Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 261

My head is throbbing.

My eyelids are so heavy I can barely open them.

My consciousness is as hazy as if shrouded in a thick fog.

I wanted to drift back to sleep, to let go, but I couldn’t. Not with Choi Hyun-seok’s luck.

“Ugh…! I’m gonna die! I’m dying!”

“Ohohoho!”

The incessant nagging and high-pitched laughter pierced my ears, rattling my brain.

“Aaaam~ nom nom!”

“Stop it! Stop it! I said stop it!” “Is it seasoned well? I can just swallow it whole.”

“Ughaaaa!”

What on earth is going on to cause such a racket?

Unable to bear the curiosity and annoyance any longer, I slowly forced my eyes open.

The sight that greeted me was more shocking than I could have imagined.

‘What is she doing…?’

Heemis, with her pure white hands, was picking up Rachel, putting her in her mouth, and taking her out repeatedly.

Rachel seemed to be resisting desperately, but against whom? Her struggles were utterly meaningless.

“Ugh…!”

“Nom!”

Heemis swallowed Rachel whole.

After a moment, she put her hand back in her mouth and pulled Rachel out again.

Rachel, slumped on the floor, trembled and weakly raised a hand.

“S, save me…”

“Oh my, what are you saying? Anyone would misunderstand and think I’m harming you.” “What you’re doing right now *is* harming me! You demon!” “This is a game, a play. Why are you acting like that when you clearly enjoyed it too?”

“Ughaaaa!”

Heemis picked Rachel up again.

Just as Rachel was about to be shoved into that wide-open mouth, I finally managed to speak.

”
… What are you doing?”

My voice cracked, my mouth dry as sandpaper.

Heemis stopped and turned toward me.

“You’re awake?”

“Hwaaa! Hero-nim! Save me! The lip monster is trying to eat me, no, she *is* eating me!”

My head started to throb even more intensely.

Was it just because I wasn’t feeling well?

Or was it this utterly absurd situation?

I was certain the latter was the primary culprit.

”
… I need an explanation. Why am I here?”

I couldn’t understand it.

I was clearly in a final battle with the Pope.

To be exact, I was buying time for Park Hyun-ah to escape.

I had squeezed out the last dregs of my strength to face the Pope.

And then I lost consciousness.

Death seemed the natural conclusion, so why was I lying in a strange cave with Heemis?

Could this be the afterlife?

“I saved you.”

My eyes narrowed at her claim.

‘She saved me in *that* situation…?’

Having fought directly, I knew better than anyone how many enemies were present.

Besides, the Pope’s power was beyond imagination.

Even for Heemis, escaping alive wouldn’t have been easy.

It was hard to believe she had managed to extract me from the middle of such a battlefield, especially in my near-death state.

‘The Pope would have tried to eliminate me at all costs.’

I couldn’t imagine I had survived simply by being stuffed into Heemis’s mouth like Rachel.

“Did you do it alone?” “I mobilized some of my subordinates, but… well, didn’t I practically save you alone?”

Her subordinates were an extension of her power, so it was fair to consider it a solo effort.

“Anyway, I brought you here and waited for you to wake up.”

”
… Thank you.”

I had countless questions, but I decided to address them one at a time.

‘I feel like I’m going to die…’

First and foremost, I needed to recover.

It felt like my eyeballs were about to be ripped out, and my head was on the verge of exploding. I couldn’t think straight.

“Um… I’m sorry, but I think I need to rest a little more…” “Rest comfortably. I can play with this fairy.” “H, Hero-nim! What nonsense are you talking about! Get up right now! Hero-nim!!!” “Rachel… Please shut your mouth… My head is ringing…”

“Okay.”

“Kkyaaaa! Don’t do it!”

I closed my eyes, watching Heemis swallow Rachel again for what I hoped was the last time.

***

I opened my eyes again a day later.

Feeling much improved, I carefully sat up.

“Ah, I really came back from the dead.”

As I stood, I noticed Rachel, half-fainted, plastered to the floor like a discarded slime.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t talk to me…”

“Okay.”

When I ignored her and started toward the cave exit, Rachel jumped to her feet.

“What if you really leave!?” “You told me not to talk to you.” “Even so! Hero-nim has no blood or tears!? Conscience! Guilt! Compassion! Don’t you have any love for humanity!?” “I’m leaving if you’re going to talk nonsense.”

“Ugh…!”

Rachel trembled with resentment and a sense of injustice.

She had been by my side for the past few days, enduring all sorts of hardships!

Of course, she hadn’t actually helped me recover.

And the hardships she suffered had nothing to do with me.

Anyway!

The important thing was that she had suffered.

But this cold-blooded hero didn’t acknowledge her sacrifice and gave her the cold shoulder.

Her heart ached.

“Where did Heemis-nim go?” “Hmph! I don’t know! She probably went to catch and eat innocent animals again! Like a barbarian!” “I don’t think you’re the one to say that, since you like to catch innocent animals and grill them. Anyway, I understand.”

She probably went to fill her stomach.

I sat back down and decided to wait for Heemis to return.

I needed to assess my condition.

“First of all, the hero quest.”

The first thing I did was check my hero quest.

The last quest I had received was to stop the Empire’s Devotion [a ritual to empower the Empire].

By checking whether the quest was completed, I could determine if the operation had been successful.

[The hero quest has failed!]

[The Empire’s Devotion is activated!]

The first thing I saw was the failure notification.

I sighed and cursed.

“So it ended up like this.”

I had fought so hard to prevent the Empire’s Devotion.

But I failed.

What was happening on the continent now?

Various questions arose, but I continued to read the messages.

There were still notifications.

“Hmm?”

My eyebrows furrowed as I read the next message.

The message was… corrupted.

[New hero, Ques[email protected] start…. ]

It seemed like I was about to receive a new hero quest.

I could still decipher it up to this point, but then it devolved into gibberish.

★☆#☆ Hero Ques@#t! ★%@☆

Like this! Time@# no,

@# to deal, [email protected][email protected]

Se[email protected]%#[email protected]@

I blinked and rubbed my eyes.

“What is it?”

I couldn’t understand the content at all.

The letters were garbled, like a corrupted computer file.

I stared at the message for a long time, trying to decipher its meaning, but soon gave up and closed it.

‘The first line probably said there was no time. Could something have happened to God?’

I made my own guesses, but I couldn’t be sure of anything right now.

‘I wonder if Noona [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend] knows what’s going on.’

Park Hyun-ah, with her vast knowledge, might have some insight.

The thought struck me like a bolt.

“Ah! What happened to Noona!?”

Did Park Hyun-ah even survive?

I had done my best to save her, but I didn’t know if she had made it.

‘I wouldn’t have pushed myself so hard if I knew Heemis was coming…’

It was a pointless thought now.

I had made the best choice I could at that moment.

I didn’t have any regrets.

However, I desperately hoped that Park Hyun-ah was still alive.

‘I failed to stop the Empire’s Devotion. The system message is corrupted. I don’t know if Noona is alive or dead. This is the worst possible scenario.’

I didn’t even know how long I had been unconscious.

I called out to Rachel, who was still lying nearby.

“Rachel. How long have I been out?” “About 4 days? Or was it 5 days?” “I passed out for longer than I thought.”

It had been a long time since I had been unconscious for so long.

My body, which far surpassed human limitations, didn’t break down easily.

That was proof that I had pushed myself too far in the last battle.

“Are you awake?”

Turning toward the sound, I saw Heemis walking in from outside the cave.

“Yes. Thanks to you, my body has recovered considerably. Thank you.” “You don’t have to thank me. I did it because it looked fun.”

Heemis smiled.

Was it because she was pretty?

The smile that usually felt grotesque seemed almost warm today.

“By the way, where were you?” “I went to scout out the situation. I was curious about how the continent was faring.” “Ah! Please tell me!”

I was delighted.

Information was more crucial than anything else right now.

Heemis had a knack for gathering information that others couldn’t, so she might know a lot about the current situation.

“Um~ To sum it up, the continent is on the verge of destruction. I can confidently say that.”

”
… I think that’s too much of a summary.”

“I’ll explain it in detail if you want.”

Heemis summarized and relayed the information she had gathered.

People had turned into fanatics due to the Empire’s Devotion.

Most of the kingdoms had fallen, except for a few, and a massive number of fanatics were rampaging across the continent, harming people.

“In my opinion, humanity is finished. This is definitely not a disaster that humans can stop.”

”
… Is it that bad?”

“Of course. Even a stupid orc would understand if they thought about it for a second.”

Heemis seemed certain of humanity’s demise.

It was inevitable; the power disparity was too great.

“Even if you gathered all the remaining human troops, would they barely exceed one million? But the enemy numbers at least fifty million. Maybe even over a hundred million.”

Even comparing simple numbers, the power difference was fifty to a hundred times.

But since fanatics possessed power surpassing ordinary soldiers, the actual power difference was even greater.

“Even if you or I stepped in and slowly reduced their numbers, we might be able to eliminate them all someday, but by then there would be no humans left on this continent.”

“Umm…”

I frowned and fell into thought.

Of course, I expected the situation to be dire, but the reality was far worse.

At this rate, humanity was doomed.

As I was thinking, I suddenly remembered something and jumped up.

“Heemis-nim. Do you have contact with the Demon King’s army?” “I get regular reports from Motem.” “Then I have a favor to ask.”

“What favor?”

“I need to meet Demon King Sidriel right now.”

***

“The king of humans?”

“Yes! I found her wandering in the nearby forest and brought her here!”

Raiderun looked at the human woman before him with his arms crossed.

‘What on earth is she thinking?’

The power emanating from the woman was weak.

She seemed to have trained to some extent, but her body was so fragile that Raiderun could obliterate her with a mere gesture.

He could understand that much.

Unlike demons, brute force wasn’t a prerequisite for becoming the king of humans.

The problem was that this woman, claiming to be a queen, had come to the Demon King’s castle alone.

‘There are three possibilities.’

Raiderun formulated three hypotheses about this human woman.

Either she possessed multiple lives.

Or she looked down on demons.

Or she was simply insane.

Personally, Raiderun leaned toward the last theory.

Seeing that she didn’t even flinch when faced with the energy he was emitting, it was clear that something was wrong with this human.

“Although you claim to be the queen of humans, this is demon territory. I have no intention of extending any courtesies.”

“Do as you please.”

“Why did you come here?” “I want to meet the Demon King.” “The Demon King is not a leisurely individual.”

At Raiderun’s words, the human woman, En Nel Cherci, shook her head.

“Even if he’s busy, he’ll have to make time. This concerns the survival of demons.”

“That’s impossible. Formally request an audience and return.”

“…”

“This is the only time I will forgive such rudeness. Next time, I will sever your head without warning.”

Demons and humans had signed a peace agreement.

That didn’t mean humans could wander around demon territory as if it were their own backyard.

Besides, she had arrived unannounced and demanded to meet the Demon King.

Even if she was the king of a kingdom, he couldn’t overlook such blatant disrespect.

“Go back.”

“It will only take a moment.”

“Human. I said, go back.”

“I can’t.”

Raiderun’s eyebrows twitched.

Such defiance despite his leniency.

The energy radiating from his body intensified.

En’s body began to tremble.

Regardless of her will, her body instinctively reacted to the murderous intent.

However, even as she trembled, her eyes remained calm.

“We don’t have much time either. If we miss the opportunity, the proposal will be meaningless. You will regret refusing this meeting.”

Raiderun couldn’t comprehend it.

He was emitting an energy that could easily cause her to lose consciousness.

Yet the woman before him still spoke with a clear voice and steady gaze.

That was impossible for a human without special magic.

‘Is she truly a king?’

She seemed to possess some backbone, but that was all.

There was no end to accepting such requests one by one.

Then what was the point of rules and principles?

“I have warned you sufficiently.”

Raiderun raised his fist.

The moment it landed, this human would be reduced to a puddle of blood.

Whether she knew it or not, En stood there, staring at Raiderun.

“Courage is commendable, but there are things in this world that cannot be achieved with courage alone. Don’t blame me.”

Just before the red fist was about to strike, a familiar voice echoed.

“Why don’t you listen to her story?”

Raiderun stared at the newcomer with wide eyes.

The murderous intent he had been exuding vanished, replaced by a face full of joy.

“Choi Hyun-seok!”

“It’s been a while, Raiderun-nim.”

Choi Hyun-seok smiled and stepped forward.