Hiraheishi wa Kako o Yumemiru - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Prologue

——Ah, now the world may be redeemed.

As I thought to myself for a moment, I found a lethal silver weapon penetrating through my chest.

“…Eh?”

Due to shock, I ceased with that last word.

Eh?

Why..didn’t I leave behind an enthralled line of phrase, at a time like this.

God, couldn’t you bless me just with my last words?

I lost in my thoughts about it.

However, I also realized that it was too late.

The frustrating fact lied in front of me

A foolish, sorrowful event.

A continuing war that has been going on for years.

During the period, many of acquaintances lost their lives.

Among them were my ceased friends and even my Fiancee.

At the beginning, I thought there was no way we would die.

There was an invincibility feeling welling up at that time, now thinking back, it may just be an illusion.

It was laughable, I thought I was entering an era of brightness.

We believed in our complete victory.

The idea that one day, the hero would appear in the kingdom carrying the legendary weapon, just like how it appeared in the legend was something out of fairy tale, or so I thought.

The hero, the saint, the archmage, the elven king.

It would be understandable to have such expectation with this lineup right?

Of course, I was hopeful.

But they reality was cruel.

Even with them leading, the soldiers still died.

Merlo, Hiltis, Kerkeiro they won’t come back.

None of them will.

Despite that, I was supported over and pathetically left alive, stick until the very end.

Relied on the feelings of vengeance in my heart I was able to make it here.

Then, I saw this scenery in front of me.

I saw a hero holding a sacred sword, filling humanity’s long cherished desire.

How amazing.

Everything was dazzling. The hero, his sacred sword, and this atmosphere.

And that’s why I thought

——Ah, now the world may be redeemed.

But I didn’t think that I would be stabbed by a remnant from the enemy.

And just like that, I, John Serias, a soldier from the Demon King Punitive Force of the World Alliance, had died.

Haha, it wasn’t laughable really.

◆◇◆◇◆

It felt like a long lasting dream.

The sky was dark, darkness shrouded the world, life was ceasing, the demons were on a rampage.

A sad dream, in such an era.

However.

When I opened my eyes, I was clearly conscious that it wasn’t a dream.

It was something that unmistakably happened.

Reality.

Completely unlike a dream, a dream wouldn’t have such painful and grief memories, I was sure that this wasn’t a dream.

If I didn’t think this way, I couldn’t bring myself to face them.

My comrades who fought and died in the battle.

The people that risked their life protecting others.

And even myself, a weakling who fought desperately.

So.
It was true.
Something that really happened.

I was led by the legendary hero, we entered the Demon King’s castle, witnessed the moment when the Hero defeated the Demon King, and then the rest of the remnants were wiped out.

so, that’s why I couldn’t comprehend this peculiar scenery.

why was my house, that had been destroyed by the Demon King’s Army, still here?

◇◆◇◆◇

“John? What’s wrong?…You look startled”

A young woman was looking at me with an inconceivable look on her face.

Just as if she was my childhood friend, but she wasn’t a person like that.

Even when the war had begun this person always had this gentle smile on her, this person is my mother.

Mother did not have any portrays when she was young, I had heard only from my father, grandpa, grandma of how she used to look, it’s incredible, how I got the chance to see her in person.

–I was gorgeous when I was young!

I heard my chubby mother said that many times, it sounded like a joke.

As far as I can remember ever since I was small, my mom’s figure had already been the heavyweight, but I heard that she was a thin, fine lady.

Well, I had heard that she was originally the youngest daughter of a wealthy merchant who worked in the royal capital, so in a way her appearance was understandable, however, just imagine how she would look in a few years made me sighed.

“…? This time, you’re making quite a cynical face, aren’t you…? Are kids supposed to be this plenteous with expression at this age…? Well, Anyway. It is time for breakfast.”

As she said that, she laid open her clothes on the chest.
And why was this supposed “breakfast”?

Why. That’s obvious.

It’s because I was a baby.

◇◆◇◆◇

I found myself in this situation after I awoke.

The inconvenience of my body—my neck couldn’t move, general fatigue all over my body, I thought it was the sequelae after getting stabbed.

But I could see with my eyes, also heard people’s footstep busily moving around.

That’s why I was guessing that here must be a hospital and I was a patient here.

Patients with severe conditions usually got abandoned during the latter period of the war, not to mention a mere soldier like me wouldn’t have a chance, but after carefully thinking about it, such case only happened when there were a lack of supplies and personnel, I had corresponded that this was an extreme situation in which I had no time to be nursed as a patient. But since the Demon King had been defeated by the hero, it became unnecessary.

Also, a practical problem, the number of human beings had been greatly reduced.Almost all grown men had joined the army, and the army had the high mortality rate, with people without much luck. Ever since the beginning of the War, the population was declining, which meant there were only a handful of survivors.

That said, even a single death would be a regrettable loss. The country had judged that more manpower was needed so even a mere soldier like me would be significant.
When we headed into the castle where the Demon King was, we, The Demon King Punitive Force of the World State Alliance brought a lot of expensive weapons and medicines. The medicine was probably passed to me because I was a soldier.

After all, this was an all-out war. The supplies, the troops, everything was put out there, indicated that if we were defeated, then humanity would vanish. There were no need to save clothing and food, not even legendary items, once we failed, it would all become waste. Well in that sense, the demon troops must also be around their limits.

In other words, the medicine must have already been prescribed to me. A third-rate potion, a potion that required a huge sum of gold, because the demon troops were not a threat anymore, that’s why it was used on me.

So, even though it wasn’t anything laughable, but I should probably rest myself for a few days.
But, I immediately realized that I had the wrong idea.
When the young woman—that is, when my mom—said “It’s time for breakfast” to me.

Was my body really this light before?

As this question occurred to me, I began to wonder about other variety of things.

Like the girl in front of me, doesn’t she resemble someone? Very familiar—yes, it comes into view whenever I see it in the mirror—I feel something different. Right, the eyes and such are a splitting image. No, speaking of it, she is quite similar to my mother …?
This room I was in right now. It seemed something to be missing?
I didn’t have this kind of feeling even in the hospital, and the portray I had glanced over certainly felt familiar to something that was decorated in my home.

But considering it, I still couldn’t grasp the situation at the moment.
The girl before my eyes certainly resembled my mother, but she’s just too young, the room was similar from back home, but the wounds that I should have on me were nowhere to be seen. So I denied my thought process and escaped from reality.

But then,

Suddenly I heard a loud clicking sound, I sensed someone was approaching by.
Judging by the footsteps, it was probably a man.

The person came into the front of the room and opened the door.

My gaze went toward the direction where the entrance of the room was facing.

That moment, it dawned on me that, without a doubt, this was my house.

“Oh, so that kid’s John!? Emily, let me carry him!”Said the man.

His gaze was fixated on me, with that line of sight he spoke “John,” he’s talking about me.

His face rang a bell.

I missed his face.

The man who fought during the early stage of the war, at a fortress.

This man was my father—Allen Serias. I couldn’t have mistaken him for anyone else.

“Oh, Allen. You came back rather quickly.”

My Mother said that to my father with a smile.
A lost scenery. I thought this happiness would never return.
I wasn’t able to hold back my tears.

“…Waaah!”

“Hey, hey hey hey! He cries right after seeing my face!”

“Well, your face is terrifying… You look like a bear.”

“What!? I’m his father!”

“Even if you’re his father, a bear is a bear. It’s scary.”
“Until you…”

“Hehe. Hey, John. Stop crying. He’s your daddy.”

“That’s right! I took a vacation to come back here because you were born! Don’t cry.”

The two happily and joyfully appeased me.

The more they appeased me, the more I lost control of my tears, but… I suppose it couldn’t be helped.

The scenery that I lost was now in front of me.

The miracle I was holding in my hands was unbelievable.

I suddenly tried looking at my hand.

It’s round. It’s not my rough hand filled with blood blisters squished from merely doing nothing but swinging my sword. I had hands that were as fluffy as a marshmallow.
My mother stroked me, and my father followed suit treating my hand like a piece of glasswork.
My mother’s hands felt gentle, my father’s hands felt rugged and firmed.

My father was a soldier.

As a guard that served in the fort for the garrison of the Demon Forest near the border, he spent half of his life over there.
He was hardworking, outstanding in his sword skills, and respected.

That was why I followed suit, and became a soldier.

I wonder if I could catch up with him.

I wonder if I could make him proud.

With these feelings welling up, the man himself appeared in my eyes.

“…Wah…”

Even if I tried to voice them out, only those words came out.

I supposed it couldn’t be helped. Right…I still wasn’t unable to speak. That was how it works for someone my age.

But, one day, I got to ask him.

Had the life I once spent as a soldier lived up to you.