Don't Misunderstand

"Sorry. I never meant for you to see me like this."

A short distance from the group trailing Garam, the fox girl remained on her knees, bowing her head before me again and again. I scanned the area to confirm no one had followed us this far. The Sword Hero was kneeling in apology before some strange young man. If word of this reached anyone else, it would become incredibly awkward. Fortunately, no eyes were watching us from the surroundings.

"It's fine. We both knew this was how things would turn out."

"Even so, I truly have no excuse. I thought I'd filtered them out as thoroughly as possible. I didn't expect it to be this bad."

Just as she said, Garam had done her best to weed out the Demon God worshippers. Some truths inevitably surfaced when digging into the past. Those who had operated as worshippers naturally left gaps in their histories. Investigating those gaps alone was enough to shake off the remnants.

But in cases like the one-eyed woman—someone who had been living an ordinary life before being forcibly dragged into their fold and exploited—there was little we could do. Not unless the victims were willing to risk their lives to reveal the truth, or unless we uncovered the hidden evidence as we had today.

"That's enough. Stand up, Garam. What if someone sees? Do you want your master to end up in an awkward spot?"

"Master."

Garam lifted her head slightly. A chilling killing intent flickered in her eyes.

"You don't need to involve yourself. I can handle this myself."

"…."

She wasn't simply saying it. If it was Garam, she could definitely finish the job. She hadn't earned the title of Hero for nothing—one sword was enough for her to fight an entire army. The Demon God worshippers, who could do little more than summon monsters, wouldn't even be a decent warm-up.

Still, there was one reason I couldn't send her.

"Weren't you supposed to head north to deal with the monsters?"

"…That's correct."

"The task you want to handle lies in the exact opposite direction from where those monsters are. It happens to be right on the path Iris and I are taking. So tell me—who should be the one to finish it?"

There was no need for an answer. Garam had her own duty: heading north to handle the monsters hammering at the border. If that work was delayed, monsters breaking through elsewhere would wreak havoc on the rear lines.

The Demon God worshippers threatening the one-eyed woman had likely been part of that scheme—to slow Garam's steps as much as possible, or to ensure that even if she reached the north, she couldn't complete her mission easily. Before one incident could be resolved, they would trigger others in rapid succession.

From what I remembered, the finale of Season 1 featured lightning strikes across the entire continent. Given that we were right on the cusp of that, the possibility felt more than plausible. The enemy knew the Heroes were few in number. They also understood that, Hero or not, these were still beings of flesh and blood who would weaken without proper rest.

"Garam, focus on your own mission. Since it's on our way anyway, there's no need for you to worry about it."

"But…"

"This is for my disciples. Watching over them so they can succeed is a master's duty."

Sometimes that meant pulling them forward. But once the disciples had truly stepped out into the world, the master simply needed to support them from behind—subtly, without being obvious. That was the true duty of a master, and the deepest form of love for the disciples one had raised.

"So… for your disciple… for me! That's what you're saying, right?"

It felt like quite a few steps had been skipped in her interpretation, but the statement was true enough where Garam was concerned. When I nodded, her face flushed bright red.

As expected, she had once again interpreted things however she pleased. Her reactions were burdensome and worrying, yet they also gave her a firm sense of purpose, making it difficult to intervene. There was no point in stopping her. It was better to make appropriate use of it.

That had been my decision, and so I had used myself as bait to motivate Garam and the other disciples. The result was that everyone's skills had truly skyrocketed. The only problem was that my own worries about the future had risen right alongside them.

"Iris!"

Deciding the matter was settled, I called out her name.

"Are you finished talking?"

"Yes. We can set out immediately. You packed everything properly?"

"Of course I did. But… are you really okay with this?"

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"

"You hate troublesome matters more than anything, Master."

"Of course I hate troublesome things. That goes for me and just about anyone else in the world."

"But…"

"But it has to be the right amount of filthy. This crosses the line. It's too disgusting to ignore."

Whether it was the influence of this absurd world I had fallen into, or whether I had unconsciously absorbed a few things from my own master without realizing it—or if my true nature had simply been like this from the beginning—I couldn't give myself a clear answer.

One thing, however, was certain. To those who tried to pull such pathetic stunts, I would deliver endings that suited them perfectly.

"Master."

Garam held out something from her hand. I accepted it, curious, and when I looked at her she spoke.

"It must say she's going to search for Iris."

"Yes. It seems she has pinpointed the general area where the fifth—Iris—disappeared. It's quite far west from here. She says it's the site of a vanished ancient kingdom, and that she'll have to go there to learn more."

In the game, ancient kingdoms usually meant secret dungeons created for hidden quests, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or limited dungeons that dropped rare equipment. Naturally, their difficulty was utterly brutal.

Knowing that, I couldn't feel at ease even if it was Iris. In the game the Heroes had formed parties to clear them, but here each Hero was scattered across the world, handling their own responsibilities.

"I'll finish dealing with the monsters stirring in the north and join you right away. Please wait for me, Master."

"If you're late, I might locate the fifth and then head off somewhere else entirely. So don't drag your feet. On the other hand, don't rush recklessly either. If I hear you got badly hurt, I won't look at you again."

Garam's face instantly turned scarlet. She was reacting that way because she was happy—overjoyed that I was worrying about her.

I knew Garam harbored feelings for her master that went far beyond simple affection. Normally I would have drawn a firm line and made her abandon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those emotions. But the current me had reasons for speaking this way.

The limitations of her glass-cannon body, her stamina issues—the reality was that it was still too uncertain. While the others might endure 100 damage, Garam could not withstand it. This was not a game. It was a real world where everyone lived and died. Death here was final.

That was why I had to cherish her and keep her alive at all costs. If using myself could raise her survival chances even a little, I would let myself be used whenever necessary.

"Garam. Though you may not possess a body of steel like the other disciples, your sword is undeniably strong. Never doubt that. Do you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠understand what I'm saying?"

Whether it was the limit of a glass cannon, but despite being a swordsman she lacked the steel-like body and stamina one would expect. In a way she should have been a half-baked swordsman with a truly ridiculous weakness. What covered for it were her fraudulent attack techniques and a speed so fast that even I could barely track it with my eyes.

She knew her limits and strove to overcome them, while fully understanding and maximizing her strengths. That was why, even though she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been called a glass cannon or a water body, I had never once regretted finding her first and taking her as my very first disciple.

"Yes! Master!"

Fwoosh!

The fox tail that had been resting quietly behind her began to wag wildly. The expression that openly broadcast I'm so happy right now! without any attempt to hide it. On top of that, her ears kept twitching as she waited to see if I would say anything more.

Watching her like this brought back memories of the first time I had seen her—a fox beastkin girl whimpering as she hid from people's eyes. Although slavery was legally prohibited, "illegal" existed everywhere. With no parents or guardians, the girl had been the easiest target.

Just as her setting described, Garam had been enduring all sorts of dangers. Just as I had done in the game, in this world I had saved her, fed her, given her a place to sleep, trained her, and raised her as the first Hero.

Knowing she was talented with the sword made discovering her potential easy. And so, beginning with her, the project to gather every Hero as my disciple had begun.

That's how it was back then.

I knew full well that getting lost in nostalgia was pointless, yet sometimes it simply couldn't be helped. Without thinking, I reached out and gently stroked Garam's head. Her face flushed red once more.

"I should get going now."

"Ah… M-Master. Could you… stroke my head just a little longer…? Is that not allowed?"

Whine… whimper…

Whether she was deliberately acting spoiled or whether it was simply the nature of a fox beastkin, those pitiful sounds made my heart soften.

"You really… Haah."

A sigh escaped me, but my hand was already moving toward her head. It wasn't only to comfort her—the sensation of stroking Garam's head was simply the best. I had petted the other disciples' heads as well, yet something about hers felt different. That was why, just as my fingertips were about to touch her hair—

"Let's go, Master! At this rate the sun will set before we've even made any progress!"

Whoosh!

"Huh? Hey? Wait, Iris?"

"M-Maknae! What are you doing!?"

"I'm taking care of Master, eldest sister!"

I felt my body suddenly tilt, then I was being dragged away by Iris. Under normal circumstances her strength should have been no match for mine, yet right now she was using every ounce of her power to pull me away from Garam. It was clear she was completely serious.

Besides, lingering here any longer would only leave greater regret for both sides. So I let myself be dragged along as if I couldn't resist and called back to Garam.

"Be careful, Garam! The moment you let your guard down is the most dangerous time. Remember that the enemy can be in front of you, beside you, and behind you!"

"I'll see you again soon! It won't be long before I catch up! I'll follow right away!"

Listening to Garam's shout, I continued to be pulled along by Iris. A moment later a path came into view, and a woman was already waiting there.

"You didn't run?"

"…."

"I was sure you'd run away."

"I can't run away."

"So the story about your family wasn't a lie after all."

"Will you… will you truly help me…?"

"Hey. I think you're misunderstanding something."

The one-eyed woman who had been forcibly absorbed into Garam's group by the Demon God worshippers. I corrected the error in her words.

"I'm not going there to help you."

"Then…"

"I'm going to catch the bastards who tried to toy with us. That's what this is about."