Boreas POV

"Wassup man, long time no see."

"I DID NOT CRY LIKE A COWARD!" he shouted

"But I did beat you."

"You got lucky."

"Lucky? We're both chosen by the goddess, not only that, you came at me with a truck and a weapon...It's quite sad that you went after an inexperienced fighter and...lost? All I hear is...Skill issue."

"You little-"

Before Craven could launch himself at me, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the clearing of the ruin. The goddess materialized out of the light and reached out to seize him by the collar, holding him back effortlessly.

"Let's not get all violent here," Lucille said, "You too, Boreas."

"Right, my plan worked like perfection. Mari, why is your mouth so wide?"

"Uh...ah...huh? She's...I can sense it..." Mari was flustered after seeing the 2.

Maybe her talk of being able to sense these kinds of things wasn't all talk, but that's good to know, I can use her as my danger alarm, if there's a dangerous enemy nearby and she says that we'll have to run, we'll run.

"Alright guys, now make magic and give me the sword."

"And why would I do that?" Lucille asked, "Your prayers have been nothing but-"

"Oh, so you killed me, brought me to this world against my will, and now you want me to work for it? Hell no! I had a decent life on the other side and now look at this...you didn't even ask what I wanted to bring along or what I wanted before sending me here. I could have asked for a smartphone or something."

"But y-"

"Hey, I'm not finished. Who the hell said I'm going to save this world for free? I ain't going to sacrifice myself and tell you in the afterlife that my greatest memory is becoming a memory, hell no."

"I understand your reluctance, but you have the power to make a difference here," she argued gently, "And if you succeed, you can have everything you desire. Wealth, fame, women, whatever your heart desires."

"And what if I don't succeed?"

"That's why I always summon heroes in a set of 3s."

"You expect me to risk my life, to put everything on the line, just to save a world that I never asked to be a part of? What kind of messed-up logic is that? As if a few material possessions are worth the risk of life and limb. Give me a break. I'm no hero, I ain't like this dumbass who can sacrifice his life for others, you think I'm happy here?! Do you?!"

"I...I don't know."

"What am I supposed to do? Just accept my fate?"

"...if you seal the demon lord...I'll send you home." Lucille offered

'That's not happening."

"What?! What do you want then?"

"YOU KILLED ME! I can't return back, they'll accuse me of faking my death or something, and I'm seriously not going to live my life with fake identities, and I literally can't just continue my life as if nothing's going on...what about the people I've cared about, what about them? I can't just see them the same way, they'll age by then, while I look like this...not everyone wishes for this, all you could have done was give us a warning.

"Just simply let me know so that I can give my goodbyes, but I didn't get that chance, I'll never get that chance. I like my new parents and all, but how will they react if their son ain't even really their son, that's a secret that I can't bear alone, so you either give me an overpowered sword, or you grant me an ability that's going to help, because clearly, you chose the wrong guy."

"Hell no she isn't, and she can't." Craven replied, "The goddess cannot directly interfere with this world's affair, it's why the demon lord can never die, it was a curse placed upon her, and it's her curse to kill people like you so that you can help her accomplish her goals...that's why I serve her, to lessen her guilt of killing people, do you think that I was the first set?

"It's far from it, the heroes have continued to seal the demon lord for centuries...and it'll continue forever because no group of heroes is powerful enough to eliminate them, and the goddess can't send anymore, so the one who is suffering more here is her and not you."

"Cool motive, still murder...so she can't do anything?"

"She can't...as for the sword...the only ones who are worthy...they have to be willing to sacrifice themselves for others...you clearly don't fit the criteria...I don't know why she called you here in the first place, you're no hero."

"I'm not...but let me tell you something before you leave...I'll do something you all can't...I'll kill that demon lord, I'll do it so no one else has to be ripped away from their lives as I have...do you think what you can offer me makes me want to just magically save the world? People may wish to live in a fantasy world but to me...Magic? Harem? I just wanted a cookie! I care for none of this."

"So...you are a hero?" Mari asked as soon as we got back to the boat

"I'm not."

"But the goddess must have seen something within you to send you here, nothing she did was without a purpose or reason."

"Look, I'm going to kill the demon lord and save this world, but I'm also doing it my way."

"And what's your way?"

"To always win, I'll aim to win by picking fights I know I can handle. Otherwise, I'd run and return back on another day."

"Isn't that cowardly?"

"Sometimes, it's better to survive a coward than die a hero, a coward will have a chance to make up for it on another day, while a hero doesn't."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Find the others, the 2 who are actual heroes."

"What will you do then?"

"Who knows...but I'll be sure to make use of everything in my disposal."

Lucille POV

"Why'd you get him? He's clearly not the type." Craven remarked

"He is...it's just that he changed after his parents died...he sacrificed everything and lost everything..."

"You talked like as if he's a former fighter, he grew up in a relatively safe world."

"His instinct for survival is better than anyone else, that's why I chose him...and the other trait...it's that, unlike the others if he has to...he can kill...a trait that no heroes possess."

"So he's an outlier..."

"Yes...in a way, I've pushed him into a path that I wanted him to walk...to kill the demon lord...we'll all have some peace if that happens."