The Calm Retorts of the Returned Hero
“So that means Riena-chan has no choice now but to live in this world… and the only ones who know who she really is here are just us, right?”
“Hasumin-san, there’s no need to look so worried. I’ll be fine.”
While Hasumin looked genuinely distressed, Riena remained surprisingly cheerful.
That’s Riena for you—steady as ever.
“But still…”
“Thankfully, due to the arrangements of Goddess Athena, I’ve been given plenty of money. And this world is such a lovely place. I plan to spend my remaining years here quietly, raising the Hero-sama’s child.”
And then, just like that, she said something completely absurd.
“Shuhei-kun’s child!? W-W-Wait, what!? What does that even mean, Shuhei-kun!? While I was possessed by the Demon King, did you and Riena-chan actually—no way, a physical relationship!? But it’s not impossible, right!? You were at a love hotel! You liar, Shuhei-kun! You cheating bastard!”
And of course, Hasumin blew it wildly out of proportion.
For the briefest moment, I felt a trace of darkness slip through the air, like the space around Hasumin warped slightly. But… that was probably just my imagination.
The Demon King Kanan had been truly and completely destroyed this time, after all.
During that final battle, I had come so close to the presence of Goddess Athena that I could sense Kanan’s annihilation with divine certainty.
A third resurrection? Out of the question.
Which means—
Maybe, just maybe, some faint residue of the Demon King Kanan’s power still lingers inside Hasumin.
Still, it’ll likely vanish soon, so there’s probably nothing to worry about.
“Calm down, Hasumin. I swear, there’s nothing like that going on between me and Riena. We’re completely clean. Pure, even.”
“Really…?”
“Really. Seriously. And Riena, maybe don’t tease Hasumin like that, yeah? She’s a pure-hearted girl.”
“The way you said that, Shuhei-kun… it sounded kind of weird. Not very youthful.”
Wait… what? No way.
Have I actually developed a generation gap after five years in another world?
“Ah, sorry. I misspoke earlier. What I meant was—I plan to have Hero-sama’s child from now on.”
“Riena, do you even hear what you’re saying right now?”
If I didn’t have a steel-forged mental resilience, I’d be shrieking, “What the hell!?” in a cracking voice by now.
I really am glad I have a steel-forged mental resilience.
“Even without love, if a man and a woman engage in such acts, they can still conceive a child.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t asking for a biology lecture.”
“It’s just… I have no one else I can rely on in this world besides Hero-sama. That’s why I want to have his child—someone I can care for, someone who’ll give me strength.”
“…Even so, I mean…”
I can’t help but think—that’s pushing it, isn’t it?