I. The Talentless Hero
At this point, Ayato wanted to retract his words that being a hero in this world is not a bad thing.
Training continued the next day. Andrew, Misha, and William, improved rapidly, both in terms of attack techniques and weapon skills. Once a time, William was even able to produce a small lightning bolt from his spear.
As for Ayato, the only good thing, according to Diego, was that his movements had become more fluid. But there was nothing special about his sword. There was no wind or anything, and the attack power was just like a normal sword.
Then, for the performance Diego mentioned. Ayato honestly didn't like the way that man spoke of the show as if they were some spectacle material. Heroes need followers from this world to carry out missions, whose recruitment is done with the performance. Technically, the heroes will showcase their skills in front of potential followers, and they can choose which hero they want to join.
Ayato would not expect much. The other three heroes were very strong and they would attract more attention. With his current strength, how could Ayato surpass the three of them?
"Try not to die." Diego's words echoed in Ayato's mind. Which only made things worse. That night, Ayato couldn't sleep. Well, who could sleep well if they knew they might die the next day (in Ayato's case, again).
It is fortunate that he didn't wake up late. After breakfast, Ayato headed down to the front yard of the palace where they would gather first.
"Oh, Ayato, good morning ....."
He passed by Regina, but since yesterday that girl had become more awkward than before. Perhaps Ayato knew why. The royal family must have known about his shortcoming. Even last night when Ayato left the great hall after dinner, King Henry cast a different look at him. Concerned? Or bitter? How could he know.
Regina looked nervous. She fiddled with the edge of the ribbon on her dress and acted as if she wanted to say something. Finally, she exhaled and spoke. "You can do it." She forced a smile when she said that.
"Thank you. But you know, I didn't expect much myself ...." Ayato replied, trying to keep sounding composed.
Not to be pessimistic, but Diego told him to try not to die. It sounded as if Ayato would die easily. Who knows what he will face in the performance later.
When he arrived in the front yard, the others had already gathered. There were two carriages that seemed to be taking them to the arena. Diego had explained what to do. At the performance arena, they had to fight the monsters that had been captured earlier, while the audience was watching. It would be a chance to prove that they were heroes worthy of being looked up to.
According to Diego, the hero show has always been the most anticipated event over the years. Adventurers, soldiers, sorcerers, and other professions would gather in one place to witness how powerful the newly summoned heroes were. If they were lucky, they could even be recruited as subordinates of the heroes, which was a great honor. That means the summoning of heroes to this world has practically become a tradition? Ayato wondered.
It took fifteen minutes by carriage to reach the arena, a huge stadium. As they entered, they were immediately greeted by cheers from all sides. Two-thirds of the stadium was filled with curious people, the people of this world. Ayato could see them carrying various types of weapons, some also wearing robes like Diego's.
Amongst the rain of cheers, there was also a muffled growl coming from across the stadium, where a large gate seemed to be connected to some rooms.
"Everyone, listen to me." Diego waved his hand to attract attention. "It's more or less the same as training against monsters. We'll unleash two monsters into the arena, and you can do whatever it takes to kill them."
"We must ... kill?" Misha repeat. Seems to be a little hesitant.
Diego nodded. "Don't worry, because that's what you'll be doing from now on." He then walked to the center of the arena, jerking his wand upwards until it sent sparks of fireworks into the sky above the stadium.
"That's the sign. Now, let's see what you're up against!"
Growls filled the arena, mixing with the cheers of the crowd from all sides. The door at the end opened, and a dozen soldiers were dragging out two Monsters. One monster growled. This one looked like a black-furred gorilla, probably about three and a half meters tall when standing. There was a horn sticking out of the center of its face so it looked like a cross between a gorilla and a rhinoceros.
The other one was no better. It looked like a lion at first glance, but it was twice the size of an ordinary lion. Then in the center of its mane, there was a face like an eighty-year-old man. Instead of a roar, the makeshift lion made a sound like someone snoring.
"Manticore rarely appear," Diego said. "The former heroes captured them some time ago for your performance today."
The dozen soldiers holding the monsters back were already overwhelmed. They then remove the harness from both monsters and let the two beasts charge into the arena.
"Rage all you want, show all your strength to the audience." Diego said, "I'll make sure the audience doesn't get hurt. Well, good luck."
He walked to the edge of the arena. Now it was just the four of them. The gorilla-rhino growled ferociously, Ayato saw a thin puff of smoke coming from underneath its horn. As for the manticore... well, it wouldn't have been so creepy with its old man appearance, if only it hadn't pawed the ground with its claws to leave fifteen centimeters deep scratch marks on the ground.
"Hey, hey, listen, I think we should split up the work." Amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, Andrew had to half shout in order for his voice to reach his three colleagues. "You two take care of the big gorilla, Ayato and I are going to tame the lion first!"
William snorted disapprovingly. "Don't just decide on your own!"
Andrew didn't listen, he pulled Ayato to his side. "Your sword might not be strong enough to cut the lion, but you can distract it while I attack. I've always wanted to fight a lion. Don't worry, I won't let you die."
"Thanks for the concern," Ayato replied sarcastically. At least don't bring up the sword at a time like this.
"If I die, you'll be the first one I'll haunt," Ayato said as he drew his sword. He ran to the side of the field, trying to get the manticore to focus on him.
At least the two monsters had separated. The manticore followed Ayato to the other side of the arena. Ayato turned his head briefly to see the progress of the other two. It seemed they were fine. The gorilla was now overwhelmed by the arrow stuck between its eyes and stomach. While Misha tightened her bow again, the audience cheered, mostly men.
Ayato was so distracted that he didn't realize the lion was attacking with its paw. He quickly blocked the attack with his sword, producing a loud metallic clank. But, a lion's claws shouldn't be that hard, right? Ayato threw his body to widen the distance. The lion seemed annoyed that it didn't manage to split its target in two.
"Hold on, Mate, I'm comiiiiiiiiiing!" Andrew ran from the side of the field while twirling his axe, a small cyclone rippling around the axe blade. But he wasn't fast enough. Ayato would've been ground meat if he hadn't immediately dodged the lion's second attack.
"Why isn't he attacking!?" Demanding voices rang out from the audience seats. Ayato could sense they were starting to doubt him, but he wasn't sure he could hurt the lion with his sword. The third attack came. Ayato held back with his sword. How could he attack if even holding one paw like this was difficult? But he slashed the sword between the manticore's toes, making it let out a rough grunt and let go. Blood dripped from between its fingers.
Andrew was already behind the lion. "Hey, Big Cat! Look over here!" His axe was raised high, and before the manticore could turn its head, he swung the huge axe at the manticore's lower waist, cutting a huge wound on its body.
Its purr turned hoarse. The manticore was now focused on Andrew while blood soaked its legs. Andrew grinned in satisfaction. What happened next was fast. He lunged forward and, with incredible speed, swung the axe down on the lion's neck until the old man's face separated from its body with a horrible crunching sound.
A guttural growl sounded from the other side of the field. The gorilla-rhino had also reached its limit. His body was covered in stab wounds and slashes, broken arrows scattered under its feet, two more still stuck in its left shoulder. The gorilla collapsed with a thump. Then, the two monsters were reduced to a pile of dust that filled half the arena. Cheers erupted from the audience.
Ayato fell down, out of breath, only to realize that he was already this tired. But the other three didn't seem to be tired. Again, Ayato realized the difference in ability between himself and the three heroes.
Andrew could have defeated the manticore alone. Even the audience knew how weak he was. For Ayato, just surviving would not be enough. What could be expected from a weak hero?