Chapter 145
“What’s Kagami-san doing now...? And why do people call him a ‘disappointing Hero’?”
“That Villager died a long time ago.”
Merry’s devastating words brought everyone to a halt. Seeing how shocked they were, Yuki stopped too and fidgeted awkwardly. Merry let out a small sigh and put a hand to her head, looking somewhat apologetic.
“Ah... sorry. You knew that Villager, didn’t you? I put it badly, but... it’s true. That Villager died more than half a year ago.”
“Kagami-san? You mean Kagami-san, who scurries around as stubbornly as a cockroach even when someone tries to kill him?”
“A cockroach...? There’s no way a Villager could be that tough.”
Perhaps because she couldn’t believe it, Tina looked shaken as she imagined some creature halfway between Kagami and a cockroach. “That can’t be true. That can’t be true,” she repeated.
Wondering, somewhat uneasily, what Tina could possibly be imagining, Merry started to worry about her. But Kururu cut in, stepping in front of Merry with a sharp expression and grabbing her by the shoulder.
“I can’t believe Kagami-san would die so easily... What happened to him?”
“You sure have a lot of faith in him. I was disappointed when I learned that the Hero who’d appeared on Earth for the first time in ages was just an ordinary man with the role of Villager. Well... even we had some expectations. He was the first person from Earthclear with the role of Villager to come to Earth, after all.”
Merry murmured thoughtfully, as if recalling the scene. She tried desperately to remember if there’d been anything good about him, but her expression gradually twisted. With a sigh, she gave Kururu’s shoulder a light pat.
“No, he really was the worst. Even though he’d made it to Earth, I figured a Villager would need equipment, so I tried to give him a weapon. He wouldn’t take it, saying, ‘Bare hands are fine.’ He did fight a little at first, so I figured he had some ability, but when it mattered most, he ignored the captain’s orders and wouldn’t even try to fight... And to top it all off—”
“...What happened?”
At the mention of Kagami’s fate, quick footsteps pattered over to Kururu’s side, and Alice held her breath as she listened.
“He ignored the captain’s orders and refused to fight, then suddenly got fired up and charged into the enemy lines. ...But right then, the Resistance had managed to lure the enemy into a trap we’d set, and we were about to wipe them all out. We’d told him about that plan beforehand, too...”
“So... he got caught in the trap?”
“Yeah. I guess he hadn’t listened to a word about the plan. He always had this vacant, couldn’t-care-less look on his face, and he seemed like an idiot. He got caught in the trap and died along with the enemy. A Hero who dies on his very first sortie is nothing but a disappointment, especially when he dies in such a shitty way.”
Even after hearing what had happened, the group still seemed unable to believe it and looked bewildered. “He certainly is an idiot, but...” Tina said, clutching her head. Still, she couldn’t believe a man like that would die so easily.
“It was like, what the hell was that all about, right?”
Yuki, who seemed to have been there herself, gave a strained smile. “Ahaha...”
“I don’t know what kind of trap it was... but I can’t believe Kagami-chan would die from something like that.”
“I don’t know what kind of trap you’re imagining, but we used the Digder, a weapon that can unleash an explosion powerful enough to kill even the toughest monsters in one blow. There’s no way he could’ve survived it—and even if he had, he’d have been buried alive.”
But even after hearing that, Menou, who had witnessed Kagami endure the Dark Dragon’s countless explosions and dig his way toward it, was sweating as she thought he was probably still alive.
“I can’t believe it... If the power he had in Earthclear carries over to Earth, I can’t imagine Kagami-chan dying that easily. His Level is 999, you know?”
“Huh? What?”
Unable to believe Takako’s words, Yuki asked again, as if she couldn’t trust her ears.
“I’m telling you! Kagami-san’s Level is 999! He’s not someone who’d die that easily! No matter how battered he gets, he’s the kind of man who stubbornly stays alive!”
Seeing Tina desperately trying to explain what Kagami was like, Merry and Yuki exchanged glances. Merry gave a faint scoff, while Yuki burst out laughing.
“Ahaha, you’re always joking! There’s no way that’s true. You were all fooled, or you mistook it for Level 99, right? Level 999 is the limit of growth! You know how hard it is for a Villager to raise their Level, don’t you? No way, no way.”
Yuki found it so hilarious that she clutched her stomach and laughed uproariously. Then, as if it all made sense now, she scoffed, “I was wondering why you were getting so worked up, but now I get it.” She seemed to think they were insisting because they’d mistakenly believed Kagami was strong.
“B-but it’s true!”
Alice joined Tina in trying to convince them that it wasn’t a lie, but—
“But he died. That’s all there is to it. That disappointing Hero hasn’t come back in over half a year. If he were alive, wouldn’t he have returned? Whether that disappointing Hero was actually strong or not doesn’t matter... He’s not here anymore.”
Merry gave them a serious look, and faced with a fact that was all too true, Alice and Tina fell silent.
“Instead of worrying about that disappointing Hero, you should worry about yourselves. The world outside is that harsh... There’s no guarantee you’ll make it back alive. Of course, I’ll do everything I can to support you, but I can’t do that if you ignore orders. Don’t... disappoint me.”
As if to say that was the end of the discussion, Merry finished speaking, turned toward the Resistance headquarters, and started walking again without another word.
“Um... sorry for laughing,” Yuki said awkwardly, then followed after Merry.
“...Let’s go. We won’t learn anything by standing here.”
At Takako’s urging, the group—still unable to accept what they’d heard—set off for the Resistance headquarters where Kagami had once belonged, not believing for a moment that he was dead.