The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 268 Walking as an adventurer

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

"…Huh?"

Amidst everyone's surprise, Nina looked bewildered, not quite understanding the situation.

"Um… Excuse me?"

"Huh!?"

The waitress gave us a strange look.

"Oh, no, it's nothing! Everything's fine."

"I-is that so? If there's anything else you'd like to order, please feel free to let us know."

The waitress smiled and disappeared into the back.

"Phew…"

If someone had overheard the conversation just now…

It would be bad for the heart.

"Um… Can everyone quiet down a bit? I understand the feeling of being surprised, but because of the nature of the matter, I'd rather not have others overhear."

"Y-yeah, sorry…"

"But, well, it can't be helped… Rain becoming the next hero and all…"

"When did that happen?"

"And what about Arios? There are too many things I don't understand."

Everyone looked puzzled, and seeing that, I tilted my head too.

"Huh? Didn't I mention it?"

"Don't mention it! I don't know anything."

"I know Arios got caught, but as for the hero… Oh, right. We haven't talked about that yet."

Along the way, we were almost set up by Arios, everyone got caught, and I forgot to mention things like me having the blood of a hero.

It's a good opportunity to talk about it.

That I have the blood of a hero.

Arios lost his qualifications as a hero and was imprisoned.

And that the king asked me to become the next hero.

I explained all of that.

"Pha… Rain has the blood of a hero… amazing."

"I see. So Rain's incredible taming ability is because he has the blood of a hero. That makes sense, and I understand now."

After hearing my story, some nodded in understanding…

"All right!!! That idiotic hero finally got caught! And he's even in prison! Serve him right!"

"Should we bring him some snacks? It would be so funny to tease him with his favorite food in front of the cell and not give it to him, just eat it right in front of him."

Some laughed at Arios's arrest…

"Nya… Rain as the next hero… amazing, really amazing!"

"Indeed, this is quite an accomplishment. Sora is very proud to be Rain's familiar."

Some were genuinely impressed.

"Hey, hey, so are we going to be a hero party from now on?"

"Hehehe, we might be asked for autographs. Yes, practicing our signatures might be a good idea from now on."

"I don't like attracting attention, but… well, being respected doesn't feel too bad. Hehe."

Everyone indulged in various fantasies.

I feel sorry for dampening the mood, but…

"Oh… I said it earlier, but I refuse if it's about being a hero."

Silence.

And then…

"「「「「「Why!!!?」」」」」"

In perfect harmony, everyone widened their eyes in surprise.

... By the way, Nina looked confused and maintained her usual pace.

"Excuse me, um, customers?"

"Hahaha, i-it's nothing. Really, nothing at all. Please don't mind."

"Sigh..."

While somehow deceiving the waitress, I gestured to everyone to keep it quiet.

"Let's try to keep our voices down since we can't let others hear this kind of conversation, okay?"

"B-but... why? You have the chance to become a hero, why would you refuse? Hey, why?"

Kanade asked with a puzzled expression. The others seemed equally confused.

Well, I can't say I don't understand the sentiment. Going from a regular adventurer to a hero is an unbelievably huge promotion. Normally, one wouldn't refuse.

However...

"Umm... it's hard to put my current feelings into words."

But I want to face everyone properly...

In awkward words, I began to articulate my feelings one by one.

"I've talked about this with Kanade and Tania before... If there's something I can do, I want to do my best. I want to try everything. That's what I thought, but... I still don't think I have enough determination."

"Huh? Determination?"

"The determination to go on as a hero, that sort of thing."

I became a hero. My goal is to defeat the Demon Lord.

...It's not such a simple story.

The qualification of being a hero is heavy. Incredibly... probably even heavier than I imagine.

I have to accept the expectations of the people...

Basically, failure is absolutely not allowed.

And above all, a hero must prioritize the hero's mission.

For example, saving the lives of comrades or taking the life of the Demon Lord.

In a situation where it's an either-or scenario...

Without hesitation, I must be able to deal a fatal blow to the Demon Lord.

That's what being a hero is all about.

"I... haven't reached that level of determination yet. When the time comes, sacrificing everyone... I just can't imagine doing that."

"While that might be an extreme scenario, Sora thinks..."

"No, it's not necessarily that extreme. You know from the recent incident that we don't know when we might end up in a difficult situation, right?"

"Ugh... Well, that's true..."

"And if we fight the Demon Lord, danger is unavoidable. Forcing such a fight on our comrades is like sacrificing them... Honestly, I find that a bit hard to accept."

"Rain is too kind. You don't need to worry about us that much."

"I can't do that. You're all important comrades to me."

If I could, if I had that power...

I want to defeat the Demon Lord and bring peace to the world.

But when it comes to imposing danger on my comrades for that goal, I inevitably hesitate.

If you say it's naive, I can't argue. But...

For me, they are truly important comrades.

As important as my own life... No, even more so.

"Aren't you worrying too much, Rain? It seems like you're overthinking the hero's mission. That's what I think."

"Well, it might be true."

"Maybe you should think more casually?"

"I can't do that. I have to think it through properly and face that responsibility... Otherwise, I might end up like Arios."

"Ugh... T-that's unpleasant. It's incredibly persuasive, though."

"I guess?"

I said it half-jokingly. Tania chuckled.

"And, there are things that only adventurers can do, I think."

"Huh? Like what?"

"Normal... quest, right?"

"Nina, close but no cigar."

"Too bad..."

"Does that mean... requests?"

"Well, almost. You're pretty much right."

It somehow turned into a quiz format without me realizing.

"As a hero, you can't take normal requests anymore. If heroes easily accept requests, everyone would start relying on them... Also, if you have time to do that, you should continue the journey to defeat the Demon Lord."

"Well, that's probably how it is. Heroes are like that."

"In that case, there might be people who need help but can't get it. I don't like that... I really don't."

"Yeah... Rain is that kind of person."

"I think that's a good thought. We like that about you."

Nina and Tina smiled in agreement with my thoughts. The others also nodded in a similar manner.

Being together with everyone...

Thanks to their presence...

I can confidently move forward.

Comrades are not just those who fight together.

Being together supports each other's hearts. I felt that strongly once again.

"So, I decided that I want to continue being an adventurer who can help people around me, rather than a hero who saves the world. That's my answer."

"I see... Yeah! That's a very Rain-like answer. I think it's good."

Kanade agreed with a smiling face. As if signaling that, the others also nodded.

"Of course, if a full-scale war with the Demon Tribe starts or something like that, I intend to do my best there too."

"But, if Rain refuses to become a hero, won't there be a vacancy? Is that okay?"

"There's no problem. The next hero candidate isn't just me; there seem to be others."

"Oh, I see... The next one won't turn out to be another trash hero, right?"

"Tania, don't say that... Well, I can't deny it, and I actually agree."

"Rain says the same thing."

They exchanged amused glances.

"You don't need to worry about that. The king is wise, so he won't repeat the same mistake... He'll consider various measures. Well, it won't be decided immediately since someone here refused."

"Because someone here refused, it won't be decided right away!"

"...Don't say that."

In response to Luna's pointing out, I made a bitter face...

Seeing me like that, everyone laughed.

TL Note- Who says adventurers can't be heroes?

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