Ch.101Cursed Journey (2)

A demon horde attacked the village. And the terrifyingly ominous figure commanding them said they had finally found me the moment they saw me.

I’m certainly not what you’d call ordinary, but I can’t say I’m special either—I’m that kind of ambiguous person. So I have absolutely no idea why that person came looking for me.

But one thing is certain. If I just stay here like this, something terrible will definitely happen.

As soon as I made my decision, I prepared to flee…

“Aaaaargh!”

My left leg was severed in an instant. No matter how accustomed to pain I’ve become through training, this kind of agony is something you never get used to.

So I collapsed to the ground, letting out a pain-filled groan. Am I really going to die?

I’ve barely experienced anything enjoyable in my life. And now I’m just going to die here? That absolutely cannot happen.

Alright, they say Supernatural Power manifests when you desperately wish for it. So if I desperately wish to escape from here, I might survive.

I tried to escape that way, but the death screams coming from all around made it impossible to concentrate.

Besides that, my mind was being torn apart by the sounds of explosions everywhere, buildings over 20 stories tall collapsing, and children desperately calling for their parents.

The place I’ve lived for 15 years is completely falling apart. All because of that one bastard.

Let’s change the plan—instead of thinking about escaping, I’ll think about taking that bastard down.

But still, no Supernatural Power manifests. Instead, my fear is only doubling.

My instinct screams desperately that even if I gained a powerful ability, I couldn’t defeat that monster.

It’s impossible after all. I need to escape…

Suddenly, I saw a demon dragging someone out of the house where I had been, bringing them before that monster.

“Take your hands off her!”

My mother is being held unconscious by that demon. I have to save her no matter what.

Even with one leg destroyed, I still have the other. Somehow I need to move and buy time.

“Is this woman your mother?”

He pulled out the sword he’d been carrying on his back and continued speaking calmly.

“No. It doesn’t matter anyway since I’m going to kill everyone.”

Suddenly my mother’s head floated up into the air, then dropped to the ground with a thud.

“Dispose of it.”

After he gave the order, the demon horde began to devour my mother’s corpse. At the same time, a sword appeared in my right hand.

I’ll kill him. I’ll tear him to shreds no matter what it takes.

I’ll kill him in a way more horrific than this. I’ll beat him to death so painfully he’ll regret ever being born.

And so I charged at him, forgetting even the pain from my severed leg.

“Is that really all you’ve got?”

But it wasn’t him whose limbs were severed—it was me.

I don’t even know when he attacked. I don’t know what he attacked with. But one thing is certain.

I’ve become completely incapable of resistance.

While those disgusting demons tear apart my mother’s corpse, all I can do is watch with wide-open eyes.

As helplessness was being etched into my body, that fucking bastard spewed the most disgusting words from his mouth.

“If this is the end, perhaps all those prophecies were just nonsense after all.”

Then he raised his sword and aimed at my neck. Now I’ll be following my mother.

I feel like I’m going insane with resentment. After more than eight years of such hardship, I can’t even put up any resistance here.

I just manifested my Supernatural Power, but I couldn’t accomplish anything. Even with things this dire, I still can’t do anything.

My friends are dying beside me. Adults I’ve known for years are dying. Even people whose names I don’t know—everyone is dying.

The foundations of people’s lives are crumbling. Some people’s lives are ending just as they were beginning. All because of one person.

Because of this one bastard before my eyes, the fruits of countless people’s efforts are being destroyed. Countless relationships are disappearing. Countless lives are ending.

Countless futures have vanished without a trace from this place. All because of one monster.

We—I—was just living an ordinary life. So why is this happening?

Why are our lives—my life—ending so meaninglessly?

Why is that bastard doing this?

Tears stream down my cheeks onto the ground. Why are these tears flowing?

Is it fear of the death that awaits me, or is it the resentment and sorrow for our lives ending so meaninglessly?

Or is it grief for my mother, who won’t even have a corpse left in this world?

Whatever the case, it’s certain that my life is about to end.

As I sobbed miserably, unable to accept my approaching death, someone deflected his blade.

“I’m sorry. I arrived too late.”

I saw my Master with an extremely grim expression. But instinctively, I knew.

Even Master is no match for that monster. Even if Master is the world’s greatest swordsman, there will just be one more corpse here.

I don’t want to see such a sight again. So I closed my eyes.

Perhaps due to the shock of what just happened, or perhaps due to the pain of my severed limbs that I still feel, as soon as I closed my eyes, fatigue washed over me and I lost consciousness.

***

I feel no pain anywhere in my body. Have I arrived in the afterlife?

Thinking this, I opened my eyes to see the ceiling of some hospital room.

Looking around to assess the situation, I saw Master sitting beside me.

“Master…?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Master looked down at the floor and squeezed out his voice with difficulty.

“What about the others… No, what exactly happened back there…?”

“…How much do you remember?”

“…I remember up until after my parents died, when you arrived.”

“There were only two survivors from that place.”

Master continued speaking, his voice weighed down by guilt.

“You and me. Just the two of us.”

Everyone died. Without exception, everyone died because of that one fucking bastard.

But I survived. Only I survived that hell.

Is this a blessing or a curse? But one thing is certain.

I now have the chance to kill him with my own hands.

My rage is so intense that my mind becomes strangely calm. Thanks to that, I can think somewhat clearly.

This isn’t the time yet. Even if I charged at him now, I would die uselessly just like before.

I need to become much stronger under Master’s guidance. Only then can I tear that bastard to shreds.

As I raised my head to look at Master, I saw that his right arm was missing.

“…Master. Why is your arm gone?”

With Divine Power healing, an arm can easily be regrown. The proof is that my own limbs are now intact.

Besides, Master is financially well-off. Such healing should be easy as pie for him.

While I was pondering this, Master spoke again, his voice still heavy with guilt.

“…I let all those people die.”

“But that wasn’t your fault!”

“No, it was all my fault.”

Master continued to look down at the floor as he forced out his words.

“Do you know that a new Demon King has appeared?”

“…Is war starting again at such a time?”

I’ve heard that when the Demon King appeared decades ago, the world was in tremendous chaos. Unfortunately, with the disappearance of the ancient Magic called ancient Magic along with the previous Demon King, our forces were greatly weakened.

As a result, that war continued longer and more devastatingly than any other in history. It was so bad that the aftereffects remain even now.

And now a Demon King has appeared in these times. It’s obvious that he’ll be hiding amidst this chaos.

As I was about to be unable to suppress my growing anger, Master made an even more shocking statement.

“The one who attacked your village was that Demon King.”

“…What?”

“He came directly to your village looking for the one who would become the new Hero.”

It wasn’t quite a city, but it wasn’t quite rural either—just an ordinary village. I just realized why the Demon King came to such a place.

Because of just one Hero, our village was completely destroyed.

I punched the wall hard enough to crack it slightly.

“Aaaaargh!”

I can no longer contain my anger. It’s not just that there’s a Demon King and a Hero and all that, but that the Demon King is the one I must take revenge on.

Without the mark of the Hero, it’s difficult to inflict serious damage on the Demon King. In this situation, I have to take revenge on the Demon King.

So as things stand, someone who becomes the Hero will kill the Demon King.

But I must be the one to kill him. I absolutely cannot let anyone else do it.

I must tear him to shreds with my own hands. For the sake of avenging my family, for the village, for Master, and for myself—I must do it.

But that opportunity has been taken away. As I was sinking deep into despair, Master asked me:

“Fortunately, I was able to rescue the Hero candidate.”

Then Master raised his head, met my eyes, and continued.

“I never told you this, but I came to your village after seeing your talent, to make you into a Hero.”

“…What?”

“There was a prophecy that a Demon King would appear soon. So I kept searching for people in preparation for that time.”

I now understood why Master came to our unremarkable village, why Master hid his identity from everyone but me, and why I specifically became Master’s disciple.

I was shocked to realize that everything had been Master’s intention all along, and I continued to listen attentively.

“Of course, I was the only one who knew this. If the news had reached the Demon King, you would have been eliminated immediately.”

“…Then why did you leave today of all days?”

“You can’t rely on your master forever. And I had already taught you everything I could.”

I now understood why he had pushed me so hard all this time. And the light of hope was growing brighter.

“I had hoped that for at least the next five years, you would experience the world on your own, become a Hero, and protect the world. But my selfishness has brought things to this state.”

“…Is that why you’ve left your arm as it is?”

“I might as well have killed the people of your village myself. So I have no right to live the rest of my life in comfort.”

Master bowed his head again and continued.

“I would like to join the battlefield, but I’m too old for that now.”

As soon as Master finished speaking, I laughed loudly. Master looked at me quizzically.

“Why are you suddenly laughing?”

“Because I’m so happy.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Now there’s no one but me who can kill him, right?”

Without being a Hero, it’s difficult to inflict fatal wounds on the Demon King. That’s why throughout history, it’s always been Heroes who have defeated Demon Kings.

And I will become a Hero once I pass this trial. Since the trial can only be held once every 10 years, no new Hero will emerge for the next decade.

This stage is set for me alone. So only I can defeat the Demon King.

I will definitely kill him. No matter what happens, I will kill him with my own hands.

As I continued laughing, Master’s expression darkened further as he handed me something and said:

“Unfold that scroll and you can go to the Hero’s trial. Gather companions and go there.”

I took the scroll from Master and immediately unfolded it.

I alone am enough. No, I must be alone.

And so I was instantly transported to the place of the trial.