The Former Hero Began To Be Re-Evaluated

15 – The Second Hero (14)

What Leah said to me was quite shocking.

“So you are the first princess of the Kingdom of Artes?”

“No. Although I am the third princess, I am now the first heir.”

The Kingdom of Artes is currently in chaos and in the midst of a civil war, and the person who will inherit the kingdom is Lia.

When she heard those words, she honestly couldn’t help but be surprised.

Well, she thought there would be some circumstances, but she still said she was the heir to the throne.

It was something she could never have imagined.

“Huh.”

So, I wondered if Lia was just telling me a made-up story, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

It was definitely not a nonsensical story.

It seems that somehow Lia managed to escape from a kingdom in the middle of a civil war.

As an orphan she stayed in the church, and she drifted into the village and had a normal life.

Then she actually met me, a warrior, by chance.

She met me and brought me to the Kingdom of Artes like this.

“So you dragged me in? To end the civil war?”

Perhaps Lia’s plan was to take advantage of her hero?

I asked Leah as she sighed.

“Uhm… I’m not saying anything like that.”

Lia was a little taken aback by my words.

She must be a little stingy for trying to take advantage of me.

However, it seemed like she wasn’t trying to take full advantage of it.

“I just thought that if I entered the country with the warrior, there might be something there.”

She didn’t seem to have any intention of asking me directly for help.

Lia seemed like she just wanted to borrow my power.

“Once I legitimately receive the right to inherit the throne, I will try to take care of it somehow…”

Even if you quit being a hero, the prestige of a hero is not easy.

They probably tried to take advantage of the fact that they entered the country with a hero.

It seemed like he was only trying to be indebted to me that much.

It seemed like he thought things would work out somehow from then on.

Well… Even after hearing it again, it was still a ridiculous statement.

“Ha… I can’t live because of you.”

Should I call this clever or cute…

So how do you do this?

Anyway, I think I know roughly everything about Lia’s situation.

Leah wanted to put an end to the civil war in the kingdom, and she would rightfully inherit her throne.

Then the question was what should I do in this situation?

Should I help Lia or leave her alone?

I had no choice but to think about that problem for a while.

‘Okay… Let me help you.’

And when I thought about it, I decided to focus on helping.

I don’t know if this is really true.

In fact, although this decision may seem like a simple one, it was one that I put a lot of thought into.

I don’t see the so-called rebellion as a bad thing.

Because it is a country with problems in the first place, there are dissatisfaction, and that is probably why rebellions occur.

I think that the monarch who runs the country is somewhat responsible for what is called a rebellion.

Of course, there are cases where rebellions occur unjustly even though the government has been run really well, so I think this is an issue that requires at least listening to both sides.

And even if one side is at fault, I don’t think that issue is something that I, as an outsider, should be involved in.

They must judge and decide their own future.

I don’t think it should be decided by someone else.

Even if he is a hero.

So, when I was a warrior, I tried not to get involved in issues that involved people fighting among themselves.

I don’t know if it means killing a demon.

If I were a former warrior, I would not have gotten involved.

‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea to believe it once.’

Nevertheless, the reason I decided to help Lia was simple.

I had a feeling that Ria would not be a very bad king.

Well, he basically had a smart and kind personality and tried to take advantage of me, but he tried to keep it to a minimum and basically tried to solve the problem on his own.

At least it won’t put the people in danger or starve them to death.

The reason I decided to help Lia was because I thought highly of those things.

If you see what he’s doing, at least he won’t become a cancer tyrant or a tyrant…

Besides, I’m not even a hero right now, right?

If he had been a warrior, he wouldn’t have helped, but now he was just an ordinary farmer with some strength.

Compared to the past, I felt somewhat free from responsibility.

As an individual, I don’t mind helping Lia for my own beliefs and interests.

“Lia. Be sure to pay me back later.”

“Yes?”

“Follow me.”

I said while patting Lia’s head.

I plan to help you.

But you must not be mistaken.

I never helped for free.

I plan to pay interest later to make sure I get it.

# # #

After parting ways with the Herald, the warrior party members leisurely waited for the Herald in a city near the Demon World.

A new city was created recently. Originally, there were many attempts to build a city here due to the various minerals found near the Demon World, but it only became active recently.

The demon world was gradually organized by the warrior Lee Han-su, and only then was the city able to be built.

In that city, the warrior party members were waiting for the Herald.

To return to the empire like the Herald who returned after defeating the Demon King…

We promised to meet again here.

“Is that… Really?”

“Yes. I think it’s certain.”

However, they were greeted with news that came as a surprise to them.

It was the news that the Herald had died.

The staff of Luna, the wizard of the warrior party, began to shake violently.

It was news that the various buffs given to Herald before parting ways with him had ended.

Although there is clearly still time left, the time for buffs is over.

This was clearly an ominous sign.

It was a very ominous sign that the Herald had died to the Demon King.

Of course, the Herald himself could have cut off Luna’s buff.

Because you can cut off the buff yourself if you want.

You can stop it immediately by simply blocking the magic power.

But, that will never be the case.

Why would you debuff yourself in the first place?

While fighting with no one else but a being called the Demon King…

There was absolutely no way that would happen.

No matter how much I thought of a reason to cut off the buff myself, I couldn’t think of any reason.

“Herald Hero.”

“Ugh…”

So, this situation could be thought of simply.

Herald was clearly killed by the devil.

That’s why the buff stopped.

The party members confirmed the Herald’s death.

When they found out about it, the party members took a moment to mourn about it.

Although it was a short time, they were with Herald as party members.

“Now… What should we do?”

“…”

However, even after such mourning, they could not help but worry greatly about what to do in the future regarding this situation.

This situation could be summarized simply.

Herald was killed by the Demon King, and the warrior party failed to subdue the Demon King.

They were people who joined the warrior party for their own reasons.

For the independence of the tribe called Suin and Napi.

Elf, Carne is for trade with the empire.

Saint, Aila, to maintain her status as a saint.

Wizard Luna wants to succeed in the Magic Tower.

Each of them joined the warrior party for reasons they could never ignore.

So, the demon king had to be defeated.

But what is the result now?

Still, they were party members who believed that Herald would defeat the Demon King.

But the result was Herald’s death.

They failed to accomplish their mission of defeating the Demon King.

“I don’t know. What should I really do?”

What should they do from now on?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a suitable answer.

“… I can’t go back.”

If you think with common sense, returning to the empire would be the right answer.

The most important thing to do now is to return to the Empire and inform them that the Herald is dead. That would be the most correct decision.

But, I didn’t have the courage to do that.

What will you say when you go to the empire?

Only the Herald died, and they survived.

How will they answer the question, “Why are they alive?”

There was no way I could give a proper answer.

Furthermore, even if the Demon King had been subdued that way, even the Demon King’s subjugation would have failed.

If this was used as an excuse, it could have resulted in the party members not receiving the objectives they absolutely needed from the empire.

Knowing those things, the party members had no choice but to look at each other.

No one could bring up the idea of returning to the empire first.

“Huh? A letter has arrived.”

However, in the end, the party members were destined to return to the empire.

Wizard Luna’s staff sparkled.

Perhaps the court wizard sent Luna’s message through her wand.

Luna and the party members paid attention to her staff.

To read the imperial records.

[The warrior party returns to the empire and reports on the current situation.]

And the war letter they read like that was the last thing they wanted right now.