We flew to the Feck Territory in a complete frenzy.

Agril, who had been overexerting himself lately, looked utterly drained to the point of danger.

His state deeply troubled Xenia.

That’s why, although normally Xenia and Serein would have taken turns supplying holy power, now they were both clinging to Agril at the same time.

“Serein! Hang in there just a little longer!”

“Huff, huff. This doesn’t make sense. Why am I the one more exhausted?”

“Agril seems to like your holy power more than mine, he is taking more from you. I’m kind of jealous.”

“Don’t be jealous over something like that!”

We might have been going even faster than when we flew to the starting point last time.

I gathered the rest of the party and said,

“At this speed, we will arrive right on the fifth day.”

“Cutting it close.”

“I feel bad for Agril, but Idria is planning to do this dozens more times. And we have to stop every single one of them.”

Despite our achievements in the Gabriel Territory, the gap in fame between Kaeld and me is still massive.

Damn Celestial God.

Couldn’t he just deliver the oracle properly for once?

Offense asked worriedly,

“Dozens of times? Will Agril be able to hold out until then?”

At that, Adwin cautiously spoke up.

“If it comes to that, should I try calling Ort?”

“Ort? You mean…”

“Yes. The priest who was a member of the second generation hero’s party. Agril was summoned during the second generation too…”

“You think he might be able to give some advice? Yeah, good idea. Make preparations in advance.”

“But don’t get your hopes up too much. I hate to say it, but if Lord Ort could have helped, Lady Lepia would have told us already.”

True. Lepia has been going back and forth from the Underworld lately.

If that hero, who always watched over us with such warmth, knew something, she definitely would have told us first.

In any case, time passed.

Thanks to Agril’s efforts, we barely managed to reach Feck Territory in time.

The first thing we saw was a massive army of monsters, stretching across our field of vision.

Huff, huff.

Grrrr.

Screeeeech!

Historical records don’t document monsters in much detail.

That’s because each one seems like a completely different species.

If only similar types were grouped and studied, we might be able to identify weaknesses. But they all look so uniquely bizarre that researchers don’t bother.

This batch of monsters was no different.

“Lions!”

“That looks like a lion to you? That’s a turtle.”

“Oh, I meant the one two over from it.”

“There is one flying in the sky too.”

“Isn’t that a centipede? Ugh.”

“There is something underground as well. I see signs of burrowing.”

Idria’s monsters had set up camp several hundred meters from the territory’s walls.

[They are not attacking?]

‘They are probably giving Kaeld time to make his grand entrance.’

[Every time I see this, I’m reminded how perfectly scripted this all is. I bet Kaeld had it real easy becoming a Hero in the last timeline.]

‘Just thinking about that makes me wake up in the middle of the night. I’m out here suffering like crazy just trying to be a hero.’

I scanned the ground.

Agril was flying at a high altitude, and with ten thousand monsters gathered ahead of us, it seemed no one had noticed our approach.

The soldiers were trembling, faces pale with despair even before the battle began.

The commanders who should have been leading them were nowhere to be seen, probably hiding in the back.

And in that tense moment, someone made a move.

Thud.

Someone jumped down from the fortress wall.

Xenia shouted,

“A cockroach!”

“What?”

“No, it’s Kaeld.”

“Same thing.”

Kaeld landed rather dramatically on the ground.

And next to him was…

‘The Second Finger. If possible, I would really rather not fight with that one around.’

[That powerful, huh?]

‘She doesn’t have powers herself. She is a supporter.’

[Hm?]

‘Remember how you couldn’t sense Idria’s movement back at the Atrium Territory?’

[Yeah. That’s why we missed the timing for “Time-lock slash.” Oh, right, you said that was the second finger’s doing.]

Exactly.

The second finger can strengthen allies.

How much? Ridiculously.

I was already feeling a headache coming on, but I quickly shook it off.

Then again, we are probably not fighting Kaeld this time.

[Huh?]

Trail sounded confused, but just then, Serein spoke.

“Should we deal with Kaeld before the monsters?”

“Huh?”

“That way, Mide could claim all the credit for saving the territory.”

Before I could answer, Neril interjected.

“That’s not an option.”

“Why not?”

“Do you want to show infighting among humans in the face of all those monsters? You won’t gain fame, you will lose it all.”

She was right.

Which means that, at least here and now, we won’t be fighting Kaeld.

They will be thinking the same thing.

That’s when Kaeld’s voice rang out.

“Everyone, listen!”

“Oh no. He’s about to start a speech.”

Everyone suddenly looked at me.

“To give a speech in the face of such a dire crisis… What an utterly ridiculous man.”

“…”

“Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Offense spoke on everyone’s behalf.

“We were just thinking something kind of rude.”

“Don’t say it.”

“Like… you’re not really in a position to criticize someone else.”

“I said don’t say it.”

I stepped to the edge of Agril’s back and said,

“Well, I’m going on ahead. Catch up when you are ready.”

Then I jumped off.

Behind me, Xenia’s voice faded into the distance.

“You’re not casting Flying magic, Neril?”

“I already did.”

“But I didn’t see any incantation…”

“I cast it five days ago, when we first departed. Just in case someone fell, it would be dangerous otherwise.”

Serein was impressed.

“Wow. Hah. Geez.”

Thud.

I landed on the ground.

Thanks to that, Kaeld’s speech was abruptly cut off.

The rest of the party floated down gracefully after me.

From atop the walls, murmurs spread.

“Huh? Who are they?”

“Mide Mohan! The heroes!”

“The second oracle’s chosen…”

“Two heroes came to help us. We are saved!”

“Wait. The air feels kind of… intense.”

Just like that last voice said, the tension between me and Kaeld was thick and dangerous.

I shrugged and said,

“Relax your face.”

“……”

“To the people of this territory, this is a life or death crisis. Do you really want to show them heroes fighting each other right now?”

“Tch.”

“If you do that, your reputation will tank. Unless you want to go down with me, should we draw swords?”

Of course, Kaeld couldn’t afford to do that.

His fame was currently far ahead of mine.

It sounded like an advantage, but really it meant he had a lot more to protect and that he had to be far more cautious.

Sure enough, Kaeld managed to force a smile back onto his face.

“What brings you here?”

“Don’t play dumb. I came to save the people.”

“You mean to snatch the glory.”

“I don’t like your tone. Unlike you, I don’t intentionally bring danger just to boost my fame.”

That was when the one standing just behind Kaeld, quietly watching the exchange, opened her mouth.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mide.”

Were it not for the circumstances, her voice would have been as refreshing as a spring breeze.

The second finger of Lie: Pirensha.

I didn’t feel like replying, so I stayed silent. But Serein wasn’t the type to keep quiet.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Kaeld’s new party member. My name is Pirensha.”

“You mean one of Idria’s lackeys.”

“Yes, but please don’t say that in front of others. It could get awkward.”

Pirensha even brought her hands together and bowed her head to us.

A polite and sincerely delivered request.

We stared at her, dumbfounded.

Neril was the first to speak.

“Anyone watching might think you are actually human. Why be so polite?”

“I’m the one making the request, after all. Even if we are enemies, I think there are some things that should be upheld.”

“Hah.”

Kaeld stood with arms crossed and a dissatisfied look, taking a step back.

I smirked and taunted him.

“Looks like your party member is more human than the leader.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“If you don’t like it, stop her. Or did Idria order you to obey Pirensha unconditionally? Like with Sobius?”

“……”

“God, you’re pathetic. Are you really so desperate to become a hero that you will throw your pride in the mud?”

He ground his teeth.

I was about to dig deeper to wring something useful out of him.

But then.

Slip.

Pirensha subtly stepped in front of him, shielding him with her body.

“Please don’t speak so harshly. Mr. Kaeld has his own reasons.”

“Everyone has their reasons. But not everyone puts humanity in danger just to become a Hero.”

“Instead of that kind of talk, let’s focus on something more practical.”

“Go ahead.”

“How did you know to come here, Mr. Mide?”

Like I would tell her.

I simply shrugged.

“Hero’s intuition.”

“……Then what are you planning to do now?”

“Defeat the monsters. Why ask the obvious?”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Pirensha gently closed her eyes.

Then she began quietly moving her lips.

I widened my eyes, trying to read her murmurs.

— Lady Idria. It would be best to retreat for now.

……

Tch. The worst possible outcome for me.

[Why is that bad? Isn’t it good if the monsters are gone?]

‘Defeating them is far better than having them retreat. If my party and I fight them, we could achieve something far more impressive than Kaeld could, no matter how much Pirensha boosts him..’

[Hmm.]

‘But if they just retreat, the best I can hope for is sharing a little fame with Kaeld.’

That’s exactly what Pirensha was aiming for.

She was sharp and quick to grasp the situation, far more troublesome than Kaeld or even Sobius.

Idria probably trusts her enough not to interfere directly.

Soon after…

It wasn’t us who noticed the change first, but the soldiers.

“Wait! Look over there!”

“W-what is that…?”

“The monsters are disappearing!”

The ten thousand strong horde that looked ready to overrun and slaughter the entire territory.

They were turning into that same smoke I had seen through the Eye of Omniscience.

And then, across from the monster army, a massive line appeared in the sky.

The line split open, forming a crack.

“The smoke is being sucked into it!”

“They are retreating?”

“Of course they are. There are two heroes here!”

“Serves you right, Demon King!”

“As long as the heroes are here, we are safe!”

The soldiers who had been trembling just moments ago now cried out, brimming with morale.

Their cheers continued until the black smoke fully vanished beyond the rift.

And when it reached its peak.

<Ding! You have gained 8,000 Fame Points.>

<Fame needed for next level: 321,900 / 500,000>

<Your name will now echo across Feck Territory.>

<Total Fame Points to be gained from this event: 7,000>

<Your name is echoing in Drucker Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Quelk Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Lior Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Avis Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Raynus Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Tetra Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in the Capital. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Hasphil Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Dronoar Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Atrium Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing in Gabriel Territory. (All points collected!)>

My fame had risen.

The fastest and easiest gain I had ever made.

Kaeld’s fame probably went up just as much as mine.

He stood with his eyes closed and a satisfied expression on his face.

“Ah… That sound. The sound of people praising me. It never gets old.”

My party looked like they were about to vomit.

Neril asked,

“You are really fine with that?”

“What do you mean, Witch of Carnage?”

“Ugh. You’re so behind. I dropped that title ages ago. Mide helped me do it.”

“……”

“That never would have happened if I had been traveling with you. You only care about boosting your own fame.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Kaeld spoke seriously now.

“Isn’t that what everyone does? Even sharing bread with others only comes after you have filled your own belly.”

“……”

“I’m still starving for fame. I can’t help it, not until I’m satisfied. Everyone is like that.” Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel-fire.ɴet

Xenia interrupted, her voice colder than usual.

“But aren’t Heroes supposed to be different from everyone else?”

“Heh… What a noble sentiment.”

Kaeld seemed done with the back and forth. He looked to Pirensha.

“Seems like things here ended in a half-success.”

“Yes. We should head back.”

“With your help, I think I could beat Mide.”

“Perhaps. But even if that were possible, to have humanity’s ‘hope’ fight openly before all these witnesses…”

“Sobius handled that by holding an official duel. We could arrange something like that.”

Pirensha glanced at me briefly.

Then she shook her head.

“No. Let’s withdraw for now.”

“But.”

“Kaeld.”

Pirensha’s voice turned cold.

“Quit showing off and just do as I say.”

TL : Now that we are halfway to the end, who do you think the ‘Fake Hero’ in the title is? Cuz like Kaeld was way too OP in the first 50 chap with Bion’s body, but now?

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