The Hero Party is Obsessed With Me Before Our Farewell

“So, are you saying I can’t go home yet?”

“I’m sorry. How should I put it? It might sound a little strange to say this, but the Demon King died too quickly, so our preparations are still incomplete.”

This was a nation with a long history of summoning heroes and defeating Demon King. Even putting that aside, based on the things of the past, there was already plenty of information about the subject.

Between the summoning of a hero and the defeat of the demon lord, there should be countless battles, adversities, hardships, and triumphs.

Heroes may sometimes be chosen from this world, but more often than not, they are summoned from the outside. Typically, these heroes have little to no meaningful combat experience.

Training these half-baked warriors and helping them grow to the point where they can defeat the demon lord is a process that takes time.

Naturally, this process requires a significant amount of time. During this period, monsters continue to appear here and there, trade routes are disrupted, and society is gripped by unrest.

But this time, the defeat of the demon lord was a little different. To be precise, the emperor’s daughter Eleanor, to whom I lent my strength, was a little different.

As a descendant of the emperor’s bloodline, she possessed unmatched talent in magic. Her swordsmanship was so extraordinary that it could humble even the most gifted prodigies. Her physical abilities were second to none.

Even now, though I feel no affection for someone like her, I can’t deny that she was the best choice to be the hero: perseverance, nobility, skill, and mental strength—she lacked nothing.

“…So, how long do we have to wait?”

“One month! Just one month. Please don’t get too angry. Think of it as a chance to enjoy yourself. Take your time to rest before returning to your world.”

It felt as though my expectations had hit rock bottom. I thought this would be the last time I saw the sun of this world, but reality was crueler than I had imagined.

What made me the angriest was that the emperor’s words made too much sense for me to argue.

Scattered memories about the summoning of heroes and the defeat of demon king have remained in my mind since the summoning.

But even if no one had told me anything, the Imperial Library contained detailed records of past adventures. Very soon, someone would add Eleanor and her group to those records.

When I reviewed those records in detail, it became clear. No matter how I looked at it, Eleanor’s achievements had been absurdly fast.

An adventure that should have taken no less than five years had been completed in a fraction of that time, so it wasn’t surprising that other preparations might have been lacking.

Even so, I was tired of accepting all the constraints and deceptions that surrounded me. I was utterly sick of convincing myself to accept things just because they made sense or didn’t harm anyone else.

Moreover, they no longer had any civilians they could use as hostages to bind me.

“…Let me know when everything is ready. I’ll leave immediately.”

Dragging my heavy body, I exited the audience chamber.The sound of my footsteps echoing through the palace hallway was a sound I had hoped never to hear again. It felt grotesque and repugnant.

*********

Lying in bed doing absolutely nothing was, on the first day, absurdly easy.

However, my mind remained restless. The frustration of being unable to return home and the resentment for what I had to endure under the guise of being “reasonable” intertwined incessantly within me.

By the third day, I started thinking that doing something—anything—might be less boring.

“…”

Yet, I couldn’t think of anything I actually wanted to do.

If I asked the Emperor, he would likely grant most of my requests.

But the very idea of seeking his approval and relying on his mercy for something as trivial as indulging in what I wanted disgusted me.

I rejected the idea of taking even a single coin from him. Standing before him or bowing to ask him for something turned my stomach.

“I don’t know…”

The place where I was staying was a spacious and luxurious room, with a huge bed, a private bathroom, and various types of refreshments.

Maybe I could try going for a walk, but with my trembling legs, I doubted I could enjoy it.

What should I do?

If I left the imperial palace, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to return in just a month. An irrational fear whispered to me that missing that opportunity might mean never returning to Earth. That fear gnawed at my heart constantly.

Everything about me right now was a lie. My identity as the heir to a vanished noble family, fabricated by the Emperor, was too embarrassing to openly admit.

Besides, I didn’t want to form any connections here.

Just like a single pickpocket can taint your view of an entire country during a foreign trip, my perception of this world had already solidified around four women.

Even if there were leisure activities worth pursuing here, I wasn’t sure I could enjoy them.

Inside, there was a deep emptiness. I felt like someone who had spent their entire life consumed by revenge and, after achieving it, found everything around them meaningless and empty.

Anxiety crept in. Could I seamlessly pick up the life I once had on Earth if I managed to return?

What had once been a vague unease now sharpened into an impending fear.

I wasn’t sure if I could laugh, endure, or forgive like I used to.

And that was scarier than anything else.

***************

“Well done, my daughter.”

The Emperor’s calm laughter stirred a deep admiration in Eleanor.

A man who seemed entirely harmless, yet never lost his dignity or composure—a person utterly in control of his emotions. It was a smile that perfectly suited the Emperor.

“I merely followed orders.”

“So, how was your journey, Eleanor? Of course, there were hardships and joys alike, but after a journey, what always remains are the people, as precious as jewels. When I was younger, I also traveled across the kingdom… what a dreadful task.”

Eleanor felt that the expression “as precious as jewels” carried meaning beyond mere rarity and beauty.

The Emperor’s talent for managing people was remarkably akin to crafting jewelry. He’d trim away anything that jutted out or seemed off with a sharp blade. If his own brilliance was dimmed by the stones around him, he’d split them apart and discard them.

“Of all the people I encountered on this journey, there isn’t a single one I won’t remember. Although there are some I wish I didn’t have to.”

“And what about the hero? Did the two of you have any issues?”

“Are you asking about me?”

For a moment, Eleanor furrowed her brow, trying to understand the situation. Then she realized he wasn’t referring to her.

“I have nothing to say about that coward.”

“Did he commit some grave mistake?”

Suspicion, anger, worry—Eleanor’s instincts told her that the Emperor’s mind was stirred by countless thoughts.

“No. He simply lacks responsibility and resolve.”

“Is that your assessment?”

“Yes. Even if I tried to teach him swordsmanship, he lacked basic physical strength; it was like putting pearls on a pig. He constantly returned half-dead, always a burden to others, yet never showed a hint of shame.”

If not for the training she had imposed, the man would have long since perished. He was a man she shouldn’t have had to concern herself with.

While his ability to endure the training and grant the hero’s power to the right person was admirable, in Eleanor’s eyes, he was useless in every other aspect.

“I see. Do you think he might feel the same way about you?”

Noticing the Emperor’s expression darken, Eleanor realized something was going wrong.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Eleanor, how much do you know about the blessing granted to the imperial family?”

In this world, it was taken for granted that nations received blessings from gods. Dragons forming pacts with families to protect lands or spirits aiding royal houses were common occurrences.

“That it’s the power to defeat evil and enrich the land?”

“That’s part of it, but there’s also a condition for receiving those blessings.”

“As long as a member of the imperial family ascends the throne, isn’t that enough?”

“That was true until now, but originally, the blessings were a reward granted when the summoned hero of this world—or their descendants—took the throne.”

The Emperor’s calm tone made Eleanor carefully parse his words. Slowly, the implications hit her.

“What do you mean, a summoned hero? That’s impossible! If that were true, we would’ve known by now!”

“The reason we obtained the blessing was because that hero didn’t want to return to his world, so the imperial family paired him with the princess, and he ascended to the imperial throne.”

“Ridiculous…”

The hero summoning process had been meticulously documented. The Imperial Library was filled with analyses of the ritual, clearly outlining what could and could not be done.

However, a single exception could disrupt all prior knowledge. To find answers, one would have to search through records from 600 years ago, where errors could easily exist.

“I am the hero now.”

Eleanor clenched her fists, trembling with humiliation and rage. The intoxicating sensation of the hero’s power consumed her.

She had eliminated most internal and external threats to the empire. In terms of both accomplishments and status, few surpassed Eleanor.

Yet, as if mocking her words, the Emperor shook his head.

It might not have been qualified information, but he hadn’t expected anyone to know it.

“The hero is still him. He was the hero when he first arrived here, and that hasn’t changed even now.”

*****

TN: The last part of the chapter was probably quite confusing, the author has a rather vague writing style. However, this will be explained in the next chapters.