"A Hero's Moment of Pride?"
After feeding the girl a hearty meal of stew, the Saint began asking her questions.
“May I hear your name, your age, and the place where you lived?”
Surprised, I wondered why she was asking. The Saint responded as if it were obvious.
“You need to send this person back, don’t you? How could you not even consider that, you dummy~♡”
“...Ah.”
“Idiot~♡”
...Heh heh. Damn. Even with the girl right in front of me, she’s not hiding her true self. So she’s really about to leave now?
The girl glanced between me and the Saint with a slightly bewildered look before answering her question.
“...My name is Cloe. I’m sixteen years old.”
Eh? That’s only one year older than me right now?
Cloe had an incredibly youthful appearance, like she hadn’t even hit puberty yet. Her height seemed to be under 150 centimeters, even smaller than the Saint’s.
At sixteen, a girl should have grown to a decent height, right?
Wait... ah, I get it now!
Small stature, cute and loli-like appearance, and even a chest that no one could deny was flat.
Yeah, this was the classic loli character that always showed up in isekai novels.
...Was this really an isekai? How did the author who wrote dark fantasy suddenly turn into this?
“Before turning into a monster, what were you doing?”
“I was attending the Royal Magic Academy in the Minerva Kingdom.”
Oh? So you’re a mage.
“Is it a public or private school?”
“Public. The... one in Athens, the capital of the Minerva Kingdom.”
“You’re a student at the Royal Magic Academy, then?”
“Yes.”
Wait, if it’s royal, that’s an impressive school, right?
“Cloe is quite the elite~.”
“N-no, that’s not true... and please call me Cloe. You’re the ones who saved me, after all...”
“If you prefer that, I’ll call you that. And I think you should be a little prouder of yourself. The Royal Magic Academy in the Minerva Kingdom is a place people from other countries want to attend. I hear the competition is fierce.”
“That’s true, but... I entered through the special admission for commoners.”
“Still, that’s amazing.”
The Saint smiled gently at Cloe.
...I wish she would smile at me like that too.
“So you’re from the Minerva Kingdom. Where did you live?”
“I lived in the dorm. I have a hometown, but after I entered the academy, I’ve been in the dorm ever since.”
“That’s strange. How did you end up swallowing a Mutation Stone? You lived inside the academy, so how could you have been affected?”
“...I don’t remember the details well either. There was some kind of incident, but I’m not sure what happened...”
Did you lose your memories when you turned into a monster? I’m confused.
“I see. I’ve heard the information. I’ll pass this on to the Solaria Church so they can return you to your original location.”
“...Thank you so much!”
Cloe kept thanking her repeatedly.
By the way, her constant purring and meowing... was it because she had already turned into a monster?
...I thought she was just a character concept, but no.
“But are you two really the Saint and the Hero?”
“Ah... yes, that’s right. How did you know?”
The Saint wasn’t wearing her priestly robes right now, and I... well, how could someone tell just by looking?
“I heard you called her ‘Saint’ earlier...”
Ah, right.
“...And you brought me back from being a monster. Only Saints can perform such miracles.”
“I see.”
That made sense. Anyone who carries a sword with the Saint would naturally think of the Hero.
“But, Saint, how are you going to bring Cloe back?”
“I have to visit a church branch. Based on Cloe’s information, the church will safely transport her. It’ll be easier to cross borders if she’s affiliated with the church.”
“Then I guess we’re heading to the church branch? Where’s the closest one?”
The Saint thought for a moment.
“Do you remember Lancaster City from last time?”
“Yes.”
“Your memory is better than a goldfish~♡. In terms of distance, Lancaster City is the closest.”
“Thank you so much.”
Lancaster City... I wonder what kind of city it is.
“So you’ll be taking Cloe with you for a while?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
Yay!!! I won’t have to listen to that annoying voice for a while.
With genuine joy welling up from my heart, I welcomed our new temporary companion, Cloe.
“Cloe, please take care of me for a while!”
“Ah... yes! I’ll be careful not to become a burden.”
“Don’t worry about it~! Just having you here will reduce the annoying noise, you know~!”
I don’t think you understand... having you here is already an act of mercy. I should be thanking you instead.
But at that point, I didn’t know that the Saint was surprisingly not hiding her true nature.
#
We left the village after giving Ozu a simple farewell, and we exited Daisy Village.
I knew we had to receive the reward for the quest, but since it was just my hometown, I wanted to give it for free. The Saint didn’t object to my decision at all.
“While we’re heading to Lancaster City, I’ll bring monsters again like before.”
“...You’re doing that again?”
“We can’t get quests for a while. To improve your mediocre Hero skills even a little, you have to keep training~♡”
She was right, but things were different now. There was Cloe.
Is that okay? The Saint said it was fine.
“As long as you catch them properly, right? Or are you such a loser that you can’t even do that~♡”
Even with Cloe here, she’s like that. It seems the Saint only shows her true self around people she’s known for a long time.... Damn.
“Hero, what are you planning to do?”
Cloe looked at me with a puzzled expression after hearing the Saint’s words.
“Ah... you’ll understand when you see. I think seeing it will help more than hearing me explain.”
“??”
Seeing Cloe look confused, I remembered my cousin’s son, the nephew I used to take care of back then. The little guy overlapped with her and looked adorable.
“...Hero, your eyes look strange. You’re not trying to apply black mana to Cloe already, are you?”
“What eyes? If you only heard the words, you’d think I’m a pervert.”
“That’s actually true~♡”
Heh heh. Damn it.
After walking for about an hour, the Saint looked toward the forest and spoke to me.
“Hero, today we’ll catch lizardmen~.”
“Lizardmen?”
Humanoid monsters that look like lizards, right?
“Humanoid monsters that resemble lizards. They’re lower-class monsters, but they’re among the strongest in that category. You have to be careful.”
“I see.”
“But don’t be too scared~♡”
The Saint left the road and entered the forest. Cloe looked puzzled by her actions, but I, who was already used to it, followed with Cloe in tow.
“Wait here, Hero. I’ll be right back.”
“...Okay.”
Left alone with Cloe in the forest after the Saint left. An awkward atmosphere hung in the air. We’d only just met, yet it felt strange because there was nothing to say.
“...You’re the Saint of the Solaria Church, aren’t you?”
Fortunately, Cloe was the one who broke the silence first. I answered her question actively.
“That’s right. Even looking at me, I’m the Saint of the Solaria Church, hehe.”
Which Saint uses such vulgar and lame insults?
“Actually, I’m a believer of the Ru dria Church.”
“Ru dria... you mean the Wind Goddess?”
“Yes. My family has always believed in the Wind Goddess, so I naturally followed suit. But after receiving salvation from the Saint of Solaria... it’s a bit confusing. The person who saved me was ultimately the Saint of the Solaria Goddess, not the Wind Goddess.”
“...Hmm.”
Religious talk wasn’t my strong suit. I wasn’t the type to believe in gods. Still, there was one thing I was sure of.
“No matter what Cloe believes, thanking the person who saved you isn’t wrong. The Goddess wouldn’t say anything about that. I don’t think you need to suddenly question your faith over it.”
“...Really?”
“Yes.”
That was probably the right answer? I don’t know much about this side of religious thinking....
“Kyah~♡”
At that moment, the Saint jumped toward us from afar.
“...What are you carrying?”
The Saint ran toward us, grabbing a boar’s leg with one hand and dragging it. It was a boar that looked like it had only just died, with blood gushing everywhere.
“Hero~! Lizardmen are chasing me saying they’ll use me as a mother! Please save me~♡”
“Kieek! You crazy human! Hand over our prey right now!!”
“If you don’t, I’ll roast you, kieek!!”
...Why do they always try to steal my food? I heard dogs don’t even touch food when eating.
“Sigh.”
I drew my sword. Cloe flinched when she saw it.
Cloe, this sword is super light, you don’t have to be scared...
The Saint ran up behind me as usual and hid behind my back.
“Hero, stand like an idiot and quickly show your flea-like skills to defeat the lizardmen~♡”
“...Got it. Flea Hero activation~!”
The Saint giggled when I playfully accepted it.
Is it fun, you woman? Fun... sigh.
“Kieek! Humans! Hand over that boar right now!”
“...Does boar meat taste good?”
“You ask the obvious! If you just roast it, it’s a bit tough, but with proper cooking, it becomes really delicious... Why am I explaining this, kieek!”
Then I’ll eat it.
“The boar is mine.”
“Kieek! There are crazy humans here too!!”
“I don’t understand! I have to kill and take it back! Fight, brothers!!”
There were twelve lizardmen, all of them carrying spears. Quite a number.
Moreover, all of them had spears, so their reach was longer than my sword. I had to be careful about that in the battle.
“Hero~♡ If you think you’re going to lose because you’re too X food, I’ll handle the cleanup, so fight with peace of mind~♡ It’s okay to lose~♡”
“...I won’t lose!?”
You damn woman. You’re provoking me.
And Cloe was there too. Cloe would see me with the eyes of a normal person looking at a hero.
If I can’t even beat lower-class monsters, my hero’s pride is in trouble.
“Kieek! Attack!!”
The lizardmen all rushed forward at once. They were cooperating well, so they probably hunted like this all the time.
Half of them stabbed from all directions with their spears. Maybe because they were the strongest among lower-class monsters, their speed was much faster than goblins or forest wolves.
...Still, I could see it now.
Clang!
“Kieek!? The human dodged!”
I learned something from fighting trolls. You don’t have to aim for the monster’s vital points from the start. Chipping away at them is also one way to win.
Slice!
I stepped back and sliced the lizardman’s spear shaft. Since their spears were longer than my sword, I removed their weapons first.
Six lizardmen who tried to stab me lost their spear shafts. Those who did lost their weapons and drew their claws, going wild.
“Kieek!!”
The lizardmen who lost their weapons had even shorter reach. Cutting their front legs wasn’t difficult at all.
Pu-wang!
Blood spurted into the sky. Three lizardmen’s front legs were cut off, and I quickly twisted my body to dodge the next group’s coordinated attack.
Clang!
A spear pierced my side. But the blade was blocked by my armor, so I didn’t get hurt.
“...Hoo.”
If I hadn’t switched equipment, I probably would have had a big wound on my side.
I swung my sword without stopping. I cut off the neck of the lizardman who aimed at my side and dodged the incoming spear by slightly twisting my body.
“Kieek! This human...!”
...They said they were among the strongest lower-class monsters. It was easier than I thought?
Maybe because I fought the troll last time? Compared to then, their attacks looked much slower.
I cut another lizardman and immediately beheaded the two who ran in without spears.
Slice!
“...Now five left?”
#
“...As expected, you’re the Hero. Even though it’s one against many, it’s a difficult fight when there’s a power gap, but you handled the battle calmly.”
Cloe watched Abel’s battle with honest admiration. And Estelle smiled faintly with a pleased expression while watching Abel fight.
Our Hero is really growing quickly♥
Estelle, who was already confident in Abel’s victory and wondering what monster to catch next, asked Cloe.
“How long has it been since Abel the Hero became a hero?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But you seem very familiar with fighting.”
“I’ve done some special training~.”
At the word “special training,” Cloe blinked. Estelle pointed to Abel fighting and said to Cloe.
“He keeps fighting without blessings like this. He starts with weak monsters and gradually gets stronger. Thanks to that, his skills have definitely improved.”
“...That’s amazing effort.”
Crack!
Abel’s holy sword severed the final lizardman’s neck. After the battle, Abel was covered in blood, but none of it was his own.
Abel, who had won against the lizardmen without a single injury, turned back and shouted at the Saint.
“Saint, did you see? I won, right!”
Looking at Abel’s confident words, Estelle smiled slightly.
You’re so cute♥
“Hero~♡ It took you an hour to catch lizardmen, right? Are you getting a big head over such a small thing~?”
“...It’s been an hour?”
“Yes~♡ Judging by your speed, you’re still far from being strong~. This slowpoke♡ Loser♡”
“...Hah.”
At Estelle’s words that he was still far away, Abel sighed with regret. But Abel’s growth was undeniable.
Instead of just scolding him, you need to give carrots sometimes so he doesn’t get tired. The Saint lowered her eyes and said to Abel.
“But you’ve grown a lot, Hero. You’ve been working hard~♥”
Abel’s eyes widened slightly. He scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed by Estelle’s praise.
She likes me like that... I’m going to die from cuteness~♥
Abel sheathed his sword and walked over unsteadily, then asked Estelle again.
“...You really grew?”
“Yes~♡”
“...I see.”
Abel let out a deep sigh of relief. Estelle looked surprised. It was a behavior that showed she had her own concerns about his abilities.
“Hero♡”
“Yes?”
“Right now you’re a loser, but one day you’ll become stronger than me~♥”
With a mischievous smile and wink, Estelle said that. Abel thought to himself.
...It feels like she’s teasing?