After School. In a corner of the training grounds, a student was smiling as they unfolded a “magical letter.”
“Sekund. How’s school? I’ve heard the selection ritual is coming up soon, but no matter what the result is, make sure to come back to the village at least once!”
“Big Brother, come home soon! Mom and Dad are waiting for you! If you take too long, Najimi might not be able to wait and marry another man! But don’t worry! If that happens, I’ll be your bride—”
“W-Wait, Shesta! What are you saying? You’re Sekund’s little sister! Ugh, cough, Sekund! Listen here, I’ll be waiting for you, so… you better come back! It doesn’t matter if you’re not a hero or what class you are; I don’t care if you’re a commoner! So…”
“But if you become a hero, then I can be your bride, right? A hero can marry anyone!”
“Hey, Shesta!”
The magical letter not only carried text but also projected the appearance of its sender, showing two women.
Both were dressed simply, looking like village girls rather than typical youths of the imperial capital. However, they exuded beauty and cuteness, and one student gazed at the letter fondly.
“Hehehe… Najimi… Shesta… I’m sorry. I couldn’t beat Damon again today.”
With his brown hair fluttering, Sekund wore a bittersweet smile as he drifted into thoughts.
He was a top student at the Imperial Knight Training School.
With a handsome face and ranking first in academics, he was slightly smaller than the masculine Damon. However, his combat and magical abilities were second only to Damon among his peers, and he was regarded as one of the top talents in the school’s history. He was expected to become a class holder like Damon and might even be chosen for the hero class.
Yet, despite such talent, he had never won a fight against Damon.
“Gwahaha! Getting encouragement from your childhood friends and cute little sister? How pathetic, you gloomy ordinary person!”
“Huh? W-Wait, Damon!”
Damon had sneaked up behind Sekund and startled him with his sudden voice.
“That girl you’re childhood friends with, huh? She’s quite a beauty. And wow, she has a nice rack! Your little sister’s not as well-endowed, but she’s cute!”
“Damon…”
“Ah, come on, don’t glare at me! Even if I’ve been given the authority to flirt with various women as a hero, I’m not so low as to hit on someone else’s woman or family!”
“Hehehe, that’s true. You must already have women lining up to book you, right?”
Damon plopped down next to Sekund, still laughing.
The two of them—school’s strongest and the number two—might appear to be rivals to others. However, Damon didn’t feel that way, and to Sekund, Damon was just one of his friends.
At the same time, Sekund saw Damon as a goal, appreciating his boldness and personality, feeling a certain camaraderie without harboring negative emotions.
“Gwahaha! Exactly! Just the other day, a local lord brought a beautiful daughter and asked if he could at least give her some seed! Gwahaha, no matter how much seed I have, it’s never enough! Well, this is part of a hero’s duty! I nodded and agreed to share without charge! Gwahahaha!”
The hero class holder.
It was said that one was born every five to ten years during the selection ritual held worldwide each year.
Even the imperial capital, considered the leader of the world, hadn’t seen a new hero in over twenty years.
That’s why, if one were to be chosen as a hero class holder, their entire life would be secured.
They would automatically gain a top military position, immense rewards, and various privileges and powers.
One of those privileges was…
“If you become a hero, you’re allowed to have multiple wives and lovers to ensure you leave behind excellent offspring. Pregnant women, including their families, receive lifelong protection and support from the empire. It’s a sure-win harem life, officially sanctioned by the empire! Everyone thinks I’m going to become a hero, so they’re all lining up to book me!”
This was all to leave behind as many excellent descendants as possible, which would eventually contribute to the strength of the empire and humanity.
On the other hand, families that could bear children with a hero’s seed would enjoy lifelong security if they were commoners and wield significant influence domestically and internationally if they were nobles.
Thus, many women and royal nobles flocked to Damon, who was renowned as the top candidate for the hero class, eager to make their move before the selection ritual.
“…Wait a minute, isn’t that the same for you? I heard there are quite a few families interested in you since it’s a competition!”
“W-Well, I don’t know about that… And I already have someone I’ve decided on in my heart. I can’t think of anyone else right now. I want to be a man who can protect her, and my little sister, and my parents, and our village… that’s all I need.”
“Wow, how small-minded! Are you satisfied with just one childhood fiancée back home? How boring! Mr. Serious!”
“Oh come on, isn’t that the same for you? Even though you’re being courted by various women and nobles, you stubbornly refuse to get involved, unlike at the tavern in the imperial capital—”
“Shut up! That’s not it! I mean, there are school rules against doing anything inappropriate, like getting suspended or expelled, so I’m abstaining until I become a hero! Once I’m free, I’ll be with a different woman every day!”
“But your first choice is the barmaid ‘Riya,’ right? They say she’s the most beautiful woman in the capital, even if she’s a commoner.”
“N-No! That’s not it! Riya is… well, um, that’s…!”
There was a moment where Damon, usually confident, foolish, and lewd, turned red and bashful instead.
Sekund laughed at him teasingly.
The two of them, regardless of being heroes, heroes, or class holders, looked like just ordinary teenagers going through adolescence.
