Stupid Heroes ~We Draft Candidates~ (WN): Chapter 25

 

Chapter 25: A Microcosm of the Future Yet Unseen

 Ren's morning is early. By dawn, he wakes up at a certain hour. It's four o'clock in the morning. That's Ren's usual habit.

 It is no different during the mission. When he wakes up at the usual time and leaves the tent, he finds Rin sitting there holding her knees.

"Have you been awake all this time?"

"I'm fine. We, vampires, are a race that doesn't need much sleep."

"I see, did you not think of running away?"

"...Of course not. I never break my promises."

 This is a lie. She was so troubled by what Luna had said that she just couldn't think of running away.

"Heh."

"It's true."

"I have no doubts."

“…………”

 It was Rin who felt like she had dug a grave.

"I'm in a bit of a hurry, but are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course."

"Then, we'll leave as soon as I clean up."

"Yes."

 After putting Ron, who was still sleeping, in his pocket, Ren began to fold up the tent. It didn't take him long to put it away. The tent is neatly folded and put away in the backpack. Once the backpack is on his back, he is ready to go.

 He took out a water bottle and moisten his throat. Sensing her gaze, Ren held out the water bottle to Rin.

"Want a drink?"

"……I do not need it."

“I think you should take a sip."

"No thanks."

"I see. Then, are you okay with running?"

"Even a demon child can't lose to humans in physical strength."

"Right. Then let's go. First, we'll warm up, so take it slow."

"Warm up?"

“It means to warm up your body. Then we'll start with the hard stuff."

"Haa."

 Rin, a vampire, has no knowledge of warming up before exercise. Not only for the vampires, but also for the demons, it is useless.

 Ren begins to run at a jogging pace. For Rin, it is as fast as walking. However, after two kilometers, his pace suddenly increased.

 With a speed that seems to be almost at full power, Ren begins to sprint. Even so, it was still not fast enough for Rin. If it doesn't last half an hour.

"Haa, haa, nkuh..."

"Are you okay?"

"I, I'm... fine..."

"No, you're not."

 After checking Rin's condition, Ren slowed down his pace at once. Even so, it was hard for Rin, who was exhausted. It was already difficult for her to even move, let alone run.

 Ren stops and walks over to Rin, who is unable to move.

"It can't be helped. Carry this on your back."

“…………”

 Looking at the backpack that was held out, Rin's already pure white face turned even whiter.

"No. I'll be carrying Rin on my back, so Rin should carry the backpack on your back."

"Yes?"

"Don't you understand? Just carry it on your back."

"……Yes"

 Rin carrying a backpack on her exhausted body. It's painful just to stand. Turning his back to Rin, Ren squatted down.

"Here."

"Yes?"

"Get on my back"

"Eh?"

"Piggyback. Is that not a thing in this world?"

"I am not a baby."

"I know that. You can't move, so it can't be helped, right?"

"I'll be fine if I rest for a while."

"Resting won't help me train. So, hurry up."

"But……"

"You have to obey me. That's the promise."

"……Yes."

 If it becomes an order, she has no choice but to obey it even if she doesn't like it. Rin made that promise. Enduring her embarrassment, she rests her body on Ren's back.

"Heavier than I thought."

"Is that so?"

“…Don't you care about your weight?”

"What do you mean by weight?"

"Nothing. It's a good thing."

"Haa."

 There seems to be no concept of diet. One more thing, Ren learned about this world. Not sure what it's useful for though.

 It was his first time training with someone on his back. He stood up and Ren took a deep breath. From there, he goes into an almost full-force dash without thinking ahead.

 The little rest he had taken to regain his strength was quickly lost. Even if it's a woman, it was tough to dash with one person on one's back.

 The initial momentum suddenly fades away, and he barely maintains a pace that can be called jogging. It gradually became impossible to maintain it, and in the end, it seemed that all he could do was put his foot forward.

"Um, I better get off now."

“Still …still …can move.”

"No matter how you look at it, there's a limit to what one can move."

"The limit... is... when I can't... move... ah, it's no good."

"Kyaah!"

 The real limit. Ren can no longer even stand and falls to the ground. Ron, who was in his pocket, quickly jumped out of the way so as not to get caught up in what he experienced. Rin, who was not used to this, stayed put. Unable to get off his back, she was on top of Ren.

"Guh"

"Ah, I'm sorry!"

 In a hurry, Rin got up from Ren's back.

"I... I'm fine. I... I'm sorry. F... first... I..."

"I'm fine. I was just a little surprised. More than that."

“…………”

“Ren-sama?”

"……Rest."

"Ah, yes. That's right."

 Thinking it was time to take a break here for a while, Rin put down the backpack and sat down.

“Do you always train like this?”

“…………”

"I'm sorry. You're taking a rest."

"I usually don't carry people on my back. I run alone."

"I see. You want to be strong."

"Wrong."

“Then why did you train like this?”

"For the sake of living. I'm weak, so I have to acquire the power to live."

"...Do you need this much training just to survive?"

 It might be necessary for demons. However, Rin thinks that humans don't need this much training just to survive.

"The world is cold to me. Trying to get rid of me."

"......And so are we."

"Are you being persecuted?"

“There are not many places left where the demons can live quietly. The strong may not have to worry about it, but the weak do."

"... Aren't the demons strong?"

 Demons are much stronger than humans. This is the knowledge about the demons that Ren knows.

"Women and children are weak no matter what race they are. And there are many races that are not suited for fighting. Even so......"

"Beautiful?"

"Yes. Many demons are beautiful."

"Rin too"

“I am not worthy of praise.”

"You didn't fight?"

"We fought. Many times. Thousands of years of fighting."

"I see."

 Ren learned that the human race's persecution of the demons has been going on for an unimaginably long time.

“Demons are much stronger than humans. So why is that? I don't know the old days, and I can't help but wonder."

"People, Humans are ugly. Their living is dirty. Those who try to live beautifully can't win."

 Always keep your promises. Such sincere demons can't win against humans who don't care about betrayal. That's what Ren thought.

"...You really hate your own race."

"I hate myself too."

"Do you still want to live?"

"...I can't find a way to take revenge other than to live."

"Revenge?"

"If the world tries to get rid of me, I will resist it. That means living."

"You... where did you learn those words?"

 Rin's eyes widened when he heard Ren's words.

"Where? I just thought of it myself."

"I see……"

"What's up?"

"I know a similar word. It's an old saying in our race."

 Rin was surprised, wondering how Ren knew.

"Heh"

"It's a little different, and it goes like this. If the world oppresses me, I will fight against the world."

"It's completely different. Mine is a small resistance. I'm not like the person who said that."

 Fight against the world. Ren does not have such a big feeling. On the contrary, he is giving up the fight in order not to die.

“He is the one who is called the [Demon King]."

"I see. That's different from me."

"It's too early to compare."

"Eh?"

"...No, it's nothing."

"Okay. Well, let's start again."

"……Again?"

"I'm walking this time, so I'll be fine. Ah, and don't forget the backpack."

 After saying this, Ren stood up and turned his back to Rin again.

"Um... if you're walking."

"Would you like to help me train again?"

"No, it's not that. I can walk on my own."

"I carry things on my back for my training. My daily routine is to run with all my might and walk with heavy things."

 It was the training imposed by Alexis. Unless there is a compelling reason, Ren does this every day.

"……I see."

"It's true. I have no intention of sexually harassing you."

"Sexual harassment?"

“…That's a bit tedious to explain. Simply put, it means I'm not thinking of doing anything dirty."

“…………”

 Rin reacted to the word dirty.

"I told you I'm not thinking about it. I just want you to act purely as a weight."

"……I understand."

 When Ren said that, it seemed like her shy self was more conscious of it. Reluctantly, Rin covered Ren's back.

 Ren slowly stood up. Even though he took a break, he didn't seem to be fully recovered yet, and his progress was slow.

“…Ren-sama, can’t you use your mana to strengthen your body?”

"I can"

"Then why?"

"I used it earlier. To explain the daily routine in detail, I'm doing the run while circulating mana. Otherwise, I, who is not a demon, can't run like that."

"That's true."

 Demons are always in a state of strengthening their bodies with mana. Losing because of that is impossible unless the opponent is also strengthening their body.

"From the state of losing support due to running out of mana, I will do my best with only physical strength. Until I can't move at all."

"Can you move after running out of mana?"

"Only for a little while. I really need a break, and even if I take a break, it's like this."

"Still, I'm surprised. I thought humans would faint when their mana ran out."

"At first, I fainted. It's the result of my training that I don't faint anymore."

"...Why did you train like that?"

 Rin doesn't know about human training, but she can't think of Ren's behavior as normal.

"My master's instructions. I'm just doing it because I'm told to do it."

"Master? Is there such a person?"

"Yes. I'll introduce you when we get home. Can I do it? If I can, I will."

 Ren doesn't know if demons can see spirits.

"Yes……"

"Do demons not run out of mana?"

"...I've never heard of it. I'm not even conscious of using mana in the first place."

 Demons are not conscious of the exercise of mana. That is the strength of demons. Chantless magic, which is considered impossible for humans, becomes a matter of course for demons.

"As expected of a demon."

"I don't know if you can call it [as expected]. But if we run out of mana, I don't think we'll be able to just faint."

"Die?"

"Probably. We are called demons because of our mana."

"...That's right. Does the fact that you are not conscious of using it mean that your mana is always activated?"

"Activated? It's always awake."

"The fact that the mana does not run out means that the control is amazing."

 In theory, just activating mana does not cause a loss of mana. It happens because mana inevitably leaks out of the body. The only way to prevent this is to perfectly control the mana circulating in the body. This is what Ren is aiming for.

"I don't know. It's been that way since I was born."

"Could it be that demons don't train?"

"No. Dragons are dragons from the moment they are born, demons are the same."

"Does that mean you're naturally strong even if you don't train?"

"Yes"

"I see. That's the reason."

"Reason?"

"Reason why you can't win against humans"

"What is that?"

“Humans know they are weak. That is why they strive to win. Even if it is a cowardly move, it is still an effort to achieve the goal of winning."

“Do you call a cowardly move an effort?"

 Rin returned the question to Ren with a slightly sullen expression. This reaction shows Rin's seriousness.

"It's about doing everything you can to win. Effort, right?"

"If you put it that way, I can't completely deny it."

 The expression on Rin's face as she says this is that she doesn't deny it, but she can't accept it.

"But demons didn't do that. That's arrogance. The one who is arrogant will be destroyed. That's what they say in the world where I come from."

"...Destroyed."

"I didn't mean to scare you. But if you fear being destroyed, you can't be conceited. You're going to do what you have to do to survive."

"I'm trying to make things happen."

"Is that what's going to kill me?"

"That's……"

"I'm sorry. I promised not to bring it up."

"No"

 From there, the conversation stopped, and only Ren's painful breathing reached Rin's ears. For some reason, Rin was able to hear that pained voice comfortably, and when she realized it――

"Eh?"

 She found herself completely resting her head on Ren's shoulder.

"Vampires don't need sleep, right?"

 Noticing that Rin had woken up, Ren said a slight sarcasm.

"……Sorry"

"It's nothing to apologize for. The weight doesn't change whether you're sleeping or awake."

“…………”

"Do you care about your weight?"

"You're carrying a woman on your back, and that's all you think about?"

"Yes?"

"……It's nothing"

"You're weird. I'm going to take a break, so get off."

"Ah, yes"

 Rin, who got off Ren's back, felt the cold wind blowing against her chest. Ren couldn't afford to worry about Rin, and just fell to the ground.

"Eh?"

“Break. It means, he's going to rest."

 Luna, who had materialized before she knew it, told the surprised Rin.

◇◇◇

 Ren and the others arrived at the church capital.

 Ren was thinking about how to get Rin into the capital, but there was no need to worry about it. Even when approaching the entrance to the capital, Rin continued to walk without hesitation.

 Just like that, she arrived in front of the gatekeeper, showed the letter she took out of her pocket, and went through the gate without incident.

 Ren understood that the reason she was hurrying forward was to avoid being seen with what looked like an identification card, but he did not mention anything about it. He knew that if he saw it, it would lead him to the person who instructed Rin to kill Ren.

 After entering the church, they headed straight for home.

 As expected, in front of the church, Rin showed hesitation, but this time Ren continued to walk without hesitation. In that case, Rin had no choice but to follow.

 They pass by the side of the church and go out the back. Soon the cemetery came into view and it was time to go home.

"......You little brat, you gonna have two girls around?"

 These were Babaa's first words.

"Yes"

"Ha? Really?"

“I’m Rin, a candidate for a mistress. I'll be living here from this day forward."

"Mistress……"

 Looking at the woman who said it in a sarcastic way, Babaa is taken aback to learn that it was true.

"Still a candidate"

“That's the problem. Well, I, an old woman, can see... hey!"

 Babaa was even more astonished.

"What?"

"Is this woman human?"

 The color of Rin's eyes is not that of a human.

“…………”

"Oi!?"

"Don't be too picky about that."

 It was the same as if he had already answered. Babaa's mouth dropped open.

"What's up?"

“…This is the church grounds.”

 Babaa cannot understand Ren's audacity to let a demon live there.

"There's a saying, [The darkest place is under the lighthouse]."

"Never heard of it"

"I see. There's no such thing as a lighthouse?"

"I know what a lighthouse is."

 There is no sea in the country, but there are lighthouses. It's not what Ren thinks of as a lighthouse. In this world where it is pitch-dark at night, lighthouses are everywhere for security and landmarks. 

"Ah, right. It means that it is unexpectedly dark just below the bright lighthouse."

"...No way, does that mean, no anyone would think there's a demon in the church?"

"That's what it means."

"Am I right?"

"Babaa doesn't care, right? She's not going to hurt you. She can even help you with the housework."

"Can you do that?"

"Is it impossible?"

"I can do housework!"

 Rin complained.

"Have you done it before?"

"……I did not."

 It was just a pretense.

"Then, you're an apprentice. Or you can be a disciple."

"...Since I haven't taught anything to you, my original disciple. That would be fine."

 In the end, Babaa admits to the insane idea of ​​letting a demon live in the house.

"As expected. I thought it would come."

"Is it okay for me to call your name too?"

"Why?"

"I heard that demons don't like to be called by their name."

"Is it so?"

“Yes. But Rin is not my real name."

"So you can't tell me your real name?"

"Yes"

"I see……"

 Ren makes a blatantly sad face.

"I can't tell you yet. I can only tell my true name to my family and other people with whom I have very close relationships."

"……Not yet"

“…………”

 That means it is a possibility in the future. Rin is surprised at herself, wondering why she said this.

“Just saying that is good enough for me.”

"Hey, don't flirt"

 Babaa comes in from the side.

"What?"

"Just put your luggage in the room quickly. You're in a hurry to eat, aren't you?"

"It's about that time. Rin, the room is upstairs."

"Ah, yes"

 Ren climbs the stairs and heads to his room. Rin follows after him.

"...Spirit and magical beast. Now, a demon? No, this may not be the end?"

 Seeing the two of them, Babaa muttered with an astonished face.

◇◇◇

 After finishing the meal, Ren's daily training began. But before that, he introduced Rin.

"Can you see spirits?"

"As expected, that's."

"I see."

 In that case, it is difficult to introduce his masters.

"But if it's at night, I think I can feel their presence."

"Oh, that's enough. Here we are."

 First, he guided Rin to Alexis' grave.

"...Ren-sama"

"What?"

“I'm feeling something?"

"Ah, I knew it"

 Alexis is no ordinary spirit. Ren knows this.

"What kind of spirit is it? Not an ordinary spirit, right?"

(What is this rude girl?)

 Alexis complains about the way Rin talks.

"...Master says you're rude."

"But... can you speak to it?"

 Seeing spirits. This is not unheard of. But being able to speak is another matter.

"Well, you can't receive training just by feeling at it."

"That's right..."

"She's Rin. Starting today, we're going to live together."

(...You)

 Alexis' astonished emotions are conveyed to Ren.

"What?"

(That woman is a demon, right?)

"She's a vampire."

(Living with a demon…… are you an idiot!?)

"Eh!? Why?"

(I am a former church knight. I have resistance against demons.)

 Demons are enemies of church knights. Especially, there were times when Alexis defeated demons.

(Former. Now you're a spirit)

(......When you say it like that)

(Well, isn't that good? As expected of my disciple, to seduce a demon woman.)

 Then Rudolf interrupted.

“Ren-sama!?”

 Rin, who should not have heard his voice, raises a surprised voice.

"Do you feel the pressure?"

"The pressure is incomparable to what it was before."

"Right...... another one of my masters. This is Master Rudolph, he teaches me magic."

"I see……"

(You found a nice lady in there. Already did it?)

 Rudolf does not make a fuss about Rin being a demon. On the contrary, he asks about their relationship.

"...Not yet. I'm taking my time... what do you want me to say?"

(Ren-kun is a late bloomer. How can you not touch such an attractive woman?)

"Like I said... I'm still underage."

(So what? I already have several women when I'm your age, Ren-kun.)

 Ren is still thirteen years old in this world. And it is not normal for Rudolph to be with several women at once.

"Don't brag about it."

(You're so serious. But... as expected, Ren-kun is interesting. I won't get bored.)

"Thanks for that."

(Hey……)

"Yes?"

(I haven't been introduced yet)

 Alexis urged Ren to introduce him to Rin.

"Ah, Rin."

"Y-yes"

"The first spirit you felt was Master Alexis, my master for the sword."

“Yes. I am looking forward to working with you both."

(Umu...) (She seems to have a good personality too.)

 Thus, a new roommate was added to the cemetery. The cemetery, which is near the church, has become the most un-church-like place in the capital. There are still spirits, but there are also humans, spirits, a demon, and a magical beast. Such communal living is found nowhere else in this entire continent.

 No one could have known at this point that this would be called Ren's Origin.