In the WN, they kinda ignored him going missing, and he ends up marrying a demon general’s little sister, and they live a happy life together. The Assumed Hero gets thrashed, and the country prays and asks their goddess why the hero isn’t showing results, she simply says via divine revelation/clairvoyance that she already sent a hero and they sent him away. The assumed hero becomes a total coward and a shut in, and the country scrambles to find the real hero. When they do, he’s already living under another alias, defeated (and spared) several demon generals and spies, and bros out with the demon king, who sneaks out incognito into human territory to court a female knight.