I Picked Up the Hero Who Banished Me

2 – [Prologue – 03]

What is innate cannot be denied.

Strong.

Capable.

What can be done, can be done, and what can’t be done, if forced, can still be done.

Olivia Reinhart was so genius that even she could understand it herself.

She did put in effort, but even if someone else put in the same effort as Olivia, they couldn’t reach the same heights. Olivia considered the relentless effort she put in to climb higher, with a kind of venom, as a ‘talent’ itself.

Whether it was a talent that exploded instantly, or one that blossomed later in life, she couldn’t know.

“You’re going to cook?”

“Yes, please leave it to us. You must be tired, Hero.”

“No, not really.”

At first, there was Royce, who was in charge of cooking, but after banishing Royce, there wasn’t anyone specifically handling it.

So, Olivia thought this wouldn’t do, learned how to cook in a hurry, managed to make things somewhat well, and taught it to her companions.

There was no doubt she taught them rather strictly.

Still, thanks to that, everyone got to a point where they could do it to some extent, and cooking was done on a rotating basis, but Olivia was the fastest and most accurate, and her skills were the best, so depending on her mood that day, she’d just do it instead often.

“Hmm.”

But Olivia paused for a moment, thinking.

Seeing others not being able to do things annoyed her, it was more comfortable to just do it herself.

It felt unsettling to leave things to others, so it was better to just do it herself.

However, they already defeated the Demon King, and it had been quite a while since they left the demon realm and entered the human realm.

‘Well, I guess they want to do *something.*’

It’s a bit much to say, but aside from Olivia, they were all support roles, they might want the satisfaction of feeling like they’re actually doing something.

And besides, no matter how you sliced it, Olivia had grown fond of her companions after all this time together.

One, a man designated as a sage of this era.

Two, a woman designated as a saintess of this era.

Three, the daughter of Titania, the Elven Queen.

All superior in status, and there wasn’t any glaring flaw in them as a hero party.

They were good-looking, and they all strove to offer “hope” to the citizens. And they’d also been the ones to clean up the messes Olivia made.

“Alright, then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Thank you. While I’m not as skilled as the Hero, I’ll make a delicious meal for you.”

“I’ve eaten your cooking to the point of being sick of it, but… well… I hope there’s something new. I’ll be patrolling the perimeter, so cook safely.”

“Ah, yes… Thank you, Hero.”

“Be careful.”

“Me? Careful? We’re in human territory, not demon territory.”

“Um, that’s not what I meant…”

“Heh, just joking. Just joking. You still don’t have confidence, do you? Have some confidence, just for having followed me on my adventure.”

“Okay.”

Olivia said that, then put some distance between them and began scanning their surroundings.

This was human territory, so there might not be any frightening monsters appearing, but you never knew when the unexpected would strike during your unguarded moments. There could still be monsters that hadn’t returned to their territory, or maybe some that had snuck in.

It might be okay for Olivia, but if her companions were caught in an ambush, they might be slow to react.

“…”

The wind blows.

‘So, this is what leisure feels like.’

Having taken down the Demon King, a tiny bit of breathing room seemed to open up.

But that won’t do.

It was like someone was whispering in my ear.

You have to be the perfect hero.

Save more people.

Give people hope.

“…I am, a hero.”

A hero.

Born a hero, raised a hero, and must die a hero.

What was Olivia hoping for in that final moment battling the Demon King?

She had thought that dying as a hero was the best, because it was so difficult, but in the end it turned out like this and Olivia ended up surviving.

If that’s the case, then all that’s left is to spend the rest of her life saving people. It might be a hero’s life that’s stretched out for too long, but if it’s Olivia, she can do it.

She has the power.

She has the talent.

And the desire to save people, she believes that it’s absolutely not a lie.

The hero’s mark was imprinted on her, it’s clear that it’s because Olivia is the strongest and the most suitable to be a hero.

‘With this, the journey to defeat the Demon King is over, and once the kingdom is somewhat stable, I should check on the state of other countries. Even though the Demon King is dead, there are still Demon Army executives we haven’t captured, and more than that, just because the Demon King is dead doesn’t mean that all the monsters will suddenly disappear.’

The perfect hero.

Perfectly.

“Hero.”

“……Oh, sorry.”

“No, seeing the Hero spaced out like that… it’s a rare sight.”

“Even I guess my tension’s finally released a bit after taking down the Demon King. Is dinner ready?”

“Yes.”

“……What’s wrong? Belita, you don’t look so good?”

Belita’s face was paper white, like a frightened puppy, making Olivia look at her with confusion.

“No, I’m okay. It seems the fatigue from the long journey is getting to me as well, just like the Hero.”

“Is that so? If that’s the case, that’s good. Even so, you’re a saintess so take care of your health. If the saintess is sick, people will get anxious.”

If the saintess, who possessed all manner of healing powers, were to fall ill, it would only spread anxiety among the people, and that wouldn’t be good.

“Hero, do you think I’m suited to be a saintess? I can only think of the fact that I only gave you some healing.”

“That’s enough. It’s not just those fighting in the front lines who are fighting. Those behind the lines are doing plenty of work too. Everyone has their role, everyone has their vessel, and everyone has their theme. Instead of being reckless up front just to get recognition, it’s better to understand your own vessel and quietly do your job.”

As Olivia said those words, she unconsciously frowned.

-Dangerous!

A sudden memory surfaced, unpleasant, and it made Olivia’s head throb.

People should know their theme and live according to their vessel. They shouldn’t aspire to a life beyond their vessel and must fulfill the duties that are fitting for that vessel.

If those who have power do not fulfill their responsibilities, then who will?

Ordinary people have never fought monsters and don’t even know how to properly hold a weapon.

That’s why Olivia, who was pretty much at the pinnacle of fighting, had to do it.

“Come, let’s eat.”

“Yeah.”

Alex still had that unsettling smirk plastered on his face.

At least Velita and Reina, being girls, seemed to have clicked, but Alex… who knew what the hell was going on in that head of his.

Besides, he was engaged? And I didn’t even know about it.

Thinking back, there were quite a few times on the trip he’d suggested we go out for drinks or something.

Was that, like, him trying to get friendly with his fiancé?

We were in the middle of a demon lord takedown, no time for booze, so I didn’t go. Maybe I should have just gone along with it.

“Why are you all staring like that?”

“Ah, no…! Just worried if it’d be to your taste, Hero.”

“I know your skills, don’t get your hopes up, I don’t expect much, so you don’t need to worry.”

He said that, then shovelled food into his mouth.

“…Bitter.”

“Huh?”

“It’s bitter! How the hell did you cook this!? I taught you, how did you manage to get this simple stew to taste bitter!?”

“S-Sorry!”

It was weird that the stew was bitter.

If anything, I wanted to ask *how* they managed it.

“But whatever, I’m in a good mood now, so I’ll forgive you.”

Olivia understood she was emotional and a mood-swinging type. Things that she’d forgive when happy, she’d rampage over when she was in a bad mood.

Did they ask if I regretted it? I didn’t care, because I figured that if I was taking on the responsibility, then I had a right to some authority.

“Well, damn, it’d be a waste not to eat this. Before I leave the kingdom, I swear I’m going to properly teach you lot how to cook. Even if Alex doesn’t need it, Belita and Reina could really benefit from learning, right?”

No, Belita and Reina only cooked because of this journey; normally, they lived in places where there were people to cook for them, they had that much money and power.

Come to think of it, they probably wouldn’t have to cook in the first place, right?

“Hey, Hero,”

Alex stared at Olivia, who was eating, his face tense.

“What is it?”

“Are you… okay?”

“What do you mean? And more importantly, why aren’t you all eating? Don’t be so leisurely, this bitter stuff gets even worse when it gets cold…”

Thump.

With a clatter, Olivia’s spoon dropped from her hand, her hand shaking violently.

“Ugh.”

Then, a pain that seemed to spread from her heart throughout her entire body made Olivia drop the stew she was holding.

“Cough!”

Spitting out blood, Olivia could feel the magic that had been protecting her rapidly disappearing.

Poison?

But that was impossible.

From a young age, Olivia had been trained as a hero to resist any kind of poison, so she could easily ignore most poisons. And with Belita there, she could fight without worrying about things like poison.

There were some executives in the Demon Lord’s army who used poison, but they only caused Olivia a little discomfort; they didn’t have any real effect on her.

But right now, something was seriously wrong with Olivia’s body.

“B-Bellita…!”

I didn’t really know, but if it was poison, I had to ask Bellita for treatment, or so I thought. In that instant, Olivia sensed danger, quickly drew her holy sword, and dodged.

*Zzhaak!!*

A blade of pure magic sliced through the air, and her arm, where the hero’s mark was engraved, went flying, the holy sword tumbling with it.

“Kuh-uukk…!!”

Barely stifling a scream, she stumbled backwards as Alex stared at her with cold eyes.

Olivia’s brow furrowed, completely unable to grasp the situation. She glanced around to see Bellita and Reina avoiding her gaze, as if they didn’t want to meet her eyes.

Only Alex held her gaze, unblinking.

“You ate the Shinigami’s poison, and you’re still alive even with your arm cut off? …You monster b*tch.”

“W-what.”

Blood poured from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, and for the first time in her life, Olivia felt her body completely robbed of freedom, making her stagger.

‘My magic…’

Her magic wouldn’t come out.

No, to be precise, it was coming out, but Olivia couldn’t control it properly.

“What the hell is this…? *Cough!* What are you doing!? Alex! Bellita! Reina!”

“With the Demon King dead, do we really need a hero?”

“….”

“You defeated even the Demon King with ease. It wasn’t even a close call; you clearly had plenty of room to spare. No one can beat you in a head-on fight.”

What does that have to do with anything?

Is Olivia being strong a reason to kill Olivia?

It might have been somewhat violent, but Olivia had never attacked an innocent citizen even once.

She’d never used the hero’s power on anyone except those who started the trouble or criminals, and she had no intention of doing so in the future either.

Alex’s way of speaking, as if a hero in a world without a demon king was no different from the threat the demon king posed, was incomprehensible.

“It would have been better if you’d quietly stayed in the kingdom and remained a symbol, but you didn’t choose that option.”

“……”

Silence.

Olivia was only using her head to understand the current situation.

Why was he attacking her?

Where did he even get the poison of the god of death?

Unanswerable questions filled her mind.

‘Anyway, I have to escape from here.’

Olivia didn’t know exactly what the poison of the god of death was, but the fact it was affecting her this much meant it was definitely not ordinary poison.

Thinking she needed to retreat for now, she tried to grab the holy sword again. The holy sword didn’t really care about physical distance and would appear in Olivia’s hand if she wished it.

In other words, even if it had flown away with her hand, it would return to Olivia.

The seal was the same; it was noticeably on the back of her right hand, but she could move it anywhere she wanted with just her thoughts.

“……! Wh-what. Kuhut!”

“The holy sword won’t be summoned, will it? Even though it’s right next to you.”

“You, what… did you do?”

Alex showed her a bead he was holding, and she immediately recognized it as the Goddess’s bead.

“How…did you get that?”

“The Goddess’s Orb, it’s an insurance policy, forged in case the Hero goes berserk and crosses the line. A tool to forcibly sever the contract between Hero and Holy Sword.”

“That’s a royal treasure! Without the king’s permission… Without permission…”

Olivia trailed off, her mouth clamping shut.

It made more sense for this to be done under the king’s orders rather than the kingdom taking such a risk, slipping past security.

“Someone like you, a natural disaster in human form, not becoming a weapon of the kingdom, wandering the world as you please…”

Alex said, his eyes fixed on Olivia.

“…How could anyone sleep soundly? We can’t know when you might decide our kingdom is evil.”

“…”

Alex laughed.

Even as her skin changed, the Reaper’s poison surely killing Olivia, he said,

“You abandoned the kingdom, so it’s not so bad if the kingdom abandons you… Isn’t it? Hero?”