Volume 4 Chapter 100 The End of the Hero, A New Beginning
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I swung my sword, flicking the blood from its edge, then slid it back into the sheath.
I’d gotten more involved than I intended… but I supposed it couldn’t be helped.
The coup that had shaken the kingdom ended here.
In the end, I was the one who struck down the Hero of the Princess Faction, but the ones who truly claimed victory were the nobles. Either way, the kingdom had fallen into their hands.
”Wh-what are you people…?”
Hiiragi, one of the summoned heroes, stared at me in disbelief.
It was only natural. After all, the enemy who had overwhelmed them—even with all their strength combined—was cut down by me, alone.
But I had no intention of answering. I had no reason to make friends with them.
”W-wait! Could it be… you’re—”
Ignoring Hiiragi’s desperate voice behind me, we left the castle without looking back.
In the end, we had helped them. But all I did was protect the people of the capital. I had no interest in coups or politics. They could clean up their own mess. This rebellion had been theirs from the start.
After that, we returned to the Love Hotel. I let myself rest.
The rest—the nobles and Hiiragi’s party—could handle it.
* * *
A few days later, an invitation arrived for me.
The sender was Marquis Castanove, Lady Arcona’s father. He wished to offer his thanks, and an explanation.
Honestly, I felt it would be a hassle. But curiosity won out. Not knowing how things had settled after the coup left a sour taste.
So I brought Lifia, my half-elf maid in her short skirt, and set off.
We used the Borg family’s carriage—there was no way I could show up to a marquis’s mansion on foot. That would look terrible. They insisted, and I agreed to ride with them.
Inside the carriage sat Baron Borg and his heir, Iberigo.
Iberigo was as plump and affable as ever, a smile fixed on his face. The baron beside him was a heavy-browed, thick-bearded man radiating the presence of a seasoned noble—but oddly subdued, as though going out of his way to avoid offending me.
Soon we arrived.
The marquis’s mansion loomed above, far more splendid than the baron’s. A vast garden surrounded a grand stone manor, exuding tradition, dignity, and wealth in every line of its construction.
We were shown to a reception room, where several nobles were already waiting.
At the head sat Marquis Castanove himself, silver-haired, hawk-eyed, a man who radiated authority even seated. He rose with practiced grace and introduced himself.
”I am Marquis Castanove. Thank you for coming, Lord Taro.”
Lady Arcona was at his side, her cheeks now glowing with health. She was still plump, like her fiancé Iberigo, but her bright smile stood out most.
She had once teetered on the edge of death from illness. The rare medicine that saved her had come from ingredients I procured, at Iberigo’s request. It was no surprise they would both be present.
But there were unexpected faces, too.
”It has been some time, Lord Taro.”
”…Count Dokihens? Baron Zubo?”
Two middle-aged gentlemen smiled and nodded. Relief flooded me—I’d remembered correctly.
Dokihens was broad-chested, with neatly kept blond hair, while Zubo was refined, his soft manner paired with chestnut hair swept back in style.
I had once met them at an auction in the Dungeon City. They had purchased an item I put up for sale.
Their appearances had changed considerably since then, so I hadn’t been certain at first.
But why were they here?
”They too were allies of the Noble Faction in the coup,” the marquis explained, as if answering my thoughts.
”Once we learned of their connection to you, I invited them to join us.”
The auction listings were supposed to be anonymous, but for someone of the marquis’s rank, such things were easy to uncover. He had connected the dots: the one who had provided the medicine for his daughter, the anonymous seller, and the man who had slain the Hero in the coup’s final battle. All of it pointed to me.
And in the process, he and the others had learned something more—that my power far surpassed Hiiragi and the other known heroes. Enough to be whispered of as the “True Hero.”
The kind of figure said to alter the course of nations, to mark the turning points of history.
Perhaps that was why they watched me so carefully.
Nakuos had no king now. The former king was dead. His daughter, the supposed heir, had been defeated in the coup and vanished. Everyone was probing, wondering who would claim the empty throne.
If I declared I should be king, who could oppose me? With no means to stop me, they would have no choice but to obey.
That was why they treated my every word and gesture with such tension.
So I told them plainly.
I wasn’t fit to be king. I didn’t want the throne, and I wouldn’t take it.
At that, their shoulders finally loosened.
Of course. They had spilled blood and schemed to seize power; to have it stolen away now would be unbearable. I understood, at least a little, why they had been so wary.
Afterward, they explained.
For generations, the houses of Count Dokihens and Baron Zubo had been sworn enemies. They insulted each other at banquets, even dragged their vassals into petty skirmishes.
But when they jointly purchased the item I’d offered, they reconciled. That unlikely partnership had grown into a political alliance. And it was that alliance, they said, that made the coup succeed.
”Who would have imagined these two, standing side by side?” the marquis chuckled.
Without their military might, the uprising could never have triumphed. The sluggish response of the royal army, the weakened guards at the castle—those, too, had been thanks to their efforts.
In other words, one product I sold had set off a chain of events that ended with a successful coup.
Strange, how cosmetics sold at the Love Hotel could end up shaping history.
Then I learned the princess had vanished. Yamada had fought to buy time, and in that span she had disappeared.
Did he know? Had he been complicit, or merely used?
”We are searching with all our strength,” the marquis said, scowling. “But she is nowhere to be found.”
Apparently, the castle had secret passages known only to the royal family. In the chaos, she had used one and slipped away.
And if they did find her? That was obvious.
”The root of future troubles must be cut away,” he said coldly.
I couldn’t deny his logic. I held no fondness for her. She was beautiful, but if she only spread chaos further, better she died forgotten in a ditch.
If the noble faction’s soldiers found her first? They’d execute her. But perhaps not before indulging themselves. Lucky bastards.
Either way, the Kingdom of Nakuos was finished. Its lands would be divided among the nobles, three regions ruled separately. The nation that rose on summoned heroes would, ironically, fall by them.
There was more.
In the chaos of the coup, part of the royal castle had been destroyed, its archives consumed by fire. Among the lost were countless records of ancient magic technology.
One of those was the research on Hero Summoning.
The nobles’ scholars had worked frantically to salvage and reconstruct it. But in the end, their conclusion was merciless: the ritual could not be replicated.
Which meant the world would never see another new Hero.
* * *
The streets were lively again, lined with stalls. The air was thick with the sweetness of fruit, the bite of spice. Children ran and laughed; merchants shouted their wares.
There was no shadow of the coup left. People had returned to their daily lives, the air filled with peace as though nothing had happened. Perhaps because the calamity had been stopped before it could spread too far.
Walking beside Lifia on the way back from the meeting, I mulled it over.
”The art of summoning heroes is gone.”
The thought echoed in my mind, even amid the noise of the town.
Heroes had always stood at the turning points of history. They built nations, conquered dungeons, ended wars. The dungeon we now challenged had once been cleared by a Hero a century ago. The founder of Nakuos itself had been one of the Heroes summoned centuries past.
And now… no more Heroes?
Of the thirty-one summoned with me, only fifteen survived. One of them was Yomi. That left just fourteen who might one day stand against me.
No more would ever be added.
I thought back to the system of summoning.
Some were chosen deliberately.
Others, like me, were dragged in by accident. And as compensation for that senseless misfortune, those dragged along were granted powers surpassing the others.
The result was strength worthy of the title “True Hero.”
That was me.
I had been dragged into this world, and in doing so, I’d gained a power greater than any other—the Love Hotel.
For the longest time, I feared the appearance of another “True Hero,” someone with power equal to mine.
But that possibility was gone.
Hero summoning had been the sole domain of the Kingdom of Nakuos.
For the last century, no other nation had summoned a hero. Nakuos hoarded the technique, using their heroes to wipe out any country that dared possess it. In the end, they annihilated the very knowledge itself.
Of course, hero summoning wasn’t a divine miracle, just human craft. Perhaps, someday, centuries from now, someone might rediscover it. But that had nothing to do with me.
”Looks like I don’t need to keep pushing myself anymore.”
The words slipped out.
Until now, I had kept honing my strength, always preparing in case I had to fight other heroes—or in case a new “True Hero” appeared.
My Love Hotel was a powerful skill, but it wasn’t direct combat strength. That was why I’d been so wary, so relentless in chasing more power.
But that motive was gone.
I had no intention of giving up adventuring.
I still wanted to see unknown lands, to challenge the deepest layers of dungeons, to peek behind the world’s curtain.
I’d been dropped into a fantasy world—it would be a waste not to explore it.
But the desperate edge had vanished. From now on, I could take it slow, with breathing room to spare.
I thought of my companions.
Tifi was already carrying my child. The others—my wives—would likely follow before long. That was no problem. Now that I no longer needed to fight, I could let them rest, let them take their maternity leave in peace.
And maybe, freed from pressure, their hearts would be lighter… maybe that would make it easier for them to conceive.
A world where they could become mothers without fear—what better future could I hope for?
My thoughts turned toward the future when—
”Master, um…”
At my side, Lifia’s voice trembled, her steps restless.
”What is it?”
Did she want me right now? My hand slid naturally to her skirt, brushing over the white garter straps on her thighs, tracing the soft curve of her backside.
This half-elf’s body was built to crave it—an eager, wanton body that yearned to be filled.
”N-no! That’s not it!”
Her face turned bright red as she twisted away from me.
…What?
Lifia pulled back from my touch?
The Lifia who was always obedient, always honest?
The Lifia who blushed but always welcomed my teasing hands?
The Lifia whose greedy womb never let a drop escape?
Why?
While I stood dumbfounded, she pressed a hand to her belly. Her golden bob swayed in the breeze, her blue eyes shimmering with tears. The sight made my heart jolt.
Her lower belly. That cute, flat stomach. What lay beneath was obvious: her womb. The womb that endlessly craved my seed.
”Lifia… don’t tell me—”
”…Yes.”
She nodded, cheeks flushed, lips trembling into a shy smile.
”Just now… I heard it. The voice of a baby.”
Her words stole my breath. Heat welled up in my chest.
My gaze fell naturally to her stomach. No change yet, no sign. But if what she said was true, then a tiny life was already budding within her.
I pulled her into my arms, gently, as though she were fragile glass. Her body was slender, soft, trembling against me.
”Thank you, Lifia.”
That was all I could manage.
The bustle of the town seemed far away. All I felt was her warmth, her softness pressed against me.
The heroes had remade the Kingdom of Nakuos.
And at the same time—
It seemed my own life had reached a turning point as well.
Notes:
• Kingdom of Nakuos – The nation where the protagonist and companions were summoned as heroes.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply