It's very annoying how often you see "I technically didn't lie" in japanese writing. The best lies are mixed with truth. It's either a lie and truth, nothing between. if a truth is tainted, no matter how much, it becomes a lie.
The part about him being asked if he is a hero, to which he replied "I'm a peddler" (p11), is a blatant lie. We already established in the story itself that heroes are given the title "hero". What does the MC have? The title Hero.