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 39: Ban

The Ban had defeated the daemons and temporarily returned to the school. The students praised Will and Alfred, and they stared at the sky.

Sakura walked over to the Ban.

“Ah, Ban, it’s you, right?”

“Eh, yes.”

“…You weren’t born into a special family, were you?”

“I’m a commoner.”

“Ah, I see…”

Sakura saw his attack earlier. An ultimate attack with overwhelming strength and unseen speed. There was only one person who could do this.

Dan, the Hero, is said to be the strongest hero in history.

(I don’t have as much spirit as the hero, but… I’m sure he can at least put on an act without a care in the world. He may be a different person, but it’s impossible for someone this powerful to be still nameless.)

The more I look at him, the more normal he is. He’s so normal that I don’t think I’ll be able to find him if I blend in with the crowd.

Even now, she yawned carefreely as she stared at the sky.

“I think it’s about time to go home.”

“Huh?”

“There’s an Adventurer’s Exchange Party today.”

“…That’s what it means for a man and a woman to talk and get along.”

“Yeah.”

I should go too.

“There’ll be a commotion when the former hero party comes.”

“Ah, yeah. It’s the same as always.”

Sakura decided to go with the Adventurer’s Exchange, thinking she’d investigate Ban.

“Alfred, I’m going home. See you later.”

“I see. Sorry for the commotion after you came all this way.”

“It’s not your fault. See you later, Will.”

“Yes!”

Saying hello to Alfred and Will, Ban left the school.

Afterward, they randomly changed clothes and headed to the Adventurer’s Exchange Party. When Sakura, who was said to be the Hegemon, entered the venue, there was a commotion all around her.

“Huh!? Sakura-sama!?”

“Th-That’s cool.”

“Maybe I should talk to her.”

The female adventurers around Sakura, who had mistaken her for a man, began to make a fuss.

Ban moved away a little, looking jealous, thinking about the scenery he was always looking at.

“Bang. Over here.”

Lin was the one to call him. She had been making a fuss about him being here, too, but she had been wearing a mask and participating recently, so no one knew her true identity.

“You’re wearing a mask.”

“Well, it’d be a pain if they found out.”

“I see.”

The two seemed to have the exact opposite pattern from the last time we’d traveled, but we moved on so there wouldn’t be any particular problems.

“Did you find someone nice,  Ban?”

“Sakura the Hegemon seems here today, so it seems impossible.”

“Huh!? Sakura’s here!?”

“They’re over there.”

When Ban stabbed his finger, Sakura was surrounded by the girls. She smiled bitterly as she left the bottom and approached them.

“Geez, don’t leave me here. This is my first time here.”

“I don’t think there’s any problem.”

“Yeah, but what about that mask over there?”

“…It’s me.”

“Huh!? Lin-chan!? What are you doing!?”

“Well, it’s more like killing time.”

Neither Sakura nor Lin expected to come here, but they didn’t see each other. And since Dan assumed they were in love, he quietly fled to the balcony so as not to disturb them.

“Hey, don’t disappear.”

“That’s right.”

Lin and Sakura chased after Dan.

(I left because I thought it’d be bad if I got in the way, but… why? Is she trying to show me her normie form?)

Dan mistook Sakura for a man, and Lin and Sakura were mistaken for lovers.

When she stepped out onto the balcony, Lin took off her mask.

“Lin-chan, why are you here?”

“Well, a lot happened.”

“Huh, I didn’t know you wanted to get married so aggressively. You should have told me.”

“Well, a lot happened. Me too. So, why did you come here, Sakura?”

“That’s right! Listen to me. He’s super strong! It’s impossible, but he might be as strong as the hero! That’s why I’m trying to figure out who he is!”

At those words, an electric shock ran through Lin’s brain.

At that time, it was only 0.2 seconds.

(Sakura must be suspicious of the Ban. But if she’s not convinced yet, then we should go ahead and deny it. Sakura likes Dan, so it’d be a pain if we knew who he is. It’d be a waste to throw away the advantage that only I know who he is.)

My thoughts race through my head at high speed. At that moment, I answered in an instant. And Dan is also impatient.

(Ah, seriously? Sakura knows how strong I am. Yeah, let’s just play it off. I don’t want her to discover what’s under my mask.)

“Sakura, you, how many years have you been with Dan? You know how unreasonable his strength is. Do you feel Dan’s strength in Ban?”

“H-Hmm. When you put it like that…”

“He’s the one who says he will take apart the Demon Lord and turn it into sashimi. Do you feel that from the Ban?”

“H-Hmm. When you put it that way, yeah. Oh, but don’t bangs and bangs have similar names? They’re one letter apart.”

“…Effort to hide it more, you idiot.”

“Huh? Lin-chan, did you say something?”

“I didn’t say that. More importantly, if the names are similar, it’s not much of a basis. No matter how you look at it, the Ban isn’t Dan. Yeah, that’s right. It’s true.”

“You think so? Oh, why don’t we ask Aguya-chan?”

“Don’t do that. Not.”

(If I give her a hint, she’ll probably notice. She usually looks sleepy, but her intuition works well when she flips the switch.)

“Hmm, Ban-kun, huh? Isn’t Ban-kun related to the hero or something?”

“No. I’ve been holed up in the country for a long time.”

“Huh? Were you a shut-in?”

“Yes. I learned a lot from coming outside recently. I’m a shut-in, so I don’t have any friends.”

“I see… That may not be it. “

(…The way he’s trying to hide it is sloppy, but, well, he’s trying to dodge the question, so this is fine. Still, Dan’s change of mood is amazing. I can’t believe he’s calling me Dan. In that sense, you could say he’s an actor. But there’s an occasional sharp moment like that, so you can tell if you look carefully.)

“Hmm. Even if that’s the case, there’s no doubt he’s strong, so tell me where he lives. He’s a member of the Knights of Favonius, so it’d be bad if he didn’t have a good grasp on people like you.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll figure it out.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. You don’t have to worry, Sakura.”

“Hmm, I see. But he’s stronger than Lin-chan. Wouldn’t it be dangerous if something happened to him?”

“Don’t worry. I have a pretty good relationship with Ban.”

“We watched the tournament together before. I see, so you’re okay.”

Sakura has withdrawn for the time being. Lin breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Dan next to her, she was gazing at the other female adventurers with a carefree expression.

“Geez! I’m trying so hard!”

“Eh, ah, yes.”

Lin got a little angry.

“Um… Sakura-sama the Hegemon and Linrin-sama the Great Sage, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“What the hell!?”

“Oh, sorry about that. My name is Reppo, and I’m a B-Rank adventurer.”

Sakura responded normally, and Lin responded with a hint of anger. The person who spoke to her was a perfectly normal male adventurer.

“I need to talk to you about something… Have you two heard of the ‘Ghost Slayer’ that appears in Lambda, a city far, far away from here recently?”

“…I don’t think I know.”

“I don’t know either.”

“It seems to be an undead, but it is said to be the result of a man who once taught the swordplay of the fifth generation of heroes.”

“Huh, I see.”

“I would like you to subjugate that. Two A-Rank adventurer men and women in the City of Lambda have been defeated, and the average person can’t take them on. Especially the ghost of the man who taught the Hero’s swordsmanship. Even an S-Rank adventurer might find that difficult.”

“So that’s why we’re here?”

“In truth, I thought it would be best to request the guild, but I figured it would take some time. I wanted you to subjugate them immediately, so when I heard that the Sage would be appearing here recently, I took part in this exchange party.”

“Hmm, so you decided to talk to her directly. Well, that’s fine.”

“Thank you very much.”

The adventurer man bowed his head.

“Hey, is that strong?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right. What about you?”

As an adventurer Ban, he spoke to the man. He seemed a little curious about the title of a swordsman who had once been the hero’s instructor.

“Ban, I’m a normal adventurer. I was worried about being the fifth instructor.”

“Ah, I see. Excuse me, but it might be dangerous for you. You should quit.”

“Thanks for the warning… I’m curious, so I’ll go check it out.

“Were you listening?”

The battle between the strongest of the modern era and the hero’s former instructor began.