SENTENCED TO BE A HERO LIGHT NOVEL SC (2025)

Heroism-a punishment for only the worst criminals. Those sentenced to the fate of a hero are forced to fight at the front lines against the demon king's army-and if they die, all they can expect is to be revived and continue the battle. But when their leader, convicted of killing a goddess, meets another goddess himself, the contract they forge may be enough to change the world...

Xylo and company may have defeated Demon Lord Iblis and saved Mureed Fortress, but their punishment goes on. New enemies emerge-a demon lord with the ability to don a human disguise, and a band of assassins bent on killing Teoritta-plunging the city of Ioff into chaos and destruction. With the addition of a dragon knight and a mysterious artilleryman, penal hero unit 9004 finds itself sinking ever deeper into a vortex of combat and conspiracy!

The Second Capital has fallen to the Demon Blight, and it's up to the combined forces of the Noble Alliance, the Ninth Order of the Holy Knights, and Penal Hero Unit 9004 to retake it. But first, they must establish a base on snowy Mount Tujin, facing legions of faeries along the way. And once again, the heroes take the most dangerous role-serving as decoys! Meanwhile, as things on the battlefield take a grim turn, a pair of refugees stumble through the freezing wilderness, holding an important key to winning the war ahead.

To take back Zeyllent from the Demon Blight, the penal hero unit must disguise themselves as merchants and infiltrate the city. But with the fate of humanity on the line, what will happen when their plan starts to fall apart? Meanwhile, as time runs out, a certain saint leads a band of holy knights toward the city's sturdy walls...?

As winter draws its curtain around the first capital of Zephent, the goddess and her penal heroes are enjoying a little break. But, as usual, the fun doesn't last for long. Soon the penal heroes are given a new order-to interfere in the election for the next archpriest! As various schemes and plots collide, a force working behind the scenes is finally revealed: a certain entity from Xylo's past that he won't soon forget...

With the arrival of spring, it's time to initiate Ragi Enseglef, humanity's last expedition against the Demon Blight. The penal heroes quickly learn they will be split up and assigned to two different forces, one group traveling overland, the other crossing the treacherous Valligarhi Channel by boat. And of course, no matter where they are, they're stuck with the worst jobs available. What's more, Xylo finds himself fighting not only demon lords and faeries, but pirates, too! As the operation gets off to a rocky start, the penal heroes will have to use everything they've got to make sure mankind still has a fighting chance.