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. - Chap 38.2: When I Made a Cool Entrance as Backup, My Disciple Had Already Handled Everything

“Wow, I’m genuinely surprised.”

Away from the Knight Academy, quite distant from where the chimera appeared, a confident man was in shock after witnessing Alfred’s strength.

“I didn’t expect him to be this powerful.”

The ‘Dormitory for the New Creation of Mankind’ is a group aiming to trace all life forms to achieve divinity. Within them, a particular researcher was utterly amazed after seeing Alfred’s movements.

“I underestimated the descendants of the hero. But, even so, this level of strength is beyond what I anticipated. Hm? Would just any kid reach this point simply because they have access to the guiding books of successive heroes?”

His movements were undeniably that of a hero’s descendant. But he was still a young child and wasn’t this powerful before. The researcher skeptically wondered if someone could gain that much power suddenly.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. My next move is… What?! It’s Hero Dan!”

The researcher’s gaze landed on a man wearing an iron mask. Nobody noticed him as they were all enamored with Alfred’s valor. But there was no doubt that the figure of the hero was reflected in his eyes.

“I should retreat. Even if he’s weakened by the Demon King’s curse, facing him means Desperado would need some adjustments. Besides, in this academy…”

Among the students, there was one male student who wasn’t celebrating. After briefly observing that student, the researcher decided to leave.

“Hero Dan, even with a curse, remains an incredible man. That’s why Desperado is necessary. It’s bound to lead us to the ‘Demon God’ eventually.”

“Hmm, Alfred, huh? I should compile this in a report.”

He jotted down notes in his notebook with a practiced hand for a while: strength, strategy, containment, the possibility of dissection.

“Let’s pull back for today. Go and retrieve Desperado, who I had stationed in the deeper part of the forest.”

“S-sir! Someone has torn apart Desperado!”

“What?!”

The man’s answer left him in a panic. Desperado was resurrected to counter Hero Dan. It was his masterpiece.

“I made sure it was on par with Hero Dan! If we could get the legendary ore from the academy, even the Demon God… Damn it! Even if you must reach out to the Knights, recover at least some fragments of it!”

■■

I made a grand entrance, trying to look cool. But it seemed Alfred had already defeated the enemy, causing a commotion. I’m a bit embarrassed about trying to show off with my entrance.

“It’s good I didn’t say something cheesy like ‘Sorry to keep you waiting’ in a deep, sexy voice.”

I should make a quick exit while no one’s looking.

“Hero-sama!”

“It’s you, Will.”

Oh, Will noticed me and is coming over. Over there, Alfred is getting attention from the girls and praise from the guys. Right, I feel like expelling my disciple. Just because you’re getting attention from girls doesn’t mean you should get cocky. You just defeated a minor monster. I’ve taken down the Demon Lord numerous times. So, don’t get ahead of yourself just because you’re popular with girls.

“Hero-sama, I feel like I’ve gotten stronger.”

Will, anxiously wringing his hands, looks at me. Is that so? I don’t feel that way about him. But then again, he did place in a tournament recently. It’s weird, but I’m too strong to notice our differences.

“I can feel the strength steadily growing within me. It’s probably because I face stronger opponents every day.”

“Hmm.”

“That enemy just now was more agile than me. But, having regularly sparred with you, Hero-sama, I felt like ‘fighting a superior enemy is normal.'”

“Hmm.”

“And that’s why I could judge the distance correctly.”

“Hmm.”

“True, my tactics might not work against much stronger foes.”

“Hmm.”

“In other words… It’s all thanks to your training, Hero-sama!”

The story’s long! I didn’t get most of it, but he was grateful. Alfred may be popular with the girls, but this guy came to thank me. Hmm, I’ve started to see him in a new light.

When he placed in that recent tournament, he was pretty popular with the ladies, which I didn’t particularly like. But now, my opinion of him has improved once again.

After finishing my conversation with Will, I removed my mask and quickly exited. I stretched my back as I walked back. While wandering through a specific forest, I encountered a rather large demon. Hmm? I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…

“Who am I? I don’t remember anything.”

Seems like it has amnesia.

“However, I remember my mission: to eradicate humans. To kill. To end lives.”

“That’s quite sinister.”

“You… you seem familiar. But you’re an enemy! I remember that!”

Suddenly, it swung its fist at me, charging to attack. Anyone else would’ve been killed.

“What!?”

“Well, I’m pretty much unscathed.”

This demon seems like a bad one, emanating dark magic.

“Anyway, I should take you down.”

“Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!”

You come across these types of demons occasionally. Now, it’s time to head back.

■

(Eh, you’ve got to be kidding.)

The girl known as the Supreme Swordsman couldn’t help but be shocked. He had just blown away the demon with a single punch.

(That looked similar to the Desperado that injured Hero-kun a while back. And he did it in one hit. Furthermore, I didn’t even see the moment he threw the punch. It was like time skipped. I didn’t blink. By the time I realized it, his punch had already landed.)

(Such incredible speed. There are only a few humans stronger than me. The only one capable of doing that is… could it be Hero-kun!?)