I Have a Stalker of Noble Status. And to Make Matters Worse, their Numbers are Increasing (BL) - Chapter 36

“This… what just happened?”

Douglas blinked in disbelief, rubbing his eyes as he took in our surroundings.

Right.

Since he hadn’t heard the mysterious deep voice, he hadn’t been prepared for the sudden warp at all.

“It looks like pulling the sword triggered some sort of mechanism.”

“I see! What an impressive dungeon! This makes me even more eager to explore it!”

You got injured, and you’re still excited!?

I sighed, glancing between the Holy Sword in my hand and Douglas, whose enthusiasm showed no signs of fading.

Just then, I heard Ray and Max’s voices.

“Rick! Douglas!!”

“Thank goodness! Are you two alright!?”

The two of them had just stepped out of the dungeon to call for help.

The moment they spotted us, they ran toward us at full speed.

Thank goodness… we found them right away.

After quickly explaining what had happened, Ray immediately helped Douglas toward the carriage, lending him his shoulder for support.

Meanwhile, Max was staring at me and the Holy Sword, his expression thoughtful.

“This is definitely an event, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I thought so too. That mysterious deep voice—which Douglas couldn’t hear—kept calling me the ‘Hero’ and told me to pull out this ‘Holy Sword.’”

“…Yeah, that sounds exhausting. Good work, man.”

With that, Max reached out and ruffled my hair roughly.

I should have been annoyed—since it always left my hair a mess—

But instead, I felt an odd sense of relief.

That’s… complicated.

“We’ll go over the details later. Right now, let’s get Douglas to Angelica.”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

◇◇◇

When we arrived at the manor, we found my younger brothers excitedly showing Angelica and Lady Violetta around the garden.

As soon as the twins spotted the carriage, they came sprinting toward us.

“Big brother——!!”

Ah, adorable.

“I’m home, Erik, Derrick.”

“Kyaaa——!!”

The twins immediately jumped into my arms, and I lifted them one by one, spinning them around.

Just then, my second-youngest brother, Henrik, approached with a curious tilt of his head.

“Brother, you’re back earlier than expected.”

“Yeah, we ran into some trouble in the dungeon. Is Father home?”

“Yes, he just returned from the fields. Would you like me to ask if he has time to see you?”

“That would be great. Thanks, Henrik.”

Henrik nodded and quickly made his way inside.

Honestly, all my younger brothers were just too pure and too adorable.

After hearing from Henrik, Father immediately set aside time for us.

Douglas remained behind to rest, with Angelica and Lady Violetta staying to watch over him.

So in the end, Ray, Max, and I were the ones who went to report everything to Father.

“I see. I understand the situation. And what of Count Baldwin’s son? How is his condition?”

“Angelica used her healing powers as a Saint, so there’s no serious harm. …Though, he was lively enough to try and head straight back into the dungeon afterward.”

“I-I see…”

Well, he was thoroughly scolded by Angelica before he finally gave up on that idea.

“Father, do you know why the Holy Sword was sealed inside that dungeon?”

“That’s the thing… Our barony is indeed of hero’s bl00d, and there have always been theories that the dungeon was once the Demon King’s stronghold—the so-called ‘Final Dungeon.’”

“What!? That’s the first I’ve heard of this!!”

Startled, I leaned in, demanding answers.

My father, looking rather uncomfortable, began mumbling his explanation.

“Well… you see, there have always been multiple theories regarding both the Final Dungeon and the hero’s lineage. Ours wasn’t the only land with such claims—several stronger territories also declared themselves to be the true site of legend.”

Ah… I see where this is going.

**”Unlike a Saint, who is born even in peaceful times, a hero only appears when a great threat emerges. Since the world has been at peace for hundreds of years, the very idea of a hero has become little more than a fairy tale.

As the history became more and more ambiguous, weaker territories like ours were quickly dismissed in the dispute over the ‘true’ birthplace of the hero.”**

That’s… rough.

Even today, you hear all sorts of dubious claims—places marketing themselves as “The Land Where the Hero Was Born” or “Home of the Legendary Final Dungeon,” turning the whole thing into a business.

But out of all the places fighting for that title, the one that was ignored and forgotten—ours—turned out to be the real deal?

Also… can everyone please stop treating the hero like some kind of local specialty?

What even is a “territorial dispute over historical claims” supposed to be?

And yet… despite never reaping a single benefit from this so-called lineage, now we’re suddenly expected to fulfill the hero’s duty?

Isn’t this just the worst kind of bad luck!?

As that realization sank in, a more terrifying thought hit me.

…Wait.

The hero’s duty…?

A cold chill ran down my spine.

“F-Father? Are you seriously telling me I’m the hero? And more importantly—does this mean the Demon King is actually going to be revived!?”

No way.

Angelica successfully becoming the Saint was supposed to prevent the Demon King’s resurrection!

In this world, we can’t measure stats or track levels like in a game,

But it’s obvious that Angelica’s abilities as a Saint are genuine.

She’s also gaining popularity among the people.

There’s no reason she should fail her recognition as a Saint.

**”Hmm… To be honest, I don’t know for certain. But we can’t ignore this.

I’ll send word to the capital and report everything to the kingdom.”**

…This is bad.