I Picked Up the Hero Who Banished Me - Chapter 39



38 – [In the Land of Elves – 06]

The first impression of the hero that Reina Forest had was that she was a young girl.

Although she was an adult in age, she was still young.

Whatever she did was emotional, impulsive, and the logic behind her actions was always peculiar, never considering the aftershocks of what she had done.

Flippant.

She thought, lacking in grace.

But she had an absolute hatred for evil, and it was almost like a kind of curse strangling her.

At first, she pitied Olivia.

But still.

‘Is that even human strength?’

She had grown stronger, to the point of being beyond control.

Evil must be cut down.

To her, the wicked weren’t people.

There were no nuanced bad guys in her world, no bad guys with a sob story.

Whether the opponent was a noble, a nation, or even the entire world, she didn’t hesitate, she was like some kind of grim reaper delivering justice.

A guardian of justice.

She deserved the title of hero, but she was extreme, and truly terrifying.

That power could actually realize her childlike ideals, she could be laughing with someone one day and then executing them the next for being a criminal.

That change was so chilling, and Reina thought she could end up like that if she didn’t meet Olivia’s standards.

But that was it, really.

There was that fear, but it was just that much.

She was a bit scary, but still, she was just, and not completely inflexible.

At least that’s how Reina saw it.

For instance, while she did believe that evil must be cut down, she had some leniency with minor offenses that didn’t involve killing. For example, if a kid stole food out of desperation, she would scold them but would also share the money she had.

Honestly, it was surprising.

Reina had been ready for her to turn the kid in and have him branded a criminal.

Because of that.

As scary as she was, Reina didn’t dislike Olivia.

Surprisingly, once you got close, her guard dropped considerably, and you could talk normally.

Sure, she was a bit high-strung, and you had to tailor your reactions to her moods which was annoying, but it was the kind of personality quirk, a flaw anyone could have, and it was tolerable.

But.

“Then Reina, would you perhaps care to engage in a fun little game with me?”

The world.

Ah.

The world.

Ignorance was a sin.

Punishment was reserved for the ignorant, and Reina’s judgment was definitely approaching.

Maybe she’d sensed it the moment she betrayed Olivia.

She’d never believed in karmic retribution.

In that moment, she’d felt that she wouldn’t get a proper ending.

*

“Talk?”

“Yeah.”

“What is there to talk about, what the hell do you have to say to me?! I betrayed you!! You came for revenge!! And yet I stand before you, shamelessly, trying to kill you again. What possible conversation is necessary!?”

“……”

She was right.

She deserved to be punished.

But, whether that punishment was from my revenge, or a proper punishment through the law, was something that needed to be considered.

I was wrestling with it all, and I planned to find some answers by talking with Reina.

What would I have thought in the past?

As a hero, would she have been killed by the villain? Or would I have accepted the current situation, my own comrades judging the world didn’t need me, trying to kill me and become resigned to it?

What answer would my past self have given?

I couldn’t know the answer, and it didn’t seem all that meaningful to me now.

What mattered was Olivia Reinhart’s opinion and feelings in this moment.

“You’re right about that.”

“……!”

“You… no, not just you, Alex, Belita too, and even the kingdom have committed a crime. You all must be punished. Even if I look far too pathetic to be called a hero anymore, that much won’t change.”

No, it *shouldn’t* change.

My tone must have been a little cold, because Reina flinched.

Did I let out some killing intent?

I hadn’t intended to, but maybe that deeply buried bloodlust inside me slipped out.

Unconscious killing intent was surprisingly common among those who had fought a lot.

“Why did you do it?”

“…….”

“Was I that scary? Did you think I might… beyond even that, that I might kill elves, so you did this?”

“…….”

She didn’t answer.

Reina just fidgeted with her neck.

“Can’t say.”

“……Since when were you targeting me?”

“Can’t say.”

“Where did Alex, the one who led this, get something like the Reaper’s poison?”

“I don’t know that.”

Hmm.

What is it?

There’s a subtle difference in the answers.

Why didn’t I get the same answer? Why a different one?

No.

Forget it.

It didn’t seem like a particularly important issue.

“You said earlier? That I came here for revenge.”

“Y-yeah. So what?”

“That means you understand the weight of what you did. Reyna, I held you in high regard, and I don’t think you’re stupid enough to commit such an act over some kind of delusion.”

“…….”

“Alex is so loyal to the kingdom that he’d throw away everything else for its sake.”

That doesn’t justify him, but at least I could see that Alex had a motive and had a personality that could understand it enough.

“Belita, and it’s not nice to say this, but she’s weak-willed, she’s used to living on someone’s orders, and she’s timid. ……To be honest, she’s someone who’s easily tricked and can become dependent on someone.”

And I’m the one saying this, of all people.

Belita, by nature, was weak-willed, so if she’d been swept up in the moment, or threatened in some way, she’d have cooperated, of course.

Her life seemed passive, as if she were always searching for someone to depend on, whether they were good or evil.

Therefore, I thought Belita was capable of it.

But Reyna wouldn’t have been.

In the past, when Reyna was separated alone, she once took down a pretty powerful monster all by herself.

Even with broken limbs, she’d swung her broken arm and beat the monster into submission, a true berserker if ever there was one.

Maybe that was when I started to hold Reyna in high regard.

“But you, even though you lived only in Elvenheim and didn’t know the ways of the world, you were never weak-willed. You wouldn’t have been someone to fall for Alex’s smooth talking, right?”

“…….”

“Except for some truly minor things, there’s no way you’d agree to a plan to betray a hero who saved the world.”

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

A trembling voice.

Unstable breathing.

No matter how I thought about it, she wasn’t acting normal.

The way she was trembling, like I do when I’m sick, it was as if she were experiencing fear.

The fact that Reyna, who had beat a monster with a broken arm, was now scared, I couldn’t understand it and frowned.

“I’m just that kind of person. Olivia, you just misjudged me again.”

“…….”

“Do you… want to die by my hand?”

“…….”

Reina, as if thinking for a moment, made a complicated expression and finally spoke.

“If you kill me, you won’t be able to get the World Tree sap, will you? So don’t kill me and…”

“You can’t solve everything with force.”

“What?”

“Why I’m not killing you, or even attacking you… Doesn’t that seem strange? If I attack you, it’ll make my already bad image even worse. Even if I somehow solve that with force and get the sap, even if I survive, how would that be different from the past?”

I didn’t like it.

They were in the wrong.

So I kill them with force.

People just like me.

No questions asked.

Evil is cut down.

I thought knowing the other side’s circumstances was meaningless.

Even now that thought hasn’t changed, but I knew now that facing an individual and facing a nation was completely different.

There would be innocent people within that nation, and those caught up in the chaos probably didn’t do anything bad enough to deserve death.

“I told you, I came here to talk.”

“…….”

Reina’s eyes widened, then she lowered her head and spoke.

“You’ve changed, Olivia.”

“……I thought heroes were there to protect unchanging values. …But the person who saved me was someone I judged to be without value.”

Following me, Reina glanced at Royce for a moment, then quickly looked away.

“This is the last time. If I punish you personally and reveal everything to the elves, a lot will change… I’d prefer you confess yourself, and come to a place to be punished on your own.”

“……”

“But that’s probably selfish of me. If you have a reason you can’t help it, then I’ll be the one to deliver your judgment, not you.”

“That much hasn’t changed, has it.”

“Of course not. If people who do wrong don’t get punished, it’s too unfair to those who live right? There might be room for a reduced sentence, if there are circumstances, but we can’t just make it disappear.”

That was in my core.

If you do wrong, you get punished.

Especially a crime that crosses the line, like murder, it can never be forgiven.

“Alright, last question.”

I didn’t know how long Royce’s barrier could hold out.

“Why did you do this? My choice will depend on your answer. Will I be the one to punish you, or will it be the law?”

“……I can’t say.”

“Alright.”

It was a shame.

A real shame.

It would’ve been nice if he’d at least said he’d properly receive his punishment.

Killing someone who was once your comrade is definitely not going to be a good memory.

It would have been nice if he was the kind of person who would be happy that I was getting my revenge.

The moment I slowly started to get up, Royce approached me.

“Just a moment, I have something to ask.”

“Royce? … Right, it’s Royce who made this opportunity.”

This time, Royce stood in front of Reina, and Reina looked up at him, speaking.

“You, of all people, helping Olivia? Why did you save Olivia?”

“Well, is there any reason you need to save someone?”

“…That’s true, maybe if you, not me, had stayed in the hero party, something might have changed. So what is it you want to ask me? Elves aren’t weak either, don’t think your barrier will last forever.”

Royce stared at Reina for a moment before speaking.

“Your neck.”

“…!”

“Around the time I was expelled from the party, you didn’t wear clothes that covered your neck. You said yourself you hated hot places, and said you walked around like that even in the dead of winter.”

“…”

Reina’s expression changed in an instant.

“And just now.”

“Stop.”

“You kept touching your neck. This is another habit you didn’t have when I was expelled. Livia, do you know something?”

Oh, suddenly a question is coming at me.

Um.

Uh.

“I don’t know when it started but I suddenly started doing it.”

“So, it’s not a side effect from fighting monsters. … Then, there’s one thing that comes to my mind.”

“…….”

“That neck, could you show it to us?”

Kugugung!!

Royce’s barrier was starting to collapse.

“Reina, you wouldn’t.”

“……Kuh!!”

Reina moved quickly and grabbed the sword I had abandoned.

What the—, before I could react, Reina stabbed herself in the shoulder, pulled it out, and threw it on the ground.

Blood splattered, and in that moment, the barrier crumbled completely.

“Lady Reina!”

“Lady Reina has been attacked!”

From noble mtl dot com

“Talk is useless, we can’t trust humans after all! We should have known when they brought a half-breed!”

“Reina.”

Reina, wounded, met my eyes.

Her emotions were exploding.

Even if I told them the truth now, they wouldn’t believe me.

If they investigated, they might find that Reina stabbed herself, but they had no reason to investigate that far.

When I brought up the neck, Reina had instantly become unstable and acted strangely.

What is going on?

But the excited elves wouldn’t listen to reason now.

‘No choice, I guess.’

It’s a bit rough, but as long as I don’t kill them, there’s still room for talk.

“Stop.”

Just as I was set on fighting, a familiar voice cut through the air.

Everyone froze instantly, turning their heads towards the sound.

Me too.

All the elves widened their eyes, and then, as one, they dropped to one knee, showing their loyalty to the person who spoke.

“T, Titania! What brings you… all the way here!”

“……”

Titania glanced at Sylph for a moment, then turned her gaze to me.

Honestly, it wasn’t a welcome attitude.

“I understand the situation.”

Titania kept staring at me.

It looked like she was focusing on me, but to my eyes, it seemed more like she was trying not to look at a certain ‘half-elf’.

“Come inside, we’ll talk as you wish.”