Chapter 2 - I’m a Hero!? 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2 - I’m a Hero!? (2)

“Hoo······.”

He had mapped out a golden plan to bring about a tranquil future for himself, but his plan went awry from the start. All the fault lied in the fact that Artpe was chosen to be a hero. The future in front of him was a confusing and chaotic mess.

“Why me!?”

“This is all very splendid, Artpe! Isn’t it?”

Maetel stuck close to him, and she was all smiles. On top of her head, Artpe could see words that could only be seen through his eyes.

[Name : Maetel]

[Race : Human Female]

[Title : Hero]

[Level : 1]

[Strength : 8, Agility : 12, Stamina : 11, Magic Energy : 10]

“No matter how I think about this, it doesn’t make any sense...”

That’s right.

This time around, two heroes were chosen.

“I had faith that Artpe would become a hero. Artpe is smart!”

“I believed you would be the only one to become a hero.”

This was what happened in his previous life!

Maybe this was the 1,000 year anniversary of the creation of this world, and this was some kind of a massive event where two heroes were given instead of one!

Yes, the fact that there were two heroes meant that the probability of success in killing the Demon King had gone up. That was a good thing.

Still, why did he have to be one of the heroes!? The fact that he was the hero’s childhood friend was already dangerous enough, yet now his situation had worsened!

“Please wait a moment. We’ll contact the palace and take the both of you to the capital”

“Palace! Are we really going to a palace!?”

“Yes, I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes!”

“······uh?”

Why were there two heroes? Why did he become a hero?

He wrapped his hands around his head as he faced the nightmare-like reality in front of him. When he raised his head, he discovered the priest in charge of the Baptism Ritual moving quickly towards the exit. The sight evoked an ominous feeling within him. Artpe narrowed his eyes as he asked Maetel a question.

“What did he just say?”

“He’ll contact the palace and we’ll be taken to the capital!”

“The capital!?”

“Yes, the capital! It is a shiny city!”

Maetel’s voice was filled with happiness and delight, she sounded super sweet. Artpe heard her overly sweet words and it caused his expression to sour in real time!

In his previous life, he clearly remembered what happened to the hero when she went to the capital. He shouldn’t be wallowing in despair as he stood by doing nothing! If they didn’t get out of this situation, they would be ruined!

Artpe decided not to ruminate over his situation right now, he could dwell on his own misfortune at a later time. The important thing right now...

They had to run away!

“Capital! Palace! Being a hero is really great!”

“You are completely mistaken. The palace isn’t as grand a place as you think.”

Why did humans treat heroes well? They wanted to trot out the heroes to face the Demon King. It didn’t matter if other humans gave them nice clothes and food, when the time came, they would push the two of them out into the streets. They would expect the heroes to kill the Demon King. Basically, the two of them were akin to domesticated pigs that would be fattened and eaten later.

“Well, let’s talk about the problem we face right now. ”

“Pork is too expensive to eat!”

“The quality of the fodder they are trying to feed us stinks! It is pathetic!”

Did she understand what Artpe was trying to convey? When she heard his words, her pupils shook for the first time. It was as if the world was about to fall on her head. She asked in a serious manner.

“Wah, the food at the palace isn’t tasty?”

“It is the worst.”

Artpe was firm with his words. It had already been several hundred years since the fight between a hero and a Demon King. Of course, the palace had a manual in regards to how to develop a hero, but it was very outdated! It was trash! Even the common soldiers of the Demon Army would ridicule the manual if they saw it!

‘In truth, the hero’s development was delayed because she followed their manual.’

Maetel’s potential was remarkable. In only a year, her level had increased from 200 to 374. Even if the Demon King continued to provide a constant stream of cannon fodder, her growth rate was unbelievable.

Such an amazing hero had lived in the palace for several years, yet her growth rate had been absurdly low. If the Demon King hadn’t paid attention to her, she would have never reached the Demon King’s castle!

Therefore, if the two heroes were dragged into the palace, the only thing waiting for them was a terrible loss! It would be game over for them!

“Humans are the biggest enemies of other humans. I want you to remember this, Maetel.”

“Ah, all right. Humans are the biggest enemies of other humans… The food at the palace tastes bad…”

This was the moment when the hero realized that humanity was her enemy.

“So what should we do, Artpe?”

“Don’t worry about it, I thought of a way to nurture... I know how we’ll develop ourselves. I know things are a bit messed up right now, but… Tsk. It can’t be helped. Let’s do this my way.”

His original plan was to gather all the skills and magic in this world and give them all to Maetel. However, he had also become a hero now, their enemy didn’t have a single target anymore. The target had split into two, and Artpe didn’t want to die, which was why he had no choice but to come to this conclusion.

“From now on, you’ll learn about weapons while I’ll learn magic. The rest… We’ll appropriately split it up between the two of us and learn it.”

“Yes!”

A hero was able to learn skills and magic from all Classes, this special characteristic made the Hero Class a cheat. Moreover, there were a good number of unique skills and special skills hidden around the world, and they could only be mastered by the hero Class.

Normally, it was foolish to learn magic and weapons at the same time because it slowed one’s development in both fields. However, the hero had to swallow the bitter pill of learning both fields since they were pushed to learn all the skills and special moves that could only be learned by the hero…

‘However, there are two heroes now.’

The most fundamental problem had been solved. The two of them could choose one’s specialty field ahead of time, and each skill they gained could be maxed out. This would simplify their plan on how they would dispose of the Demon King!

“....this is hogwash! Ooh-ahhhh, why am I a hero!?”

“Artpe, a hog doesn’t wash itself!”

“Don’t undercut me so coldly at a time like this!”

This wasn’t his original plan! He planned on developing Maetel into a great hero, and he planned on eating the crumbs off the table from the back! But now he would have to fight the bone chillingly strong Demon King! Shit!

“Ooh-ahhhh, please tell me this is all a dream!”

“This is really like a dream. Artpe and I are heroes… Together…”

Maetel’s idiotic reaction didn’t allow Artpe to escape from reality. If he dropped the ball, even some Private A of the Demon King’s army might be able to kill them! Artpe let out a big sigh as he flicked Maetel’s forehead.

“Ouch.”

“You have to get ahold of yourself from now on. A hero becomes the center of attention for the humans, but at the same time, the hero becomes the target of every demon within the Demon race.”