The False Hero, Volume 12, Chapter 17 pt.2

Cedric appears in front of me with a speed that shouldn’t be allowed by the laws of physics when wearing such heavy armor. Yet magic exists to bed those laws as much as possible.

I take to the skies to avoid taking damage from a parry. Even if that strange hum isn’t very strong, it saps my mana along with my life. Having both of them constantly being drained over the course of a drawn-out battle would leave me in much worse of a condition after.

Is that the goal? Extend this fight, waste my time, and sap my strength? Considering their tactics until now, it fits right in.

Cedric is no common enemy. Even if I clearly outclass him in pure numbers, that doesn’t mean I can just walk all over him with ease. It’ll take a lot of hits to bring him down with my spear, and in the process, I’ll be getting drained by that ancient magic.

I don’t have time to just sit and think, not against a former hero. He’s already forcing me to leap to another translucent platform.

Just go with what works, then.

My spear and overcoat vanish. In their place appear a staff and robe, both enchanted to the max with magic-enhancing buffs.

“Doesn’t matter how much damage your equipment can do to me, as long as I don’t get dragged into melee.” I leap away again, using my superior speed to keep my distance from him. “And I doubt it’ll trigger the effect if I do this–[Lightning]!”

The crack of thunder accompanies the streak of light, which passes straight through Cedric’s body. Even though he blocks it with his shield, [Lightning] has a built-in penetration effect that can bypass a lot of armor, which is apparent by how Cedric grimaces as the spell hits him.

“You should have known I would just adapt my fighting style.” I twirl my staff as if it were a spear.

“Yes. And you should have known that we would expect it.” Cedric lowers his shield just a bit. “[Retribution]!”

A powerful magic bursts from him in the form of a spell I’ve never seen. His slow and lumbering movements are nowhere to be seen as he kicks off his own [Air Step] and practically teleports right to me.

A speed buff!?

I parry his blade with my staff–or at least, I try. But the sword moves more quickly than I expect, slipping by my defenses.

“It belongs to me!” Cedric swings his blade again, its edge now coated in my blood. “I’m the one who should be leading the four races!”

His second attack hits my staff, the sword’s hum making my hands tingle. I leap back to create distance, but Cedric follows at the same speed, sending a third strike at me as we soar through the sky.

“If you hadn’t ruined everything, I’d still be their hero! I’d still draw crowds every time I give a sermon! I’d still have it all!”

This time, I just take the hit.

“Because of you, they hate me! Everything I’ve worked for, ruined! Who else would I want to battle more than you!?”

While his sword sinks into me, I stick the end of my staff against his armored chest.

“Block this.” An inferno explodes to life, the flames bright enough to hurt my eyes.

[Flame Wave] is best used against large groups, but when released in melee, the force of the spell is concentrated into a single point. The wave of fire hits Cedric’s armored body, and he vanishes into the flames.

He hits the ground with the wave, which washes out over the small arena and into the fiends that surround it. The creatures don’t even react to the attack, still under orders to avoid our battle.

Cedric, however, clearly finds fault with my counter, as he stares up at me with a frown.

“Always with the casual attitude.” Cedric walks out of the flames, his armor marked by scorches. “You can’t inspire anyone with that distant personality of yours. If it weren’t for the power granted to you by the Goddess, you’d be nothing but another peasant begging on the streets.”

“Yeah, I already know I’m not hero material, but I never asked to come here to save anything. This world gets me, and if they don’t like it, they can complain about it after I end the war.”

“Fool. That’s precisely the reason why you can’t win. I know all about what you need. You require their faith, which is why you had to take it from me. But what can you do when you can’t even gain the favor of the people you’re supposed to be leading? You think these soldiers respect you? You think the faithful worship you? A hero who came from nowhere and believes in nothing? Someone like you will never gain the faith you desire.”

I stare silently at him for a long second. Even though I already know how bad I am at acting as a hero, it’s frustrating to hear it laid out when I still haven’t achieved my goal of acquiring enough faith to unlock my final Heroic Skill.

I release my [Air Step] and fall to the ground. “Have you resorted to using such underhanded tactics, Cedric? Stalling for time, trying to demoralize me in the middle of combat? That’s far from the pious hero you portrayed yourself as while betraying the four races.”

“You don’t know anything. Even now, you have to be a lunatic to stand against us, knowing the truth of this world. A new god has come to claim us, the Goddess has been defeated, and our only hope is a single kid who can’t even act his title?” Cedric’s frown is now full-on anger. “Where’s the inspiration!? Where’s the heroism!? Why would I follow someone with such weak will and presence, against a god capable of conquering the planet!?”

“And what other choice is there? To bow the knee to that mad god and let him rule this world for the rest of time!? You don’t think it’s worth risking your life on a chance to put an end to that future, right here and now!? Are you really saying that giving up is the better option!? Look around you, Cedric! The people you once promised salvation fight for their very lives against the creatures you brought to battle! You talk of heroics, of inspiration!? How much do you offer them, when you fight for our enemy!?”

“I offer survival! The world won’t end just because we lose this war, we will merely answer to a new deity. If either of us should lay down his arms, it’s you. Without a hero to lead them, these soldiers wouldn’t have the will to give up their lives in a hopeless battle.” Cedric points his blade at me. “You can end this war here and now by surrendering.”

Logically speaking, Cedric is correct. Were I to give up, morale would collapse in an instant, and the war would end. If I could see the future and know for certain I would be defeated today, then most would agree that surrendering to save lives would be the best option.

I was never quite sure how much the three heroes knew about me and the war between the gods, but it’s clear now that he knows almost everything. With such a wide view of the truth, it’s no wonder he’d find it hopeless to stand against a god whose only real opposition is someone who hasn’t even reached the strength of an Immortal Being, much less a divine one.

“So what if my chances of winning are low? That’s never stopped me before.” I swap out my staff and robe, replacing them with my usual spear and overcoat. “But don’t mistake me for some kind of hero. You said it yourself, I’m just not made out to be the savior people want.”

“Then why fight until now? Had you submitted back during the siege, you would be fighting alongside us instead of against us.”

“A lot of people would expect me to say that I want to save the world or to protect everyone in it. Or maybe to fight for the Goddess as some sort of divine duty.” I shake my head. “That would be a lie. I’m not going to die for some lofty ideals like that. The truth is, this is the world that the people I care about want to fight for, so I’ll take even the slightest chance to protect it for them, even if it means throwing away the lives of every soldier here.”

“Not even a thought for the heroics? No wonder you can’t gain their faith. How did someone such as yourself ever receive the gift of the Goddess?”

“Who knows. Maybe if you cared less about looking like a hero and more about doing what’s right, you would have been chosen instead.”

“If only she had chosen me.” Cedric grips his sword so tightly that I can hear leather creaking. “If only the Goddess had picked me to lead the four races! I would have fought any fiend, any god! I can inspire soldiers, gather worshippers…! I would be fighting to save this world, if only I weren’t chosen by another god!”

“He picked you, but you’re the one who chose to stay. He doesn’t control you like the fiends, so if you wanted to leave so badly, why haven’t you?”

“And fight for what!?” Cedric’s anger returns. “For you!? You offer a scrap of hope! Just enough to keep the men fighting! And you think that’s enough to win!?”

“I don’t want anybody to fight for me. Didn’t you just hear me? I’d sacrifice anyone here to protect the home for the people I care about. If you want to fight for something, it has to be yourself.” I point my spear at him. “I plan to win this war, Cedric. And when I do, you will forever be remembered as one of the three greatest traitors this world has ever seen. Is that the legacy you want for yourself?”

The former hero lowers his face, the helmet covering his eyes. He opens both hands, and the two god-enchanted pieces of equipment fall to the ground.

Reaching to his waist, he pulls his original blade. And from his back, he grabs his shield. Armed with the equipment that has been passed down through his family for generations, Cedric raises his head back up to meet my eyes.

A Mutant walks up to his side. None of them will get near our battles unless specifically ordered to do so, and there’s only one person here who can order them around.

“If I perish here today, then I die as Cedric de Salemon.” He takes a combat stance. “Not as a Hero of Chaos!”

Cedric turns and plunges his blade directly into the Mutant’s heart.