Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Royal Road Hero Tale (15)
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She's beautiful. The epitome of a classic female knight.
Seeing "Heroine" written above her head, she might be a sub-heroine who could join us as a companion.
It's a shame she's not blonde, but that sky-blue hair is nice too. Her long locks reaching down to her waist flutter in the wind, making for a picturesque scene all on their own.
She has the same blue eyes as Sophia, but unlike Sophia's round and gentle look, hers give off a sharp impression. If Sophia's a bunny, this knight feels more like a cat?
That's charisma, I suppose? No cool beauty vibe, but with that armor blatantly showing off her cleavage, she radiates sexiness too.
Is that really high-defense armor... It's the kind of outfit that's hard to even attack.
"I never imagined there'd be an adventurer in this backwater who could take on that thing alone!"
Oh, her voice is surprisingly soft and delicate. She might be younger than I thought.
The gap between her cute voice and serious tone is appealing. It reminds me of Ye-na from the last 'Heroine NTR,' who often tried acting like an adult. That was adorable.
"Oppa..."
Did I stare too obviously?
Sophia called out to me anxiously, grabbing my arm.
It's not so much her being conscious of the knight as a woman—more like she's scared of the powerhouse who sliced through the goblin that even had Siwoo struggling, in one stroke.
But she doesn't seem someone to fear. She's probably from the subjugation unit Marta sent.
"If I may ask, who might you be?"
"Hm? Oh, right—I didn't introduce myself. I'm Louise Klein! I'm the vice-captain of the Marta City Guard. Nice to meet you!"
Whoa, I almost burst out laughing. Her voice and speech just don't match at all.
I must've made a weird face holding back the laugh, because Louise is giving me a strange look.
Whew... Calm down.
Marta City Guard, huh? I thought it was just some local militia, but if someone of her caliber is vice-captain, I need to rethink that.
"Nice to meet you. We're apprentice adventurers heading from Minamo Village to Marta to become full adventurers."
"Hm? Apprentices? Someone of your skill is just an apprentice? Ha!"
Louise glanced at Siwoo and let out an incredulous laugh.
She seemed genuinely impressed by his abilities. Did she sense something only experts could? Even though she's stronger herself...
As I watched the two, her subordinates—who looked like City Guards—appeared from behind.
"Woooah! We believed in you, Vice-Captain! Slicing that monster in one strike!"
"As expected of the Blue Flash! Marta's Goddess!"
"Bluish hue! Lou-iii-se!"
Her men casually pulled up a cart to clean up the scene while praising Louise for wrapping things up.
Isn't that level just teasing? Or is this the Marta City Guard's culture...?
"Hmph! Enough of that! It was just a sneak attack on my part."
See, even Louise doesn't like it...
Looking closely, her ears twitched every time they flattered her.
And her mouth corners kept twitching upward—she was clearly enjoying it.
What is this... She's way cuter than her first impression suggests.
Her men kept showering her with extreme praise until the cleanup was done, and while Louise told them to stop, she never actually shut it down.
"I see... You were thinking of joining the guard originally?"
"Yes. I've changed my mind now, but becoming a guard was once my dream."
"Hmph! What a shame! You would've made a fine subordinate."
We decided to head into Marta with the City Guard.
I was going to ask since we'd gotten friendly and could build connections, but Louise suggested it first.
She seems pretty interested in Siwoo.
Is this sub-heroine sparking romance?
Glancing at Sophia, she had the same thought and was happily watching the two.
I sidled up to Sophia and pointed at them; she nodded vigorously.
We looked at each other and grinned.
After that, Sophia and I did our best to keep their conversation going all the way to Marta.
Louise looked satisfied to chat nonstop with Siwoo, and he didn't seem to dislike her either.
Well, he's probably interested in her as a fellow expert rather than as a woman, but hey, it's a start.
Their talk was mostly about the goblin pack we fought earlier. Apparently, those goblins were modified by the demon race.
Each had abilities from other monsters, and the one that fought Siwoo—the leader—was fused with a troll.
No wonder its wounds healed right away.
Normal goblins are rank 7—the lowest tier—but these special ones were upgraded to rank 5.
The leader was nearly rank 4, so no surprise Louise was shocked by Siwoo.
"Woo-hoo! As expected, Vice-Captain! You took it down!"
"Captain! Now I have nothing to do because of you!"
"Hmph! Enough praise—open the gates already!"
As we reached the city, more guards teased Louise. Wait, it wasn't just her unit—Marta's residents and adventurers joined in too.
"The Blue Flash lives up to her name! I'm falling for her!"
"Ahh... Now I can leave with peace of mind..."
"Ahem!"
Doesn't look like a one-off. Everyone knows she likes this treatment.
"Take this letter of recommendation, and you'll become an adventurer no problem! I guarantee it!"
Unfortunately, Louise and Siwoo didn't make plans for a meal or training together.
Maybe she's bad at this stuff too, or doesn't see him as a man yet—progress was slower than hoped.
But her favorability went up enough for us to get that recommendation letter. Having a guarantor matters a lot, so we scored valuable connections.
"Thank you, Louise! Truly Marta's Goddess!"
"Hmph! Flattery won't get you extra from a non-subordinate adventurer! See you around if we cross paths again."
She's so cute, seriously.
Louise twitched her ears contentedly and left with her men, a satisfied look on her face.
There were three gains from this sudden quest.
First, the recommendation letter we just got.
With the vice-captain of the Marta City Guard vouching for us, adventurer registration should be smooth.
Next, the green dagger.
I grabbed it before the guards arrived.
It's a poisoned blade. Should've noticed the obvious poison color right away...
To test it, I had Sophia stand by and grazed my arm—the bone-melting pain from before hit again.
Strong enough to be a solid sidearm, so Sophia and I each took one, and I stored the third in inventory.
Planning to sell it in the real world.
Finally, the level-up.
Normally, to boost stats, you'd slay monsters for magic stones, absorb them, then assimilate.
Tedious, but effective—hence why stones sell for big bucks.
Here, no stones drop, but kills give EXP for level-ups that raise stats. Just like a game.
Didn't expect 'Heroine NTR' to boost stats alongside skills—lucky break.
Oh, we didn't get the goblin rewards.
My bomb collapsed the cliff, blocking the road. Guards cleared it in exchange for no payout.
Still, recommendation and guard favor—not bad.
"Oppa! This must be the Adventurer's Guild."
"Yeah, the entrance screams it."
Lost in thought, we'd arrived at the guild. As Louise said, straight down the main road, a big building loomed.
From inside: drunken chatter, arguments, singing—classic guild sounds.
"Sophia, Deok-bae hyung! Shall we head in?"
"Yeah!"
"Let's go!"