A Troll's Challenge and a Saint's Smile
A loud noise had echoed through the air... something heavy crashing down.
In the sky, Elfride, who had been battling the monsters, was already gone.
Could something have happened?
"...I don't know. The saint will handle it on her own."
Either way, there was nothing I could do even if I worried about it. My job was to sort out my own side first.
"Keh, keh... humans are just pathetic, aren't they."
The massive troll, gripping its club, was mocking the knights who had fallen in battle. I remembered Estelle once explaining monsters to me like this.
-Monsters grow stronger by rank, and their power changes dimension with each step up. For example, the goblins the hero recently defeated were lower-class. Even compared to the weakest orcs among middle-class monsters, it takes fifty of them to match one.
So a troll, an upper-class monster, could match dozens of orcs.
That was why even well-trained knights crumbled before that massive arm.
And damn it, I had to take that thing down.
"Damn, really."
Thanks to the stronger blessing, though, a strange sense of power surged through me.
Power was overflowing from every part of my body. It was more than eating tiger serials.
"Keh... hm? You seem special somehow."
The troll had spotted me first. Its ugly eyes glared at me as it lifted the club.
"What? Even if it's just a weak human."
The club came crashing down from above. Catching it looked tough.
BOOM!
"...Huh? You dodged it?"
Its eyes moved only slightly to track my motion. With movements mismatched to its body, it evaded my sword strike.
"Tch."
Lightning fast. Not at all like expected. It wasn't aiming for my body; it was just trying to cut off my arm, yet it reacted.
"You~ for a human, quite the match~?"
The troll's disgusting breath wafted over as it grinned.
It still had plenty of leeway. It acted like it had fought someone like me before.
"Even so, humans are still humans! How do you expect to beat a monster like me?!"
The club suddenly targeted my side. Before I could react, it slammed into my body.
"Ugh...!"
Crash—!
I was slammed into the ground and sent flying by the club.
"As expected, humans can't beat us monsters... what?"
Still, I quickly pushed myself up from the floor. Lying down did nothing.
Oh, it hurt like hell. It really hurt, but somehow I could endure it.
'This must be the effect of the blessing.'
It was a real cheat key.
The troll said, unable to understand how I had risen.
"Who are you~? How did a human survive a hit like that?"
"...Why would I explain? Try rolling that stone on your neck around and see if you get the answer."
"...Stone?"
The troll reacted strongly at the word. Ah, maybe I had touched its sensitive spot?
As expected, the troll flew into a rage.
"You filthy thing, I wish you'd die!!!"
"Hoo."
The troll was losing its calm. If I took another hit from that club, I'd really be in trouble.
Stay back as much as possible, don't rush. Peeling the layers slowly.
I moved forward as the club swung. Instead of dodging, I dove straight into its body. The troll showed panic.
Whoosh!
Bowing at the waist, I dodged the club swing. Then, with both hands, I grabbed the sword and swung it upward.
The troll's blood sprayed into the air. It had severed the arm holding the club.
'Done.'
Step by step. The moment the troll lost its arm, it swung the other one, but I had already seen it. I dodged quickly.
"Rats, you little pests!!!"
"...I'm a rat thunder, you bastard!"
"What did you just call me, you—?!"
The troll still threatened me with its massive arm and fangs. But its rhythm was much shorter than when it swung the club.
Short rhythm meant easier to dodge.
"You lowly human bastard!!!"
"Lowly? That's the monsters. How can a monster be lowly to a noble human like me?"
"You talk too much! You're in a hurry to dodge like you did before!!!"
Hurry to dodge? I was just looking for an opening. And now it had come. The troll reached out desperately to grab me.
I stepped back and swung my sword. The palm and remaining left arm of the troll split apart with a sharp crack.
As expected. Monsters were fatal the moment they were scratched.
"GROAR! You little—I'll kill you!!!"
Even without both arms, the troll was still raging. Its massive fangs threatened me, but it was just its final struggle.
Trying to bite me meant giving up its life.
SPLASH—!
Blood gushed like a fountain.
Damn, it splashed all over my face. Not just my face—my entire body was drenched in the troll's blood.
"Ugh... this is disgusting. It sticks so much."
"Whoa, whoa!!! The hero defeated the troll!!!"
"Huh?"
The knights and soldiers around cheered. The monsters, on the other hand, retreated in fear.
"The hero gave us strength! It's our turn to repay the hero's deeds! Wipe out the monsters!"
"WHOA!!!"
"Kill every last one!!! Slaughter them all!!!"
...Was this knight or berserker?
Anyway, the fight wasn't over yet. I was about to grab the sword again when a voice stopped me.
"Hero~?"
Eh? The saint was approaching with a bright smile. If it were anyone else, maybe. But coming toward me smiling like that from the saint felt a bit scary.
'Damn, why is she like this.'
She should just tease me like usual. Switching suddenly makes it scary.
"...Why?"
"Heh, you really did catch the troll."
"Yes, I thought the saint would never be able to catch it, but I did it alone."
They say catching it alone fulfills a wish, right? You little—now I get it. To me, the saint replied.
"You did well♥"
"Of course. How could I not... what?"
I was stunned by the saint. Remembering the gentle smile I'd never seen before, she reached out her hand.
"You did well♥ Scrub hero♡"
Despite her small stature, she stood on tiptoes to pat my head. Even though it was covered in troll blood, she didn't care at all.
...Why suddenly like this? It doesn't suit me. I feel like the garbage one here.
"...Thanks to the saint's blessing."
"Really? Maybe. Still, without the hero's will, it wouldn't have been possible."
The saint gestured ahead.
"The hero protected those people with his own hands."
"......."
Hero. I still think of it as the burden I took on.
...Still, it felt somewhat rewarding.
#
"Ugh, um..."
"Elfride, are you okay?"
The Elfride who had been fighting monsters had woken up under a strange ceiling. Beside her stood the newly hero, Abel with white hair.
"...Abel?"
"Are you okay?"
"...Why am I lying here?"
"You were fighting monsters. You defeated them but fell too. The saint told me."
Abel pointed to the saint of the Solaria Church, Estelle, who was with him. Her gaze was cold, but Elfride asked Abel, setting aside her surprise.
"The battle... what happened?"
"We won. Thanks to you, Elfride, defeating the monster."
"...Is that so."
Elfride looked at Abel and asked.
"Are you hurt anywhere? You seemed to be fighting a monster too."
"Ah, yes. Since there wasn't a big injury, I healed quickly."
"I see. I'm glad."
As Elfride lowered her head in relief, Abel, like someone who had just remembered something, said,
"Ah, and the monster you faced was probably rated wrong."
Elfride's ears twitched. She lifted her head sharply to look at Abel, who tilted his head.
"Why?"
"...You were rated wrong?"
"It was supposed to be Leviathan-class, but it was Barbatos-class."
".....What?"
An old memory flashed in Elfride's mind. She asked Abel.
"Abel, did I really defeat that monster?"
"Yes?...It must have been. The saint said so."
".....Saint Estelle, was what I defeated correct?"
"Yes, it is. I saw it with my own eyes. If you don't believe me, ask Saint Cynthia too. She was there."
Elfride looked for Cynthia. But she wasn't there.
"Saint Elfride is handling post-processing in my place for now. Since she defeated a Barbatos-class, she has a lot to do. If you don't trust me, ask later."
"...No, no. I must have been mistaken."
Elfride pressed her forehead. It was hazy, but she clearly remembered falling after taking a hit while fighting the monster.
But she said she defeated it. Was the holy sword that stabbed her before she fell in properly?"
'...I don't know.'
If her memory was clear, maybe, but memories right before fainting are hard to recall.
Still, since the saint said it, Elfride decided to accept it as truth.
"Today the baron is holding a victory banquet to celebrate. Will you attend, Elfride?"
Abel's question made Elfride nod.
"Yes, I should attend."
"Oh, I see. I have to go somewhere and can't attend."
"Huh? Where are you in such a hurry?"
"Ah, us. We're heading to receive a quest."
Elfride blinked rapidly. She looked like she was reacting to what she just heard.
"Our money is a bit short. I need to save up."
"...Ah."
Elfride knew too. The troubles of a new hero.
She had been in that situation before. When she couldn't make a name for herself, she lacked activity funds.
Of course Elfride could use the family power, but she didn't want to. Levius seemed to have taken money from his family and started with plenty of travel funds, but she didn't.
That's why she had also taken quests as an adventurer through the guild like the Abel now.
"...If money is the problem, I'll give you five times the quest reward. Rest for today."
"Eh?"
"Heroes are still humans. I understand your mindset perfectly, but rest is important too."
As she said that, Elfride looked at Estelle. She asked the saint, who had been staring at her with an oddly displeased look since earlier.
"Is it okay, Saint Estelle?"
"...Yes. Giving a lot of money to rest is good for us."
But Elfride could sense it. There was a hint of dissatisfaction in the saint's voice when she answered.