When we speak of 500 years ago, the existence known as The Hero was considered an embodiment of “absolute good.”
Purity. Goodness.
A being who encapsulated all images of self-sacrifice, seeker of truth, savior, and hero into one.
But did such a being truly not know the truth of the world?
Not at all.
The Hero must have known.
Yet even with that knowledge, he chose silence.
Because if he were to reveal the truth, it might have led to the extinction of all beings on the surface.
– Isn’t it strange? If the Trials of the Four Founders were truly meant to ‘prevent the Demon World’s seal from breaking’ or to determine whether someone is ‘strong enough to fight beside us if the Demon World invades,’ then why were they so serious about the final battle?
Changyeom once said that.
– If they really thought the sealed Demon World was an embodiment of absolute evil, then wouldn’t that make it even more necessary to choose the path of fighting together against that evil?
During the second playthrough’s endgame content, the final stage of the Middle World—where the seal of the Four Founders is broken—Changyeom had this to say.
– I don’t know about the other three, but I think the Hero realized it. If you look at the Hero’s dialogue in your play history, it’s likely that he knew everything.
The Hero was purer and more righteous than anyone—but within him must have been great turmoil.
How should he reveal the truth to humanity?
How could he talk about the truth of Esdinas of Heaven he came to realize, in a way that wouldn’t shatter or traumatize them?
Especially when his party included the Saint, a devout believer in the Church of the Goddess?
More importantly—
– Humanity, with the power from 500 years ago, could not stand against the Apocalypse brought about by Heaven.
Even if he spread the truth, could humanity stand against Heaven?
He must have concluded it was impossible.
Even with help from the Emperor and the Sage, it would not be enough.
That’s likely why he founded Esdinas Academy.
On the surface, it was a place to train heroes to face demons.
But in truth, it was to cultivate individuals strong enough to turn their blades toward Heaven.
Only the Hero knew that.
– In-game, The Hero opened the path to the Demon World. But why?
He knew.
And after 500 years, he opened the way for the players and party members who had reached the Trials to enter the Demon World.
It was perhaps partly out of remorse toward the other three sealed beings.
But also because the player characters still challenged the Demon World without knowing the truth.
– If someone had said the reason for unsealing the Demon World was to awaken the Demon Kings and take down some ‘TS yuri angel cosplay psychic parasitic alien lifeform,’ then the Hero would’ve told the truth right away.
To break the seal of the Demon World and use its power against the Angels?
The other Founders might have opposed it,
But the Hero may have thought, “Finally!” and persuaded the others.
But that didn’t happen.
And I, thinking the Demon World was simply another piece of endgame content, focused only on clearing the stage.
I did succeed in the 100% clear…
But the result was me getting isekai’d into this world.
– Someday, when you stand before the Trials of the Four Founders, they’ll ask you: Why do you seek to unseal the Demon World?
Why did the Angels allow the seal to be broken in-game?
Because the player viewed the Demon World as “absolute evil” and sought to destroy it.
That is, by siding with Heaven, they acted as its vanguard, and so there was no interference.
Therefore, this time it must be the opposite.
Even if the journey to the seal must be kept under layers of secrecy, once we reach the Origin, we must convey our awakening to the Four Founders— especially the Hero.
Only then will the Hero truly understand.
500 years.
At last, humanity has broken free of Heaven’s rule.
And entered a new age where they can live without fearing the Apocalypse.
That alone is an unsung tribute to the Hero.
A final act of rebellion— led by one human— who overturned the world’s setting, lore, and the righteous image of Heaven built into its foundations.
<The Hero of Esdinas>
He is waiting.
For those with the strength to overcome the fairy-tale-like trials created by the Sage.
For those strong enough to defend humanity and lead it to victory in a war against Heaven.
And now, here—
There are beings who were originally meant to become Heaven’s vanguards.
The “heroines.”
Beings who, alongside the protagonist, followed the teachings of the Church of the Goddess,
and lived believing all demons should be slain out of hatred and fury for the Demon World.
They were meant to be heroines.
But they can no longer be called that.
They are not heroines of the protagonist.
They are not broken or devastated enough for angels to descend into them.
They have realized the truth of the world, uncovered its secrets, and chosen to resist the fate of Apocalypse that was assigned to them.
I am the one who sowed the seed of that doubt.
And the fertilizer for that seed came from evidence of the Angels’ actions, one by one.
Now, it’s time to inject the sap that will help the tree of suspicion about this world’s truth grow.
“The Four Founders… were rougher people than I expected.”
The memories of the Four Founders will serve as the perfect nutrient for the plant to grow.
“To think the Saint was such a foul-mouthed woman.”
* * *
After conquering the 3rd floor of the Earth Magic Tower.
We climbed to the 4th floor, fought off a horde of large-scale magic beasts in the desert, and now stood before the boss of the 4th floor.
Kyaaaaaaaaah!!
A massive Earthworm that looked well over 200 meters long.
Its shell was covered in hardened chitin that looked as tough as diamond, and its gaping mouth was lined with what had to be hundreds of razor-sharp spikes. An S-rank magic beast, wild and frenzied, now appeared before us.
“So the Four Founders took that thing down?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong, Miss Yunia? Nervous?”
“Not nervous, just… more like realizing that the Four Founders really were far more capable than I imagined.”
Yunia gestured toward the students stepping forward to the front lines.
“We’ve got way more people than they did, but they cleared all the trials with just four.”
“That’s because they weren’t the kind of people you could define with an ‘S-rank.’”
A single party made up of SS-ranks.
Versus our student party, which included the White Sword Saint who was just shy of SS-rank, along with the rest of us at A-rank and below.
It felt a bit disrespectful to even compare ourselves to the Four Founders, but just because they cleared the trials didn’t mean we couldn’t as well.
Kiiiiiiieeeeek!!
The colossal Earthworm sensed our mana and began charging straight at us across the terrain.
Its jaws were wide open, as if ready to swallow us whole. The way it surged forward with terrifying speed, it looked like a runaway train.
“Do you know how the Four Founders managed to beat that thing?”
“Sure.”
“How did they do it?”
“They cast an unbreakable mana barrier, then slashed wildly from the inside, cutting it up while digging out a hole midway through its body to escape.”
“That’s one way, sure… but something like this could work too, right?”
Yunia placed her hand on Ludmila’s back.
“Ludmila, I’ll help control your mana.”
“By all means. Should I fire now?”
“No. Wait until it’s as close as possible.”
Ludmila conjured a spear of wind above her shoulder and gripped it with one hand.
Just as I had helped channel her wind before by adjusting her mana, now Yunia finely guided the turbulent storm of mana radiating from Ludmila’s body and focused it into the spear of wind.
The difference this time was the slight blackish tint that clung to the turbulence under Yunia’s control.
It was clearly an unusual kind of mana, but since both Yunia and Ludmila were completely in control, I didn’t feel the need to comment.
“…Now!”
At Yunia’s command, Ludmila hurled the Turbulence forward.
The massive Earthworm sensed the incoming attack and tried to twist its head away, but the light of the Turbulence had already seeped into its gaping maw.
KAGAGAGAGAGAGANG!!
A vicious shrieking sound echoed from within.
Sharper than the sound of flesh being torn in a blender, the Earthworm’s rampage halted as the storm raged violently through its insides.
The students from the Old School Building scattered left and right.
“Everyone—long-range attacks, full power.”
At Instructor Esta’s command, everyone began unleashing all manner of attacks.
Though our attacks against the outer shell barely dealt any damage, the storm continued to shred the Earthworm’s insides from within.
“Should we fire another one?”
“Hmm… No, I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“What did you do?”
I asked despite already knowing.
“That last attack… It looked like you embedded something into the Turbulence.”
“Hmm, I guess you could call it a pseudo-Divine attribute? I twisted the mana pattern to resemble holy power.”
“I analyzed the mana patterns of the Fallen Angels we encountered on the lower floor and embedded that into the Turbulence.”
“…”
We’re growing through this trial.
“What kind of mana did you sense in those Fallen Angels?”
“Hmm…”
“Good question.”
Yunia and Ludmila exchanged glances and then grinned mischievously at me.
“Just a fleeting thought, like… If there were multiple Phoenixes, maybe even the two of us could go that route?”
“It’s not that we want to go there, or plan to… But the kind of thought that lets you unleash this kind of devastating attack on an S-rank magic beast? Worth keeping around, right?”
“…I see.”
I wonder if the Hero knew.
That the memories he left behind 500 years ago would end up empowering the heroines of today—now no longer “heroines”—and enhancing their techniques.
“Well, it’s all good if it works.”
If a little lewdness lets us boost our damage by 892%, that’s more than welcome from my perspective.
“Anything you want as a reward after this?”
“Hmm… A massage?”
“Count me in too.”
It’s not like they’re going around flaunting that kind of lewdness.
All I have to do is be a strong, reliable pillar they can lean on and feel safe with.
‘Are you watching, Hero?’
By becoming a househusband, I will lead humanity to salvation from Heaven.
That’s right.
In this world…
The lewder you get, the stronger you become.
Because at its core, this world was built as an eroge.
