I Picked Up the Hero Who Banished Me - Chapter 30



29 – [The Hero and I – 14]

Alex Reynolds does not regret his choices.

Cruel choices, evil choices, it doesn’t matter.

The world’s an easier place to live in when you choose evil to live, rather than good to die.

“Has your audience with His Majesty concluded!”

“Yes, you’ve done well. Protecting His Majesty is the duty of the Royal Palace Guard, do your best.”

“Yes, sir!”

Appropriate words.

Words without feeling.

Words to put on a social mask, it’s quite comfortable.

Many people, even if they think Alex is in the wrong, will say ‘he’s not like that,’ seeing only the good, they’ll shout, and if nothing else he repays every kindness he receives.

The more naive a good person is, the harder they find it to ignore such debts.

He tried to do the same for Olivia, but the hero Olivia Reinhardt was too strong, there was never a chance to do her a favor.

And that favor was even given by Royce, not Alex.

Always looking at her like she was some kind of monster, yet when Olivia was actually in danger, Royce was the first to react, quicker than anyone.

Everyone else, including Alex, saw the strength of the hero Olivia Reinhart and labeled her a monster, but it felt like only Royce saw her as just a ‘strong person.’

‘Royce, huh.’

It was a missed name.

When they met in the hero party, she’d been surprised.

At first, it seemed like Royce was going to acknowledge her, but after Alex ignored him, he didn’t try anymore, just communicating as a member of the hero party.

That was definitely the reaction Alex wanted.

She could have praised his wise attitude, but an inexplicable frustration remained in her chest, irritating her.

“…….”

No, what happens to Royce doesn’t matter.

He’s a spirit mage.

He’ll be eating well and living well in some place Alex doesn’t know.

Spirit mages are a rare job by default, so he’d be able to find work anywhere. Besides, Alex had far more important things to worry about right now than some Royce.

Once everything was over, it might be nice to go talk to him, but that might be years, maybe even decades from now.

‘How unfittingly sentimental I’ve become.’

She didn’t need human emotions.

All that was needed was to survive, build up wealth and fame, and make the kingdom the strongest.

That was the only emotion allowed to Alex Reynolds now.

She almost wished there was some event, something that would make her fall, something that could have changed her for the better.

This is how she grew up, this is how she was raised.

No excuses.

He was just that kind of man.

“Mr. Alex!”

“Ms. Bellita, what is it? …Did you finally connect with Ms. Reina?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Hmm?”

“Ms. Lilis…!”

“Ms. Lilis?”

What about Lilis?

“She used a warp orb and left for East Port!”

“…Hmm.”

Alex frowned.

So he was suspicious, after all.

‘This is why I’ve always disliked him.’

He had an unnervingly good intuition, and the drive to back it up.

If only he used that instinct – which skipped the process and focused only on results – more wisely. But sadly, Lilis Cliffort seemed the type who couldn’t live that way.

The texture might be a little different, but she was the same as Olivia.

She wouldn’t lower her head and die.

She’d lift it high and stare down the one trying to kill her, a stubborn soul who’d die on her feet.

‘Her body was weak, so her actions were limited compared to her drive. But for her to move like this all of a sudden…’

So, trusting just that gut feeling, she dragged that frail body to East Port?

Worst case, she could have investigated East Port and *then* gone to the eastern continent. But if, *just if*, Olivia and Lyris met, things would get troublesome.

Lyris has held such strong affection for Olivia since way back, you could almost call her a follower.

To be precise, maybe it’s because she’s physically weak, so she admires the strong Olivia, but regardless, you couldn’t know how such a favorable Lyris would react if she heard Olivia’s story.

‘Annoying.’

Lyris doesn’t even show her face outside, but her intuition has solved various problems, so she has considerable support from the citizens.

Of course, it wasn’t to the same degree as the hero party that caught the demon king, but if she publicized the hero’s survival, and Olivia, the hero herself, exposed the truth, the tables could turn in an instant.

“Seems like we’re running out of time. We might have to resort to some rather rough methods.”

*

“It’s amazing! The red moon is gone! Everyone seems to have fainted! It’s amazing! Really!”

That was Sylphy’s pure praise.

No matter how much she might have been anticipating it, she couldn’t have imagined things would be resolved so quickly.

Well, even without me, the hero would have managed to win on her own.

I just prevented the casualties that would have occurred in the process.

“Royce-nim?”

“Don’t come closer!”

“Ah, yes! Um, the flames…!”

This is why I didn’t want to use it.

I ended up using it for longer than I thought.

I tried my best to subdue the flames, but they were still erupting from my body, setting the surrounding ground ablaze.

This is beyond imagining.

It felt even more vibrant after not using it for so long.

I couldn’t let it harm the village, so I was suppressing it as best I could, but the flames flickering inside my body were unavoidable.

Light pulsed from my chest, and that mind-numbing pain made me recall the past, causing me to unconsciously grimace.

Just a run-of-the-mill spirit mage from the slums.

If you took away the fact that I was a spirit mage, I was nothing special.

But, if I had to pick one special thing.

It was that I could temporarily turn my body into a spirit.

That was the spirit integration technique I possessed, and it wasn’t something I created. I didn’t learn it, but rather I was forced into an environment where I had no choice but to acquire it.

No.

Actually, I needed to think about whether the expression “acquired” was even correct.

“Kuhk.”

My body had returned to human form, but the spirit flames were gradually slipping out of my control, leaving burns on my skin.

I needed to calm them down quickly.

I’d get some burns, but if I could just hold out for a few minutes…

“Royce?”

“……!”

The Hero was there, staring at me with a shocked expression.

He dropped the corpse-like thing he had been holding in one hand and looked at me.

My skin was cracking open, and flames flickered within.

It definitely wouldn’t have been a pretty sight.

Nearby flames flickered, rising higher as if understanding my turmoil.

‘It’s okay, just a few more minutes…’

“Lois.”

“Just a moment! Ms. Lyvia! Don’t come closer! You’ll get burned! Just a little longer.”

But like she wouldn’t listen to a word I said, the Heroine approached me.

I thought it before, but she’s a pain in the ass when it comes to listening.

Though, maybe that’s a good thing.

She didn’t become some doll who’d thank me and do whatever I said. That’s why she shines more, and that’s a big part of what makes her so attractive.

She quickly stood right in front of me.

The flames flickered, but she didn’t care and just looked at me.

“What is this?”

“It’s a spirit flame.”

“Why is your arm like that?”

“My body has temporarily become that of a spirit.”

“I see.”

Did she even understand?

It’s not realistically possible.

In the first place, the technique of spirit unification itself doesn’t exist in the world. I couldn’t tell whether the Heroine knew it was something that couldn’t be created naturally, or if she was oblivious to it.

All I know is the Heroine was calm.

His pupils didn’t waver, those crimson eyes reflecting only me.

“You calmed down?”

“…….”

The flames rapidly died down, seeping into my body.

And then, as if shattered glass was reforming, my body rapidly repaired itself, completely returning to a normal human state. Only then did the Hero look at me and smile, and I stared blankly at that face.

“I thought you were hiding something, but this is just absurd. That was a basilisk, right? You just incinerated it in one hit? Amazing!”

“Aren’t you going to ask me anything?”

“Hmm, I want to ask, but I don’t want to.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I have the urge to ask, but how should I put it… Maybe that secret is a wound for you.”

The Hero gave an awkward laugh.

She probably knew I was hiding something, and maybe she had even realized I was concealing some kind of power.

She had a keen intuition, and she practically made a living off of it.

“I am still curious though.”

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Hmm, do I deserve to touch that wound? Are you granting me the right to touch it?”

Innocent and single-minded, she shone like midday even in this night.

It was definitely something you could compare to the sun.

The Hero slowly placed her hand on my chest and said,

“Then, is it okay to touch it, your wound?”

“…….”

She looks straight at me.

Then and now, she never runs away.

She has always faced situations head-on.

She never fled from any circumstance.

The hero said she lacked courage, but she seemed to be the bravest person I knew.

Having fear didn’t mean a lack of courage, after all.

“It’s not a very pleasant story.”

“Still, I want to know.”

“…….”

“Just like you’re precious to me, I wish I were the same for you. That’s why I want to know you.”

“I might leave a bad impression, you might get disappointed.”

“Why?”

The hero smiled.

“I’ll simply learn one more thing about you.”

“……Haa, do as you please. It really isn’t a pleasant story.”

“It’s okay to reach out, that’s a relief… I guess I’m enough of a person to earn your trust.”

Trust has always been there.

Trust that she would never cross the line.

I always thought of her as someone trustworthy.

And then.

That face, like a sun illuminating this dark night.

For some reason, I couldn’t look at it directly.

“First, after the village has cleaned up…”

I carefully turned my gaze, and Silphy came into view.

“Uh, um…”

“Ah.”

“Ah, Silphy! Luckily, you don’t seem hurt!”

Silphy, who had been watching me and the hero, was blushing, covering her face with her hand while looking this way.

Although she was covering her face with her hand, the gaps between her fingers were so wide that her eyes were clearly visible.

“…….”

I clutched my head, but the hero didn’t seem bothered at all.

I’m going crazy.

I became inexplicably embarrassed.

‘Being so single-minded is scarier than I thought.’