I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist-Novel

“The imaginary plane…”

I vaguely realized that this place was not a space existing only in my ‘imagination.’ The wind blew in the silent darkness. The air brushed against my skin, and the swirling sound coming from behind me. I was standing by a cliff. I had returned to the place where the Crown had tested me.

“…I’ve arrived.”

I reached above my head. The Crown of Thorns, made of magical power, floated above my head. However, it was weaker than usual.

There wasn’t a hand pulling me over the edge this time.

I glanced behind. Then, taking a step towards the light, I moved forward. I didn’t know if the Holy Sword or something else was waiting for me at the end, but my intuition insisted that I walk towards that light.

So, I walked. I moved silently without saying a word. Even though I used the Crown’s power, the light didn’t get any closer. I didn’t expect to reach it quickly in the first place, so I kept advancing.

“…Still, it feels quite far.”

As I continued to move, there was a subtle change in my consciousness. It felt like my diligent footsteps and my constantly thinking mind were being separated. I walked with the sensation of moving my body in a dream. There was no effect, even if I tried to stop random thoughts and focus on my body.

I moved for a while and then stopped to look at my hand. Inverting the back of my hand and looking at the palm felt incredibly awkward.

Then, out of nowhere, a voice echoed in the air. I was startled, raising my head. It was familiar. I couldn’t distinguish whether it belonged to a man or a woman. Was it the one within the Crown?

“…Who are you?”

The voice spoke with amusement. As I remained astonished without uttering a word, the voice continued.

The voice circled around me as if observing every part of me, resonating with curiosity. I consciously turned my body toward where the voice was coming from, trying to perceive the unseen gaze. It wasn’t like a mark imprinted on the Crown; had it been here all along?

The voice seemed to be waiting for me to speak.

“How much are you willing to answer?”

I nodded. I decided to ask the first question that came to my mind. I briefly pondered whether to speak formally, but then I remembered I had never done so.

“Where is the Holy Sword now?”

The voice chuckled as if it was familiar with the human form of the Holy Sword.

I became aware of the sheath on my waist. The Holy Sword wasn’t there, and in its place was Null. The consciousness of the sword was expanding alongside me. It couldn’t speak yet, but it might soon start a conversation with me.

The voice said with a snicker.

“…Salvation is too much. It’s just my stubbornness.”

The tone was mocking yet sympathetic, and I decided to set aside discussions on topics that wouldn’t lead to agreement. I slowly began the question I needed to ask.

“What does it mean to start shedding one’s flaws?”

“I knew at least I should transcend… but I didn’t know anything beyond that.”

The voice remained silent, but I could sense the entity beyond the silence, contemplating.

Who I am? I furrowed my brows. Before I could open my mouth to answer, the voice began throwing questions incessantly.

The emphasis on ‘genuinely’ caused my furrowed brow to smooth out. At that moment, I felt a different meaning might be hidden within those words.

White-haired woman…Did it mean the Holy Sword? Was there more that she had to tell me? I began piecing together the words like a puzzle, but the voice wouldn’t leave me in peace.

What?

Faced with the torrent of questions, I found myself deep in contemplation. Memories before being chosen as the Hero? Memories before wielding the Holy Sword? I couldn’t think of anything. What was the purpose of these questions? Was the voice trying to understand my essence? The fact that I am a vessel?

The voice sighed. Along with the sigh, a faint breeze brushed through, gently ruffling my hair.

Name. I spat out the words without any hesitation.

“Elroy. No surname. Just a commoner.”

The voice chuckled softly.

“Yes…”

For a while, I remained silent, and the voice asked again.

The voice suddenly became cautious and secretive, whispering in my ear. I couldn’t stop the icy chills that emerged in my heart. The discomfort and uneasiness became so heavy that it felt almost terrifying. Unconsciously, I stepped back, trying to distance myself from the voice.

Time and space seemed to freeze. I found myself frozen in place, having taken a step back. Like a relentless besieger, the voice dropped a bomb on me with a question.

My name. The name I had before becoming Elroy.

I attempted to respond, but my voice wouldn’t come out, leaving me startled. The name…the name I had before entering Elroy’s body in this cursed world—.

“Ah…, ah….”

Mocking laughter echoed in the voice. However, my ears heard nothing.

What was my name?

Forcing air through my non-responsive lungs, I struggled to breathe. The voice clicked its tongue.

I couldn’t maintain my balance. I staggered, struggling to stay upright while holding Null. The blade made a scraping sound as it touched the ground.

Don’t say absurd things. If that’s the case, how did I make choices opposite to what Elroy did, and how have I been able to grow until now?

A sound echoed as if something had fallen to the ground. It was probably the noise of my body collapsing. I gasped for breath, unable to bear the sudden influx of information and its weight.

The light, which seemed like a needle hole, was gradually expanding. No, it wasn’t that the light was getting brighter; I was getting closer to it. The light shone in an area barely big enough for one person to enter, and the darkness couldn’t invade it.

And amid that light, a woman held a sword, standing tall and resisting.

There was no focus in the woman’s red eyes.

At that moment, the sound of the shadow being cleaved resonated particularly loudly.

The Holy Sword’s blade never dulled. However, right now, the razor-sharp edge is not targeting evil.

Her sword moved.

She fixed her grip on the sword.

She cut through the darkness.

She swung her sword.

She was forced to take a step back, blocking an attack.

She pushes forward with the same lifelessness.

She looked around expressionlessly.

I Will Never Go Back

The Holy Sword…no, Isha swung the sword once again.

Translator’s Corner

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. First, I used italics and bold for the voice of the crown, but seeing that continuously is just a pain to read, so it’s just italics.

Second, sorry for taking so long for another chapter. I could’ve done one much earlier, but I wanted to take a proper break after all the school stuff. Now that I’ve run out of stuff to do, I’m back to translating. I’ll try increasing the pace as I have nothing better to do with my time.

-Ruminas