The Hearing (1)

"Well, aren't you doing just splendidly."

On Monday morning, after a weekend that had raged like a tempest, Georg finally showed his face in the office for the first time in a while. He looked at me and clicked his tongue.

I didn't even have the energy to reply, so I just furrowed my brows and waved a hand dismissively. The aftereffects of the Ant Hill still lingered, leaving my entire body aching in protest. Georg let out a dry chuckle at my slumped posture.

"I thought you were finally behaving yourself for once, but then you go off on a solo monster hunt without a word and come back with a broken arm. What would you have done if we had an expedition scheduled for today?"

I let out a deep sigh and gave a weak reply to his scolding.

"We're not going out to fight a Calamity today. No need to make a fuss over a single broken arm. Since when did we ever fight without getting hurt?"

Of course, the broken arm wasn't the only injury I had sustained in my battle against Aracreed. But as if I had suddenly developed some sort of rapid healing ability, most of my wounds had miraculously closed up overnight. My broken leg, fractured ribs, and deep cuts and puncture wounds—all of them had healed. The only injury that remained was my right arm, which had borne the brunt of the Holy Sword's power when I unleashed it.

I've never heard of the Holy Sword's release having a passive self-healing effect, though.

"Back then, it didn't matter how badly we got hurt, as long as our heads weren't chopped off. That was because Isis was still in the party."

Damn it, if you put it like that, what does that make me?

I cleared my throat awkwardly.

Come to think of it, when I first transmigrated into this novel and opened my eyes, I was sitting at this very desk. Georg had been standing beside me, and Isis was right in front of me. She had been so furious about something, threatening to leave the party. Her cascading blonde hair and sky-blue eyes... Though I had only seen her briefly, the image of Isis remained remarkably vivid in my mind.

Well, with Isis's divine power, a broken arm, a shattered leg, or even spilled entrails could be healed with a few waves of her hand. Not that there was any point in dwelling on such thoughts now.

I stroked my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heavily bandaged right arm and let out a soft snort.

"Do you regret it? Banishing Aryen and letting Isis walk away," Georg asked, studying my face.

Although it wasn't my doing, I didn't want to let the word 'regret' escape my lips. The memory of the original Elroy wallowing in regret flashed through my mind.

"There's no use regretting it. What's done is done. I just have to do what I can among the things I must do."

"And breaking your arm was one of those things you 'could' do?"

Look at this guy, learning how to be sarcastic. I let out a bitter smile.

"I don't regret it. If there were things only the old us—with Isis and Aryen—could do, then there must be things that only the current us can do."

Georg let out a dry laugh and shook his head.

"Things only the current us can do... I have no idea what that could possibly be."

"She's on her way right now. The person who belongs to the present us, not the past."

I gestured toward the door with my chin. A presence was approaching the office. I felt Georg's gaze lingering on me. Compared to when I first transmigrated here, the hostility in his eyes had softened considerably.

"…Why on earth were you like that back then?"

Georg's murmur was closer to a self-reflection. I didn't answer, merely tapping my fingers on the desk.

"Good morning."

A tuft of light pink hair peeked through the door as it opened with characteristic caution. Then, a small, pale hand pushed the door wide open, and Daphne stepped inside.

"Welcome. Did you rest well over the weekend?"

Daphne nodded with a small smile, then blinked in surprise as her eyes drifted to Georg.

"Yes. Oh, Georg is here today too?"

"I didn't come to work. I just stopped by to deliver something. Since you're here, I might as well tell you both now."

Georg reached into the inner lining of his knight order uniform.

"What, so you actually had business here?"

"Why else would I wear my full uniform to the office? I'm just delivering this and heading straight back to the barracks. Listen closely, Daphne. This concerns you too."

What Georg pulled from his inner pocket was a crisp, expensive-looking paper envelope. The moment I saw the wax seal on the envelope, I knew exactly what he had brought.

"They're holding a hearing at the royal palace."

It was just as Bishop Andre had warned. I took the envelope and stared at the seal for a long moment. Two lions roaring at each other. It was undoubtedly the royal seal. Well, it was probably not the King himself summoning me, but the sycophants beneath him.

"They really have nothing better to do."

"You've given them plenty of ammunition to make you a political scapegoat. Even as the Hero, you won't be able to dodge this hearing. Isis and the Holy Kingdom, recruiting a new party member, your unilateral actions... There are probably plenty of people sharpening their knives for you."

I sliced the envelope open with a letter opener and skimmed the contents. The date was this Friday. The only attendee summoned was me. They would surround me, pelt me with questions, and then the questioners would probably end up bickering among themselves. A bitter taste filled my mouth. I folded the paper and tossed it to the corner of the desk.

"They told me to deliver this to you personally. You know this already, but I won't be able to stand by your side and help you."

"It's fine. I'd rather face them alone anyway. It's less of a headache."

As I waved my hand in response, Georg, who had been turning to leave, paused in front of the desk. He hesitated, furrowing his brow like an awkward father trying to find the right words to say to his son. Georg rubbed his square jaw, let out a sigh, and finally spoke. He certainly took his sweet time preparing to say a single word.

"So... I heard from the Adventurers' Guild. I didn't get the full details, but they said you rescued three adventurers from the Ant Hill and brought them back safely."

I let out a dry chuckle. I could easily picture how those three noisy adventurers must have boasted about me to everyone else.

"You look like you don't believe me."

"…No. Good job. But I'm not taking back what I said about keeping yourself in one piece. At least save that energy for the next expedition."

Was he worried, or was he proud? Honestly, I doubted it was either, but his gruff tone sounded exactly like a father trying to squeeze out a compliment. Having said his piece, Georg shook his head as if cringing at his own words and quickly left the office.

I smiled to myself and turned to Daphne. She was staring at me with a somber expression.

"A hearing... Why would they summon you all by yourself, Elroy?"

"You don't need to worry about me. It's not like I'm going there to be punished. If anything, it might be a good opportunity to weed out the people trying to politically interfere with our party."

And I actually meant it. Getting deeply entangled with them would only lead to a massive headache. Daphne nodded, but her gloomy expression didn't fade. Noticing her gaze lingering on my right arm, I lifted the broken limb to show her.

"It won't take long to fully heal. A week, maybe ten days at most? I'm sorry, but we'll have to postpone your training until then."

I felt bad for Daphne, but fighting monsters with a broken right arm was out of the question. Still, with my absurdly accelerated natural healing, it was a relief that a broken bone would mend in just a week. Daphne shook her head slowly and stepped closer to me.

"…That's not what's important."

She gently placed her hand over the bandages. I could faintly feel her touch through the layers of cloth. Daphne looked up at me as if she had more to say, but she swallowed her words. I let her fuss over my right arm for a while. The sight of her doing so reminded me of a puppy trying to lick its owner's wounds, which was quite endearing.

"Just rest today. I would've been busy preparing for the hearing anyway. If I had to get injured, now was the best time for it."

I spoke in a joking tone, but Daphne's expression didn't brighten. Sending her home like this would only leave a bad taste in my mouth. I picked up a pen lying on the desk and offered it to her.

"Want to doodle on it?"

At that, Daphne finally let out a small laugh. She shook her head, gently pushing the pen away, and gathered a soft blue light of mana at the tip of her index finger. Then, she playfully began to write letters across my bandaged arm. I watched with interest as the letters etched themselves into the fabric. Soon, Daphne finished her doodle and pulled her finger away.

The words 'Get well soon' glowed in a soft blue hue on the bandage, written in a cute, neat handwriting.

Daphne gently rubbed the bandage where the words were engraved, as if tracing a fresh tattoo, and smiled like a child who had just finished a drawing.

"Now it will never wash off."

"…Thank you."

I hadn't expected her to go this far. I smiled back at Daphne, whose violet eyes blinked softly.

"You can head home. There's really nothing to do today anyway. And since there won't be much until the hearing is over, you don't even have to come in until next week."

"No, I'll stay and do some cleaning. You come here every day, Elroy. What if something happens while you're alone?"

Her voice carried a rare, firm determination. With that, Daphne stood up, saying she would fetch some cleaning supplies, and quickly left the office. Before I could even try to stop her or agree, she was gone. I stared blankly at the door she had just exited.

"…And there she goes."

At my murmur, a voice suddenly echoed inside my head.

Startled out of my wits, I leaped out of my chair. A soft chuckle followed, and the voice spoke again. It was a woman's voice, pristine and flawless. Rather than hearing it with my ears, it would be more accurate to say it resonated directly within my mind.

Slowly, memories began to resurface in my mind. With a stiff ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expression, I picked up the Holy Sword, which had been leaning against the desk. No, wait. I've never heard of this happening. I had never read or heard anything about the Holy Sword speaking in the original novel.

"Could it be... the Holy Sword?"

The voice spoke again, using an elegant, archaic tone that sounded like that of a high noble. Or rather, it was more accurate to say the Holy Sword was speaking to me. My eyelids trembled as I stared down at the blade.

"…I really didn't expect this to happen."

"No, I mean, why have you been completely silent all this time, only to suddenly start talking now...?"

Click.

Just as I was about to demand answers from the Holy Sword, Daphne burst back into the room, holding a feather duster, a broom, and a dustpan. She froze, her eyes locking onto me as I stood there, holding the Holy Sword with both hands and talking to it.

An icy, dead silence filled the room.

Without a word, I quietly leaned the Holy Sword back against the desk, while Daphne raised her feather duster and began vigorously dusting a corner of the room. I shot a resentful glare at the Holy Sword.

Shut up, sword.