A Hero’s Predicament

I am Lu Ren. Having made the grave mistake of killing the Hero, I was now compelled to inhabit her body, becoming the new Hero myself.

The Hero—a noble position indeed. On a personal level, one must be disciplined, responsible, and compassionate, ever ready to aid the weak. On a national level, they must heed the call of the country’s leaders, obey commands, prevent war, and rescue the people from dire straits. On a global level, they possess power second only to the gods, capable of battling the Demon King, a menace to all living beings… It was, undeniably, a grand and lofty concept.

However… this was clearly a high-risk profession! While it might earn the reverence of the world’s people, it also made one a thorn in the side of every evil force! Humans, monsters, even demi-humans—there were always those who sought to kill the Hero!

It felt like walking alone down a street teeming with countless snipers, constantly at risk of being targeted by a laser dot! Though I had no idea what a sniper was! It was just a spontaneous metaphor!

Just as the Village Chief had said—[With great power comes great responsibility, and even greater risk!] (He hadn’t actually said that!)

And so, I began to converse with Key in hushed tones.

“Key, could I possibly…”

“No,” Key flatly refused before I could finish. “I know you’re afraid, but you have to accept it. Besides, how should I put it, the world might never find another otherworldly soul quite like yours.”

“Then, Key, could I…”

“No, you cannot reveal the truth. You are Hero Emily now! If news of the old Hero’s death spreads, the monsters will undoubtedly act immediately and provoke war!”

“Key, I just wanted to ask, could I possibly…”

“No! You are the Hero! You must go and subjugate the Demon King! Don’t even think about staying in Newbie Village!”

My hands trembled as I hugged myself, my small feet rubbing together helplessly. A large snot bubble dripped from my nostril, and I was on the verge of tears from sheer grievance. “Key… I just wanted to ask if I could put on some clothes… It’s autumn now, and it’s really cold, achoo!!”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner…” Key looked at me, speechless.

“You wouldn’t let me speak, alright!”

“Quickly, get some clothes!” Key shouted towards the Village Chief.

“Oh, oh, oh! Understood! Tailor! Bring the finest clothes for the Hero!” the Village Chief yelled to the crowd.

The Tailor heard him and immediately sprang into action, bumping into several villagers along the way.

“Achoo, thank you…” I exhaled onto my hands, rubbing them together repeatedly.

Honestly… Key’s excessive explanations… it was clear she was dead set on me being the Hero! She had crushed every last shred of my hope… A Hero, huh… my ordinary assassin’s life… it was probably gone for good…

Just then, the Village Chief scratched his head, looking puzzled, and asked us, “Esteemed Hero, noble Elf, forgive my intrusion, but I just overheard something by accident. What did you mean by ‘news of the old Hero’s death’?”

The Village Chief, being the closest, had actually caught a bit of our whispered conversation… That Elf and her unnecessary explanations! Now look! This old man heard it! And he happened to hear the most crucial piece of information!

I looked at Key, and Key looked at me.

“You explain.”

“You explain.”

Holy hell, did we have to be so in sync?!

“Ahaha, I’ll explain then!”

“Hehe, I’ll explain!”

Damn it! Where was the coordination?!

“Huh?” The Village Chief scratched his head, looking a little bewildered.

“Village Chief, it’s like this!” I grabbed Key, covering her mouth. “The ‘old Hero’ we spoke of was the previous generation’s Hero! She died countless years ago!”

“Ah… does this news of death have any implications for war?”

Damn it… Village Chief, you old fogey! What good was asking about national-level matters like this?!

“Village Chief, you wouldn’t know how the previous Hero died—she choked on her food. If news of her death reached those demons, the consequences would be unimaginable!”

“How so unimaginable?”

Just stop asking already…

“Because, if the demons found out, they would mock the Hero, and, well… they’d label the Hero, draw scandalous comics—Pfft, what are scandalous comics? I mean to say! If this news gets out, the Hero’s reputation will plummet! People’s morale will drop, low morale means insufficient food production, and per capita GDP will drastically decrease—wait, what’s GDP anyway?! Then soldiers won’t have food, and if they don’t have food, they’ll hold mass protests, sparking some sort of large-scale freedom movement, similar to overthrowing feudal rule, demanding democracy and science, and so on…” What was I even talking about?! I couldn’t make this up anymore! “In short, the interior will be in chaos! The demon army will launch a collective attack on people! This country! That is, the Kaste Empire! No, even the entire world will be plunged into war!”

Finally… I was done speaking, just a hair’s breadth from a complete mental breakdown…

Key was still struggling, her muffled sounds seeming to say… “Mph mph mph mph! (Translation: What on earth are you talking about!)”

“Oh… that sounds quite serious. Rest assured, Esteemed Hero, I won’t breathe a word of it!”

The Village Chief’s expression was grave; it seemed he believed me.

Key and I both let out a sigh of relief.

“However, Esteemed Hero, your way of speaking…”

Had he found a flaw?! Key and I tensed up again.

“It sounds quite a bit like Lu Ren. He also liked to use words and phrases we didn’t understand.”

Hmm… because I am Lu Ren.

“Lu Ren taught me that when we were camping that night…”

“Oh, no wonder,” the Village Chief nodded in satisfaction. “To be remembered by the Esteemed Hero, what a blessing for him, though it’s a pity he left so soon…” The Village Chief covered his eyes, bowing his head.

Village Chief… An inexplicable sadness welled up in my chest, even if it was a flat chest… I truly felt the Village Chief’s pain at losing me. In his eyes, I was the child he had raised for ten years, practically family… I was deeply grateful for his nurturing, yet I could do nothing. Because of Key’s demands, I couldn’t reveal the truth. I could only watch him now, as a stranger.

“Where will I find such a good dog, ah, no, such a good laborer again… A fool who works hard without food or pay, they truly are a rare breed these days.”

Village Chief, get lost, you old fogey, give me back my sentimentality!

“Here they are, Esteemed Hero! The clothes!”

The Tailor rushed over to me.

“This…”

A pristine white gown, vibrant bows, alluring lace… This…

“Esteemed Hero, this is the finest craftsmanship we have here, please forgive us…” the Village Chief said with an apologetic smile.

That’s not what I meant… Why was it a ball gown?! Such a flamboyant outfit…

I looked at Key, feeling wronged.

“You’ll get used to it,” Key said blandly, completely oblivious to the turmoil raging within me!

Aghast!

Yes, I, Lu Ren! Never before had my mental fortitude crumbled over a single matter!

Until today… I, I felt like dying!

“Milady, and the undergarments.”

The Tailor handed me a pair of white panties.

Fortunately, this era didn’t have bras, though I didn’t know what a bra was anyway…

With the Tailor’s assistance, I donned the women’s clothing…

“You look so beautiful, Esteemed Hero!”

The villagers couldn’t help but cheer loudly…

As for me… ‘Heh heh,’ I could only manage a fake smile, feigning composure…

Ah~~~ From this day forth, something called “dignity” simply walked away, vanished~~~