Setting Off

The Hero's village was consumed in flames. Orcs with tusks

protruding from their mouths like wild boars were waving sabers

with one hand while gripping what little there was to pillage with

their other. The creatures bellowed fearsome roars.

The Hero, who had lived a life entirely disconnected from fighting

until this day, readied a cheap bronze sword from her house in one

hand and faced down three orcs.

"…!"

But she did not cut a very reassuring image compared to her

powerful-looking opponents. Even the Hero, who bore the potential

to become the most powerful being someday, was—at this point—

still just a young girl who knew nothing of battle.

The struggle was decided quickly. The Hero's strike left a shallow cut

in one of the orc's arms, but she was quickly caught in a grapple from

behind by one of its brethren. An orc's muscular hand clamped down

on the wrist of her hand grasping the sword, and the girl was

immobilized.

The Hero struggled desperately, but her defiance merely amused the

orcs. One of the creatures licked his lips all the way up one of his

tusks with a long red tongue as a coarse grin twisted his fearsome

face. The brute's gnarled hand reached out to touch the Hero.

However, the orc's hand froze as it closed on empty air.

"Huh?"

The monster felt a burning heat at his back and tilted his head in

wonder. He tried to turn around but was hit by a sudden sense of

exhaustion and dropped to his knees, promptly collapsing.

Page | 14

My mithril spear smoothly pierced the orc's back, and he slumped,

unmoving. His companions saw me riding my drake with a spear in

hand. Their eyes were drawn to the dragon crest adorning the chest

plate of my armor.

"The crest of the Bahamut Knights?! What's a knight from the capital

doing in a backwater village like this?!"

The orcs screamed in fear. They'd likely planned to just ransack a

helpless little village but instead now faced a drake knight from the

capital of the kingdom, one of the elites of the Bahamut Knights,

feared even among the ranks of the demon lord's armies.

"Gyah!"

While the brutish raiders were distracted by shock, the Hero kicked

the shin of the orc holding her and freed her sword arm. A smile

crossed the Hero's face as she ran toward me.

I leaped down from my drake, set aside my spear, and drew my

blade as I stood in the orcs' path, shielding my little sister, the Hero.

"You dared to lay your hands on my little sister. I hope you're ready

for the consequences," I said as I rushed into the orcs with my

knight's sword.

This was the first page of the Hero's story. The Hero defeated the

creatures attacking her hometown, allowing the villagers time to

escape. Those orcs turned out to be advance troops from the demon

lord's army. While they were taking control of the surrounding

villages one after the other, the Hero became the pillar of the

resistance. She saved those wronged by the evil forces and raised the

signal for all the gathered people to strike back against the demon

lord.