The Mesugaki Saint's Teasing Whisper
We were heading toward Lancaster City to see off Cloe.
Even on the road, the Saint kept drawing monster aggro with her strange antics, and I kept wiping them out without a break in practice. Cloe seemed to have grown used to the Saint's eccentric ways by now.
Just like today. When I saw her hurling pebbles at a kobold pack, I honestly thought she had lost her mind.
—Loser~♡ A scruffy mutt getting its head cracked by stones with a slingshot clutched in its hands♡ If you're going to get angry, come at me~♡ Are you too scared to show up~? Kyaha ha ha♡
...I started feeling sorry for the poor kobolds while listening. There were even kobolds that had already been killed by the stones.
Anyway, after clearing out the kobold pack and walking at a leisurely pace, the sky had turned completely crimson.
“Oh...”
The sunset was truly beautiful. But the sun setting meant evening was coming. It would get much harder to move once it was fully dark.
Camping again today. I was starting to miss a proper bed.
Walking along while thinking that, I suddenly turned my head to the left. A cluster of buildings came into view.
Buildings...? Why on earth would there be a settlement right here on the mountain slope...
“Huh?”
It’s a village! We don’t even need to camp, right?
“Saint-nim, there’s a village over there!”
“I know, Hero-nim. You only just noticed it now~? Your observation skills are lacking~♡ You dummy♡”
If you knew, you should have said something, you woman.
“...Saint-nim, it’s getting late. Maybe we should stop at the village for a night?”
“Mm... that might be better. The Hero who shows no mercy ended up giving a useful suggestion~♡”
...What a damn woman.
How does she know the word “no mercy” already? Did the author skip proper historical research back in the day?
“Let’s head over first, ask around, and if we can’t stay, we’ll camp after all~♡”
“Got it.”
“Yes...”
Cloe’s voice sounded exhausted after walking for so long. After all, I suddenly made a mage learn to walk for hours.
“Are you okay, Cloe?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
She’s surprisingly energetic. Being short, her strides are small, so following her would have been tough, yet she never complains.
“The village is really quiet.”
“It’s probably because it’s evening.”
When we reached the village, we first looked for an inn. Since the village wasn’t large, there was no proper inn, but luckily a guesthouse that also served as a restaurant existed.
“How many rooms do you need?”
“Just one is enough.”
“H-huh, just one!?”
I was used to booking just one room, so I didn’t mind. But Cloe looked shocked.
“T-the Hero-nim is still a man...”
Don’t worry, Cloe. I have no interest in shorty bodies.
“It’s fine, Cloe. The Hero-nim doesn’t have the courage for that~♡ He’s a virgin♡”
“...Eh.”
What kind of reaction is that, Cloe?
“The Hero-nim is an adult...”
“Seventeen already~♡ Yet he’s still a virgin♡ Cherry boy♡”
“...I-I see. Then I’m relieved.”
Hahaha, these interesting people. I want to kill them all.
Since everyone was tired, we figured we’d eat and then sleep. After we sat down at the restaurant, we waited for the food.
“Welcome.”
A sudden old man approached us. Is he a guest here?
“Yes, hello. But who might you be?”
“Ahem, I am Gregorio, the village chief of this place.”
His name is five syllables long.
“Chief, what business do you have with us?”
“...Are you perhaps not the Hero?”
How did he know? Did he come here knowing from the start?
I looked at the chief with suspicious eyes. He bowed his head slightly and spoke.
“I heard about your achievements in Hapsburg. You, the white-haired Hero, defeated trolls...” Because you carried such a pure white sword, I guessed you must be the Hero.”
That news must have spread. After all, you’ve been out hunting trolls for a while now.
“...Is that so. Then what is it?”
“...Could the humble old man’s request be heard?”
A request?
“I’ll decline.”
The Saint answered instead of me. The Saint was glaring at the chief intensely.
“I don’t know your intention, but the Hero doesn’t accept personal requests. Do you think the very existence of a Hero is to listen to private requests?”
“P-please, at least hear me out!”
The chief spoke with a desperate voice.
There might actually be something serious going on.
“Saint-nim, let’s hear him out first. We can decide after.”
“...Thank you, Hero-nim.”
“So, is there really something?”
“It’s...”
The chief’s expression turned grave, and his voice trembled slightly. It was as if he feared something.
And what came out of his mouth was somewhat shocking.
“...Actually, our village is being ruled by orcs.”
“What?”
“A pack of orcs appeared last year and started threatening our village’s safety every certain period, demanding tribute and virgins. We have no way to defeat the orc pack, so we have no choice but to offer tribute and virgins every month.”
“...Is that really true?”
I honestly wasn’t fully convinced. What kind of orcs are these that demand tribute instead of just slaughtering the entire village and taking everything?
Yet the chief nodded as if his words were true. His trembling at the mere mention of orcs added credibility to his story.
“Is it real?”
But the Saint and Cloe seemed to think differently.
“...H-how is that possible?”
“Honestly, that’s a hard-to-believe story...”
Startled by their reactions, the chief shook his hands frantically.
“What kind of story is that?! I swear I’m not lying, Saint-nim!”
“You said the orcs are threatening the village. Then why haven’t you reported it to the outside? The imperial army can’t even handle a small orc pack. Going to the nearest city and alerting the city guards would have solved it long ago.”
...That makes sense. An orc isn’t strong enough to defeat an entire country’s army.
Cloe supported the Saint’s opinion.
“If you couldn’t even reach the city, you should have contacted the adventurer guild.”
“...Yes, I know. Both of your words are correct. But I couldn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
Looking at the chief with doubt, all three of us saw him drop to his knees.
“I really tried every method you mentioned! But whenever I tried to leave the village, the orcs would catch me and kill me right away.”
“What about letters?”
“...The same with letters. Because it’s such a remote village, the regular mail carriers don’t come often, so someone had to be sent, but anyone who leaves the village is immediately...” Ugh, it’s all lies! Please believe me!”
“...Even if I assume everything you say is true, there’s something strange about it. When we entered this village, we weren’t threatened at all.”
As the Saint said. If the chief’s words were true, the orcs wouldn’t have let us, strangers, in the village unharmed.
We were very suspicious, yet...
But the chief’s next words left all three of us stunned.
“...It’s because the women who came with you and the Hero.”
“...What?”
“This time the orcs wanted those two as their tribute. They said both of you have stunning beauty...”
...That’s ridiculous?
“Then you were with an orc just a moment ago?”
The chief nodded with a pained expression at the Saint’s question.
“So even if you and the Hero leave the village tomorrow, you’ll still run into the orc that wants those two. Please, I beg you with all my heart—defeat the orcs for me.”
...If the chief’s words are true, we’ll be the ones deciding whether the villagers live or die tomorrow.
“Chief, is the chief’s story really true?”
“...Y-yes... Yes, that’s right. Because of the orcs, our guests have stopped coming, and it’s hard to even eat~”
“...Hm.”
The restaurant owner also backed the chief.
Orcs... I wonder how strong they are. Stronger than trolls?
“What should we do, Saint-nim?”
“...Thinking normally, ignoring them would be fine.”
She’s so cold.
At the Saint’s cold words, the chief begged desperately.
“P-please, Hero-nim, Saint-nim, I beg you!”
“...But the Hero can’t do that. I’ll cast a blessing for you. In return, you can experience fighting an orc.”
...So we’re fighting after all.
Why be so cold if you’re going to fight anyway? How strange.
Separately from my doubts, the chief’s expression brightened.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“That’s enough, now stand up, chief.”
#
Even if I wanted to grow stronger without a blessing, ever since the battle with the troll, Abel had grown significantly. Especially his combat reading ability had skyrocketed.
The Saint, watching the Lizardman battle, saw it clearly. She hoped that fighting an orc would bring another breakthrough. With that expectation, she accepted the task.
But to avoid giving the Hero any impression that he could keep asking favors, she deliberately kept her tone cold.
‘Since the Hero’s personality is like that, if I’m too easy about it, he might accept next time~♥’
The Saint asked the chief, who kept thanking her.
“You said the orcs wanted us as tribute, right?”
“Y-yes... that’s right. Still, I’ll prepare the village women as tribute.”
“No, you said you wanted us.”
The Saint looked back at Cloe.
“Cloe, can you help?”
“Of course I can! But what do you want me to do?”
When Cloe tilted her head, the Saint kindly explained.
“We’ll be disguised as tribute. And the Hero will approach the orcs with us. He’ll pose as porters.”
The Saint told the chief.
“So, chief, could you prepare?”
“Yes, yes! We’ll prepare perfectly!”
#
It had been two days since we plotted to fool the chief and the orcs. The chief had secretly visited us the night before and told us today was the day we would offer the orcs tribute.
So the Saint and Cloe left early in the morning with the village people for the disguise preparation, while I received shabby clothes and a hat from the chief.
“To look like village people posing as porters.”
“That makes sense.”
I couldn’t wear armor over it, so I removed my armor and put on the shabby clothes. It was more comfortable than expected?
...Why did it feel so familiar? This body was originally a rural village guy. That was why it felt familiar.
“Where do we hide the sword?”
“Hide it among the tribute. If you carry a sword, it’ll look suspicious.”
“That’s good.”
The Saint and Cloe are still preparing?
“The Saint and her group will be loaded onto the cart right away. Hero-nim, you’re coming too.”
“Ah, is that so?”
He must have noticed something on my face. Following the chief outside toward the village entrance, I asked when we saw a place with a lot of blood on the ground.
“Is that a slaughterhouse?”
“Yes. We raise cows, pigs, and chickens and sell them outside. It was our main income source... but now we can’t because of the orcs.”
“That’s rough.”
We’d better defeat the orcs quickly.
The cart at the village entrance was filled with tribute.
“You offer this much tribute?”
“The orcs aren’t small, and they come in packs and demand a lot.”
“Mm.”
Most of the tribute was food—meat, rice, wheat, wine, beer, all the food humans should eat.
Stealing food meant to feed others. Very wicked.
“But when are the Saint and Cloe coming?”
“It seems the preparation is taking a bit of time. Just wait a little longer...”
“Hero-nim~♡”
She’s here. I turned my head and saw the voice coming from behind.
...What is that?
“...Chief, what’s that...”
“It’s the orcs’ preference. When offering virgins, they like you to wear clothes like that. I’m sorry to have made your group wear such a grotesque appearance...”
“...Haha.”
The orcs... have horrible taste.
The clothes the Saint and Cloe were wearing could be described in one word... yes, dancer’s attire.
Every inch of their fair skin was exposed except for the chest and lower body, with veils covering the lower parts. On top of that, there were glittering decorations.
Both the Saint and Cloe were beautiful, so they suited it, but Cloe gave off a criminal vibe.
...Police uncle, I didn’t do anything.
Cloe in the dancer outfit was extremely embarrassed.
“T-this is too embarrassing... isn’t the exposure too much...”
“Cloe, you’re doing well. Be more embarrassed. We have to act like virgins being sold against our will.”
“The Saint-nim doesn’t seem embarrassed at all...?”
“I’m confident in my figure~♡”
The Saint glanced at me and drew a curve with her eyes. Then she gave me a bold smile while walking with us.
“Hero-nim~♡”
...What is she saying now.
“...Yes.”
“Please don’t get too excited seeing us~♡ Otherwise the Hero-nim would be no different from an orc♡”
“I wasn’t excited...”
“Cloe, the Hero-nim is looking at you with lascivious eyes~♡ Be lascivious♡”
“Eh, Hero-nim! Don’t look!!”
“I’m not looking!!”
...Cloe was slowly falling into the Saint’s pace.