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

  Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, I knock using the metal fitting on the door. When the doors open, the glowstones above illuminate the townspeople of the settlement, who turn their gazes toward us in unison. Braht and a couple of people his age, who I assume are his friends, approach us. He stops before us, then casts an eye on Seiya.

  “So? Did you defeat Bunogeos?”

  “No.”

  I can hear him grind his teeth after hearing Seiya’s swift reply. After that, he glances at the slave we brought.

  “Where are the other slaves?”

  “They were sold outside of town. She’s the only one I could save.”

  “Oh… I see…”

  Braht promptly grabs Seiya by the collar, pulls his face forward, and threateningly says:

  “And you call yourself a Hero!”

  Before I can even get a word out, the woman we saved speaks up.

  “Stop that! He saved me, you know?”

  Thereupon, Braht lets go of Seiya’s collar as if pushing him away.

  “Yeah, you’re right. He failed to defeat Bunogeos, and he came back with just one slave. What an amazing Hero.”

  Unable to sit back and listen any longer, I yell:

  “H-hey! Seiya doesn’t deserve to be talked to like that! He worked really hard to save her!”

  But the people around Braht throw Seiya haughty expressions.

  “Look at his head.”

  “It seems he ran away after Bunogeos gave him the beating of his life.”

  The next thing I know, we’re surrounded by other townspeople.

  “What a pathetic Hero!”

  “Worthless trash!”

  Once again, they begin hurling insults at Seiya. The tense atmosphere makes me anxious, but Seiya simply watches in silence. It isn’t long before Braht makes another demand.

  “Hey, Hero. Go back to the slave market, and this time, defeat Bunogeos.”

  But Seiya shakes his head.

  “No. I need to prepare.”

  “Go.”

  “No.”

  Braht’s pupils suddenly dilate. He widely draws back his arm, then screams:

  “It’s your fault the world ended up like this! You have no right to refuse!”

  But as he throws a punch…

  Wham! A powerful thud echoes throughout the settlement.

  “Hrblbrbl…?”

  The once abusive, threatening man makes a pathetic noise as his eyes roll back into his head. It makes sense, though—because the crown of his head connected with Seiya’s fist!

  “Shut up.”

  With those words, Seiya watches Braht foam at the mouth before collapsing to the ground.

  Wh-wh-wh-wha—?!

  My nose twitches and my mouth gapes and closes as I try to process what I just saw.

  “““Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!”””

  Braht’s friends yell in unison as if speaking my heart.

  “Y-y-you bastard!”

  “D-do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”

  “You couldn’t save the world, you couldn’t beat Bunogeos, and n-now you’ve raised a hand to Braht?!”

  But Seiya is unapologetic.

  “He was annoying. Talk shit, get hit.”

  He then stands before Braht’s men.

  “You guys are starting to annoy me, too.”

  He raises his fist into the air.

  Wham!

  “Urk!”

  “Wh-what do you think you’re—?”

  “And one for you.”

  Bam!

  “Oooof!”

  Whack! Crack! Thwack!

  Seiya uses his extraordinary strength to knock them down one by one, causing each to foam at the mouth as they lose consciousness. Eventually, a few older women come rushing over and stand in front of Seiya as if they can’t take the violence anymore. They’re the same women who said nasty things about Aria and me earlier.

  “H-how dare you!”

  “Yeah! None of this would have happened if you’d just saved the world!”

  “You should be ashamed of yourselves!”

  Wh-what is Seiya gonna do?! I mean, he’d never hit an old—

  Crunch!

  What a thud! I can’t believe what I’m seeing! The Hero’s fist is sinking into that old crone’s crown!

  “Eeeep?!”

  She lets out a pitiful scream and collapses to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

  “S-S-S-Seiya?! Don’t you think that’s overdoing it a little?!”

  “Y-yeah! We’re ladies, you know!”

  “And?”

  Whack!

  “Eeeek!”

  Another old lady hits the dirt. I can feel the blood slowly draining from my cheeks.

  I—I can’t believe him! I was kind of enjoying it at first, to be honest, though…

  But…no! This is way too much! It gives me chills!

  In the midst of the violence, I suddenly hear a new voice.

  “Mommy!! What did you do to my mom?!”

  It’s an extremely young boy. Apparently, one of the women Seiya knocked out is his mother.

  “Stupid Hero! You big dummy!”

  The kid spits out insults while peppering Seiya with a flurry of fists.

  S-Seiya, don’t…! You would never do something like that, right?! I know you! I know you’re actually a sweet guy deep down inside!

  Whack!

  “Ffff?!”

  The boy shares his mother’s fate as he’s delivered a swift strike to the dome. After his eyes roll into the back of his head and he falls to the ground, Seiya sputters:

  “Talk shit, get hit. No exceptions.”

  He doesn’t even show mercy to kids!! Wh-what’s next?! Stealing candy from babies?! What’s gonna happen now?!

  I shudder, the people of Little Light riot, and Seiya beats each head like a drum.

  “This is getting tedious. Everyone, line up for your knuckle sandwiches.”

  A man who appears to be in his forties standing before Seiya tries to explain himself.

  “I—I didn’t say anything! I-it was them! They’re the ones who were insulting y—”

  “Shut up.”

  Bam!

  “I-I’ve always thought you were handsome. You know, we should—”

  “Nice try.”

  Bam!

  “P-please forgive m—”

  “Nope.”

  Bam!

  Everyone tries to make excuses, but Seiya’s fists aren’t having it. Nevertheless, I’ve seen enough.

  “Seiyaaaa! Stop! That’s enough!!”

  Bam!

  “Ohwee…?!”

  I take a powerful fist to the pate. My eyes roll back in my head, and I start to lose consciousness but somehow manage to stay awake.

  “H-h-heeey! Why did you hit me?!”

  But Seiya doesn’t even seem sorry. If anything, he’s glaring at me like I’m the enemy.

  “…Rista.”

  “Huh?! Y-y-yes?!”

  Though he never really shows his emotions, Seiya’s face is bright red.

  “I am heavily regretting everything thus far. Trusting you in the spirit world and letting you into the Summoning Chamber were huge mistakes. Because of that, I have to fix this world’s problems without even getting a chance to prepare properly.”

  Eek! H-he’s pissed! Please don’t tell me he was angry because of me and took it out on the townspeople!

  “The plan was to raise my level in the spirit world until I was at max level. Then I was going to ask Aria to help me train and learn some new abilities before coming here.”

  A tense, rage-induced atmosphere flows through the air. I decide to apologize for now.

  “I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Seiya…!”

  As I sincerely lower my head, Seiya insists:

  “No, Rista. This isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”

  “S-Seiya…!”

  Thank goodness! I knew he was a nice guy! It looks like he’s already forgiven
me! But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised! Our destinies are tied together by the red thread of fate and— Aaack?!

  Seiya clenches his teeth like an ogre.

  “This is all my fault for being so soft! I should have never trusted something like you!”

  “‘Something’?! Are you referring to me?!”

  “What else would I be talking about?”

  His eyes are as cold as ice, just like they were back in Gaeabrande.

  “W-wait, wait, wait! Seiya! Hold on! Have you forgotten the deep bond we had in a past life—?”

  “Save it. We may have been lovers in a past life, but that doesn’t mean we need to be together in this one. Besides, you’re a goddess, and I’m a human. It’s not even up for debate.”

  “S-Seiya?! Tell me you’re joking!”

  “I’ll continue saving this world, but only because of our past and unfortunate bond. But don’t get the wrong idea. This isn’t love. It’s my duty.”

  “‘Unfortunate bond’…! ‘Duty’…!”

  H-h-he’s doing it again! He says that, but I know deep down inside, he really cares about me!

  I use Appraise to check how he really feels about me.

  RISTA’S LOVE APPRAISAL

  -Your love rating with Seiya:

  2 points

  -Seiya thinks you’re:

  a parasitic weed.

  -A tidbit of advice:

  He feels nothing for you. The relationship is almost unsalvageable. You should think about breaking up soon!

  …?! Ahhhhhhhhh! His feelings for me are completely goooooone! He thinks I’m no better than a parasitic weeeeeed!

  In utter shock, I approach Seiya as if walking on pins and needles.

  “N-no…! This can’t be happening! Everything was so perfect…!”

  “Get away from me.”

  “Think back to all the wonderful days when we got along!”

  “It’s a dark past that I’m trying to forget. And how many times do I have to tell you to get away from me? If you get any closer, you’re going to get much more than a fist.”

  “I’m not going to stop!! You’re mine, Seiyaaaaaa!”

  I leap to embrace him when…

  “Gwfff?!”

  I take a blow straight to the cheek! Then, without missing a beat, he buries a knee in my solar plexus.

  “Gwah?!”

  I take an elbow to the right breast.

  “My boooooob?!”

  He punched me, kneed me, and smashed my boob—the menacing three-hit combo drops me.

  “Mn…errr…ahhhh!”

  As I lie on the ground in agony, Braht somehow manages to recover and stands by my side.

  “Wh-what a monster! He won’t even hesitate to hurt one of his own! G-Goddess! Are you okay?!”

  It was so violent, even Braht starts to feel sorry for me. But…

  Th-this boob pain…! Heh-heh-heh! This sure brings back memories! This actually looks like it fired him up! At the very least, this beats seeing him being a wimp! This is what makes him one in a billion! This is Seiya Ryuuguuin, the surly, ill-mannered, overly cautious Hero who saved Gaeabrande! Heh-heh-heh… Ha-ha-ha-ha!

  “Heh-heh… Ha-ha-ha-haaa!”

  “…?! How can you laugh after he did that to you?! You’re both sick!”

  Braht backs away from me. Meanwhile, Seiya glares at the people of Little Light.

  “Now…who’s next?”

  “Aaahhhh!”

  The townspeople fall into despair when…

  “Hero, that is quite enough.”

  A young yet firm voice can be heard nearby. Everyone looks in its direction to find Eich, the Earth Mage and creator of the underground settlement. With a slightly downcast gaze, Eich continues.

  “Deep down, they understand. They know that this is really not your fault but the Demon Lord’s. Even so, everyone has lost friends and family, and the only way they can cope is to take out that frustration on you.”

  “E-Eich!”

  Someone stammers her name. When I look into the crowd, I even see people crying.

  “Besides, Hero, you made a vow. Perhaps you don’t remember it, but you made a promise to me as well…”

  Gazing up at the glowstones glittering in the ceiling, Eich says:

  “‘I will defeat the Demon Lord and save this world.’ However, you lost to the Demon Lord and were killed along with my b-brother…”

  The tears fall to the earth. Eich, who had been acting so mature, begins sobbing just like any other girl her age.

  “Sniffle…! Colt…! Colt…!!”

  “Eich…!”

  I, the people of Little Light…everyone helplessly watches as she weeps. Seiya, on the other hand, looks almost appalled.

  “He promised to defeat the Demon Lord? What an idiot. He got carried away and let his emotions get the best of him, and look how that turned out. Vows need to be based on carefully constructed plans with perfect and certain chances of victory.”

  “No, um… That was you who made that vow,” Braht asserts timidly.

  “Don’t look at me. That was me, yet it wasn’t. And since I don’t know how strong the Demon Lord is, I won’t be able to make any rash promises like saying I’ll save the world.”

  Everyone knows the reality of the situation, but being forced to face it only brings gloom. As the heavy atmosphere pervades the settlement, Seiya approaches the sobbing Earth Mage.

  “But there is one thing I can promise.”

  Standing before Eich, Seiya raises his hand in the air.

  “S-Seiya?! Don’t! She didn’t do anything!”

  The townspeople start yelling at him as well.

  “You better not lay a hand on her!”

  “If you want someone to punch, punch me!”

  The Hero’s hand comes crashing down like a meteor. Eich faintly gasps as she tightly closes her eyes. However…Seiya simply places a hand on her head. While looking down at her with a penetrating gaze, he continues.

  “Eich, I am going to make my first real promise to you today.”

  “A real…promise…?”

  With Eich’s halting query, a powerful aura of ambition radiates from the Hero’s body. The people of Little Light forget their anger as they look at Seiya.

  “No matter what happens, I’m going to free this town from Bunogeos’s reign.”

  CHAPTER 8

  A New Class

  After making his emancipation declaration, Seiya heads straight to Enzo the Baptist, who can change classes. I nervously follow behind.

  “Oh, look what the cat dragged in. Interested in changing classes?”

  The old man Enzo broadly smiles, missing most of his front teeth.

  “Yeah. I have something I need to ask you first, though. Will I be able to change back to my original class after changing to a new one?”

  “You sure can.”

  “You better be telling the truth…unless you don’t mind losing an appendage.”

  Enzo’s smile instantly disappears.

  “Heh. You’re one scary kid. Not saying what appendage I’d be losing makes it even scarier. But I’m telling you the truth. Just come to me, and you can return to your original class.”

  “I have another question, then. When I change back, do I keep the skills I learned?”

  “No. Once you return, you forget whatever moves you picked up. But, well, you can use them again if you go back to that class.”

  Seiya continues interrogating Enzo about changing classes after that. He seems to be interested, but personally, I’m conflicted. What kind of job would he switch to that’d be better than a Spellblade? It’s an advanced class, after all. In Seiya’s case, he’d be able to equip two classes if he gave up his Spellblade categorization, but he’d lose powerful moves like Phoenix Drive and Phoenix Thrust…

  “These are your choices as of now.”

  Enzo points to the available classes.

  Monk, Lancer, Mage (Wind, Lightning, Earth), Merchant, Seer, Jolly P
iper.

  Hmm… Looks like he has an aptitude for many different jobs. Oh, hey! There are even throwaways like Seer and Jolly Piper! Ha-ha-ha—ack! This is no time for joking around! He needs to defeat Bunogeos… So how about going with Lancer? He might be able to learn a powerful thrust attack like Phoenix Thrust. For a second, he should probably go with Mage. I wouldn’t mind if he stuck with Fire, but Wind and Lightning might not be so bad, either.

  But Seiya says to Enzo:

  “I’ll start with Mage—an Earth Mage.”

  “What?! Earth magic? You mean just like Eich?”

  The unexpected choice takes me by surprise, which catches Seiya’s attention.

  “Huh? You’re here?”

  “Of course I am! Are you seriously still mad?! You already hit me, kneed me, and smashed my boob, so I think it’s about time you forgive me!”

  “Whatever. Just stay out of this.”

  “But you’re choosing earth magic. It’s not good for offensive spells. I mean, I’m sure there are spells you can use to break the ground to hurt the enemy, but it’s not something you choose over powerful fire spells.”

  “Just shut up. Earth Mage is going to be my secondary class. My primary class is going to be something else.”

  Oh! He’s going to choose something like a Lancer, which specializes in offensive abilities, and use the earth magic as backup! Well, if that’s the case, then…

  The instant I expel a relieved sigh, Seiya says to Enzo:

  “I want my primary class to be Jolly Piper.”

  “…?! You’ve gotta be kidding me! You’re gonna play the flute?! You’re joking, right?!”

  Seiya continues the conversation in spite of my astonishment.

  “Jolly Piper as your main job and Earth Mage as your support job, eh?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Wait, wait, wait! Hold up! You are not picking Jolly Piper! It’s not happening! Besides, your stats are going to lower exponentially if you choose that as your main class!”

  Seiya’s attack and defense are higher than average because he’s a Spellblade, which is an advanced class. If he chooses a throwaway job like Jolly Piper, all of his attributes will suffer. And yet…

  “You’ve got it, kid… Class Change!”