“...Hmm. It seems you’re no ordinary person.”
With those words, a beautiful woman emerged from the bushes, a dagger gripped in each hand.
Well, as far as first impressions of someone who probably came here to kill me go, mine was likely wrong—but it was the truth. She had vibrant, long green hair and eyes that glowed with a purple light. He was a handsome-type beauty, and he looked incredibly cool.
“You’re the one who looks like you have a death wish,” he said.
“You talk quite a bit for a monster.”
Monster? What part of my Licia looks like a monster?! I didn't say it out loud, of course.
“The nature of the Trial... I’m starting to understand it bit by bit.”
Trial? Come to think of it, those were the words written on the screen before I was sent here.
“H-Hey, what exactly is this Trial?”
“You...! You know of the Trial?”
“I don’t know if I ‘know’ it, but I heard the word before I was summoned here.”
“...I see. So you’re the Last Participant?”
I told him I didn't know what he was talking about.
“Sorry, but I have no idea what you mean by ‘Trial’ or ‘Participant.’”
“To put it simply, this Trial is to decide the Next Hero.”
Oh?
“You were chosen, bypassing the 11th Rank.”
“The 11th Rank?”
“The Hero Ranking—it is based on those standings.”
He was proving to be surprisingly talkative. Gratefully, the information was starting to come together. Normally, the Trial would be held among the Hero Candidates. However, this time, a commoner like me had been mixed in. Even though I now knew it was a Trial, I still didn’t understand the objective or the specific rules.
While I was lost in thought, I felt a tugging at my hem.
“...Luca, this woman is suspicious,” Licia said with a sulky pout.
Considering her behavior so far, was she feeling jealous?
“I think it’s okay, but—”
“Women like this are the most dangerous.”
Hmm. Based purely on appearances, he did look like an enemy executive, but he seemed like a decent enough person.
“Ah, that’s right. My apologies for earlier.”
He looked toward the spot between Licia and me, where his knife was still embedded in a tree.
“I thought the Trial was to hunt monsters that resembled humans and used language...”
This person was saying some pretty wild things. It seemed Licia’s wariness was justified.
“Um, can we go now?”
“Hm? Ah... no, if you don’t mind, why don't we travel together?”
I had a feeling that, at his core, he was actually quite kind.
“...Luca?”
“Licia, don’t look at me like that. He knows more about this place; wouldn't it be better to follow his lead?”
Licia let out a long sigh before turning to him.
“Listen. If you lay a hand on Luca, I’ll kill you.”
“I have no intention of causing harm. Right, Luca?”
“Why are you asking me...?”
And then...
“...Calling him by his name... I’ll kill you.”
“Licia, calm down a little.”
Inside a certain cave, the sound of clashing metal echoed all the way to the entrance. At the source of the noise stood two figures.
“...This is a bit unexpected! I didn't think you were capable of this!”
“...”
Silence. That was also unexpected. Sera wasn't the kind of person to do something like this. Glancing down at his feet, Leonis Alseid saw several Hero Candidates lying on the ground.
“...Would you just hurry up and die already, Leonis?”
“And here I thought you’d finally decided to speak.”
The familiar, gentle, and relaxed voice he knew as Sera’s was nowhere to be found. Instead, her words were filled with an emotionless, cold killing intent.
“...I want to believe Elphyria is safe, at least?”
“Elphyria? She never came here in the first place, did she?”
What? ...Ah, right, someone else took her place. Wait, why did I forget something like that—
“Guh!”
Sera did not miss that split second of diverted attention and slashed at him. Leonis reacted just in time, using his arm to block what would have been a fatal blow. Blood dripped steadily from the wound.
“...Something is... wrong... something...”
His thoughts wouldn't coalesce. In the first place, he couldn't beat Sera. It made no sense. Why would someone as kindhearted as her do this? And Elphyria...
“Sorry, everyone. I’m going to retreat for now...”
Casting a sidelong glance at his former “brothers and sisters” sprawled on the floor, he fled the cave. He neutralized the magic Sera fired with his Holy Relic Gear, and fortunately, she did not pursue him.
Finally, he understood. Hero Candidates existed in every generation, yet only one was ever spoken of as the Hero. The other candidates didn't just fade into the shadows—they truly vanished.
...This Trial was for the purpose of our Selection.