The Hero of the Prophecy Is the One Who Was Left Behind
A novel in which the protagonist, Cael, not only saves the world but also wins hearts and builds a large harem in a universe dominated mostly by women.
The story begins with a tragedy: the loss of his parents in an incident involving demons. That same night, his sister sacrifices herself as bait to protect him from a pursuit, leaving him completely alone. This wound carried in his heart becomes the fuel for his quest for revenge and a new purpose.
The plot follows his development: from an aimless boy to a true hero, destined to save the world. Since childhood, his talent has drawn attention, arousing both envy and admiration in everyone around him.
The turning point of the story, which justifies its title, occurs when he is betrayed and thrown into the depths of the dungeon, a victim of his own companions’ envy. No one tried to rescue him, as they believed he had died and abandoned him without hesitation.
Against all odds, the young man refuses to perish. Driven by an unshakable will to live and a thirst for revenge, he survives by devouring the flesh of the monsters he encounters and training until he reaches an absurd level of power. His fall becomes his greatest awakening.
In the heart of the dungeon, he discovers that this place was not merely a prison, but a challenge devised centuries ago to forge the hero of the prophecy. Among the remnants of the past, he finds the legendary sword destined for him and ancient scriptures that reveal the truth: only the one marked by the prophecy could wield the power necessary to defeat the ancient demon.
Thus begins the legend of the hero who was left to die, but who returned stronger than anyone could have imagined.
[…]
In theory, this should be the story of the novel I read.
I don’t remember the finer details exactly, but even with just that, I can already get a sense of what I shouldn’t do.
In other words, I must avoid the hero at all costs, so I don’t get dragged into all the madness he will be involved in in the future.
Why am I thinking about this now? Simple, because they’re trying to lead me down that path.
— You want me to go… to school? — I ask, while eating some fruit.
— Yes, a brat like you should study and become someone in life! — replies the old man, in his rocking chair.
By the way, I ended up confirming that I really do look much younger than I remembered, bringing back some memories.
— Old man, even if I look like this, I’m already a graduate, you know?
— Really? Then where’s your diploma?
— …
— Stop lying to me and just go to school already!
— I’m already tired of student life!
— Tired of student life? Look at your situation! Who would hire a minor with a broken arm? At least at school you can live there with everything paid for!
— …
The more I talk to this old man, the more I feel like I’m losing the argument. Besides, what he said is true: my situation, injured, looking like a teenager, and with nothing to prove otherwise, will prevent me from getting any kind of job in the area.
Even if I try to go to the orphanage, I still don’t know if they’d actually accept me, since I don’t know if I look young enough to meet the age limit.
— Hmm… So, old man, how is someone who has never studied going to get into school?
Since I’m not from this world, there’s a lot of knowledge I don’t have that will probably be on the entrance exams. So, it’s better to just say I’ve never studied.
— Never studied? What have you been doing all this time!? — the old man asks, but he soon changes the subject. — Hmm… How about a school in the area? But you wouldn’t be able to find a place to live… Or you can try betting on my granddaughter’s school.
— And which school is your granddaughter attending?
— Noctis Royal Academy.
Hearing that name, I remembered the story on which this world was based.
This was the very school the protagonist attended, an institution reserved exclusively for the elite, where admission was only possible through strong connections to the nobility or by being a genius, like the protagonist.
The entrance exam for this place is ridiculously difficult, according to the story, but that’s not what worries me the most.
The problem with this school is that, since I don’t know exactly where I am in the story, the events that take place there may or may not have happened yet.
If I get caught up in those events, I might just die.
And the worst part is, I’ll end up running into the protagonist there.
So, there was only one thing I could say right now.
— Forget it, old man.
— How can you give up before you even try? Even if the odds of you getting in are… Actually, forget it.
The old man seemed to have remembered something and then just sighed, letting it go.
— For a moment, from the way you answered me, I thought you were a girl…
— …I think you’re going blind.
— You’re really different.
I hear a soft chuckle coming from the old man, before he closes his eyes and continues rocking.
— I wonder… If everything would be different if I were like you…
— Old man, since I’m not here to listen to your sad past, I'm heading out, I need to check on the orphanage
With that said, I struggle a bit to get up, feeling the dull pain in my arm as I lean against the chair, and head toward the door, but before I even get close, it swings wide open and a little girl, probably about 1.40m or so, walks into the house.
She’s dressed in a formal, sophisticated outfit that looks really expensive and very flashy. It even makes me think she must be on her way to some wedding party or ceremony.
As soon as she opens the door, the girl looks around, probably trying to find the old man, but she stops as soon as she sees me.
— Eh? A man?
Her confused reaction is actually kind of cute, but I prefer to stay silent and see what happens.
As the girl enters, the old man opens his eyes and looks toward the door.
— Marina, what are you doing here?
— Grandpa, I need to talk to you, but… — the girl says to the old man, before turning to me. — … Who?
I see the girl trying to look more refined and mature, but because of her size and face, it’s hard not to think of her as just a little girl.
— Just a boy I found lost at sea, — the old man replies, without saying much.
— Lost at sea… Oh, I see…
For some reason, she seems to understand something and gives me a slight look of sympathy, but soon puts a smile on her face.
— …Hey, old man, who’s that kid? — I ask, with a slight smile.
The instant I speak, I notice her smile fade for a brief moment.
— That’s my granddaughter, the one who’s going to the Noctis Royal Academy in a month.
The girl smiles again, now with a smug look, as she stares at me.
— …Wait, this is the granddaughter that you said looked older than me!? Why can I only see a child when I look at her!?
The girl’s smile freezes, turning into a serious look.
— …Did I say that? — says the old man, scratching his beard, avoiding looking in our direction.
— Grandpa! Are you going to let your granddaughter be insulted like that!? — she exclaims, losing all the elegance her outfit tries to convey.
— …Sometimes, Marina, you have to accept reality.— the old man replies calmly, without looking at her.
— Grandpa!!!
Taking advantage of the fact that the two seem to be starting to argue, I walk to the door and leave the house. Seeing the small stone path that leads me to the city, I look around a bit before starting to walk.
— Marina… She’s one of the heroines, isn’t she? — I think, trying to recall the character descriptions from the novel.
A petite girl with long black hair, blue eyes, and a delicate appearance, but with skin lightly tanned by the sun. Honestly, since it was a web novel, there were almost no character illustrations, and picturing a character’s exact appearance based on a written description has never been my strong suit.
The most I can remember are the names and titles some of them have, but only the most memorable ones.
That’s why the name Marina doesn’t sound strange to me, but I’m not entirely sure.
— I only know one thing… — I think, glancing back for a brief moment. — She’s clearly one of those short characters who’ll never grow up.
And with that, I head toward the city, my body still exhausted, but my mind feeling a little better.
[To be continued…]
[+++]:
— … I didn’t find anything.
[???]:
— Just forget about it, it was nothing.
[+++]:
— How can I just brush something like that aside!? You’re interfering with my world!
[???]:
— Then how about you go do your work? I can see it’s piling up…
[+++]:
— I’ll do it later.
[???]:
— …