Chapter 2: Waking Up 100 Years Later
One hundred years later—
I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling.
It was a familiar trope up to that point, but the moment consciousness returned, what I heard was the unpleasant voice of a man.
“Is the legendary leader of the Seven Heroes, Renas, really sleeping here?”
“I don’t know. The info I got from a certain source only said it might be here.”
“Hey, hey, can we really trust this?”
“Can’t be helped. The location of the frozen Renas is a top secret of the Holy Church.”
“Wasn’t there a big dispute among the great nobles over the ownership of the frozen Renas?”
“That’s right. For a time, the frozen body of Renas, the man who saved the world, became a source of power.”
“And the Holy Church got fed up and hid him away, is that it?”
“Yeah. Adventurers searched frantically all over the world, but in the end, he was never found.”
“And we’re supposed to be able to find him?”
“We’ve got no choice but to search every possible lead. If we find him… our master will be pleased.”
They continued on like that, but I couldn’t make out the crucial proper noun.
It sounded like a name I’d heard somewhere before. I tried to move my upper body, but it wouldn’t budge. My body had been thawed, but it seemed the “poison” was still inside me.
(…That Murdock… I was thawed out after 100 years as planned, but did he not prepare an antidote?)
What a half-assed job, I grumbled mentally at the old sage, but my lips could barely move.
Meanwhile, the men’s voices drew closer, and they eventually discovered me lying on an altar.
Seeing me lying there, they exclaimed,
“Whoa! Could this be…!”
“D-Did we hit the jackpot!?”
“I’ve seen him in murals! This is the leader of the Seven Heroes who once saved the world, Renas von Lichtat!!”
They buzzed with excitement. Judging by their clothes, they looked like mercenaries. It seems mercenaries were still around a hundred years later.
(…Well, monsters were running rampant even before the Demon King showed up, and before that, humans were fighting each other.)
Mercenaries and prostitutes would probably continue to exist under any social system.
As I was having such thoughts, they poked me with the scabbard of a sword.
“S-So this is the leader of the Seven Heroes who saved the world.”
“Yeah. The order was to ‘kill him’ before he gets the antidote.”
“Is it okay to kill one of the Seven Heroes? He’s a benefactor who saved the world, you know?”
“My superstitious grandma will scold me.”
“It’s an order. Besides, if we kill him, you can build that grandma a mansion.”
“She’s already in the next world.”
“Then build her a fine grave. —I’m doing it.”
One of the mercenaries drew his sword.
“W-We have to do it, right?”
The hesitant man drew his sword as well.
At that, the last man also reluctantly drew his sword, but then an argument began over who would be the one to stab me.
Just a moment ago they were terrified, but now it seemed the “honor” and “reward” of killing me had gone to their heads.
Good grief… After a long discussion, they decided to stab me all at once and share the reward. How surprisingly considerate of their comrades.
However, that long discussion proved to be a fatal mistake. While they were busy talking, I had leisurely gotten up and even finished my warm-up exercises.
Seeing me, they gasped,
“Wh-Wha!”
As they stared with dumbfounded expressions, I greeted them.
“Morning.”
“Wh-When did you get up!?”
“While you guys were lost in conversation. If you have a next life, remember the words ‘preemptive strike’.”
“D-Damn it, no choice. We’ll cut you down with our skills!”
“With your skills? You’re going to kill me? The man who killed the Demon King Meizars?”
When I said that with killing intent, the mercenaries flinched, but they quickly realized it was a bluff.
My footing was unsteady, my right hand was unstable, and I couldn’t even draw my sword properly.
“H-Hey, maybe he’s weakened by the poison…”
“…”
I was under no obligation to tell him he was correct.
“W-We can do it! We can cut him down now!”
One of the mercenaries shouted, and their morale soared.
They charged right at me, but I calmly met their attack.
“…True, the poison has probably reduced my strength to less than a tenth of what it was when I was healthy.”
Being frozen after a life-or-death battle with the Demon King, and the muscle atrophy from being frozen… factoring those in, it wouldn’t be surprising if my strength was down to one-thirtieth of what it was.
Yes, in fact, I probably am that weak right now.
However, that was,
“Compared to my prime.”
Even if I was at one-hundredth of my former strength, there was no reason I would lose to a bunch of faceless mercenaries.
I gave up on drawing my sword and countered with my bare hands.
SWOOSH!!
At a speed exceeding sound, my fist slammed into one of the mercenaries.
“Guhya…”
The mercenary spat out teeth, his face deforming.
Seeing this, the remaining mercenaries’ faces turned pale.
“…D-Did you see that punch?”
“…N-No.”
“I can’t draw my sword, but for the likes of you, my right hand is more than enough. I’ll even seal my left.”
“…”
“What’s wrong? Come at me.”
As I provoked them, another mercenary charged, but I took him down with a single blow as well, causing the last one’s legs to give out.
“S-Strong… Are you really afflicted by poison?”
“There’s no doubt about that. Now, I’m going to punch you square in the face, but I’ll spare your life.”
“…”
“By the time you all regain consciousness, I’ll be gone. But tell your employer this: I don’t know why you want to kill me, but Renas von Lichtat has absolutely no interest in politics or wealth. So tell them not to send any more assassins.”
“You’re the hero who saved the world, yet you desire nothing?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Unbelievable. You could have the world if you wanted. You could have all the riches in the world.”
“I’m not so vulgar.”
“Then what is it you want?”
“…”
I couldn’t answer that question right away because I myself didn’t know what I wanted.
Hmm… I put a hand to my chin and thought for a few seconds, getting a hint from the first thing that came to mind.
What appeared in my mind’s eye was an elf with golden hair and pointed ears.
“…Right. What I want is my wife. —Yeah, that’s it. I want to go on a honeymoon with my wife.”
“A h-honeymoon!?”
“That’s right. I want to travel the world with my beloved wife. I want to visit the lands where we once adventured together. That is my wish.”
“Is that all you want!?”
“It’s more valuable than ruling the world.”
After saying that, I grabbed the mercenary by the collar.
I drew back my fist, but the mercenary spoke pathetically.
“You’re going to die. So you can’t go on a honeymoon.”
“Oh? And what’s your basis for that?”
“The poison! Your face is turning purple!”
“I see. I am aware that things are getting pretty bad. But it’s okay. The flow of the wind has changed.”
“Wh-What are you talking about?”
“My Fina is the world’s greatest spirit user. She’s especially close with the wind spirits.”
The mercenary still had a look of confusion, so I elaborated.
“It means my wife is on her way here, guided by the wind spirits. My wife Fina is very capable. She’ll be here any moment now. With the antidote for the ‘Demon King’s Cursed Venom’.”
I declared this with conviction and slammed my fist into the mercenary’s face.
And a few seconds later, the most beautiful forest fairy in the world arrived at my side.
