There was a title called the “Brave Hero.”
The one who made a greater achievement than the Heroes and the Braves. Due to its exaggerated meaning, it was a title no one held for a long time.
The Sword Emperor Eleline.
Until the day a man who had the calibre to receive that title within the whole of history showed up.
Unequally invincible. So powerful that he’s unparalleled. The strongest in all of history. Or he wasn't even human. Even though there were many words to describe the strength of humans, there sure weren't many words that could describe the Sword Emperor Eleline’s strength.
If you had to describe him, then it would be that he was “impossible to understand.”
He was undefeated not only against the obvious human foes, but also in hundreds of intense battle against those three superior beings—the Dragons of the Earth, the Angels of the Heaven, and the Demons of the Underworld. Even after that, he easily stopped the Great War that nearly ended the world.
That happened three-hundred years ago.
It was said that there could be no one, in both the past and the future, who would make a greater achievement than his great achievements.
No, that was what was said in the past.
“Congrats. All of you were chosen and given the chance.”
Union ceremony of the Holy Fiora Journey Academy.
On the day of the entrance ceremony for the Academy for general education, that was what the principal said to the new students, including Ren that had just enrolled, the III-Grade MASTERKnight students.
“In all of history, the title of “Brave Hero” was attained only by the Sword Emperor Eleline. Now the chance has come for all of you to attain it. I will anticipate your achievements where all of you will devote yourself to your studies in this Academy, to find comrades who you can trust, and to find the “Encore”.”
—That was two years ago. Back then, I too thought that people expected even a bit from me.
—As a new student that had passed the strict examination.
But—.
“Ren, you were ranked fifth in your class again, huh.”
……Leaving aside my good or bad grades.
……Why did he have to announce my result in such a loud voice?
Ren kept that to himself and received the sheet in silence.
“I won’t tell you to get ranked first in the whole year-level, but I would at least want you to get ranked third in your class.”
The instructor sighed purposely behind him.
“Or was your appearance the only similarity you have with the Brave Hero?”
“……!”
—My appearance has nothing to do with this. I return back to my seat while keeping the words in my throat. There were approximately ten metres to my desk, but during my way—.
“Ren-chan was almost close. He got ranked fifth again, right?”
“But there are thirty-six students per classroom, so being ranked fifth should be quite good, shouldn’t it?”
“What are you saying? He failed a year despite that. Normally, he would have moved up to the II-Grade MASTERKnight and became our senior. He’s a year older than us, you know?”
“Looks like he hasn't changed. For a guy who works so hard.”
“Shhh, Ren will hear you. Speak quietly.”
—I can hear even if all of you were to speak quietly.
—They are whispering on purpose. Except, their voices are high enough for me to hear. The whispers and laughter I could hear from all over the room. In the end, this is what they all say.
—The fake Brave Hero that only looks like the legendary Brave Hero.
Ren E Maxwell.
His light-brown hair that was cut messily and his deep-blue eyes.
His moderately handsome face which has a simple innocent expression.
His height was average among his seventeen year-old peers, though he might have a small build among the MASTERKnight students gathered at the Holy Fiora Journey Academy.
He didn’t stand out appearance-wise. But, if you were to be asked to give a single description of his trait—
The Sword Emperor Eleline.
His appearance was the only thing which resembled the famous Brave Hero.
After all, students who had seen the statute of Eleline located at the main gate would compare its appearance with that of Ren who would be walking near them.
“That’s it for last semester’s results. Any question?”
None of the thirty-six students raised their hands at the instructor’s question.
“Good. As all of you middle-rank students know, this was merely a mock battle. You can say that the promotion test taking place this winter will be your main concern.”
The instructor made a loud noise with his shoes.
“It has been two years since all of you enrolled in our Academy. Though there is one person who has been here for three years—”
—The gazes gathered at me from people around me.
……I’m already used to it. It happens all the time, after all.
Ren acted as though he hadn’t notice their gaze and looked at the textbook in his hands.
“All of you will finally be able to move onto becoming a high-rank students by passing the promotion test this winter. All of you first started as a beginning-rank students last year and were middle-rank students this year. Now you will become high-rank students and then highest-rank students, which is the final grade to graduate. Within these four years, high-rank students are the ones who can actually join a “party” and start your actual training. That will indeed be a year you cannot afford to miss in order to go out to the world to seek for the Encore. —Ren!”
“Yes.”
“The last item left behind by the Brave Hero who happens to be your ancestor. You obviously do remember when the existence of the Encore was revealed to the world, right?”
“During the autumn of the World-Age 798.”
He expected that he would be asked a question.
There wasn’t a flaw in his answer since he predicted and prepared for it.
“Two-hundred years after the death of Eleline at the young age of 26. The research team of the Royal History Laboratory announced the possibility of the existence of the Encore—the record of the war hand-written by Eleline himself. Later that year, a massive search team was formed, but they failed to find the Encore. This search-team became the model for the current “parties,” and this led to the Era of Great War for the possession of Encore which also involved the three worlds of the Heaven, the Underworld, and the Earth.”
“……Hmm.”
The instructor didn’t know what to say to Ren’s answer for a moment.
Ren then used that short time of silence to speak out his mind.
“I would also like to make one correction. This is something I have been saying for quite a while—”
Ren stood up from his chair and looked at the instructor.
“Eleline had no descendent. He traveled the world till he died from sickness at the age of 26. Not only did he not have children, he also didn’t have any siblings. I don’t belong to a family which is the direct descendant of Eleline. Even if we looked back to our family tree, our ancestor from elven generations back in the past was merely a distant relative of his.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that he was your distant ancestor, right?”
“I’m asking you to please refrain from saying things which would cause a misunderstanding. If you say “your ancestor,” that would sound like I am Eleline’s direct descendant.”
There were two misfortune the boy called Ren had.
The first is that he was born as the mirror image of the great Brave Hero.
And the second is that even though it would be considered as a distant relative of Eleline, Ren’s mother’s household was actually the distant relative of Eleline.
He was indeed a reincarnation of the Brave Hero. People around him expected a lot from him, but the reality was cruel.
—His sword-skills aren't even comparable to the Sword Emperor, and was even inferior to his peers.
—The only similarity he has is his appearance.
That was what his instructor and his classmates said to him. He had been told that even before he enrolled in the Holy Fiora Journey Academy.
The Fake Brave Hero.
That was the insulting title Ren had been given since childhood.
“The true history is that there wasn’t a single individual who could be considered Eleline’s descendent. I wasn’t born from a legitimate household that could even be compared to that Brave Hero.”
“—”
The instructor became silent and he simply twitched his eyebrows.
“Are you done? Then sit.”
“……!”
He acted as if nothing happened, so Ren sat on his chair while crunching his fist.
“Time’s up. The class is dismissed for today.”
The instructor took a glance at his golden pocket watch.
“Those who didn’t get a satisfying result for the previous test shouldn’t forget about their training. The actual thing will be a pass or fail. You will repeat a year if you can’t show your results here. Though I’m sure that all of you are aware of that.”
==========
The End War—
Even after three-hundred years, the investigation to find out the entire story of the War hadn’t progressed at all.
The only known fact was that an unknown something entered the world. It wasn’t just the humans. The Dragons, the Angels, and the Demons were also threatened by the ominous invaders. The horror of war spread everywhere including the Earth, the Heaven, and the Underworld.
The ones who stopped the invasion were the Sword Emperor Eleline and the legendary Three Great Princesses serving under him.
From the Heaven came Fear, the Angel from the highest class who received the command of the Goddess.
From the Underworld came Elise, the Demon King herself who was the master of the world deep under the ground.
From the Earth came Kyelse, the strongest Dragon Princess who was feared by both the Heaven and the Underworld.
—The Angel, the Demon, and the Dragon.
The three superior beings who represented the three world respectively. It was said that such strongest force gathered under the Sword Emperor.
From the history book Ren read, it was written that each of them had an appearance of a human and that all three of them was described as beautiful girls.
“……I’m sure this was written by a man. On top of that, it’s completely his taste.”
Ren even remembered till this day when he muttered that while he read the history book.
—Though I don’t know how much of the history was simply imagination—
Except, the fact about the Three Great Princesses who represented the three world gathered under Eleline, and that the four of them including Eleline challenged and won after an intensive battle against “something” that was invading the world was a true incident.
That victory itself was the greatest achievement of the Sword Emperor Eleline and the reason he was hailed as the Brave Hero.
……However, Eleline was no immortal.
It was said that he passed away in one of the rooms in an inn at the young age of 26 without having any children, family, or close friends. His anecdote would have ended while he had his name remained in the history as an historical person if his life ended in such a way.
The problem arose approximately two-hundred years after his death. In other words, the event that unfolded one-hundred years before the present time.
“The Encore……huh.”
Ren repeated that word vaguely as he walked through the Academy’s corridor.
—They couldn’t find it.
Among Eleline’s belongings, his belongings such as his sword, his clothing he wore for his journey, and his other belongings were found. Except, there was one thing which was supposed to be there but could never be found.
Eleline’s memoir, the “Encore.”
The memoir of the man who traveled the whole Earth, including the unexplored regions and sacred precincts, as well as Heaven and the Underworld.
Its value couldn’t simply be categorised as the relic left behind by the Brave Hero.
The only original texts that recorded the entire history of the End War. The sword-technique manual that was written by the Sword Emperor himself. It was also a world map that recorded many of the ancient ruins and the habitat of the spirits.
For example, you could salvage the rare ANCIENTS“the lost spells” from the ancient ruins, and you could also get a blessing from the powerful spirits within the sanctuary of the spirits. Most of the areas that were considered unexplored regions and sacred precincts since ancient times were also mining areas where you could find rare metals which would become the materials to create powerful weapons.
On top of that, it contained detailed battle records against other beings, such as Angels, Demons, Dragons, and gigantic monsters.
—If the proper individual attains the Encore.
—The value of the information recorded within would lead that individual to seize sovereignty.
“That’s why you would become the Brave Hero if you were to find it, huh……”
He went down the stairs to come out the first floor’s corridor of the building.
“The one who finds the Encore would be given the title of “Brave Hero” and become the second person in history to receive that title.”
It was officially proposed by the World Alliance Conference.
The content of the memoir recorded by Eleline would become a great treasure for humanity, and the achievement of the one who finds it would be befitting to be called the Brave Hero of the future generations.
The era when everyone in the world would seek to become the new Brave Hero.
Eleline’s memoir itself became acknowledged as an existence that was awaiting the coming of the new Brave Hero, and before anyone knew it, the memoir became the ENCORE“the record of the world”.
“……Though I would need to think about advancing to the next grade first.”
Ren took out the grading report he was given back at the classroom from his pocket and then sighed.
He was ranked “fifth” overall within the class. Amongst them, he received “first” for the written criteria and “eighth” for the practical criteria.
“I haven’t had any troubles with the written criteria since last year, but the practical criteria would be a problem.”
The promotion test would be judged based on the mock battles between the students that were majoring in the MASTERKnight degree. You would become a high-rank student if you were to pass it. Your rank as a MASTERKnight will also be promoted from III-Grade MASTERKnight to II-Grade MASTERKnight.
And the graduation test would also be a promotion test to become an I-Grade MASTERKnight.
You would successfully graduate by passing that test. You could create a new party from scratch or you could take the test to join a well-known party.
Then—
“Ren, are you done with your lectures?”
A gentle voice.
Someone who approached quietly from behind him suddenly hugs him from his back.
“H-Hey!? What are you doing, Senpai!?”
“Fufu. Guess who?”
“……Well, even if you ask me that.”
Her teasing voice.
The two soft things squashed onto his back, and its incredible sensation—.
“Rather, the only one who would do this to me is you, Fear-senpai……”
“Oh my, so you knew it was me?”
She loosens the arms wrapped around him. The blonde highest-grade student comes around in front of him.
“I was worried since you were walking with a gloomy face.”
“……I was?”
“Is there anyone else here besides you?”
The girl chuckled after she said that. Seeing her cute smile—
“I see. I’m sorry for making you worry about me. Was I putting on such an expression?”
Ren couldn’t help but also smile to it.
……She’s probably the only one.
……Who interacts with me without making a fool out of me.
Fear Nesferia.
A girl whose distinctive features were her deep blue irises and her blonde-hair with silver lines.
She was eighteen years old and one year his senior. Her calm personality and soft smile showed that she was more mature atmosphere than he was.
“But, you know……having you press it……against me like before is……”
“Press it against you? Oh, did I press something against you?”
She bent her body forward while putting on a teasing smile.
In a posture where she forces forward her bosom, which is so dense that it would fall out from her blouse.
The one and only concern Ren had towards her was her overwhelming bosom, which was lifted up with her blouse made from thin cloth. That’s because the cloth of her blouse had a shape of two mountains, and it was so large that her buttons might pop in any second.
—The truth is, I’m troubled to keep my eyes away.
Unlike her graceful smile, her body was too stimulating.
……The problem was that she does realise it.
……And she does it to me on purpose as a tease.
The record she made last summer where dozens of pure boys fainted after seeing her in her swimsuit wouldn’t be broken in eternity.
“No, let’s stop talking about it. By the way, it’s rare to see you here, Senpai.”
“What do you mean?”
“For you to come down to the first floor of this building during this time. You are always inside the conference room. You are also the vice-president of the council and you always look busy with your council work.”
“I came to check my results.”
The direction she pointed towards after she said that was the front exit of the building’s first floor.
“If you become a highest-grade student, your result would be put out for everyone to see, whether you like it or not.”
“Ah, the public execution—”
He stopped his words there.
His senior front of him still had a smile on her face. So did means that—
“Is it okay for me to ask? Senpai, what was your result?”
“Like usual.”
“Ranked first again!? It can’t be! It’s unbelievable to think that you ranked first for all three of “HEALERCurer”, “MASTERKnight”, and “ARIACaster”!
“I was simply lucky. My body was in good condition during the day of the test.”
The senior-girl narrowed her eyes as if she was blushing.
—I really can’t beat this person.
Educational written test, ranked first among her grades.
Practical battle test, ranked first among her grades.
—I can understand if she is good at the written test. That’s because your daily load of hard work gets reflected onto your result.
—What needs to be mentioned is the practical which is the battle test.
Within the practical test where the boys and girls would be tested together, her sword-play overwhelmed boys who were majoring in the MASTERKnight’s degree, and her spell-work overwhelmed students majoring in the ARIACaster’s degree.
Even though she was a HEALERCurer that specialises in healing and regeneration.
The almighty genius. It must be the reason why she was called the first genius since the establishment of Holy Fiora Journey Academy.
“Senpai, you sure are amazing……”
Ren honestly spoke out his thought and praised her while scratching the back of his head.
“Senpai, you will finally graduate this winter, so you are also thinking about who you will form a party with after you become a highest-graduate student, right? Senpai, I’m sure you have received offers from famous parties, right?”
“Yes, I have received several invitation. From the principal’s connections.”
“I thought so! That’s amazing!”
Party—that’s the “expeditionary force made up of courageous warriors.”
Their main missions were to travel through different locations of the world to investigate the sacred precincts and ancient ruins as well as searching for the spirits habitats. There were wide-range of tasks, since there were also missions like hunting down dangerous monsters. Discovering the spirits and hunting down monsters would lead to strengthening a specific city’s forces. Investigating ancient ruins would lead to discovering ANCIENTS“the lost spells” and O-PARTS“the lost technologies”. Therefore the cities throughout the world supported and nurtured these parties.
This Holy Fiora Journey Academy was also one of them. It was built as a special institute to train boys and girls who were aiming to create parties. It was a prestigious school that produced many potential individuals.
“Then are you also after the Encore, Senpai?”
“I certainly am. That is the one thing I cannot give up on.”
She nodded while she had the same smile on her face.
“Though I haven’t been thinking about making a party yet.”
“……Eh?”
“This is a good opportunity. Ren, there was something I wanted to talk to you about for a while. The truth is, I will be leaving this Academy soon.”
“You’re leaving the Academy!? Eh, isn’t the graduation in winter!?”
“The results from the previous semester could be used as a quick graduation certificate. I have already submitted my withdrawal application form.”
“……You’re going to withdraw? You must be joking, Senpai.”
Even though Ren didn’t have such intentions, his true feelings came out from his mouth.
Withdrawing when the graduation was just ahead wasn’t normal.
You would become an I-Grade HEALERCurer after taking the graduation test and then you would either make your own party or take an entrance test to join the party you desired.
“Why? The graduation test is just right ahead.”
“It’s exactly due to the reason I explained before. Leaving the Academy even a day earlier to find the Encore would definitely be better.”
“……Do you have any comrades? Did you receive an unofficial offer from a famous party?”
“I don’t have any.”
She waved her blonde hair and shook her head.
“It would be just me and a girl who is an old friend of mine. She was finally able to break out of her seal.”
“Seal?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You can……simply ignore what I just said.”
Fear showed her rare side where she had a bitter smile and waved her hand.
She looked up the ceiling as if she were yearning—
“The truth is, I have a friend in mind for a while who would look for the Encore together with me. She was finally able to come. It would be better to strike while the iron is hot.”
“Your friend…… So it really wasn’t a scout from a famous party then?”
“Yes. There wasn’t a party I wished to join. I certainly had the principal talk to me so long about it, but every one of them didn't satisfy me—”
“H-Hey, Senpai!? Stop!”
Ren used his hand to interrupt his senior’s words.
……That was close.
……Wouldn’t her words just now become a serious issue if someone had heard it?
The two instructors and a group of students that walked behind them. Ren waited till he couldn’t see them and breathed out.
“Hey, that was dangerous Senpai. What you just said.”
“Is it?”
“It’s because……”
The world famous parties that had made great achievements. While the highest-grade student around her were desperately working hard to take the entrance test to join them, she said that those famous parties didn't satisfy her.
“I know your results, Senpai……so I do admire you. I’m not in a position where I could say anything about it and I don’t know much about your friend either. But I do think gaining experience by joining a proper party first is also important. You know, the world outside is dangerous after all.”
The End War was halted by Eleline.
However, this world doesn’t just belong to the humans.
The danger level of encountering huge monsters when you enter the ancient ruins and sacred precincts.
The Angels of the Heavens, the Demons of the Underworld, and the Dragons that were the supreme ruler of the Earth, would try to eliminate the humans without mercy. The humans of this world were a weak species.
“Even that Brave Hero formed a party.”
“The Brave Hero?”
“I’m talking about the Sword Emperor Eleline.”
“……Oh yes, him.”
Fear made a gesture with her hand as if she just remembered.
“Oh yes, he’s called the Brave Hero now. The humans sure do act conveniently. Back then, the whole world treated him like an pariah swordsman.”
“Eh?”
“Oh no, please ignore that.”
The blonde girl shook her hand in panic which was a rare sight. But her gesture ended there since she looked towards Ren with yearning eyes.
“Let me make one correction. About my case regarding the party. Yes, if I find a party which could even rival the famous Eleline’s party, then I may want to join them.”
“? Well, that’s asking for a lot……I mean, you are talking about the legendary party right?”
Eleline Sword Emperor Brigade.
The bright and pure-white Angel—the Archangel Fear from the Heaven who was said to have a power that surpassed even the Goddess.
The dark and cloaked Empress—the Demon King Elise who was the master of the Underworld.
The girl with a shining silver hair—the strongest Dragon Princess, Kyelse, who was even feared by the Heaven and the Underworld.
The Three Great Princesses who represented the three worlds and Eleline who led such party. They stopped the End War with just the four of them. They were indeed the strongest party and was considered the best in history.
“Besides. They do say stories from the past comes with false details. We don’t know just how much of the actual story had been exaggerated.”
There were also a theory that the human MASTERKnight and ARIACaster gradually were replaced with an Angel, an Demon, and an Dragon Princess as the story was retold to people.
That was because it would make the story even more interesting.
“By the way, what do you personally think about it? Do you think the legend of Eleline was a fictional story?”
Her eyes that looked right into Ren’s eyes.
The girl called Fear.
From the girl who had the same name as the legendary Angel by coincidence.
“My honest impression is that I hope it would be true.”
Ren nodded while feeling reserved.
“When I heard that story when I was a kid, I honestly thought it was amazing.”
He innocently admired the story.
Even though he was continued to be called the fake Brave Hero, the reason Ren was receiving guidance at Holy Fiora Journey Academy as a MASTERKnight was due to being charmed by the tales of his adventurers.
“It had an interesting story. There was the strongest swordsman where the Archangel, the Demon King, and the strongest Dragon Princess traveled with him. Anyone would want to see a party like that if they did really exist. What kind of journey they had while traveling the world, just thinking about it gets me excited.”
“……I see.”
“Fear-senpai?”
“Ren, you are wonderful. You are very honest, very pure, and……”
She had a smile exactly like that of an Angel.
The girl called Fear said that with a tone of a calm adult.
“If it was a human like you—”
The alarming bell.
The one that interrupted her words was the bell that echoed throughout the Academy.
“Ah, it’s already this time? Senpai, don’t you have your usual council work?”
“It’s cancelled for today. I asked everyone since I wanted to use the conference room for my business.”
“For your personal use? So the instructor gave you permission?”
“I was ranked first in my grade for this reason.”
The vice-president of the council who made a naughty smile.
She replied as if this was all in her plan, but what was frightening was that it sounded real when it was coming from her.
“By the way, Ren. This may have been fate that we met here, so would you please do an errand for me?”
“Huh? To where?”
“When you exit the Academy from the main gate, there’s a cake shop if you walk straight through the town. I placed ordered in advance, so what’s left is for you to pick it up. I will be cleaning up the conference room during that time. I wanted to have a bit of a snack-party with my friend.”
“Sure, but I thought you couldn’t eat inside the conference room? I’m sure the instructors would snap if they caught you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Oh yes, and—”
Fear shook her hand.
But her eyes looked like she was teasing him and for some reason it also looked seductive.
“How about having a study session together next time as my thanks for having you do my errand? Before I leave the Academy, instead of using the classroom, let's use my room at the girl’s dormitory, okay? Your big sister would teach you many things from the basics—”
“N-No……let’s do that for another occasion!”
—It’s simply studying, so what’s with her teaching me from the basic?
Ren kept his scream inside his mouth and left the scene as if he ran away.
Student’s town, Mstier.
The town was structured in a way such that the party raising institute, Holy Fiora Journey Academy, was located at its centre.
There were food and beverage stores as well as clothing stores that were used by students, including Ren. Not only was there a blacksmith factory that manufactures swords and spears, there were also a large bookstore which has all the line-ups such as the world map and monster encyclopaedia.
Near the southern-gate of the town—
“……She ordered too much.”
Ren walked through the main road while carrying the loads of bags filled with snacks with both hands.
“Eighteen puddings, three whole cakes, twenty-five profiteroles, and thirty-seven baked sweets. That Fear-senpai, what kind of big party is she planning to do……?”
When Ren saw these bags back at the shop, he felt uneasy since he didn’t know if he could carry all of them.
“Oh yeah, I heard it was going to rain from the afternoon. If it started raining right now—”
His words were interrupted.
Many screams echoed from far behind him.
“……What!?”
Ren discarded his shopping bag and turned around.
“Make your life and comrade's lives your first priority. Anything else can easily be replaced.”
This was the first time Ren thanked those three years worth of guidance of his instructor. If he was even a second too slow at throwing away the shopping bags, he would have been on the ground covered in blood.
A giant green Dragon was flapping its wings.
“A Wyvern!? Why is it in the middle of town!?”
The Dragon-species that was known as the absolute ruler of the Earth.
The one that just grazed Ren’s head and landed clearly belonged to that species.
……That was close.
……If I was too slow in turning around, I may have had my head sliced by those claws.
The training he received as a MASTERKnight. No, rather than the training, it was more like his luck. That was how unexpected this assault was.
“Is that thing about five metres in length?”
It depends on each Wyvern, but a mature Wyvern is usually seven metres long.
Even though it would be considered small among the Dragon-species, what needed to be specially noted about it was its flight speed. A Wyvern that was using its maximum velocity would be so fast that even the best sniper would have a hard time shooting it.
“But why is it here? Did it stray away from its herd and wandered in here!?”
If that was the case, its wariness would increase due to having strayed from its herd. There were many cases where its aggressive behaviour became even worse. And it broke through the town walls and entered the town.
A situation like this was rare, and the level of danger was also high.
“Who can even stop this thing……?”
Ren looked up towards the monster in front of him while muttering in astonishment.
—Just how many highest-grade students and instructors would you need to take it down?
—No, the opponent isn’t that simple.
Even if the highest-grade students came to the scene, they were merely students. They merely had experience in fighting small monsters, so the number of students that had experience in fighting a Dragon is close to none. The instructors have already retired from the parties. So you couldn’t think of a plan to defeat it.
The only thing they could do was to buy time and pray for it to leave after it gets bored.
“Even so, buying time would be……”
Even though Ren looked around him, there weren’t any parties that looked reliable.
Even though it was called a student town, a town was still a town. Most of them were civilians. The only people he could see were merchants, families of the civilians, and tourists running away.
“Dammit! Of all times, I’m the only one who had to be here!”
He drew out a dagger that was for self-defense from the attached to his belt.
The length of the blade was that of a knife. It was a weapon you didn’t need to go all the way to the weapon factory to buy it since it was purchasable in the business district, even for a civilian.
……This would only seem like a toothpick to that Dragon.
He shouldn’t think about winning or losing.
He only had to think about buying time. Until the people around him had evacuated—
“Oh, I have found a delicious looking snack at a place like this.”
It was at this time when Ren heard a dignified voice from right beside him.
“I sure am lucky to find a snack which is basically new at a place like this. Maybe this would be a good gift for Fear?”
—The bags of snacks I threw away.
—There is a silver hair girl who is standing right beside me and is staring down at the snacks.
“Hey, those are my snacks……no, that isn’t it, hey idiot, hurry and run!”
“Your snack?”
The girl turned around—
“What are you saying? The one who found these first was me. Isn’t it first come first serve?”
Emerald green eyes that had a darker colour than the sea, and her long silver hair that sparkled like a pearl.
On top of her fantasy-like colours, her face was also adorable like that of a fairy that would appear in a fairy-tale. Even though she was dressed as an adventurer, her slender body could only be described as being lovely.
But Ren was only fascinated by the girl’s appearance for just that slight moment.
“A-Anyway, you need to run! This isn’t the time for talking such thing!”
“Run? Why is there a need for me to run?”
The silver hair girl looked up at Ren while feeling unpleasant.
“To begin with, human, you called me an idiot. Who do you think I am……eh…………”
That moment, the girl stopped breathing and opened her eyes wide.
Then her small hand started shaking.
“Eh, ……eh, ……El……Elel…………”
“Pardon me?”
“Eleline, you were alive!”
The girl raised her voice and jumped towards him.
“I wanted to see you! I was looking for you this whole time! Yeah, even if you are a human, you are special. There was no way you would die simply after three-hundred years—”
“I’m saying that I don’t understand what you’re saying!”
Ren jumped while carrying the girl.
He used his whole body to prevent the girl from touching the ground and then rolled on the ground backwards.
—ROAR!
That instant, the Dragon swung down its tail and obliterated bricks of walls.
“Hurry up and run! You saw it for yourself just now. That Wyvern is too dangerous!”
“Defeat it.”
“……Huh?”
“I’m saying that you have the permission to defeat it. As long as you don’t kill it, you don’t need to hold back against my kind. That guy is an arrogant prick who had been following me this whole time even before I got here. He’s an eyesore so take it down with a single punch to his head.”
“It followed you? What does that mean—”
The meaning behind the words of the girl with the silver hair.
Before Ren could even comprehend the meaning of her words, the sound of the Wyvern stepping on the ground made Ren’s eardrum shiver.
—He’s going to step on me!
The black shadow which was above Ren’s head. The Wyvern came down at them without losing sights of its target. The moment Ren realised that, he pushed away the girl who was clinging onto him.
“You idiot, don’t just stand there, run!”
The shadow of the huge Dragon’s shadow that was coming down at him.
……I need to make it in time!
He brought out his dagger with a faint hope and also jumped to the back—
Then the impact.
Ren was overwhelmed by the merciless impact which was so strong that he couldn’t breathe. Ren was sent flying far to the rear.
“……! ……Gah! ……”
He couldn’t breathe due to the impact to his back. The reason why his vision turned red must be due to the blood pouring from his forehead. It was the cut he received when the tip of the Dragon’s claw grazed him.
……I guess……it’s alright since I’m alive, right?
……No……it doesn’t make any difference……I guess.
The dagger that was shattered from the core of the blade. His weapon that was violently shattered with ease.
He gripped his weapon where only the handle remained.
“………………Bring it, you worthless Dragon.”
Ren stood up with his body that was covered in sand.
“An……attack……like that……doesn’t work on me……even in the slightest.”
The words that was just able to come out of his throat.
He used his hand as if he was provoking the Wyvern that had its wings spread wide.
—Fake Brave Hero.
—I’m not a Brave Hero nor am I the strongest knight that can take down a Dragon by myself.
—But I can’t give in.
—I need to buy time. Until there are reinforcements from the Academy. More importantly, I need to buy enough time so the silver hair girl in front of me could escape.
“……I been telling you to……run”
His sight was covered in blood, but he could still see the silver hair girl who hadn’t ran or hid yet.
“Hurry up……I’m seriously……at my limit……”
“I got it.”
That was the time when the girl nodded as if she finally understood something.
“Don’t tell me you have a stomach ache because you ate something bad?”
“……Huh?”
“Fine then. I don’t feel good in laying a hand on my kind, but I’ll take care of this.”
Right after she said that.
The silver girl approached the Wyvern from the front carelessly for all things.
“……!? H-Hey, stop—”
“There’s no way that I, the Dragon Princess Kyelse, will be beaten by this weakling.”
Ren could see the girl’s face from the side where she was putting on a fearless smile.
Ren listened to the girl’s word as if he was dreaming.
……Dragon Princess Kyelse?
……No, wait……it can’t be. That name belongs to the one from that legendary party……
“A Dragon’s child that doesn’t even know who I am. I wonder from which valley it came from.”
The Wyvern was spreading his wings wide.
The small girl faced the giant monster by herself where she had to tilt her head up to look at it.
“And did he just make a threat right in front of me? I see, so you followed me all the way to this town because I entered your territory. Looks like your pride is the only thing that is remarkable.”
“S-Stop—”
He couldn’t say any more than that. He was losing consciousness. He had his hand full just standing there, and his hand couldn’t reach the girl’s back—
The next moment, Ren would witness a scene he wouldn’t be able to forget for the rest for his life.
“Imbecile.”
The girl leaped.
She didn’t jump. It would be more accurate to say that what she did was flight. An altitude of ten metres high. The girl who reached even higher than the Wyvern with irs wings simply said—
“Bow unsightly before me.”
The powerful gravitational field.
The intense gravity which could even compress the paved road's surface made a cavity in it instantly.
—Not only did she not allow the Wyvern to resist, she didn’t allow it respond either.
If humans were to activate a spell of the same calibre as hers, they would require a longer and more complex spell ceremony as well as mental concentration. But she did it with a few words.
Power of language.
The words that were said come to this world and take physical form. A human like Ren couldn’t even imagine just how powerful and high level the spell was.
“Hmph, cool your head for a bit down there.”
The girl who soared up the sky landed splendidly on the ground after doing a spin in mid-air.
The giant crater was drilled on the ground. After she took a glance at the Wyvern that was unconscious at the deepest part of the crater, she jumped into Ren’s arm once again.
“Eleline!”
“Again!? ……More importantly, what was that power……?”
The silver hair girl was hugging tightly onto Ren. Even if Ren tried to push her away, she doesn’t even budge an inch. Her physical strength was so strong that you couldn’t imagine it was coming from such slender body.
“Haha, you. You were alive after all! I thought it was some kind of joke when I heard that you died due to illness five years after I was sealed. Yeah, there was no way you would simply die from sickness—”
“I-I can’t breathe…… ……I’ll die……you are suffocating me……”
“……H-Hey? What’s wrong Eleline? You haven’t been acting like yourself for a while.”
The girl who had a blank face weakens the strength in her arm.
“Cough, cough……s-seriously……”
Ren answered to the girl who was looking up at him while he coughed violently.
“I’m not Eleline. Though I do get mistaken as him quite a lot. To begin with, Elline was the Brave Hero from three-hundred years ago. A human can’t live that long.”
“? Elline, did you……forget about me?”
“I didn’t know you to begin with.”
“……It can’t be.”
After the silver hair girl made a gesture where she was in her thoughts, she approached Ren. This time, she put her face on his chest. She started sniffing him like a dog.
“!? What are you doing!?”
“See? It’s Elline’s smell. There’s no way I would mistake you.”
“……E-Either way, get away from me!”
He couldn’t help but be embarrassed since a girl that could be considered an absolute beauty hugged him and then started sniffing his smell.
“I’m sorry to say this even though you seem to be confident about it, but I really am a different person.”
“……What!?”
“My name is Ren. Well, if you go up my family tree, Elline would be my ancestor’s distant relative, but he never had any children so I’m not his direct descendant or anything. I’m merely a distant relative of his. A distant descendant.”
“His descendant……you? ……Then Elline is…………”
The girl muttered vaguely. Her expression started to get gloomy.
……Why are you looking up at me with such sad eyes?
……I haven’t done anything wrong, but it pains me.
“I’m telling you that Eleline……isn’t here anymore.”
The Brave Hero died.
He couldn’t say those words. The best he could say was “he isn’t here.”
“…………”
The light disappeared from the emerald-green eyes.
The girl turned around slowly while biting her lips.
“H-Hey!”
Kyelse took a glance at Ren and simply said this.
“……Just his appearance, huh…………”
A total stranger who had the appearance of the Brave Hero but not his strength.
……Except.
Even though he received those words, Ren realised that he was so calm that it shocked him.
A total stranger. Fake Brave Hero. He received different kinds of taunts when he was compared to the legendary Brave Hero, and there was always mockery within those taunts where people were making a fool out of him.
But he couldn’t sense a slight sign of those emotions in her words.
Eleline was no longer here. The sad persuasion where she was telling herself that.
……It’s like she said it in such way.
The silver hair girl who defeated the Wyvern with ease. The back of the girl who had such overwhelming power now looked small, weak, and sad.
“H-Hey……umm…………”
He wanted to call out to her. But he couldn’t find the right words to say to her.
What Ren, who was thinking as such, witnessed was—
The girl who was dragging a giant bag full of snacks.
“Hey!? That’s mine! Are you trying to take it away while acting sad!?”
“I defeated the Wyvern on your behalf, right?”
“……Gu.”
He didn’t know how to reply back to her words.
It was certain that the safety of the residents as well as Ren still being alive was her achievement.
“……Fine. Alright, take that with you.”
He was half convinced, but he gave up for the other half. His sighed carried those two emotions. Ren shrugged his shoulder.
......I can just buy what Fear-senpai asked me to bring with my own money.
……Also, I can’t stand to look at her sad eyes.
“I’m sure it would be delicious since those snacks are from the most famous shop around here.”
“You sure are reasonable for a human.”
The smile the girl made for a slight moment.
There was a faint smile in her sad face.
The girl called Kyelse disappeared in front of Ren.
—That was the beginning.
—The beginning of the story of the boy that was called the fake Brave Hero and the legendary Dragon Princess.
There was a title called the “Brave Hero.”
The one who made a greater achievement than the Heroes and the Braves. Due to its exaggerated meaning, it was a title no one held for a long time.
The Sword Emperor Eleline.
Until the day a man who had the calibre to receive that title within the whole of history showed up.
Unequally invincible. So powerful that he’s unparalleled. The strongest in all of history. Or he wasn't even human. Even though there were many words to describe the strength of humans, there sure weren't many words that could describe the Sword Emperor Eleline’s strength.
If you had to describe him, then it would be that he was “impossible to understand.”
He was undefeated not only against the obvious human foes, but also in hundreds of intense battle against those three superior beings—the Dragons of the Earth, the Angels of the Heaven, and the Demons of the Underworld. Even after that, he easily stopped the Great War that nearly ended the world.
That happened three-hundred years ago.
It was said that there could be no one, in both the past and the future, who would make a greater achievement than his great achievements.
No, that was what was said in the past.
“Congrats. All of you were chosen and given the chance.”
Union ceremony of the Holy Fiora Journey Academy.
On the day of the entrance ceremony for the Academy for general education, that was what the principal said to the new students, including Ren that had just enrolled, the III-Grade MASTERKnight students.
“In all of history, the title of “Brave Hero” was attained only by the Sword Emperor Eleline. Now the chance has come for all of you to attain it. I will anticipate your achievements where all of you will devote yourself to your studies in this Academy, to find comrades who you can trust, and to find the “Encore”.”
—That was two years ago. Back then, I too thought that people expected even a bit from me.
—As a new student that had passed the strict examination.
But—.
“Ren, you were ranked fifth in your class again, huh.”
……Leaving aside my good or bad grades.
……Why did he have to announce my result in such a loud voice?
Ren kept that to himself and received the sheet in silence.
“I won’t tell you to get ranked first in the whole year-level, but I would at least want you to get ranked third in your class.”
The instructor sighed purposely behind him.
“Or was your appearance the only similarity you have with the Brave Hero?”
“……!”
—My appearance has nothing to do with this. I return back to my seat while keeping the words in my throat. There were approximately ten metres to my desk, but during my way—.
“Ren-chan was almost close. He got ranked fifth again, right?”
“But there are thirty-six students per classroom, so being ranked fifth should be quite good, shouldn’t it?”
“What are you saying? He failed a year despite that. Normally, he would have moved up to the II-Grade MASTERKnight and became our senior. He’s a year older than us, you know?”
“Looks like he hasn't changed. For a guy who works so hard.”
“Shhh, Ren will hear you. Speak quietly.”
—I can hear even if all of you were to speak quietly.
—They are whispering on purpose. Except, their voices are high enough for me to hear. The whispers and laughter I could hear from all over the room. In the end, this is what they all say.
—The fake Brave Hero that only looks like the legendary Brave Hero.
Ren E Maxwell.
His light-brown hair that was cut messily and his deep-blue eyes.
His moderately handsome face which has a simple innocent expression.
His height was average among his seventeen year-old peers, though he might have a small build among the MASTERKnight students gathered at the Holy Fiora Journey Academy.
He didn’t stand out appearance-wise. But, if you were to be asked to give a single description of his trait—
The Sword Emperor Eleline.
His appearance was the only thing which resembled the famous Brave Hero.
After all, students who had seen the statute of Eleline located at the main gate would compare its appearance with that of Ren who would be walking near them.
“That’s it for last semester’s results. Any question?”
None of the thirty-six students raised their hands at the instructor’s question.
“Good. As all of you middle-rank students know, this was merely a mock battle. You can say that the promotion test taking place this winter will be your main concern.”
The instructor made a loud noise with his shoes.
“It has been two years since all of you enrolled in our Academy. Though there is one person who has been here for three years—”
—The gazes gathered at me from people around me.
……I’m already used to it. It happens all the time, after all.
Ren acted as though he hadn’t notice their gaze and looked at the textbook in his hands.
“All of you will finally be able to move onto becoming a high-rank students by passing the promotion test this winter. All of you first started as a beginning-rank students last year and were middle-rank students this year. Now you will become high-rank students and then highest-rank students, which is the final grade to graduate. Within these four years, high-rank students are the ones who can actually join a “party” and start your actual training. That will indeed be a year you cannot afford to miss in order to go out to the world to seek for the Encore. —Ren!”
“Yes.”
“The last item left behind by the Brave Hero who happens to be your ancestor. You obviously do remember when the existence of the Encore was revealed to the world, right?”
“During the autumn of the World-Age 798.”
He expected that he would be asked a question.
There wasn’t a flaw in his answer since he predicted and prepared for it.
“Two-hundred years after the death of Eleline at the young age of 26. The research team of the Royal History Laboratory announced the possibility of the existence of the Encore—the record of the war hand-written by Eleline himself. Later that year, a massive search team was formed, but they failed to find the Encore. This search-team became the model for the current “parties,” and this led to the Era of Great War for the possession of Encore which also involved the three worlds of the Heaven, the Underworld, and the Earth.”
“……Hmm.”
The instructor didn’t know what to say to Ren’s answer for a moment.
Ren then used that short time of silence to speak out his mind.
“I would also like to make one correction. This is something I have been saying for quite a while—”
Ren stood up from his chair and looked at the instructor.
“Eleline had no descendent. He traveled the world till he died from sickness at the age of 26. Not only did he not have children, he also didn’t have any siblings. I don’t belong to a family which is the direct descendant of Eleline. Even if we looked back to our family tree, our ancestor from elven generations back in the past was merely a distant relative of his.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that he was your distant ancestor, right?”
“I’m asking you to please refrain from saying things which would cause a misunderstanding. If you say “your ancestor,” that would sound like I am Eleline’s direct descendant.”
There were two misfortune the boy called Ren had.
The first is that he was born as the mirror image of the great Brave Hero.
And the second is that even though it would be considered as a distant relative of Eleline, Ren’s mother’s household was actually the distant relative of Eleline.
He was indeed a reincarnation of the Brave Hero. People around him expected a lot from him, but the reality was cruel.
—His sword-skills aren't even comparable to the Sword Emperor, and was even inferior to his peers.
—The only similarity he has is his appearance.
That was what his instructor and his classmates said to him. He had been told that even before he enrolled in the Holy Fiora Journey Academy.
The Fake Brave Hero.
That was the insulting title Ren had been given since childhood.
“The true history is that there wasn’t a single individual who could be considered Eleline’s descendent. I wasn’t born from a legitimate household that could even be compared to that Brave Hero.”
“—”
The instructor became silent and he simply twitched his eyebrows.
“Are you done? Then sit.”
“……!”
He acted as if nothing happened, so Ren sat on his chair while crunching his fist.
“Time’s up. The class is dismissed for today.”
The instructor took a glance at his golden pocket watch.
“Those who didn’t get a satisfying result for the previous test shouldn’t forget about their training. The actual thing will be a pass or fail. You will repeat a year if you can’t show your results here. Though I’m sure that all of you are aware of that.”
==========
The End War—
Even after three-hundred years, the investigation to find out the entire story of the War hadn’t progressed at all.
The only known fact was that an unknown something entered the world. It wasn’t just the humans. The Dragons, the Angels, and the Demons were also threatened by the ominous invaders. The horror of war spread everywhere including the Earth, the Heaven, and the Underworld.
The ones who stopped the invasion were the Sword Emperor Eleline and the legendary Three Great Princesses serving under him.
From the Heaven came Fear, the Angel from the highest class who received the command of the Goddess.
From the Underworld came Elise, the Demon King herself who was the master of the world deep under the ground.
From the Earth came Kyelse, the strongest Dragon Princess who was feared by both the Heaven and the Underworld.
—The Angel, the Demon, and the Dragon.
The three superior beings who represented the three world respectively. It was said that such strongest force gathered under the Sword Emperor.
From the history book Ren read, it was written that each of them had an appearance of a human and that all three of them was described as beautiful girls.
“……I’m sure this was written by a man. On top of that, it’s completely his taste.”
Ren even remembered till this day when he muttered that while he read the history book.
—Though I don’t know how much of the history was simply imagination—
Except, the fact about the Three Great Princesses who represented the three world gathered under Eleline, and that the four of them including Eleline challenged and won after an intensive battle against “something” that was invading the world was a true incident.
That victory itself was the greatest achievement of the Sword Emperor Eleline and the reason he was hailed as the Brave Hero.
……However, Eleline was no immortal.
It was said that he passed away in one of the rooms in an inn at the young age of 26 without having any children, family, or close friends. His anecdote would have ended while he had his name remained in the history as an historical person if his life ended in such a way.
The problem arose approximately two-hundred years after his death. In other words, the event that unfolded one-hundred years before the present time.
“The Encore……huh.”
Ren repeated that word vaguely as he walked through the Academy’s corridor.
—They couldn’t find it.
Among Eleline’s belongings, his belongings such as his sword, his clothing he wore for his journey, and his other belongings were found. Except, there was one thing which was supposed to be there but could never be found.
Eleline’s memoir, the “Encore.”
The memoir of the man who traveled the whole Earth, including the unexplored regions and sacred precincts, as well as Heaven and the Underworld.
Its value couldn’t simply be categorised as the relic left behind by the Brave Hero.
The only original texts that recorded the entire history of the End War. The sword-technique manual that was written by the Sword Emperor himself. It was also a world map that recorded many of the ancient ruins and the habitat of the spirits.
For example, you could salvage the rare ANCIENTS“the lost spells” from the ancient ruins, and you could also get a blessing from the powerful spirits within the sanctuary of the spirits. Most of the areas that were considered unexplored regions and sacred precincts since ancient times were also mining areas where you could find rare metals which would become the materials to create powerful weapons.
On top of that, it contained detailed battle records against other beings, such as Angels, Demons, Dragons, and gigantic monsters.
—If the proper individual attains the Encore.
—The value of the information recorded within would lead that individual to seize sovereignty.
“That’s why you would become the Brave Hero if you were to find it, huh……”
He went down the stairs to come out the first floor’s corridor of the building.
“The one who finds the Encore would be given the title of “Brave Hero” and become the second person in history to receive that title.”
It was officially proposed by the World Alliance Conference.
The content of the memoir recorded by Eleline would become a great treasure for humanity, and the achievement of the one who finds it would be befitting to be called the Brave Hero of the future generations.
The era when everyone in the world would seek to become the new Brave Hero.
Eleline’s memoir itself became acknowledged as an existence that was awaiting the coming of the new Brave Hero, and before anyone knew it, the memoir became the ENCORE“the record of the world”.
“……Though I would need to think about advancing to the next grade first.”
Ren took out the grading report he was given back at the classroom from his pocket and then sighed.
He was ranked “fifth” overall within the class. Amongst them, he received “first” for the written criteria and “eighth” for the practical criteria.
“I haven’t had any troubles with the written criteria since last year, but the practical criteria would be a problem.”
The promotion test would be judged based on the mock battles between the students that were majoring in the MASTERKnight degree. You would become a high-rank student if you were to pass it. Your rank as a MASTERKnight will also be promoted from III-Grade MASTERKnight to II-Grade MASTERKnight.
And the graduation test would also be a promotion test to become an I-Grade MASTERKnight.
You would successfully graduate by passing that test. You could create a new party from scratch or you could take the test to join a well-known party.
Then—
“Ren, are you done with your lectures?”
A gentle voice.
Someone who approached quietly from behind him suddenly hugs him from his back.
“H-Hey!? What are you doing, Senpai!?”
“Fufu. Guess who?”
“……Well, even if you ask me that.”
Her teasing voice.
The two soft things squashed onto his back, and its incredible sensation—.
“Rather, the only one who would do this to me is you, Fear-senpai……”
“Oh my, so you knew it was me?”
She loosens the arms wrapped around him. The blonde highest-grade student comes around in front of him.
“I was worried since you were walking with a gloomy face.”
“……I was?”
“Is there anyone else here besides you?”
The girl chuckled after she said that. Seeing her cute smile—
“I see. I’m sorry for making you worry about me. Was I putting on such an expression?”
Ren couldn’t help but also smile to it.
……She’s probably the only one.
……Who interacts with me without making a fool out of me.
Fear Nesferia.
A girl whose distinctive features were her deep blue irises and her blonde-hair with silver lines.
She was eighteen years old and one year his senior. Her calm personality and soft smile showed that she was more mature atmosphere than he was.
“But, you know……having you press it……against me like before is……”
“Press it against you? Oh, did I press something against you?”
She bent her body forward while putting on a teasing smile.
In a posture where she forces forward her bosom, which is so dense that it would fall out from her blouse.
The one and only concern Ren had towards her was her overwhelming bosom, which was lifted up with her blouse made from thin cloth. That’s because the cloth of her blouse had a shape of two mountains, and it was so large that her buttons might pop in any second.
—The truth is, I’m troubled to keep my eyes away.
Unlike her graceful smile, her body was too stimulating.
……The problem was that she does realise it.
……And she does it to me on purpose as a tease.
The record she made last summer where dozens of pure boys fainted after seeing her in her swimsuit wouldn’t be broken in eternity.
“No, let’s stop talking about it. By the way, it’s rare to see you here, Senpai.”
“What do you mean?”
“For you to come down to the first floor of this building during this time. You are always inside the conference room. You are also the vice-president of the council and you always look busy with your council work.”
“I came to check my results.”
The direction she pointed towards after she said that was the front exit of the building’s first floor.
“If you become a highest-grade student, your result would be put out for everyone to see, whether you like it or not.”
“Ah, the public execution—”
He stopped his words there.
His senior front of him still had a smile on her face. So did means that—
“Is it okay for me to ask? Senpai, what was your result?”
“Like usual.”
“Ranked first again!? It can’t be! It’s unbelievable to think that you ranked first for all three of “HEALERCurer”, “MASTERKnight”, and “ARIACaster”!
“I was simply lucky. My body was in good condition during the day of the test.”
The senior-girl narrowed her eyes as if she was blushing.
—I really can’t beat this person.
Educational written test, ranked first among her grades.
Practical battle test, ranked first among her grades.
—I can understand if she is good at the written test. That’s because your daily load of hard work gets reflected onto your result.
—What needs to be mentioned is the practical which is the battle test.
Within the practical test where the boys and girls would be tested together, her sword-play overwhelmed boys who were majoring in the MASTERKnight’s degree, and her spell-work overwhelmed students majoring in the ARIACaster’s degree.
Even though she was a HEALERCurer that specialises in healing and regeneration.
The almighty genius. It must be the reason why she was called the first genius since the establishment of Holy Fiora Journey Academy.
“Senpai, you sure are amazing……”
Ren honestly spoke out his thought and praised her while scratching the back of his head.
“Senpai, you will finally graduate this winter, so you are also thinking about who you will form a party with after you become a highest-graduate student, right? Senpai, I’m sure you have received offers from famous parties, right?”
“Yes, I have received several invitation. From the principal’s connections.”
“I thought so! That’s amazing!”
Party—that’s the “expeditionary force made up of courageous warriors.”
Their main missions were to travel through different locations of the world to investigate the sacred precincts and ancient ruins as well as searching for the spirits habitats. There were wide-range of tasks, since there were also missions like hunting down dangerous monsters. Discovering the spirits and hunting down monsters would lead to strengthening a specific city’s forces. Investigating ancient ruins would lead to discovering ANCIENTS“the lost spells” and O-PARTS“the lost technologies”. Therefore the cities throughout the world supported and nurtured these parties.
This Holy Fiora Journey Academy was also one of them. It was built as a special institute to train boys and girls who were aiming to create parties. It was a prestigious school that produced many potential individuals.
“Then are you also after the Encore, Senpai?”
“I certainly am. That is the one thing I cannot give up on.”
She nodded while she had the same smile on her face.
“Though I haven’t been thinking about making a party yet.”
“……Eh?”
“This is a good opportunity. Ren, there was something I wanted to talk to you about for a while. The truth is, I will be leaving this Academy soon.”
“You’re leaving the Academy!? Eh, isn’t the graduation in winter!?”
“The results from the previous semester could be used as a quick graduation certificate. I have already submitted my withdrawal application form.”
“……You’re going to withdraw? You must be joking, Senpai.”
Even though Ren didn’t have such intentions, his true feelings came out from his mouth.
Withdrawing when the graduation was just ahead wasn’t normal.
You would become an I-Grade HEALERCurer after taking the graduation test and then you would either make your own party or take an entrance test to join the party you desired.
“Why? The graduation test is just right ahead.”
“It’s exactly due to the reason I explained before. Leaving the Academy even a day earlier to find the Encore would definitely be better.”
“……Do you have any comrades? Did you receive an unofficial offer from a famous party?”
“I don’t have any.”
She waved her blonde hair and shook her head.
“It would be just me and a girl who is an old friend of mine. She was finally able to break out of her seal.”
“Seal?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You can……simply ignore what I just said.”
Fear showed her rare side where she had a bitter smile and waved her hand.
She looked up the ceiling as if she were yearning—
“The truth is, I have a friend in mind for a while who would look for the Encore together with me. She was finally able to come. It would be better to strike while the iron is hot.”
“Your friend…… So it really wasn’t a scout from a famous party then?”
“Yes. There wasn’t a party I wished to join. I certainly had the principal talk to me so long about it, but every one of them didn't satisfy me—”
“H-Hey, Senpai!? Stop!”
Ren used his hand to interrupt his senior’s words.
……That was close.
……Wouldn’t her words just now become a serious issue if someone had heard it?
The two instructors and a group of students that walked behind them. Ren waited till he couldn’t see them and breathed out.
“Hey, that was dangerous Senpai. What you just said.”
“Is it?”
“It’s because……”
The world famous parties that had made great achievements. While the highest-grade student around her were desperately working hard to take the entrance test to join them, she said that those famous parties didn't satisfy her.
“I know your results, Senpai……so I do admire you. I’m not in a position where I could say anything about it and I don’t know much about your friend either. But I do think gaining experience by joining a proper party first is also important. You know, the world outside is dangerous after all.”
The End War was halted by Eleline.
However, this world doesn’t just belong to the humans.
The danger level of encountering huge monsters when you enter the ancient ruins and sacred precincts.
The Angels of the Heavens, the Demons of the Underworld, and the Dragons that were the supreme ruler of the Earth, would try to eliminate the humans without mercy. The humans of this world were a weak species.
“Even that Brave Hero formed a party.”
“The Brave Hero?”
“I’m talking about the Sword Emperor Eleline.”
“……Oh yes, him.”
Fear made a gesture with her hand as if she just remembered.
“Oh yes, he’s called the Brave Hero now. The humans sure do act conveniently. Back then, the whole world treated him like an pariah swordsman.”
“Eh?”
“Oh no, please ignore that.”
The blonde girl shook her hand in panic which was a rare sight. But her gesture ended there since she looked towards Ren with yearning eyes.
“Let me make one correction. About my case regarding the party. Yes, if I find a party which could even rival the famous Eleline’s party, then I may want to join them.”
“? Well, that’s asking for a lot……I mean, you are talking about the legendary party right?”
Eleline Sword Emperor Brigade.
The bright and pure-white Angel—the Archangel Fear from the Heaven who was said to have a power that surpassed even the Goddess.
The dark and cloaked Empress—the Demon King Elise who was the master of the Underworld.
The girl with a shining silver hair—the strongest Dragon Princess, Kyelse, who was even feared by the Heaven and the Underworld.
The Three Great Princesses who represented the three worlds and Eleline who led such party. They stopped the End War with just the four of them. They were indeed the strongest party and was considered the best in history.
“Besides. They do say stories from the past comes with false details. We don’t know just how much of the actual story had been exaggerated.”
There were also a theory that the human MASTERKnight and ARIACaster gradually were replaced with an Angel, an Demon, and an Dragon Princess as the story was retold to people.
That was because it would make the story even more interesting.
“By the way, what do you personally think about it? Do you think the legend of Eleline was a fictional story?”
Her eyes that looked right into Ren’s eyes.
The girl called Fear.
From the girl who had the same name as the legendary Angel by coincidence.
“My honest impression is that I hope it would be true.”
Ren nodded while feeling reserved.
“When I heard that story when I was a kid, I honestly thought it was amazing.”
He innocently admired the story.
Even though he was continued to be called the fake Brave Hero, the reason Ren was receiving guidance at Holy Fiora Journey Academy as a MASTERKnight was due to being charmed by the tales of his adventurers.
“It had an interesting story. There was the strongest swordsman where the Archangel, the Demon King, and the strongest Dragon Princess traveled with him. Anyone would want to see a party like that if they did really exist. What kind of journey they had while traveling the world, just thinking about it gets me excited.”
“……I see.”
“Fear-senpai?”
“Ren, you are wonderful. You are very honest, very pure, and……”
She had a smile exactly like that of an Angel.
The girl called Fear said that with a tone of a calm adult.
“If it was a human like you—”
The alarming bell.
The one that interrupted her words was the bell that echoed throughout the Academy.
“Ah, it’s already this time? Senpai, don’t you have your usual council work?”
“It’s cancelled for today. I asked everyone since I wanted to use the conference room for my business.”
“For your personal use? So the instructor gave you permission?”
“I was ranked first in my grade for this reason.”
The vice-president of the council who made a naughty smile.
She replied as if this was all in her plan, but what was frightening was that it sounded real when it was coming from her.
“By the way, Ren. This may have been fate that we met here, so would you please do an errand for me?”
“Huh? To where?”
“When you exit the Academy from the main gate, there’s a cake shop if you walk straight through the town. I placed ordered in advance, so what’s left is for you to pick it up. I will be cleaning up the conference room during that time. I wanted to have a bit of a snack-party with my friend.”
“Sure, but I thought you couldn’t eat inside the conference room? I’m sure the instructors would snap if they caught you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Oh yes, and—”
Fear shook her hand.
But her eyes looked like she was teasing him and for some reason it also looked seductive.
“How about having a study session together next time as my thanks for having you do my errand? Before I leave the Academy, instead of using the classroom, let's use my room at the girl’s dormitory, okay? Your big sister would teach you many things from the basics—”
“N-No……let’s do that for another occasion!”
—It’s simply studying, so what’s with her teaching me from the basic?
Ren kept his scream inside his mouth and left the scene as if he ran away.
Student’s town, Mstier.
The town was structured in a way such that the party raising institute, Holy Fiora Journey Academy, was located at its centre.
There were food and beverage stores as well as clothing stores that were used by students, including Ren. Not only was there a blacksmith factory that manufactures swords and spears, there were also a large bookstore which has all the line-ups such as the world map and monster encyclopaedia.
Near the southern-gate of the town—
“……She ordered too much.”
Ren walked through the main road while carrying the loads of bags filled with snacks with both hands.
“Eighteen puddings, three whole cakes, twenty-five profiteroles, and thirty-seven baked sweets. That Fear-senpai, what kind of big party is she planning to do……?”
When Ren saw these bags back at the shop, he felt uneasy since he didn’t know if he could carry all of them.
“Oh yeah, I heard it was going to rain from the afternoon. If it started raining right now—”
His words were interrupted.
Many screams echoed from far behind him.
“……What!?”
Ren discarded his shopping bag and turned around.
“Make your life and comrade's lives your first priority. Anything else can easily be replaced.”
This was the first time Ren thanked those three years worth of guidance of his instructor. If he was even a second too slow at throwing away the shopping bags, he would have been on the ground covered in blood.
A giant green Dragon was flapping its wings.
“A Wyvern!? Why is it in the middle of town!?”
The Dragon-species that was known as the absolute ruler of the Earth.
The one that just grazed Ren’s head and landed clearly belonged to that species.
……That was close.
……If I was too slow in turning around, I may have had my head sliced by those claws.
The training he received as a MASTERKnight. No, rather than the training, it was more like his luck. That was how unexpected this assault was.
“Is that thing about five metres in length?”
It depends on each Wyvern, but a mature Wyvern is usually seven metres long.
Even though it would be considered small among the Dragon-species, what needed to be specially noted about it was its flight speed. A Wyvern that was using its maximum velocity would be so fast that even the best sniper would have a hard time shooting it.
“But why is it here? Did it stray away from its herd and wandered in here!?”
If that was the case, its wariness would increase due to having strayed from its herd. There were many cases where its aggressive behaviour became even worse. And it broke through the town walls and entered the town.
A situation like this was rare, and the level of danger was also high.
“Who can even stop this thing……?”
Ren looked up towards the monster in front of him while muttering in astonishment.
—Just how many highest-grade students and instructors would you need to take it down?
—No, the opponent isn’t that simple.
Even if the highest-grade students came to the scene, they were merely students. They merely had experience in fighting small monsters, so the number of students that had experience in fighting a Dragon is close to none. The instructors have already retired from the parties. So you couldn’t think of a plan to defeat it.
The only thing they could do was to buy time and pray for it to leave after it gets bored.
“Even so, buying time would be……”
Even though Ren looked around him, there weren’t any parties that looked reliable.
Even though it was called a student town, a town was still a town. Most of them were civilians. The only people he could see were merchants, families of the civilians, and tourists running away.
“Dammit! Of all times, I’m the only one who had to be here!”
He drew out a dagger that was for self-defense from the attached to his belt.
The length of the blade was that of a knife. It was a weapon you didn’t need to go all the way to the weapon factory to buy it since it was purchasable in the business district, even for a civilian.
……This would only seem like a toothpick to that Dragon.
He shouldn’t think about winning or losing.
He only had to think about buying time. Until the people around him had evacuated—
“Oh, I have found a delicious looking snack at a place like this.”
It was at this time when Ren heard a dignified voice from right beside him.
“I sure am lucky to find a snack which is basically new at a place like this. Maybe this would be a good gift for Fear?”
—The bags of snacks I threw away.
—There is a silver hair girl who is standing right beside me and is staring down at the snacks.
“Hey, those are my snacks……no, that isn’t it, hey idiot, hurry and run!”
“Your snack?”
The girl turned around—
“What are you saying? The one who found these first was me. Isn’t it first come first serve?”
Emerald green eyes that had a darker colour than the sea, and her long silver hair that sparkled like a pearl.
On top of her fantasy-like colours, her face was also adorable like that of a fairy that would appear in a fairy-tale. Even though she was dressed as an adventurer, her slender body could only be described as being lovely.
But Ren was only fascinated by the girl’s appearance for just that slight moment.
“A-Anyway, you need to run! This isn’t the time for talking such thing!”
“Run? Why is there a need for me to run?”
The silver hair girl looked up at Ren while feeling unpleasant.
“To begin with, human, you called me an idiot. Who do you think I am……eh…………”
That moment, the girl stopped breathing and opened her eyes wide.
Then her small hand started shaking.
“Eh, ……eh, ……El……Elel…………”
“Pardon me?”
“Eleline, you were alive!”
The girl raised her voice and jumped towards him.
“I wanted to see you! I was looking for you this whole time! Yeah, even if you are a human, you are special. There was no way you would die simply after three-hundred years—”
“I’m saying that I don’t understand what you’re saying!”
Ren jumped while carrying the girl.
He used his whole body to prevent the girl from touching the ground and then rolled on the ground backwards.
—ROAR!
That instant, the Dragon swung down its tail and obliterated bricks of walls.
“Hurry up and run! You saw it for yourself just now. That Wyvern is too dangerous!”
“Defeat it.”
“……Huh?”
“I’m saying that you have the permission to defeat it. As long as you don’t kill it, you don’t need to hold back against my kind. That guy is an arrogant prick who had been following me this whole time even before I got here. He’s an eyesore so take it down with a single punch to his head.”
“It followed you? What does that mean—”
The meaning behind the words of the girl with the silver hair.
Before Ren could even comprehend the meaning of her words, the sound of the Wyvern stepping on the ground made Ren’s eardrum shiver.
—He’s going to step on me!
The black shadow which was above Ren’s head. The Wyvern came down at them without losing sights of its target. The moment Ren realised that, he pushed away the girl who was clinging onto him.
“You idiot, don’t just stand there, run!”
The shadow of the huge Dragon’s shadow that was coming down at him.
……I need to make it in time!
He brought out his dagger with a faint hope and also jumped to the back—
Then the impact.
Ren was overwhelmed by the merciless impact which was so strong that he couldn’t breathe. Ren was sent flying far to the rear.
“……! ……Gah! ……”
He couldn’t breathe due to the impact to his back. The reason why his vision turned red must be due to the blood pouring from his forehead. It was the cut he received when the tip of the Dragon’s claw grazed him.
……I guess……it’s alright since I’m alive, right?
……No……it doesn’t make any difference……I guess.
The dagger that was shattered from the core of the blade. His weapon that was violently shattered with ease.
He gripped his weapon where only the handle remained.
“………………Bring it, you worthless Dragon.”
Ren stood up with his body that was covered in sand.
“An……attack……like that……doesn’t work on me……even in the slightest.”
The words that was just able to come out of his throat.
He used his hand as if he was provoking the Wyvern that had its wings spread wide.
—Fake Brave Hero.
—I’m not a Brave Hero nor am I the strongest knight that can take down a Dragon by myself.
—But I can’t give in.
—I need to buy time. Until there are reinforcements from the Academy. More importantly, I need to buy enough time so the silver hair girl in front of me could escape.
“……I been telling you to……run”
His sight was covered in blood, but he could still see the silver hair girl who hadn’t ran or hid yet.
“Hurry up……I’m seriously……at my limit……”
“I got it.”
That was the time when the girl nodded as if she finally understood something.
“Don’t tell me you have a stomach ache because you ate something bad?”
“……Huh?”
“Fine then. I don’t feel good in laying a hand on my kind, but I’ll take care of this.”
Right after she said that.
The silver girl approached the Wyvern from the front carelessly for all things.
“……!? H-Hey, stop—”
“There’s no way that I, the Dragon Princess Kyelse, will be beaten by this weakling.”
Ren could see the girl’s face from the side where she was putting on a fearless smile.
Ren listened to the girl’s word as if he was dreaming.
……Dragon Princess Kyelse?
……No, wait……it can’t be. That name belongs to the one from that legendary party……
“A Dragon’s child that doesn’t even know who I am. I wonder from which valley it came from.”
The Wyvern was spreading his wings wide.
The small girl faced the giant monster by herself where she had to tilt her head up to look at it.
“And did he just make a threat right in front of me? I see, so you followed me all the way to this town because I entered your territory. Looks like your pride is the only thing that is remarkable.”
“S-Stop—”
He couldn’t say any more than that. He was losing consciousness. He had his hand full just standing there, and his hand couldn’t reach the girl’s back—
The next moment, Ren would witness a scene he wouldn’t be able to forget for the rest for his life.
“Imbecile.”
The girl leaped.
She didn’t jump. It would be more accurate to say that what she did was flight. An altitude of ten metres high. The girl who reached even higher than the Wyvern with irs wings simply said—
“Bow unsightly before me.”
The powerful gravitational field.
The intense gravity which could even compress the paved road's surface made a cavity in it instantly.
—Not only did she not allow the Wyvern to resist, she didn’t allow it respond either.
If humans were to activate a spell of the same calibre as hers, they would require a longer and more complex spell ceremony as well as mental concentration. But she did it with a few words.
Power of language.
The words that were said come to this world and take physical form. A human like Ren couldn’t even imagine just how powerful and high level the spell was.
“Hmph, cool your head for a bit down there.”
The girl who soared up the sky landed splendidly on the ground after doing a spin in mid-air.
The giant crater was drilled on the ground. After she took a glance at the Wyvern that was unconscious at the deepest part of the crater, she jumped into Ren’s arm once again.
“Eleline!”
“Again!? ……More importantly, what was that power……?”
The silver hair girl was hugging tightly onto Ren. Even if Ren tried to push her away, she doesn’t even budge an inch. Her physical strength was so strong that you couldn’t imagine it was coming from such slender body.
“Haha, you. You were alive after all! I thought it was some kind of joke when I heard that you died due to illness five years after I was sealed. Yeah, there was no way you would simply die from sickness—”
“I-I can’t breathe…… ……I’ll die……you are suffocating me……”
“……H-Hey? What’s wrong Eleline? You haven’t been acting like yourself for a while.”
The girl who had a blank face weakens the strength in her arm.
“Cough, cough……s-seriously……”
Ren answered to the girl who was looking up at him while he coughed violently.
“I’m not Eleline. Though I do get mistaken as him quite a lot. To begin with, Elline was the Brave Hero from three-hundred years ago. A human can’t live that long.”
“? Elline, did you……forget about me?”
“I didn’t know you to begin with.”
“……It can’t be.”
After the silver hair girl made a gesture where she was in her thoughts, she approached Ren. This time, she put her face on his chest. She started sniffing him like a dog.
“!? What are you doing!?”
“See? It’s Elline’s smell. There’s no way I would mistake you.”
“……E-Either way, get away from me!”
He couldn’t help but be embarrassed since a girl that could be considered an absolute beauty hugged him and then started sniffing his smell.
“I’m sorry to say this even though you seem to be confident about it, but I really am a different person.”
“……What!?”
“My name is Ren. Well, if you go up my family tree, Elline would be my ancestor’s distant relative, but he never had any children so I’m not his direct descendant or anything. I’m merely a distant relative of his. A distant descendant.”
“His descendant……you? ……Then Elline is…………”
The girl muttered vaguely. Her expression started to get gloomy.
……Why are you looking up at me with such sad eyes?
……I haven’t done anything wrong, but it pains me.
“I’m telling you that Eleline……isn’t here anymore.”
The Brave Hero died.
He couldn’t say those words. The best he could say was “he isn’t here.”
“…………”
The light disappeared from the emerald-green eyes.
The girl turned around slowly while biting her lips.
“H-Hey!”
Kyelse took a glance at Ren and simply said this.
“……Just his appearance, huh…………”
A total stranger who had the appearance of the Brave Hero but not his strength.
……Except.
Even though he received those words, Ren realised that he was so calm that it shocked him.
A total stranger. Fake Brave Hero. He received different kinds of taunts when he was compared to the legendary Brave Hero, and there was always mockery within those taunts where people were making a fool out of him.
But he couldn’t sense a slight sign of those emotions in her words.
Eleline was no longer here. The sad persuasion where she was telling herself that.
……It’s like she said it in such way.
The silver hair girl who defeated the Wyvern with ease. The back of the girl who had such overwhelming power now looked small, weak, and sad.
“H-Hey……umm…………”
He wanted to call out to her. But he couldn’t find the right words to say to her.
What Ren, who was thinking as such, witnessed was—
The girl who was dragging a giant bag full of snacks.
“Hey!? That’s mine! Are you trying to take it away while acting sad!?”
“I defeated the Wyvern on your behalf, right?”
“……Gu.”
He didn’t know how to reply back to her words.
It was certain that the safety of the residents as well as Ren still being alive was her achievement.
“……Fine. Alright, take that with you.”
He was half convinced, but he gave up for the other half. His sighed carried those two emotions. Ren shrugged his shoulder.
......I can just buy what Fear-senpai asked me to bring with my own money.
……Also, I can’t stand to look at her sad eyes.
“I’m sure it would be delicious since those snacks are from the most famous shop around here.”
“You sure are reasonable for a human.”
The smile the girl made for a slight moment.
There was a faint smile in her sad face.
The girl called Kyelse disappeared in front of Ren.
—That was the beginning.
—The beginning of the story of the boy that was called the fake Brave Hero and the legendary Dragon Princess.
