Chapter 26

After leaving Guild Master Act, the hero Vulcan hurried to the king.

"Me, stripped of my hero status!? Bullshit! This must be some kind of mistake!"

Vulcan headed for the castle, trying to enter.

"What are you doing? Outsiders are not allowed to enter!"

But he was stopped by the guards at the castle gate.

"What!? You, you call me an outsider!? Bullshit! I'm the hero! It's me, Hero Vulcan!"

"The king has issued a notice. You are no longer a hero."

"Wh-what... You've got to be kidding me? Come on... It's a joke, right?"

"It's no joke. You have been stripped of your hero status."

The guards spoke to him with a dismissive tone and cold eyes, which was far from the attitude one would show a hero.

"Get lost."

"No... No way... Noooooo!"

In a state of near madness, Vulcan tried to run towards the castle, but was blocked by two guards.

"Wait! Wait, King! Give me back my hero status! Give it back, please!"

"Step back! If you continue to cause trouble, we'll throw you in jail!"

"No way! I'm the hero! King! Listen to me, please!"

"You're so persistent!"

One of the guards jabbed Vulcan in the groin with the butt of his spear.

"Ughhhh!"

He collapsed on the spot, vomiting.

"You're no longer a hero. Outsiders, get lost."

"No... I am... a hero..."

The young guard snorted and looked at him with disdain.

"What hero? You just act all high and mighty, but you're weak as hell."

After Luna left the party, Vulcan and his party kept failing quests, and the bad rumors spread throughout the kingdom.

"Where is the hero who makes the people anxious? You keep losing battles, and you call yourself a hero?"

"That's... not true, it's because... she's not here now..."

"Shifting the blame now, are you? You're really not a hero. Get lost, civilian. You're not welcome here anymore."

The guards forcibly pulled Vulcan to his feet and dragged him away from the castle gate, then threw him to the ground.

"Get lost. If you come back, we'll throw you in jail without a second thought."

"Ugh... Damn it..."

As the guards left, the civilians who had heard the commotion began to pay attention to Vulcan.

"... It's Hero Vulcan... ... He's been dismissed... ... I hate him, I can't stand his arrogant attitude... ... He's been fired, how disgraceful..."

The disdainful gazes of the people pierced him.

"Damn it! How can you do this to me! I protected you all! Now you turn your backs on me just because I'm not a hero anymore! Damn it! Damn it!"

Vulcan screamed, but no one apologized or showed any sympathy.

"I am a hero! I am a hero!"

But no matter how much he shouted, since he had been stripped of his hero status, no one would recognize him as a hero. Combined with his usual arrogant attitude, the gazes of the people were cold.

"Damn it!"

... After that, the news of Vulcan's expulsion spread rapidly throughout the capital. He was heavily criticized by the public for being stripped of his hero status.

"Haha... It's over..."

Wandering aimlessly, Vulcan looked haggard and emaciated, like a wraith.

This was because he had lost his girlfriend, Mary. After being stripped of his title and returning to his companions, he was harshly berated by the Holy Maiden Mary,

"You have no value without being a hero. Bye-bye."

"Wait, Mary! Wait, please!"

He lost the Holy Maiden and his position as a hero. He couldn't return to his hometown, where he had boasted about becoming a hero.

If he stayed in the city, he would be mocked as an incompetent hero... He was at a dead end.

"Luna..."

The name that slipped from his lips was that of his childhood friend. Reflecting on it, she had been the one who cared about him the most.

He had found her nagging annoying, but in reality, it was because she wanted him to be more responsible.

"Luna! Luna! I'm sorry! Luna! Come back to me! Lunaaaaaa!"

... But it was too late. She would never return.

Because she had already started a new, happy life elsewhere.

【※To All Readers】

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