After surviving the banquet by sheer luck, I was hoping for a quiet morning. You know, breakfast, coffee, maybe some light reading—or in my case, figuring out how to undo the magical engagement contract that was still glowing faintly on my hand.
Instead, I woke up to the sound of an explosion.
"Get up, Hero!"
I groggily opened my eyes to see Lilith standing at the foot of my bed, looking way too chipper for someone who probably caused that explosion.
"What… what time is it?" I mumbled, still half-asleep.
"Time for your combat training!"
Training Grounds: The Nightmare Returns
I stumbled out of bed, threw on some clothes, and followed Lilith to the castle's training grounds. The area was a vast, open field littered with scorch marks, broken weapons, and what looked suspiciously like a crater left by a meteor.
Standing there, waiting for me, was Varnok—the demon knight who had been "teaching" me since day one. By teaching, I mean throwing me into fights with minimal instructions and then laughing when I inevitably failed.
"Ah, Kazuki," Varnok greeted, smirking. "Ready for another lesson in heroism?"
"Define 'ready,'" I said nervously.
Kazuki vs. The Fireball Dummy
Today's training exercise involved a wooden dummy enchanted to shoot fireballs at random intervals.
"Your job is to block the fireballs with your weapon," Varnok explained, handing me my trusty… esfregão.
"Still not a weapon," I muttered, but no one listened.
The dummy lit up, and before I could even get into position, a fireball came hurtling toward me.
"Block it, Hero!" Varnok shouted.
I panicked and swung the mop wildly. To my surprise—and everyone else's—the mop's bristles absorbed the fireball like a sponge.
"What just happened?" I asked, staring at the mop.
Lilith clapped excitedly. "See? I told you your weapon is special!"
"Yeah, special at cleaning floors," I muttered, but I couldn't deny it—the mop had saved me.
The Mop of Destiny
The rest of the morning was spent dodging and deflecting fireballs. By the end, my arms felt like noodles, my shirt was singed, and I smelled like burnt toast.
"You're improving," Lilith said, handing me a towel.
"If by 'improving' you mean 'less likely to die,' then sure," I replied, wiping the sweat off my face.
"Don't be so modest, Kazuki," she said with a grin. "You're starting to look like a real hero."
Meanwhile, Ryuu Plots
While I was busy nearly getting incinerated, Ryuu—the real hero—was up to something.
"I don't get it," he muttered to himself, pacing in a small inn in the human realm. "How did that guy trick everyone into thinking he's the hero?"
He pulled out a map of the demon kingdom, circling the castle where I was currently living.
"If I can sneak in and expose him, this whole farce will be over."
He slammed his fist on the table, determined. Little did he know, sneaking into the castle was easier said than done—especially with Lilith around.
The Afternoon Disaster
Back at the castle, I was finally enjoying some downtime when Lilith burst into my room.
"Kazuki! Emergency!"
"What now?" I asked, clutching my mop like a security blanket.
"One of the castle's magical artifacts is acting up. You need to help me contain it!"
She dragged me to the artifact room, where a glowing orb was pulsating wildly, emitting sparks of energy.
"What am I supposed to do about this?!" I exclaimed.
"You're the Great Hero! Figure it out!"
Without thinking, I jabbed the mop at the orb. It absorbed the energy, just like it had with the fireballs, and the orb stopped glowing.
Everyone stared at me.
"Okay," I said, holding up the mop. "What is this thing?"
Lilith smiled. "Your destiny."
I groaned. "My destiny needs a vacation."