Volume 9 Chapter 72 The Chosen Hero (Brave Face)
A boy burst into a small house in a small village.
"Mom!!"
"Yes, what is it?"
The woman, who was cooking in the house, stopped and asked her son.
This was a frontier village on the outskirts of the Centraris Kingdom. It had suffered devastating damage in the past God-Demon War and had only recently been rebuilt.
Many things had been lost, and many things had been destroyed.
Despite this, the villagers were full of energy, working hard every day to make their village a better place.
The boy was supposed to have gone to deliver some goods to the villagers.
"What's wrong? Didn't you find anyone?"
"No, no! I heard it!"
"Heard it...?"
The woman couldn't understand what her son was saying. He was already 9 years old, old enough to explain what had happened.
"What did you hear? The voice of a monster?"
"No! Didn't you hear it, Mom!?"
The woman tried to listen carefully to her son's excited words.
Then, her son said, as if adding something.
"It's the voice of the Brave Hero!!"
When she heard that, she thought it was impossible and unbelievable.
The Brave Hero, Silver Hero, had saved the woman and her son during the previous God-Demon War. He had heard that this small, remote village was being attacked and had come to help.
It was a miracle.
And then, she had heard that the Brave Hero had been summoned to the divine realm.
He would never come to this village again, and his voice would never reach them again.
"Yes, the Brave Hero is always watching over us."
The woman nodded in agreement, stroking her son's head.
In that instant, the woman's ears clearly heard the voice too.
"――!!"
She looked up.
Of course, there was no one there. But she had definitely heard it.
The light of hope that she had heard in the midst of despair shone brightly in her mind.
"......Mom, are you crying?"
"......Yes, I am. I never thought this day would come."
The woman hugged her son tightly, wishing that their small feelings would reach the Brave Hero.
"Your Majesty!! It's an emergency, the Princess has gone insane!!"
This is a small country, the 'Entria Kingdom', located far from the demon realm's territory.
Most of its land is mountainous, and it has a coastline along its back.
With its abundant water resources, sloping agricultural lands, and thriving fisheries, it's a country that's rich in natural resources.
Among its peaceful and gentle citizens, the princess of Entria was famous for being a tomboy.
However, due to certain circumstances, she had started to develop a more ladylike demeanor, when this incident occurred.
The king put down his pen and looked at the old woman who had entered.
"...Something, Marsha?"
"It's not just something! She's abandoned her training, gone out into the streets, and got the citizens involved in a dance party! It's not just a tomboyish behavior!"
The old woman, called Marsha, was a wet nurse who had served this household for a long time.
Even the king, who was sitting in a simple office, was raised by this wet nurse.
That's why the knights, who were supposed to be guarding the king, didn't say a word.
Marsha continued in a bitter tone.
"And to make matters worse, she's been loudly proclaiming that she's 'received a message from the Hero' As if it wasn't already hard enough to find a husband for her..."
The story of Entria's princess's infatuation with the Hero was well-known. She had originally been fascinated by the legend of the Hero, but after the Hero actually came to this country and defeated the monsters that were ravaging the sea, she fell deeply in love.
The rumor had spread to other countries, and as a result, no one wanted to marry her.
Marsha sighed, thinking that the princess would be alone for the rest of her life.
The king stood up and looked out the window behind him. From the office in this castle, he could see the town below.
The king let out a small laugh.
"Let it slide today, Marsha."
"...Was it some kind of anniversary?"
"No, it seems that the Hero is up to something again."
"That's――."
Marsha lost her words at that.
The king smiled kindly, his eyes narrowing. He could see the figure of his beloved daughter, who would involve the citizens, rejoice, and offer prayers.
In the town below Centraris Kingdom's castle, a large training ground had been built on the outskirts. The sounds of powerful voices, magic, and clashing swords echoed through the air.
The Centraris Kingdom's Third Knight Squad, the strongest in the kingdom, was in the middle of a training exercise that would shake the entire continent.
Divided into 2 teams, they clashed with magic as if in real battle.
One misstep, even in training, could be fatal.
In this tense atmosphere, something strange occurred.
"――."
"――Hey."
"...no way."
All the knights simultaneously stopped in their tracks.
The sudden silence that fell upon the squad was quickly replaced by murmurs, which in an instant turned into cheers.
They knew. They knew that a battle was taking place somewhere they couldn't be, right now.
And there, Eris Philin Centraris, the Thorn Princess of Centraris Kingdom, was present.
The high-ranking officers watching the training from the hill also smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Leader... did you hear that?"
"That's so like him."
"Of course, we're going to meet him."
The officers whispered among themselves.
"......"
Finally, the young lion who led the Third Knight Squad, Lloyd Stra Ventos, looked up at the sky.
The leader who had succeeded Glaive, defeated Larkan and Mines alongside Yuusuke, and was now the commander of the Third Knight Squad.
When Yuusuke first met him, he was just a useless rookie who couldn't even hold a sword. He thought that even a servant with a sword would be more reliable.
But before he knew it, their relationship had become one of swordsmen, and he had left him behind, flying high into the distance.
He had wings that soared higher than anyone else's, and it was both enviable and infuriating.
He had been waiting for this moment. He had been hoping for this day to come.
"Where Eris-sama is, you must be there too."
Lloyd's voice, infused with magic power, reached every knight.
"All hands, draw your swords! Let us raise our pride to the sky!"
With a single, unified motion, the knights raised their swords to the heavens.
And with the greatest respect, they prayed.
They, who will always stand alongside the Silver Hero, no matter when.
Lloyd smiled.
"Remember to use your words more often, you always said so."
At the same time, he thinks it's very Yuusuke-like.
'Everyone, lend me your power!'
With just those words, there's no need to hear the reason.
In this Asteris, there are countless people who would gladly give their lives for those words alone.
He never refuse to admit that he's one of them.
The sword that shines silver in the light is still held high.
At that moment, people all over Asteris looked up at the sky.
The child who was saved.
The man who fought alongside him.
The girl who fell in love.
Those who clashed swords.
The royal family, the nobles, the commoners, the humans, the demons, the lives, the souls.
Everyone looked up at the sky and remembered his figure.
The person wearing the white silver armor, shining hope with his sword.
Everyone wished, everyone prayed.
Please...
May our hero, White Silver, be blessed.
* * *
Julius was stunned.
This level of surprise hadn't existed in 6,000 years.
The way he carried the massive crimson tree on his back, stretching its branches beyond the world, felt even divine.
In that instant, Julius fully understood Yuusuke's magic.
"My True Name" is a magic of connections.
A magic that connects people to people.
The infinite magic power is granted to those who have formed connections, little by little.
The reproduction of magic relies on the power of the soul.
And he used that power to activate a certain magic. Julius, who had built up his strength over 6,000 years, stood alongside him, armed with the spoils of that battle.
"'Lamp Fire (Link)――The Chosen Hero (Brave Face)'."
He was helped, tormented, protected, and cursed.
Yuusuke wore the title of "hero" with his own will.
The massive crimson tree suddenly shrunk, enveloping Yuusuke.
And then, it cleared up.
Before Julius appeared a new silver armor, adorned with intricate golden patterns and a crimson mantle on its back. It seemed to be gently swaying, as if it were alive.
It was indeed him who was there, the Hero.
The strongest Hero, acknowledged and desired by everyone.
"――――!"
Yuusuke grasped his sword.
The Bastard Sword, which had once been broken, now shone with a golden light at its boundary, growing larger and stronger.
Just by being there, Julius felt tension running down his back.
Nostalgic.
It was the same back then, facing each other like this.
As the Demon King and the Hero.
"Is that so, was it like that?"
Julius muttered to himself, his eyes wide open.
There was only one thing that he couldn't understand in these 6,000 years. No matter how much he investigated, no matter how many hypotheses he made, he couldn't understand it.
Why was Yamamoto Yuusuke chosen as the Hero?
He was a genuine Earthling, born and raised.
He had no connection to Saint or Lord, nor did he have any relation to those who traveled to Asteris.
He was simply a human born with the talent for magic.
No matter how strong his talent was, there was no reason for him to be chosen as the Hero, surpassing the world.
So why was Yamamoto Yuusuke chosen?
The reason was very simple.
It was the memory of that day. The day he picked up the ball that had rolled to his feet, and the young boy's eyes looked up at him with a hint of mischief.
'What's your name?'
'Me? I'm Yuusuke. It's Yuusuke, the cool one!'
That was when he was still young. Julius had met Yuusuke only once before.
In the form of Iris, Yuusuke had handed him the ball he had thrown.
That was the day.
That was the day when the connection between Yamamoto Yuusuke and Julius was born.
That's why Yuusuke was called.
As the Hero who would oppose Julius Roderest, the Demon King.
"......Was it me who called him?"
There was no longer any doubt.
All the threads were connected, and it had led to this point.
If that was fate, then it wouldn't exist from now on.
Only the winner could walk and speak.
"I've been waiting for you, Silver Hero."
"'Yeah. I'll end your dream once and for all, Julius.'"
The dragon roared, and Yuusuke readied his sword.
The twin stars of reincarnation shone brightly, clashing with each other without yielding.
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