Part: 01

When Merea turned 15 years old, half of the spirits had already disappeared.

Their regrets were purified as if inversely proportional to the growth of Merea.

More specifically, upon having Merea learn their specific abilities, as if due to having already performed their duty, the heroic spirits disappeared.

Merea felt saddened about it.

「Even though everyone summoned me to become a hero, they already disappeared before witnessing it happen. It feels as if I killed them..」

「That’s wrong, Merea. Rather than that, you’ve granted them happiness you know? After all, the never ending chain of revenge they’re carrying was finally cut off. To them whom had lived all their lives with regrets, being satisfied with something other than their regret is a really great thing.」

Flounder Crow had still remained on Lindholm.

It has been 15 years since Merea crossed the world together with Flounder.

It such a long time but it felt fleeting.

「What’s your regret, Flounder?」

Merea couldn’t ask the spirits about each of their own regrets.

He would probably be told about it if he asked or so he thought, but he didn’t want them to ponder over the harsh memories they’ve experienced.

However, half of the surrounding heroic spirits have already disappeared and he didn’t know when Flounder might disappear himself so finally, Merea couldn’t control himself any longer.

「Me? My regret huh? Oh right, what was it again? I could only remember a few memories of the past though. 」

Hearing those words, Merea’s heart began to jump.

Flounder himself doesn’t remember his regrets clearly.

He forgot about it.

This is something that exactly leads to the disappearance of the spirits.

That’s why Flounder himself might disappear before long.

–or so Merea realized.

「Don’t worry, because I will watch over Merea until the very end.」

「-un.」

(TN: Affirmation sound, I wanted to keep it that way since it sorta had a different vibe than yes.)

Though Merea felt comforted by those words, he also felt saddened at the same time.   

 Part 02:

Merea’s body was firmly forged by the battle hardened heroic spirits.

However, Merea have yet to descend from the holy mountain.

At first he wanted to descend from the mountain to peek at the world’s situation a little bit and climb back, but thinking that upon moving back the spirits themselves may have already disappeared, and becoming anxious with such thoughts he couldn’t make himself to climb down.

And so, Merea never had a chance to measure the scale of his strength in regards to the norm of this world.

After all, there’s no proper human being that climbs up to the sacred mountain of Lindholm.

Those who dare to climb the mountain are rarely enough and upon climbing they will become possessed by the spirits on the lower level of the mountain and lose their minds, such humans will become something akin to a beast.

As for the spirits, they have no proper substance or body.

Though there are spirits in the holy mountain that could maintain a temporary body for a short time, however upon witnessing the growth of Merea, their regrets have grown weak and aren’t able to do so any longer.

Part 03:

That day, the most battle-hardened heroic spirit, Tyrant who had a large body, was facing Merea on his last training.

Tyrant’s body materialization could only last 2 minutes.

On the short time of exchange between offense and defense, Merea was able to beat down Tyrant.

The only first time where Merea got serious was during that time when he was able to beat down Tyrant.

「– You’ve gotten strong, Merea. You’ve gotten too strong to the point that it’s quite vexing. Thanks to you, my body had become weak. — Damn it, what was my wish again? Thinking about it now, it might’ve been finding someone to succeed my techniques.」

Merea was able to exceed Tyrant.

Merea whom never won even once on their sparing have finally overcame Tyrant. That day, with a satisfied expression on his face, he was patting the head of Merea.

「〈War God Tyrant Leharl’s Iron Body〉 was inherited from me. Your body is strong. Even using things such as dull sword should prove to be not a problem to you. You should be able to understand that by yourself. You who could move my body better than mine is without a doubt, strong. Carry the 〈War God〉 name with pride. That would be enough of an offering to me.」

(TN: Okay, I’m not very sure on that one.) 「Tyrant….」

「Don’t make such a face. My essence surely exists in your body. That’s why, I will always be together with you.」

「– Un」

「Even if your soul is from a different world, you were able to clear away my regrets, I’ve become quite attached to you as my son. Therefore I will go. After all, I have stopped wanting to burden you with such strange obligations.」

Saying that, Tyrant body has grown even thinner.

His spiritual body is about to disappear.

But before that, he struck out a fist in his right hand.

Merea immediately approached him and struck his fist to Tyrant’s fist.

「Be well.」

「Good bye, pops.」

(TN : Pops = Oyaji, or so I find it more suitable.)

「Haha, not bad, being called that name.」

And then another spirit has yet again ascended.

Part 04: Taking heroic spirit’s essences in consideration, Merea’s body had a strange life force in it.

(TN: This are names so I’m letting you change it if you want, romaji below) 〈War God Tyrant Leharl’s Iron Body.〉 (Tairanto Reharu)

〈Lord of Life, Miusel Blue’s Body of Revitalization〉 (Muyuzeru Buru)

〈Lord of Death – Ahath Cyrath’s Heart〉 (Ahato Sairasu)

〈God of Illness, Cyrile Sum’s Anti-bodies.〉 (Shiriru Sumu)

There are still more various special abilities that it carried.

Those special abilities of the heroic spirits are all integrated to 〈Otherworldly Merea Mea’s Spirit〉

Part 05:

As the heroic spirits decreased accordingly, Merea’s free time increased as well.

‘In the early days, everyone was competing who will come to Merea first but as those moments have decreased as well, the time allotted to the training of the spirits that have disappeared have turned into his free time.

Though the training was quite severe, because the heroic spirits’ sharing of their knowledge in techniques and other information were also a once in a life time opportunity, those moments were also now treasured.

On the other hand, he didn’t know what to do with his free time anymore.

He also learns the fundamental structure of the world from the heroic spirits, at times the heavenly dragon that descends down also tells him about current state of the world.

However, there was no time to witness it with his own eyes.

And because he hasn’t seen it yet, the desire of wanting to do specific things have yet to resurface.

And as such, with his days of worries continuing, that day Merea found a mysterious stone on the corner of the holy mountain.

A stone that is rare even according to the stories of the heavenly dragon.

――〈Future Stone – Fiunace〉or so it was a stone called as such.

Holding on to that stone for 30 minutes, will tell you a possibility of your future with just a few characters.

「It’s really is just plain fantasy.」

Even with that in mind, I could not help myself from trying it.

And so Merea decided to peek into his future using the future stone.

Part 06:

It has been 30 minutes since Merea held the 〈Future Stone – Fiunace〉still in his hands.

And so, on the exterior of the stone, characters have started appearing one after another.

◆◆◆

『Demon Lord.』

◆◆◆

Merea then broke the stone by striking it with a hand chop.

――Phew.

With the sensation of cutting still in his hands, Merea began to survey his surroundings.

If the spirits saw him just now, they will surely gather around him.

――Even though the heroic spirits have brought me up to become a hero, really, this future stone sure is defective.

With a large and deep breath, his heartbeat has calmed down once more.

In the holy mountain that was seemingly filled with cold atmosphere and breeze, suddenly upon looking in its surroundings, he discovered other future stones and decided to test it once again.

――That one before must’ve been some kind of mistake.

As he embraced his wish and conviction, another 30 minutes have passed since he held another stone.

『Demo-』

Broke it again.

–How weird. It shouldn’t have been like that.

What raised him was various heroic spirits numbering to a hundred.

Even though he was an existence similar to that of thoroughbred of heroes. That was odd.

–It would’ve been better if it’s just a “normal person” but if it was the opposite, I’d be bothered.

–This is the last try. Just once more. There’s such a thing like “Third-timer’s luck” right?— though, there is also such thing as “What happens twice will happen thrice.”

Merea’s third attempt has begun.

『Devil』

— and was finished in that instant.

――Didn’t it just got worse!?

It’s much worse than a 『Demon Lord』.

At the very least, I wanted to be a “Lord”.

――I must never tell Flounder and the others about this.

And so Merea began to gather and hide the future stones that he stroke and split into two from the other spirits.

Future Stone Fiunace, is not something absolute.

In the end, it’s nothing but just a 『Future possibility』.

Given some more time and trying it again, surely things like 『Savior』 or 『Great Hero』 and such thing should resurface in it. 『Brave』 is also fine.

(TN: Kyuuseisha, Eiyuu and Yuusha)

–It’s fine even if it’s a lie, even if it’s just merely by the appearance. Please do such.

Merea has wished.

Anyhow, if things turn for worse with the heroic spirits finding the stone and say something like「Look, it will surely say “Great Hero”.」, in order to destroy it before the heroic spirits see the result, he must strike it with the speed of sound.

–That will surely be difficult.

I will try this again later on anyway so, smashing everything aside, I must hide them somewhere.

And so on that day, on the curriculum vitae on Merea’s mind, the hobby section was filled with items like 『Gathering Future Stones』.

Part 07:

One month has passed since then.

–It should’ve change by now. No, it has definitely changed.

Though there is a small hasty self-consciousness, feeling restless he could not stop himself any longer.

Wishing that the result such as 『Demon Lord』 and 『Devil』 from that Future Stone Fiunace has changed, he held onto the future stone that he hid yet again.

30 minutes have passed.

He let go of his grip.

— Oh, this time it’s a drawing.

Resting his hand on a chair filled with seemingly thorny ornaments, it was an appearance of a guy smiling with a broad grin.

It was a chair seemingly like a throne.

In addition to that, it was the kind that belongs to a person with excessive preference on evil things.

Next to him were various person bowing their heads down.

――How strange.. This really seems like someone who is doing evil things.

I wonder who is this.. This guy who behaves exactly like that of a demon lord.

Hair as white as snow and red eyes. This awkward attempt to resurface an evil appearance.

–It definitely looks like me, this guy.

Must be my imagination.

However, assuming that this is indeed just my imagination, I want to say something to this guy in the picture.

You are not fit to be an actor. Judging on how he made that expression alone, which is poorly done.

Merea struck the stone yet again.

He got used to doing such.

–Using a picture that would be hard to judge…..

However, still that appearance was not that of a 『hero』.

Next. Let’s proceed to the next one.

Please make it in characters next time.

Wishing like that, he held the stone yet again in his hands.

『Lord of Demon Lords.』

— Disappointing!! No, It’s good, it’s good, surely 『Demon Lord』 and 『Savior』 must’ve been mixed right? However since the word 『Lord of Demon Lords』 doesn’t really fit, maybe it was supposed to be something like 『King of Savior』 or such.

Immediately after that, he chopped the stone into two pieces.

–You* aren’t possibly the kind to say 『Ah this is wrong, this one is wrong~』to yourself when you’ve made a mistake right?

(TN: *Omae – sorta disrespectful version of “You)

Because next time he tries it again, it will just result on 『Demon Lord』 and such once again, Merea stopped peeking into future with such.

―― If it’s something like 『Lord of Demon Lords』 then the remaining of hope is very dim.

Yosh, Yosh, move forward, move forward.

He forcibly persuaded himself.