Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Royal Road Hero Tale (11)
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Siwoo became the Hero.
The Aria Goddess who appeared in his dream gave him the holy sword and pleaded with him to defeat the Demon King and save humanity.
It was a request tantamount to blackmail, holding humanity hostage, leaving Siwoo feeling utterly hollow. But he accepted it because he could be together with Sophia.
The holy sword Siwoo received from the goddess, Aria Goddess's Sword, was an EX-grade artifact. It aided the Hero's growth, could freely change its form, and hide its appearance at any time.
Moreover, the power inherent within the holy sword served as the sword master Siwoo so desperately needed.
When Siwoo drew the holy sword and began training as usual, even the sensation of slicing through the empty air felt different. His stance corrected itself naturally, and he instinctively knew exactly when and how to apply force.
'This is... what a holy sword feels like.'
While Siwoo was growing accustomed to the holy sword's power, Sophia and Deok-bae came to find him.
"As expected, you're the Hero, huh? Oh, is that the holy sword?"
"Hehe... Siwoo! I'm a Saintess!"
Siwoo sensed the same power within them. He realized it was the divine power bestowed by the Aria Goddess.
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"Sorry, Sophia."
After their conversation, just before heading to the tavern to meet Sophia's parents, Siwoo hesitated for a moment. Then he bowed his head to Sophia and apologized.
"...Marta's guards?"
Siwoo confessed that Marta would be recruiting guards in a few months, and he'd been training to apply for the position.
He explained that, as someone from a rural village with no connections, he needed overwhelming skill to pass the city guard exam. He apologized for not paying attention to Sophia all this time and begged her forgiveness.
"Hey, if it was something like that, you should've at least said something. I could've cheered you on or stayed out of your way."
Siwoo had nothing to say in response to Deok-bae's incredulous remark.
He started to make the excuse that he couldn't bring himself to mention it, lacking the courage to face Sophia's disappointment if he failed. But instead, Siwoo simply bowed his head in silence.
Even he felt ashamed of his own weak attitude.
"So that's how it was... It's still okay!"
Sophia said it was fine with her usual bright smile, but Siwoo's chest felt tight.
Because Siwoo knew full well how much Sophia had struggled while he was absorbed in his training.
"So, you know... Sophia, there's something I want to talk about, just the two of us..."
Thinking this wouldn't do, Siwoo tried to reveal even the secret he'd been hiding.
The fact that he planned to propose to Sophia after passing the exam.
But Deok-bae, who caught on, sent Sophia to the tavern first and gave Siwoo some advice.
"Hey, man! You planning to confess right here? Huh? And get shot down immediately?"
"S-Sophia and I love each other!"
"Hey! Who in this village doesn't know that? But not right now. Who do you think Sophia's mad at? And instead of soothing her anger, you're jumping straight to a confession?"
"......"
"All your built-up affection will evaporate, man."
Siwoo couldn't deny it.
Deok-bae comforted him, promising to help during the journey ahead, but urged him to focus on making it up to Sophia for now.
"Thanks, bro."
"If you're thankful, just do better from now on, man."
Once their talk ended, the two headed to the tavern. Sophia's parents, the Village Chief, and the other village elders were all waiting for them.
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The goddess hadn't appeared only in the three of their dreams.
She had shown herself in the dreams of every villager, telling them that the trio must strive for humanity's sake, and to help them set off on their journey without worry.
True to her words, they had pooled their money for travel funds, gathered medicines and emergency rations, and more, all to see the three off.
The Village Chief slapped Siwoo's back and cheered him on, saying he could do it. Sophia's parents wept openly, hugging her tight and begging her not to get hurt and to stay healthy.
Deok-bae, feeling awkward amid it all, watched for a bit before sighing and speaking up.
"We haven't even left yet, though?"
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A whole month had passed since Siwoo awakened as the Hero, Sophia as the Saintess, and I as the Holy Knight.
Siwoo had wanted to leave right away, but I refused. He agreed immediately when I insisted we needed at least minimal preparations—for Sophia's sake, if nothing else.
Minimal preparations... We really needed a lot.
First and foremost, it was crucial to understand the limits of the powers we'd received from the goddess.
How many times Sophia could cast Heal, the extent of my shield's stun effect, how far Siwoo's holy sword could transform... We tested each one meticulously in advance.
And we had to get accustomed to slicing flesh and spilling blood.
We'd need to kill monsters going forward, and there was no guarantee we wouldn't have to face humans too. So we helped out at the slaughterhouse to steel our resolve.
We also memorized wild edible plants, herbs, and the like.
Heal wasn't invincible, and Sophia wasn't the goddess herself. Situations could shift unpredictably, so this knowledge was practically essential.
Beyond that, we gathered info on other villages and cities from the vigilante captain, memorized the route to Marta using maps, trained alongside Siwoo, and made all sorts of other preparations.
Of course, there were happy times spent with Sophia in between, moments where I succumbed to Aunt's temptations, or times we got caught and made up with some apologetic sex.
Anyway, by the time we'd finished all the preparations, a month had flown by. The day to finally begin our adventure had arrived.
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"Deok-bae! Take good care of Sopi!"
"Don't worry, Uncle! I'll protect Sopi just fine, so you worry about the tavern after I'm gone instead."
"Aaa...!"
It's called a tavern, but most customers came for my cooking anyway. It might take a real hit once I leave.
Well, it wasn't on the brink of ruin before I showed up, so they'll manage somehow.
"Deok-bae... How am I supposed to deal with missing you after you leave like this..."
Aunt pulled me into a sultry embrace and kneaded my ass.
I tried to pry her hands off before Sophia noticed, but Aunt whispered in my ear.
"Your child... I'm raising it nice and healthy, so you have to come back alive, okay?"
"......Huh?"
"Hehe... Boy or girl?"
"......"
I feel like I heard something, but I can't quite remember.
When I snapped back to reality, we'd already finished our goodbyes. The three of us had left the village behind.
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Our destination was Marta—the city where Siwoo had aimed to join the guards.
We planned to register as adventurers there, build up our strength, and then head to a bigger city.
Since the genre was Royal Road Hero Tale, we'd probably follow the standard path: hunt goblins and orcs near the city, take down a mid-boss like an ogre or troll, and move on.
It would take about a week to walk from Minamo to Marta, but we planned to make a short stop at Doje Village along the way, adding a couple extra days.
Doje Village's chief was the one who'd told Siwoo about the Marta guards. He knew the city well, so we figured we'd gather some intel before arriving.
"Oppa... How long do we have to keep walking?"
"Figure on walking all day today."
"What about tomorrow?"
"Figure on walking all day tomorrow too."
"Uuuu... This is haaard!"
"...Sorry, Sopi. Sorry, Deok-bae bro."
Just an hour ago, we'd been riding in a cart.
The Village Chief had gifted us a small one to make the trip to Marta more comfortable, and Siwoo and I had taken turns driving it.
But during Siwoo's turn, his inexperience caused an accident. The cart was wrecked.
I'd been deep in a kiss with Sophia when we heard a loud thud, and the cart tipped onto its side.
I yanked my hand out of her pussy in a panic, helped Sophia up, and we scrambled out—only to find the horses had already bolted.
Since then, we'd been trudging along on foot like this.
"Can't be helped. Hop on."
"Hng...! For real? Hehe."
I offered my back to Sophia, who kept whining, and she climbed on with a gleeful laugh.
I could feel her soft breasts pressing against my back. She deliberately snuggled closer, rubbing them against me.
"...I caused the accident, so let me carry her instead."
"No way. What if a monster shows up? I'm fine, so take the lead."
"Yeah! Even Siwoo couldn't fight properly carrying me."
"...Got it."
Rejected by Sophia, Siwoo trudged ahead with noticeably sapped energy. I followed behind, groping Sophia's ass as she rode piggyback.
Sophia secretly licked my ear when Siwoo wasn't looking, then planted a kiss on my neck.
Very slowly...
Quietly, without a sound...
Soft and sticky...
The sensation of her tongue teasing me nearly gave me a full erection.
"Haa... lick..."
Sophia was getting aroused too, panting softly—but luckily, Siwoo didn't notice.
After another couple hours of walking, the sun had set, and darkness fell.
We set up camp and had a simple meal of rations.
Sophia whined about wanting the bento from her inventory, but it felt like a waste to break it out now.
I pitched the tent instead.
With just the press of a button, it sprang up. Sophia and Siwoo marveled at the goddess's ingenuity.
It was a 3-4 person tent, so squeezing in all three was no issue.
Siwoo, worn out from fretting over the cart fiasco, conked out the moment he crawled inside.
...Actually, I'd slipped sleeping pills into his food.
Even a Hero couldn't beat modern chemistry.
After calling his name a few times with no response, Sophia began slyly stripping.
She got fully naked, lay down beside Siwoo, and spread her legs.
Bold as brass, Sophia draped one leg over Siwoo.
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