And Zect drew his Holy Sword Deolf... and the sword began to glow blue.
Still, a hero (Yuusha) is a hero (Yuusha).
Even though he was no match in swordsmanship with the Sword Saint.
Even though he was no match in magic with the Sage.
Even though he was no match in healing with the Saint.
But there is something that exists only in the hero (Yuusha).
It is 'courage'.
The one with a heart that fears no foe, no matter how powerful, is a hero (Yuusha).
He who gives hope to his friends and despair to his enemies.
"Ooooooh...!"
Zect runs like the wind, charging into a group of dragons...
Then, wielding his holy sword, he slays the leading dragon.
He then... Using the dragon as a stepping stone, leaps into the sky and slashes the wyvern with all his might.
But the Rock Dragon engulfs Zect as he leaps... However, it is not over... he slits the throat of the Rock Dragon... and Zect once again holds up his holy sword to the dragon horde.
But then... what he saw was...
* * *
Zect's POV
I couldn't believe my eyes.
"Aaaaaaaaaaa... Don't come any closer, don't come at meee..!"
Lida?
The sword saint, who always runs to my left and slays her enemies like the wind.
Right now, screamed like a child.
Her beautiful swordsmanship had disappeared, and she was waving her sword like a child wielding a stick.
And Maria, beside her...
"Holy Wall, Holy Wall, Holy Wall, Holy Wall, Holy Wallll..."
She's chanting like a mad woman.
"Aaaaaa, nooo... Help me... Help me... I hate ittt...!"
Mel, too must have fired several magic shots because… a charred dragon was lying on the ground near her.
Within the barrier Maria had set up, the three of them were crying out with their backs against each other.
No dragon could break the layers of Maria's barrier magic. So, when the dragons saw that they could not be attacked... they evaded them and marched forward.
No way... no one is following me... What the hell...
Now, I'm out on my own... and after slaying a few dragons...
"I can't do it anymore..."
I jumped into the forest next to me and passed out.
* * *
How much time had passed?
It was nighttime, and the moon was rising in the sky.
Ah, yes... the three of them too...
They were calling out 'help' like mad inside Maria's barrier.
But looking around, there were no dragons anymore... Probably because the dragon had passed through the area several hours before.
"Hey, Lida, Maria, Mel..."
"""Noooooooooo...!"""
The three of them are crying inside the barrier... but it seems they can't hear me.
Well, as long as they're inside the barrier... They'll be fine.
Now, I started walking toward the big town.
"Urp... Ughhhhh...!"
I threw up so hard.
As far as I could see, bodies were lying everywhere.
Some were so severely burned that I couldn't recognize their faces... some were so mutilated that their lower halves were missing... there were hardly any bodies, not even decent ones...
I can only describe it in one word, 'cruelty'.
As I continued on my way, I came to Bushya.
The town has been completely destroyed, and flames are shooting everywhere.
No... it is no longer functioning as a town.
And near the entrance were knights, adventurers, and exhausted soldiers.
Among them, Bran, the guild master, came out through the crowd.
"Zect... Our lord, Count Bouyan, is dead... and so is Amir..."
"I see..."
"Give back my mother... You're not a hero (Yuusha)... You're a demon...!?"
"Ouch! Why did you throw a rock at me, you little brattt...!"
"Wait! He's a hero (Yuusha)! Stop that!"
"But..."
"Stop it"
"..."
Why... Why is the kid looking at me with such hatred?
"Hey... Zect... I have a question for you why did you choose to fight?"
"They're dragons. We have to fight them."
"Well... these dragons, we just checked, and they were on their way somewhere on the run... it's a little late for that, but if we all leave this town together, evacuate, and come back in a day... we'll have a better chance of finding them. The places they passed might have been destroyed... but there's a good chance not a single person would have died."
"But, from the church, I..."
"No, the church had told me... They didn't tell you to fight... Don't screw with me, you basta*d..."
That's a lie... Wasn't the church telling me to do so...?
No, remember...
What did they say?
Surely they want me to take them down, right...?
Ahhh... No way…
'The dragons are coming from behind you, and they are moving toward Bushya, the major town, and if you do not stop or divert them, the people of that town will die.'
They didn't say we have to defeat it...
'Stop or divert', that's what they said...
They didn't tell us to fight them head-on.
So... we should be able to do it... that's what they must have been thinking.
Why would I miss something as important as that?
"Well, alright... Still, even though you're a hero (Yuusha)... Don't come to Bushya anymore... I know you have no ill will... You're crying, I can see it in your face... But people whose relatives are dead can't be convinced... And look, I'm trying very hard to suppress it too... my wife and child are dead... So, just go... and don't come back..."
"I'm sorry..."
There was nothing I could do but walk away.
* * *
After that, I came to the three girls...
Maria keeps casting barrier, and they're still crying and screaming.
"You've got a lot of nerve... you guys... get your goddamn barrier off...!"
I punched the barrier.
My knuckles are bleeding, but I don't care...
"Let's go... Come on, let's go... hurry up and release the barrier... release it... You idiot..."
I kept hitting it, even though my bones were shattered.
And the moon was just shining on us.
* * *
The Three Girls' POV
We may be a hero's party, but until recently, we were just village girls.
It would be cruel to fight such a terror.
But if we had encountered this kind of thing a year later, it might have been different.
We don't have enough experience yet...
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