Not An Enemy You Meet At The Beginning (1)

“Another lap!”

“Yes!”

Today again, I was mixing in with the knight order’s training for special drills.

I was running at the same pace as the young knights.

“You look like you still have plenty of energy, Hero-sama.”

“No, no. If you do this every day, this much becomes normal.”

I’d been running dozens of laps around the royal castle every single day.

Even if I didn’t want to, my stamina had improved.

On top of that, I’d been doing strength training too, and my body was starting to bulk up.

When visible results appeared, even the harsh training became motivating.

It was a strange feeling.

At the beginning, I’d hated every second of it, but now it didn’t feel that bad.

I had more mental leeway too—I could even chat casually with the young knights while running.

Was I actually good at sports?

“Hero-sama, may I have a moment?”

“Your Highness?”

Just as the run ended, the princess called out to me.

The knights straightened up and saluted respectfully.

The princess smiled gently.

Since she always put on an act in front of others, she was in refined-princess mode right now.

So I behaved properly too, like a Hero should.

“Is something the matter?”

“There are people I’d like to introduce to you. Would you come with me?”

“I still have training scheduled after this, though…”

“You may be absent today. I’ve already informed the knight order.”

If that was the case, there was no reason to refuse.

I waved to the young knights and left the area with the princess.

After walking for a while, only the two of us continued down the corridor.

“You seem to have gotten along quite well with them.”

“Thanks to you.”

Once we were alone, she was back to her usual self.

“So, what’s this about?”

“I told you, didn’t I? There are people I want to introduce.”

“So who are they?”

“They’re companions who will travel with us to defeat the Demon King.”

She said it as if it were a hassle.

Companions we’d be traveling with, huh.

“So it wasn’t just the two of us.”

“Obviously. There’s no way we could defeat the Demon King with just us.”

“That makes sense.”

“We already have one piece of dead weight as it is.”

“And who would that be?”

“Oh? Do I really need to spell it out for you?”

She looked at me with an expression mixing exasperation and provocation.

Annoyed, I shot back.

“I trained hard for an entire month, you know?”

“How reassuring. Let’s just hope you don’t run into a commander right away and get cut down.”

“Don’t jinx it!”

The rule was that you started with weak enemies in the early stages.

You fought commanders after leveling up.

I had definitely gotten stronger, but I still had no real combat experience.

“We’re here. This room.”

A chamber within the royal castle.

Inside were the companions who would travel with us from here on out.

I felt a little nervous.

“Just to be clear, don’t go talking about my goals or anything unnecessary, okay?”

“I know. And you don’t go revealing my identity either.”

“That depends on how well you perform.”

This woman…

She really did keep all the leverage.

Would the day ever come when I turned the tables?

It felt like this might last forever…

I let out a small sigh.

The princess knocked on the door and called inside.

“It’s Erika. I’ve brought the Hero-sama.”

“Come on in!”

A high-pitched voice answered.

A girl?

When the princess opened the door, two people were waiting.

“We’ve been waiting! Your Highness!”

One of them was a small boy—maybe?

He waved energetically.

He had reddish-brown short hair and wore an outfit that exposed a tightly toned midriff.

A greatsword larger than his own body was strapped to his back.

Judging by his appearance, he was probably a warrior.

“Arka, that attitude is disrespectful toward Her Highness.”

“Ah, s-sorry… Your Highness.”

“Fufu, it’s fine. We’ll be traveling together as companions. Don’t worry about rank or status—treat me as a fellow ally.”

“How gracious of you. I am grateful for your generosity, Your Highness.”

The other person was an older girl with a calm, gentle atmosphere.

She wore something like a nun’s habit, and her pale pink hair fell in soft waves.

At a glance, she didn’t look like a fighter.

Maybe a priest-type—someone good at healing.

And her chest was… big.

The princess’s was big too, but hers was even bigger.

This was dangerous.

My gaze was naturally drawn toward her chest—

“So you’re the Hero?”

“Whoa!”

Before I realized it, the boy called Arka was right in front of my face.

He leaned in close, peering up at me.

His well-shaped features were exactly what you’d call a pretty boy.

“Hmmm… you’re plainer than I expected!”

“Pfft.”

Hey, Princess—you just laughed, didn’t you?

“Hey, Arka. That’s rude.”

“Ah, sorry! I did it again…”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

I was aware I had a plain face.

At least he didn’t call me ugly—that was something.

“I’m Arka! As you can see, I’m a warrior!”

“R-right. I’m Soji. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Soji-kun!”

Arka grabbed my hand forcefully and shook it up and down.

Maybe because he was small, his hand was small too—and warm.

And strong.

As expected of a warrior.

“Hero-sama, my name is Semirena Lawrence. My role is Saintess. It is my mission to deliver the Goddess’s radiance to all.”

So she was a Saintess.

In games, that was the healing role, good at dealing with undead enemies.

She certainly looked the part.

Her demeanor was gentle too—she gave off a pure, maidenly vibe.

“I look forward to working with you from now on, Hero chosen by the Goddess.”

“Ah, yes. Likewise.”

I shook her hand as well.

Why was it?

It was just a greeting, yet a chill ran down my spine for a split second…

It had to be my imagination, right?

“Um, so the four of us are going to defeat the Demon King together, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

I confirmed it again with the princess.

The princess as the mage, Arka the warrior, Semirena the Saintess.

And me—the fake Hero.

We were all young, and half of us were girls.

Part of me wished at least one seasoned veteran warrior had joined us, but being around people close in age was easier too.

Pros and cons, I guess.

The princess addressed us formally.

“Today is just an introduction. There are three days left until our departure. Use that time to make your final preparations.”

“Okaaay!”

“Understood.”

“……”

Three days from now…

We would finally set out on the journey to defeat the Demon King.

Would we really be able to return safely?

To gain my freedom, I devoted the remaining days to training.