I Finished Saving the World, But Then I Picked Up a Girl With Amnesia - Chapter 1

After saving the world, I found myself with nothing to do.

Why don’t you try looking for someone to marry?

That was the suggestion from one of my party members, who had fought through countless battles by my side. In other words, they were telling me to settle down already.

“Well, I get that your position comes with a lot, and I understand why you’d have things to think over, Hero-kun. But if you keep hesitating like this, you might lose your chance to fall in love properly and get married to someone you care about, you know? Of course, it’s not really my place to worry about it, and maybe I’m just being nosy.”

Those words came from Female Knight-chan, who had worked her hardest as the party’s frontline fighter. Love and romance truly are the highlights of life, something to aspire to. As I nodded in agreement with her comment, Knight-chan shook her blonde ponytail, smiling wryly. Was it really something to laugh about that much?

Even if I’ve become a bit useless now, I’m still the hero who saved the world. That title brought me things like status, fame, land—basically anything you could imagine. Marrying me would indirectly grant someone access to all that status, fame, land, and power. Apparently, the upper-class nobles of the kingdom were already pulling out all the stops—arranged meetings, matchmaking events, parties—to form connections with me.

The one who told me about this was the party’s brains, Sage-chan.

“Hero-san, you’re really clueless about things like this. Honestly, I’m worried that if you’re left on your own, you might get caught up in some political scheme and die before you know it.”

Even if she says that, my main job during our journey was to fight alongside Knight-chan on the front lines, cutting down enemies. All the tedious work—negotiations, securing supplies, managing personnel—was completely handed over to Sage-chan at some point.

Still, I reassured her by saying I’m trained enough not to die so easily, no matter what I get dragged into. At that, Sage-chan shook her silver-white hair side to side and let out a massive sigh. I don’t get it.

But it’s true—I have nothing to do. Knight-chan, being a princess from a neighboring kingdom, probably has royal duties waiting for her back home. Sage-chan, with her sharp mind and cunning maneuvering, has already ingrained herself deeply in the kingdom’s political core. Honestly, my party members are all great at navigating life. Am I just bad at planning out my own life? Yeah, that’s probably it.

Even Necromancer-san, the most level-headed person in our party, managed to repurpose the Demon King’s monster army into a transportation business, building a massive logistics company from scratch.

“Having nothing to do is quite a luxury problem, isn’t it? Why not start a venture like I did, Hero-sama? A productive hobby can really enrich your life, you know?”

Easier said than done. I have absolutely no talent for business. Sure, Knight-chan, with her genuinely good nature and influential family, Sage-chan, with her sharp mind, or Necromancer-san, with her incredible social skills, might excel at such things. But for me, someone who’s spent his life relying on brute strength and charging ahead on impulse, I doubt anything I start now would succeed.

“What should I do…”

With no particular goal in mind, I wandered aimlessly through town under the bright midday sun.

They say people who achieve grand, dreamlike goals often fall into a sort of burnout afterward. That might be exactly where I am now.

The Demon King and his Four Heavenly Kings were pretty strong, but now that I’ve defeated them, they’ve become good memories. Those blood-pumping, flesh-stirring battles were tough, but they were also fun in their own way. Well, if someone told me to do it all over again, I’d absolutely refuse, though.

“Ah, it’s Hero-sama!”

“Hello, Hero-sama!”

“Oh, you two. You’re as energetic as ever today.”

A boy and a girl I recognized greeted me energetically. I waved back. How cute. Kids really are the treasure of humanity.

Ever since I started my unemployed life after defeating the Demon King, I’ve been living in this town. I’ve gotten to know the local kids well. At first, they kept their distance, wary of the “Hero who saved the world.” But now, I’ve settled into the role of the friendly neighborhood guy who’s always out for a stroll. That’s good, I guess. Yeah, it’s good… right?

“What are you doing, Hero-sama?”

“Just taking a walk.”

“You always seem so free, Hero-sama!”

“Hey, don’t be rude! Hero-sama is just recovering from all the battles.”

When the little girl said I seemed free, the boy hurriedly tried to cover for me. Somehow, being defended by a boy this age just makes it sting even more…

“Hero-sama, if you’re free, let’s go to the forest!”

“Let’s play explorers! Explorers!”

“You kids shouldn’t be going to the forest alone. It’s dangerous.”

Since the Demon King’s army was defeated, the number of monsters has been declining. Attacks on travelers along roads have also become much rarer. Still, the area outside the town isn’t safe enough for small children to venture out on their own.

“Yeah, but Mom said it’d be okay if we went with Hero-sama!”

“…Seriously?”

I’m basically their chaperone at this point. Their mom is subtly asking me to take care of them if I’m free.

On top of that, their mom gives me vegetables and helps me out in various ways, so it’s hard to say no. And, well, I just so happen to be completely free. Sadly, I have no excuse to refuse.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yay!”

“Exploring, exploring!”

“Look, Hero-sama! I found a flower!”

“Nice. Let me make it into a hairpiece for you.”

“Yay! Thank you!”

“Hero-sama, look! I found a cool stick!”

“Whoa, that’s an awesome stick. Let’s have a duel—your stick against my Hero Sword!”

“Okay!”

We played with flowers and had stick-fighting duels. Spending time with kids is honestly a lot of fun. In a way, my party members telling me to “hurry up and get married” makes sense. I love kids, and I do want a family someday. Finding a cute wife, building a happy home, and raising a big family—enough for a soccer team—sounds like a wonderful dream.

“Hero-sama, I’m thirsty.”

“Alright, let’s fetch some water. There’s a stream over there.”

Come to think of it, I heard Sage-chan is working as a magic instructor in the capital. Maybe becoming a teacher wouldn’t be so bad. Then again, I’m not sure I have much to teach…

As these thoughts swirled around in my head, I filled the canteen with water and let the kids have a drink.

“Hero-sama, can we go over there?”

“Sure, but don’t go too far. There’s a cliff, so be careful not to get too close.”

“Okay!”

Or maybe I’m not cut out to be a teacher, but running a school could be an option. The knight academy where I met the Female Knight-chan wasn’t a bad place, but it felt more like a training ground than an actual learning environment. Now that the world is becoming more peaceful, building a normal school might not be a bad idea.

Or maybe an orphanage. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with, so using it to help others and improve society seems like a solid choice. Yeah.

“Maybe I should give it a try.”

“What kind of try?”

“Well, I think I might’ve found a new goal in life.”

“Are you finally going to work?”

Oh, shut up.

Just then, the boy came running back, his voice raised.

“Hero-sama, come quick! You’ve got to see this!”

“What is it?”

“There’s a horse coming!”

“A horse?”

Pushing through the grass, I saw the boy had wandered out of the forest and was leaning over the edge of the cliff.

“Hey! I told you the cliff is dangerous. Don’t go too close…”

“Look, Hero-sama! There are lots of horses!”

“They’re chasing the one in the front!”

Squinting, I followed his gaze. The forest ended abruptly in a steep cliff, giving a clear view of the plains stretching out to the horizon.

Sure enough, just as the kids said, a group of horses was galloping in from the east. A single horse led the pack, pursued by three others. All of the horses were pushed to their limits, moving at top speed—it was clearly no ordinary situation. The figure on the lead horse was cloaked, making it hard to see any details, but their small frame suggested they might be a girl.

“Hero-sama.”

“Hero-sama.”

The kids’ eyes sparkled with expectation. They were so bright, it was almost blinding.

Man, this is a pain…

With a heavy sigh, I crouched down to meet their gaze, then firmly ruffled their heads.

“Stay here and don’t move, no matter what.”