Chapter 89 - Hero Keisuke, Age Twenty-Five
It's been nearly ten years since I was summoned to this shitty other world.
I was summoned when I was fifteen, so once my birthday comes, I'll be twenty-five.
Round it off, and I'm practically thirty.
Even though emotionally, I feel like I'm still living with the same mindset I had back when I wore a school uniform, it's a cruel story.
Getting older... it's not something I want to accept.
Grumbling, I get out of bed and stand before the full-length mirror.
I've gotten old too, huh.
Lately, a single night's sleep isn't enough to recover from fatigue, and my eyes get bleary at night.
My muscle strength keeps increasing, but my constitution is definitely shifting from "youth" to "middle-aged man."
I never thought I'd still be playing the Hero until this age.
Right after being summoned, I was optimistic that I'd be able to return home soon, so this was a massive miscalculation.
...Even if I were to return to Japan now, would I be able to fit in properly?
A man who's spent his time fighting for survival in a medieval fantasy world, returning to that peace-addled, high-tech nation.
"I'd definitely stand out."
My eyes meet my own in the mirror.
Having grown over the span of ten years, I've completely changed.
Skin where a beard now grows, in place of vanished pimples.
A height that's increased just a little.
A thick armor of muscle covering a body that should have been scrawny.
And above all else—stagnant eyes.
Those eyes that once sparkled so brightly had lost their light before I knew it.
They've turned into matte black orbs, as if given a dull coating.
And yet, when I consciously glare into the mirror, they suddenly begin to emit a sharp, piercing gaze.
This feeling... I've seen it somewhere before.
From stillness to motion. Eyes filled with murderous intent, instantly switching from the hunted to the hunter.
This is... right.
They're the eyes of the African child soldiers I saw in a documentary program long ago.
Or maybe the eyes of a cornered stray dog.
What's happened to me?
What's going to happen to me from now on?
Well, I'm a man too, so getting stronger didn't feel bad.
It'd be a lie to say I didn't get excited when my arms got thicker or I leveled up.
But now, I want to say I've had enough.
For this past year, I haven't felt pain during combat.
Whether taking a blow to the eyes or being targeted in the groin, I've stopped feeling anything.
If the damage is zero, pain doesn't occur. I know that.
Even so, the fact that even basic human sensations have vanished filled me with pure terror.
I just wanted to protect the people precious to me. That would have been enough.
If I've become this strong, I'll be expected to play the role of a sword, not a shield.
Lately, I've been getting more and more requests that make me want to ask, "What part of this is Hero work?"
Things like, go annihilate an orc village, or attack a demon castle as an example to others.
His Majesty the King and the High Priest show no mercy to races that oppose the Human Race.
Even though the humans were the victims before I came to this world, I can't help but feel they're going too far.
I wish they'd learn from Elsa.
Even though her life was ruined by goblins, she's never once uttered a word of resentment.
That's not to say she's forgiven them, either.
So what's her state of mind? Apparently, from the bottom of her heart, she "couldn't care less."
She says that when you're striving toward a goal, things from the past just disappear from your mind before you know it.
"Elsa really is amazing."
Those weren't flattering words; they came from the heart.
I return to the bed and gaze at the face of that amazing woman, Elsa.
A black-haired beauty, breathing peacefully in her sleep.
Her mouth is slightly open, and her shapely chest rises and falls rhythmically.
Whenever I look at her, she's an enchanting sleeping princess too good for the likes of me.
Well, her appearance is more that of a queen than a princess, if I had to say.
Elsa's inner self can be a bit childish, but her features are the elegant type.
She's tall for a woman, and she's probably in the vein of an actress or model rather than an idol.
A tall, slender nose, ephemeral eyes, thin lips.
Her skin is pale and translucent, and her hair always maintains a magnificent luster.
I gently take a lock of Elsa's hair in my hand and entwine my fingers in it.
The smooth, silky texture feels so good, I almost lose track of time.
Of course, I won't go so far as to smell it—that would be perverted—but at this rate, I feel like I might succumb to temptation.
It'd be wrong to wake her, I think, and pull the blanket over myself.
We've got an early start tomorrow, so I should just sleep.
I reach out to extinguish the lantern's flame.
Then, suddenly—
"Stopping?"
—she calls out to stop me.
"...You were awake?"
"I woke up. Because you touched my hair."
Saying, "Keisuke's touch is so strong, you know," Elsa raises her upper body.
The sheet that had been covering her slips off, revealing her cleavage.
When Elsa sleeps, she wears a thin underdress.
In appearance, it might resemble the tutus used in ballet costumes.
It was already somewhat see-through and hard to know where to look, but now the right shoulder strap had slipped down.
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
"It's fine. I was actually planning to be awake."
Elsa giggles softly and rests her head on my shoulder.
A woman's scent wafts gently around me. Not perfume or soap, but the natural fragrance of a young woman.
Sweet, gentle, and delicate, I feel a tingling numbness deep in my head.
"Did you have some kind of plan in the middle of the night or something?"
Elsa says this while stroking my thigh.
"...I want Keisuke's baby."
"Ah..."
Feeling awkward, I lower my eyes.
Elsa is twenty-five this year. An age where it wouldn't be strange for her to already have several children.
After all, in this world, it's normal to give birth in your teens.
We entered an adult relationship soon after we started going out, but we still haven't been blessed with a child.
So this topic comes with a bit of pressure.
"...Well, you know. You just woke up, but are you sure?"
"Yeah."
She nods emphatically.
If the woman is willing, it's a man's duty to respond.
I psych myself up internally and place my hands on Elsa's clothes.
"Alright. Then let's give it a go."
"...Hey, Keisuke."
"Hm?"
Elsa is staring intently at me.
"What is it? Do you want to stop after all?"
"Of course I want a child, but... I like doing it properly with Keisuke. Because I love it."
A blush instantly colors Elsa's cheeks.
"I heard you're heading out on another expedition tomorrow. ...So, I want to."
Is there any man who could refuse this?
No, there isn't.
If there is, he's not a man.
Before I knew it, I had become a beast, fervently seeking Elsa.
Come morning, I tearfully peeled myself away from Elsa, who wanted to cling to me forever, and finished getting ready.
I forcefully suppress the desire to bask in last night's afterglow and leave the house.
A Hero's morning is early.
First, I have to head to the capital's central district and show my face at the Grand Cathedral.
I must receive various instructions directly from the High Priest, the top of the religious world.
Though they're called instructions, it's mostly orders to kill or exterminate something, so in practice, it's like being a hitman.
No, even "hitman" might be too cool.
Perhaps I'm nothing more than a mere janitor.
A cleaner who scrubs away the monsters clinging to this other world.
Nothing more, nothing less, and certainly not a hero.
I think a true hero is someone who creates something.
Farmers. Fishermen. Expectant mothers.
People who produce something of value from nothing and contribute to the world.
Those are the ones who should be praised, yet for some reason, their status in this world is exceedingly low.
So, what kind of people have high status? Those involved in religion or war.
If you've memorized many gods' names, you're considered wise; if you've killed many demi-humans and monsters, you're a fine young man.
What the hell is that, I think.
If you mastered both, you'd end up a sadist with a good memory, and someone like that in modern society would just be a psychopath.
I don't want to become something like that, and if possible, I'd like to retire from being a Hero right now and spend my days tilling a field somewhere.
But my strength won't allow it.
Because I'm the strongest, the guardian of the human nations.
What a pain in the ass, I grumble as I step into the Grand Cathedral.
It certainly looks like a building related to Christianity, but it's not exactly the same.
In the first place, the Monotheism practiced in this other world isn't Christianity.
If I had to say, it's close to Catholicism, but there are differences here and there.
First, the symbol isn't a cross but a hexagram, and God is thought to have no physical form. Apparently, it's considered to be something like smoke.
So, since it's impossible to depict in a painting, religious art hasn't developed much.
Also, women can hold positions equivalent to priests or the Pope.
And so.
That Pope-like person happens to be an acquaintance of mine.
She's strict, man, I think wearily as I continue walking.
I proceed down the cobblestone corridor, bathed in the light from the stained glass, moving my feet forward.
When I finally reach the innermost part, I see a single woman offering a prayer.
She has her hands clasped toward countless candles, her eyes closed.
Silver hair, and long priestly vestments.
The current High Priest-sama, and a former Party Member.
Philia.
"Good morning."
The High Priest greets me, her back still turned.
Is prayer more important than me? I think, exasperated inwardly, but I reply.
"...Good morning."
Ever since Elsa and I started dating, things have been awkward with her, somehow.
She said she liked me, but I don't know about now.
I can't quite put my finger on it, but I get the feeling she dislikes me.
"Right to business, Hero-dono. A request for demi-human subjugation has arrived."
"Again? It's been nothing but that lately."
The High Priest is still facing away.
"Three children from Lorene Village were captured, and two of them fell victim to predation."
"...What did you say?"
"They were eaten."
Her prayers apparently finished at last, the High Priest turns around swiftly.
"This is a declaration of war against us, the Human Race. We cannot possibly overlook it."
The culprits were trolls, the High Priest says.
"Fine. I'll head to the site immediately. I should be able to burn their den within half a day."
"How reassuring."
The High Priest looks at me with appraising eyes.
"...May I say one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Several complaints have been lodged regarding your fighting style, Hero-dono."
"Meaning?"
"To put it bluntly, voices of complaint are being raised."
"What kind?"
"Too soft. That is the criticism. Even if they are monsters, you dispatch young ones without inflicting pain, do you not? People are watching. A single thrust to a vital point is lenient to a fault."
"...What are you telling me to do?"
"The masses are using you as their proxy, demanding fiercer retribution against the demi-humans. More cruelty, more relentlessness, they say. Even if it is a newborn babe, any race that has bared its fangs at the Human Race must be disposed of after inflicting infinite suffering. Punishment for sin. This is also a teaching of our Lord God."
Inflict more pain and kill them, the High Priest informs me.
"But still. What kind of sin does a baby troll, who was just suckling at its mother's breast, have? Letting it die painlessly should be fine."
"Being born from sinful parents is itself a sin."
Do not forget that you are a representative of the Human Race, the High Priest says.
"Exterminate them as you do when facing goblins. In your case, that will likely be just right. ...I have high expectations, Hero-dono."