I Was Reincarnated As the Strongest Protagonist Who Would Eventually Become a Hero, But It Seems the Burden Was Too Heavy For Me - Chapter 17

Looking at the results alone,  you could say I had achieved something remarkable.

 

A mere fifteen-year-old boy took down a monster certified as an S-rank. As someone who knew the original work and setting materials of Legend of Spirit inside out, I was certain no character in this world had such a record.

 

But in reality, there was more than just the result; there was also the process.

 

And my heart was far from elated.

 

One village suffered great damage in this incident.

 

Around twenty people were injured.

 

And one person—died.

 

The one who died was apparently a girl who wasn’t even ten years old.

 

While I was fighting the dragon, she was attacked by a panicked monster and eventually crushed under a collapsing building.

 

So, even after defeating the dragon, the atmosphere in the village remained heavy.

 

Everyone kept quiet and began the minimum amount of reconstruction work.

 

The next day—-

 

“…She hasn’t woken up yet.”

 

I looked at Anita-san sleeping in bed in a quiet room.

 

I occasionally came here to check on her while helping with the reconstruction work, but she still hadn’t woken up.

 

“Luke-dono.”

 

The village chief came into the room and called out to me.

 

The village chief was a man in his forties. He was still young for a village chief, but it seemed he was given his current position because the villagers recognized his ability to make quick decisions and get things done. In fact, his skills in leading the reconstruction work were impressive.

 

“How is Anita-dono?”

 

“I’ve been using healing magic on her, but she’s still not waking up. She was hit by a pretty strong poison.”

 

“I see.”

 

After defeating the dragon, I immediately returned to the cave to look for Anita-san.

 

I found her collapsed where we had parted ways. Having taken the dragon’s breath head-on, she likely didn’t even have the strength to move. I carried the unconscious Anita back to the village and asked them to care for her.

 

After using Cure all night, her complexion was much better than it had been at first.

 

Her breathing was also getting calmer. She should wake up in a few more days.

 

“I’m sorry, but it’s about time I head out.”

 

I spoke to the village chief.

 

I would like to help with the restoration a little longer and bid Anita farewell.

 

But the entrance exam was drawing near. I couldn’t stay in the village any longer.

 

“Understood. We’ll take responsibility for taking care of Anita-dono.”

 

“Please. I would really like to help with the reconstruction a bit more, but…”

 

“You’ve already helped enough.”

 

The village chief smiled. 

 

“Thank you. We were saved thanks to Luke-dono.”

 

“…But I let someone die.”

 

“Without you, everyone would have died.”

 

The village chief said with a serious look.

 

“Hold your head high. You are this village’s hero. I’m sure the girl who died… wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

 

It was clear that he wasn’t just saying these words to comfort me.

 

While I was helping with the reconstruction work, I kept an eye on the villagers around me. But just like the village chief, they seemed to be grateful to me and Anita from the bottom of their hearts.

 

Desperately holding back the emotions I wanted to release, I looked at the village chief.

 

“Tell me the name of the child who died.”

 

The village chief’s eyes widened for a moment, but he answered immediately.

 

“Fina. Fina Hault.”

 

“Fina Hault, huh? I’ll never forget that name.”

 

“…You’re strong.”

 

The village chief let out a soft sigh.

 

“Please come to our village again. You’re always welcome.”

 

I shook hands with the village chief.

 

Leaving the hut, I headed towards the road.

 

“Onii-chan!”

 

A lively-looking boy called out to me.

 

He must have been helping with the recovery work. Covered in dirt, the boy ran up to me, his eyes welling up with tears.

 

“Thank you for saving my mother!!”

 

…Ah, I see.

 

This boy must be the son of the woman whose leg was pinned under the rubble. They shared the same hair color and features.

 

Taking in the boy’s gratitude, I left the village.

 

With the dragon having rampaged, there were no signs of other monsters in the area.

 

Making sure no one was around, I—

 

Let out a cry of grief.

 

“Aaaahhhh… Aaaaaahhhh!!”

 

She was dead.

 

I had let one person die.

 

I wasn’t supposed to allow any casualties. I’d already caused the death of someone important to me once… I was already far removed from the real Luke, and now I’d made another mistake that was unbecoming of Luke.

 

What kind of hero is that…!

 

If I were truly a hero, no one would have died.

 

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!!”

 

Wanting to punish myself, I slammed my head against the ground.

 

Blood from my forehead dripped onto the dirt, staining it red.

 

[C-Calm down! You did your best! You did well!!]

 

Salamander said, shaken.

 

[Sure, maybe it wasn’t the best outcome! But you defeated a named dragon, and not just any dragon—an upper-level dragon as well! You took down two S-rank monsters! That’s an unbelievable feat! You’re a true hero! There’s no reason to blame yourself!!]

 

Salamander was kind. That was why she always gave me words of comfort.

 

But I couldn’t let myself be swayed by that kindness.

 

No reason to blame myself…?

 

“No way!”

 

I shouted in anger.

 

“People died because of me! I was too weak to protect them! –I was the one who brought that dragon all the way to the village!”

 

[T-That’s not true!!]

 

Salamander spoke out loud.

 

[Listen carefully, Luke!! Without you, Anita would have died!! This village would have been destroyed too!! You kept the damage to a minimum!]

 

“That’s not true–“

 

[If we had left the dragon alone, it would have destroyed that village!! In fact, the first dragon we defeated wiped out all the neighboring villages, didn’t it? It was absolutely not a mistake for us to fight the dragon!]

 

Salamander had a point.

 

But I couldn’t accept it.

 

“But even so… I’m Luke…!!”

 

My soul was crying out.

 

I can’t accept this reality —the Luke inside me told me.

 

“Luke wouldn’t let anyone die!! Luke wouldn’t make anyone sad!! Luke must always be perfect! He must be the strongest man, someone who makes everyone feel safe just by being there!!”

 

I hit my forehead on the ground.

 

Blood and tears flowed endlessly.

 

[W-What exactly are you aiming for… Such an absurd thing is what you call a hero…? If that’s the case, then your way of life is far too cruel…]

 

I thought I was doing my best, but it still wasn’t enough.

 

What on earth should I do…?

 

Someone…anyone will do, please tell me…

 

“Luke.”

 

At that moment, I heard a voice calling out to me.

 

I turned around, and Anita was there.

 

–I’d been seen.

 

Luke never showed weakness.

 

He was always the passionate guy who led everyone, but now I had been seen like this.

 

I quickly pretended to be calm.

 

In front of her, I must always be Luke.

 

“Hey, Anita. Are your injuries—”

 

Before I could finish, Anita hugged me.

 

It was gentle and warm. But Luke shouldn’t want something like this.

 

But for some reason… I couldn’t pull Anita away.

 

“…So Luke, you can feel sad like that too.”

 

“No… It’s not like that…”

 

“I think it’s okay to be sad.”

 

Something dripped onto my shoulder.

 

It was Anita’s tears.

 

“Crying together like this… is important.”

 

Anita was crying too.

 

Just like me, she was blaming herself.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time… because I was taken out first…”

 

“No, it’s because I was weak…”

 

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop crying.

 

The image of Luke within me was slowly fading.

 

I knew I shouldn’t… but I continued to cry in Anita’s arms.

 

—Later, I would remember.

 

This event was a part of Anita’s past, a trauma mentioned in just a single line in the Legend of Spirit setting materials.

 

In the original story, Anita challenged the Poison Dragon alone, but as a result, she failed to kill the dragon, and an entire village was destroyed. She carried this trauma and would eventually meet Luke after he graduated from the academy.

 

No wonder I didn’t know about that village.

 

In the original story, it had been destroyed and didn’t appear.

 

As Salamander said, if I hadn’t been there, the village would have suffered much greater losses. The fact that it survived because of me was indeed true.

 

But so what?

 

If Luke in the original story had encountered this incident, he would surely have saved the village without a single casualty.

 

The perfect and strongest protagonist—Luke Venthema.

 

I have to be him.

 

I’m still weak.

 

I kept thinking that over and over again as I cried along with Anita.