I am no Hero the Shadows! C1.1
——Chapter 1: The Shadow Hero and the Saintess of the Faction
Prolog
There is a
figure known as the “Shadow Hero.”
This figure
suddenly appears in various countries during times of crisis or war, bravely
defeating enemies and saving many people before quickly disappearing without
expecting any reward or thanks.
He never asks
for payment and never asks for thanks, even leaving without leaving any trace.
Therefore,
various rumors about him arise in various places.
Some say that
he is a prince from a neighboring country, while others say that he is a
messenger from a god sent to give trials, or that he is a skilled adventurer.
However, no
one knows who the “Shadow Hero” really is.
All that is
known is that he always wears black clothes and a mask without patterns.
Some rumors
claim that he is still a teenager based on his body size and voice.
This is a
story about the “Shadow Hero” who is currently...
“What the
hell happened!??!!” yelled a teenager sitting on his desk while holding his
head.
The sound of
the teenager’s scream could be heard inside the soundproof room, and no one was
surprised or came to see it as when a fire occurred.
The only
person who heard the scream was a girl with long striking red hair, but she did
not show any surprised or disgusted expression.
She just
sighed and said,
“Haa... how
many times has it been today?”
“This is the
third time, damn it!”
Karua, the
girl who let out a sigh, approached her master who was yelling and pacing
around.
You could
tell just by looking at her clothes that the girl was a servant serving a
single master.
Her eyes were
blazing red like fire, her body was slim, and although her face was small, she
had a beautiful appearance.
If she
dressed up, it would not be surprising if someone mistook her for a princess.
However, she
was wearing a servant’s uniform.
As long as
she served her master, she would never dress up and wear clothes other than a
servant’s uniform.
As for her
master...
“My identity’s
been exposed!!!”
He has been
like this since today.
If there was
a competition to determine who yelled the loudest, he would easily win.
“It’s okay,
it’s already been revealed anyway,” said Karua, calmly.
“You can’t do
that! You don’t understand! Why have I been hiding my identity as the shadow
hero that I hold onto all this time?”
The person in
question was Phil Saremabart, the eldest son of the Saremabart count family who
always spent his time playing and engaging in less-than-honorable activities.
He had a very bad reputation, and if there was a contest to find the most
talked-about person behind their back, he would surely win. However, what many
people didn’t know was that Phil was actually a shadow hero known as the “Shadow
Hero.”
But Phil had
a mystery. He didn’t know how his identity as a shadow hero had spread
everywhere. And this was just the beginning of the story.
After
carefully hiding his identity, his true identity suddenly became public.
“...There
must be a reason far deeper than the valley that caused this to happen,” he
thought.
“You didn’t
try hard enough to hide it, it’s clear that you’re involved in this,” said
Scarlet, looking at him sharply.
The boy who
caught Scarlet’s gaze looked at the scene in disbelief.
Today was a
peaceful day, with warm sunlight shining.
However, if
there hadn’t been a voice calling out “The Shadow Hero!” as soon as he opened
the window, today could have been an even more peaceful day.
“But I couldn’t
help it! I drank alcohol after successfully saving a beautiful girl with a good
appearance yesterday!” said the boy in a pleading tone.
“And then?”
“I went to
the brothel! And once again I met the beautiful girl there... And she asked me,
‘Is there any recent heroism stories?’”
“And you
revealed everything to her, right? But even if you mentioned ‘Mr. Shadow Hero’,
people wouldn’t believe you without evidence, right?”
“But I said
it while wearing a mask and special clothing!”
“You really
are stupid, aren’t you?”
The
appearance of Shadow Hero was only marked by black clothes and a plain mask.
Although someone called themselves Mr. Shadow Hero, without appropriate
clothing and mask, it would only be considered mere talk.
However, on
the other hand, if Mr. Shadow Hero showed his clothing and mask, it would be
solid proof.
“So, everyone
believed you without hesitation and started spreading rumors because you showed
your clothing and mask. I know, because the number of people gathered outside
the window was very strange,” said Scarlet.
“Uh, what if
we say ‘That’s a lie!’ now? Do you think they will believe us? They said bad
things about us. We’ll turn it into small mischief by saying ‘just kidding’,
and laugh at the people gathered there?” said the boy.
“Yesterday,
Phil’s black costume and mask were still hanging outside the house,” said
Scarlet.
“Why did you
do that!?”
“Because some
were contaminated with vomit, I couldn’t do anything. Blame the drunk person
who vomited,” said Scarlet.
“No, no, that
was in the open front yard, right? If you hung the clothes in a place that
could be easily seen from the fence, it would definitely be clear evidence! You’re
a servant, why do you add to your master’s misery like this?”
“I never
thought this would happen. Well, if the evidence is here, I don’t think it’s
possible to deny it now.”
“We’re stuck,
aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!”
This was the
fourth scream today.
It was a
sound that Kalua was used to hearing.
“But, on the
other hand, why do you want to hide it so much? You didn’t do anything wrong,
did you?”
“I want to
enjoy freedom without restrictions. I want to go to the brothel in the morning,
afternoon, and night!”
“Don’t go to
the brothel too often.”
“If my
identity is revealed... They will tie me down with the appropriate medal and
use it as a political tool. Every country wants to keep strong people around
them and let them run as they please. Who wants to be a horse harnessed with
the letter M?”
Phil leaned
back in his chair with a solemn expression.
“Well, it’s
okay to leave without saying anything as a hero. Even the other day, I left
after saying, ‘I don’t need to tell you my name.’ It looked cool, you know?”
“But he soon
revealed it himself... it was silly.”
“I want to
disappear if I can!”
Although he
didn’t mention his name, people know who he is because he referred to himself.
No one thinks
the cool hero and the person he saved would feel embarrassed.
“If you don’t
like it, maybe you shouldn’t have saved them and just stayed inside the house.”
“Stupid, how
could I leave someone in trouble?”
“... Are you
good or stupid? Please choose one.”
Karua held
her head in her hands as Phil spoke seriously.
It’s like
goodness and wickedness can’t be united.
“But anyway!
I don’t want to be known! I want to live a cunning and destructive life! I don’t
want to be a tool in the dirty intrigues of the aristocratic society!
Especially people from the royal family—“
“I got a
letter from the royal family.”
“I can’t take
it anymore, ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The fifth
scream was heard on the day after his identity was revealed. The story of the
man who saved people in the shadows began after his identity was revealed.
ToC - Next
