“Do you know the tale of seven heroes?”

A memory of my childhood popped up. When I was four, mother narrated to me a lore she heard from her father, who heard from his ancestor.

“The story of the seven heroes who defeat the Demon King, right?” I said. “When the demon king was reigning down terror upon the world, seven heroes emerged and defeated him gallantly and saved the world.”

“Hmmm, that’s what you humans know.” The fenrir started the untold story with the praising of his lord.

Basically, when the Demon King Bael invaded, there was no hero, nor any prophecy. The people of Gaia were not ready to take him on. Humanity was weak and couldn’t stand against his immense strength.

“Conquering the world wasn’t a problem for our lord. But that was when he appeared. Summoned by humanity, to become strength of the people of this land, to become the hope of the mankind, was him. The Hero of Light, Ellen. His name was insignificant as we used to call him Otherworlder.” She continued. “Blessed by the goddess, he was immensely strong. And as he went on, he grew even stronger. And gained a lot of companions along his venture.”

“Uh-huh!” I nodded in agreement. The lore probably said the same thing. Except for mentioning the fact that the hero was an otherworlder. Anyway, it was not surprising to know that the hero was from another world as I had read a lot of Summoned Hero stories back in my past life.

“That’s probably what you’ve heard. But there’s more to it.” The fenrir resumed in a sombre tone, “Back in the dark, there was another hero. Same as the hero of light, was there another otherworlder. Noir, Hero of Darkness. He wasn’t weak but also not as strong as Ellen. They started their journey together but he was soon disregarded as more people joined the Hero’s Party.”  

I didn’t react to it in any way. Solemnly listening to it, I just sat there, determined to sit till the end.

“Filled with resentment and disappointment, he came to our lord and begged for way back to his world. He said he wanted nothing, that he didn’t care for this world which hath turned its back on him. He told our lord how he got accidentally caught up in the hero summoning, which perhaps was the reason for his undermining strength.”

“But our lord recognized his vengeful eyes. He gave him the peak of all demons, what they yearn for and fight for, a Demon Lord Seed.”

With the power of Demon Lord Seed, he grew rapidly. Combined with the <Hero> blessing, his strength multiplied precipitately.

He precipitously rose the ranks in the demon army, and assumed the seat of demon king’s direct servants in a short period of time.

He was strong, incredibly strong and was growing stronger with each step.

“It was then when things began to go south, when our lord ordered him to fight the heroes. To bring the heads of the people who were coming after him and also to test the current power level of the hero. We believed that he’d emerge victorious. But what followed was complete disaster.”

In a moment, a gloomy air filled the room. I gulped down a breath as I listened more intently.

“When he came back, without a word, he attacked our lord. And then a decisive battle followed. The lord accepted his sword and didn’t further question him. For, hours, days, they were at each other throats. They fought day and night and didn’t give in for a slightest second, as for them, it was a matter of pride. And no one interrupted their battle, for that, was a sacred duel.”

I could guess the outcome of the battle but I didn’t dare to break the atmosphere.

“The outcome of the battle… was no what we expected. The one standing ahead was the Dark Hero while our lord was down on the ground. The hero who our lord nurtured was the very one to kill him.”

I was stunned. I was sure that it’d be the demon king’s victory. But the Dark Hero? It was most unaffected of the outcomes. Weren’t it the seven heroes who defeated the demon king and saved the world? Was the lore I heard all a lie?

While I was wondering over such questions the fenrir continued again.

“Since he was already a member of the demon army, he was readily accepted as the next head. His public display of power overturned any rebellious thoughts anyone had and we naturally pledged fealty to him. But what he did was incomprehensible. He disbanded the army and ordered us to never come in his sight again…”