The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 26

Episode 26: Forced! Mental Boot Camp!

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I woke up to find myself in the middle of a forest.

In the darkness, a bonfire burned in front of me, and beyond it stood three men clad in full plate armor.

“Do not let the fire go out.”

That was all they said before vanishing into the darkness.

…Huh?

What was that supposed to mean?

Where was I? What was the purpose of this bonfire?

And who were they? Why was it so important not to let the fire die out?

A flood of questions filled my mind, but there was no one around to answer them.

“W-What the hell is going on…?”

As I muttered to myself, the flames of the bonfire began to weaken.

Panicked, I blew on the embers, and the flames roared back to life, crackling comfortingly.

With a sigh, I took a proper look at my surroundings.

I was in some kind of forest, and it was currently raining.

I wasn’t restrained, and it seemed like I had been brought here directly from a tavern.

At my waist was the longsword I had used for years—other than that, I had no equipment.

I had been told not to let the fire go out, but for how long? I had no idea.

What the hell was going on?

Confused, I spent the night gathering dry-looking wood and feeding it to the fire.

Dawn broke as I sat before the bonfire.

I had stayed awake the entire night, but no monsters attacked, and nothing happened.

With the light of day, the fire was no longer necessary.

But… was I allowed to put it out?

“Do not let the fire go out.”

That command echoed in my mind, and I found myself unable to extinguish the flames.

Those full-plated figures, appearing suddenly and leaving behind cryptic words, seemed almost like grim reapers.

If I ignored their command, would I…

“What a joke. Honestly, someone like me might as well be dead…”

I let out a dry laugh, staring at the fire.

The flames flickered and began to shrink, on the verge of dying out.

It was natural, an expected outcome.

And yet, my chest tightened with unease.

“Firewood, I need more firewood! If I don’t hurry—!”

I scrambled to gather branches and tossed them into the flames.

But—

“Why is it getting weaker!? I added more wood… Oh, damn it! It’s too damp!”

Fortunately, I had an affinity for fire magic.

Using magic, I ignited the wood, evaporating its moisture and drying it out.

The flames flared back up, and I let out a breath of relief.

Now the fire wouldn’t go out—for a while, at least.

For a while… but how long?

“How long is this supposed to last…?”

The moment I voiced the thought, a chill ran down my spine.

I had already been here for one night.

The nearby firewood was running out, and within my line of sight, there were no more convenient branches lying around.

This was bad—really bad.

If this continued, the fire would go out.

“More wood… but it’s raining, and everything’s damp… No, I need to make sure the rain doesn’t put out the fire first…”

For now, the tree roots and branches overhead shielded the flames from the rain.

But that wouldn’t last forever.

This bonfire was just an open flame.

There was no windbreak, no solid fuel to reignite it if it went out.

I didn’t even have matches or any other fire-starting tools.

If this fire died, then what? What was I supposed to do?

“Firewood… no, a proper stove… but before that, a roof… How do I keep this fire from going out?”

Desperation clouded my thoughts, and I even forgot that I had fire magic as a means to reignite it.

Frantically, I searched my surroundings.

I gathered large stones and branches to build a crude stove, using magic to dry the wood before adding it to the fire.

I must not let the fire die.

Driven by that singular thought, almost like an obsession.

“Now, the roof… How do I make one? Large leaves? Are there any nearby? No—wait. My jacket! I can use my jacket to cover it…”

Muttering to myself, I worked tirelessly in the daylight to keep the fire burning.

Looking back now, I can say for certain—by that point, I had already lost my ability to think rationally.

I had no idea how much time had passed.

Caught up in my frantic efforts, running around constantly, I hadn’t noticed when night had fallen once again.

I was exhausted—more tired than I had ever been in my life.

Was this the second night? Or the third?

Or had the first night not even ended yet?

I couldn’t tell anymore.

My sole purpose was to keep the fire alive.

Day or night, it didn’t matter.

I could not let it go out.

And so, rest was never an option…

 

At that moment, I suddenly “woke up.”

The flames had weakened considerably, now barely clinging to life.

“Wait, wait! I’ll add more firewood right now!”

I spoke the words and frantically searched my surroundings, but there wasn’t a single branch left that could serve as firewood.

Of course, I had already used up all the nearby branches.
There was no way any would be left.

“Damn it! I’ll make some now!”

With that, I drew my longsword and struck a nearby tree.

With loud, jarring clangs, an unnatural noise for a sword to make, I continued to hack away.

I had chosen what I thought was a relatively thin tree, yet it wouldn’t cut.

This shouldn’t be happening—if I had both hands, I might have done it better.

As I thought that, tears began to spill from my eyes, but I kept swinging my sword.

“I won’t die. I will survive. At the very least, until I can give Sophie an easier life—I will survive.
I won’t die in a place like this…”

Muttering to myself, I swung my sword relentlessly.

Yet, even against the thin trees, I couldn’t even carve halfway through.

Meanwhile, the light continued to shrink before my eyes.

“Wait, wait! I’ll make firewood now! I’ll make it right away! Just a little longer—!”

I shouted desperately, but the rain-soaked fire quickly surrendered its light.

This was reality—no matter how much I lamented, the situation wouldn’t wait for me.

Just like always, just like my entire life up to this point.

All that remained was darkness.

A pitch-black void where I could see nothing, where I didn’t even know what I should do.

Ah… so this is my life.

Just as I was about to resign myself to that thought, I heard footsteps approaching from the darkness.

“Someone… is someone there?”

I called out, but no reply came.

That meant… it could only be a beast.

This was bad. Really bad.

I had no light, and my weapon was likely in terrible shape from hacking at the trees.

Not that I could even check its condition.

I held my breath and raised my sword—though I had no idea if it could even cut anymore.

“Come on! I’m right here!”

I deliberately shouted to provoke whatever was out there.

If it responded with some noise, that would have been ideal.

Unfortunately, it only grew more cautious instead of attacking.

Ah… this is bad.

It’s waiting for me to lower my guard before striking.

That’s how beasts are.

And I’m just a human—I won’t be able to stay on high alert for long in the dark.

“Don’t let the fire go out.”

The weight of those words finally sank in.

If I had kept the fire burning, the beast might have stayed away.

If I had kept the fire burning, I could have seen my enemy.

If I had kept the fire burning, I wouldn’t feel this overwhelming fear.

But I had let the flames die.

“I’m sorry, Sophie… I’m truly sorry… Please, be happy…”

I was about to lower my sword in surrender when—

“A coward and a weakling. No external threats, a body that can still move—yet you lasted only a day?
And now, you’re giving up in the end?
Master, I truly despise this type of person.”

“Don’t be so harsh, Minami.
He’s made it this far without food and hasn’t run away.
On top of that, he’s still holding his weapon.
I’d say that’s pretty impressive.”

“They say pain isn’t the same for everyone.
Even if it’s nothing to us, for him, it might be agony enough to die, Minami-chan.”

“Oh? Nishi-kun actually said something insightful for once.”

“Sigh… And here I was, looking forward to camping out… now it’s already over?”

Suddenly, a light appeared—and a torch was tossed at my feet.

The glow revealed three full-plated warriors and two women—the same ones I had just seen earlier.

What the hell is going on?

“Alright, just to confirm—are you done? Or if you had another campfire, could you keep going?”

“I-I can still do it! Just one more chance! Please!”

I blurted out my answer before I could stop myself.

I was exhausted, starving—
But I refused to give up like this.

This time, I’d last longer.
This time, I’d do better.

The reason didn’t even matter anymore—somewhere along the way, I had stopped questioning why I was doing this.

“Heh, he’s got more guts than The Young Lady’s party.”

Young Lady? Who’s that supposed to be?

Were these people knights serving some noble?

“Before I met my Masters, I don’t know if I would have lasted even a day by myself.
…Fine, I went too far.
I apologize.”

The beastkin girl lowered her head as she spoke.

Earlier, she had been filled with hostility, but now, that seemed to have faded.

Well, that didn’t matter right now.
What mattered was whether I was getting another chance.

“So… will you let me try again?! Please! Just one more—”

“Nah, there’s no need.”

“Yeah, no need.”

At those words from the remaining two knights, I instinctively held my breath.

Was this it? Was I going to be labeled as “useless” again?

As that thought crept in, frustration began to boil within me.

At myself.

Why had I let myself doze off?
If I had only taken a shorter rest, maybe the fire wouldn’t have died.

They had only told me not to let the fire go out.

If I had just moved to a place with more fallen branches, like the torch lying at my feet, maybe I could have kept it going.

It was too late for regrets now.

Looking back, there were so many ways I could have done better.

Why am I this weak?

Because I’m missing an arm?
How long am I going to use that as an excuse?

The real weakness lies in me.

I was always the one running away.

“…Damn it! Damn, damn it!”

I couldn’t help but shout, clenching my molars tightly.

Saying I’ll do better next time is just an excuse.

There’s never a guarantee of a next time, which is why I have to constantly think about how to do things right if I want to survive.

I had forgotten something so obvious, and that’s exactly why I’ve fallen so low.

“Airi, do your job.”

“…Sigh, fine. But next time, I’m definitely going to be part of a proper camping trip!”

Just as I heard that puzzling conversation, a woman walked toward me.

“Good evening once again, Gil Ayram-san. I am Airi, a staff member of the Walker Guild. I look forward to working with you.”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, I couldn’t understand what she was saying.

A Walker Guild staff member? Why would a staff member be here?

And these people…? They certainly don’t look like guild employees.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Would you like to become a Walker again? Even if you’ve lost an arm, you still have magic. And if you choose a different weapon and change your fighting style, we believe you can still work. Well, they’re the ones who made that judgment, though.”

With a wry smile, Airi glanced at the fully armored individuals.

They? For someone like me?

“Wh-why…?”

“A reason? First off, because you actually tried not to let the fire go out like we told you to.”

“But in the end, I…”

“Yeah, it went out. But you did your damn best to keep it going.”

“I did try… but if I couldn’t produce results, then—”

“So what? Just being alive is a win, ain’t it?”

“…What?”

I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Wasn’t I not going to get another chance? I thought I was being taught that failure meant there wouldn’t be a next time…

“To be honest, I thought you’d say, ‘What’s the point of all this?’ and run off right away.”

“Yeah, same. If you’d done that, you would’ve just ended up monster food, and we would’ve had a harder time protecting you.”

The two standing on either side of him also spoke nonsense that I couldn’t quite grasp.

Someone, please explain this.

What is their goal, and what do they want from me?

“We were hired by your wife—to make you look forward again. But we ain’t the kind to offer words of encouragement or comfort. So, we just threw you into a life-or-death situation and waited for you to pull yourself together. Well, we did take care of the monsters around here so you wouldn’t actually die.”

I sat down hard on the ground, dumbfounded.

They never had any intention of harming me from the start. It was all just my misunderstanding and paranoia.

Even the “Don’t let the fire go out” thing—it wasn’t some kind of trial. It was just a way to push me into a corner.

What the hell…? I feel like a complete idiot for being so desperate.

“Ha… Haha. So, letting the fire go out didn’t mean I’d die after all… I can still go home.”

I could feel the strength leaving my body.

When was the last time I felt this happy just to “go home”?

“And? I still haven’t heard your answer.”

“…My answer?”

Tilting my head in confusion, I saw the man at the front extend his right hand toward me.

“Are you coming back as a Walker? If you are, I’ll introduce you to weapons you can handle with one hand, as well as some craftsmen. If necessary, I can even arrange for someone to look into making a prosthetic for you. We’ve set the stage for you. The rest is up to you.”

For just a moment, I hesitated.

Even if I returned as a Walker, could someone like me actually do the job properly?

A wave of uncertainty welled up in me.

But I pushed that doubt aside and grabbed his hand, pulling myself to my feet.

“I’ll do whatever it takes, even dredging the gutters! I’ve got a wife to feed!”

No more sulking.

No matter what others say, I can’t afford to care.

With that thought, I flashed what I intended to be a beaming smile, but… their movements froze with an audible snap.

“Ah… right. Yeah, that’s true.”

“Guess we should add some more training. A scrawny, lovestruck guy like this might not cut it as a Walker.”

“He did say he wanted to go another round, after all. We should respect his wishes.”

“…Huh?”

With a thud, they dropped some rations at my feet, then promptly turned their backs.

Uh… what just happened?

“Don’t let the fire go out.”

“Wait, hold on! I just said I’m coming back as a Walker—”

“Man, I feel like any of us could find a wife in no time.”

“Well, they are my masters. This is just normal for them.”

With that, they all disappeared into the darkness.

Wait a second.

They can’t seriously be making me do this again, right?

“Give me a break…”

It wasn’t until two days later that they finally came back to pick me up.

“Gil… I’m glad you came back.”

“Sorry for making you worry.”

As soon as I returned to town, the first thing I did was apologize to Sophie again.

Even someone like me—could she still see me as her husband?

With those words, I explained everything and told her I would start over as a Walker.

She cried tears of joy.

A few days later, I went to the guild to re-register—where this guy caught me.

“You’re a branch chief now? Guess you’ve climbed the ranks.”

“I’m just a figurehead. And coming from a former knight, that’s rich.”

We laughed, exchanging jokes.

Some people snickered at the sight of a one-armed, middle-aged man holding the lowest-rank guild card. Others looked at me with pity, as if thinking, I don’t want to end up like him.

But none of that mattered to me anymore.

I would do what I could and earn my keep—that’s all there was to it.

“So? What’s your plan from here? Have you decided what kind of jobs you’ll take?”

The branch chief—the branch chief—asked me with a concerned look.

What a pathetic face for the leader of this place.

That’s why I gave him a big, toothy grin.

“Actually, I’m getting a prosthetic made through a connection with ‘Hearty Eater.’ But it’s expensive, so until then, I’ll be taking small, steady jobs.”

Apparently, the smith is quite skilled.

They took me to their shop once for measurements, and I saw several dwarves with stern faces.

Maybe—just maybe—one day, I’ll hold a sword with both hands again.

The thought alone made my heart race.

“‘Hearty Eater’s’ introduction, huh… Did they say anything else?”

The branch chief’s face twisted into a deep frown as he asked.

Is something wrong?

“They told me to get used to one-handed weapons for now. A scimitar, specifically. Here, this sword. They also said, ‘Leave the prosthetic design to me’…”

“I see… I see. It would be nice if it turns out ‘normal’…”

He let out a deep sigh, looking up at the sky.

I didn’t understand his words until a few weeks later—when I saw my new prosthetic.

Ah… so holding a sword with it was impossible after all.

Instead, what I got was something that looked like it could cleave monsters in half on its own.

A monstrous, armored limb.

Five thick, razor-sharp claws—so vicious I could’ve sworn a demon had designed them.

And everything was pitch black.

“Those bastards!”

Thus, my missing arm had been replaced with a weapon disguised as a prosthetic.