The Former Hero Begins to be Re-evaluated

The village I arrived at this time was Helena Village.

It was a modest village not too far from the Empire, with nothing particularly special compared to other villages.

If there was anything special, it was that the villagers here cultivated flowers instead of food crops.

It was a village that made a living by selling oil and seeds from flowers, as well as the flowers themselves, to the Empire.

That’s why it’s called the Village of Flowers, they say.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Hans. I wanted to return to farming from the Empire, so I came to live here. Please take care of me.”

I had just arrived in such a village.

After arriving in the village, I went to see the village chief.

And I explained my situation and asked to be accepted as a member of the village.

I used the alias Hans instead of my real name Lee Han-soo, and I didn’t particularly mention the fact that I was a hero.

I didn’t need to say such things at all, as they might feel burdened, and I wanted to live ordinarily.

I hope they accept me.

“Oh. So you’re Hans from the Empire. I don’t know what circumstances brought you to this village, but new family members are always welcome. I’ll introduce you to the villagers, so follow me.”

When I greeted the village chief like that, he welcomed me with a friendly smile.

Huh? This easily?

And he immediately took me to where the villagers were farming.

“This is Hans, who’s newly come to our village. He’s a young man who came wanting to return to farming from the Empire, so everyone treat him well.”

“So you’re Hans. I’m Rex, who also works as a blacksmith over there. Feel free to call me Uncle Rex.”

“I run the restaurant over there. Come anytime when you’re hungry. Oh, of course, I don’t mean for free. Hoho.”

The village chief introduced me to the other villagers, and the other villagers also welcomed me kindly to the chief’s introduction.

The villagers introduced themselves and welcomed me to the village, they didn’t exclude me at all.

I was worried that these people might exclude me as a stranger from the Empire, but fortunately, such worry was unnecessary.

In the Earth where I used to live, rural hospitality was rather more harsh, and there was a strong tendency to exclude people.

It seemed that there was no such culture in this world. They welcomed me quite warmly.

‘Not bad people.’

Quite good?

The first impression was quite likable.

Well, of course, I’d have to stay longer to know, but for now, it didn’t seem like a bad place.

The people are kind, and it might not be bad to farm comfortably here.

While I was satisfied, receiving attention and welcome from so many people.

I suddenly felt a mysterious gaze looking at me.

“Huh…?”

When I turned my head to look over there, there was a girl staring at me intently.

A quite cute-looking girl was looking at me strangely from afar.

Why on earth is she looking at me with such eyes?

More than that, is she also a member of the village?

I naturally became interested in the girl who was interested in me, and somehow our eyes met.

Hurriedly.

As soon as our eyes met, the girl fled in a hurry.

Now why is she suddenly running away?

I was dumbfounded, not knowing what was what.

What is she really doing?

“Ah. That child. She’s a child temporarily in the care of the church. She has no parents and is very shy with strangers. Well, treat her well.”

The village chief who was watching from the side explained about that girl.

A child without parents being taken care of by the church, such a child is commonly called an ‘orphan’.

The chief said she was a somewhat peculiar child, but still not to view her negatively.

“Hmm… I see.”

Well, in fact, there was nothing to view negatively or not.

I was just a little surprised because she was looking at me from afar, but I wasn’t particularly interested.

But for such a thing, it seemed like she had something to say to me.

It wouldn’t be bad to talk to her if I get the chance later.

Planning for the next time, I went back to chatting with the villagers.

“It’s late for today. I’ll introduce you to an empty house, so stay there for now.”

“Alright.”

Time passed as I greeted many villagers like that.

During that time, I think I greeted each member of the village once.

In addition, I chatted with the villagers about various things, and as we got to know each other during that time, before I knew it, night had fallen.

The villagers each returned to their homes, and the chief took me to a shabby house again.

“So this is the house where I’ll live from now on.”

This would be my house from now on.

To be honest, it doesn’t look like a very good house.

It was old here and there, and when I entered the house, dust was piled up everywhere.

Moreover, there were many places in the house that needed repair.

It was literally a house that no one would want to live in.

But it’s something that they even gave me such a house.

For me, who thought I might have to sleep in a stable if I couldn’t find a house, it was more than I could ask for.

And it’s like this now, but later when I clean and repair here and there, it might be okay.

And if I really don’t like it, I can earn money later and change to a different house.

“Let’s clean tomorrow and rest for now.”

Of course, I wanted to rest for now.

I dusted off the bed moderately and lay down on it.

Although I didn’t feel tired at all because I have a hero’s body, it wasn’t the case mentally.

Even a hero honestly needs mental rest. A hero is a person too. A person.

I lay on the bed and took a brief, comfortable rest of mind.

“From tomorrow, we’ll all farm together, and now I really feel like I’ve quit being a hero.”

Today, the chief said we would farm together from tomorrow.

Even if it’s flower farming, farming is farming.

In a job where most of the work is physical labor, the labor power of a young man is always good to have.

From now on, I’ll be living as a member of this village, and somehow it feels real that I’m no longer a hero.

To think that I, who was a hero until yesterday, am going to farm, I really don’t know how life turns out.

“I should try to live well here.”

But that doesn’t mean I had any lingering attachment to being a hero.

No, rather, I don’t think I’ll ever be a hero again.

No matter how honorable the position is, basically, the position of a hero is one where you have to fight risking your life.

Fighting while risking your life can never be easy.

Moreover, if I continue being a hero, I’ll have to fight that insanely strong Demon Lord again, right? I don’t want to fight that Demon Lord ever again.

Thinking about it now, I think it’s really fortunate.

I should have quit being a hero earlier.

“Huh…? What’s that?”

While I was idly lying on the bed like that, what caught my eye was a newspaper fallen on the floor.

I got up from the bed and picked up the newspaper.

Did someone read the newspaper here and leave?

Well, reading a newspaper leisurely in an empty house, it was quite possible.

“The date is from just yesterday, shall I read it?”

Looking at the date, it was a relatively recent newspaper.

It was a fresh newspaper from just yesterday.

I thought there wouldn’t be things like newspapers in the countryside, but even though it’s countryside, maybe because it’s closer to the Empire than I thought, it seems the newspaper arrives on time.

As I had nothing to do and was bored, I picked up the newspaper.

If it’s from yesterday, just when I quit being a hero, let’s see what the newspaper says?

“As expected, nothing good is written.”

Of course.

When I read the newspaper, as I expected, nothing good was written at all.

[Hero Lee Han-soo, Stripped of Hero Status]

[The Most Incompetent Hero in History]

[Empire Exiles Hero Lee Han-soo Who Was Defeated by the Demon Lord]

The front page of the newspaper was full of negative words about me.

“Sigh. Tsk…”

These guys.

I felt like tearing up the newspaper right away, but I held back and turned the page.

The Empire just did what the Empire does, shouldn’t I be used to it by now?

As I was calming myself down and slowly reading the newspaper again.

“Huh…? A new hero?”

What’s this?

I came across something quite interesting.

[The Empire Selects a New Hero, That Hero Is…]

Did they choose a new hero right after I became a hero?

Who on earth did they choose?

Naturally, for me who was a hero until just yesterday, this was a part that couldn’t help but interest me.

I slowly turned the page of the newspaper.

To find out who my successor as hero is.

What? This guy is the hero?

But soon I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes.

“What? Herald is the hero?”

My successor as hero was Herald.

If it’s the Herald I know, he was definitely the Knight Commander over 60 years old.

I don’t know if there’s another Herald, but probably the Herald here is the Herald I know.

But this guy is the hero?

“Are these guys filming a comedy show?”

Why on earth is he the hero?

No matter how I think about it, this guy is absolutely not hero material.

I guarantee that if this guy goes to the Demon Lord, he’s definitely going straight to heaven.