Chapter 40: A Hero’s Fake

Author: Kurohitsuji
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2086fk/41/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

Back in the capital, I go straight to the Adventurer’s Guild.

“I’m hoooome.”
“Welcome back. How did it go?”
“For now, please take these.”

I dump out the goblin canines I hunted.
Uwah. That’s quite a pile. I might have overdone it.

“My, a lot… wait a moment.”
“Also I have something I want to talk to Glad about. Is he in?”
“He has a visitor right now. But for you it should be fine. He’s in his room; go try.”
“Okaaay. Thanks.”

I head for the back room as told.
The guildmaster’s room is… here, I think.

I knock and go in, and Glad and Kanon are there.
Ah. The visitor is Kanon.

“What, it’s you. What’s up?”
“I have something to consult Glad about. Kanon, hello.”
“Good afternoon. I’m glad you look well.”
“…You, consulting?”

A smiling beauty and a bearded muscleman looking sour.
Kind of a funny picture.

“Consult, or, there was a weird monster, so a report?”
“Weird? What kind?”
“Hmm. Pitch black. One like me, and one like a long-haired man. Only the eyes and mouth were red.”
“Hoh. Human-shaped?”
“Nn. And they use weapons. The one like me had the same weapons as me, and the man had a stretching sword.”

At that, Kanon twitches.

“…Ouka. By a stretching sword, do you mean the blade extends and contracts?”
“Ah, yes yes. It became all sorts of shapes in an instant, and the edge was insanely good.”
“…I see?”

Kanon puts a finger to her chin and thinks.
She looks like a painting.

And Glad with his arms folded, groaning.
A painting in a different sense.

“Also, when I beat both of them they turned to black dust and vanished.”
“I see. A mana lifeform. But these features…”
“Well, it matches, I’d say it matches.”

They nod at each other. Eh, what are they talking about?

“You know the Hero Shimauchi Hayato?”
“Umm, ‘the Ever-Changing Magic Sword’?”
“Yeah, that. From the sound of it, that one’s ability resembles him.”

One of the Heroes, Shimauchi Hayato’s blessing: the Ever-Changing Magic Sword.
He has a magic sword that can change shape at will, I think.
It does kind of resemble that, maybe.

“…Does it have something to do with the Heroes? But there was one like me too?”
“Um, Ouka… this is hard to say, but you also meet the conditions.”

Ah. Right. Artificial Hero, was I.

“…Oi. I don’t know what this is about, but is that something I’m allowed to hear?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell Glad? I’m not human; I’m apparently something called an artificial Hero.”
“…Look, you, that’s important, isn’t it?”
“Apparently it shouldn’t get out much, so please on that.”
“Don’t brush it off… my head hurts. Anyway fill me in.”

Fill you in, he says… I don’t really understand it myself.

“Umm. Something made long ago, an anti-Demon King weapon? Or whatever.”
“That’s awfully vague. Isn’t this about you?”
“I’d like you to ask Arei for the details. I don’t get it well either.”
“That so. I get that it’s high-secrecy, but… my head hurts.”

He literally holds his head and groans.
…Sorry, somehow.

“For now, Ouka, why not consult older brother as well?”
“Eh. Hmm. What should I do.”
“Oh? Is there a problem?”

A bit, yes. I have a reason to hesitate.
Mainly a maiden’s instinctive reason.

“Uumu… no, it’s all right. Is it all right if I go now?”
“Yes. We’ll head over when our business is done, so please go ahead.”
“Yes. Then later.”

The royal castle, huh.
My bad feeling is going bari bari.
It’ll be fine, right?

○○○○○○○○

“It’s Oukaaa!! Yahooo!!”
“Hyaaaaaaaaaaa!”

There she is after all!

“Wait, I won’t sexually harass you for now so please calm down!!”

The sexual-harassment demon, shouting with a sunny smile.
I can’t trust that at all. Anyway stop wriggling your hands.

“…If you do anything weird I’ll put a hole in you.”
“It’s fine!! What brings you today!?”
“Well, I have something to consult Arei about.”
“If it’s Arei I think he’s in his room, want me to go get him!?”
“Ah, then please.”
“Leave it to me!! Then wait in the same room as last time!!”

No sooner said than she kicks the ground once, ton, and vanishes leaving a pashun.
Went to fetch him from his room, I guess. As expected of the fastest Hero. Not ordinary in all sorts of ways.

So. She comes back in a few minutes, except.

“Ou, what’s up today?”
“…No, what happened to that person?”
“Well, use your imagination.”
“Yah!! It’s been a few minutes!!”

Unshaven Arei, and Renju dangling by the back of her collar same as last time.
I feel like I kind of get these two’s relationship.

“Umm, I have a bit of a consultation.”
“Consultation? What?”
“At the ancient ruins in Gernika, I fought a black me. And today, near the royal castle, I fought a similar black one.”

His calm expression tightens.
Sharp eyes. This person really is a Hero too.

“…Hoh. And?”
“Both turned to black dust and vanished when I beat them.
And the one I saw today stretched its sword and came at me.”
“A sword, stretching… I see.”
“Glad said it resembled the Hero Shimauchi Hayato’s blessing.”
“Yeah, it does. But that isn’t the problem.”

Arei scratches his head, gari gari.
That isn’t the problem?

“If monsters mimicking Ouka and Hayato showed up, ones mimicking the other Heroes might show up too.”
“Ah. That’s true.”
“If Tsukasa or Renju come out, that ain’t a joke.”

Toono Tsukasa of God-Demon Annihilation, who punched the Demon King flying, and Renju of Idaten, fastest in the world.
Both Heroes called the strongest. Fakes of those.
Yeah, not a joke.

“No discovery reports so far, but… I’ll have Kanon put out a warning.”
“Yes, please.”
“You be careful too. Don’t push it.”

An expression with kindness in it, somehow. I can tell he’s worrying about me.

“I’m all right. If it gets bad I’ll fly and run.”
“Yeah, that’s good. Everything only works if you’re alive.”

Arei smiling nikori looks a little like a boy.
This person smiles with a face like that. A bit unexpected.

“Is the hard talk over!? I want to play with Ouka already!!”
“Ah, you’re being hauled to the knight order as-is.”
“Why!? You traitor!!”

Jitabata. Still held by the collar, throwing a tantrum.

“Do your job seriously once in a while. Later, Ouka.”
“Let me paw you next tiiiime!!”
“I don’t really get it, but I decline.”

I see them off waving with today’s biggest smile.
As noisy as ever, Renju.