“Um, Dan. Would you like to have tea together sometime……”
“Hero-kun~! Rin-chan, it’s been a while~!”
“Hero, still wearing that iron mask. Rin’s still as beautiful as ever.”
Two people called out to Hero Dan and Rinrin. The one who called Dan “Hero-kun” was a woman with pink hair and beautiful ruby-red eyes. However, she was dressed in men’s clothing.
“Sakura, did you grow a little taller?”
“Maybe so.”
The woman in men’s clothing called Sakura. She wore a black tunic like a shirt and black pants, with a belt around her waist. Tall and androgynous with well-arranged features, she could pass for a man.
“Hero-kun, what have you been up to lately? You’re still training and stuff, right? How about it? Am I right?”
“Even the sun in the heavens cannot be grasped, so there’s no way you, Sakura, could guess correctly.”
(Hero-kun is as cringeworthy as ever.)
(Dan can be cringeworthy sometimes, with this whole haughty “ore-sama” attitude.)
Sakura and Rinrin thought the same thing.
((Well, I like him including that part though.))
Sakura and Rinrin thought the same thing. Sakura also liked Dan as a member of the opposite sex. And there was another girl here who felt the same way.
“Hero, you make quite a lot of cringeworthy statements.”
((Kaguya said that so directly……))
Among the women, there was a girl called Kaguya who was the tallest. She had black hair in a bob-like style, slightly droopy eyes, and an atmosphere that seemed emotionally thin. However, passion and emotions swirled within her cool blue eyes.
Her height was taller than Sakura’s. Not as tall as the Hero, but she was tall. Her beautiful appearance and curvaceous figure were very striking.
She also wore glasses, giving off an intellectual feel. But this girl named Kaguya was more active than one might think.
“Hey, don’t try to take off my mask.”
“But I’m curious about it.”
She reached out forcefully to try to remove the Hero’s mask, but was easily deflected by Dan. However, she didn’t give up and repeatedly tried to take off the mask. That too was easily prevented by the one called Hero.
Kaguya became more persistent, and the speed of her reaching hands increased. But he easily blocked that too. This gradually heated up, and shockwave-like winds began to occur between them.
“Hmm, when will you show me your face?”
“I won’t show my face. If I showed my face, the world’s political situation would change completely.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Hero has that kind of aspect.”
Kaguya took issue with the Hero’s arrogant words. Just as she was about to reach for the mask again, Sakura stopped her.
“Now, Kaguya-chan, that’s enough.”
“……I understand.”
Her hand was gently grasped by Sakura’s hand. Kaguya was the youngest in the Hero’s party, and when told by Sakura, who was older, she couldn’t say anything.
“Alright, alright. I know Kaguya trying to tear off the mask isn’t something that started today. But do it in moderation.”
“Rin, I’m sorry.”
Being cautioned by Rinrin as well, Kaguya fell silent again.
“Well, it’s almost time for the speech, so let’s go.”
Rinrin took the lead and started walking toward the knight training school where the speech would be held. Dan followed without saying anything particular, and Sakura and Kaguya were on either side of him.
She felt jealous seeing that sight.
(If those two hadn’t come, I might have been able to ask him on a date! I know both Kaguya and Sakura like Dan too. Ugh, what should I do!)
“Ah, Hero Dan!”
While Rinrin was lost in thought, a small boy ran up to Dan.
“Pick me up!”
Dan silently picked him up, patted his head, and then let the child go. The boy who was Dan’s fan had a beaming smile.
“My dad said Hero Dan is the strongest man in this world!”
“That’s correct. You have a good father.”
“He also said the second strongest man is Sword Saint Sakura!”
“I see.”
After being picked up by Dan, the boy returned to his parents. Rinrin watched the departing child and Dan, Sakura, and Kaguya starting to walk again, lost in solitary thought.
(That child seemed to think Sakura was a boy. Honestly, most people think that way. Sakura has an androgynous face, and her family, the House of Alreatia, presents Sakura to the world as a man, so quite a few children are mistaken about it. Well, Sakura herself doesn’t seem to mind it. Elizabeth, Kaguya, and I had girls’ talks during our journey and heard directly about her family circumstances. Oh wait, come to think of it, Dan somehow never heard about Sakura from us. I also thought Dan had been told about it, so I didn’t bother to bring it up. It wasn’t such a light topic to discuss repeatedly either. Surely Dan doesn’t think Sakura is a man, does he? He’s noticed she’s a girl dressed as a man, right? Sakura is totally in love with you, so even as a rival, that would be too pitiful. Well, that’s impossible. Dan can be quite dense about some things, but surely not about that. Yeah, that’s impossible.)
■■
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
When I wake up in the morning, I first wash my face. I’ve been doing this since my previous life, but this routine still hasn’t changed.
After that, I change clothes and sit in a chair. Breakfast is already prepared on the desk, and my parents are sitting in front of me.
“Come on, Dan. Eat quickly.”
My mother said so. Even though I became a Hero and I’m 30, I still live at my parents’ house. That’s because I don’t have anyone to live with. Also, doing housework is incredibly bothersome.
My mother is an ordinary woman with black hair and black eyes, and my father is also a man with black hair and black eyes. We are an ordinary family. While eating, my mother said to me:
“Dan, shouldn’t you quit being a Hero soon and get married?”
“Mother, Dan is still active.”
“That’s right. But I’d like grandchildren soon……”
I want to get married too. I want to build an ordinary household and live peacefully. This house is also just an ordinary-sized house you’d find anywhere, but I understand that I shouldn’t stay here forever.
“Dan, you’re giving a speech at the knight school today, right? Do your best.”
“Ah, yes.”
Outside I’m an ore-sama type, but at home I’m normal. My parents know I’m a Hero, but they don’t make a big deal about it. I also try not to say where I’m from or anything. It’s personal information.
In my previous life, revealing personal information was risky. Maybe influenced by that, I never developed the habit of telling people about myself.
That’s exactly why no one knows my family home or my real face. This was a plus for me—even after retirement, others wouldn’t know where I am.
In other words, after I quit being a Hero, I won’t have various things pushed onto me through various circumstances.
I’ve recently started thinking it was good that I kept wearing the iron mask all this time. Well then, since I’ve finished breakfast, shall I go to the knight training school to give the speech?
The other three are coming too…….
After leaving the house, I don’t immediately put on the iron mask. Sometimes I want to walk outside with my bare face. My face is average, with black spiky hair. An ordinary face you’d find anywhere.
I really have such a mob-like face that I’ve never once been found out to be the Hero.
Now I’m heading to the knight training school where I’ll give a speech. In this Trelvarner Kingdom’s royal capital where I live, that school exists, and apparently it trains knights who protect the country.
I arrived in the royal capital from my family home and walked while being blown by the wind.
Come to think of it, Tamika said she was entering the knight training school. I’m teaching her as a disciple since she’s from the Hero bloodline, but… what should I do about that? How should I improve her abilities…….
While I was thinking, the area became noisy. Apparently bandits appeared. They seem to be famous, but I don’t know them.
I quickly defeated them and continued walking toward the speech venue. As I was doing so, someone spoke to me from behind.
Hm? Could this magical power presence be…… It’s Rin!? Isn’t that Rin, my party member!?
Whoa, seriously? I encounter her when I’m in my ordinary guy mode? This is bad, will I be found out? It seems that sometimes you can be identified through magical power detection. According to Rin, my magical power is special and has the characteristic of being difficult to detect.
I’ve been told that since long ago, so I probably won’t be found out by the quality of my magical power.
But there’s also the possibility of being found out by my voice or something…… Apparently, I wasn’t found out.
Whoooooo!!!! I’m so glad Rin didn’t find out about my real face, my ordinary guy appearance!!!!
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!