“Oh, you’re… So that’s why I…”
Seiya smiles with his hand still on my cheek. This is the first time I have ever seen him smile.
“I’m so glad I was able to save you this time.”
Seiya’s hand falls off my cheek before his face limply drops onto my chest.
And just like that…
The love of my past life…and the overly cautious Hero I summoned…shatters into dust in my arms.
FINAL CHAPTER
Crime and Punishment and One More Thing
A contingent of soldiers are lined up in the throne room of the castle. Empress Rosalie Roseguard rises from the throne, approaches me, then looks at me with an air of sorrow.
“…Do you really have to go?”
Her words seem to come not from a place of duty but out of genuine concern.
“The Demon Lord has been defeated, and Gaeabrande has been saved thanks to you. Normally, I would grant you a nation and offer you a reward of some sort…”
I softly shake my head.
“Don’t worry about it. Besides…the one who contributed the most to the Demon Lord’s defeat…is no longer with us…”
Rosalie starts to say something, but…
“Yes…”
As if to swallow the words welling deep within, she nods a few times before casting a serious gaze at me.
“Let me just say this. No matter what others thought about him, Seiya Ryuuguuin always fought for what he believed in. He was a true Hero. I know that now.”
I look Rosalie right back in the eyes.
“Yes. And everything he did was a series of miracles that no other Hero would be capable of.”
I walk over to Mash and Elulu, who are standing behind Rosalie. Mash is wearing the armor of an imperial knight, and Elulu is dressed in beautiful noblewoman attire. Rosalie invited the two dragonkin to join the imperial knights for their contribution in saving the world. It was Seiya’s final wish as well, so Mash agreed. Elulu also decided to stay by Mash’s side.
I reach out to shake Mash’s hand.
“Mash. Good luck.”
“Rista…”
Mash takes my hand with a serious expression, then says:
“I will protect this world that Master Seiya saved…”
He already looks so much more grown up than he did only a few days ago. Mash firmly squeezes my hand.
“I know you can do it.”
“I’ll be here with him to keep him in line!”
Elulu giggles by his side, causing Mash to seem somewhat embarrassed. Neither Rosalie nor I can keep our lips from curling upward.
“Elulu, be there for Mash, okay?”
“I will!”
Her reply is full of energy, but now there’s a sorrowful hue to her expression.
“Ristie… You’re really leaving, huh?”
“Yes… I have to go.”
Elulu immediately throws her arms around me.
“Come visit us sometimes…okay?” Elulu requests as she gazes up at me.
“Let’s go to a hot spring next time, okay?”
Mash sends me a smile as well.
“Yeah! We still haven’t even gone to the casino yet!”
I smile right back at them.
“Yeah, you’re right. We have to go next time.”
“It’s a promise then, okay? We’re going.”
“Sure. One day.”
I tightly embrace Elulu. Then…
“I have to go now. Take care.”
I let go of Elulu, then search for an empty space in the throne room before casting the spell. I create a gate to the spirit world and start to walk inside when…
“Goddess Ristarte.”
Rosalie suddenly calls my name.
“You’re strong. I still haven’t come to terms with my father’s death.”
“I’m not strong. But…I have to become a better goddess for Seiya’s sake as well… That’s how I feel right now.”
“I have a lot to learn from you. As the ruler of this nation, I must become a vessel fit for my role.”
“You’ll be fine. More importantly, look after Mash and Elulu for me. Please don’t make them do anything reckless, okay?”
“I won’t.”
Rosalie smiles at Elulu and Mash, and they smile back. Seeing that lets me know they’re going to be okay, and I place a hand on the gate.
“All hail the Goddess of Salvation!”
Rosalie’s voice echoes from behind, and the soldiers stomp the ground in unison. Listening to their calls in the background, I part ways with Gaeabrande…
The portal leads me to my room in the unified spirit world. After closing the gate, I quietly stare at it for a while. I send my heart out to the world beyond it once more and bow before finally making it disappear. Taking a seat at the end of my bed, I think about Mash and Elulu when they saw me off. They were so grown up. When did they get so strong? All of a sudden, Seiya’s confident expression appears right before my eyes.
Hmph. As I expected.
“Seiya…”
But when I reach out to touch him, the illusion immediately disappears. All that’s there is a lonely, empty space.
Ristarte, you’re strong.
I firmly shake my head as I think back to what Rosalie said. Then I get off the bed and lock my door. Nobody will bother me in here. Nobody can see me. That’s why I don’t have to hold back anymore.
…I collapse on the bed, then start bawling my eyes out like a small child.
I continue to ignore the rapping at the door and don’t even touch the food slid under it. Two days pass. As usual, I keep blocking out the knocking until I hear a ker-chk accompanying the door opening. Aria stands in the threshold, having opened my chambers with her seal-breaking ability.
“I’m sorry, Rista. But the Great Goddess Ishtar is calling for you.”
“…Okay… I’ll be right there.”
I sluggishly sit up and get out of bed, and Aria grins slightly when she sees my face.
“Oh my. You look terrible, and your hair is a mess.”
She takes my hand, despite me not even reacting.
“Rista, come here.”
She walks me over to the dresser in the corner of the room. Then, without saying a word, she starts combing my hair.
“…Perfect. Now you’re beautiful again.”
When I look into the mirror, my hair seems to be in good shape, but my skin is rough and some exhausted-looking woman is staring back at me.
Aria places a hand on my shoulder and stiffens her expression a little.
“Rista, I am positive that Great Goddess Ishtar is going to talk to you about taking responsibility for unlocking your goddess powers.”
As she regards me a solemnly, I say indifferently:
“That’s fine. I’m perfectly prepared to accept any punishment I’m given. After all, I’m at fault.”
The graceful words I spit out don’t match how I really feel. After losing him, I don’t care what happens to me anymore. Whether I’m scolded, severely punished, or even lose my goddess status—it doesn’t matter anymore. If anything, I would be thankful for some punishment if it could change how I feel right now.
But with a face set with determination, Aria says:
“Don’t worry. You saved the S-ranked world Gaeabrande. Your punishment won’t be severe.”
While following Aria down the hallway, I run into the Goddess of War, Adenela. Slouching as always, she bobs over to me.
“R-Rista, a-are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m hanging in there.”
I try to force a smile onto my face, but I’m not confident it works.
“What about you? You really liked Seiya as well.”
“F-forget about me, Rista. I h-heard everything. Y-you’re the one in the m-most pain right now.”
I find myself having trouble answering until I hear a barbarous voice coming from my side.
“Yo, Rista! I don’t know what happened, but yo
u look down! How about trying some of this! I’m sure it will make you feel better.”
The Divine Blade Cerceus holds a cake out to me on a plate.
“I decided to make an ice cream cake for a change! It’s nice and cold—and delicious, of course!
Adenela glares at Cerceus with heavy bags under her eyes.
“Th-this is not the t-time for something like that. A-are you stupid o-or something…?”
“Huh?! Wh-why?!”
Cerceus is taken aback. I feel a little bad for him, so I pick up the fork and take a bite. I don’t taste anything. I’m sure it’s actually delicious, but my tongue has lost its sense of taste.
But even then, I smile at Cerceus, who eagerly awaits my opinion.
“This protein cake is delicious.”
“…! It’s ice cream cake! There isn’t any protein powder in it!”
“Oh, sorry. Frozen protein, yes?”
“No! That would just be protein powder frozen in the freezer!”
As Cerceus freaks out, Adenela takes the fork and holds it up to his neck.
“Eeeeeep!”
“Sh-shut up! Th-there’s protein in this cake! R-right?!”
“Y-yes, of course! I poured a whole bag of protein in the batter!!”
It actually didn’t taste like anything, though. However…
“I think it would taste even better if you put less protein in it.”
After giving Cerceus some ridiculous advice, I continue on ahead without them.
Aria and I walk into Ishtar’s room. She is sitting in her chair as usual, but her expression is somewhat stern.
“Rista, congratulations on saving Gaeabrande. I am very happy you returned home safely. However, regardless of how I feel, you violated the rules of the gods. Therefore, you are to receive an official notification from the innermost layer of the spirit world. You must take responsibility for your actions.”
She speaks with an air of dignity, but nothing I hear connects with me. It doesn’t even seem real—as if it has nothing to do with me.
Aria, on the other hand, changes colors.
“Great Goddess Ishtar! I understand what you’re saying, but Rista saved the S-ranked world Gaeabrande! You should at least consider that when deciding her fate!”
A few moments of silence pass before the Great Goddess continues:
“Rista’s punishment will be…saving the SS-ranked world Ixphoria.”
“What…?!”
Aria is speechless.
“I-Ixphoria has already been conquered by the Demon Lord! After defeating the Hero, the Demon Lord turned it into a netherworld with his newfound powers! Trying to save that world now would be…!”
Aria freezes, but Ishtar goes on.
“Therefore, Rista, I will be sealing your divine healing powers during your journey to save Ixphoria. Then, if you are unable to save the world, you will be permanently stripped of your goddess title.”
“To make matters worse…that world is already a source of trauma for Rista…”
Aria slams her hand against the desk as if she can’t bear it any longer.
“This is too much! If you seal her divine powers, she won’t even be able to support her Hero! There is no way she’ll be able to save such a frightening world like that!”
This is the first time I have ever seen Aria so straightforward with her feelings. But Ishtar replies in a carefree tone:
“I wouldn’t be so certain about that. I do not think it’s impossible at the very least.”
“What are you basing that on?! What kind of Hero could save a world that has already fallen into the hand of the demons?!”
Great Goddess Ishtar slowly gets out of her chair, then glances over the courtyard outside the window.
“When the second Gate of Valhalla swallowed the Demon Lord…it devoured the effects of Chain Destruction along with it.”
Unable to grasp what she is trying to say, Aria asks:
“Wh-what exactly do you mean?”
“Usually, there is no returning to fallen worlds. However, this will be an exception.”
After the Great Goddess turns around and picks up a piece of paper on her desk, she walks over to me.
“Ristarte, I will allow you to summon a Hero from this list to take with you on your journey to the SS-ranked world of Ixphoria.”
The moment I take a glance at the Hero list, I immediately wake up from my daze.
SEIYA RYUUGUUIN
LV: 1
HP: 385
MP: 197
ATK: 124
DEF: 111
SPD: 105
MAG: 86
GRW: 188
Resistance: Fire, Ice, Wind, Water, Lightning, Earth
Special Abilities: Fire Magic (LV: 5), EXP Boost (LV: 2)…
His stats have been reset and are now one-thousandth of what they once were. But even then, there is one thing on his résumé that hasn’t changed.
The moment I see that, the tears begin flowing again.
…It’s a power granted by past regrets.
…It’s a power that defeated the Demon Lord and saved the world.
…It’s a power that protected me and our allies.
Written at the very end of his status.
PERSONALITY: OVERLY CAUTIOUS
(Gaeabrande Arc—Fin)
AFTERWORD
Thank you so much for reading Volume 2 of The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious. It is I, the author, Light Tuchihi. My name may be spelled , but it is not pronounced Donichigetsu as some may assume. It’s Tuchihi. However, you are free to pronounce my name however you’d like. Oh, um…I talked about the same thing at the end of the first volume, didn’t I? So, uh… To everyone who read the first volume, long time no see.
By the way, I had a pleasant surprise after the first volume was published… It was almost immediately reprinted! I’ve heard stories about reprints, but I never thought I would get to experience one for myself. So thank you so, so much to everyone who bought it!
Now, I would like to explain my outline for Volume 2. But before that, there is something I’d like to say to people who are reading this and thinking, I liked Volume 1, but I don’t know if I should buy Volume 2… I believe there are no absolutes in this world. But I am confident that if you liked Volume 1, then you will definitely like Volume 2! Therefore, while I know this is pretty shameless, I really hope that those who read Volume 1 will read Volume 2 as well. If Volume 1 is heads, then Volume 2 would be tails. Once you read both, you can finally say that you really read The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious.
Almost all the foreshadowing in Volume 1 is addressed in Volume 2, and the second half of Volume 2 explains why the Hero Seiya Ryuuguuin became so cautious. The enemies are even more fiendish, and the events become more serious the closer you get to the second half. On the other hand, I still believe I filled this volume with even more comedy than its predecessor.
Incidentally, when I wrote this story, I wanted to make it a mix between comedy and touching moments because I myself wanted to read a story that made me laugh a lot and sometimes cry. Therefore, as an author, nothing would make me happier than if you were able to laugh a little and cry a bit.
Now, I know I touched on the “English” in the novel during the last afterword, but one of my friends pointed out something else strange, so I would like to talk about that this time. In regard to part of the Japanese title, Ore TUEEE Kuse Ni (TUEEE), he was like, “Dude, I think your Japanese is wrong.” He was telling me that I should add a no between the TUEEE and Kuse or at least a na . So I told him to shut up and mind his own business. He brought up a fair point. That probably would be more grammatically correct.
And it’s not just with the title. I am sure some of the English terms I frequently use in the novel would make native speakers go, “What the hell…?” I majored in English during university, so honestly, even I know some of it is weird (lol). But I prioritize linguistic sense over the correct meaning of words whe
n I write. Ore TUEEE Kuse Ni has a kick to it that Ore TUEEE No Kuse Ni doesn’t have, and I think “Ready Perfectly” / Perfectly prepared) gets the meaning across better than “All set!” Of course, this is all just how I feel as a writer.
…So if you’re reading and find something strange, I just want you to remember (pretend) that this is just one of the author’s unique “properties” (traits).
Now, I would like to end this by giving thanks to the people who deserve it. First, I would like to thank Saori Toyota. Thank you very much again for your wonderful illustrations. The characters are only blurs in my mind until Toyota brings life to them. I especially like the illustration of Valkyrie this time around. She’s cool and came out kind of punky, which really blew me away. Saori Toyota is a veteran illustrator who can really differentiate between serious and comedic scenes. I am truly lucky to work with such talent.
Next, I would like to thank my editor. When the cover was being made for Volume 2, I was wondering how it would turn out and tried imagining it, but I couldn’t even do that much (lol). But I remember when I saw the rough sketch for the cover, I was like, This is it! It shows how badass Seiya is in the front…along with another important character—Valkyrie. You can also see an emotional side to Rista as Mash and Elulu give off a comedic vibe. There is so much of Volume 2 squeezed into just one picture. When I heard that it was none other than my editor who came up with the cover’s composition, I was floored. He is helping this story not only through sentence composition but with his artistic sense as well.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who purchased this book. I am already extremely grateful that the story I came up with could be printed, but it brings me unparalleled joy when I think about how this work could be on the shelf at bookstores throughout Japan. I don’t think many people just buy the second volume without the first, so I believe most people who have the second volume have the first one, too. So when I think about how two stories I created are somewhere in the world together on someone’s bookshelf in their room, I just want to explode with joy aaand…I should just shut up now.
Anyway, thank you so very much! The S-Ranked Gaeabrande arc ends with this volume, but the next story, SS-Ranked Ixphoria, will continue online as well as at KakuYomu. Please wish me good luck and support me in getting the other stories published as well.
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