Author’s Note: I decided to use Luxeria rather than Rukseria. Enjoy.

The Second Hero"s First Fight

My name is Amagi Kaito, a second year student at Takamagahara High School.

I"m a self-proclaimed normal male student but, by some mistake, I came to a different world and became a hero.

……To be honest, I"m frightened by all this. Right after taking the position of hero, it"s a bit odd to be saying this, but, I wondered just why did I become something like a hero?
………No, I have a huge power that is even greater than that of the people of this world.
Then, what"s the point if I don"t make that power useful?

I know that we, who finished getting our mana measurements done, have enough mana that even if these people called Imperial Court Magicians were to bunch together, they wouldn"t stand a chance, and they seem to be proud of that.
I"ve also heard that we"ll need to learn how to use magic to become stronger than anyone else.

That"s why I"ll fight. Because, I have the power.

「Hero-dono?」

Just as I was accidentally getting absorbed into my thoughts, I was stopped by a voice from behind me.

「Uhm……Rishe…san, right.」

「Please just call me Rishe. ……Are you moon gazing? Today certainly is a day with a good blue moon.」

Rishe-san is a female knight used by the country that summoned us called Rukseria. Being illuminated by the moon, her hair had a pallid shine to it.

…………A blue moon.

Just as Rishe-san had said, in front of my eyes, a blue moon that lit up the dark night was shining with a glitter.
It was something that wasn"t in our world, a clear difference. It made me realize that this was a different world, whether I liked it or not.

「……So you can"t sleep, is it?」

「Eh………How…did you」

From her words, I, who was caught up in a whirlpool of thoughts, was surprised.

That certainly was the case.

Akane and Sakuya, even Akira and Yashiro-kun are all probably asleep right now, but I couldn"t sleep for some reason, so I was taking a stroll in the castle"s courtyard.

Could it be because after the mana measurement, I became able feel the swirling magic within my body and that"s why I"m not feeling so well, or could it be―――

「You"re making eyes like that of a child who is restraining themselves on the day before their birthday.」

「Eh…?」

The knight who illuminated by the moonlit night showed me a smile.

「It would seem, that I was correct.」

I felt embarra.s.sed by her smile.

「Looks like it. ……Being told "because you have power, you need to fight" had me infuriated, but, in the end…………I"m just really excited about this. ……I mean, I"m a hero, you know. They"re so cool. Something like this, I"ve always wanted to be one!」

That"s right, I was excited. Sure, I was a bit confused about being called a hero, but, today, after gaining this supernatural power called mana, I had thoughts of wanting to use it.

Becoming a hero, saving the world………Something so immense, something that a normal human wouldn"t be able to do, it"s wait right before my very eyes!

「I"m just high-spirited just like a kid. Even though I"m a hero, I"m pretty lame, aren"t I……?」

I wonder if I"ve disappointed her? When I looked at this concerned girl, she laughed with a giggle.

「You aren"t lame, at all. ……When they are children, people will, without a doubt, hold the yearning to be a knight or a hero……pretty much those that show greatness. I"ll become a knight, I"ll be a hero! ……That"s what they yell.」

While looking at the blue moon, she continued.

「But you can"t become one just by yelling it out. By saying things like "I was a kid at that time" and denying your feelings from your past, from the time you were a child, you can"t possibly become one.
……Three years ago, I met the Priestess-sama that had fought alongside Hero-sama. Though I don"t really remember much about Hero-sama, I remember very well about Priestess-sama. I wanted to do something for a kind and warm human like her. And so, I aimed to be an admirable knight and hero that could protect that warmth.」

She turned and faced me.

「While I am still a novice, I became a knight. ……Without forgetting or denying my feelings. ……That is why, Hero-dono. Without denying the feelings you have now, please carry on, and become a hero.」

That is what she said and she smiled.

Right behind her, something had become warped.

「! Who"s there!」

Her voice that was so kind up until then did a complete 180 and yelled out in an unbelievably cold voice.

As if in response, out of nowhere, flames burst out.

「Fufufu, what a nasty greeting. Especially when I came here all alone and all.」

What had come out from inside of the flames was a longhaired girl who had crimson, incandescent hair that looked like flames.

It would have been fine if that was all to it. …..The paleness of the girl"s skin was increased after being illuminated by the blue moon.

「A demon!?」

Rishe drew the two-handed sword that she wore on her waist.
Then, Rishe"s words left me speechless.

So this is a demon!

I was embraced by an overwhelming sick feeling the moment that I saw that crimson haired woman. I understood that reason.

Humanity"s enemy. The one"s eating at this world………

「Correct. I"m known as the [War Princess of the Flame Axe] of the Demon Lord Army"s Six Blade Generals―――」

「Prepare yooourselfff!!」

Rishe started running faster than the demon woman could finish what she was saying. Gathering light onto her silver sword, it became an aurora sword, and using that, she swung at the demon woman!

「Kuhahaha! To come slashing at me while I"m in the middle of talking, you don"t need to become so desperate, you know.」

However, the demon woman made a halberd out of flames as if she just re-named it and stopped the swing with one hand.

「N, no way…My, magic clad sword was…!」

Rishe"s eyes were wide open from seeing her sure-kill technique being stopped so easily.

「Too easy, too easy. "That guy"s" move was something much more terrifying, you know? It"s really different even though it"s the same move!」

*Giin* As her sword is repelled back, Rishe used that to create some distance.

「I don"t feel like fighting to the death with other people right now. You should just be quiet.」

Her golden pupils shoot at me and Rishe.
And right when they did, my body"s freedom was taken.

「Guh! …Th, this un-seeable binding chain, you, you"re [Agniera the Convicted], aren"t you!?」

Rishe was boldly challenging her even while was in a condition where she couldn"t freely move.

That att.i.tude, wasn"t good.

「……Jeez, they really are rude, these things called humansー.
I"d really like you to stop it with that name. ……Or what? Do you have some kind of delusion that you"re on the same level as me?」

Bon. Together with such a light sound, Rishe"s head which was right in front of me burst.

「………Eh?」

「There"s only one person that I"ll allow to call me that, you little s.h.i.t. ……Ah~, jeez, even though I thought I"d be able to fight him after so long~. I feel terrible.」

As the demon woman grumbled irritated complaints, her gaze faced Kaito.

What the h.e.l.l is this? ……What the h.e.l.l is "this"?

Tumbling down right in front of me was a corpse that only had its head cleanly gone.
The gushing fresh blood told me that 《・・・》 was alive up until just now.

What the h.e.l.l………What the h.e.l.l!!

Saying, she"d become, a warm person, ……keep on carrying, your feelings……………

「Oi, you know about the "hero", right? If you want to stay alive, tell me where he is. I"ll go to him myself.」

Hero?

「……Were you listening to me properly? Human!」

…………Who is this hero?

Who was this hero, that defeated the demons, that defeated the Demon Lord?

「Ah? ……What"s with that look? ……I~ see, you"re also in the group that wants to die, aren"t you. ……Geez, facing against small fry before having a death match with him sure~ does kill my drive.」

In front of me was a dead woman, and the shaking human that I found suddenly glared at me with a really scary look.

It"s not like I was frightened or anything. A blood thirst of this degree doesn"t compare to "that guy".

It just p.i.s.sed me off.

Any humans other than him are trash. Small fry.
An inferior species.

That small fry scowled at me, openly showing his anger.

Well, I"ll just kill this guy in a snap. I really want to hurry and see him.

Thinking along those lines, my sight made a turn around.

「……Ahn?」

When I noticed, my vision expanded and the full starry sky and the blue moon were looking down at me.

Just when my vision glanced to the side, there was my "lower half" and, just like "his", that magic clad sword, was it?

The one who swung the luminous sword was, the human from before.

「……Hee, you"re pretty good.」

My irritation from before was blown away, and the pleasure was making my body shake.
This little small fry, struck back at me.

The human who surpa.s.sed her own imagination, Agniera became interested in him.

「The hero that you were talking about, was that about the previous hero………?」

「Ahn?」

The Demon Lord, who stood at the top of the demons. A human was looking her, one of Six Blade Generals that were the Demon Lord"s strongest subordinates.

「……I"m the current hero, Amagi Kaito. ………The one that will annihilate you demons.」

In that young boy"s eyes, hatred was carved into them.

「Hee. ………A small fry like you is a hero, you say……?」

The cut down demon woman laughed like she was having fun.

「What"s so funny………」

Forgetting himself in anger and controlled by his emotions, Kaito didn"t notice. The fact that not a single drop of blood flowed from the two halves of the body that was cut apart.

「It"s too much for you.」

By the time he noticed, he heard the voice coming from behind him.

「Wha!?」

In an instant, Agniera"s body, which only had the upper half tumble down, was engulfed in flames, and in the next second, the flames were extinguished.

「We demons carry the trait of being immortal. ……If you hold back like you did just now……you"ll die, you know?」

A burning-like pain ran on the nape of his neck. No, it was burning.

「Guh……Ugh!」

「How is it, my flame axe? Even though you haven"t touched it yet, it"s hot, isn"t it?」

As the blade of flames drew closer to his neck, it singed his skin.

(At this rate, am I, going to be killed?)

The heat that singed his skin gave a foreboding of death. He hallucinated a future where if the blade were to touch his body even by just a bit, his whole body would be surrounded by flames and be burned to death.

(No, I don"t want, I don"t want to die……I"m just a student. I"m, not a hero or―――――)

「……Kuhaha. You really are nothing like him. If I were to do something like this, I would have been the one to be killed.」

Saying that, Agniera pulled back the flame axe.

「!, Haa………haa…!」

He checked his burned nape. The pain stretched…it ran as if following after the blade.

「Hero-sama!」

「Kaito!」
「You alright!?」
「Kaito-san!」

As I cringed from the pain, familiar voices called out to me.

Luxeria"s Princess, Iris Claude Row A. Luxeria-san

My childhood friend, Akane, my kendo mentor, Sakuya, and my best friend Akira.

…………I"m, alive?

Hearing everyone"s voices, I finally realize the pain I"m in.

It hurts. I, right now, hurt.

I"m still, living.

「Ahーah, how weak. ……But still, I came here thinking I"d be able to see him but to think that the hero was a different person.」

Agniera rested the flame axe on her shoulder and looked down on the Second Hero that had fainted in front of her.

「Can he really be his subst.i.tute? ……No~pe, that"s impossible. There"s no one that can replace that guy……Yuuya.」

Giggling a bit, Agniera dismissed the flame axe.

Jyara jyara jyara jyara jyara jyara ！！

「……Ohh?」

Maybe they were aiming for the moment the equipment was removed, but out of nowhere, iron chains bound her body.

「This is……the Wedge of Sirius, Gleipnir………That reminds me, there was also someone in the human"s royalty that could use a powerful magic, wasn"t there.」

「Like this, it"s possible for me to strangle you to death. ……Why don"t I get some answers from you? First of all, give me your name. Then, tell me what a demon like you is doing here.」

The one that had stuck out their right hand was Luxeria"s princess, Iris, who was giving Agniera a strong glare while her golden thread-like hair was fluttering around.

To that princess"s words, without an ounce of offense taken, Agniera happily answered.

「My name is Flam. I am called the [War Princess of the Flame Axe]. Don"t worry, I have no intentions of starting a war. I just wanted exchange blows with the hero.」

Impatience started to show on Iris"s face as she heard Agniera"s answers.

「Did you think I wouldn"t notice the hero summoning? ……Well, I don"t really care about that. The problem is that fact that guy is a different person from the hero. The one that I wanted to fight was Yuuya Shirou. ……That"s about it.」

Whether she was finished or not, the Wedge of Sirius that had bound Agniera further tightened around Agniera"s body, and a part of the chain had tightened up until her neck.

「The top of the Demon Lord"s army, the Six Blade Generals………Right here, you will」

The princess of Luxeria planned to kill the Demon Agniera right there.
But,

「You sure are an idiot. ……I"m at the top because I"m so strong that I can"t be killed, you know?」

The Wedge of Sirius that could even bind up a G.o.d was burned off.

「Kuhahahaha! Mind telling that Second Hero something for me? ……Tell him "Become strong". ……Kuhahahaha, I"m looking forward to it.」

Saying that, Agniera disappeared in a cloak of flames and no one was able to stop her.