Episode 0

I wiped my blood-covered face with my hand.

The dark corridor of the Demon King’s castle, lined with ancient statues, reeked of blood, and the floor was stained like a red carpet with blood flowing from the corpses of various monsters.

I shook the blood off my Holy Sword and walked slowly forward.

At the end of this corridor is a great hall.

Perhaps there, the one I seek and who awaits me is present.

As I approached the door of the great hall, a huge shadow loomed overhead.

Looking up, I saw a demon engulfed in pitch-black darkness blocking the door and looking down at me.

The demon gazed thoughtlessly at the blade of the Holy Sword, which began to blaze white, and spoke.

“You cannot pass.”

At the demon’s proclamation, the corridor echoed, and dust fell from the ceiling.

I responded with a proclamation of my own.

“Step aside.”

In an instant, the flames of darkness rising from the demon were suppressed and folded downwards.

The dark corridor flashed momentarily with the dazzling trajectory of the Holy Sword, and the demon’s head fell to the floor.

I kicked the rolling head away and opened the door of the great hall.

The Demon King’s great hall.

A place where all kinds of monsters and traitors who have succumbed to evil gather daily to praise the Demon King.

Now, in the great empty hall, the Demon King sat on the throne at the far end, waiting for me.

A demon clad in dragon leather with horns like those of a mountain goat on his head.

Seated in a black robe on a black throne, the Demon King’s white face seemed to float in the air, and his red eyes emitted a murderous aura filled with venom.

Beheading that bastard is my final mission.

“Come down, Demon King.”

“Fuck off.”

The Demon King spat coldly, as I knew he would.

If he didn’t have that guts, he wouldn’t have wreaked such havoc until now.

As I strode up the steps and stood before the Demon King, he glared back, unyielding.

“A puppet of the goddess…”

The hall flashed as if struck by lightning from the light of the Holy Sword.

The smirking Demon King’s head fell along the steps of the throne.

I completed my final mission.

This detestable life of heroism is truly over now.

I had an audience with the King and received a reward and a pension certificate for my efforts.

The reward was received in the form of a voucher, and the amount was considerable. It was more money than I could have touched in years had I been doing anything else.

The pension would be steadily deposited into a bank account in my name each month.

The Princess seated next to the King was grinding her teeth and glaring at me.

She had just been ranting about how a rogue like me did not deserve a pension, questioning the financial health of the royal treasury.

Perhaps she was harboring resentment because I had not accepted her confession before.

Imagine that, a Princess of a country confessing to a common-born swordsman like me.

“So, what do you plan to do now, hero?”

The King asked this as only my departure remained.

“I’m going to open an inn.”

“An inn…?”

The King asked again with a look of surprise.

Yes, I plan to open an inn.

And why an inn, you might ask?

Because I want to run an inn.

As a hero, I traveled the world and stayed at many inns.

A place that offers rest to the weary, meals to the hungry, and drinks to the lonely.

It’s a gathering place for adventurers and travelers, where countless legends and heroics are born.

How romantic is an inn! I too wish to own such a place!

Even as I fulfilled my duties as a hero, my desire to run an inn grew.

Now that I have a lump sum, I wanted to establish my own inn.

Thus, I would do business with fellow adventurers and spend my remaining days hearing stories of the world from them.

While adventuring, I marked a small town years ago to visit. If business goes well there, perhaps I could open a branch.

Who knows, I might even become a nationally famous innkeeper.

“Once I’m settled, please visit. I’ll provide a stay for free.”

“Father! Take that bastard’s Holy Sword!”

The Princess fiercely narrowed her eyes like a snake.

“That would be difficult, Princess. This was given to me by the Goddess.”

The King laughed heartily, and the Princess trembled her shoulders, calling me a rude fellow.

Either way, it’s finally over. I rode my horse across the bright spring fields.

But I didn’t know then.

That there were still many people I had to save.