I Picked Up the Hero Who Banished Me

11 – [The Hero Who Defeated the Demon King – 08]

Olivia Reinhardt.

The eldest daughter, the only child of the Reinhardt family.

If you were to ask what kind of impression the first hero I saw left on me, it would be:

Arrogant.

Haughty.

Ego sum lux.

A walking, breathing embodiment of every word for ‘arrogance’ imaginable, a true lone wolf. Incapable of compromise, with a temperament as volatile as they come, what was fine yesterday could be anathema today, dictated by her shifting moods.

It was difficult keeping pace with her, which led to a subtle camaraderie between the rest of us, the companions excluding the Hero, in the beginning of the journey.

But I didn’t dislike her.

She’d be the first one up in the morning, swinging her sword, always striving.

Everyone called her a born Hero, but I didn’t want to.

Because I knew how hard she worked behind the scenes.

Of course, not everyone can become as strong as the Hero by effort alone, but behind that monstrous strength was monstrous talent paired with effort.

She wasn’t just born that way, she strived to become that way.

And above all, even if her personality was… questionable, her disposition was good.

She was desperate to save people, always prioritizing human life, no matter the injustice.

A prime example was when a child gave her acorns, calling them her treasures, and she accepted them as payment to slay the monster disguised as a person lurking nearby. Or rather, she slew it and *then* it turned out to be a monster.

“……”

“……”

The carriage rattled, and the Hero hadn’t spoken a word since before.

Her condition had been steadily worsening since the Black Bear attack.

She’d lost the power she believed was absolute, and even while under a death sentence, she’d maintained her sense of self. But now she seemed to be in despair, realizing that her courage wasn’t coming from within, but from her power.

Not a courageous soul, but simply brave *because* she was strong, was it?

From my perspective, the Hero who always spilled blood to save people was indeed brave. But those words wouldn’t reach her right now, nor would it be the answer she wanted.

A girl forced to be born as a hero, live as a hero, had finally come to realize she was no hero. It would be hard for her to pick herself up.

“Ms. Livia, we’ve arrived at East Port.”

“Yeah.”

I said, catching the hero as he stumbled to his feet.

“Ms. Livia.”

“What?”

“Haa.”

I let out a small sigh, draping a cloak over him and placing a mask on his face.

“What’s this? A mask?”

“East Port is a place with a decent amount of people. Even if you changed your hair color, someone might recognize you. And besides, your skin has changed, so some people might worry about a contagious disease.”

The hero’s skin, now stained black, was easily capable of inciting fear in others.

The Reaper’s Poison was never actually contagious, but human psychology doesn’t always operate rationally.

There’s a reason so many witch hunts occurred throughout history because of the ‘ominous’ label.

Most importantly, if the Reaper’s Poison had been contagious, I would have been infected and died first.

The last village was somewhere we were leaving quickly, and there was little chance of the hero being exposed to people, but in East Port, there would be some time exposed.

“……”

Getting out of the carriage, the hero looked up at the sky.

There were sparse clouds in the blue sky, and they were moving a bit fast.

The weather had been quite good since I picked up the hero, but judging by the speed of the clouds, it seemed like it might rain.

‘Hmm, will he be alright?’

The day it rained was the day the hero was betrayed and lost everything. Someone who is mentally unstable can easily lapse into confusion when something similar to their trauma happens, flashing that memory through their mind.

It could easily be seen as a serious situation, the kind where embarrassing things suddenly spring to mind.

Even if it wasn’t an issue before, it might be somewhat dangerous for the hero right now.

“Huh? Oh, it’s Royce!”

“Madam Florence, it’s been a while.”

“Ha ha! That little tyke has grown into quite the man!”

“Thank you.”

Madam Florence.

I don’t even know her real name.

She was someone I was indebted to in my childhood.

Someone who gave me a place to work when I had nowhere else to go as a kid, and who, upon discovering I could talk to spirits, brought me books on spirit magic.

That was the reason I started down the path of a spirit mage, so I could consider her my benefactor.

But how old is she?

I’ve known her since I was a kid, but her appearance hasn’t changed one bit since then.

It’s like Madam Florence’s age just stopped at around 36 years old.

“Well, what brings you to East Port?”

“I’m heading to the Eastern Continent.”

“The Eastern Continent? You’re a spirit mage, so I’m not too worried, but it’s pretty rough terrain. Are you sure you’ll be okay? What takes you there?”

“Someone needs my help.”

Only then did Madam Florence realize there was someone behind me.

Who would think she, bundled up in a cloak and wearing a mask, and all hunched over, was the hero?

Not only that, but this cloak also has an inscription of an obscuring spell, not too powerful, but enough to keep you from standing out.

Well, like I said, it’s not a strong one, just enough to make your presence a bit faint.

“A woman, is it? What’s this, finally getting yourself a girl?”

“No. She’s got a serious illness, and we’re going to the eastern continent. There’s a medicine you can only get there.”

“Oh? I figured you’d go for a woman with big tits.”

“……!”

The hero, who’d been quiet, suddenly tensed up.

No, please.

“Madam Florence, please, not now.”

“Heh heh!”

Sure, the hero definitely had an above-average chest, but I’ve never looked at her with weird eyes.

From the get-go, seeing her condition, I was more like, ‘How the hell is she still alive in that state?’ than anything else, so I didn’t have the time to even think about that kind of thing.

“Need me to arrange a ship to the eastern continent?”

“Would you, please? …To be honest, I’m not doing so great with my coin purse.”

I spoke, close to Madam Florence, so the hero couldn’t hear.

I wasn’t completely broke, but borrowing a carriage, getting here, and then going all the way to the eastern continent would be a big problem with money.

It wasn’t like I’d have to worry about food tomorrow, but it was definitely burdensome.

“Alright, come back tomorrow morning. I’ll get you a ship ready to depart right away. I’ll make sure it’s a room with a bed, for that young lady’s sake too.”

“Thank you, Madam Florence.”

“…….”

Madame Florence glanced at the Hero for a moment.

The Hero, sensing Madame Florence’s gaze, instinctively hid behind me.

His small animal-like appearance was… you could call it cute, but given his state, pity was the first feeling that came to mind, not some fond observation.

Where had the confident and arrogant Hero gone?

In that moment of betrayal, did the Hero truly survive? The thought that what was here might just be the remaining shell of a Hero who’d already died sent shivers down my spine.

“He’s quite the wary one.”

“I apologize.”

“It’s alright. I’m not petty enough to pick on a child with a sick mind. He reminds me of you in the past.”

“…….”

“Oh, I spoke out of turn. Anyway, there’ll be a ship here at sunrise tomorrow, so don’t be late.”

“Yes, I will repay this kindness, Madame Florence.”

Madame Florence chuckled and waved her hand.

“Kindness my ass, you don’t haggle over that with family.”

“…….”

I smiled as I watched Madame Florence walk away.

The Hero was also watching Madame Florence leave.

Hmm.

Should I try talking to him?

It might be better to say something, even a little, than to just leave him like this.

“Madame Florence is my stepmother.”

“So, you’re saying you’re not blood-related?”

“Yes, I was in a bad way, about to die, when she took me in. After that, I lived working at Madame Florence’s shop. Then, Madame Florence, who saw my talent as a spirit mage, led me down that path.”

“…So, a benefactor, then.”

“That’s right. I owe her a debt I can never repay in my lifetime.”

Come to think of it, she seems to have put on weight.

I worried she’d get some dangerous illness and just kick the bucket.

She wouldn’t go back to hitting the bottle non-stop just because I disappeared, would she?

“…….”

“Livia, dear.”

“Huh?”

“Shall we walk a bit? Would that be okay?”

“…It’s fine, I’ve been in the carriage too long, I actually want to walk.”

Right now your head’s been ripped open, your eye’s gone flying, there’s a hole in your heart, and one of your arms has been blown off, you know.

And on top of that you’re poisoned with a toxin that should’ve killed you instantly.

What is this.

Is she even human?

But her breathing is somewhat unsteady, and cold sweat is running inside the mask.

It’s impressive that she’s holding on, but she’s only managing with her raw life force and sheer grit. And right now, the mental strength responsible for that grit is about to crumble, if one side crumbles, death might come quicker.

It might be a foolish thought, but a person’s life is maintained by a solid body and a healthy mind.

When the mind becomes ruined and broken, even diseases that could be cured become untreatable, sometimes leading to death.

A person’s will can’t be dismissed as nothing.

“……”

The Hero seemed to be looking around, gauging the situation.

“You fixed it up quickly, didn’t you?”

“……!”

With a slightly surprised look, the Hero stared at me.

“Even in this East Port, there’s a legend of Hero Olivia Reinhart.”

“It’s not quite a legend.”

“You defeated one of the Seven Great Demons here. The village was somewhat destroyed, but thanks to the Hero’s best efforts to prevent damage, there were no casualties at all, or so I’ve heard.”

“……”

“Since it happened after I left, I don’t know the full details. But who exactly is keeping up this hubbub?”

“……”

We walked slowly and arrived at the park, sitting down on a park bench.

The Hero followed me, sitting down a little ways away.

I tried to be poetic, thinking this distance might represent the emotional distance between the Hero and me, but in reality, it’s probably further.

“Back then, the soldiers gave it their all… The soldiers worked hard to evacuate the citizens. And my companions risked their lives to stop that Seven Great Demon and its underlings… My former companions, I mean.”

“……Is that so.”

“Yeah, it was truly a miracle that there were no casualties. I never imagined that really no one would die.”

“Perhaps the soldiers who rushed to fight the demon didn’t think they’d survive either.”

“Really?”

The park was a riot of activity—puppies playing boisterously, kids running wild, an elderly couple strolling leisurely, families sharing smiles—a whole spectrum of life.

Their laughter and chatter blended into a single, song-like sound.

A discordant song, alas, far from elegant, but a song nonetheless.

“Those soldiers, they charged in knowing they’d die, and they survived. That nobility doesn’t change, even if fear was mixed in.”

“Of course. They knew their weakness. They bet their lives, believing they could win, protecting the citizens.”

“Yes, exactly… which is why, Ms. Livia, you’re a noble person too.”

“…….”

“Everyone believed in you and held on. They trusted you’d definitely defeat that demon and save them all. And you did, not just the demon, but countless other calamities and monsters.”

Even back when we traveled together, despite her outward arrogance, she valued human lives above all else.

Especially when Alex tried to propose tactics that, under the guise of efficiency, would abandon people, she’d intentionally ignore him and charge ahead, forcibly trying to minimize casualties even if it meant acting rashly.

A chaotic mess, headstrong, and often clumsy, sure, but it didn’t make her any less noble.

“So what if there was fear in her heart? So what if she was powerful and brave? She didn’t abuse it, did she?”

“…….”

“And I know I’d be bawling in front of a Black Bear if I suddenly lost my spirit powers.”

“Huh?”

“I’d probably be waving around a huge tree branch like a club, fighting like a mess.”

“I didn’t exactly want to know that much.”

“Too bad for you.”

I smiled.

“That’s what it comes down to. Whatever feelings you held inside, whatever the circumstances, you accomplished something noble.”

“…….”

“From the start, *you* were betrayed, *you* are the victim. Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”

“I have to be a hero.”

“Yes, you are a hero. You *are* a hero, so what’s the problem… If you leave your entire value to other people’s evaluations, you’ll forget who you are someday.”

“I don’t know.”

It was a difficult thing.

It wasn’t easy to deny the life she had lived until now.

Especially in such a pained state.

“I hope that the same noble heart you had for the soldiers, you can have for yourself.”

“……For myself?”

“Yes. I hope Olivia Reinhart can be kind to herself.”

“…….”

The hero looked at me, and her red eyes, visible within the mask, trembled.

And raising the one hand she had left to her face, the hero said to me,

“You haven’t changed, not from the old days or now.”

“Huh?”

“I’m trying to see Olivia, not the hero.”

“But you *are* Olivia.”

“……Th, that’s right.”

I couldn’t see it because of the mask, but it seemed like the hero smiled faintly.

But I think it was more of a weak, awkward smile than a laugh out of amusement or joy.

“Let’s head back. I’m getting tired.”

“Okay. Let’s rest well today. We have to move by boat from tomorrow. You don’t get seasick, do you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then let’s slowly find a place to stay and spend the night….”

*KA-BOOM!!*

Suddenly, a light flickered at the edge of my vision, and then a huge explosion erupted.

“Kyaaah!”

“What the!?”

“Look, look over there! The clock tower exploded!”

The hero and I looked towards the clock tower at the same time.

Thick smoke was billowing out from the explosion, reaching towards the sky.

The sky that had been clear just moments ago was starting to cloud over.

And in that sky, numerous things, like birds, appeared.

But they weren’t birds.

They were.

“Demons.”

“Demons, why…?! At this timing…!”