Chapter 186: Hero’s Awakening

So, that signal fading all this time… it must have been the process of becoming the Hero.

I need to see Sir Deon right away. Ben rushed through the opened city gate. His mana stone necklace had long since lost its power, but he could simply follow the massive pillar of light, so finding his way wasn’t difficult.

The pillar of light was emanating from inside a mansion.

However, unlike his initial momentum, which seemed ready to burst inside, Ben paused and rubbed his eyes. An unbelievable sight unfolded before the main gate.

‘What the heck is that?’

Has their courage swelled beyond reason?

Humans armed with bombs were attacking the demon soldiers stationed at the main gate. Faced with this reckless assault, the demons frowned, brandishing their weapons.

Ah, courage might be debatable, but it’s clear they don’t value their lives. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be doing something so insane.

He was momentarily stunned by the completely unexpected scene,

‘Sir Deon comes first.’

Ben snapped back to his senses, gripped his medical bag tightly, and plunged into the chaotic fray.

“Everyone, get out of my wayyy!!”

Stand in my path and you’ll pay!

Each swing of his bag sent demons and humans flying with dull thuds.

….

‘…I thought it would be better once I got inside the mansion.’

He sighed and swung his medical bag again. With a sickening crack, a human collided with the wall and collapsed.

He sensed presences all over the mansion. Clearly hostile, they were converging towards one place as if they had agreed upon it.

And that’s not all. The sounds of explosions and the vibrations through the air were ominous. He dashed up the stairs. Spotting a crowd gathered in front of a certain door, Ben charged in without hesitation, swinging his bag.

“Do your fireworks outside, you rude and senseless humans!”

“…Ben?”

Dan, who was barely keeping a safe distance from the explosions while wielding his sword, was understandably dumbfounded.

The situation was resolved in an instant.

Even for demons, resolving things this quickly with just one extra person was astonishing. Dan, still in a daze, slowly sheathed his sword and turned to look at Ben.

As if his earlier frenzy had been a lie, Ben was now approaching the pillar of light, checking Deon’s condition.

“He was caught in an explosion once already, huh? He’s in tatters. He’s mostly recovered, but he can’t fool my eyes.”

“….”

His reaction is more subdued than I expected?

The Ben I know would be more…

“Why weren’t you protecting Sir Deon?!”

Just as expected.

Dan, with an ‘I knew it’ expression, let Ben shake him by the collar. He wasn’t entirely blameless.

He too was regretting it inwardly.

‘He trusted me enough to come in relying only on me; I should have protected him properly.’

This is a matter of trust.

Not just Deon Hart’s trust, but also the Demon King’s army’s view of me was at stake.

‘It’s a relief he’s alive, at least.’

If he had died here, I would have been dead too. From the demons’ perspective, there’s no need to keep a human who couldn’t even protect their guarantor and owner.

Deon Hart wasn’t trusting and entrusting me for no reason.

“I apologize.”

“Why are you doing something to be sorry for…!”

Dan’s words trailed off as his gaze drifted past Ben’s shoulder and he paused.

The brilliant pillar of light was gradually fading. Soon, Deon emerged from the center. The moment his face came into view, Dan’s mind went blank. He couldn’t hear Ben still yelling and raging.

‘Strange, the pillar of light definitely disappeared….’

Why is Deon Hart still surrounded by light?

Ben wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Dan’s mind was elsewhere. Catching Dan’s blank stare, he growled and followed his gaze.

“Hey, are you even listening to m— Sir Deon!”

The demon in front of him vanished, leaving only an afterimage.

The movement was too fast to follow with eyes, but Dan leisurely turned his gaze. He knew where the destination was without looking.

As expected, Ben was now by Deon Hart’s side. He reached out a hand to Deon, who was crouching and holding a box, then paused.

“What is this box…?”

“Ah, that is….”

I probably shouldn’t say.

If I say it’s Cruel Hart’s head, this physician will immediately realize the situation. From Deon Hart diverting troops for personal matters to ultimately falling into a trap, everything.

A situation definitely not favorable for Deon would unfold.

Receiving no answer, Ben shrugged.

“I don’t know what it is, but to treat you, I should probably move it aside for a moment….”

Whack.

Ben couldn’t finish his sentence. The wrist reaching for the box was seized. He flinched at the crushing grip, strong enough to break bone, and then a low voice reached his ears.

“This is not allowed.”

The voice was slightly hoarse and low, but the murderous intent within it was clear.

This moment felt so dreamlike that he wondered if he was mistaken, but then Deon’s eyelids slowly lifted. As if to remind him it was reality, red pupils, filled with intense light, appeared and fixed on Ben.

Not only Ben, who met his gaze directly, but even Dan, who watched the situation from a slight distance, froze.

‘…He’s seriously something else now that he’s opened his eyes.’

I could feel it even when they were closed, but it really hits you now that he’s opened them.

‘He was already handsome before… but this is just….’

Beauty that transcends personal preference.

His original face is still there, but the caliber of his looks is different. Do Heroes originally become more handsome?

As far as I know, a Hero’s power is a mass of talent. The scope of talent is so broad, it varies depending on how you think of it….

‘…Talent it is.’

Beauty to this degree is also talent.

Dan nodded to himself.

Leaving Dan, who was marveling and then accepting it all on his own, Deon slowly rose. Ben tried to support him, but he firmly refused and sat up, slowly clenching and unclenching his fist.

***

Power surges.

Is this what health feels like? His vision is clear, his breathing is easy. His body, which always required a certain level of force to move, moved smoothly and lightly just by thinking about it.

He even sensed the presence of his nemesis, the Demon King.

‘I really have become a Hero.’

There’s no denying it.

Then, the conversation in that space back then wasn’t a meaningless dream?

Strength entered the hand holding the box. Crack, the sound of something breaking made him quickly loosen his grip, but it only further solidified the reality of becoming a Hero.

[The black-haired, green-eyed man asked me to send his regards.]

…Cruel.

He hung his head low. Ben fussed, asking if he felt unwell, but he didn’t register it.

He simply looked down at the box in his arms once and closed his eyes.

Only after hearing those words did he realize.

[Here, even in death, there was someone who wished for you to live. And, even in death, there is someone who wishes for your happiness.]

The Hero’s words included not only himself but also Cruel Hart.

[Without being bound, without being suppressed, freely. There are people who wish for you to live the life you desire.]

‘People,’ he said. Why didn’t I realize this?

And… and….

‘They wish for me to live the life I desire.’

His breath catches, as if submerged deep underwater.

Feeling that even in death they think of him, he wants to obediently follow their words and show them a hopeful future, but….

‘No, I can’t.’

Before discussing what kind of life I desire, I cannot dare to guarantee that I can follow your words. A massive fate is clearly driving me in one direction, how can a mere human resist it?

‘But… as Dan said, I can still screw him over.’

To awaken as a Hero right after making that ‘decision,’ could this really be a coincidence?

Of course not. Deon scoffed in self-derision.

This clarified what the world wants from me. If I move according to my ‘decision,’ I will be moving according to his will. This is my will, yet not entirely my will.

‘Too much of anything is as bad as too little,’ they say.

If I have no choice but to move as the world desires, then fine.

Showing a scale beyond that wouldn’t be bad either.

‘First, though, revenge takes priority.’

The touch of the box in his arms is cold. Deon stood up.

Outside the mansion, it was still noisy, as if the commoners were still attacking the stationed soldiers. They lack decent martial prowess, but their suicidal attacks would still be challenging. He nodded towards Ben and Dan, who were blankly staring at him, gesturing for them to go outside, and leisurely began to walk.

His steps were composed, concealing his inner thoughts, as he walked down the hallway.

***

The commoners’ attack was almost completely suppressed. This reflected the demons’ survival instinct to clean up before Sir Deon emerged.

Commander-in-chief Sir Deon exuded an aura of absolute perfection, as if he couldn’t tolerate even a single mistake. While he wouldn’t punish minor errors severely, his cold gaze and condescending tone made the demons instinctively watch their step.

…But now, his aura seems different again. Is it because he became a Hero?

The demons stared blankly at Deon, who placed his foot on a corpse’s back.

They knew the pillar of light was related to the Hero’s birth. They also knew the pillar of light was in the mansion where Sir Deon and Dan had gone, so they had considered the possibility of Sir Deon becoming a Hero.

However, they hadn’t anticipated this situation.

“Someone like this dares to attack me, and no one reacts.”

He pressed down with his foot on the corpse. The spine, unable to withstand the Hero’s power, audibly snapped.

Red eyes relentlessly scanned those who flinched and looked away. A voice, seemingly indifferent yet laced with irritation, slowly dripped out.

“What should I do with these incompetent fools?”

The demons felt wronged.

It wasn’t that no one reacted. Everyone reacted, but Deon Hart moved faster than anyone else could, killing the attacker first.

Although mostly subdued, the situation wasn’t completely resolved. In this context, the remaining commoners couldn’t ignore Deon Hart, a famous figure, emerging outside. Naturally, the closest commoner rushed towards him as soon as he appeared.

When Deon moved, with movements so clear it was almost transparent, Dan, Ben, and the other demons were just about to react.

[For trash like this to dare attack me, do I look that easy to take down?]

Grabbing the face of the attacker lunging at him, slamming him to the ground, and then flipping him over so the bomb strapped to his waist was underneath—all of this happened in an instant. Would you believe it?

Meanwhile, Deon glanced at his left hand with curiosity.

When he flipped over the bomb-wearing guy, he had placed his left hand under his belly. Due to the explosion, the guy’s body heaved, and his left hand was covered in blood up to the elbow. Yet now….

‘It’s all healed.’

The thick blood hadn’t disappeared, making it still unpleasant to look at, but the wound had vanished without a trace.

The Hero’s recovery ability was this incredible. Briefly impressed, Deon consciously suppressed the slight upturn of his lips.

“What are you all doing? Hurry up and clean up the rest.”

“Ye-yes!”

He no longer needed to be so careful about his actions. As if he had been waiting for this moment, Deon dropped the formal speech.

When Stigma taught him various things, he always added something at the end. As a fairly diligent junior, I even etched that into a corner of my mind.

[All of this is irrelevant if you are overwhelmingly strong.]

The Hero’s only rival is the Demon King. And vice versa.

Demons alone can hardly kill a Hero, and even if ambushed, with this level of recovery, he can sufficiently counterattack and survive. There was no need to be so tense and strict anymore.

Besides….

[Without being bound, without being suppressed, freely.]

…I don’t want to live like that anymore either.