Chapter 2 - I’m a Hero!? (2)


    “Hoo······.”


    He had mapped out a golden n to bring about a tranquil future for himself, but his n went awry from the start. All the fault lie in the fact that Artpe was chosen to be a hero. The future in front of him was a confusing and chaotic mess.


    “Why me!”


    “This is all very splendid, Artpe! Isn’t it!”


    Maetel stuck close to him, and she was all smiles. On top of her head, Artpe could see words that could be only seen with his eyes.


    [Name : Maetel]


    [Race : Human Female]


    [Title : Hero]


    [Level : 1]


    [Strength : 8, Agility : 12, Stamina : 11, Magic Energy : 10]


    “No matter how I think about this, this doesn’t make any sense...”


    That’s right.


    This time around two heroes were chosen.


    “I had faith that Artpe would be a hero. Artpe is smart!”


    “I believed ‘you’ would be the only one to be a hero.”


    This was what happened in his previous life!


    Maybe this was the 1,000 year anniversary of creation of this world, and this was some kind of a massive event where two heroes were given instead of one!


    Yes. The fact that there were two heroes meant that the probability of sess in killing the Demon King had gone up. That was a good thing.


    Still, why did he have to one of the heroes! The fact that he was the hero’s childhood friend was already dangerous enoght, yet now his situation had worsened!


    “Please wait a moment. We’ll contact the pce, and we’ll take both of you to the capital”


    “Pce! Are we really going to a pce!?”


    “Yes. I’ll be back soon.”


    “Yes!”


    “······uh?”


    Why were there two heroes? Why did he be a hero!


    He wrapped his hands around his head as he faced the nightmare-like reality in front of him. When he raised his head, he discovered the priest in charge of the Baptism Ritual moving quickly towards the exit. The sight evoked an ominous feeling within him. Artpe narrowed his eyes as he asked Maetel a question.


    “What did he just say?”


    “He’ll contact the pce, and we’ll be taken to the capital!”


    “The capital!?”


    “Yes, the capital! It is a shiny city!”


    Maetel’s voice was filled with happiness and delight. She sounded super sweet. Artpe heard her overly sweet words, and it caused his expression to sour in real time!


    In his previous life, he clearly remembered what happened to the hero when she went to the capital. He shouldn’t be wallowing in despair as he stood by doing nothing! If they didn’t get out of this situation, they will be ruined!


    Artpe decided not to ruminate over his situation right now. He could dwell on his own misfortune at ater time. The important thing right now....


    They had to run away!


    “Capital! Pce! Being a hero is really great!”


    “You arepletely mistaken. The pce isn’t as grand a ce to be as you think.”


    Why did humans treat heroes well? They wanted to trot out the heroes to face the Demon King. It didn’t matter if other humans gave them nice clothes and food. When the time came, they would push the two of them out into the streets. They would expect the heroes to kill the Demon King. Basically, the two of them were akin to domesticated pigs that would be fattened and eatenter.


    “Well, let’s talk about the problem we face right now. ”


    “Pork is too expensive to eat!”


    “The quality of the fodder they are trying to feed us stinks! It is pathetic!”


    Did she understand what Artpe was trying to convey? When she heard his words, her pupils shook for the first time. It was as if the world was about to fall on her head. She asked in a serious manner.


    “Wa. The food at the pce isn’t tasty?”


    “It is the worst.”


    Artpe was firm with his words. It had already been several hundred years since the fight between a hero and a Demon King. Of course, the pce had a manual in regards to how to develop a hero. However, it was very outdated! It was trash! Even themon soldiers of the Demon Army would ridicule the manual if they saw it!


    ‘In truth, the hero’s development was dyed, because she followed their manual.’


    Maetel’s potential was remarkable. In only a year, her level had increased from level 200 to level 374. Even if the Demon King continued to provide a constant stream of fodder, her growth rate was unbelievable.


    Such an amazing hero had lived in the pce for several years, yet her growth rate had been absurdly low. If the Demon King hadn’t paid attention to her, she would have never reached the Demon King’s castle!


    Therefore, if the two heroes were dragged into the pce, the only thing waiting for them was a terrible loss! It would be game over for them!


    “Humans are the biggest enemies of other humans. I want you to remember this, Maetel.”


    “Ah, all right. Humans are the biggest enemies of other humans... The food at the pce tastes bad....”


    This was the moment when the hero realized humanity was her enemy.


    “So what should we do, Artpe?”


    “Don’t worry about it. I thought of a way to nurture... I know how we’ll develop ourselves. I know things are a bit messed up right now, but... Tsk. It can’t be helped. Let’s do this my way.”


    His original n was to gather all the skills and magic in this world. He nned on giving it all to Maetel. However, he had also be a hero now. Their enemy didn’t have a single target anymore. The target had split into two, and Artpe didn’t want to die. This was why Artpe had no choice, but toe to this conclusion.


    “From now on, you’ll learn about weapons. I’ll learn magic. The rest... We’ll appropriately split it up between the two of us, and learn it.”


    “Yes!”


    A hero was able to learn skills and magic from all sses. This special characteristic made the Hero ss a cheat ss. Moreover, there were a good number of unique skills and special skills hidden around the world, and they could only be mastered by the hero ss.


    Normally, it was foolish to learn magic and weapons at the same time. It slowed one’s development in both fields. However, the hero had to swallow the bitter pill of learning both fields, since the hero was pushed to learn all the skills and special moves that could only be learned by the hero...


    ‘However, there are two heroes now.’


    The most fundamental problem had been solved. The two of them could choose one’s specialty field ahead of time. Each skill they gained could be maxed out. This would simplify their n on how they would dispose the Demon King!


    “....this is hogwash! Ooh-ahhhhh! Why am I a hero!”


    “Artpe. A hog doesn’t wash itself!”


    “Don’t undercut me so coldly at a time like this!”


    This wasn’t his original n! He nned on developing Maetel into a great hero, and he nned on eating the crumbs off the table from the back! He would have to fight the bone chillingly strong Demon King! Shit!


    “Ooh-ahhhhhhhh. Please tell me this is all a dream!”


    “This is really like a dream, Artpe. Artpe and I are heroes.... Together....”


    Maetel’s idiotic reaction didn’t allow Artpe to escape from reality. If he dropped the ball, the Private A of the Demon King’s army might be able to kill them! Artpe let out a big sigh as he flicked Maetel’s forehead.


    “Ouch.”


    “You have to get ahold of yourself from now on. A hero bes the center of attention for the humans, but at the same time, the hero bes the target of every demon within the Demon race.”


    “It’s all right. I’ll protect Artpe!”


    “Yes. I like that you are courageous.”


    He was a little bitte in realizing this, but.... This girl was a bit of an idiot.


    How was she able to learn magic and healing spells? After much consideration, he realized Maetel had only used her sword in his previous life. He hadn’t seen her use anything else.


    Even as he lost, he had thought the hero was acting cool when she held back from using any magic. However, Artpe was mistaken. The hero had been an idiot, and she hadn’t been able to handle any difficult magic!


    “Eh-whew. Maybe this is for the best. It seems the gods are pretty smart.”


    It was said a diamond on a dunghill is still a diamond. Artpe had the experience of living as a Demon, so he was more adept at manipting magicpared to most humans. He was made into being a hero, and at the very least, he was better at using magic than Maetel. This meant their chances of beating the Demon King had gone up.


    If he didn’t have this idea to cling onto, his stomach would be churning from pain.


    “I reincarnated for nothing······.”


    “Huh? Reincarnated?”


    “It’s nothing. Let’s get ready to escape.”


    “Escape?”


    When Maetel made a retort, Artpe didn’t say anything. He just pointed out the window.


    “Artpe! Let’s talk for a little bit!”


    “We gave you bread yesterday!”


    “I have an item left behind by your father, Maetel! Why don’t youe out here for a brief moment.?”


    This was a hut where Artpe lived by himself. This was no where near the center of the vige, yet the people of the vige were all gathered in front of his hut. It was a scary sight.


    “Ah. He said my father left an item behind! I’ll be right back.”


    “They are liars. Stay by my side.”


    “Yes!”


    Artpe stopped Maetel from getting up. She almost fell for the most basic trick. He let out a sigh. He would have to turn away the people, and he would have to escape the vige with Maetel. His immediate future looked bleak. At that moment, Maetel’s naive voice asked a question.


    “So why are so many people gathered outside? Normally, they are very chilly towards Artpe and I.”


    “Since we are heroes, they probably want to create a tie with us at all cost. Still, they are only level 1 starter vige people ABCD.”


    Artpe was an orphan of unknown origin. Maetel had lost her mother when she was young, and her father was a traveling merchant.


    The vigers weren’t heartless enough to let the two die. They helped the children get by, but they were considered to be a drain on their resources. This was why the vigers had treated them as if they were undesirables.


    However, the two of them had suddenly be heroes!


    Until now, the people of this vige had treated them poorly, and those memories were shing through their minds. This was why they had all gathered here to leave a positive memory behind in the two children’s minds.


    “If they had something useful, I would take it, but....”


    There was no hidden treasure or skill in this vige. He had checked with his Read All Creation ability.


    Basically, he had nothing to gain from the vigers. This tow had no special characteristics aside the fact that the heroes were born her. This was basically a quintessential starter’s vige!


    “Nothing good wille from getting involved with them. Even if we received andpleted a request, they probably would give us some grass as a reward.”


    “I’m good at eating grass. When I was young, father taught me which grass I could eat.”


    “I’m not going to eat grass. I’m not a cow. Are you a cow?”


    “No!”


    “Then you shouldn’t eat it from now on.”


    “Yes!”


    He didn’t care about the worries of the vigers. They didn’t interest Artpe. The fact that he was a hero now was annoying, so he didn’t feel the need to get involved in other people’s business! The only things he needed was money, level, skills and spells!


    “This is why we have to run away. If we stay put, we might be dragged away to the castle.”


    “I also don’t want food that tastes bad!”


    Maetel let out an energetic shout as if she agreed with Artpe. However, she soon asked a question in low spirits.


    “If fatheres back to find me missing, he’ll be sad. If I go stay at the castle, I can contact him. I can’t do that if I go with you.”


    “You are sharp in regards to some topics.... Well... Mmmm.”


    At this point in time, Maetel’s father had died in a remote part of the continent. Artpe had been in charge of investigating her, so he was sure of it.


    However, he couldn’t just tell her that her father was dead, because it was so in his previous life! Artpe’s existence might have changed Maetel’s father’s fate, but that possibility was very low. However, he didn’t feel the need to attack Maetel mentally at this point in time.


    This was why he made up a reasonable-sounding excuse.


    “We’ll leave behind a letter. Your father knows that you are close with me. He’ll probablye looking for you at this hut.”


    “Artpe. I know how to read letters, but I don’t know how to write....”


    “It’s all right. I know human...I know how to read and write the Kingdom Language.”


    “That’s amazing!”


    When Artpe raised his right hand, a blue light appeared at the end of his index finger. This couldn’t be called magic. It was the most basic mana technique called Mana Manifestation. It was possible to engrave letters into the wood using the hot mana. Maetel’s eyes became brighter. Artpe grinned as he confirmed something with her.


    “Does your father know the Kingdom Language?”


    “Of course!”


    “All right, hero. Do you have anything you want to tell your father?”


    “Yes, I do! So....”


    Artpae transcribed all of Maetel’s words on the wall of the hut. He let out a sigh as he stepped back. He thought this was pointless, but if he could keep her morale up, it was worth it.


    ‘I’ve gone through the trouble of doing this. You shoulde back alive, and search this hut out.’


    He grumbled as he gave his wish, and he grabbed Maetel’s hand.


    Kyahh!


    Maetel let out a bashful sound, but he ignored it.


    “Let’s run away.”


    “Y...yes!”


    “Aht, Artpe!”


    “Maetel!”


    The two of them charged out of the hut’s door in an energetic manner. The vigers rushed forward. Artpe didn’t know when the priest would being back, so he didn’t have the time to deal with the vigers. Artpe chose the weakest looking viger. He red at the Viger D as he spoke.


    “We have to go to the restroom.”


    “I...I’m sorry.”


    Vige person D backed off. Viger A, B, C and E followed D’s example as they also backed off!


    This was the moment he had been waiting for. He ran as he pulled Maetel behind him. Viger D looked at the children’s back. It seemed the two of them really had to go to the restroom.


    However, the two children was never seen again. They didn’t return to the vige.


    The heroes seeded in running away.