「Nii~chan~ why have you become a Hero?」

I was asked by Iric while walking .

「Tou~chan said that Heroes are the enemies of the Demon Kings . Why have you become a Hero?」

Finding it difficult to answer, Yuuya was momentarily at a loss for words .

I wanted to save the people oppressed by the Demon King . I wanted to help people who suffered .

My hometown has been destroyed by the Demon King . Both my family and relatives were killed .

Somehow, I wanted to change the world――it wasn’t anything like that . I was born a commoner, raised as a commoner, it was just that I was somewhat strong for a country-bred . I was told by my parents that rather than working in the fields,

I should go to the town to become a soldier and find myself a cute wife .

I was strong physically, so I somehow managed to pa.s.s the soldier examination . I had no common sense, so I pa.s.sed the written test just barely .

I have become a commonplace soldier . I was the lowest of the lowest underlings though .

From then on, I worked ordinarily without advancing in life, doing things like monster extermination .

「…… I haven’t really aimed to become one……」

It’s not like I have aimed to become one . I did not want to play the cool role .

It’s just that the Demon King appeared, and I was thinking of fighting when each nation started getting attacked .

Many people who called

called were called ‘Hero’ started appearing . But, it was only I who reached the Demon King’s castle .

「It might be uncool, but I had no reason in particular . You see, I just thought of beating up the Demon King for my selfish reasons」

「What do you mean by selfish?」

「I just wanted to protect my family」

I just wanted to protect my family in my hometown . It might be very uncool compared to reasons such as doing this for my sweetheart or because I was in love with the princess, but my grandparents, parents, elder brother, his wife and their son live in my hometown, so that was all it took for me .

I haven’t thought of a world peace or anything else this grand . I just wanted

just wanted to protect my small things which turned into one big thing as a result .

「Well…… thinking of children like you, the monsters must have had families too……」

The monsters I have defeated might have attacked to protect their families too .

Seeing me hang my head, Ilya looked up wonderingly .

「Onii~san . Monsters don not have families」

「Eh?」

「Monsters do not birth or raise children . They leave them alone . Only humans raise their children . They are also the only ones who care about it . They are strange creatures」

「Eh」

「Humans are strange~」

「They are strange」

「Eh, you think so……?」

「Strange」

「But, look, weren’t you guys entrusted to me by the Demon King?」

He was an incarnation of evil, but just as I was seeing him in a

him in a more positive light because of his cute children .

「Otou~san was just a strange monster」

「Tou~chan was an extremely weird monster . He was often told by others so」

The children cut him down in two with a single stroke .

「Eh, was he……」

「He was」

「Weird~ but, I liked Tou~chan quite a bit」

「I have also liked him considerably」

「…… That so……」

I’m glad we didn’t fight in front of the children . The Demon King might have pa.s.sed away from illness, but I’m starting thinking that I’m glad we didn’t fight .

「Reasonably though」

「Only like this though」

「…… That, how much like are you talking about?」

「Not much」

「Moderately」

「………… I see……」

The children’s humor was dry . Yuuya still found the thought process of monsters a little too hard to understand .