A Fist to the Face
He wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with one hand and looked ahead. A long line of people surged toward the massive fortress and its great gate. The scene clearly marked this as the kingdom’s primary stronghold.
“Here?”
“Yes. This is the capital of the Vesta Kingdom—Poculum.”
This regular report meeting was being held here. He’d heard the kingdom’s largest city had a separate location, but Poculum was impressively large.
It wasn’t just idle boasting when they said it rivaled Athens.
“...We really came back.”
Celine let out a long sigh beside him.
Ah... so she really doesn’t want to go back. Well, spending every day with those kind of colleagues isn’t exactly fun either.
“Saint Celine, relax. If Revius is still acting that way, you can just stay with us.”
“...Really?”
“Yes.”
There were inefficient parts, but wouldn’t two potions be more stable than one? And it would lighten Saint Estelle’s burden a little too.
That was his reasoning. The Saint immediately questioned why he’d decided without consulting her.
“Hero, you made that decision without even asking me?”
“If the Saint takes care of my treatment and Celine handles the rest, we’d all be less tired. The Saint would feel better too, right?”
“No way!”
...Did she really have to say it so flatly? And what was the actual reason?
“There’s no reason?”
“That’s...... anyway, no!”
“...What?”
What kind of “anyway no” was that, you brat?
“Even if the Saint gets badly hurt, you’d struggle to treat it, right? Why can’t you share the burden?”
“Hero.”
Before he could dig deeper, Celine cut in.
“I’m fine. Once this regular report meeting ends, I’ll be returning to Revius, the Hero.”
...To that hell?
“...You don’t have to. Estelle can talk me into it...”
“I understand Saint Estelle’s feelings too, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
...Understand her feelings? So only he was clueless?
“...Saint, are you really going to send Celine back?”
“...That’s where you return to your original place, isn’t it?”
“So you still insist on sending her back to someone like Revius. Doesn’t her situation make you feel sorry?”
The Saint narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
Did I get it wrong? That’s literally right.
“...You idiot...”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know! Do whatever you want, Hero!”
...What, why is she sulking?
He wasn’t even in the mood to cheer her up.
“...Yes! I’ll do whatever I want, just like that!”
“...Hmph!”
Whatever. We’ll see who wins. She’d been pouting the whole day!
#
Celine was troubled. The reason she’d said she’d return to Revius was simple. She already knew exactly how Estelle felt about trying to oppose the Hero.
Celine had no intention of interfering. She didn’t like Abel, and she already knew Estelle loved him.
If she were in Estelle’s position and adored the Hero, she’d probably oppose another woman on his side too. Plus, having one Saint was more than enough.
Celine looked at Abel and Estelle, who were glaring at each other without a single word, and spoke up.
“...Hero, Saint Estelle. Why are you two fighting?”
“...I don’t know.”
Estelle turned her head away and refused to answer. Celine frowned at her behavior.
‘...Does the Hero really have no clue about the Saint’s feelings?’
She teased him plenty, but she’d seen enough of Estelle’s usual behavior to get the general idea. Whether he was deliberately pretending or actually clueless, Abel showed no reaction whatsoever.
‘...How frustrating.’
Even until they entered the banquet hall, the two of them hadn’t exchanged a single word.
Since they had no time to tidy up, the three of them walked straight into the hall and instantly sparked a buzz among the crowd.
“Oh my, that person...”
“That’s Abel, the Hero of the Mars Empire.”
“He’s incredibly handsome, hehe.”
The noblewomen immediately praised Abel’s looks, and Celine could at least sympathize. Despite not trying to hide his charm, his beauty was undeniable.
At that moment, a woman approached from the side. Her brilliant golden hair and deep ocean-blue eyes were striking. Anyone who knew her was famous across the entire continent.
“Abel.”
“...Elfride!”
Elfride Bathory, hailed as the strongest among the current Heroes. Abel smiled and greeted her, and Elfride’s face lit up in return.
“You must have traveled a long way.”
“Haha, it was scorching hot.”
“The weather suddenly got hotter lately. I haven’t seen the Saint of Solaria in ages.”
Estelle, who had been staring away from Abel, only shifted her amber eyes slightly toward Elfride.
“...I, faithful servant of the Solarian Goddess, Estelle, greet you, Hero Elfride.”
Her tone was stiff with formal respect, yet her voice carried no warmth. Elfride turned to Abel with a questioning look.
“Abel, why is the Saint acting like that?”
“...I don’t know.”
“...You don’t know?”
Elfride was a little startled by Abel’s curt tone. Now that she thought about it, they hadn’t even glanced at each other since earlier.
‘...Whatever happened, they must have fought.’
Even without knowing the details, she could tell Estelle had been trying to push Abel away before.
Elfride didn’t know why they were fighting, but she saw this as the perfect chance. She resolved to get closer to Abel while the Saint was out of the way.
Elfride shifted her gaze to Abel, then noticed the woman beside him and let out a startled “...!”
“...Saint Celine?”
“It’s been a while, Hero Elfride.”
The Saint of Ludria, who had fled from Revius, was standing with Abel. Elfride asked Abel what had happened.
Abel explained the whole situation.
“...So I thought we shouldn’t send Saint Celine back to the church, which is why we’ve been traveling together.”
Elfride frowned at the explanation. She couldn’t believe Revius had actually fought with her and done something so despicable.
“...I’ll formally protest to Revius. That bastard needs to be taught some discipline.”
Celine waved her hand to stop Elfride.
“You don’t have to. What happened between Revius and me is private.”
“If a junior Hero is walking the wrong path, it’s my duty to set him straight.”
“Really, you don’t need to worry so much...”
“...Celine?”
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out. Celine whipped her head around, and both Elfride and Abel turned to look.
A man with short red hair—Revius Grospell.
#
Revius was confused. Celine, who had fled from him and hadn’t planned to return, was here. With Abel, that commoner Hero, no less.
‘Why is she here?’
Revius furrowed his brows. He was about to demand an explanation, but when he sensed the crowd’s eyes turning toward them, his expression instantly smoothed out.
“Celine! Where have you been? I’ve been so worried!”
Instead of accusing her, Revius greeted her with feigned cheer. Celine’s brows tightened, but he ignored it and continued.
“I’m sorry about what happened before. I’ll apologize properly this time—please forgive me and come back.”
It was a hollow apology. But to the crowd watching, it looked like Revius was bowing first, showing remorse.
Realizing Revius was playing the situation, Celine sighed. If she rejected his apology here, it would only make things worse for her.
Just as Celine was about to accept, Elfride let out a soft “Hah...”
“Elfride, why are you glaring so fiercely? If the last incident still bothers you, I’ll apologize. Please, forgive me.”
Elfride opened her mouth to retort, but Celine stopped her.
“Hero Elfride, don’t fight in this atmosphere. It will only damage your reputation.”
Elfride couldn’t argue. Nobles who didn’t know the full context saw Revius as someone apologizing for his mistake and seeking redemption.
If Elfride criticized him now, they’d surely think her strange. Celine had stopped her to prevent that disaster.
“...Celine, come here. Let’s make up with a hug. We shouldn’t have drifted so far apart. I think it was just a light mistake.”
A light mistake. Celine almost laughed at the phrase but managed to keep her expression neutral.
“You leaving me was a mistake too. Since we both erred, why don’t we just let it go?”
Revius spread his arms as if to embrace her. Hug? For reconciliation?
While Celine wondered about his intentions, Revius was deliberately showing repentance to nobles, aiming to repair his damaged reputation from before.
That exaggerated gesture was an effective tactic. Celine was sharp. She couldn’t refuse in this kind of atmosphere. That was exactly why Revius had chosen this move.
Celine sighed again and walked over to Revius. She’d decided it was the right thing to do.
She’d almost told Abel she wanted to join as a companion in a moment of anger, but now that she was here, she realized staying with him wouldn’t help much. The Saint was already far more capable.
If their roles hadn’t overlapped, she might have had something useful to do.
With a heavy heart, she approached Revius, who greeted her with a warm voice.
“We’re starting fresh. Let’s forget the past and begin anew, Celine.”
“...Hearing you say that makes me sick.”
The words weren’t from Celine. A man’s voice echoed from behind her, followed by a sharp thud that reverberated through the hall.
“Kuh...!?”
A fist suddenly slammed into Revius’s nose. The unexpected ambush sent him staggering back.
Not only Celine, but every noble in the banquet hall was stunned.
Of course they were. The one who threw the punch was...
“...Hero Abel!?”
Yes, Abel. He glared down at the fallen Revius.
“You really put a metal plate on your face?”
#
Abel’s sudden action caused the entire hall to erupt in chatter.
“H-Hero Abel just... attacked Hero Revius?”
“...He must be insane.”
“What’s he doing?”
Everyone was shocked, but Revius himself was the most bewildered. As a seasoned warrior, the sudden ambush left him dazed, and the fact that it was Abel, a commoner, who’d done it made it even worse.
Revius’s rage surged. He shouted at Abel.
“What the hell are you doing!? Have you gone mad, Hero Abel?!”
“Shut your mouth, you filthy scum.”
“W-What...?”
Revius exploded at the rude words.
“A commoner dares to lay hands on me, the eldest son of the Grosspell family, and even spews such insulting language!? I won’t let you get away with this!”
“You’re still angry about me hitting you...?”
Abel looked at Revius with disgust and roared, exposing his crimes.
“How dare you call what you did to Saint Celine a ‘light mistake’?”
“You know nothing...!”
“You laid hands on the representative Saint of a church and call it a light mistake? You have no conscience at all?!”
The nobles around them stirred.
“...Hero Revius hit the Saint?”
“Really? Is that true?”
“If so, it’s something a Ludria Church member cannot forgive.”
The nobles’ gazes turned demanding of an explanation from Revius. He felt the atmosphere shift and tried to defend himself.
“Ah, no! Do you really believe this commoner’s words?! How could I ever touch the church’s Saint?!”
Revius protested, but several sharp-eyed nobles had already pieced it together. They knew Celine had suddenly fled from him, returned with another Hero, and that Abel was the one criticizing him.
Regardless of the facts, this commotion made for excellent gossip. Nobles who loved spreading rumors were already laughing and tearing into Revius.
“Damn it...”
Revius’s whole body trembled. But the report meeting was about to start, and throwing a tantrum here would only damage his own reputation. He knew that.
“...Celine, come back.”
Revius swallowed his anger and looked at her. This was his final warning.
Instead of looking at Revius, Celine glanced at Abel. Abel stared at her and declared to Revius.
“Saint Celine is coming with me.”
“...Hah!”
Revius was dumbfounded. Even if he’d made a big mistake, he thought it was ridiculous that Celine would choose such a lowly commoner.
“Did she suddenly develop feelings for that scoundrel?”
“...Stop with the insulting words, Hero Revius.”
“Fine. You two play around however you like. I don’t need another woman like you anyway.”
Revius sneered and walked away. Natalie and Sonia, who had been following, bowed instead of him.
“We apologize for the disturbance.”
Abel frowned. The people who should apologize hadn’t done so, yet their companions were doing it on their behalf.
Natalie asked Celine cautiously.
“...Celine, you really aren’t coming back?”
“Hero Revius didn’t show even a bit of regret. I decided to leave.”
“...I see. Okay.”
Sonia sighed and left. Natalie offered Celine a word of encouragement, then followed Revius.
Celine let out a relieved sigh and looked at Abel beside her.
“...Hero Abel, you were reckless.”
“Even if you’re angry, don’t hit your fellow Hero like that, Abel.”
Elfride agreed with Celine’s opinion too. Abel scratched his head and answered.
“...Honestly, I regretted it afterward.”
“If you want to hit him properly, you can challenge him to a duel. Use that method instead. Just be more careful from now on.”
“Yes...”
Celine stared at Abel for a moment.
Honestly, she’d thought he saw her as some annoying burden. That’s why she’d wanted to return to Revius. But Abel hadn’t thought that at all.
He’d even accepted her after she fought with Estelle, and the way he’d glared at Revius earlier proved it.
The time they’d spent together was short. There hadn’t been enough time to build any real bond. For someone like that, acting this way meant it was simply his nature.
“Saint Celine, why are you smiling?”
Celine gave him a small smile in return.
“Thank you truly, Hero.”