CH 34

34 – Former Savior, Now Freeloader

For the sake of humanity, for peace, for the world…

Endure intense training, go through gruesome battlefields, then sleep like a log.

The next time I opened my eyes, everything I hated was over.

One day, I was looking out the window and decided that I, too, will attain a normal life of living every day, smiling like a child.

I’ve dreamt of that day coming over and over.

I wish I could tell the ‘me’ of that time.

That it isn’t an unattainable dream.

That the day you’re dreaming of will one day come true.

◇

『Freeloader Rain, it is time to rise.』

Something fluffy is rubbing my face.

「…Morning.」

It was the white fox’s tail. It has no scent, perhaps because he’s a sacred beast.

『Indeed.』

As usual, I have to start by moving the little ones out of the way first.

To my left and to my right, the rabbit-eared Carro and the fox-eared Ur cling to me.

And today, the cat-eared girl is sleeping on top of me.

Ever since I fished with her, she became more attached to me than before.

I suppose that is the power of food.

I totally get it.

It’s quite a hassle to remove the kids. For example, if I were to move Ur, another kid will just pop into the empty gap.

Aren’t you guys sleeping…?

Since the kids stubbornly pretend to be asleep, I’ve recently started tickling them a little.

They soon reach their limit and burst out laughing, dispelling their pretend sleep.

「Master Hero, it is Ferris.」

There was a reserved knock on the door.

「Yeah, I’m up.」

A black-haired beauty entered. It was the maid, Ferris.

I get dressed, attach Mika to my hip, and head toward the dining room.

Recently, I have been sharing the dining table with the company of the siblings, Fripp and Myuri.

Fripp says that Louto has been casually asking him to bring me along to the academy again.

By Myuri’s side are her escorts, Lejie and Azla.

After breakfast, it was time for Fripp to go to the academy.

For Myuri and the kids, it was study time.

「Sir Rain.」

On the way back to my room, Eleanor called out to me.

「Oh, what’s up?」

「Could I have a moment of your time?」

This seems serious.

「Of course.」

We move towards her room.

We sat in chairs opposite one another, with a table sandwiched in between.

「I am so sorry about the matter with the Saint.」

「Hm? S-sorry about what?」

「I did my best to ensure Sir Rain had a safe and pleasant life as a freeloader but…now the Saviors know where you are…」

「O-oh. Forget about it, it’s fine.」

I asked the Saint Marie how she found out where I stayed and replied with「Love.」

The person in question seems to believe that, so I couldn’t get anything more out of her, but there must be something.

「There is no way I could…」

「Every day has been filled with joy ever since I reunited with you, Eleanor. That’s enough for me.」

「…! I-I am honored…」

She endured it.

Eleanor is still conscious.

Her breath is ragged, but it looks like she endured.

I wait for her to calm down, then continue.

「Oh yeah, I haven’t seen Vivi in the past few days.」

「Ah… It would seem that she is disappointed that her subordinates’ movements were read by the War God, so naturally, she is retraining them.」

What a hard worker.

「Are you going to work, too, Eleanor?」

The air around us seemed serious, so I thought so.

「Enemy forces have been sighted attempting to invade the border, and I am to intercept them.」

「Mika and I will go with you.」

「N-no, there is no need. This is not worthy of your attention, Sir Rain.」

「No, please, I want to. If you don’t think I’ll be in the way, let me go with you.」

「…You are worth a million soldiers, Sir Rain.」

「Ahaha, that’s too many.」

『With the rate you’re improving, that joke might become a reality.』

We teleport to the nation’s border.

The Demons aren’t just aiming for Human Territory.

They also fight with their fellow Demons, especially peaceful nations like Eleanor’s that they find disagreeable.

These types of battles seem commonplace.

While Eleanor was talking with some big wig of the army, I spot the enemy.

『Wanna get’em?』

「Yeah, but first, do the thing. The usual.」

After I say that, Mika talks in my stead.

『If you run home with your tail between your legs, we’ll let you keep your lives!』

At that moment, the enemy forces let out a fearsome cry of anger and started charging forward.

It sounds like a taunt when Mika says it…

I run further forward than my allies and swung Mika sideways.

My slash looks like it cut nothing, but with Extension, it extends exceedingly.

More specifically, I am able to cut anything in my field of vision.

Thousands of enemy bodies are split in half in an instant.

Some of them survived, but nothing the others can’t handle.

A few seconds after the battle started, it was over. Zero losses on our end. All good.

My allies seem a little stunned, but that happens quite a lot, so I just let them be.

『…Looks like Gladius was right.』

「Yeah.」

Suppose that a person likes something.

I’m sure that act or thing gives that person a sense of fulfillment, right?

It’s like how I like pancakes. It’s delicious and eating it makes me feel happy.

Why are there so many Demons who like to fight?

Honestly, for the longest time, I thought that it was for the sake of winning itself, reason be damned, and in fact, many of them are like that, but not all of them.

By killing an enemy on miasma soil, their “strength” can be taken.

That is the story that is told on their end, but this “strength” is actually a person’s soul or their mana.

While the Human Territory, who are fighting a defensive battle and have not yet invaded the miasma soil, have not noticed this, I have felt that I have been getting stronger and stronger by defeating enemies in Demon Territory.

Ever since becoming a freeloader, I have gained the power of the countless Demons I’ve defeated and that of those King guys.

The only ones who can get stronger this way are the Hero, Saint, and Sage.

The other three cannot last long in the miasma soil due to their mana.

The Saint’s healing plays a big role, and the Sage’s magic is necessary for counterattacking.

There is at most one pawn that can move freely.

Me going over to Demon Territory is not a bad choice for Humanity.

After all, I’m the guy they already call the strongest, and I can get even stronger by defeating enemies here.

I don’t want to kill if I don’t have to, but I will not hesitate to kill the battle-hungry Demons that don’t surrender.

It isn’t realistic to capture them all and lock them up, so I have no choice but to defeat those that come at me.

Besides, this way…

I could become strong enough to beat the “God” level Demons that have yet to appear in this world.

If can beat them easily, I would.

One day, I might be able to march into Makai and take out all the bad guys, just like the talk I had with the Saviors.

If I do that, there just might be an end to this war.

「Wh-who the hell are you…?!」

Yelled someone.

Looks like it was one of the enemy survivors that Eleanor captured.

Who am I?

If I had to say…

I’m an Ex-Savior, now freeloader.