Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Royal Road Hero Tale (13)
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After that day, Sophia and I decided to hold back until we reached Marta.
No need to take risks for a fleeting moment of pleasure—a long tail just gets stepped on.
Siwoo seemed suspicious of the two of us for a few days, but he eventually chalked it up to his own imagination and didn't bring it up.
But anyone could tell he was still watching us closely.
"Siwoo, can we talk for a sec?"
No helping it. Time to clear up the misunderstanding.
Well, it wasn't exactly a misunderstanding, but anyway.
During a break, I pulled Siwoo aside and got straight to it.
"What's up with you lately? Why do you keep glancing at us like that?"
"Hyung, it's... ah, it's nothing..."
"Nothing? You're obviously worried about me and Sophia."
"......"
"Ha... you clueless idiot. Were you always this timid?"
"But you and Sophia...!"
"Can't you see Sophie's trying to make you jealous?"
"...Huh?"
My plan to dispel Siwoo's suspicions while making sure he stopped obsessing over us.
The jealousy ploy, in other words.
Not true, of course, but it would work just fine on this naive pushover.
"Ever since you awakened as the Hero that day, you've been keeping your distance from Sophie. She's been waiting for you all this time."
A lie.
In reality, it was Sophia who'd been pulling away. But if I said it like this, Siwoo would buy it hook, line, and sinker: 'Did I do that...? Yeah, I guess I did...'
"She wants to get close like we used to, but since that day, she's felt this distance from you. That's why she's acting out—she wants you to step up."
"Ah...!"
"Sure, Sophie and I are close like family, but we weren't this close before, right? Once you get that, you should man up and get closer to her instead of moping around with baseless suspicions."
"I'm sorry! I had no idea..."
"And if Sophie and I were like that, would I let her sleep in the middle? Next to another guy? I'm sleeping on the edge because I'm watching out for you."
The truth was, it was what Sophia wanted.
She said being next to Siwoo gave her a thrill of taboo excitement, making her hornier than usual, so she insisted on the middle.
When I grumbled about it, she snuck her hand under the blanket and stroked my cock.
"...Hyung, I'm really sorry. I just got anxious."
"What the hell do you have to be so anxious about?"
"It feels like Sophia's avoiding me lately, unlike before... Like she doesn't like me anymore, and that scares me..."
"Ha... Sophie's the same way. You're always so timid, so she's anxious too—that's why she's acting like this. Step up and take the initiative for once."
"Got it. I'm sorry, and... thank you."
"Don't thank me, man. Just get your head in the game."
Siwoo bought it completely. After our talk, his behavior changed.
Whether walking or eating, he stuck to Sophia's side, chatting her up constantly.
Sophia found it annoying at first, but when I promised to pound her until morning once we hit Marta, she started responding cheerfully to him.
Thanks to that, Siwoo's spirits recovered, and we arrived at the apprentice village in good moods.
"Huh? Aren't you kids from Minamo Village? What brings you here?"
Luckily, we ran into a villager who remembered our faces, and we made it to the Village Chief's house without issue. The chief greeted us with a bright smile.
He often visited our village every season or so, so we were on friendly terms.
After exchanging greetings, we explained we were heading to Marta to become adventurers.
We skipped any mention of the Aria Goddess or the Hero.
We'd agreed to keep that under wraps until we built up some strength.
The chief fretted that Sophia's parents had actually allowed it, then turned to Siwoo with a hardened expression and snapped.
"You punk, adventurer? Next month they're recruiting guards—what, you're skipping that to play adventurer?"
Siwoo just looked apologetic without a word, so the chief clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Young folks just don't know the ways of the world. Tsk. Better to become a guard and live safe than risk your neck as some adventurer."
"And you—when he said he wanted to be an adventurer, you should've talked him out of it. Instead, you flip-flop and jump on board? Huh?"
"I'm sorry, Village Chief... But I was the one who brought up becoming an adventurer. I've got dreams too big for just being a guard. Sophia and Deok-bae hyung are just supporting me."
"Damn fool talk of dreams."
He still looked displeased, but the chief didn't push further—seemed like he respected Siwoo.
Even that outburst was probably out of worry for him... Old-school, but a good old-school guy.
"Tsk! Let's eat first. Talk later. ...Hey, can I get some of that Deok-bae cooking today?"
"If you want it, I suppose I have to, haha."
What's this about cooking for a guest?
Scratch that—he's still just an old coot.
Even so, after the meal, the chief shared everything he knew about Marta.
From the lord's info and the guard corps to various merchant guilds and mercenaries, he separated the trustworthy from the shady.
I jotted it all down in my notebook. Then his voice dropped low as he changed the subject.
"But... you shouldn't head to Marta for a while."
"Huh? Something going on in Marta?"
Sophia asked, startled, and the chief lowered his voice even more.
"Well... seems something's appeared on the road to Marta."
According to the chief, the Zie Merchant Guild's traders should've arrived by now, but it had been weeks with no sign.
Fred, a frustrated villager, went to complain at their guild, but even he went radio silent.
His worried family went looking and found bloodstains and his crumpled shoe on the road.
Based on these three clues, the chief insisted a monster had appeared on the path to Marta—one hostile to humans, attacking anyone who got close.
It all checked out.
The chief said to wait it out—Marta would send guards or adventurers once they caught on, and it'd be handled. But we decided to head out anyway.
"Oppa... you sure about this?"
"We're not saying we fix it right away—just check it out. If we can handle it, we will. If not, we wait quietly in the village."
"We're people blessed by the Goddess. With great power comes great responsibility. We can't just ignore Uncle Fred and wait around. We have to save him."
What the hell, you maniac? I said we're just checking.
Looks like a quest popped for him. But no way we clear this solo.
Still, it didn't feel like one to abandon. If we play it safe and Marta sends a subjugation force, we can hop on that bus.
No effort, quest cleared, fight alongside them for some favor, smooth sailing in Marta. Win-win.
Plus, early-game quest? With the Goddess's blessing? No way we get in real danger.
That's the smart play that got us here... but damn, Siwoo actually plans to solve it himself.
Guess that's Hero thinking for you.
Annoying.
I reiterated we were just scouting, then we headed to where Fred's shoe was found. Sure enough, bloodstains on the ground.
Bigger than expected—must've lost a lot of blood. Too late to save him?
"From here on, stay alert and cautious. Any weird vibe, we bolt."
"Y-Yeah... got it!"
"Yes!"
Unlike confident Siwoo, Sophia was tense, her voice trembling.
Seeing her like that ramped up my own nerves.
I took a deep breath, exhaled, and stepped forward slowly.
-Shwoosh!
-Thud!
That's when something small and round dropped right in front of us.
This feels familiar...
Black, round body with a burning fuse stuck in it...
Bomb?