Reincarnated Hero System

Militopolis

Gledea Continent

Prime World Aramis

April 2nd

531st Divine Year (Aramis)/Year 1054 (50th General Calendar)

A Twist of Fate, this is.

I am a Hero whose job was to protect Aidos against Gozon. yet here I was, stranded in a world where Gozon was the invader—and with little choice but to aid them.

It was the 31st of March when I fell into Aramis, and ever since, my worries about how things turned out on Aidos have only grown. With my absence, Peggy should have delivered my failsafe to the others, but still, I can’t shake the fear gnawing at me for their safety.

‘A Rogue Hero.’

The title stared back at me from my status screen, a reminder of what Alvey had informed me of just two days ago.

Untethered to any world, I could now become a Hero of any World with an open Hero slot. Planet Aramis, where I’d landed, had ten such openings. If I had fallen on the right side of the planet, I might have ended up joining the Aramisian cause.

But that possibility was as distant as the stars. Unless Alvey and the others were in the northern part of the continent, the spell that brought me here would never have dropped me there.

Perhaps the planet itself tried to intervene—after all, I did land a few kilometres off target.

“No point in dwelling on ‘what ifs.'”

The words slipped out as I recalled the message Alvey sent earlier today. His plan to have me integrated into the Gozonian Army here on Aramis had been approved by Demon King McEnda II. In other words, I was now bound to assist Gozon in their invasion of Aramis.

It goes without saying that helping Gozon invade ANY world was the last thing I wanted to do. But before I could even weigh my personal feelings, I needed to consider one simple question.

“Do I even have a choice?”

No one needed to answer that for me. I knew the truth was a resounding, undeniable NO.

As Arthur said, the part where my opinion was supposed to be asked for was forgotten in the future.

Alone, I lacked the strength to make a significant impact in a war teeming with hundreds of Transcendents. Yet, the Gozonians couldn’t afford to let me go, fearing that I might join the Aramisians.

If I ended up on their side and stayed long enough, I would eventually rise to Sovereign status. That possibility alone was enough for Alvey and McEnda, as Gozonian Generals, to keep me close.

‘Neutrality isn’t an option…’

This planet had been pushed to the brink, and I doubted the world’s consciousness would allow me to remain uninvolved. As a potential Hero, I was a resource it couldn’t ignore, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it sent someone stronger than me to force my hand in the war.

These thoughts weighed on my mind as I walked through the expansive hallways of the mansion, my eyes briefly catching on landscape photos adorning the walls.

The corridor stretched ahead, and as I moved forward, I noticed one of the heavy wooden doors slightly ajar. Its dark surface contrasted sharply with the warm light spilling from within.

Curiosity piqued, I approached to close it but paused when I caught sight of a figure on the balcony, their silhouette outlined against the moonlit night. Drawn to the scene, I stepped inside, the cool night air brushing against my skin as I quietly made my way to the balcony.

There, perched on the railing with her legs crossed, was a girl with long white hair cascading down her back. Her brown eyes complemented her delicate features perfectly, and she was dressed casually in a loose-fitting hoodie and shorts, her bare feet swinging gently in the night breeze.

The sight was almost serene, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing within me.

“Beatrix, right?”

“Hmm?”

She turned around, lightly surprised, only now noticing my presence. After a moment, she nodded, her voice clear and bell-like.

“Yeah, it’s Beatrix.”

A moment later, she hopped off the railing and flopped onto one of the sofas, grabbing a bag of chips and munching as she scrolled through a tablet in her hands.

“I know this is Alvey’s Mansion and all, but you sure you should be here while he’s not around?”

I didn’t fully understand the circumstances of her and Artemisia’s presence here, but I knew it wasn’t common knowledge among the demons. They usually only showed up when Alvey was around.

“Nah, it’s fine. The Demons wouldn’t realise I’m not one of them unless I want them to, and those shadow demons tailing you already know I’m a goddess.”

She shrugged as she spoke, and when she mentioned the shadow demons, I glanced at the door I’d just come through. The shadow on the floor shifted ever so slightly, despite the door not moving an inch.

I sighed softly as I took a seat on the second balcony couch, returning my focus to the unusual situation with these two teenage goddesses.

“Do you and Artemisia stay here all the time?”

“Nahh. Arty and I stay in the north. Tolgue City. Arthur would probably drag you there sometime.”

She spoke casually about me being dragged somewhere, swiping to the next picture on her tablet before continuing.

“I thought Alvey would be back by now, but he wasn’t so now I’m bored.”

Then, turning to face me, she asked.

“What brings you here at this time? It’s nearly midnight, after all. If I were in your situation, I’d have passed out on my bed from stress.”

“Sleep, huh? I won’t deny that I want to sleep, but there’s too much on my mind. So, here we are.”

I responded as I searched my Inventory for some strawberry wine, also looking for any food I might’ve stashed away for a late-night snack.

“Hey, Beatrix. You came to this world because of Alvey, right?”

Beatrix flinched slightly at my words, but after a brief pause, she replied.

“…yes.”

“Mind If I ask how that happened? You liking him, I mean.”

Liking someone was one thing, but crossing worlds for them? That was something else entirely. And considering Aidos was on the other side of the galaxy, she’d travelled a long way for this.

“It’s not a grand story, you know?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not one for grand stories myself.”

I replied with a light laugh as I found the particular wine brand I was looking for, taking out the bottle and popping it open just as Beatrix spoke.

“Omahiri.”

“??”

“That’s the name of the High-Level World Alvey was on before he came to Aramis. I was there, too, searching for something the natives possessed, and as fate would have it, so was Alvey. Though our goals were different, the items we sought were in the same area, so we inevitably crossed paths.

At first, Alvey didn’t pay me much attention and went on his way. But when he reached a door that required divinity to pass, he got stuck. Being a demon, he didn’t possess divinity, so he needed my help.

That was the beginning of our unlikely partnership.”

She paused to munch on her chips, her brown eyes reflecting the glow of the tablet screen as she continued.

“I handled all the divinity-related obstacles, while Alvey took care of the fighting. It was an underground labyrinth that took us around four months to explore.”

“So, you and Alvey were alone down there for four months?”

“Yeah. That must be the longest time I’ve spent without Arty.”

Beatrix’s expression softened when she mentioned ‘Arty,’ even more so than when she talked about Alvey. It was a subtle shift, but noticeable enough.

‘Artemisia’s best friend…’

I recalled being told that. They were close enough that Artemisia willingly followed her here, despite knowing the risks of ending up in a demon’s den.

‘The longest time she has spent ‘without Artemisia’ was four months? That’s crazy.’

Unaware of my thoughts, Beatrix continued talking, narrating the story of her love.

“When we reached the end of the labyrinth and got what we came for, I left without looking back. But even after returning home, I felt… sad.

It was like I’d lost something, despite having found what I’d spent four months searching for.

I couldn’t understand why, and it bugged me for weeks. So, I went back. This time, with Arty.”

Once again, her eyes seemed to shimmer with light at the mere mention of her nickname for Artemisia.

“When I returned to the labyrinth on Omahiri, it had been overrun by demons. They were excavating relics, and Alvey was overseeing the operation. It saved me the trouble of searching for him again.

Despite our stealth magic, Alvey’s spatial perception caught onto us, and he came over almost instantly.

The moment I saw him again, that inexplicable feeling of ‘loss’ and sadness I’d been carrying for weeks vanished, replaced by an equally inexplicable sense of joy and happiness. It didn’t take long for me to realize what had happened.”

“You realised you’d fallen for him.”

“Yep.”

She nodded, then turned her tablet toward me, showing a selfie of herself on what looked like a rope bridge, with a clearly disgruntled Alvey in the background. Swiping to the next picture, I saw the same scene, but this time, a giant horned shark was leaping at Alvey.

‘That’s one hell of a shift in situation.’

I couldn’t help but chuckle as the screen shifted back to Beatrix, who was smiling softly at the memory.

“I wonder at which point I actually started having feelings for him. By the time I realised, I already did.”

“Haha, I can relate.”

I most certainly could. I never realised when I’d started falling for Liz until after I’d already fallen in deep.

The thought of Liz made me heave a deep sigh and Beatrix turned towards me with surprise when she heard it.

“That’s one heavy sigh…”

“That’s a sigh containing all my problems.”

“oof…I can’t relate. I’ve never been forcefully sent through time before.”

Beatrix replied, before holding out an empty glass she retrieved from what I believe was an inventory and asking me.

“I may not be able to relate, but I can make a guess.”

Looking me in the eyes, she continued.

“It’s related to the message Alvey sent earlier today, right? The DKs said you should work under Alvey.

You’re probably thinking ‘Why would you—a Hero who’d been fighting to protect another world from invaders, help Invaders on this world’.”

She accurately guessed the thing that’d been on my mind since afternoon today, and I silently nodded while pouring some pineapple wine I retrieved from my inventory for her.

“Huh? I wanted the strawberry.”

“Strawberries are my favourites. These wines may be common in the future, but in this era, they’re limited edition. Not gonna give them out so easily.”

“Pfft…What the heck?”

She laughed at my words, but understanding my playful reluctance, she didn’t press the matter and just took a sip of the wine I poured for her.

“Oh, this is sweet.”

Her surprise was evident in her tone and immediately softening expression, her lips curling into a pleased smile.

As she savoured the taste, her eyes sparkled with delight. Unlike Artemisia, who often remained inscrutable even in this era, Beatrix effortlessly displayed a range of emotions, from surprise to satisfaction, all in a matter of moments.

“Personally, I couldn’t be bothered about the fate of another world. I only became a Hero because I thought it was fun, like a game I’d played before.”