The Overpowered Pretend Warrior

 

The Overpowered Pretend Warrior

Trans: Isabelle Emerson

 

Prologue:

 

When I was young, there was a public execution on my estate.

If it was a death row inmate, it wouldn’t have been such a shocking event, but this prisoner was special.

 

A heinous criminal who had committed dozens of serial murders throughout the estate for the last seven years.

His motive for the murders was beyond common sense. It was simply his hobby.

 

Everyone who had encountered him wanted to confirm his death with their own eyes.

In consideration of this public sentiment, the lord had ordered for a special public execution ground to be prepared.

He declared that anyone who wanted to see the ‘spectacle’ was welcome.

 

“Myde. You should go.”

 

My mother didn’t want to be a spectator at such a cruel event; however, no one could say they didn’t want to watch in the current atmosphere of the estate, lest they risk being stoned to death.

There was no exception even for seven-year-old me.

His victims came from the village where I lived.

 

“Stay behind me and cover your eyes.”

“Yes mother.”

 

So, we took an unwilling step forward.

 

The execution ground was crowded as if everyone in the territory had shown up.

In a special spot arranged by the lord, an execution officer recited the prisoner’s crimes.

 

“Seven years ago, the accused moved from another estate and got a job at the butcher’s shop. He has confessed to the ‘butchering’ of six people, and the victims are as follows.”

 

He slowly listed the names of the victims.

Shouts, curses, and sobs erupted from the crowd, whether they were family or simply acquaintances of the victims.

 

“And at the lumberyard he moved to…”

 

However, I couldn’t concentrate on the officer’s voice anymore.

 

‘Hmm? What’s that?’

 

It was blurry, but something was written above the prisoner’s head that was covered in straw.

 

It didn’t look like it was written in pen.

It was almost as if a transparent board was hovering just above his head, with dripping letters written in blood.

 

“Myde. It’s alright. Mother is here.”

“Mother, can you not see that?”

“I told you not to watch.”

 

I pointed to the criminal’s head, where the words were written in blood, but my mother just covered my eyes, thinking I was pointing to the execution.

 

I quickly slipped out of my mother’s arms.

 

“You really don’t see it? Am I the only one who can see?”

“What are you talking about?”

 

The text was written clearly.

 

--- Guilty of crimes against Michen Kernal and 31 others.

 

What did that mean?

And why was it suddenly visible to me?

 

Then, I could hear the officer’s voice again.

 

“Eventually, he got a job as a gardener at the lord’s estate and killed multiple servants there. The victims are as follows. Aizen Thrall, Darchus Mieme, Michen Kernal, Sele…”

“Ah! Michen!”

 

Suddenly, the condemned man made a loud noise through his harness.

The execution officer frowned.

 

“Quiet!”

“Michen. That was the most thrilling moment for me. You guys found a clue from his dead body that led you to me, right?”

“I said be quiet.”

“Hey. You’re too rude to someone who’s about to die.”

 

 The crowd roared at the criminal’s brazen words.

But I was focused on something else.

 

‘Michen Kernal. That’s the name written above his head.’

 

Perhaps?

I focused my attention on the handwriting above his head.

 

Shoop.

Then, the transparent board grew bigger.

Instead of ’31 others’, I could see the full names of countless people.

 

---Dryen Riella

--- Hans Fonn

--- Leeann Deek

--- Aizen Thrall

--- Darchus Mieme……

 

I had a sudden realization.

 

‘These are the names of the people he killed!’

 

The names of the victims the judge had just recited were all written on the board.

 

Then.

 

Kwang.

 

The lord let out a shout, hitting the armrest of the chair he was sitting on.

 

“That’s enough. Execute him!”

“Yeah!”

“Oh? You’re really going to kill me?”

 

A rope was hung around his throat.

 

The floor fell open and the man began to flap around in agony.

I wasn’t sure how long he was like that.

 

Eventually, his body dropped like a piece of meat, and I heard my mother sigh.

 

“Watching things like this is difficult. Myde, are you all right?”

“Yes.”

 

I was going to mention the strange message in blood I had just seen.

But my mother spoke first.

 

“You should have been with your father instead of me.”

“……”

“At times like this, his absence feels even greater. No, I’m even saying something like this in front of you.”

 

My father was a hunter.

It was said that he was once quite famous in our village because of his great skills.

Unfortunately, he was mauled by a bear on his last hunt and died.

 

My dad’s name was clear in my mind.

 

“We should go. I don’t want to stay here any longer.”

“M-mother.”

“What’s wrong?”

“On your head…”

 

--- Guilty of crimes against Errald Mohan and 7 others.

 

The name written in bright red blood.

The name above my mother’s head.

 

It was my father’s name.

 

 

 

***

 

 

20 years passed.

The fifth demon king had descended on the continent.

After a multitude of twists and turns, I had fought as a hero in a valiant party against the demon king.

 

One night, after all the armies of the demon had been dealt with, only the final battle was left.

 

“Myde, wake up. It’s your turn to stand watch.”

“Just a little longer, Auntie.”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”

 

I clicked my tongue and got out of my seat.

Perhaps it was because of the terrible dream I had about the past, but I had a splitting headache.

 

Neril Slane, my colleague and party member who woke me up, sat down next to me.

 

“Seems like you had a nightmare.”

 “It was a bad memory. It feels like a bad sign to have a dream like that the day before fighting with the demon king. I’ll be out of the battle tomorrow.”

“That might be good for the unity of the party members.”

 

Her words made me giggle.

 

Neril looked at me seriously before she continued.

 

“You’re the only one who’s pretending. Everyone else is out of your league.”

“I’m letting everyone go.”

“It’s a great spiritual victory. Precise verbalization. You don’t trust any of our party members.”

 

That was the only way.

And that included her.

 

I glanced above Neril’s head.

 

--- Guilty of crimes against Mei Enerika and 287 others.

 

The number above the head of the criminal at the estate had been high enough to overwhelm a shy little boy.

 

But in fact, it was not just Neril.

The whole party of warriors called themselves heroes who would save the world, but the names and numbers floating above their heads denied that.

 

Everyone had their own reasons.

But those numbers made it too unpleasant to hear beautiful stories about believing in my colleagues.

 

Neril continued speaking.

 

“Who likes a guy who can’t trust anyone from the beginning?”

“We’re only united by necessity anyways. Once we kill the demon king, the party will disperse.”

“The other guys seem like they will stay together after the quest. Not me, but…”

“But your social skills are just as bad as mine.”

 

Neril just shrugged, then moved her body closer.

 

I tilted my head.

 

“I’m telling you in advance just in case, but don’t even think about confessing.”

“Are you still half-asleep?”

“Then what? That’s what the atmosphere seemed like.”

“I just want to talk about him.”

 

 She pointed to one of the party members who had already drifted off to dreamland.

 

Warrior Kyled Wake.

The fifth best warrior in the history of the continent, who was bound to make an appearance wherever the demon king was.

I was slightly surprised to find that Neril was looking at him quite coldly.

 

“Why do you look so cold? You don’t like Kyled?”

“I suppose.”

“That’s a vague answer.”

“First of all, I’ve lived for a long time. People’s emotions weather and fade. Likeability is not that important to me. What’s important is achievement.”

“……”

“Myde. I acknowledge your abilities. You made a name for yourself as a mercenary before you even joined our party. You’re a wandered. If you had settled in a guild, you would have already been made leader.”

“Hmm.”

“On the other hand, looking at it objectively, Kyled doesn’t really show much of the qualities of a warrior.”

 

I smirked.

She was saying the opposite of what the other party members were saying.

 

“You’re bringing this up now? The day before the final battle?”

“I wanted to talk about it calmly because it’s the day before the last battle.”

“……”

“You don’t trust any of the party members, but you seem especially distrustful towards Kyled. Because of that, his narrow position has already shrunk. I used to think it was foolish, but now I think you were seeing the same thing as me.”

 

I was silent for a moment.

Neril picked up a branch and started drawing a picture in the dirt before she opened her mouth again.

 

“Why do you not trust Kyled?”

“I just have a sense about these things. Call it intuition.”

“What did your intuition tell you about Kyled?”

 

I smacked my lips a few times, but in the end, I didn’t speak.

I’d never told anyone about my ability.

Obviously, not even my mother.

 

Neril waited for a moment before she suddenly stretched.

 

“Well, what good does it do to talk about this now? Everything will be finished tomorrow anyways.”

“Exactly. So you should go to bed, auntie.”

“Haha. When you get old, you lose the ability to sleep.”

“……”

“Also, if you call me auntie one more time, you’re a dead man.”

 

‘You’re the one who called yourself old. Want me to call you grandma?’

After she went to bed, I became lost in my thoughts.

The main topic was, of course, Kyled.

 

There was no doubt I could see people’s crimes.

So, if I saw my name or the name of someone I care about, I would start to get nervous.

And of course, I would have to start digging.

I would make them pay for their crime.

 

‘But that guy is just……’

 

I looked at his face as he slept peacefully.

Above his head were words written in bright red blood.

 

--- Guilty of crimes against Bion Kunje and 148,304,291 others.

 

148 million people.

……

As far as I knew, that was around the same as the population of the entire continent.

 

It was an enormous number.

 

I didn’t even dare to think about what kind of crimes he had committed.

I searched with all my might, but I couldn’t even find out if my name was on the list or not.

 

‘What the hell have you been doing, you bastard?’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1: How to Become a Warrior Part 1

 

 

 

It was the monumental first night in which our party was all together; I had been the last member to join the party.

Kyled suggested something to me.

 

“Let’s bury our pasts.”

“Huh?”

 

I had been determined to ask him who ‘Bion Kunje’ was.

 

There was one rule in the order of the names I could see written in blood.

The higher the name, the more difficult it was to find out the crime.

The crime was more veiled.

 

In other words, the crime Kyled had committed against Bion Kunje was the most confidential crime out of all 148 million.

I had no way of guessing.

 

As if he had known this, he looked me straight in the eye before he continued.

 

“There may be people who cannot live without gaining beautiful fame under false pretenses.”

“Are you talking to me?”

 

It seemed like he was speaking to me, but Neril interrupted us, raising her eyebrows.

Kyled shook his head as if that notion were absurd.

 

“What are you talking about? It’s something everyone should hear.”

“……”

“Now that we have a common enemy in the demon king, it’s useless to argue about each other’s pasts. If there was a party member like that, I would banish him from the party in the name of a warrior.”

 

Ah. This was awkward.

There was an overwhelming prize for defeating the demon king.

I had created a blueprint in my mind to retire after this and spend my time richly.

 

“Do you all agree?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Now that I think of it, that should be a given.”

“You’re so wise.”

 

The foolish party members were infatuated with the warrior so of course they agreed.

In the end, I nodded reluctantly.

 

“Fine. Then, after we kill the demon king there’s something I want to ask.

“……”

“Especially to you, Kyled.”

 

Kyled smiled brightly.

 

“You can ask anything you want.”

 

At his dazzling smile, I made up my mind.

 

Either way, the demon king had to be killed.

And the demon could only be killed by a warrior.

So, I had to just wait and see. However.

 

‘I won’t trust him until the end.’

 

 

***

 

 

My decision not to trust him didn’t change even years after I became a party member.

Even up until this moment in our final battle with the demon king.

 

“Finish it! Kyled!”

 

It was probably the first time I had ever yelled like this since I had been born.

Perhaps that was why the party members, covered in blood and barely holding on to their lives, looked at me in surprise.

 

Was it that amazing that I raised my voice?

There were more important things than that right now.

For example, our warrior was about to pull the head off the demon king.

 

Anyway, the god-given warrior Kyled held his breath and answered my cry.

 

“It’s a rare scene to hear you shout like that.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, just hurry.”

“Haha. Fine. This is the end. Idria, the demon king of lies and deceit. Die!”  

 

Kyled’s warrior sword flashed at an incredible speed.

 

“Kaah!”

 

Idria’s head fell to the floor far too easily for a demon that has pushed the world to the brink of darkness.

 

“I… I did it.”

“You are truly a warrior.”

“It’s finally finished. This horrible fight.”

“We literally saved the world. Wow.”

 

The party members lifted themselves tiredly.

The warrior Kyled only looked down at the demon king’s head without responding.

I was the only one keeping an eye on him.

Our other colleagues were all distracted by the fact that they had killed the demon king of lies and deceit.

 

“Serainne. Give me some medical care, I’m in real danger.”

“Sorry, I ran out of holy power. Does anyone have any potions left?”

“There’s no way. Everyone used them.”

“Well, the fight was rough. Still, it’s dangerous.”

 

They chatted amongst themselves until everyone looked at me.

I shrugged.

 

“I used all mine, too.”

“No one has a cure, right?”

 

Those words came from Kyled’s mouth.

Then, finally, everyone’s eyes turned to Kyled.

He still had his back to us, gazing down at the demon king’s body.

 

The moment I saw him, it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

 

‘No way. No way.’

 

No. It wasn’t possible.

But, as always, rationality outweighed my feelings.

 

I gulped.

 

“How long are you going to stand there?”

“……”

“Now that I think of it, you didn’t use a single item the whole battle. You have a lot of potions left, right? Lend them to us.”

 

I ignored the way my heart was pounding in my chest as I spoke.

Kyled moved slowly.

He took out his item bag.

Then he rummaged inside and took out countless legendary items that he had looted from the dead body.

 

Then Lissel, a party member who had believed in Kyled more than anyone else, spoke with his eyes shining.

 

“You defeated the demon king without using a single item in battle? You’re an incredible warrior.”

“Warrior, you say.”

“First, please treat Serainne. Then Serainne can treat the rest of us.”

“The warrior died in the very beginning.”

 

Everyone closed their mouths at Kyled’s words.

They all looked as if they didn’t understand the words they had just heard.

 

But I had already figured it out.

 

“Y-you…. No way…”

“Myde Mohan. My last colleague. The one who saw me for the least amount of time but doubted me the most. You noticed me from the very beginning.”

“Hmm.”

“You were the most uncomfortable. Even so, it’s a relief. You always have a plan in place. You thought this would be your last fight, so you just ran into it? That’s not like you.”

 

He dropped rare potions that even nobles struggled to get their hands on straight to the ground.

They were sealed in magic containers, so they didn’t break even as they hit the ground.  

 

So, he stepped on them and crushed them.

 

Crunch.

Kyled rubbed his feet into the mud as if he was trying to crush a stubborn earthworm to death.

The potions were now too contaminated to work properly.

 

After seeing it, Neril was the second one to realize what was going on after me.

 

“Ha. Fuck.”

“……”

“Myde. Was this your intuition? Really?”

 

Her normally stoic face seemed amused by the situation.

 

Lissel coughed before shouting again.

 

“Kyled! What the hell is this? We don’t have any potions left…”

“You’re stupid until the very end, Lissel.”

“What?”

“In short, Myde was right. He was the one who saw straight through me.”

 

Kyled spoke with a grin.

 

“I said it before. The warrior has been dead from the beginning.”

“……”

“To be more precise, I killed him.”

“What the hell are you saying?! I don’t understand. Aren’t you a warri- uck.”

 

Lissel coughed up blood as he had put his whole heart into the decisive battle.

Kyled looked at him indifferently.

 

“You were completely fooled. So were the rest of you, the emperor and nobles waiting for our return, and the rest of the world.”

“……”

“Everyone except for Myde.”

 

Kyled looked at me with an expression that was far too friendly for the situation.

 

“Myde, before I kill you, can you tell me one thing? Why did you suspect me? My performance was perfect.”

 

I smiled.

Now I understood.

How he had committed crimes against 148 million people.

 

He had fooled everyone.

His crime was deceit.

 

So, I spoke the name I had wanted to bring up since the moment we met.

 

“Bion Kunje.”

“……!”

“Now I know. That’s the name of the real warrior you killed, right?”

 

Kyled’s face twisted.

 

“How… how do you know that name?” he cried in a fit of emotion.

 

“Answer me! Myde!”

“Answer me first. Only warriors can kill demons. That’s an irrefutable truth that has existed since the beginning of history.”

“……”

“In other words, the demon king is not dead yet. You are not a warrior.”

“……”

“You’ll be in trouble if you let your guard down. I don’t know what your end goal is here, but wouldn’t it be better to deal with the demon first?”

 

Kyled stared at me and shook his head.

 

“You said to kill the demon king. What harsh words,” he said in a low voice.

“…What?”

 

He turned around and reached for the demon’s body.

The demon’s chest had been deeply pierced by Kyled’s sword.

He thrust his hand inside the wound as if pulling something out of a bag.

Squish.

Then, he ripped out the demon’s heart.

It was the core of the demon king.

 

“As you said, only a real warrior can destroy this core. But I’d like to ask you something. Why do you have to break it?”

“……”

“With this core, we can control all the monsters on the continent. I’m going to use this effectively.”

“Effectively?”

“Look, Myde. A warrior needs a crisis.”

 

A smile hung on his face.

 

“When the devil is dead and the world is at peace, there is no use for a warrior.”

“……”

“The people will forget, and the appreciation they felt in their hearts will fade. After a few generations, our names will be nothing more than an old story used to put children to sleep.”

“……”

“I can’t let that happen. The continent! The empire! It must always be in crisis. Then I’ll be needed. My strength, the strength of a warrior.”

 

I thought I understood.

He intended to continue threatening the continent by using the core to wreak havoc.

And as a ‘warrior’, he would continue to solve each crisis.

 

In order to be revered forever.

In order to be loved forever.

 

Without thinking of how much blood would be spilled.

 

“It seems that none of the party members understand my deeper meaning.”

“Of course. You’re insane.”

“It’s regrettable, but this is the end. It’s fine even if you don’t answer my question. Once you all die, everything that happened here will be buried.”

 

I fiddled with my arms slowly.

It was good that I didn’t trust him until the end.

I had already prepared a solution.

 

“All right. I won’t answer you. But you have to answer me.”

“What?”

“What does this look like?”

 

In my hand was a communication bead.

A long-distance communication bead developed by Iori Otix, a grand wizard from the past.

 

The eyes of the self-proclaimed warrior widened.

 

“I have never trusted you, so I came prepared.”

“Th-that…”

“This bead is connected directly to all the nobles on the continent, including the emperor, as well as various guilds. I’m sure they all heard your confession just now.”

 

After I spoke, I hurriedly pulled out an extra potion.

I had lied when I said I didn’t have any items left.

I had hidden it because I wanted to see what would happen with Kyled first.

 

“Everyone, drink this.”

“M-myde.”

“Drink this and get up. You didn’t come here and just count on Kyled, right?”

 

Everyone’s eyes were full of venom.

They hurriedly drank the golden potion and rose to their feet.

The tables had turned completely.

 

Even if he was a warrior…… no, he wasn’t a warrior now.

Anyways, no matter how monstrous Kyled was, it was foolish for him to assume he’d won.

 

“Ha. Myde. Myde!”

“Why are you calling me?”

“If it weren’t for you. If it weren’t for you everything would have gone just as I planned. I’ll kill you!”

 

The rejuvenated party members gathered behind me as if they had made a promise.

They didn’t turn to me as if they couldn’t bear to see my face.

They had always disliked me because I didn’t trust Kyled.

 

“If you want to kill Myde, you have to go through me first.”

“Killing him won’t be possible.”

“Ha. I can’t believe we’ve been following this guy around and calling him a warrior.”

“It’s time for your punishment.”

 

Kyled shuddered.

Neril looked at me with a bitter smile.

 

“You were right after all. I guess you do deserve your reputation.”

 

Well, it just happened like this.

There were ups and downs, but everything ended well.

 

Then.