When I said that, the guy got angry and put a hand on the sword at his hip. The teachers rushed to intervene, so the situation didn’t get out of control, but he saw me as an enemy ever since.

I knew right away that he was Leon Müller. He was the class celebrity, and even some of the teachers tried to curry favor with him because he was the son of a count. Moreover, he had real skill with the sword. For all his privilege in terms of family pedigree, physique, and natural talent, he was no slouch when it came to hard work. He trained diligently outside class, and he showed no sign of complacency about his talents. Needless to say, he was the front-runner of the Hero candidates.

I assumed he would become the Hero. In fact, I hoped for it.

If only Leon could become the Hero, then it wouldn’t have to be me was my selfish thought. Yet I couldn’t just give up on myself and wait until he became the Hero for real. I couldn’t foist the role of Hero on him.

And so I pushed myself into training even harder than he did. Whatever amount he trained outside class, I doubled it.

Fortunately, I had time on my side. Leon’s popularity meant he had to spend some of his spare time with other people, but I had no one. I could spend every waking moment on training.

Many of our combat instructors were former knights who’d retired from old age or injury, which meant that their skills were first-rate. Although they didn’t instruct me directly because they favored my noble-blooded classmates, the things they mentioned in class came in very handy for me. Whenever there was something I didn’t understand, the few staff members who liked me were kind enough to answer my questions. I took their teachings to heart and swung my sword diligently in inconspicuous places like the back of the academy building. It was even better if there was a mirror or some glass around so I could check my form.

If there was one thing I took away from the lessons, it was that my sword technique lacked polish in so many ways. I became painfully aware of all the unnecessary movements I made because of my lack of formal training. Meanwhile, Leon’s swordplay was impeccable. His form was beautiful and concise, as if he was in full control at any given moment. I used him as the model for my own training.

Whenever we had mock battles in class, I tried to take him on as much as I could. He beat me to a pulp every time. “When are you going to hurry up and drop out already?” he would sneer.

But for some strange reason, he would scowl in disapproval whenever the other students made fun of me.

One time, I was careless and left my sword behind in class. A classmate stole it and tried to pass it off as his.

“This sword is wasted on a peasant like you. I’ll show you a proper wielder,” he said, which prompted our other classmates to laugh scornfully and agree with him.

“That sword’s important to me. Could you give it back?” I asked.

The sword was the one thing I could never cede. That was my line in the sand. I closed in on my classmate, not about to take no for an answer.

“Wh-what impudence! Don’t you know your place?!”

The boy seemed slightly intimidated by my intensity, but he had numbers on his side. His friends soon encircled me.

“Hey.” At that point, Leon intervened. “They told you this in class. What is a sword to a warrior?” he asked, pressing the classmate who’d stolen my sword.

“Huh? Uh… A sword is a warrior’s life…,” the boy said falteringly.

“Oh? So your life is a stolen object, then?”

This startled the boy. “What? No. I was just playing around…”

“So you’re a warrior who plays around with lives?”

He fell silent and handed the sword back to me.

Leon turned to leave after that, but I ran up to him to express my gratitude.

“Thanks, you were a big help.”

“Weren’t you listening to me?” Leon was scathing in return. “I said that a sword is a warrior’s life! Shame on you for letting someone take it from you! As foolish as it is to steal someone’s sword, leaving it behind by mistake is even worse!”

He was totally right. From then on, the sword always remained on my person so it would never leave my side again.

***

At the end of the summer of our third year, I was practicing my swings behind the school building as usual when Leon called out to me.

It was rare for him to speak to me, and for once, he didn’t have an entourage with him.

“Looks like you’re getting the hang of swinging a sword,” he said.

He didn’t do flattery or sarcasm, so he had to be complimenting me. I stopped swinging and turned to face him.

“I’ve been basing my form on yours,” I told him.

“Huh. You’re worse than me, but you have the best form otherwise. Well, part of that is because everyone else skimps on their training.”

That was nice to hear. Because I was lacking in the fundamentals, I’d been the worst in my class when I first started at the academy. And now Leon was saying that I was the next best after him.

But it was also true that nobody besides me and Leon took the lessons seriously. I got the impression that they were afraid of getting too good, because then they would have to go to the Demon Lord’s territory. This probably peeved Leon.

“Thanks,” I said. “Looks like all that effort paid off.”

“You think so? I don’t think the results match your effort. If that’s how good you’ve gotten from swinging your sword thousands of times a day, I wouldn’t say you’re a natural.”

Leon was right. If this was where I was at after over two years of nonstop training, then I was nothing special at all.

“I’m fine with that,” I said. “I have to improve my sword skills, even if it doesn’t amount to much. Because I have to become the Hero.”

“Why are you so bent on becoming the Hero?” Leon wore a serious expression.

“Because the Prophet appeared in my village and said a Hero would emerge from there. If I don’t step up, no one else will.”

“Do you really, seriously think you’re the Hero?”

“Who knows? I admit I’m not that suited for it. If I’m being honest, I’d say you’re the better fit, Leon.”

“Huh?” He looked totally and utterly exasperated. “Then why are you saying you’re going to be the Hero? You could have just left it to me. Then you wouldn’t have to put yourself through so much training.”

“No, I’d feel bad.”

“What are you talking about?”

“A Hero isn’t something to aspire to. Everyone foists their hopes on you, and you have to risk your life in the name of defeating the Demon Lord. And if you fail, the world is over. The reward isn’t worth the risk.”

“……”

Leon was silent. Then after a slight bit of hesitation, he spoke again.

“My father told me yesterday to drop out as a Hero candidate.”

“Why?”

I was sure that Leon’s father had been expecting his son to become the Hero.

“The warfront is in a bad state. It’s not looking feasible for anyone on our side to infiltrate the Demon Lord’s territory. The prognosis is that it’s impossible for even a Hero to defeat the Demon Lord.”

This made sense. If our kingdom was in rough shape, then it wouldn’t be able to provide support to the Hero when he entered the Demon Lord’s territory. And without support, the Hero would be rushing to his death.

“He’s worried about you,” I said.

“I know!” shouted Leon. “But I’ve been groomed to be the Hero for as long as I can remember! It was my dream to become the Hero and save the world! I shouldn’t be having second thoughts at this stage! But still…”

A count’s orders were absolute. And as a father, he was worried for his son. There were no grounds for Leon to object.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be the Hero instead.” I started swinging my sword again. “I swear I’ll defeat the Demon Lord. So you’ll be fine.”

“You will? Even though you’re weaker than me?” Leon scowled. “Where do you get that confidence from? You’re average! Powerless! You can’t beat the Demon Lord!”

He was lashing out at me bitterly.

“I’ll keep at it until I win,” I said. “If I fail the first time, I’ll try again. If I fail a second time, I’ll go for a third. That’s all there is to it.”

I knew that things wouldn’t be as easy as I made it sound. I wasn’t that much of an optimist.

“What are you saying? If you fail once, that’s the end for you. There is no second attempt.”

“But still, I have to try. The important thing is to stay calm and not give up. If I give in to despair, that’s where it ends. I’ll stick to my goal and see it through to the end. That’s why I’m learning attack and healing magic, too.”

“……”

Leon was silent for a while as he stared hard at my face.

Then he said, “Hmph. Big talk. You’re a commoner—what can you do? No, I’ll be the one to defeat the Demon Lord. I can’t push the whole thing onto your shoulders and wait snugly at home. My pride doesn’t allow me to entrust the fate of the world to a peasant. I don’t care what anyone says; I’m going to the Demon Lord’s territory. Just you watch.”

With that, Leon turned around to leave, but then he looked back over his shoulder at me as if he had thought better of it.

“Promise me one thing. If I become the Hero, you’ll join my party.”

I didn’t expect him to say that.

“And what if I become the Hero?” I asked.

“That’s one big if. But let’s see…”

Leon flashed me a cocky smile.

“If you become the Hero, I’ll join your party.”

Fragment 2

For as long as I could remember, my shoulders bore the weight of expectations. That is what it means to be the heir of a count’s title.

House Müller is one of the kingdom’s long-standing pillars of martial prowess, and thus, my strength is taken as a given. One of my earliest memories was of me practicing my swings with a tiny blunt sword. I wasn’t opposed to it—I enjoyed it, in fact. I could feel myself improving the more I did it. My uncle, who instructed me in the blade, showered me with praise, and so did my mother and father. The sword became the measure of my self-worth.

But although my house is renowned for its military successes, being good with the sword is far from the only thing that mattered. My uncle was the best swordsman in the family, but he was unable to inherit the house because he was the second-born son. At the end of the day, nobles are creatures of lineage.

The times caught up to them, though, when the Demon Lord appeared.