It was an ordinary day when "that" happened.
I was just preparing breakfast at that time when a neighbor from the village came to me with a worried look.
"John, have you heard the news?!" he shouted.
He was panting heavily, as if he was very excited to tell what he had in mind.
"Of what?"
Honestly, I don't bother to know every piece of news in the village from time to time.
That was because my place was very far from the main village.
So it must mean that something serious happened in the town.
"The priest from our capital came and baptized the children!"
What? Why is he telling such a simple event like that?
"Here, come inside first. Then we'll talk."
In this world, even if you are not religious, you are forced to be baptized in order to be a part of the continent.
To be precise, there's only one religion in this world, and there is only one god: Enki, the God of Creation.
I don't know the exact details, but I heard that the continent worshipped him as far as the start of the Carlisle Empire's growth.
Which would mean that the religion was mainly spread from them.
But it wasn't really true in that case, since people wouldn't believe that if it weren't for the existence of the demons.
Yes, like any fantasy clichéd stories, demons do exist in this world.
And their cause wasn't for good either.
It was really prominent in those stories that demons were only protecting their territories from humans and they weren't as bad as humans thought them to be.
But in this case, it was the opposite.
The demons were a ruthless race who valued power over anything else in this world.
And they were situated near a large island from the east of the continent.
They were situated on land made for demons and only for demons.
And their strength was something that humans feared the most.
Even the lowest-ranking demon can shred a hundred humans without effort.
That was how terrifying their strength was.
But then again, that wasn't the only thing that made demons the worst race in existence.
They were naturally ruthless to any race in the world, and they sought our lands, which meant that their threat to humanity increased.
They won't think twice before killing them, and even laugh as they said that we were their "food stock."
But the origins of the demons are unknown.
Even the Great Library of Carlisle, which was said to house any information or details in the whole continent, didn't have information on their origins, aside from their characteristics.
Horns protruding from their heads and the color of their skin were the most identifiable features of them.
"John! Are you listening!"
And before I realized it, I was already pondering on these things deeply.
I blinked and refocused on the man in front of me. He was wiping sweat from his brow, his hands trembling slightly.
"Sorry. I got distracted. What about the baptism?"
He took a deep breath. "The priest… he read the fate of the children. And one of them…"
I handed him a glass of water. "Here, have some water."
He looked tired. He quickly gulped the water inside the glass.
"Thank you…"
"So what kind of job is it?" I said nonchalantly.
I was expecting this, really.
The prospect of a hero coming from a countryside is clichéd from my point of view, but it wasn't unnatural in this world.
A hero is a hero, and the world can't be greedy about it.
"Our god Enki has blessed our village… with a Hero."
He said it quietly, as if he was afraid the words themselves might break something.
I paused, the spatula in my hand hovering over the pan.
"A Hero, huh."
I kept my voice flat.
Heroes mean trouble.
Heroes mean the church, the capital, the war against demons.
Heroes don't retire to the countryside and farm in peace.
"May I ask the reason why you came, then?" I asked while I was cooking my meal.
"That is…"
He looked really gloomy.
I don't care that much, really.
It's true that it's a Hero, but why should I care? And why should I be involved in it?
But it looks like he was going to say something serious.
"The truth is… the one who was said to be the Hero in this village was none other than my daughter."
Now that was the surprise I was waiting for.
If I recall… this man's name was Gildot.
Ah, right.
That quiet child in the village.
Her name was Aria.
She often clung to me in the village.
It was because she was very shy in front of other kids.
One day, when I was visiting the village, I found her sitting on a rock, watching other children play.
Of course, I found it sad, since back then on Earth, I always liked playing with children.
I just really liked to play with them because I also had nieces with bustling personalities.
That's why, even when I reincarnated here, I would always be close with children whenever I go.
That's why, when I saw her alone, I approached her with a smile.
I sat near her and asked her what's wrong.
At first, she was reluctant, so I tried to ease her up.
Then she softened up to me and said that she was too anxious to tell them that she also wanted to play with them.
So I kind of patted her head reflexively and told her that it was fine to be anxious at first.
And I kind of realized that it was wrong for me to pat a child unknowingly.
So I apologized immediately.
But instead, she smiled and said:
"It's okay, Big Brother. I know that you aren't a bad person."
What a weird kid.
After that, every time I came to the village, she would always greet me, and I would always talk to her during that time.
After some time, I noticed that she began playing with other kids and seemed happy.
But whenever she's with me, that kid would smile more, and it made me adore her.
That's why I kind of treat her like my own daughter.
I would often invite her into my home to eat and play.
That's why I grew attached to her.
"So, what's the problem, then?"
"After the priest told her that she was a Hero, she ran home and locked herself up. We tried talking to her, but she wouldn't say anything to us."
"And why am I exactly involved?"
And before I noticed it, he was already crying and knelt down in front of me.
"I beg you! Please save my daughter! If it's you, John, then she would probably listen!"
I stared at him.
The spatula slipped from my hand and clattered onto the stove.
Save her?
From what? From the church? From the fate of being a Hero? From the war that I spent my entire second life avoiding?
I opened my mouth to refuse.
But then I saw his face.
The love of a father who would do anything for his child.
And I remembered Aria's smile.
The way she'd look up at me, trusting, safe, like I was the only adult in the world who wouldn't hurt her.
I closed my eyes.
Damn it.
My quiet life just ended, didn't it?