Dare ga Yuusha wo Koroshita ka - The style in which this is written makes it really amazing.
Dare ga Yuusha wo Koroshita ka (誰が勇者を殺したか) is a light novel series written by Daken and illustrated by toi8. It started in 2023 and is still ongoing, with three volumes released as of today. I have read two volumes so far. I picked up this series back in 2023 purely based on some Twitter buzz about how great the story was, and well... yes, it is great.
The first part of the first volume is written from the point of view of a journalist interviewing the heroes who returned from their journey to kill the Demon Lord. The journalist is trying to understand "who killed the Hero," because while the mission was a success, the Hero, Ares Schmitt, died on the road back home.
Each character talks about Ares from their point of view, discussing how they interacted at the academy and what they think of him. From time to time, the journalist adds comments about who could be suspicious and what their motives for killing the Hero might be.
Everyone is suspicious, and everyone has something to gain from killing the Hero, but the truth is a lot more complicated than it seems. The story even adds details about other nobles and royals, such as the Princess, who was supposed to become his wife upon his return.
The artistic style of this novel is absolutely gorgeous and really reflect the fantasy nature of the story.There are three characters being interviewed:
Leon Muller (レオン・ミュラー): The Sword Master of the team. He is the eldest son of a Count's family and was the top candidate to become the Hero before Ares's arrival.
Maria Lauren (マリア・ローレン): The "Saint" of the church. She is a priestess who serves as the healer for the Hero's Party.
Solon Barclay (ソロン・バークレイ): The "Great Sage". He is a magician who has been celebrated as a prodigy since childhood.
Ares was a nobody; he had no noble background and no particular aptitude for swordsmanship, magic, or healing. Yet, his persistence allowed him to handle all three while guiding the team on their difficult journey to kill the Demon Lord. But why was he so motivated?
I will not go too deep into spoilers, as learning about the twists and revelations would likely diminish the experience in this kind of story. However, if you are anything like me, you will be on the edge of your seat and unable to stop reading until the volume is finished.
The story of the first volume is conclusive; you could simply stop reading there, and it would still be an incredible experience on its own. The second volume explores more of the setting from the point of view of another set of characters who are unrelated to the Hero Party but are still intertwined with their story.
I was skeptical about the story continuing after the end of the first volume, but it was genuinely good as well. While there were fewer twists because you already know the world setting from the first volume, it still felt like a breeze to read, and I loved the new protagonist too.
I really suggest giving this light novel series a shot; it is "one in a thousand" when it comes to quality. I will read the third volume soon once I catch up with some other series I am reading, and I will make a new post then.
