Shortly after entering the academy, I was approached in class. “You don’t have what it takes to be a hero,” said a blond, well-dressed, and well-built young man with striking blue eyes and handsome features.
When I responded that I still had to become a hero, he became angry and reached for his sword at his waist. The teacher intervened quickly and the situation was diffused, but from then on, he became my enemy.
I soon found out that his name was Leon Müller. He stood out in our class and had a reputation among the teachers due to being the son of a count. He also had considerable talent with the sword.
He was blessed with good blood, physique, and talent, and he did not neglect his training. He trained outside of class and showed no signs of arrogance or complacency with his talent. Of course, he was the top candidate for becoming a hero.
I thought that he might become the hero instead of me, and I even hoped that he would. I didn’t want to burden him with the title of hero. However, until he became a hero, I couldn’t give up.
I decided to focus on my training more than he did. I trained twice as hard as he did outside of class because I had no one to socialize with. Our warrior class instructors were mostly former knights who had retired due to age or injury, but they were still skilled.
They had a bias towards our noble classmates, so they did not directly teach me often, but what they taught in class was very helpful. There were few teachers who had a favourable impression of me, but when I asked a question, they would answer it properly.
With that in mind, I practised swordsmanship in the corners of the academy where no one could see me. I also checked my form by practising in front of mirrors or glass if possible. Through my classes, I learned that my swordsmanship was full of unnecessary movements.
I realized that I had not learned proper swordsmanship, and I was taught the many extra movements I made. In contrast, Leon’s swordsmanship was ideal. His sword was beautiful, and he wasted no movements.
I practised my swordsmanship based on his form and challenged him as much as possible in class simulations. Every time I did so, I was defeated by Leon and ridiculed by him. “You should hurry up and leave the academy,” he said.
However, strangely enough, Leon seemed to dislike it when other students made fun of me. Once, when I carelessly left my sword in the classroom, some classmates took it and tried to make it their own. “That sword is too good for a commoner like you.
I’ll use it instead,” said the classmate, and the other classmates laughed and agreed. “That sword is important to me. Can I have it back?” I couldn’t give up that sword no matter what they offered me. I confronted the classmate, determined to take it back no matter what.
“What? How dare you talk back, you commoner!” They were a little intimidated by my strong will, but they surrounded me with their larger numbers. “Hey,” then Leon spoke up. “You there, what did you learn about a warrior’s sword?” Leon questioned the classmate who had taken my sword.
“Uh…well, a warrior’s sword is their life,” the questioned man stammered. “I see. So is your life also stolen goods?” The man was surprised and stumbled to answer, “No, that’s not it. I was just fooling around…” “Are you going to be a warrior who jokes about life?”
The man who had been questioned silently returned my sword. After confirming that, Leon left, but I chased after him to express my gratitude. “Thank you, you really saved me there.” To that, Leon was harsh.
“Didn’t I tell you that the sword is the life of a warrior? It’s a disgrace for a warrior to let someone take it from them. It’s foolish to steal someone else’s sword, but it’s even more foolish to forget where you put it!” He was absolutely right.
After that incident, I kept my sword with me at all times. At the end of the summer of our third year, Leon approached me while I was practising with my sword behind the school building as usual. He rarely talked to me, and he didn’t have his usual entourage with him.
“You’ve become quite good at wielding a sword,” he said. Since he never used flattery or sarcasm, he must be giving me a compliment. I stopped swinging my sword and turned to face Leon. “I’ve been using your swordsmanship as a model.”
“I see. I’m not bad at it, but aside from me, your form is the best. Of course, the other guys in our class haven’t been training seriously, so that’s part of it.” It was a pleasant thing to hear. When I entered the knight class, I was the worst swordsman in the class, but now I was second only to Leon.
However, it was also true that none of my classmates, except for Leon and me, were taking the class seriously. They seemed to be afraid of going to the Demon King’s territory and were just trying to get by. Leon was probably frustrated by that. “Thank you. My efforts have paid off.” “Is that so? You’ll need to work even harder from now on.”
“I don’t think the results match the effort you put in. If you swing your sword thousands of times a day and this is the level you’ve reached, it means you don’t have any talent,” Leon’s criticism was accurate.
After swinging the sword day and night for over two years, if this was the level of skill, then my talent was very limited. “Even so, it’s fine. I have to become a hero, so I have to improve my sword skills even if it’s just a little bit,” I replied.
“Why do you aspire to become a hero so much?” Leon asked with a serious expression. “A prophet appeared in my village and prophesied the emergence of a hero. If I don’t do it, no one else will,” I answered.
“Do you really think you’re a hero?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I’m very suited for it. To tell you the truth, I think you’re more suited to be a hero,” I said.
“What?” Leon looked genuinely bewildered. “Then why did you insist on becoming a hero? You should have left it to me. You wouldn’t have had to go through such rigorous training every day,” he said.
“No, that’s not right.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Being a hero is not something you just become. Everyone expects you to do it, and you’re unilaterally burdened with the responsibility of defeating the Demon King, risking your life. And if you fail, the world will end. There’s nothing more unfair than this. It’s not worth it,” I explained.
“…………” Leon hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Yesterday, my father told me to give up on becoming a hero,” he said.
“Why?”
Leon’s father must have expected him to become a hero. “The situation in the war seems to be pretty bad. It seems impossible for a hero to invade the Demon King’s territory. Even a hero can’t defeat the Demon King,” he said.
I see, if the situation is bad, then they can’t even support a hero who enters the Demon King’s territory. Without support, it’s like jumping into a death trap. “I’m worried about you,” he said. “I know that!” Leon shouted.
“But, I’ve been striving to become a hero since I was a child! Becoming a hero and saving the world was my dream! I don’t care about my life anymore! But…”
His father, who was a count, must have given him an absolute order. It was also because he was concerned about Leon’s safety. Leon couldn’t go against his father’s order. “I’ll become a hero, so it’s okay,” I began swinging my sword again.
“I’m sure I’ll defeat the Demon King. So, it’s okay.” “Are you saying that you’re stronger than me, commoner?” Leon grimaced. “Why can you say that? You’re just an ordinary person! You have no power! You can’t defeat the Demon King!”
He denounced me as if he was venting his hatred. “I’ll keep trying until I can defeat him. If I fail once, I’ll try again. If I fail twice, I’ll aim for the third time. It’s as simple as that.” I wasn’t that optimistic. I didn’t think it would go so smoothly on the first try.
“What are you talking about? If you fail once, that’s the end. There’s no second chance.” “But we have no choice but to keep trying. The important thing is not to give up and to stay calm. If you give up and waste your life in despair, it’s over.
No matter what, I will see it through to the end. That’s why I learned both offensive and recovery magic.” “……….” After staring at my face for a while, Leon said, “Hmph, what can a commoner like you do? I’m the one who will defeat the Demon King.
I can’t just leave the fate of the world to a commoner. It would be beneath me to entrust the fate of the world to a commoner. No matter what anyone says, I’m going to the Demon King’s territory. Definitely.”
Leon, who was about to leave, turned back as if he had thought better of it. “Promise me one thing. If I become the hero, you’ll join my party.” It was an unexpected statement.
“What If I become the hero?” “It’s something that’s unlikely to happen. But…” Leon showed a smirk. “I’ll join your party when it happens.”
