The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 3 Read online

  “I don’t think it matters how much HP I have, but…sigh. You’re one cautious goddess.”

  What the…?! I—I can’t even describe how annoying it is being called “cautious” by Seiya! The old Seiya would have immediately healed himself even if he had lost only one HP!

  Regardless, it looks like he gave up trying to leave. Instead, he’s busily looking out the window.

  “H-hey, if you’re gonna keep looking out the window like that, do you think you could be a little more subtle about it? Someone’s gonna see you if you keep sticking your head out the window.”

  I watch the reckless Hero with bated breath until his eyes light up as if he found something.

  “There’s a new beastkin.”

  “What…?”

  I approach the window and slowly peek outside. Just as Seiya claimed, a massive beastkin boldly stands with his arms crossed before the group of monsters walking their naked human pets.

  He looks twice as big as the others. He’s stout, with the horrific face of a pig. Unlike the other unarmed beastkin, the colossal orc is wearing a steel breastplate. Every time he moves, I can see the giant ax-like weapon on his back. The orc’s imposing aura is clearly different from the others. He glares at the cat and dog beastkin.

  “What is wrong with you twooo? Ya need to take better care of yer slaves. Look how skinny those poor things are. Are ya feeding ’em enooough?”

  After the orc speaks in a drawling voice, the cat and dog beastkin look at each other before bowing.

  “F-forgive us, Lord Bunogeos.”

  “How many times are ya feeding them a daaay?”

  “I—I feed mine once a day…”

  “Meow… I only feed mine once at night as well…”

  “Ya numbskulls. Ya need to feed ’em three times a daaay. Make sure to give ’em a bath every once in a while as well. Neeever forget that it’s our job to make good slaves for the Demon Lord.”

  Despite his appearance, he seems to care more about the humans than the other beastkin. He must be a pretty high-ranking orc, given how the surrounding monsters respect him. He’s still an orc, though. I doubt he’s much stronger than his furry friends.

  When I casually use Scan just to make sure…I’m speechless.

  BEAST BUNOGEOS

  LV: 67

  HP: 338,547

  MP: 0

  ATK: 300,019

  DEF: 258,344

  SPD: 77,777

  MAG: 794

  GRW: 674

  Resistance: Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, Ice, Earth, Holy, Dark, Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Instant Death, Status Ailments

  Special Abilities: Dark God’s Blessing (LV: MAX), Total Magic Nullification (LV: MAX)

  Skills: God Chopper, Vacuum Shredder

  Personality: Short-tempered

  Th-th-this can’t be happening! He has basically the same stats as the powered-up emperor who Seiya barely managed to defeat! And Total Magic Nullification?! It seems we can’t count on using magic to damage him! Th-this can’t be real! Gaeabrande looks like a joke compared to this place! Common sense means nothing here!

  The naked humans being walked by the dog and cat beastkin appear to be adults. Their rib cages are sticking out. They’re filthy, and they look weak. They’re probably being treated like garbage. Tears roll down the woman’s face, and the man clings to the kind orc.

  “Oh, Lord Bunogeos! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

  The orc’s expression clouds over the moment the unclothed man touches his foot while expressing gratitude.

  “…Ya touched me.”

  “Huh?”

  “Ya touched me.”

  Suddenly baring his fangs, Bunogeos screams:

  “Ya filthy humaaaaaan! How dare ya touch me with yer shit-stained haaands!”

  “Eek!”

  The man yells and removes his hand, but Bunogeos has already lifted the giant ax on his back into the air. An ominous black aura radiates from the weapon.

  “Th-that’s Chain Destruction! He has a weapon that can destroy our souls, too?!”

  I shudder. The slave outside pitifully begs for his life.

  “Forgive me! Please forgive me!”

  But his words do not reach the reddened orc through his rage. Bunogeos mercilessly swings his ax, blood spraying as he splits the man in half.

  “Ahhhhhh!!”

  The woman screams before hiding behind her owner’s—the cat-faced beastkin’s—legs. As if her scream brought Bunogeos back to his senses, he suddenly puts on an embarrassed expression.

  “Whoops. Looks like I killed another one. Ah, whatever. There are plenty more where that came from.”

  After witnessing the terrifying event, the man to my side begins trembling with rage.

  “He’s going to pay for that.”

  Seiya’s usual calm expression is twisted with rage as he starts heading for the door.

  “S-Seiya?! Calm down! This isn’t like you!”

  “Someone was just killed right in front of me. There’s no way I’m going to sit back and watch.”

  “Listen, Seiya! If you go out there, you’re going to die! His stats were slightly better than yours, you know?!”

  “It’s fine. I can take him.”

  “Based on what?! Check his stats! Not even your beloved fire magic is going to do much damage to him!”

  “I saw his status, which is exactly why I feel I can take him.”

  “…Huh?”

  “Goddess, did you notice something when you saw his status?”

  “‘Notice something’?”

  Seiya lets out his usual “Hmph.”

  “Think back to his speed.”

  “W-well, it was lower than his attack and defense, so I don’t think focusing on his speed is a bad idea. But even then, your speed is only sixty-five thousand. All your stats are lower than his.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about.”

  Seiya gives me a piercing gaze, and I swallow air.

  O-oh! He must have a plan! Seiya always comes up with unbelievable strategies to defeat powerful enemies! He may have become more reckless, but he has still got a good head on his shoulders!

  “Tell me the strategy you came up with, Seiya!”

  Seiya smugly replies:

  “His speed is 77,777. In other words, a matching set of sevens. Plus, seven is a lucky number.”

  “…Huh?”

  “You get it now? …I can handle him!”

  “…?! Wait, hold on! What kind of stupid reasoning is that?! If that’s all it took to win, then everybody would be doing it!”

  I’m gonna win ’cause seven’s my lucky number! is something a stupid elementary school kid would say. I feel beyond disgusted and just want to cry. Regardless, the reckless Hero heads to the door.

  “I can’t let that pig get away with this. I’m gonna end him.”

  “Stop! You can’t! He’s going to kill you! Listen, Seiya! He has a weapon that can destroy our souls! Normally, the Hero will return to their own world if they die, but if he kills you, you’ll never be able to return to your world! You could die.”

  “So what? Death isn’t something to be feared. Death is an inevitable part of life, so why not face it head-on and accept it? All right, I’ve made up my mind. This is where I die.”

  H-how reckless can you get?! How am I gonna stop him now?!

  Seiya is worked up after seeing Bunogeos kill the slave. He heads for the door, paying no heed to my calls.

  “Stooooooooop!”

  I manage to attach myself to his waist, but he doesn’t stop.

  Ahhhhhh! Why?! Can things get any worse?! I’m starting to miss when he used to be overly cautious!

  “I’m not kidding! Stop! Pleeeease!”

  Driven into a corner, I scream and beg as tears flow down my cheeks. Seiya looks at me, then shows a hint of concern.

  “What’s wrong, Goddess? Why are you crying?”

  “B-because…sniffle…you won’t…sniffle…lis
ten to anything I say…!”

  Seiya scratches his head.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to trouble you. It looks like I got a little too worked up.”

  Huh…? S-Seiya’s apologizing?

  Seiya regains his cool and takes a seat on the floor.

  H-huh, I guess Seiya’s naturally just kind when his personality is reckless, unlike when he’s overly cautious…

  While I wipe away my tears, Seiya lowers his head to me.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever you think is best.”

  “Good. As long as you understand, then we won’t have a problem. Thanks, Seiya…”

  “Please forgive my behavior, Racetrack.”

  “…?! How many times do I have to tell you! It’s Ristarte! You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?!”

  I cried, got angry—I’m an emotional wreck.

  Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! I suddenly hear the floor begin to rattle, and my body starts to violently shake.

  “Wh-wh-wh-what’s going on?!”

  Thereupon, the floor in the corner of the room starts to rise until someone in filthy, tattered clothes comes crawling out.

  “A-an enemy attack?!”

  Seiya gets into a fighting stance, and I promptly hide behind him. But the filthy person simply stares. Before long, they remove their hood, revealing an old man with white hair.

  “Hurry. This way.”

  The old man points to the hole in the floor from which he came.

  “There aren’t any terrifying beastkin in here. Now, come. You must hurry.”

  The old man urges us to move, but I’m hesitant. I mean, he just randomly came crawling out from beneath the floorboards. There’s no way I can trust him that easily. But Seiya wastes no time.

  “He seems like a good guy. Let’s go.”

  “H-hold up! Seiya?!”

  I whisper:

  “Don’t you think this is just a little suspicious?! He came crawling out from beneath the floorboards! You shouldn’t trust people so easily!”

  “He could have jumped down from the ceiling for all I care. Everything starts with trust.”

  “Sure, but this is an SS-ranked world, so—”

  “It’s going to be okay. Look at that old man’s clear eyes.”

  I sense no hint of evil when I take a hard look at the old man’s eyes. If anything, they’re…

  As I hesitate, the mysterious visitor takes out a pendant of a cross that hung under his tattered clothes.

  “There is no need to worry. I am Luke, Galvano’s priest. Well, I was a priest until the town turned into…what I’m sure you saw.”

  The priest’s lips slightly curl.

  “I experienced a faint yet divine revelation a few days ago. The Lord told me that a Hero would appear in this ruined world to save it… And then you two appeared in this shack, which leads to our underground shelter.”

  Th-there’s a secret underground shelter below this shack?! That sounds a little too conven— Oh! Ishtar adjusted our starting point so we would end up in this shack! Then she gave divine revelation to this priest!

  Father Luke cheerfully smiles as he waves us over.

  “Now, come. Join me in our underground settlement, Little Light.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Little Light

  We follow Father Luke into the hole in the floor to find a staircase made from packed dirt. After heading a few steps underground, I hear a sound coming from above, and the opened floor begins to automatically close. Furthermore, the steps disappear from the staircase behind us as we continue to descend.

  “Is this…magic?”

  “Yes, this is Eich’s earth magic. There are a few other entrances to our underground settlement within the town, but they are made so that the beastkin won’t be able to come inside even if they find them.”

  It looks like they had some mage named Eich use their earth magic to create an entire settlement for humans underground. With just enough heat, earth magic can create vast underground caverns. However, you would still need the extremely rare and unique gift to do so. Father Luke regards my expression and smiles as if he knows what I’m thinking.

  “Eich is the younger sister of the legendary mage Colt. That’s why.”

  Colt…I’m pretty sure that was the name of the sorcerer who fought by Seiya’s side against Ixphoria’s Demon Lord…and was devoured by the Demon Lord just like I was in my past life…

  Every few steps, there is a light on the wall to the side of the staircase. Unlike lamps or torches, these lights are buried in the dirt and illuminated like glowing rocks. I can only assume they’re glowstones.

  While walking down what seems like an endless staircase, Seiya asks the priest:

  “Why did you decide to hide underground, though? Wouldn’t you be able to skip town if you used that earth magic?”

  “We cannot leave Galvano. As long as Bunogeos has the spell stone, any human who steps outside of the town will turn to ash. Regardless, even if we could escape, there is no place in Ixphoria where humans can live in peace.”

  “Oh! Maybe that magic item’s the reason we can’t return to the unified spirit world!”

  After explaining how there was a wall inside the gate, Father Luke tells me I’m probably right.

  “Bunogeos, the monster who holds the spell stone, was created after the Demon Lord took over the world and received the Dark God’s Blessing. He now works for the Beast Emperor Grandleon, who rules over this continent of Rhadral.”

  I’m taken aback by what I hear.

  “W-wait, wait, wait! Bunogeos isn’t the boss of this continent?”

  “Bunogeos only rules this town. The one who rules over the continent is Grandleon, a monster with powers that far surpass Bunogeos’s.”

  But Bunogeos already has better stats than the four generals in Gaeabrande! Is he telling me the ruler here is even stronger than that?!

  Oblivious to my concerns, Seiya bumps his chest with a fist.

  “Hmph. A worthy opponent.”

  “Oh, Chosen One! We are ever blessed by your presence!”

  The priest seems ecstatic, and…um…I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this Hero is all talk. He wouldn’t even be able to defeat Bunogeos in his current state. He’d be utterly destroyed. No doubt.

  “We have arrived.”

  The long staircase finally comes to an end, and we now stand before a giant double door. As if giving a secret signal, the priest thumps the door with the metal door knocker with absolutely no rhythm. With that, the door opens before us.

  “Whoa…!”

  I gasp in admiration as I gaze inside. The settlement is so vast that it’s hard to believe we’re underground. The high ceiling sports countless glowstones, illuminating the private houses lined up below. I can even see luscious green fields with crops in the distance. Seiya nods as if impressed.

  “Hmm. Impressive. It’s like an entire other town underground.”

  “We grow our own crops, and while they aren’t much, we’re self-sufficient. The food we grow isn’t exactly the healthiest, though, due to the glowstones being our only light source…”

  It appears everyone was told in advance that the priest was going to bring us here. Dozens of men and women of all ages line up before us. I smile and wave at them, but they don’t respond.

  “H-huh?”

  The people of Gaeabrande had great respect for the Goddess and Hero, but everyone here glares at us distantly. Just as I start to feel a little uncomfortable, a young man outfitted in steel armor emerges from the crowd and approaches us. He has short hair and a piercing gaze.

  “This is Braht, the leader of Little Light—”

  Even though the priest is introducing him, the young man continues walking straight for Seiya, then grabs him by the collar. In a threatening tone, he says:

  “That face… I knew it! You’re still alive?!”

  “Wh-what do you think you’re doing?!”

  The priest is taken aback as well.r />
  “Braht?! What is the meaning of this?!”

  Braht’s eyes are locked on Seiya, but he yells to the priest:

  “Father Luke! You don’t know?! This is the Hero who lost to the Demon Lord a year ago!”

  “What?!”

  Father Luke gasps. Braht then continues spewing hatred.

  “I hear that Colt and Princess Tiana from the Kingdom of Termine were killed by the Demon Lord as well! But the Hero ran away and went into hiding! And yet he has the audacity to show his face here like nothing happened?!”

  After I died as Princess Tiana, I was reborn as a goddess and spent the last hundred years in the spirit world where the flow of time moves more slowly. That’s why I look completely different from the Princess Tiana I saw in the crystal ball. But for Seiya, all this happened only one year ago. His appearance has hardly changed. In other words, everyone who has ever met Seiya will instantly recognize him.

  Braht violently pushes Seiya back.

  “Seiya?!”

  I rush over to help him up, but the other townspeople behind me start yelling as well.

  “H-he’s right! I saw the last Hero a year ago, and that’s the same guy!”

  “You’re right! Leave it to me, my ass! You talked a big game, but then you lost to the Demon Lord and Ixphoria was destroyed!”

  “It’s all your fault! My family is dead because of you!”

  Almost everyone in the settlement begins pelting Seiya with insults and complaints, and before I know it, we’re surrounded by people with clubs and rakes.

  Wh-what?! Not only are the abnormally strong enemies our enemies, but all the humans living in Ixphoria are as well?! I-is this what it means to be an SS-ranked world?! What’s Seiya going to do?!

  But Seiya looks back at me in a relaxed manner.

  “Hey, Goddess, is what these people are saying true? Have I been to this world before?”

  Keeping it a secret won’t help anything. I tell him the truth.

  “Yes… This is the second time you’ve come to Ixphoria, and the first time you came…you failed.”