[TS] Surviving in a Yuri Visual Novel

When Leticia first suggested that I teach students who are members of the next Hero party after becoming a professor, I was confused. I thought the Hero party had ended with our generation.

With the peace treaty signed, which could last indefinitely, was there really a need for a new Hero party?

So I asked.

I questioned whether there was still a need to create a new Hero party now that a peace treaty with the Mazoku had been established. I mentioned that if we unnecessarily provoked the Mazoku, it wouldn’t end well for either side.

Leticia’s response at that time was this.

“The Hero party isn’t necessary just for fighting the Mazoku or the Demon King. There could be other dangerous enemies aside from the Demon King, and more importantly, since the next Hero has been revealed through the Goddess’s oracle, the formation of a Hero party is inevitable; you know that as well as I do.”

Leticia said this with a bitter smile on her face.

At first glance, her words seemed plausible. However, I remained negative about producing a new Hero. While it was true that there might be dangerous enemies other than the Demon King, it was still an uncertain factor, and I couldn’t let the life of a single human be thrown into turmoil over a threat that hadn’t even appeared yet.

I had sensed this during gameplay, and having observed Leo grow as a Hero firsthand, I knew.

Leticia must have known well too.

How much of a cursed profession being a Hero truly was. The term Hero essentially meant being a human chosen by the Goddess, and they bore the expectations of everyone. Conversely, a failed Hero was treated worse than a bug and slowly forgotten by all.

I had witnessed the downfall of such Heroes many times.

There were several Heroes besides Leo, but ultimately he was the only one who survived, both physically and mentally. While Leo’s strong mental fortitude played a part, he was still a human like anyone else. If it weren’t for the mental care provided by other party members, myself included, he too would have crumbled.

Well, the Leo I knew wasn’t someone who would easily break down. Still, one can never know about other people’s circumstances.

In any case, being a Hero wasn’t something a human should undertake.

It really is a cursed profession.

That’s why I respect Leo while considering him a friend.

I understand how arduous and challenging the path he has walked is. That’s why I couldn’t comprehend why a new Hero would be chosen when the war against the Mazoku had ended. After all, Leo was still alive and well.

Who would think Leo would die? He was living well, even in a cursed state as a woman due to the curse. A new Hero? It was a situation that only left me sighing.

However, even as I was skeptical about raising a new Hero candidate, I couldn’t help but agree with Leticia’s reasoning when I thought about the recent Academy incident.

“Just because the war is over doesn’t mean it’s completely finished,” she had said.

That remark might turn out to be correct.

More than anything, while peace may reign now with the peace treaty, once the current era of the Demon King or the Emperor ends, who knows when the next war might break out? Considering such circumstances, I couldn’t shake the thought that the Goddess’s oracle might have been right.

Humans are weak, so they must always be prepared.

Recalling the words of heroes from the old era, I thought of Chloe, the one called the next Hero.

She still had many inexperienced traits, but in terms of talent and skill with the sword, she was far superior to Charles, who had initially taught the sword, and even Leo when he first picked up a sword as a Hero.

Her fundamentals were solid.

I hadn’t asked, but if she had trained her swordsmanship through self-study, then her talent could not simply be called genius, and even if she had a teacher, the fact that she possessed extraordinary talent remained unchanged.

‘…I’m not trying to belittle either of them, but purely in terms of talent, she might surpass me.’

With a character, Damien Redius, who came equipped with all sorts of cheats, I shouldn’t be the one to judge talent. I thought while observing the two girls having their tea time on the sofa, enjoying their drinks.

‘If they realized our junior Hero is a monster beyond imagination, they would be floored.’

They were the same ones who had evaluated Leo’s initial sword mastery as incredible.

It was clear that if they saw Chloe, they would be left speechless.

If Chloe were to gain significant real-world experience from here on out, I wondered what kind of monster would emerge.

It was something even I couldn’t predict.

Since she had already surpassed the level of an ordinary student, if she were to reach her full potential, Ryuren would definitely face significant challenges.

Surely it would become that way.

I paused in my report writing, glancing out of the window.

The war with the Mazoku, in which countless people had perished, must have ended in our era.

So many lives were lost, and the order and safety of the time were in shambles. I, we lived through such an era for years. When a global war broke out, the breakdown of order was truly instantaneous.

There was a kingdom that raised a knight order for the sake of peace, and there were traitors who sided with the Demon King’s army for their selfish desires. Numerous instances occurred where the kingdom that abstained from the war against the Demon King was branded as a pawn of the Demon King and was destroyed by another kingdom of humans.

It was truly a kingdom of beasts.

Our Hero party had to protect people from the Mazoku and protect people from each other.

There were even those among the Demon King’s side who felt interest or love for humans, so it was not entirely strange for humans to ally with the Demon King during that time.

And that was just a few years ago. It was an era when even the Imperial capital was not safe.

I looked down at the Imperial city, which seemed to be enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere due to the news of the Academy being attacked, and I forced a bitter smile.

At least, as a result of the news spreading that the Academy’s attack had been excellently defended, the peaceful scenery unfolding before my eyes lacked any notable gloomy expressions. I stared at the people who were exchanging items and laughing, muttering to myself.

“I wish those who died protecting the homeland could see this scene.”

Unlike me, who had killed Mazoku or humans while thinking of it as just a game, the knights who fought and died purely to protect their families, lovers, and country would surely have been happy to see this sight, finally being able to lay down their legs in peace.

“What a shame.”

“What are you mumbling about by yourself, acting all pitiful?”

“Just.”

Turning my head at the sudden voice behind me, I saw Irina resting her arms on the table as she looked this way. It seemed their conversation was finished, and Chloe, glancing this way while taking a sip of tea, was now back to enjoying her drink. Letting out a wry smile, I briefly responded to Irina’s question.

“Just thinking that those who died would have liked to see the current Empire. They fought, vowing to create a peaceful era without war for their children, so I figured they would be pleased by this sight.”

“……They would be pleased. Those who sacrificed their lives to protect their homeland. If they valued their lives, they would have fled the moment they saw the Archdemon of the Demon King on the front lines.”

A fight for protection inevitably accompanies sacrifices. In a situation where one must sacrifice their life to protect someone else. The knights at the front always faced such situations, carrying their wills as if they were written in their hearts.

Yet, they always smiled. Even in hopeless situations, they believed in the hope of being Heroes, standing guard by our side until the day they all departed.

To a sky unreachable far above.

I heard from Leticia that only a few knights who were at the forefront have survived until now. Among those who survived, many lived as husks due to aftereffects. Irina scratched her head with a grim expression.

“I’m sorry to say this to our junior, but as you said, being a Hero is indeed a cursed profession. Everyone’s hope? With every life that disappears, Leo has suffered so much!”

“Yet we can’t blame the knights, Irina. They fought carrying the hope of Leo and us. If we had ceased to exist…”

“Then there would be no hope for the soldiers.”

Chloe, who had silently listened to Irina’s words, nodded emotionlessly.

“Wars should never occur. If Leo, our junior Hero, and others are all striving for peace, then if they were to spark another war, one of their races would surely face extinction this time.”

Seeing Chloe’s calm face as she spoke those frightening words, I rubbed my arms and replied with a reluctant expression.

“…It’s a bit scary to hear a saint say such things with a calm face.”

“Ah. Is the demon who fears even the heavens afraid of a saint?”

“Hey.”

As I reacted to Chloe’s teasing tone, I felt a presence outside the door.

An instinctive sense of dread at the piercing mana. The faces of Chloe and Irina stiffened at the presence of the Mazoku mana. Sending them a signal to stay still as I approached the door, I slowly opened it.

“The welcome is rather fierce. I told the Hero to wait here, you know.”

And I locked eyes with the red-eyed figure.

---