Chapter 16: The Hero Karl, Who Turns Cringe into Power

Hero Karl raised his sword under the moonlight, facing off against a horde of approaching demons.

He wielded a sword as tall as a man, standing against monsters dozens of times a human’s size.

...I remember thinking, “What the hell is he gonna do with just that?”

Seriously, think about it. How do you expect to fight monsters like those with nothing but a sword?

Karl couldn’t even use advanced magic. He was just a swordsman—one newly chosen by the goddess, at that.

The enemy? It was a beast I barely managed to bring down with a spirit cannon, nearly dying in the process. Now there were countless more like it, swarming in like a tide.

One little adventurer against that? It was hopeless. Utterly hopeless.

"You’ve sure had a grand time running wild while I was asleep, huh!!"

And then, the demons were shredded.

Blood and flesh sprayed through the air, soaking the earth. The leading monster let out a wretched death cry as it collapsed.

——I couldn’t quite comprehend what I was seeing.

It didn’t make sense. Karl’s swing, unleashed with a roar, turned into a blade of wind and lopped off several demons’ heads at once.

I couldn’t understand it. Those nightmarish beasts dropped like flies from a single stroke.

"You’re the ones who attacked first. Don’t whine when you all get wiped out!!"

That terrifying monster.

That towering creature that had made me tremble—

It was reduced to mute, quivering meat by a single movement from that man.

“I grant you... the absolute spear.”

Karl had only received three blessings from the goddess.

“What I bestow upon you is the potential to slay any enemy—a gift for the ultimate strike.”

The blessings were: the ability to borrow divine magic from the goddess, physical enhancement through her divine power...

“No matter what sword you wield, your slashes cannot be blocked.”

And the blessing of Absolute Severance—the power to cut through anything in existence.

“You can choose what not to cut, but if you want to cut something... nothing can stop you.”

It was humanity’s trump card, granted by the goddess herself.

“Against the Demon King, who rules the demon race, nearly all modern means of attack will prove useless. But you, Karl, can defeat him with the sword you carry.”

Steel, earth, even space—if Karl willed to cut it, it would be cut.

In effect, it was the goddess lending him her divine authority.

“You are the one who will save this world, Karl.”

That boy was a straight-laced, earnest swordsman.

Even after receiving divine power, he never let it go to his head. He kept training, day after day.

And that boy—

"...What’s with Karl’s movements? I’ve never seen a stance like that before."

"But they’re beautiful. Fluid—like they’re tracing the natural flow of the sword."

"You can tell, milady?"

"I live in the world of combat, you know. I’ve seen more than my fair share of swordsmen since I was born."

As Karl began to slay the demons with terrifying intensity,

I sat behind him, half-dazed, casually chatting with Sakura as we watched the surreal sight unfold.

"My guess is, Karl’s style is self-taught. He’s probably studied a form specialized for fighting multiple enemies alone."

"...Huh? But he’s just some random adventurer, right? He shouldn’t’ve had access to that kind of training."

According to Sakura, Karl was using an unusual sword style.

Adventurers, especially low-ranking ones, usually picked up rough-and-tumble swordplay—team ambush tactics, tricks, and dirty moves.

Because unlike professional soldiers, they cared more about surviving than glory.

Coordinated takedowns, smoke bombs, concealed weapons—practical, if underhanded techniques.

On the other hand, professional soldiers—like the noble officers from families like mine—preferred one-on-one combat techniques.

That’s because nowadays, nobles only fought in duels—safe, controlled matches.

And if you used cowardly adventurer-style tricks in a duel, high society would look down on you. Winning with honor, in a proper duel, was considered noble.

War was ancient history. Modern soldiers cared more about honor than actual combat experience.

Dueling with a sword was a way to bring prestige to one’s house. Their styles shone in one-on-one battles.

...Not that I learned them myself, being a girl and all.

But Karl’s sword didn’t match either style.

"A one-versus-many sword style... that’d be classical kenjutsu, right?"

"...That’s the general idea."

So then, what Karl was using must’ve been a style developed during wartime by military swordsmen of old.

Even if they were surrounded, retreat wasn’t an option. But neither was dying.

To survive those hopeless situations, they developed techniques for fighting while outnumbered. Especially the “magic swordsmen,” who were considered one-man armies. They often charged enemy lines solo, so they trained to fight while surrounded.

Why would a common adventurer like Karl know such a practical, ancient technique?

"But his moves are still different from classical kenjutsu. Karl’s sword is... something else."

"Huh? Then what is it?"

"I don’t know. But that’s..."

So it wasn’t even classical kenjutsu? Then what the hell was Karl using?

"From what I can tell, his style assumes he’s always surrounded by monsters bigger than he is. He keeps his sword above his head at all times. His guard is always ready to respond to high-angle strikes."

"...So you’re saying that sword style was designed for fighting those beasts?"

"Exactly."

So in other words, Karl’s technique was custom-built for slaying demons.

Where did he learn such a thing? How long has he been preparing—training for the demons’ return?

I heard the goddess only chose him recently. So how could a skill he just picked up have become so natural, so refined...?

“Karl’s been a devoted follower of the Goddess Church since forever. Even as a kid, he admired heroes and would swing a sword around every day, calling it training.”

…No way.

“Sakura, milady, now that you mention it, I remember hearing that too. That Karl looked up to heroes since he was little and used to grab a sword and swing it around by himself.”

“…Really?”

“That idiot probably didn’t have a proper teacher. So he never learned normal swordsmanship. And then—”

Ugh, my head hurts.

I finally understood why Karl ended up with such an unorthodox style of swordsmanship.

Yeah, that guy…

“He started training in a sword style meant for fighting monsters way bigger than himself, all because of some delusion about becoming a hero…”

Karl never wanted to be just a strong swordsman.

Since childhood, he idolized fairy tale heroes. That’s the kind of fighting he longed for.

Because of that admiration, instead of learning practical, proper sword techniques, he ended up mastering—on his own—an excessively stylized form of swordplay, like something a protagonist from fiction might use.

Just like how I used to practice Kamehameha in my past life.

In this life, Karl mimicked the sword skills of a hero from a legend and actually mastered them.

“…So, that childish obsession with being a hero eventually turned into a real, battle-ready sword style specialized for fighting demons?”

“And thanks to the demon invasion, that swordplay isn’t just a childish dream anymore.”

It was at that moment I understood why the Goddess chose Karl to be her Hero.

There probably aren’t many idiots out there who’ve honed a made-up sword style from a fantasy world into something usable in real combat.

On top of that, Karl’s a devout follower of the Goddess Church and has an honest personality. He’s ideal for a Hero.

I used to wonder why I wasn’t chosen as the Hero, but thinking about it now, the selection actually makes perfect sense.

“If this were a peaceful world, he probably would’ve just stayed a childish, average adventurer.”

“…But the Demon King returned, and the world turned into the kind of place where heroes are actually needed.”

“No—it's the other way around. This era became such a disaster that they had to throw a nice guy like Karl into the front lines.”

A world so dire, the Goddess herself has to intervene.

That kind of situation stripped Karl of his right to just be a daydreaming youth.

I sighed at the absurd gap between Karl’s overly whimsical sword style and its overwhelming combat power.

It felt… off. Like watching a toddler obsessed with westerns being handed a real gun and told to take down a bandit. Creepy.

---

“Sorry, a good number got away. I think I took down about half, though…”

Half an hour later.

The Hero returned to us unscathed, barely splattered with blood.

“Monkey Mask, are you alright? You look seriously messed up.”

“He’s fine this time because I stayed close to him.”

“I would have probably died if Sakura hadn’t been here.”

…Unscathed, huh.

I had to trade these serious injuries just to take down one of them, and Karl comes back after making a damn mountain of corpses.

Even if he has the Goddess’s blessing, I can’t help but feel a little bitter.

“If you’re that strong, wake up earlier next time, Karl. Give me back my suffering.”

“…Sorry. If only I’d gotten up sooner.”

My tone came out sharper than I intended.

He saved me—I should be thanking him. But for some reason, I just can’t let it go.

…Maybe part of it is jealousy. Jealousy of Karl’s strength.

“Alcohol messes me up, you know? Still, I did my best to wake up.”

“Shut it. You drank like a fish even though you’re a lightweight.”

“Can’t argue with that. If the Goddess hadn’t shown up in my dream and woken me up with an armlock, I’d probably still be asleep.”

“…Huh. She’s funkier than I expected, that Goddess.”

So the Goddess tried to wake this idiot up in his dreams, huh.

I guess, in her own way, she was trying to help us.

“I’m the one who had my subordinate spike Karl’s drink. So that responsibility lies with me.”

“Sakura…”

“I’m sorry for putting you in danger, Monkey Mask. And thank you, Karl, for saving us.”

As I was grumbling at Karl, Sakura stepped in and bowed her head.

She probably sensed that the mood was about to turn sour.

“Sorry for treating you like a fraud, Karl. You really are a Hero.”

“Uh, well, I mean…”

She is a noble lady, after all.

Once she realized that Karl’s talk about a demon attack wasn’t just a lie, she admitted she was wrong and apologized.

That quick ability to own up and adjust? It’s a quality you’d want in someone running a country.

Now then. Sakura had been pretty harsh with Karl earlier—how would he react?

“Uh, Milady… Y-your nipple’s showing.”

“I didn’t have time to get dressed, okay!!”

Rather than focusing on the apology, he was more concerned with her nipple. Looking flustered, Karl blushed and averted his gaze side to side. A textbook virgin reaction.

Honestly, I was holding back from saying anything myself since it’d come off as harassment, but it was bothering me. Good call, Karl.

---

"Now that I think about it, I’m practically naked… In such a shameful state..."

"It was a life-or-death situation."

Lady Sakura had returned to her senses.

From her nearly-nude, towel-around-the-waist look, she’d now borrowed Karl’s cloak, shifting into her “exhibitionist on standby” mode.

"I’m starting to feel like hiding my face too. Monkey Mask, hand yours over."

"If you put on my mask in that outfit, you’ll look sketchier than me, milady."

"Shut it, will you?"

Yeah, if she added an animal mask to that outfit, she’d definitely be the real deal.

"…Hey, you two. Want to come back with me to the inn we’re staying at?"

"Hm? Why?"

"I want to talk. You should realize by now that my warning—'The demons are coming'—wasn’t just a joke. Humanity’s in crisis. I need your help."

Ah, I see. He wants Sakura and me as allies.

"…If I’m allowed time to get dressed, I don’t mind."

"Of course—I’ll wait."

Sakura went off to change, but I didn’t have a change of clothes myself. Mine were back at the inn.

…So, that means I’m heading back like this, huh.

"...Monkey Mask, you're coming too, right?"

"Nope."

"...Huh?"

Yeah, no way I’m going. I’d totally get found out.

Even with the disguise, if I ran into Maika or Lev-chan like this, it’d be game over.

Irine’s been gone for a while now. If someone showed up with a similar hair color, voice, and just happened to be wearing a mask—while wielding spirit artillery, no less—it’d be weird if they didn’t get suspicious!

Karl either hasn’t noticed yet because of preconceived notions—or because he’s a muscle-brain. Either way, it seems he’s still in the dark. That means I have to keep the act going.

If rumors spread that a noble daughter of House Velmund was moonlighting in the red-light district wearing a monkey mask, our house is finished.

I have to keep this hidden.

"...Monkey Mask, do you have something else to do? If so, we can reschedule—"

"No can do."

Karl might be too dense to catch on, but if someone familiar saw me, the chances of being exposed are too high.

Doesn’t matter if we reschedule. No means no.

"I get it. So demons really do exist. But I don’t have time to play your demon-hunting game."

"H-Hey, come on. Humanity’s hanging by a thread! What could be more important than that?"

"I said I never want to face monsters like that again."

I rev my pinkish-red brain cells into full gear, searching for a plausible excuse to say no.

Given how badly I’m injured, saying something like that shouldn’t seem out of place.

"...Monkey Mask."

"Besides, I’ve got something I must do. I don’t have the luxury of risking my life in a fight like this."

Gotta think of something believable—how did I even get here in the first place?

It was something about revenge, I think.

"I’m looking for a man. The one who kidnapped my little sister and took the life of my fiancée. A man with seven scars on his chest."

"What in the world…!"

"I must get my revenge. I have to save my sister. I can’t afford to die fighting monsters!"

Wow, for something I came up with on the fly, that’s a pretty solid excuse.

With Karl and the others watching, I trembled my voice and swallowed with a bitter gulp.

A flawless performance.

"Wait, didn’t you say something different befo—"

"Hush, milady. Karl, I’m sorry. But I have my own path to follow."

"I had no idea you were going through something like that... I was out of line, Monkey Mask."

Alright, looks like I pulled it off. Now to make a stylish exit while I’ve still got momentum.

Covering the mask with my palm, I turned coolly on my heel.

With the rising sun at my back, I began to walk away slowly.

"When it’s all over—everything—I’ll lend my strength then."

"...I see. I’ll hold you to that."

"Milady, thank you for the healing. We’ll meet again someday."

"I’ve got a lot to say about this, but… fine. You’re leaving, Monkey."

Yeah, I’m outta here.

I have to get back before Karl or it’ll get suspicious.

"Warning: You must rest. No combat for at least three days."

"Got it."

I raised a firm thumbs-up behind my back, accepting her gracious advice.

Bathed in the morning sun, I vanished like a hardboiled hero in a monkey mask, slipping quietly out of the red-light district at dawn.

I’ve got to clean myself up and get back to my room before Karl returns.

Need time to cover these wounds with makeup too—gotta hurry.