I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

99. Time to get to know

I still vividly remember the first time I cut down a living person.

A man’s life came to a bloody end there, caused by a man who fell before his eyes, a sword, and the person holding the sword.

At that time, I could not sleep for several days due to the bloody smell that could not be removed no matter how much I washed my body.

Whenever he fell asleep, the person he had killed with his own hands appeared and strangled him, shedding bloody tears.

Every time that happened, I couldn’t resist at all, and whenever I was out of breath and the whites of my eyes showed up, I woke up from the nightmare and could see my body soaked in sweat.

But now?

-After all, he’s not a hero for nothing, he’s amazing…-

Although they are not humans but monsters and demons, this sword ended countless lives that appeared before their eyes.

Even seasoned knights who had received professional training from a young age or had a long career could not help but be amazed when they saw the corpse beneath their feet.

This is a natural result.

As soon as he was chosen as a warrior, the first thing he did as soon as he picked up the sword was to kill someone.

And every month, when the right time came, they always killed one human being.

Although he was a death row inmate scheduled for death, he ended up slaughtering a living human being with his own hands.

It was even suggested to the death row inmate that he could become free if he killed the little girl in front of him.

Therefore, the death row inmates tried to kill the young girl at any cost.

There were some who attacked the girl by lying while begging for her life, and there were quite a few who crushed the girl with their huge physiques and tried to break her neck.

Of course, everyone’s life ended at the hands of the girl’s sword.

At least it helped alleviate the guilt.

At first, he hesitated to kill with trembling hands, but soon he got to the point where he cut off the other person’s head as soon as he drew his sword.

Even Arcel himself eventually felt joy at the fact that the time it took to kill them was gradually decreasing, and now he cut down the lives of others without any hesitation.

People praised Arsel as a warrior, but felt creepy at his appearance, and although he was welcomed in every village he went to, no one came close to shake his hand because of his blood-soaked appearance.

-As expected of a warrior, this is very reassuring!-

-Yes, you will definitely be able to defeat the Demon King.-

But the only people who understand Arcel are his companions on the journey.

They casually held Arcel’s blood-soaked hands, and when he was in a puddle of his blood, they willingly came up to him and wiped the blood from his face.

It would probably have been impossible for Arcel to defeat the Demon King alone, no matter how strong he was.

Because there was someone who wanted to protect everyone.

This was possible thanks to the presence of colleagues who thought that it was more important than their own lives.

Arcel thought that even after the journey was over, he wanted to continue living with them.

Unfortunately, that wish did not come true.

Everyone had to let go of their lives before their own eyes.

†††

“Ah, it’s refreshing!”

Morrían woke up from her sleep and stretched out her arms, smiling brightly.

Furthermore, as soon as he woke up, he started doing light exercise similar to the training Arcel had been doing, and Arcel and Stella looked at him blankly.

I really don’t know how to react to this.

Just a few hours ago, she had a hole in her chest, and the first thing she does as soon as she wakes up is exercise.

“You did that.”

“Are you saying I did that?”

“Yes, it was so bad that even the demons were surprised.”

No matter how perfectly the wound is treated, there will still be mental aftereffects, so it can be said to be truly amazing.

“Oh, senior?! “Well, since when have you been here?!”

Even when I was in the middle of training, I didn’t even notice that Arcel and Stella had arrived.

“…I’ve been here for a while. So, are you feeling okay? “I got into some really bad trouble.”

“Ah… Yes, that is a bit disgraceful. At first she thought it was just an ordinary vampire and was cool with it… But then…”

Morrían wrapped his arms around her shoulders and made her body tremble.

Honestly, there must be some unfairness from Morian’s perspective as well.

She just left a letter and tried to run away, but who would have thought that as soon as she entered the demon realm, the leader of that realm would appear?

Even if it breaks, it must have broken very badly.

Because in the past, the opponent was one of the strongest demons next to the demon king.

Rather, I think it would be wiser to stay alive instead of dying.

“I was really scared. “I was scared of the elf I saw back then, but the vampire started eating me as soon as he saw me…”

Morrian shakes her head as if she is getting goosebumps.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have suffered from blood sucking.

This is probably because Clen learned a lesson from Alfred about not picking up anything on the side of the road.

“But where is this place? “I’m not sure what happened because I fell asleep.”

“I don’t know, but I think I’ll probably go to the Kingdom of Hermod. Even if I don’t go to the festival, since you helped me before, I’ll have to take you home safely.”

“Ah…”

In a word, it is similar to returning a favor.

Of course, at the same time, it is the same as pretending that the debt that helped me back then no longer exists.

Considering each other’s positions, it may be beneficial for both of us not to meet anymore.

Of course, if the situation continues as before, there will be no direct conflict, but if we meet as enemies, it would be better for both parties not to have any personal feelings at that time.

“Anyway, thank you for your help. “Really.”

“…Okay.”

Arsel had complicated feelings as he looked at Morian.

If they weren’t heroes or chosen by the Holy Sword, they would have been able to treat each other sincerely without any inconvenience, but it’s really unfortunate.

I hate to admit it, but Morrigan looks a lot like me.

She was exactly like herself back then, not only in her appearance but also in her personality and actions.

Maybe that’s why Arcel pushed Morrian away little by little.

It was very difficult to get any closer than this.

“That’s a good thing. If he was still sleeping, I tried to wake him up by splashing him with ice water.”

“Ah, have you been there, Alfred?”

“…You’re saying you’re not spraying ice water, you’re spraying ice water?”

At that time, Alfred opened the door and came inside.

Up until now, Alfred had been out simply checking the route to Hermod’s kingdom.

“Fortunately, there was no trap or anything like that. I thought this cheeky kid might have been using bait to lure us in. Surprisingly, the inside of the capital was also clean.”

“Oh, it hurts.”

“Alfred…”

“It’s nothing special, but I look like you so I gave it a try. Or should I do it for you?”

“…No, it never happened. “I don’t know if it’s a place where no one is watching.”

Alfred said, pulling Morian’s cheek.

For some reason, it seemed like he wanted his hair to be pulled out.

It’s not just about appearance, it’s true from the inside out.

Alfred may not like Morrían, but it is difficult to understand why he hates him so much.

Who on earth does Morrian resemble?

In fact, the person who resembles Morrían the most here is Arcel himself, so I was worried about Alfred’s words.

The being that Alfred hates the most.

A Morrigan that resembles it.

Because what those two things mean is simpler than I thought.

“Anyway, the preparations for the festival were more grandiose than expected, right? “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go at least once.”

“Then are you going to wear that disguise too? “I don’t think I have to disguise myself as a man, do I?”

“Since all ears look pretty and simple anyway, I think I just need to change my hairstyle and cut my ears a little. What do you think?”

“…Put those scissors away.”

Stella said, covering her pointed ears with her hands.

Alfred had very sharp scissors in his hands.

Alfred’s eyes looking at Stella were like a butcher looking at a pig before slaughtering it.

“Hey, what does that mean? Disguise? Crossdressing?”

As soon as she woke up, Morian heard that it was a disguise and only had her doubts.

Other than that, Arcel’s expression is strangely not good.

I felt uncomfortable, but I didn’t know why.

†††

The two people who finished their disguise did not seem to have changed much from before, but it was difficult to associate them with their original appearance.

Arcel resembled her previous appearance, but even her voice was altered so that she seemed like just a beautiful young man, while Stella covered her ears and dyed her hair to look like a young lady from a noble family.

This is what comes to mind when I see the image of the two people.

Her immature noble daughter and the knight who guards her.

What’s unusual is that there’s a black crow clinging to the knight’s shoulder.

“I don’t know if the seniors are really seniors…”

Even to Morian, it was difficult to imagine Arcel and Stella at all.

“Of course, I am a genius wizard who appears once in 100,000 years or not, and I am also a magician.”

“Is that real?”

“No, don’t take Alfred’s word for it. And don’t even listen to what he says. “This is the only advice I can give you and the most important part.”

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Arsel speaks calmly with an expressionless face.

“Yes?”

“Hey, someone would think I’m a fraud. Of course, that’s good too.”

“I’m just saying, if you listen to what that demon says, your head will be cut off in an instant.”

Stella, an experienced person, interpreted the words to Morian, who did not understand the words well.

Anyway, Alfred’s disguise was very top-notch.

In fact, he was transformed into a crow using neither magic nor magic, but simply his natural ability.

“Let’s start with the story: You were lost and wandering in the forest. It seems that he met a nobleman who came to see Hermod’s festival and received help from him. “How about a plausible idea without being too noticeable?”

“It’s not that great, but it’s normal so it’s okay. The guards probably won’t pay too much attention to it.”

“Yes, I don’t think you will have much doubt.”

Of course, in order to enter the Kingdom of Hermod, various identity checks are thorough.

Alfred has taken all the precautions in that regard as before, but it is still not a bad idea to create as many safety measures as possible just in case.

One way or another, wouldn’t it be best to take only what you need and leave quietly?

Surprisingly, Hermod Kingdom is a place under strict surveillance, even more so than Clen’s territory.

This was especially true for outsiders.

“But are you really going to just watch the festival? If the story is refined a little more, we will be able to enjoy the festival more happily by being officially treated as guests in the kingdom… In fact, our seniors are the ones who deserve it.”

Morian’s words were sincere.

In fact, Morian did not have any bad intentions, but purely wanted Arcel and Stella to enjoy the festival.

“I’m grateful, but it’s okay. And the risk is high. “Even if other people don’t know, there is a high possibility that the queen or the knight commander will recognize me.”

“Was it Lord Karkal? He said he was like a father to you. “Why don’t we talk about the situation now?”

“No, that’s not it, Stella. He is a loyal knight, and even if he knew the truth, he wouldn’t change his mind now. Besides, he… Sincerely rebuked me. “If he knew it was a misunderstanding, he certainly wouldn’t go away blaming himself.”

“It’s a shame, that person didn’t seem to be a bad person.”

Moriando heard the story of Arcel, who had naturally gone through this entire process as she had been training, and the fact that it had been even worse before, made her respect her senior who had overcome all the hardships to defeat the Demon King.

Furthermore, surprisingly, few people knew the exact details of the terrible crime that Arcel committed.

Most of those involved in the incident at the time either disappeared without a word or were framed and executed for other reasons.

Also, Arsel’s sin was most famously known as a treason aimed at Hermod’s throne.

Of course, Morian could sense that there was something wrong.

It is clear that there were other reasons why Arcel had to be kicked out or eliminated.

What is important is what exactly the reason is…

The problem is, is it difficult to ask that of others in your position?

“Shall we leave anyway? The festival starts tomorrow. “If you don’t go now, you’ll miss the highlight.”

Alfred spit out a large carriage from his mouth.

Is it because I turned into a crow? Originally, he would have taken it out with a bag or magic, but the sight of him spitting it out with his mouth created a strange sight that surprised even Arcel.

The bizarreness shines even brighter than usual.

“…So, what on earth is that person?”

Morrían asked, swallowing her saliva.

But that question is also one that can never be answered.

“I don’t know either. “Don’t ask me.”

“Honestly, I think those demons are the ones who combined all the terrible things that exist in the world and created them.”

“I don’t even know what I am, I just live the way I was born.”

Alfred sat on Arcel’s shoulder again and turned her head here and there.

She even cleans her feathers with her beak like a real crow.

The three people were silent in the carriage and thought about Alfred’s identity.