The Accidental Rise of a Retired Hero

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the grand halls of the kingdom. Kaito Amagiri stood before the council of nobles, their eyes heavy with judgment. The whispers of his once-glorious name had turned to murmurs of fear and concern. He was no longer the hero they had once praised. Now, he was a threat.

"You are hereby exiled, Kaito Amagiri," the King announced, his voice cold and unyielding. "For the safety of this kingdom, you must leave. The curse you carry cannot be allowed to remain among us."

Kaito's expression remained unchanged, his gaze calm, almost detached. The council's words felt distant, as though they were coming from the far end of a long tunnel. He had long since stopped caring about their decisions. They had never understood him, and now they would never have to again.

His powers had always been too much for the world to handle. He could level cities with a single gesture, stop time with a thought. And yet, he had never wanted any of it. When the Kingdom had first called upon him, he had believed he was fighting for justice, for a noble cause. But as the years passed, the weight of his own power became unbearable. His every step felt like an accident waiting to happen. Every encounter with others felt like a risk they couldn't afford.

In the end, it wasn't a villain he had to defeat. It was his own power.

The King had offered him no alternative. "Go to the cursed forest," the nobles had suggested. "There, you can live in isolation, far from the kingdom you endangered."

And so, here he was, standing at the edge of the cursed forest. The trees were twisted and dark, but Kaito hardly noticed. To him, it was just another place—another quiet corner of the world. He adjusted the strap of his simple pack and began walking into the depths of the forest, leaving the kingdom and its endless expectations behind.

The forest was, as its name suggested, cursed. But to Kaito, it was perfect. No one here would expect him to be a hero, and there was no need to worry about his power running amok. In this remote corner of the world, he could finally retire, living out his days in peace. He had no grand plans, no ambitions—just solitude.

As he wandered deeper, he found a small clearing where the sunlight filtered through the thick canopy above. It was beautiful. He could feel the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders. With a deep breath, he set down his pack and began to build.

A simple cottage was all he needed. He spent the first few days gathering wood, carving stone for a fireplace, and making sure the roof wouldn't leak when the rains came. The forest was alive, teeming with strange creatures, but none of them approached him. Not that he minded. He hadn't come here to make friends.

Days turned into weeks. Kaito settled into a quiet rhythm. He tended to the fire, wandered the woods, and occasionally found an odd plant or herb that he could study or use for meals. It was everything he had wanted: peace, simplicity, a life without anyone relying on him.

But peace, it seemed, was not meant to last.

One afternoon, as he was picking wild mushrooms near a creek, a large shadow loomed over him. Kaito glanced up, unfazed, only to see a massive boar-like creature emerging from the trees. Its eyes glowed red with an eerie light, and its tusks were long enough to pierce a tree.

"Seriously?" Kaito muttered, standing up. The creature snorted, its breath hot and foul. Kaito didn't move, his calm expression unwavering. "You've got to be kidding me."

With a wave of his hand, the boar was sent tumbling backward, crashing into the trees with a resounding thud. The impact knocked it unconscious. Kaito turned back to his mushrooms without a second thought, as if this was the most ordinary of occurrences.

"Guess I'll need to move that later," he sighed.

But as he crouched down to continue his work, the sound of movement reached his ears. Looking up, he saw not one, but several more creatures—wolves, large insects, even strange, bird-like beings—gathering around the unconscious boar. They circled it, watching Kaito with glowing eyes, as if waiting for something.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

The creatures did nothing. They didn't attack, they didn't flee. They simply watched him, as if waiting for him to make the next move.

"Is this some kind of joke?" he muttered, a slight frown tugging at his lips. "I'm just trying to have a quiet life here."

But even as he spoke, he could feel something odd in the air. The creatures were looking at him differently. There was a sense of… reverence? No, that was absurd.

With a resigned sigh, Kaito stood up, brushing the dirt from his hands. "Fine. You can have the boar," he said, turning to walk back to his cottage.

As he moved away, the creatures slowly began to settle around the boar, almost as if they were guarding it. It was strange. Unsettling, even. But Kaito didn't think much of it. He was here to retire, after all—not to rule anything.

Still, as he glanced back once more, he couldn't shake the feeling that the forest had just made its first move.