I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 118

118. Digging (5)

“You asked to see me first.”

The streets are full of the scent of spring flowers. On the weekend, when I had time for the first time in a while, I was walking down the street with a guest I called in a secluded outskirts of the capital.

“It’s no big deal, Illroy.”

Isis had a voice that seemed not to dislike it. She turned her head to me with her hands behind her back, and her blue eyes glistened like a lake in the spring sunlight. The attire is a white dress that would be worn by a springtime lady. It was an outfit that suited her well.

“Aren’t you busy with work? I don’t know if I didn’t call you for nothing.”

You may be as busy as I am right now. When I asked anxiously, Isis smiled and shook her head.

“Fortunately, postwar cleanup is going smoothly. There is no interference from anyone, and support is coming in well. Most of all, my skills have improved, and my work has become more comfortable. Even if you call me, it’s enough for me to afford to come here.”

Isis put divine power in her hand and looked up. I could feel the flow of magic that was much purer than when I woke up. It seems that he is not neglecting his training.

“Well, even if I couldn’t afford it, I would have come anyway.”

Without a hint of shame, Isis added that. I matched her stride with a wry smile and started to walk more slowly. As I approached her, I heard a small hum.

“So, what did I call you for? Have you ever had to treat a new wounded?”

“huh. Not right now, though.”

When the words I threw out just once hit the mark, Isis turned her head to me as if in surprise.

“Really? No, more than that, what do you mean not right now? If I’m the kind of patient I need, that means either a demon worshiper is involved, or I’m a very serious patient.”

Please guide me there right away.” Isis frowned and puffed out her cheeks, perhaps dissatisfied with my smile.

“Don’t just laugh, explain straight to me what’s going on. I know that you didn’t call me here for nothing.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s true that sooner or later you will have a patient to care for.”

I stopped on the road and looked at Isis. Isis stared straight into my eyes as if she didn’t understand why, then her eyes started to tremble.

“for a moment. I think I know what you’re talking about. Illroy, you can’t… .”

“Sooner or later the news of my death will spread.”

Then it is. Isis let out a deep sigh as if to say that and lowered her head. Her well-groomed golden hair flowed down her neck.

“So in reality? Why are you pretending to be dead out of nowhere? Weren’t you living your life as a professor at the academy?”

“I’m going to live like a real corpse. Until the things I’ve been waiting for happen.”

“How about waiting?”

“Waiting for them to move. If word spreads that I’m dead, I won’t be able to stop moving.”

“… That’s a good way to do it.”

Isis let out a hollow laugh, but he thought it was half a joke and probably couldn’t guess what I was thinking. I’m really, literally going to be a corpse.

—

“You’re sluggish.”

The voice that came from the shadows contained a clear reprimand. Despite the reprimand, Natalie stood still and listened to the voice. The eyes in the shadows stared at Natalie, then clicked their tongues as if they couldn’t help it.

“There is no news. Either from your side or from the side you planted elsewhere. I didn’t expect to see any rapid progress, but it’s not good to wait weeks without any change.”

The voice in the shadows was feeling impatience.

“Well, even so, it cannot be denied that the time is near. The comet is close, and something has to happen before the motion can happen. You have to hold on to the factors and make them unable to resist the catastrophe. Well, it’s not a catastrophe that can be done just because you know… . What will he think?”

There was a sound like biting nails or grinding teeth.

“It’s already been a month since I said I would give direct instructions from above. I can’t let go and do nothing. You don’t even know what’s going on. It may be that the above is testing us again. We need to create confusion internally as soon as possible.”

The voice no longer spoke to Natalie, but muttered to herself.

“It’s good to blend in, but I wouldn’t say I’ve been assimilated to them. They’re all things you’ll have to kill later anyway. Just stop at the line to avoid arousing suspicion.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Remember. You must kill the warrior. It is something only you can do.”

The shadows disappeared from Natalie’s room. Natalie stared at the missing shadow for a while, then sat down on the bed. The bed in the dorm was soft. Although she was designed to have little need for sleep, sleep has now become something of a hobby for her.

“… .”

Natalie gently swept the bedspread and then lay down on top. Sleepiness doesn’t come. But I could fall asleep whenever I wanted to. Natalie looked up at the ceiling and recalled the warrior’s teachings. Then, while contemplating how to get my fingertips to touch that neck, I soon fell asleep.

—

“The midterm exam next week will not consider your level.”

At Illroy’s words, the freshmen were agitated. Illroy waited patiently for their commotion to subside. Recently, it seemed that the place of the lecture had completely changed to a training ground. The hero, who had appeared dressed quite neatly, had long since changed his attire to one that was easy to move.

“One test. We’ll put you in it and watch it. I also check how much I have grown and how well I have absorbed my teachings.”

The hero slammed the floor with the sword he always carried. The training ground has changed. The floor was covered with grass and trees grew. The warrior looked around and sighed.

“The monsters won’t consider your strength in actual combat. And as you would know if you’ve taken my classes, I’m not very flexible either. I think it will be much more difficult than the placement test.”

Each of the freshmen made faces trembling with anxiety. The hero smiled reassuringly and slammed his sword on the floor.

“it’s okay. You are obviously stronger. I just can’t feel it yet. So, it’s okay if you don’t feel too anxious.”

There was a strange resonance in the warrior’s words. The kind of resonant that makes you trust any nonsensical words he says. The new students focused their attention on the warrior with the agitation subsided.

“Now, the story of the test ends here. First, let’s move on to today’s lesson. Today we will take a look at the basics of chase and escape. How the pursuit of monsters goes, and how we should pursue and chase monsters on the contrary. Now, the monster I will use as an example is ‘crawler’… .”

The class was conducted in a chaotic environment. The new students held onto their heads full of thoughts about the exam and struggled to squeeze in the contents of the hero’s class somehow. The warrior proceeded with the class slowly, being considerate of the students whose hearts were in the bean field.

“… Today’s practice will take a break. I don’t think I’ll be able to do it because I just don’t do it like this. You can spend the rest of the time however you want, whether you want to get some rest or study other subjects. Instead, the special lecture classes will start quite early.”

The warrior looked at his watch and said. The students looked at the hero with eyes as if they had been saved. And the students who listened to the special lecture were clearly divided into half of joy and half of despair.

“Then, students who are not in special lecture classes may leave the classroom. For today’s special lecture, let’s go in the direction of using theory classes.”

The warrior said while releasing the barrier. Students who were not in the special lecture class rushed out of the training ground, and the special lecture class looked at the warrior with a nervous expression. Again the open forest was covered with snow.

“Miss Natalie, let me see you for a second.”

Natalie’s eyebrows twitched as if surprised at the sudden call of the brave. Natalie passed Eugene tapping her on the shoulder and Cora staring at her enviously before standing alongside the hero at the start of the forest. I sneaked a peek to the side and saw that the hero was staring at the forest with eyes that seemed to miss him.

“This is a very old thing. Even when I defeated the fourth plague, I was weak. It would have been difficult to carry out the assignments given to you today.”

Natalie couldn’t believe it. Natalie stared at the hero with a frown, but the hero returned a smile.

“That is hard to believe.”

“Everyone grows. Of course, you should become an adult who knows how to use your strength, not a child who only becomes strong and strong.”

Snowflakes landed on the bridge of Natalie’s nose.

“What I am trying to teach you is how you should use that power.”

“In a way… ?”

“How to protect those who do not have the power you have. How to be with people who are weaker than you, but who will give you strength by your side.”

At the words of the hero, Natalie frowned. Her purpose was not to protect someone, but to kill someone. This man who is talking right next to me right now.

“I don’t need someone like that.”

I don’t know if it’s someone who kills a warrior together. It was unlikely that Eugene or Cora would play that role. He is a person who is only with you for a while for camouflage.

“I believe you will find out someday.”

Natalie looked at the hero with confused eyes. The hero she felt was because she was of the same type as herself. Natalie felt incomprehensible to that excessive difference and humanity. Even for a girl who has not learned curiosity and emotion, the reluctance felt from incomprehensibility was close to instinct, so Natalie unwittingly asked the question.

“How could you say something like that, Professor?”

“You will learn. One by one.”

“Who taught you that?”

“A lot of people around me. And from those I should have saved, from those I didn’t.”

Natalie shook her head slowly.

“As expected, I don’t think I can understand the hero.”

“… is that so.”

“I’m glad you didn’t understand.”

Warm liquid touched Natalie’s fingertips. It was bright red, the blood of a warrior no different from other people.

“Because now the hero has to die.”

Then, the sound of an explosion came from far away.