"I'll Catch Up Later, So Go On Ahead!" I Said, and Stayed Behind in the Dungeon for Five Years. When I Returned to the Royal Capital, for Some Reason, I Had Become a Great Criminal, So I Decided to Retire. But Outstanding People Keep Gathering Around Me Though... - Episode 1: I’ll Catch Up Later──!

Chapter One: The Shadow Hero

Episode 1: I’ll Catch Up Later──!

“I’ll catch up later, so go on ahead──!”

I called out like that to my four comrades.

Right now, our party was challenging the world-ending threat known as the Calamity Causal Dungeon – Abyss Sanctum.

Recently, an abnormal number of monsters had been overflowing from this dungeon. And the royal capital had fallen into chaos.

To deal with that cause, I, a hero, had been personally commissioned by the kingdom.

I am a reincarnated person. My previous life was as a Japanese man.

As a corporate slave, I died from overwork. And before I knew it, I had been reincarnated in another world as a hero.

“Senpai… but still!”

“Sensei…!”

“Haruto! That’s just too much…!!”

“Haruto-sama. There’s no way we can leave you behind…!”

The Flash Sword, Great Mage, Absolute Guardian, and Saint raised their voices.

Each one of my comrades is incredibly reliable.

Even someone like me, unfit for the role of a hero, was supported all the way here by them following along with me.

And now, here in the deepest part of the Calamity Causal Dungeon – Abyss Sanctum, we fought a life-and-death battle and defeated the final boss who was the source of it all.

All that was left was to escape. But the boss room was overflowing with monsters.

The only one with enough magic power left was me.

The other four had used everything they had to support me.

If this goes on, total annihilation is very possible.

That’s why I, the only one still able to fight, decided to remain.

“Hurry! If we stay like this, we’ll all die──!

I swear I’ll escape too…! I promise! So go──!”

“Senpai. You must, absolutely…!”

“Sensei…!”

“Haruto… alright. I believe you!”

“Haruto-san…! May fortune be with you!”

Calling that out to me, the four of them ran off and escaped.

“They went…”

The sound of footsteps fading away.

I hope they got out safely—but they probably did.

“Now then… the problem is on my side.”

I am a hero.

Luckily, I was born with talent when I reincarnated.

The largest amount of magical power in the world.

And I can use a wide variety of skills and magic.

This many monsters is nothing—

But I was about to learn something.

That the final boss we had defeated was only a prelude.

And I, alone, would face the true threat of the Calamity Causal Dungeon – Abyss Sanctum──.

†

“Haa… haa… haa…”

I don’t know how much time has passed anymore.

At the very least, over a year.

No, maybe ten years? I don’t know.

I had wandered in this worst dungeon of all time, Abyss Sanctum, long enough to lose my sense of time.

Even after defeating the final boss, the monsters kept overflowing endlessly.

I was constantly being chased by them,

And monsters on the level of that final boss kept appearing again as if it were normal.

In a normal dungeon, defeating the final boss would bring calm.

But Abyss Sanctum was an exception.

A dungeon that regenerates infinitely.

That is the true nature of Abyss Sanctum.

“…Let’s rest a bit.”

Deep in the labyrinth, buried in darkness.

From the crumbling ceiling, faintly glowing moss particles fell.

By that light, I quietly sat down.

There was a narrow stream of water, and no sign of monsters.

As if the dungeon had granted a moment of rest.

I reached out to the water and scooped it up with my palm.

Cold. But strangely, it calmed my heart.

Today is a reward day for myself.

Basically, I survived by eating monsters.

There was nothing else to eat. And I had gotten used to the extreme bitterness.

Haha. I thought, humans really do adapt to survive.

“…Only a little bit of this left too.”

What I pulled from my pocket was a crumbled hardtack.

An emergency ration that my travel companions used to hate.

But I put it in my mouth without hesitation.

──The hardness that strikes the teeth.

Dryness that steals moisture from the mouth.

Even so, I found this taste nostalgic.

They often laughed, “Why do you like that stuff?”

I don’t even know where all of them are now.

I just hope they’re safe.

That hope is what kept me alive.

I dipped the bread in the cold water.

When I put the softened piece in my mouth,

it finally felt like my body accepted something.

“…Maybe I’ll live just a little longer.”

What reflected on the water’s surface was a blurry face—my own.

One piece of finished hardtack dropped into it,

and the ripple distorted the reflection.

I stood up.

I had almost no will to live left.

It would be easier to just die here.

Even so, I had made a promise.

That I would definitely catch up──.

I move forward.

Believing that a real future waits beyond this hell.

—

“Eh──?”

It was far too sudden.

I sensed a light ahead.

Unlike the faint dungeon glow,

this one shone clearly brighter than anything before.

That light was blinding for my eyes,

which had gotten used to the dark.

Maybe it was the exit.

I ran.

Believing that familiar scenery waited ahead.

“Outside… Is this the outside…!?”

Once I passed through the light,

I was standing in a forest.

I had probably been transported,

but it was definitely a place filled with light.

In the sky was the sun.

The air was warm.

Trembling with joy, I fell to my knees and wept.

“I did it… I made it back…!”

I had always wished for this moment.

I didn’t know how long had passed.

My short hair had grown long,

and my face had probably changed as well.

Even so, I was grateful for this miracle.

I was glad I didn’t give up.

I thought that from the bottom of my heart.

With unsteady steps, I walked on.

A little farther, and the royal capital I knew came into view.

People were coming and going.

It was a place I recognized.

Suddenly, I saw my reflection in a window.

My hair had grown long and turned white,

I had a beard,

and my face had become sharp and worn.

No trace of the old me remained.

But that was fine.

I made it back alive.

That truth was the most important thing.

“Five years have passed, huh…”

I looked at a dated paper posted on a wall

and realized how much time had passed.

But right next to it was something that caught my eye.

Within my sight—a single wanted poster crudely stuck to the wall.

The parchment had been battered by wind and rain,

its edges torn,

but the name in the center was still clear.

What was drawn there was my own face.

And not the current one—

but a portrait with the features of the former Hero Haruto.

It was written like this:

“Traitor – Former Hero Haruto”

──Crime: Treason against the nation.

Defied royal orders, committed taboos, and caused the deaths of many comrades.

──Missing. But possibly alive. High caution advised.

Reward: 10,000 gold coins

“…Eh?”