"No, I think I'll pass."
"Oh, is that so? Though, as long as I am here attending to you, Young Master, I suppose one could say the First Head has won his bet."
"He certainly managed to find himself a wife, at least."
It wasn't just a matter of the reputational damage surrounding the Abandoned Land; the first Hero’s wife had been someone who directly bore the brunt of the Miasma’s curse. I wondered what kind of person she had been. Surely it couldn't have been that silver dragon who had tried to force a mating so quickly?
"Surprisingly, you’ll find one if you look—that is simply the way of the world. As they say, every cracked pot has its fitting lid."
Probably not her, then. He had rejected her quite firmly, after all.
"Well then, it is about time."
Sebas cut the conversation short at a natural point. Before I knew it, we had landed on a surface that looked like marble. It was a bizarre sensation—one moment we were plummeting headfirst, and the next, solid ground was suddenly beneath my boots.
"We have reviewed the memories thoroughly. Shall we move on to the main event?" Sebas asked.
"Finally."
"Please hear the will carved into your bloodline and Soul directly from the lips of the First Head himself."
Guided by Sebas, I walked toward the massive doors directly ahead. Finally, I was going to meet my ancestor.
"Young Master, you are free to refuse, even after hearing him out."
"Like I could actually refuse now..."
After spending so much time being shown such a heavy, dense history, there was no way I could just say, "Sorry, I’d rather live my own life." I sighed, but at the same time, I felt that it wasn't so bad. I had a reason to fight now, didn't I?
"Besides, if he finds out I refused, Alicia will be disappointed in me, won't she?"
"Found out? There is no way for anyone to know what happens here."
"No, you’ll definitely snitch. I can say for certain—you will absolutely snitch."
"That is indeed true."
See? There was never an option to refuse from the start.
"Then let’s get this over with quickly. I have a debt to settle with Belial, too."
I didn't know the true nature of the Hero’s Power that was supposedly immortal, but if it allowed me to revive and win, anything was fine. I’d settle everything and then get back to my happy life.
As I passed through the giant doors as they slowly creaked open, my vision, which had been dim and lit only by torches, was suddenly flooded with light.
"Hehehe, c’mon, sis, bring that backside closer... hehehe..."
"Oh, Hero-sama, stop it!"
"You, stay like that—hug me from behind! Ooh, now that’s what I call a breast pillow!"
"Stop, that tickles!"
Inside the doors, a man with a face very similar to mine was frolicking with beautiful women in bunny suits while wearing a disgusting, sleazy grin. This was the first Hero? My ancestor? His expression was so completely melted with bliss that there wasn't a trace of the man I'd seen in the memories.
"Alright, then should we have a tickle fight? First one to laugh loses! I’ll do whatever you say—ah."
"Ah."
He noticed me.
Silence followed. It felt as if time itself had stopped. In fact, it might have actually been frozen. After a long, agonizing pause, the man spoke.
"Ahem."
The First Head cleared his throat and pulled the two beauties back to his sides to attend to him.
"Yo. Are you my descendant? To think you’ve crossed an eternity to make it all the way here. I'm glad we could meet again within the cycle. Welcome."
"...Right. Hello."
Even with him putting on a sharp, serious face, recovery was impossible. That blissfully melted expression had been truly pathetic. Besides, the fact that I existed meant he must have had a wife, so why was this guy surrounded by women? Good grief, this is why Heroes are... At least show some fidelity. As his descendant, I was more than a little embarrassed.
"Hey, Sebas, this isn't the reaction I expected. What’s the meaning of this?"
"Indeed. Young Master, please state your current feelings honestly."
"As a descendant, I’m incredibly embarrassed."
"Hey, Sebas, that’s several times worse than I expected. What’s the meaning of this?"
"First Head, perhaps it was a bit too much stimulation for him."
"I see. He’s still a brat. In that case, I suppose this sight could be called overstimulating, but if you’re a noble, you’d better get used to it, okay? Good grief."
Watching the First Head shrug his shoulders made me feel incredibly irritated for some reason.
"What are you doing? You’re a man with a wife and child."
"What are you talking about? I’ve been dead for ages, so it’s 'no-count,' you know?"
Besides, the First Head continued, pulling the women closer to his sides.
"These girls are Succubi, so there’s no problem!"
"No way, Hero-sama! Was it all just a game to you?"
"Even after we spent such hot nights together?"
"Sorry, girls, but love isn't on the table for you two. I’ve decided that my heart belongs to her forever, even in death. But since I'm dead, my body is fair game!"
"Nooo!"
"You girls are only after my body anyway, right?"
"Gosh!"
Watching the First Head and the others laugh, I let out a long sigh. I had thought he was cool when he rejected the silver dragon's proposal. What on earth had happened to him? Could it be that this was the true identity of the Beast of Brave sleeping inside me? I felt a slight sense of despair, wondering if I would eventually end up like this too.
"The First Head possesses a level of vitality that borders on the monstrous," Sebas explained. "It is only natural that his drives would lean toward the Three Great Human Desires if they are not directed toward a crisis."
"Is that so...?"
Where did his sense of reason go?
"Well then, since my son’s son’s distant son has come here, I guess that means the time has finally come, Sebas?"
"It is as you say."
"I see. Finally... in terms of seconds, it’s been about three hundred years? My hunch was right after all."
"Wait, are you just going to continue the conversation like that?" I interrupted.
There was no way I could concentrate. There was no way a serious talk from a piece of trash surrounded by scantily clad beauties was going to sink in.
"Eh? Is it no good?"
"It’s not about 'no good,' I’ve come here for a serious talk... well, whatever..."
If he was going to push his problems onto his descendants, I would have at least wanted a proper request or a somber atmosphere, but forget it. I’d be fine as long as I could recover from being decapitated. It would be cruel to ask this ancestor to look cool.
"Good grief, this is why virgins are so uptight. You’ve probably never even kissed anyone."
My eye twitched. He went and said the one thing he shouldn't have. Even if he was my ancestor, I wouldn't forgive those words.
"You’re an ancient man getting all worked up over lust. For hundreds of years since you died, we’ve been spending our days fighting in a distorted world."
The idea that Lost Technology was superior was just a dream. The strongest would always be the modern civilization that had achieved its own evolution.
"Hahaha!"
When I directed a gaze filled with killing intent at him, the First Head laughed joyfully.
"To get this worked up over something so trivial... Sebas, this guy is unmistakably my descendant, isn't he?"
"He would not be able to come here otherwise."
"...You’re in the way now. Beat it."
With a wave of the First Head’s arm, the two succubi at his sides vanished. I sensed a sudden, intense killing intent and immediately took a combat stance. The next moment, the First Head vanished and reappeared right in front of my eyes.
"I died before my boy could grow up because of the Miasma’s influence," he said.
He swung back his arm. It was an incredibly fast blow. Even though I saw the preparatory movement, I couldn't dodge it. I slammed into the wall, and the stone room began to crumble away with a roar.
"I always dreamed of this... a proper parent-child quarrel."
"...That hurt, you bastard."
That was a strike truly intended to kill. In House Brave, sibling quarrels and parent-child quarrels were fights to the death. Could it be that his dream was the origin of that insane tradition? Good grief... that wish had certainly been passed down.
"Oh, you’re alive!"
As I stood up, the First Head formed a smile that looked even happier. Despite the fact that I was defending with a Barrier, his strike had resonated strangely in the core of my body. It had resonated in my heart.
It hurt. It hurt immensely. But within that pain, I felt a slight sense of warmth—a mysterious, inexplicable sensation.