The World's Weakest Hero, Volume 1, Chapters 6-7 (Patreon)

Chapter 6

A pair of arms flips me over, giving me a view of the misty sky. But that view is partially covered by the expressionless face of a girl with azure blue hair, the same color as the sky on a warm summer day.

"Ah, I can breathe again."

"If you can breathe, then you can talk. And how about you start by explaining who you really are and how you defeated that aberrant with a single spell."

"What's that? There's so much mist that I couldn't hear what you–"

"Would you like me to flip you back over?" She shows me her hands.

"Ah, haha…" I meet her eyes. "Since you saw so much, you should already have some understanding. And once your spirit wakes up, she'll be able to fill in a lot of gaps."

"Are you saying you're not going to talk?"

I sit up, my strength slowly returning alongside my mana. "Will you tell me why one of the Lucavi is on this side of the mist? You've got one of the twelve Great Spirits inside you. Shouldn't you be protecting the spiritkin?"

"That's…" Lyra makes a troubled face. "I have my reasons…"

"Well, I can make a few educated guesses. But I'd like to hear the whole story from you."

"Not long ago, weren't you trying to warn me against revealing who I was by interrupting me before I could explain myself to the other heroes?"

I get a hand beneath me and push myself to my feet, only wobbling a bit. "That's right. You shouldn't trust anyone in the human lands, not even the heroes."

"Why? Weren't they summoned to stop the mist? Why would we be enemies?"

"The humans think the spiritkin are responsible for the mist, so if they knew one of the twelve Lucavi showed up, they'd definitely try to capture you."

"And what about you?" Lyra narrows her eyes. "Can I trust you?"

I silently look into her eyes for a long second before answering. "Of course. I'm not here to do the bidding of that cowardly king. I intend to put an end to the mist once and for all."

A certain girl's face appears in my mind. She carries a pure smile filled with happiness–and tinged with sadness.

Absolutely. I absolutely won't fail again.

Lyra visibly considers everything she's seen and heard until now. Without a doubt, she's here for an important reason. Perhaps failure could even mean death for many of the people she cares about.

With that kind of burden on such a young girl's shoulders, it's no wonder I can see her troubles weighing heavily upon her. It's admirable that she can even control the powerful emotions that must be raging inside her.

Finally, Lyra opens her mouth. "I–"

"Hey!" A voice calls out from within the mist. "I see someone!"

Turning, I catch sight of several shadows. Since the fog is thin here, our vision is rather good. So, even though my detection abilities are deactivated due to my low mana, I can make out the slim figure of a certain Japanese girl.

"We'll talk later," I say. "For now, a regular girl like you needs to play her part."

"Fine." She puts on a strained face. "Oh, the mist is really getting to me now."

"Hmm. Maybe leave the acting to the professionals. Your monotone voice is in complete contrast with your expression."

Mitsuki stops beside us, her body looking a little worse for wear than the last time I saw her. Some of the blood even belongs to her, but it doesn't seem to bother her too much, likely because she's used to getting battered during her countless hours of training with me back on Earth.

"Lezard!" She grabs me by the shoulders with a little too much force. "Are you okay!?"

"Ouch. I was until you latched onto me with your iron grip."

"Ah…!" She remembers the difference between our levels. "Sorry. I was just…"

"Don't worry about it." I motion to myself. "I'm completely fine, as you can see."

"Yes…" Her composure returns. "I heard you were the only one left fighting one of those huge monsters that showed up. I had assumed the worst."

Two more of my classmates show up, with one of them being Josh, the captain of our old school's football team. Like Mitsuki, he looks a little beat up, but also like Mitsuki, he's used to getting bruised.

"Speaking of those huge monsters," Josh says. "Where did it go?"

"Oh, man." I wipe the sweat from my forehead. "We just managed to lose it."

"Lose it? It was chasing you?"

"Yeah. That thing was terrifying, so of course I ran with all my strength."

"I heard you ran away first, then came back after that thing started overwhelming the others. What was that about?"

"Oh yeah. Lyra and I ran because we're so weak. But we got turned around in the mist and ended up right back in the battle."

Mitsuki narrows her eyes. "You got turned around? When we used to go hiking, you always had a good sense of direction."

"Well, it's my first time in the mist, so it can't be helped, right?"

"I suppose." Her knowing gaze tells me she doesn't believe a single word coming out of my mouth.

"Forget all that," I say. "We've got to get Lyra out of here and find the rest of our classmates. They scattered all over the place once the monster attacked."

"Right." Josh turns to Lyra. "We should get her out of here first. She's not looking too good."

Lyra puts on the same strained face as before. "The mist is really getting to me now."

Hey, what did I tell you about your acting?

Fortunately, the disconnect between her serious expression and monotone voice doesn't seem to register with the others.

Mitsuki and Josh wave for us to follow them, so Lyra and I oblige without complaint, walking along with the third classmate that's with us.

As for why one of my classmates is being lumped together with the two weak members despite being a level 30 hero–well, he was one of the people who fled while facing that aberrant. And from the looks of him, he still hasn't recovered his nerve.

Since we were already near the edge of the mist before the aberrant caught up to us, it doesn't take us long to break through to the sunlight. A quick trip up a hill, and we're back at the convoy with the wagons, supplies, and soldiers.

Some of our classmates are already here, including Nina, Alex, and Curtis. But several are still missing.

The knight captain, Rosa, isn't here either, meaning she must be in the mist, looking for the other heroes. Or maybe she's hunting the aberrant. Unfortunately, I can't tell them that I actually defeated it, so they'll just have to settle with never knowing what really happened to it.

"I'm going back in." Mitsuki turns her back to us.

"It's dangerous to go by yourself," Josh says. "Let's get a group together first."

"I guess so. Then I'll leave it to you."

She waits rather impatiently for Josh to get a few of the more willing members to go back in. Though even the ones who agree seem like they'd rather stay here where it's safe.

But fortunately, Josh is a rather charismatic guy. As the captain of the varsity football team, he has a strong reputation that makes it hard to tell him no. That and his large body makes people feel safe, even though this world is based on stats, rather than physical size.

"Be safe." I speak to Mitsuki with my usual, carefree voice.

"Not even worried?"

"I've seen you fight. I'm sure you can beat that thing if you have a good group with you."

"We fought two of them after we split up, but the third fled before we could engage it. That's why we came back, to look for it. But we ran into some scattered members of the escort group, which is when I heard you were facing that monster alone."

"So that's why you look a little beat up. So you know how strong those monsters are, then."

Mitsuki nods. "The regular monsters can't compare. Now I understand why Rosa was adamant about not going too deep into the mist on our first trip."

"Yeah, I doubt you want to face the creatures that live deep inside. Not yet."

"What is it that lives in there?"

"The longer a monster lives in the mist, the stronger it can get. There are various factors that determine their power, so it's not quite that simple. But you can basically assume that the deeper you go, the more deadly the creatures will become. In truth, those aberrants weren't even that powerful."

"How do you know–"

"We're ready!" Josh yells.

Mitsuki looks at the group he managed to gather. "I've got to go. Just stay here, and I'll be back with the rest of our classmates soon."

"Okay. Have fun." I send her off with a wave.

Lyra and I watch as they leave the safety of the convoy and head back down the hill, where the tendrils of mist seem to be trying to claw their way up toward us.

I don't want to rain on their motivation by telling them that there's nothing left but weak fodder.

So let's just leave them to it and enjoy a little break here.

More importantly…

A text box covers my vision again, filled with the usual status information. But there's one noticeable difference from the last time I brought it up.

I leveled up. It's good that I can gain levels, but having to defeat an aberrant just to gain a single level is quite troublesome…

My level has changed from a pitiful 1 to a glorious 2. Well, it's still pitiful, but what's glorious is just knowing that I can level up despite my powers being sealed.

Hmm. This is going to be a problem when I get back to the castle…

Ah, well. I'll just deal with it when that time comes, as usual.

For now…

I meet Lyra's eyes. She's been staring at me ever since Mitsuki left, but I've been ignoring her gaze.

I'm pretty good at that. Then again, I have a lot of practice with Mitsuki.

"Hey…" A small voice draws my focus.

Turning, I meet the eyes of the one who's speaking to me. "Oh hey, Nina. What's up?"

"What do you mean 'what's up'? Aren't you even the least bit shaken up about what just happened?"

"Ah, that? Yeah, I'm terrified. Never been so close to death in this entire life."

"Then try to act like it!" Nina pouts. "Jeez. And here I was, worried we'd all left you to die as we ran away…"

"Me, die?" I wave my hand dismissively. "I won't die, even if I'm killed."

"That's not how it works!"

Nina looks to Lyra, who's been standing here silently listening. As usual, the spiritkin girl has an expressionless face, as if she didn't just go through a near death experience in the mist.

Hey, at least act like you almost died, even if you weren't really in as much danger as everyone thought.

Then again, with your acting skills, maybe it's better if you just keep that nonchalant expression…

As a Lucavi, Lyra is a host to one of the twelve Great Spirits, the Spirit of Water. That gives her an extraordinary amount of power, but right now, her spirit is sleeping.

If the Spirit of Water is sleeping, then it must have used up all of its strength. That's no small task, considering how much power the Great Spirits have.

Does that mean the spiritkin are having an even more difficult time dealing with the mist than the humans?

There are still a lot of unanswered questions. Fifteen years is a long time to be absent from a world on the brink of destruction.

Unfortunately, we're not really at liberty to discuss the details here at the convoy. There are far too many sets of ears. And mouths. Like the one that's currently in the process of opening right beside me.

"Hey," Nina says to Lyra. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I can already feel the mist's effects fading."

"Yeah. You do look better already. I'm glad we got you out in time!"

"Yes, I was fortunate that all of you showed up when you did. I never expected to run into an entire group of heroes."

Nina puts on a stiff smile. "Some heroes. We couldn't even beat one monster…"

"I'm sure you'll get stronger. That's why you came here, isn't it?" Lyra looks to me instead of Nina.

"Yeah!" Nina recovers her energy. "Now that we've faced one of the most terrifying monsters and survived, I think we'll be able to win next time!"

"That's … certainly the case."

One of the most terrifying, huh? You've got a lot to learn, Nina.

While that aberrant was certainly powerful considering how close we are to the edge of the mist, it's far from the most terrifying.

In fact, back when I was at the height of my strength, a creature like that was just fodder–a grunt that could only hope to overwhelm me with pure numbers. But even that was only a mild hindrance to me back then.

No, the truly terrifying monsters are far, far worse…

There's nothing for us to do except wait. Or in Nina's case, talk.

But Lyra's not what I'd call a talkative person, and she has a lot of secrets to keep hidden, meaning she has to be careful about what she says. So, I'm the one who ends up as Nina's conversation partner for a bit.

Like Lyra, I also have many secrets. But I have a literal lifetime of practice hiding them. Well, the entire lifetime of a teenager, anyway. But that's enough for me to comfortably engage with anyone about topics that dance dangerously close to subjects that delve into the deep history of this world.

Mitsuki is the only person that I've really clued in to what I know. Unlike my other classmates, I have a lot of trust in her. Not just because we're childhood friends but because I know that she's the kind of person who would keep my secrets, if she were to figure them out.

But as of yet, I haven't decided how much I should reveal to her.

After all…

The truth would put a huge burden on her shoulders.

Knowing Mitsuki, her sense of honor wouldn't let her stand by while others are made to suffer.

But what would she do if I asked her to trust me? Would she set aside her honor?

That's not a choice I'd like to force her to make, which is exactly why I'm hesitant to reveal the truth to her.

I have a feeling that she'll find out what's really going on, even if I don't tell her.

If that were to happen when I'm not around to hold back her anger…

I can only imagine a scene where Mitsuki becomes an enemy to some of the most powerful people in this world. At her current strength, that's a death sentence.

Man, if only I weren't so weak…

Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about that right now. So, I continue to keep Nina company until something else catches her attention.

Eventually, Rosa and my classmates appear from the mist. With a quick glance, I see that they managed to find everyone who scattered from that aberrant's attack.

You've really grown into a fine knight captain, Rosa.

And to think, last time I was here, you were just a little pipsqueak.

Though even back then, I knew you were special. That's why I trained you, after all.

I watch with hidden pride as Rosa comes to a stop and looks us over. Our initial venture into the mist was almost met with disaster, but in the end, we all made it out virtually unscathed.

Physically, at least. I have a feeling a few of my more timid classmates will have unseen scars from their brush with death today.

"It was messy," Rosa says to all of us. "But everyone made it back in one piece. When you run into danger within the mist, sometimes you have to count your blessings."

Her eyes fall on me next. "Lezard, I heard you managed to lure the aberrant away from the others. An admiral job, and one I'm quite surprised worked in your favor."

I shrug. "It basically just ran off after chasing me for a bit. Did you manage to find it?"

"No. I can only assume it retreated deeper into the mist. Aberrants don't like it when the mist is too thin, so perhaps after losing its prey, it simply decided to leave." Rosa looks thoughtful. "Though it's rare for mutants to simply flee like that. We'll need to be careful, just in case it's still lurking nearby."

Nina visibly flinches. "Are we going back into the mist?"

"Of course. It's the only way for you to get stronger within a reasonable time."

"I see…"

I put my hand on Nina's shoulder. "Don't worry. What are the chances that something worse than an aberrant will show up next time?"

"Hey, don't jinx it!"

"Haha. Too late."

Mitsuki grabs my hand and removes it from Nina's shoulder. "There's no need to worry. After seeing Rosa do battle, even a small army of aberrants wouldn't pose a threat to her."

"Really?" Nina looks to the knight captain. "Are you that strong?"

Rosa shakes her head. "I was trained by the previous hero, but that was long ago. And I'm no hero, so my strength is limited. Even if I seem strong to you now, you'll far surpass me one day."

Mitsuki narrows her eyes. "The previous hero trained you? That was fifteen years ago, and you're still so young. Just how old were you back then?"

"I was ten years old when I first met him. He saved me from the mist, similar to how we just saved that young girl today. He took me under his wing, training me with his weapon of choice." Rosa holds up her scythe. "I've trained on my own since then, but I still don't have a fraction of his strength."

"He was that strong?"

"I said it before, didn't I? He was by far the most powerful person in this world's history. Whether it was strength, skill, magic, or knowledge, he was unrivaled. Even now, nobody knows how he obtained the apex of power in so many categories. Unfortunately, we may never know."

Sorry, Rosa. You may be right about that. A promise is a promise, after all.

After a short break, Rosa calls for us to gather back up. And for the second time since coming to this world again, I walk back into the mist.

Chapter 7

"We're finally back…" Nina lets out a sigh.

"There's nothing like home, huh?" I look at gate that leads into the castle.

"Home … I guess this is home now, isn't it?"

"Better get used to it because there's no going back to Earth."

Nina looks to Rosa. "Is that true? Can we not go back, even after we save the world?"

"My apologies, but I'm not aware of any way to send a hero back to their home world. However, rest assured that once you succeed in your mission, your lives here will be spent in the utmost comfort."

"That's great, but I'm really going to miss my friends and family, not to mention the convenience of modern life on Earth…"

Rosa looks distraught at seeing Nina's sad expression, but the knight captain quickly realizes that her face is revealing her personal feelings and wipes the guilt from view.

You always were easy to read, but it looks like you've learned to hide your feelings a bit.

Guess you'd have to, considering your position.

After several days of grinding in the mist, we used the teleportation gate to return to the capital city for some rest and relaxation.

Since it was our first outing, Rosa's going easy on us. But without a doubt, the intensity of our grinding will drastically increase next time we head into the mist.

That's dangerous for a low level like me, but I have no choice but to seek out powerful monsters if I want to regain my old strength. After all…

Still level 2, even after days of grinding. No matter how many weak enemies we beat, I’ll never get stronger.

This sucks…

I close my Status Screen and mentally shake my head. The road ahead will be a long one, but I have no choice but to walk it.

Rosa leads us through the castle halls, heading toward the exact destination that I was expecting. I’ve been dreading this moment for a while now, but there’s nothing I can do but accept the fact that my reputation is going to take another hit.

"What of that girl we found in the mist?" Mitsuki asks as we walk. "Lyra, was it? What will happen to her?"

"My men are taking her to one of the refugee camps for those displaced by the mist,” Rosa says. “Since she claimed to have no family remaining, she'll likely stay there until she can find a way to make a living on her own. Though that's becoming a more difficult task by the day."

"I suppose that's to be expected."

Mitsuki looks to me. She'd already picked up on how close Lyra and I had become in just a short while, but she likely assumes we hit it off because we're both weak compared to my classmates.

At least, I hope that's what she thinks.

I ignore her gaze, as usual. Though I can still feel her eyes burning into me.

Soon, we reach Rosa’s intended destination. The room is exactly the same as it was the time before, except there are less people inside than last time.

Unfortunately, that annoying nobleman is here again, Duke Bartholomew de Edwards. Without a doubt, he’s the one in charge of keeping track of us heroes—and likely Captain Rosa, as well.

Looking as sour as ever, Bart. These last 15 years haven’t done much to lighten you up, have they?

Then again, that’s exactly what I’d expect from a rotten noble like you.

The first time I was summoned as a hero, Duke Bartholomew was tasked with overseeing me. He was the king’s right-hand man, and the two of them tried using their power and influence to control me.

There were times when they hid information from me that I could have used to save people, times when they gave me false information to manipulate me, and even times when they outright ordered me to sacrifice others because it was convenient for them.

In the end, I got so powerful that they had a hard time controlling me. But because of all the conflicts between us, we never saw eye-to-eye, up until the very end.

I bet they were smiling when they heard I died fighting the final battle.

But unfortunately for them, I’m still alive and well. At least, as well as one can expect after losing all their power and reincarnating back on Earth…

“Why ya bringing us back to this room?” Curtis asks, looking at the orb that sits atop a pedestal.

Isaac pushes on his glasses. “Isn’t it obvious? She wants to see how many levels we gained during our trip to the mist.”

“Isaac is correct,” Rosa says. “We only fought weak monsters, but I’m curious if any of you were able to gain a level doing so. Especially…”

I shrug. “I don’t feel much stronger, so don’t expect much.”

“As a level 1, you should be growing rapidly. Perhaps you simply don’t realize how much more powerful you are now.”

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

With Duke Bartholomew’s scrutinizing gaze on me, I walk up to the orb and place my hand on its smooth surface. Like before, my status appears within, revealing just how much I’ve grown.

Or rather, how much I haven’t grown.

“Level 2…?” Rosa can’t help but let the surprise show in her voice. “That shouldn’t be the case, not when we fought so many monsters.”

“How ridiculous,” Bartholomew says. “A weak hero that can’t even grow stronger? We’re wasting our time training him.”

“No, there must be a reason. Perhaps it’s because he’s in the presence of the other heroes? Maybe if we train him separately, he’ll grow faster.”

“Like I said, it’s a waste of time. Get him a private room and let him stay in the castle while the others defeat the mist.”

How nice of you, Bart. Though we both know that you really just want me to disappear, huh?

“I won’t give up so quickly,” Rosa says. “I owe it to my teacher to do all that I can to help the new heroes.”

“Bah! Just forget about that dead hero already. Even with all his confidence, he still lost! And look at us now, struggling to survive as the mist strangles our kingdom!”

“I won’t forget. And I hope you don’t forget that the king placed me in charge of the heroes. That means it’s up to me to decide how to utilize each of them.”

Bartholomew scoffs. “The king is a generous man, but even he has his limits. Once he hears of this useless hero, I wonder what kind of order he’ll give you?”

Rosa frowns. “By that time, I intend to have Lezard well on his way to becoming a powerful force.”

“We’ll see about that.” Bartholomew eyes me next, but he doesn’t say anything.

I ignore his gaze and walk back to my classmates. Mitsuki gives me a reassuring pat on my shoulder, but I’m not really in a bad mood. After all, I already knew how this would go since I can see my level without the help of the orb.

Unlike them, I can bring up my Status Screen at any time. Actually, all the heroes could do it, if they knew how. But I’m not going to be the one to train them on how to use their heroic powers. At least, not yet.

The rest of the heroes take their turns at the orb, but as expected, fighting weak monsters hasn’t really done much for their levels. The level 40s became 41, and the level 30s became 32. Not exactly the most effective trip into the mist.

Though if we include the confidence many of them gained just by fighting in the mist, it can be considered time well spent.

Still, Duke Bartholomew isn’t happy with the results. That’s not an unexpected turn of events, considering who he is.

Regardless, even if we didn’t get much stronger, my classmates did get some valuable training. That means the next time we go into the mist, we’ll be heading deeper. We’ll face stronger monsters and gain higher experience, but also be in far more danger.

After everyone takes their turn at the orb, Rosa leads us back out. Since we just got back from our first expedition into the mist, she gives us some time to relax and unwind.

Compared to how I was treated on my first summoning, Rosa can be considered lenient, even if she is making us risk our lives fighting dangerous mist creatures from time to time.

Putting those thoughts aside, I step up to the door that leads to my room here at the castle and open it without reservation.

"I'm going to get changed," I say, "then head out to the city."

"Seriously!" Josh appears beside me. "There's no way I'm staying cooped up in this castle all day!"

"Let's do it! Alex, you coming?" I look to our third roommate.

"No thanks, I'm just going to relax here…"

"Suit yourself."

The rest of our classmates begin to disperse toward their own rooms, but Rosa stays put, looking toward us with a bit of concern.

"You're free to travel as you please," she says, "as long as you return here by the morrow. But I urge you to practice caution when outside the castle. Especially you, Lezard."

"Why me–is what I'd like to ask. But it's obvious. My low level."

"Yes. Even a standard ruffian could likely do you in. But there are … certain dangers unique to heroes, as well."

"Ah, you mean the Mist Worshippers."

Rosa's eyes widen a bit. "You know about them?"

"I read about them in one of the books in the Royal Library. They worship the mist and seek to undermine the fight against it. That means targeting any hero summoned to defeat whatever's creating the mist."

"Precisely. While they've been inactive recently, we can't simply assume that they'll sit idle after such a large summoning. If they catch wind of a weak hero being in the city, they may make a move."

"Don't worry, I have Josh with me. Just look how big his muscles are. I'm sure any fanatic would run scared just by looking at him."

Josh makes a show of flexing his muscles. As the captain of our old school's football team, he spent many hours building those muscles to give himself an edge on the field.

Now I can put them to use for my own benefit.

Rosa looks between the two of us. "I suppose you're safer with him than an escort of soldiers. Just be careful."

"Will do, Captain Rosa!" I give her a salute.

She sighs after seeing my smirk. "You really are a handful, Lezard."

With that out of the way, Josh and I get ready for our outing to the city.

----------

"This is more like it!" Josh looks around the street. "Nothing like a day out in the city, am I right?"

"I'm more of a hang out with friends kinda guy, so dont expect me to be too thrilled at the thought of meeting new people."

"Even so, you gotta admit it's gonna be awesome here. I mean, think about all the chicks we'll be able to meet!"

"Hmm, true. There's probably no shortage of girls who'd love to spend time with a hero."

"Right!? That's why…" He stops in front of a particular building. "I'm gonna meet some at this bar!"

Josh is quite large and looks several years older than he actually is. And since this world considers people adults at the age of fifteen, he'll have no problems getting himself a few drinks.

Hopefully only a few…

"I'll pass," I say. "Bars aren't really my thing."

"Figures. Someone like you doesn't really have a reason to pick up chicks, huh? Not when you have Mitsuki."

"No comment."

"C'mon, at least gimme something. How far have you gotten with her?"

"How far? Well, last time we went hiking…”

Josh smiles eagerly. "Yeah? Go on."

"...We made it all the way to the peak of the mountain, along with her dad. So I guess you could say we've gone pretty far."

"You gotta be kidding me! Dude, she's totally into you! Everyone knows that!"

I make a face full of feigned ignorance. "Is she…?"

"Don't even play around, man. Do you know how many guys she's flat out rejected because of you?"

"Can't say I've ever been in the loop about such things."

Josh shakes his head. "You got a Japanese beauty going after you, and you still haven't made a move. Wait, don't tell me you're–"

"I'm going to stop you right there because the answer is no."

"Then hurry up before she decides to ditch you!"

"Hey, don't you have some chicks to pick up? Seems like you're the one who's keeping them waiting right now."

Josh looks at the entrance to the bar, where a group of young women had just disappeared inside.

"I'll drop it for today," he says. "But you better have something more to say next time!"

I make a shooing motion with my hand. "I'll keep you updated on every detail."

All zero of them.

Josh shakes his head again, obviously unconvinced. But he really does drop it and heads toward the same door the women just used to get inside the bar.

Now alone on the city streets, I start walking toward my own destination. Since I've got a bit of distance to go, it gives me time to think.

As if I can make a move on a child like Mitsuki. Well, we are both 15 years old, but it certainly doesn't feel like it.

Having lived an entire life before this one, it feels like I'm old enough to be her dad.

In truth, I was only 18 when I fought the final battle against the one who was bringing ruin to this world. But even after my reincarnation on Earth, I have all the memories from my past life, giving me the lifespan of a 33-year-old.

Because of that, I feel much older than 15. And since I had the mentality of an adult from a young age, I could only see Mitsuki as a kid, even after reaching puberty.

Hmm. The challenges of reincarnation.

Ah, well. I'll just ignore it for now, like usual.

Putting those thoughts out of my mind, I raise a single hand, palm up, until it's roughly level with my face. There's nothing in it, which causes a nearby girl to give me a strange look as she passes by.

To be precise, there doesn't appear to be anything on my palm. But in reality, there is something, and it's very attractive to my target.

The whirling of wind can be faintly heard coming from just in front of my face, where my apparently empty palm is raised. In truth, there's a spiral of wind erupting from my hand, like a tiny tornado.

That contained gust draws in my target, a wind spirit.

"You called~?"

"Hello, little spirit. I hope your mother is doing well."

"Eh, Mother is fine, I think~?"

"That's good. The Spirit of Wind is a nice girl. I'm glad she hasn't fallen to the corruption."

"Hehe~" She dances within my tiny tornado. "It's fun~"

As usual, the wind spirits have a short attention span. Or rather, they're easily distracted, especially by a strong gust.

"I've got a message to deliver," I say to the little spirit.

"Hmm~" She floats on the currents raging on my palm. "Okay~!"

After giving the spirit a simple task, I let the tiny tornado disperse. But in its place is a gust of wind that travels down the street, toward a certain destination.

"Weee~" The little spirit dances on those winds, shrinking into the distance.

Well, let's hope she doesn't get distracted on the way.

I continue walking, following the same path as that gust. The city is much the same as it was when I was here 15 years ago, which isn't too surprising considering the state of the world.

With a threat that can bring about the extinction of humanity, there's not much room for growth or change–at least, not positive change.

I wonder just how much worse this kingdom has gotten these past 15 years.

Considering the king has yet to even show his face to us, I doubt it's gotten any better.

Then again, he is getting up there in age, so maybe he's just not in good health anymore.

Well, not that I care. Though I do wonder what kind of man the crown prince is now that he's an adult.

Surely he can't be as worthless as his dad.

Street by street, the buildings continue to pass by until I get close to my destination. Or rather, me and my destination are closing in on each other.

That's because it's not a place. It's a person.

"Really?" Lyra says when she reaches casual speaking distance. "You sent a wind spirit?"

"They're useful for carrying messages. Short distances, anyway."

"Yes, but how did you even get one to listen? They're usually way too fickle and playful to obey even the average spiritkin."

"Haven't you noticed? I'm far from average."

"I'd like a full explanation on why exactly that's the case."

"Fine, but…" I motion towards the surrounding buildings. "How about we talk about it over dinner? I'm rather hungry."

Lyra looks around. "The food at the shelter is barely edible, so I won't complain about a free meal."

"Sweet. Then let's find somewhere good to eat!"

I wave for Lyra to follow, then head back down the street I just came from.

----------

“Quite a fancy restaurant,” Lyra says. “Can you really afford to eat somewhere like this?”

“The knight captain in charge of the heroes doesn't discriminate. Even if I'm the weakest one, I still get just as much coin as everyone else.”

We chose a restaurant with an outside dining area so we could enjoy some fresh air as we eat. Plus, this particular place has tables spread far apart, giving some privacy to their customers.

On top of that, it's on a busy street, meaning the hustle and bustle of activity can help drown out our voices. That gives us a chance to speak without worrying about anyone overhearing us.

Besides, even if someone does eavesdrop, they wouldn't believe a single word of what we're about to talk about. But it's still best to take as many precautions as possible.

“Rosa is the knight captain’s name, isn't it? She does seem quite level-headed.”

“I know, right? I'm so proud of her.”

“Proud? Why are you acting like she's your daughter? Isn't she 10 years older than you?”

“That depends on how you look at it.”

The waitress arrives with two plates, putting one in front of me and the other in front of Lyra.

“Chicken sure is delicious,” I say as the smell teases me.

“And it's one of the cheaper meats.” Lyra looks at her own plate of chicken.

“I told you to order whatever you wanted, so it's your fault if you actually wanted steak or something.”

“I'm not that picky.”

“Guess that'd be the case, considering you had to make the trip through the mist. Not a lot of restaurants serving gourmet food in there, eh?”

Lyra takes a small bite of her food, only answering after she gulps it down. “And how exactly do you know so much about me? You call yourself the weakest hero, but none of the others could take down an aberrant in a single spell like you did.”

“I am weak, though? I mean, it took all my mana just to defeat one weak aberrant.”

“Don't play dumb. There's obviously something strange about you.”

“How rude, calling someone strange.” The smirk on my face causes Lyra to give me a flat look. “But I do need your help, so it's only right that you know the truth. Lyra, the reason I know so much is because it's not my first time being summoned to this world as a hero. I was here 15 years ago, fighting against the same mist that still threatens the world.”

Lyra shows a rare look of surprise. “Fifteen years ago…? Are you saying you were Triton, the Twin Moon Hero?”

“Guilty.”

“But he died after defeating the Spirit of Night.”

“Technically, I didn't die. I just had most of my soul torn from my body and crammed into a new one. I gotta say, not really a fun experience. Can't recommend it.”

“You’re serious, aren't you?”

Lyra looks at me with a calculating eye, as if trying to determine how much faith she can put into my words.

As for me…

crunch

“Mmm. Nothing like a good piece of fried chicken.” I swallow another mouthful as Lyra continues to eye me. “No, I won't share. I told you fried chicken is better than baked, so you'll just have to live with your inferior plate of food.”

Lyra brings a slice of baked chicken to her lips. “You sure are casual about the whole affair. If you really were that former hero, you should know how bad the situation is.”

This time, it's my turn to watch her chew. “About that. Obviously, something went wrong after I reincarnated into my new body, but I'm not sure what. I figured the mist would have fully retreated by now, so why is it spreading through the world again?”

Lyra makes a frustrated face. “We don't know. For several years, it slowly faded. During that time, everyone assumed the hero–you–had been successful in defeating the Spirit of Night. But after those several years, the mist stopped retreating. And then, it began to spread once more.”

“I did defeat the Spirit of Night. I'm absolutely sure I obliterated it from existence, which is why the magic it was using to create the mist went out of control, forcing me to seal it away with my own power.”

“Is that why you had your soul torn from your body? Because you had to use your power to seal the mist?”

I nod. “It was the only way to stop it. Even now, my power should be acting as a cage to prevent the mist from leaking out. But like I said, something obviously went wrong.”

“And you need me to help you figure out what happened so you can fix it?”

“Pretty much. Well, to be precise, I need you to help me level up so I can make it back to the Well of Power, where the mist is formed.”

Lyra finishes another bite. “Aren’t there a dozen other heroes here, all of them far stronger than you? I came here precisely because I needed to find a hero capable of stopping the mist, so why wouldn't I simply ask them to help, rather than you?”

“Those guys? They may have the title of ‘hero’, but that doesn't make them heroes. Other than Mitsuki and Isaac, those guys are just kids with power that they'll never be able to fully utilize. If you put the fate of the world in their hands, you'll have to get used to a very misty planet for the foreseeable future.”

“Why? They were summoned, so doesn't that mean they have the strength to save the world?”

I dig into the green beans piled up next to my chicken. “Everyone thinks Isaac was the true target of the summoning, and the other heroes were just a bonus. But they're wrong.”

I put down my fork and look Lyra in the eyes. “I was the one who was summoned. The others were just caught in the spell and given enough power to survive.”

“Are you suggesting that the other heroes won't be of any use in stopping the mist?”

“I wouldn't go that far. Mitsuki aside, the others aren't really warriors, but they're still stronger than most people in this world. Or they will be, once they level up a bit. Point being, they can still be of use in some ways.”

Lyra finishes her side of mashed potatoes before following up. “Why did you hide my identity from the others? Is it because you want to secretly use me to help you level up?”

“Yup.”

Lyra gives me a flat stare. “You sure are shameless. At least deny it, even if it's true.”

“Haha. Well, that's not the only reason. The humans are convinced that the spiritkin are the ones making the mist.”

“That’s ridiculous. We've already explained that we're not the cause. Why don't they understand?”

“I know it's frustrating, but the mist does originate from your land, so isn't it a reasonable conclusion to make? Add in your poor relations for generations, and the mist just seems like a weapon used by the spiritkin to eliminate humans from the world.”

Lyra puts her fork down. “Even if the humans don't understand, surely the heroes will. After all, I heard you worked alongside us to defeat the Spirit of Night 15 years ago.”

“True, I basically ignored the king's orders when it came to things like defeating the spiritkin. But don't expect the other heroes to be willing to do the same. Besides, they don't have the strength to disobey the king. Not yet.”

“Right now, neither do you.”

“Unfortunately. But that's where you come in. You see, I don't plan to live under the king's thumb. I don't have the time or patience to do things his way, so I'll be setting out on my own. And I'd like you to join me.”

Lyra looks at her empty plate. “I came here to find help for my people. We can't hold back the mist much longer, yet you want me to spend what little time we have left helping you level up?”

“No, I don't intend to grind all the way back up to my old strength one level at a time. I just need enough to make it to the Well of Power.”

“You want to go to where the mist is originating, even before getting back your old strength?”

“It's precisely because I intend to get it back that I need to go there.”

Lyra's eyes widen. “You don't mean…”

“Yep. If I can make it to my old body, I can get back all the power I had. I can become this world's strongest hero and finish what I started.”

The azure-haired girl gives my words obvious thought. She risked everything to get through the mist and find help for the spiritkin. When she arrived, she was met with an entire entourage of heroes, yet I'm asking her to give them up in favor of the world's weakest hero.

Guess she's going to need some time to think about it.

I need to leave the city before our next venture into the mist. But since we're not going back to the mist for at least a few days, I can meet up with her again to hear her answer before then.

If I have to go it alone, then so be it.

Man, it'd be rough without Lyra and her Spirit of Water, though.

I wonder if I could get Mitsuki to run away with me instead…

Hmm. But someone has to protect our classmates. I can't count on Isaac to do it.

Or rather, Isaac is the problem…

“Just give it some thought,” I say. “I'll call for you again in a day–”

“I'll go with you.”

“–or two, is what I was going to say. But you've already made up your mind, huh? What was it that convinced you?”

“I saw for myself how worthless some of the other heroes are. Even if there are some competent ones among them, I doubt they can match the strength of the hero from 15 years ago–you. So if there's a chance you can regain your power, then I'd rather bet on that than a couple untested children.”

“I see. A sound decision, I'd say. But there's one problem we need to solve before we can leave the city. Though there's not much we can do but wait, really…”

Lyra puts her hand over her heart. “The Spirit of Water.”

“Yeah. It'd be great if she would hurry and wake up so you'd get your own power back. Until then, it's dangerous for us to make any moves.”

“Don't worry, I'm certain she'll wake up in the next few days.”

“Let's hope so. I'd like to get out of here before they drag us back to the mist for another couple days of useless leveling. Well, useless for me.”

Lyra nods. “Then I shall spend my time at the refugee camp until she awakens.”

“Sounds good. And I'll spend mine relaxing in the castle.”

Lyra looks at me with a flat expression. “How nice.”

“I'm a hero, after all!” I puff up my chest.

“This world's weakest.”

“Which means I can just relax while everyone else protects me and does all the hard work!”

“I didn't realize the previous hero was such a leech.”

“You gotta fully play the hand you're dealt. At least, that's what I tell myself as I enjoy my lifestyle here.”

The waitress comes along to collect our empty plates and give us the bill. Of course, I pay for the meals.

Since we've decided to wait until the Spirit of Water wakes up, Lyra and I part ways afterwards, each going back to our respective homes here in the capital city.

I take a different way back to the castle, which means I don’t pass by the bar where Josh is at. That particular part of town is a bit dangerous, so it’d be best for me to avoid it while I’m alone.

Besides, he’s probably still drinking and chasing girls, and since I have no interest in joining him, there’s no reason for me to go out of my way to meet up with him.

That guy's gonna get himself into a mess if he's not careful.

Well, he is a hero, so I guess nobody can really lay a hand on him.

Almost nobody, that is.

As I walk down a lively street, a blue butterfly gently flaps its way across my path. Despite the heavy traffic, the butterfly effortlessly glides between the people as it circles around me.

The sight is such a surprise that I almost let the shock show on my face.

A spirit of the departed? Why is it here, following me?

The blue butterfly is no insect. The transparent wings glow with a subtle light, trailing sparkles of spirit essence with every gentle flap.

They only appear when someone passes with regrets. And if it’s following me…

After circling me several times, the spirit flies high into the sky. Soon, it becomes indistinguishable from the darkening sky.

Moving a little faster than before, I make it back to the castle just before the sun sets. The guards have already memorized the faces of all the heroes, so I have no trouble getting in.

But I don't miss their snide remarks about being the weakest and most useless hero of all time.

It doesn't affect my stride, though.

Hm? Are they having a meeting?

My ability to sense presences is severely limited, thanks to my low level. The same is true for all of my abilities.

But when I get inside the castle, I can feel my classmates gathered in a room with Captain Rosa. Though that petty bully, Curtis, is missing from the lecture. That’s not surprising, considering he often skipped school back on Earth.

Everyone’s accounted for, except for one.

I can’t feel Curtis’ presence, making me wonder where exactly he is at the moment. But I don’t really care, so I put him out of my mind.

I knew a lot of people from 15 years ago. Could that spirit of the departed have been for one of them?

Or could it be…

I really want to leave the castle and go back out to the city again, but there’s no way I can justify leaving after having just returned. Especially since it’s getting dark.

If it was for him, then it’s already too late. I just hope that’s not the case…

Since I’ve confirmed that everyone at the castle is safe and can’t go back out to the city, I decide to join in on Rosa’s lecture.

“...different monster classifications,” Rosa says, “can give a rough estimate of their strengths. The ones we battled during our first outing into the mist were mostly normal mutants–animals that had been turned into hideous beasts, with many of them having only recently transformed, making them even weaker than normal.”

Rosa acknowledges my presence but continues her explanation without pause. “The only major exceptions were the aberrants chasing the girl we rescued in the mist. Aberrants are a higher classification, and they're far stronger than a simple mutant. They typically stay in the deeper recesses of the mist, but they can sometimes be found near the edges, as all of you no doubt know.”

Isaac raises his hand. Back on Earth, he was known as a genius thanks to his stellar grades. But he was also seen as a teacher's pet.

He's the kind of guy who'd remind the teacher about a homework assignment that the teacher seemingly forgot about. In fact, he actually did that several times, giving him a bad reputation among some of the more forgetful students.

“Can monsters leave the mist?” Isaac asks.

Rosa nods. “They can. However, they can't survive long outside of it, so unless ordered to do so, even powerful monsters like leviathans won't leave the safety of the mist.”

“Ordered? By who?”

“That's still up for debate. If you were to ask the king or nobles, they'd likely say the spiritkin are the ones giving the orders. But during our talks with them, they've denied involvement, and as of yet, nobody has been able to provide any solid proof.”

“From what you said at our summoning, it sounds like you don't think the spiritkin are our enemies.”

Rosa’s eyes take on a distant look. “The former hero was certain that the spiritkin were innocent, though even he couldn't convince the king. But if he truly thought there was another culprit, then I'd like to do the same.”

Sorry, Rosa. I couldn't tell you the truth back then…

The spiritkin weren't the ones creating the mist. However, it was a spirit. The Spirit of Night.

It had gained control over the Well of Power, which is one of this world's major sources of magic. Using the Well, the Spirit of Night set out to wipe the world clean of what it saw as human infestations.

Well, the Spirit of Night is gone for good.

So, who's in control of the Well of Power now…?

There are still quite a few mysteries, but I won't be able to solve them by wasting my time here at the castle or by grinding with the other heroes.

As soon as Lyra’s spirit wakes up, we're outta here.

I’ve got to get my old power back and stop whoever's trying to finish what the Spirit of Night started.

Rosa's explanations continue. It's all stuff I know, but I've got nothing better to do, so I decide to listen rather than to walk out and seem uncaring.

At some point during Rosa’s lecture, Curtis wanders into the room. He looks bored, which doesn’t shock me nearly as much as the fact that he actually showed up.

After a bit more talking, it looks like the meeting’s coming to an end. That's good because I'm looking forward to a hot bath and a relaxing night. After all, I may not have many opportunities to take it easy after tonight.

Just as the meeting’s about to end, several sets of footsteps can be heard rushing down the nearby hall.

“Knight Captain Rosa!” Duke Bartholomew shouts after barging into the room.

“What is it, Duke? It's quite rude to interrupt like this.”

“This is no time for formalities! I've come because of an urgent matter!”

“What happened?” Rosa's expression hardens.

“One of the heroes has been slain!”

“What…!” Rosa looks at the rest of us. “The only hero missing is Josh…”

Josh. So it was you…

“That's not the most urgent part of the matter! Hero Josh was slain by one of the other heroes!”

“Impossible! All the other heroes are right here!”

“They are now, but that wasn't the case just a short while ago. Several reliable eyewitnesses have given their descriptions of the culprit.” Bartholomew’s eyes fall on me. “Hero Lezard, I hereby place you under arrest!”

Ah, this is…

…Really bad.