The Mesugaki Saint and I Set Off on Our First Adventure
Wherever you go, you see the same thing.
A regular college student.
Burdened by part-time jobs and mountains of assignments, enduring daily life without much enjoyment, and being dragged out by a senior I barely wanted to hang out with to force down drinks I had no desire to swallow.
That was me.
Especially when I was swamped with assignments, unable to truly enjoy my daily routine, the only way I released stress was by staring at my phone.
I could get a ton of entertainment in a short time, sneaking glances even while doing homework.
Mainly short videos, webtoons, or web novels that could be finished in under five minutes.
Life was busy, after all.
I loved games, but honestly, I never had the time.
Even if I played a lot, maybe only one or two hours a week?
In the midst of such a grueling life, something changed.
Completely out of the blue.
I had clearly finished my assignments by four in the morning, collapsed face-down on my desk, and fallen asleep.
When I woke up, I saw a strange ceiling.
This was my first time experiencing it, but through countless indirect experiences, I was already familiar with the situation.
“Damn it, if this is what was going to happen, I shouldn’t have done the homework.”
I had been reincarnated into a certain novel.
There was no problem figuring out the situation.
It was something I had seen countless times in web novels and webtoons.
The real issue was that I had no idea which novel I had been reincarnated into.
“I don’t remember reading anything like this.”
I lived alone in my house, and outside was an incredibly peaceful village.
Last night’s novel had been a zombie apocalypse story, but this place screamed medieval era no matter how you looked at it.
The buildings, the absence of even a single car—it was clearly a medieval time period.
I had read a few medieval fantasies, but never one with such a peaceful atmosphere.
The medieval fantasies I had read were mostly dark works.
Standing in front of my front door, deep in thought, someone tapped my shoulder.
“Yo, Abel. What are you so worried about?”
“...Eh?”
The guy who spoke to me had a ridiculously goofy-looking face.
How to describe it? It might sound weird, but his long nose made him resemble a monkey.
Anyway, it seemed my name was Abel.
Abel... I didn’t recall any novel with that name.
The monkey guy stared at me silently for a long moment, then suddenly gave me a pep talk.
“Ugh, thinking about leaving the village makes my heart heavy, doesn’t it? I understand. I’ve lived here my entire seventeen years—it’s only natural.”
“...You’re leaving the village?”
Why was I?
“Yeah, weren’t you heading out today? The church people came to pick you up.”
“Why are the church people looking for me?”
“...Did this kid eat something bad today? Of course he has to go with the Saint.”
The monkey guy looked at me with a strange expression.
But my head was a complete mess.
Where was I supposed to go with the Saint?
I hadn’t read any such novel.
In the web novel world where saints were rarer than ever, I had never seen a novel featuring a saint.
“You’re going today?”
“How’s your sense of time? Yeah, it’s today. You didn’t prepare at all?”
I had just been reincarnated—where would I find time to prepare? The monkey guy saw my expression and sighed, shaking his head.
“Your state today is pathetic. I’ll help you out, so hurry up and get ready.”
The monkey guy said that and walked into the house like he owned it, opening the front door without permission.
Guess he wasn’t really an intruder here.
I decided not to report the trespassing and followed him inside.
Then the monkey guy said, “What? You’ve already prepared everything?”
“What?”
The place he pointed to had a packed luggage bundle and a huge sword that I definitely hadn’t prepared.
My question about where that came from was quickly solved—the original owner of this body had obviously prepared it in advance.
“...On the other hand, where did the original owner go after being reincarnated into this body?”
I didn’t know.
But right now, I wanted to know the identity of the massive sword in front of me.
“What is that?”
“That’s your sword.”
“My sword?”
“You’re acting weird today. That’s the Holy Sword of Order, a symbol that you were chosen as the hero.”
The moment the word “Holy Sword” came out of the monkey guy’s mouth, my body froze.
Holy Sword. An extremely familiar term.
Usually, the one who wields the Holy Sword is the protagonist, and their job can be guessed without being told.
“...Am I the hero?”
“Yeah. Did you have a weird dream last night? You seem like an idiot.”
“...Sorry. My head’s a mess.”
Continuously questioning my attitude wasn’t good for the monkey guy.
If I was treated as truly weird, what then?
The situation was clear enough.
I was the hero, and today the church people had come to take me to go on an adventure with the Saint.
From the looks of it, this was a typical hero party novel.
But I had never read a story like this before.
“Why the hell was I reincarnated into a novel I didn’t even know?”
Full of questions.
Hero, Saint, travel, adventure... no matter how I thought, I had never read a novel like this.
“...Ah.”
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
I hadn’t read it.
Still, the author’s previous work had been so enjoyable that I pre-bought the new one the moment it came out.
The author’s previous work was a novel that perfectly matched my tastes and was incredibly fun—I had pressed every single episode, left comments, and followed along.
I had even donated quite a bit.
So when the new series dropped, I pre-purchased and read the old one first.
I remembered the title being something like “The Hero Who Travels with the Mesugaki Saint.”
The first part was fuzzy, though.
Then I realized I had been reincarnated into a novel I hadn’t even finished reading.
That fact left me dumbfounded.
“Abel, the church people are outside. Come out quickly. Pack your things and get out here!”
The monkey guy told me to hurry and walked out first.
...Wait, what was his name again?
Through the window, I saw several people in white robes.
Silver crosses were drawn on the pure white clothes, making it obvious they were church members.
Among them stood a woman in a pure white nun’s habit.
Her amber eyes sparkled like sunlight, and her face looked as pure as fresh snow.
“...Is she the Saint?”
Even I, a person from another world, could tell at a glance.
It was an image of a “Saint” written large on her face.
Following the monkey guy’s advice, I had no choice but to pack up and leave.
I picked up the luggage the original owner had prepared and shouldered the Holy Sword.
“...It’s surprisingly light.”
The weight wasn’t burdensome at all.
The enormous sword felt light, so this must truly be the Holy Sword of Order.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for such an absurdly light weapon.
A greatsword that reached my chest couldn’t possibly be that light.
I stepped outside with the Holy Sword and luggage, and a crowd of villagers had gathered.
The monkey guy shouted, “Abel! Come out already!”
“...Yeah, sorry.”
Unable to resist his insistence on my unknown name, I approached.
A man who looked like a church member said, “Hero Abel, greetings. This is our Solaria Church’s compassionate Saint, Estelle.”
The word “compassionate” fit her perfectly.
She wore a gentle smile and looked at me.
I should bow first, right?
“...Nice to meet you.”
“Hello, Hero. I am Estelle, a faithful servant of the Solaria Goddess.”
“...I’m Abel.”
I only introduced my name.
Living alone in this backwater village, I didn’t expect to have a surname.
Yet the Saint had also only given her name, so she was probably commoner too.
“Then, Saint, I hope you have a safe journey.”
“Yes, thank you everyone.”
The church members who had brought the Saint all bowed at once.
They must really be deeply revered at the church.
After the church members left, the Saint alone remained and quietly stared at me.
“I’d like to speak with the Hero. Could everyone step aside?”
“Ah, sure. Of course.”
The villagers began leaving one by one at the Saint’s request.
Meanwhile, the monkey guy patted my shoulder and said, “Cheer up, Abel! I’ll cheer for you! Make sure to visit the village sometime!”
“...Yeah, thanks.”
After the unknown monkey friend left, only the Saint and I remained.
I looked at her.
When her dazzling amber eyes met mine, the corners of her eyes curved into a smile.
I felt as if she was scrutinizing me from head to toe.
She finally opened her mouth.
And the first words that came out of her lips left me wide-eyed.
“...Having a pathetic hero like you with me, I wonder what my fate will be.”
“Eh?”
The attitude suddenly flipped.
It wasn’t cold, but her voice was as if she was cutting me down while enjoying it.
“Hero, have you ever fought in battle?”
“No.”
“Then have you ever handled a sword?”
“...No.”
Any college student would say that, but I answered honestly.
The Saint let out a light, playful laugh.
“Ahaha, really? Then this pathetic hero is right~? A hero who doesn’t even know how to fight, fu hoot.”
“...”
“What should I do? I might have to fight seriously on behalf of this pathetic hero~.”
Why is this girl acting like this?
The expression and posture that had said “I’m the Saint” just moments ago had completely vanished.
Faced with her sudden change, I was bewildered.
Then I saw her expression and was startled.
“Pathetic hero, I’ll fight with all my might, so you can just relax and watch from behind~♡”
The corners of her eyes curved into a smile, and her expression carried that signature cheeky grin.
I recognized that expression from reading web novels too many times.
And I remembered.
The exact title of the novel I had only pre-purchased.
“Damn it.”
The missing first word in the title “Mesugaki Saint and the Hero Who Travels with Her.”