I’m a Hero, but I’ve Given Up on Saving the World

“Ugh! Ah! Fa-Faust! You finally came out!”

I thought something was caught on the front door, but it was Serena, who had been dozing off.

“Le-Let’s go to the palace right away. The king must be waiting.”

“You go alone.”

“What? What am I supposed to do alone! Faust. You, you’ve heard the rumors too, right? About my brother surrendering to the Demon King’s army and betraying us.”

I do know.

They say it’s a major incident that’s even recorded in history books in big letters.

It was a huge scandal, they say, for the heir of a ducal family who could have lived luxuriously if he had just stayed put, to give up all his status and wealth and defect to the Demon King’s army.

Not that it’s any of my business.

“So, my political position is very disadvantageous, you see. If rumors spread that the next hero refused to be appointed because of me, I might be stoned to death on the street. Not just me, but my mother too.”

“And? What do you want me to do about it?”

“No… it’s not ‘what do you want me to do about it’.”

A vein popped on Serena’s forehead. Is she getting annoyed?

Still, it was funny to see her trying to suppress her anger while forcing a smile. Her voice is also unnaturally sweet compared to usual, which is unpleasant.

“With this holy sword, you’ll become the hero now. Everything in the world will be at your command, you know? I’ll unconditionally support you from now on. I’m ready to work hard as your loyal subject. I, I may not look like it, but I was the top student in the entire second year at the academy, and although I was expelled from the academy because of that fucking bastard, I mean, my brother, anyway-”

“Oh, what a coincidence. I was also kicked out of the academy.”

“……No, what I mean is-”

“Should we hold a reunion for expelled students?”

“Th-That’s not bad either. People with the same pain of shared hardships coming together, and I could build a friendship as the magician of your party-”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

Is she so desperate that she can’t even recognize sarcasm? This stupid woman.

“What party? I’m telling you I have no intention of being a hero.”

“D-Don’t say that, please reconsider just once. There’s no reason not to become a hero, right?”

“Reason? Of course there is. I’ll tell you the reason now, so deliver it to the king without missing a single word.”

I warned Serena, who was sweating profusely with a face as pale as if she had heatstroke, not to cling to me anymore.

“The reason I don’t want to be a hero is because Serena makes me feel like shit. Got it? Go and tell that to the king. Understand? I’m asking you.”

“………”

Serena was now at a loss for words and froze on the spot.

Her lips were dry as a desert and her eyes narrowed like sanpaku eyes. Taking advantage of the moment when this annoying nuisance was frozen in shock, I set out for my original destination.

——Yan Ping, the famous general of the State of Zhao, was so powerful that he had a constant stream of guests.

However, when Yan Ping was dismissed and lost his power, all the guests left him.

When he was appointed general again, guests started flocking back, and Yan Ping said:

“Get lost!”

One of the guests said:

“Ah! How can you be so slow to understand? People in this world associate with others as if they were doing business in the market. When you have power, I follow you, and when you don’t have power, I leave. That’s the natural way of things, so why do you resent it?”

—Fuck off.

There’s a limit to shamelessness.

They say the fickleness of human nature is the way of the world, but I can’t accept it.

I still vividly remember how Serena mocked me in front of many people before the expedition, holding her nose and saying I smelled like horse dung. I remember how everyone imitated her actions and laughed.

And as soon as she returns from the expedition, she says she’ll unconditionally support me now.

How am I supposed to react to those words?

It’s just disgusting.

Even bringing up her family circumstances only looks like she’s trying to gain sympathy.

How can I trust her kindness when it’s nothing more than arrogance before and submission after? A person should be sincere in their associations.

I have no intention of becoming friends now with someone who ignored and bullied me when I was having a hard time.

All I can give Serena is revenge and despair.

The person I want to meet the most right now is not this bitch who comes and goes with power like a migratory bird, but Misha Greenwood, the woman who had the courage to send a letter of support even when the whole world was slandering and defaming me.

“You fucking elf bitch! You’re glaring at me with those arrogant eyes again! Who do you think you are! You’re a slave, a slave!”

“St-Stop hitting me, Mr. Alcest. The whip with metal thorns hurts.”

“Mr. Alcest? Mr. Alcest?”

As usual, a series of sonic booms could be heard from the butcher shop building set up in the middle of the bustling market.

It was the sound of the butcher shop owner Alcest wielding his whip on the elf slave Misha. That butcher shop is notorious for having the torn flesh of elves strewn about the floor instead of meat scraps.

Even people who don’t particularly like elves thought Alcest’s treatment was cruel enough to be excessive.

“You should call me master, you bastard!”

“Ouch! My master is someone else. The Great Sage rewrote my magic circuit.”

“Bullshit. That Faust or whatever bastard got kicked out for defying the hero and is now just cleaning horse dung, right? You stupid bitch, don’t you know why the academy sent you back to me? Magic is magic, and the law is the law. Do you understand?”

“I don’t know. More importantly, when will you feed me? I haven’t even had water for two months now. Cough, cough.”

“Don’t you elves live off nature energy?”

“We still need to eat food. At least give me some water to drink.”

“Water? That’s good. I’m not that cruel of a master, you know. I can give you a glass of water.”

“Ah…”

Alcest brought a pitcher full of cold water with ice cubes floating in it. When she saw the water, Misha unconsciously stuck out her tongue.

Her tongue was so dry from not absorbing moisture for a long time that it was like needles were sticking out of it.

“Water… please give me some water.”

“Let me drink first. Gulp… gulp… Ahh! So refreshing!”

“Mr. Alcest… if you’re done drinking, can I have just one glass…”

“Oh wait. Let me have one more glass.”

Alcest, with his stomach protruding like a camel’s hump, spitefully downed one more glass. Surely now it was Misha’s turn.

“Me too… just one glass for me. I haven’t had water for two months.”

“That’s because you don’t call me master, you bitch.”

“Other elves, even though they’re slaves, are usually provided with at least food and water. Why are you being so cruel only to me? The World Tree is watching everything… human greed will surely be punished someday.”

“This bitch is trying to lecture me again, fuck. So, you don’t want to drink water?”

“I want to drink…”

Misha, who exuded an elegance no less than Princess Isabel in appearance, was dressed in a single piece of rag and prostrated on the ground, begging for a glass of water.

Finally seeing the slave’s attitude become a bit more submissive, Alcest, wanting to bestow grace, filled a new glass of water to the brim. Misha unconsciously swallowed her dry saliva.

She had gone without water for so long that now even swallowing saliva hurt her throat.

“Do you want to drink?”

“Yes… I want to drink.”

Alcest held out the glass of water, tempting Misha. He got up from his seat and approached, waddling.

The water in the cup swayed left and right with his exaggerated bow-legged walk, more pronounced than usual.

“Alright. Then the generous master will specially give water to the slave…”

“Ah. Finally…!”

“…is what I thought, but oh no! What a shame!!”

A gesture that was clearly bad acting to anyone watching.

Alcest tripped over his own feet and spilled all the water in the cup.

Misha looked down at the spilled water on the floor, dumbfounded. Her eyes were sunken deep and dark, devoid of any life.

“Oh my~ I’m sorry about that. I really wanted to let you drink, but purely by ac.ci.dent. I spilled it all?”

“……..”

“Well, these things happen in life, right? Life is full of ups and downs! I’ve lived long enough to see all sorts of things!”

“………”

In fact, considering Misha’s age, Alcest, who was just over forty, was no more than a newborn baby in comparison.

‘If only this necklace were gone…’

A special necklace that completely prohibits any action that could harm humans.

All elves are bound by that necklace, restricting their freedom.

It was the very symbol of slavery.

Misha tried to pull and tear off the necklace, knowing it was futile, but of course, it was impossible. The moment she touched the necklace, her magic power was forcibly reduced to zero, and an electric shock ran through her entire body.

“Ouch!!!”

“This bitch is trying to rebel again? Why? Want to take off the necklace and kill me? You fucking elves always try to betray us when we set you free, don’t you? Your kind and us humans have never gotten along since ancient times. If you’re upset, why don’t you fucking win the war?”

“…The World Tree has not been defeated.”

“Again with that damn World Tree. Ah, alright, alright! I’ve decided. Let’s make this year a water-saving year. No drinking water until next year! How about that?”

“That’s too much… until next year? There’s still over 10 months left.”

“Are you upset? If you’re upset, try calling me master. Then I’ll let you drink the water left in the pitcher right away.”

“………”

“And if you say ‘Faust is an idiot who plagiarized the hero’s thesis and got kicked out of the academy’, I won’t beat you for a while and will even provide meals conscientiously. How about it? It’s a groundbreaking offer, isn’t it? It’s not like Faust will hear you say it anyway.”

“…Why do you want me to say such things?”

“Just because I want to hear it.”

It’s true that elves absorb nature’s energy. However, that’s only the absorption of magical power; to maintain normal bodily functions, elves need food and water just like humans.

They say humans can last 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food.

Even if elves are tougher than humans, in reality, fasting and water deprivation have a limit of one month.

Misha, who hadn’t moistened her throat for 2 months, was already past her limit and on the verge of losing consciousness.

Breathing hurt her throat, and her stomach felt like it was stuck to her back, making her feel like she was going to die.

Beyond just being difficult, she might actually die at this rate.

“Hurry up and say it, you bitch. If you hold out any longer, you’ll really die.”

However, instead of answering, she tightly shut her eyes.

There are things that can only be seen when you don’t look.

In the darkness, she recalled the only times in the past thousand years that she could call happy.

The days at the academy where she dreamed and took classes just like ordinary people.

Despite being officially Misha’s master, Faust had never treated her as a slave. He treated her no differently from his other disciples.

Once, a duke’s daughter who secretly fancied Faust invited him to a social party. As it happened, that day overlapped with Misha’s supplementary lesson, who was struggling to keep up with the curriculum.

Misha naturally thought Faust would cancel the supplementary lesson. Anyone would think it’s more beneficial to choose a social party hosted by a duke’s daughter where you can make incredible connections, rather than giving a tiresome lesson for the sake of one elf.

But Faust rejected the lady’s invitation.

“Why, why? Why for an elf… she’s not even a real student, right? Do, do you dislike me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Misha is a formal student. And although I’m not a full professor, I’m in a position to teach students. Nothing can take precedence over my disciples. If you want to receive supplementary lessons too, come along.”

“Wh-What… Even royalty will be attending this party! Are, are you really going to that elf bitch?! Hey!”

That day, Misha couldn’t concentrate on the lesson Faust was teaching because tears kept flowing down her face.

“…Can’t… say it…”

“Huh? What did you mutter? Your voice is cracking because you haven’t drunk water, you know? If you hold out any longer, you’ll really die~”

“I’d rather… die.”

Misha grabbed the necklace once again. An electric shock coursed through her nerves, but this time she didn’t back down.

“H-Hey! If you keep touching that, it’ll explode? You’ll really die?”

“Rather than insulting him… I’d rather die!!”

—Misha recklessly tried to tear off the necklace, and eventually, an explosion occurred, engulfing the butcher shop.

It was a self-destruct device designed to automatically kill escaping slaves.

However, even after the smoke was blown away by the wind, Misha was still alive and well.

Rather, it was Alcest who was seriously injured, caught in the explosion.

Well, of course.

This was actually an explosion magic I cast targeting Alcest.

“Your unwavering loyalty is appreciated, but don’t die yet. I have a lot of things for you to do from now on.”

“…Huh? Th-This voice… could it be… Ma-Master Faust? Is it you, Master?!”

—I first put the spout of the pitcher to Misha’s mouth, who had collapsed from exhaustion, and made her drink water.