The Hero Party Recruitment Begins
Eve sat alone, left behind without warning.
What… what is this? Why did he take Gid and leave me here? What could he possibly have to say to Gid that he couldn’t say to me?
The thought gnawed at her. Baron Offen needed someone who would fight exactly as he commanded—that much was obvious. So why Gid? Yes, her brother was still strong and solid as ever, but his body… it wasn’t a body that could fight anymore.
Gid could not fight.
What use was a warrior without legs?
That’s right. Gid’s legs were cut off. He can’t be anyone’s shield now. Because I… because I was weak. That’s why it happened.
“Hhk—!”
The moment reality brushed her mind, Eve’s breath locked in her throat. The memory she always tried to push away—and never could—rose before her eyes again. Her heart hammered wildly. Her whole body trembled. She was about to drown once more in that day’s despair when a calm voice pulled her back.
“Hero, allow me to show you to your room.”
“Hah?!”
Rina’s call dragged Eve out of the abyss.
“Th-thank you…”
A little longer under that crushing weight and she would have fallen into full panic. Still curled in on herself, Eve lifted only her head to offer a tiny nod of gratitude.
“Not at all. As head maid, receiving guests is simply my duty.”
Rina inclined her head and waist with perfect grace. The head maid of the Termin household was the very picture of professionalism. Eve had stayed in countless noble houses across the world—royal palaces and imperial courts among them—and had met more servants than she could count. Yet Rina’s poise stood equal to any of them.
As expected of the maid chief from the family that destroyed the Abyss of the Army… Even the aura she gives off is extraordinary. She seems truly remarkable. So cool…
Eve gazed at the impeccably composed woman waiting for her and felt genuine respect bloom.
Ah—ahh?! It’s the Hero! The real one! The Hero herself ate the refreshments I prepared! This is the glory of the family! I have to write it in my diary—oh, I want an autograph too. Would it be rude to ask her to sign my apron with a fountain pen? I don’t want to seem rude! R-right. I don’t know how many days it’ll be, but she said she’ll stay at the Termin manor for a while, so I’ll just work hard to earn her favor! Hard enough that she’ll happily sign my apron! Okay, calm down, Rina. Calm down and show her the absolute best professional head-maid performance. Pour every last drop of the maid skills you’ve polished your whole life into this moment!
The person receiving Eve’s admiration was, in truth, more flustered than she had ever been in her life. But Rina was a professional among professionals. Hiding her expression was child’s play.
“Then, if you would follow me, Hero.”
“Y-yes, y-yes. P-please…”
Eve followed Rina’s lead to the guest room.
“W-wow… Th-the room is s-sparkling… Y-you really take excellent care of it…”
The guest room, perfectly restored the day before by Offen and the Blessing of Restoration, was spotless. Crystal-clear windows without a single water stain, bedding dried crisp and fragrant under the sun, and a bed so soft it looked ready to swallow her into sleep the moment she lay down. Eve could only stare in sincere admiration at the flawless guest quarters.
“As head maid, managing the manor is simply my duty. There is still much I lack. Even so… hearing such praise from the Hero herself makes me truly happy…”
At Eve’s compliment, Rina silently thanked Offen from the day before.
Young Master’s order to pay special attention to the guest rooms—I’m so glad I listened. Heehee, I scored points with the Hero!
“Hero, if you need anything while staying in this room, simply ring the bell on the desk beside the bed. I will come at once. Please do not feel the least bit burdened. Serving you is a great joy to me. Now, rest well.”
Like the consummate professional she was, Rina delivered only what was necessary and left the guest room. Lingering and trying too hard to curry favor would only make the Hero uncomfortable; better to give her a peaceful place to rest.
Click.
The door closed. Eve was alone in the sunlit guest room.
“….”
She flopped onto the bed. The mattress was so soft that every last bit of tension melted from her body the instant she sank into it. The perfectly dried sheets crackled faintly and smelled of sunshine. For a fleeting moment the despair that never left her was forgotten. The Termin family’s guest room was simply that comfortable.
“Haaaah…”
Buried in the warm bedding, Eve rediscovered a peace of mind she had not felt in a very long time. Of course, as long as the Great Rifts existed in this world, such peace was only a mirage. Yet a mirage was still peace.
An hour passed. No one came looking for her.
“…Oh.”
Ever since she had taken up the Holy Sword and become the Hero, Eve’s life had been one of constant summons. Even after the defeat in the Abyss of Despair, when she had shut herself in her room, her party members had still come searching for her. But here in the Termin manor, no one sought her out at all.
“Ah… ahhhn…”
Her face flushed scarlet. The wild assumption that Offen would hold the method of destroying a Great Rift over her head and work her like a slave had been pure delusion. She had gulped down the black tea of anxiety while Offen had never even thought of offering the cookie of exploitation.
“Hnnngh…!”
Eve buried her burning face in the sun-scented pillow and writhed with shame. The arrogant certainty that I’m the Hero, so of course he’ll have business with me! now felt unbearably mortifying. And so, until dinner, she remained unsummoned, alone with her torment.
In the dining hall of the Termin manor—
“Bwahahaha! Offen hyung! In all my life I’ve never met anyone who clicks with me this well!”
“Hahaha! I feel exactly the same, Gid! I’ve lived my whole life in this manor without a single friend, so finding a true companion like you is a genuine joy!”
In half a day Offen and Gid had become inseparable friends. The speed of their bond was, of course, largely Offen’s doing. As a veteran of Crack Kingdom he knew exactly what every member of the Hero’s party liked and how they had lived. He mixed that knowledge with silver-tongued praise, and reeling in the simple-hearted Gid was child’s play.
“Bwahahaha! You’ve got a real gift for making a man feel good, Offen hyung!”
“Hahaha! Thank you!”
“Ahhh…”
Watching the two roar with laughter and chat like old friends, Eve’s ears turned crimson once more. After thrashing about on the bed she had finally forced herself into a conclusion:
N-no. Baron Offen does have business with me. He just went to Gid first so he wouldn’t look too greedy by asking me right away. Y-yes. That has to be it. Otherwise it doesn’t make sense.
It was pure self-justification, but thinking that way had calmed her—for a little while.
“Ah, Gid. Care for some wine?”
“Wine? Wine’s always good!”
“This is a bottle my father set aside for the day we would welcome a true hero. And now the greatest hero in the world sits before me. I believe this wine has finally found its rightful owner.”
“Bwahahahaha! Treating a wreck like me like a hero—I’m truly grateful! When you put it like that, Offen hyung, how can I refuse? I’ll drink it well!”
“Hnnngh…”
Yet Offen’s eyes never left Gid. He offered the precious wine left by his father with pure delight; his sincerity was reserved for Gid alone. Watching her little brother receive such heartfelt hospitality shattered Eve’s carefully built self-justification. The shame she had briefly forgotten came flooding back, painting her face scarlet once more.
So embarrassing…! If there were a mouse hole I’d crawl into it…!
She was already dying of mortification; having her desperate rationalization torn apart only doubled the humiliation.
“Uhhhn…”
The shame was so intense it momentarily eclipsed even her despair. Tears welled in her eyes as her body trembled.
“By the way, Hero—would you care for a glass as well?”
“It’s a fine day for fine company, big sis! Let’s all drink together!”
Ordinarily Eve would never have touched alcohol. She was the Hero, and a Hero must never lose composure. But her spirit was broken, and she desperately wanted to escape reality.
“Y-yes… P-please. I’ll… I’ll drink…”
If wine could make her forget this shame, she would take it. For the first time in her life she accepted a drink offered by someone else.
“Oh! As expected of Offen hyung! Big sis actually taking a drink! Even I, her little brother, have never seen this!”
“Is that so? My word, it seems I’m experiencing a lifetime’s worth of glory in a single day. Being able to pour the Hero’s first glass is a true honor.”
Glug-glug-glug—
“Th-thank you.”
Offen filled Gid’s glass, then Eve’s, and finally his own. Normally he would have included Rina, but she was locked firmly in professional head-maid mode. Offering her wine now would only earn a stern, solemn refusal: “I cannot put alcohol to my lips while on duty.” So he simply winked at her—a silent Rina, you know my heart—and raised his glass.
“I believe special guests deserve a special toast.”
He looked from Eve to Gid and back again.
“In that spirit, there is something I, Offen Termin, wish to say to the Hero and the Warrior.”
“Something to say? What is it, hyung?”
“…?”
Both siblings tilted their heads in identical curiosity. Offen smiled at the matching gestures and spoke the words he had prepared.
“Gid. Your legs. Our Termin family can restore them.”
And with that, Offen’s grand operation to recruit the Hero’s party began in earnest.