it.”

“I understand, sorry for asking the impossible.”

Oh, that’s also impossible. There are other candidates for the position of the hero’s successor besides you. We allocate one day per week for each candidate to be trained. I can’t bend the rules for that.

“Well, your spirit is commendable. Is there anything else you want to say?” Will asked.

“I mean, how old are you, hero-sama?”

“What’s the point in asking?”

I’m around 30 years old, you know? I’m at that awkward age where my parents are telling me to get married with a serious face. It’s the most delicate age, so I don’t want to say anything.

I gave Will quite a beating since morning. I’ll keep training him thoroughly throughout the day.

Now then, it’s Will today, and tomorrow… Eugene, huh? He’s a pretty sharp guy. Moreover, tomorrow is the day he’ll be at the Knight Training School, and he has to deliver a speech as a former party member…

I feel so tired… Despite defeating the Demon Lord and receiving a generous reward from the king, I have enough money to live a carefree life for the rest of my days, yet I’m still being pushed to the limit.

But, there’s only a few more years left. Will, Eugene, and the others, someone will eventually become the successor to the hero…

I’ll keep on wishing.

Someday, I believe someone will take on the mantle of the hero.