The Hero's Party
"Um... I'm a half-elf..."
"No. Not your identity... I mean the identity of that spirit."
I stared at the spirit named Elraim, who had drifted over to Lucia's side and was now gazing intently at me.
I had heard of common spirits like Sylphs and Undines plenty of times, but I had no memory of ever hearing the name Elraim.
"Elraim? Oh! Hero! Please say hello. This is Elraim, the Water Spirit King."
"The Spirit... King?"
"Yes. The one who governs all the water in this world and rules over the water spirits..."
"I... I know that. But how can you summon a Spirit King, Lucia?"
I might not have known the name Elraim, but I knew all about the Spirit Kings. According to legend, no elf had ever contracted with a Spirit King—only the occasional dragon with an extreme affinity for spirits.
And yet... a half-elf, a mix of human and common elf blood, had summoned a Spirit King. It wasn't even a high elf of pure lineage like Illuen. I couldn't wrap my head around it.
"Lu... Lucia... You're not secretly a dragon, are you?"
"Of course not, Hero. I really am a half-elf."
"Then how did you..."
"Well... there are reasons..."
The smile that had graced Lucia's face all day began to fade. Her expression darkened, making me realize I had probably stepped on a landmine.
"Anyway... H-Hello. I am the Hero, Carlos."
It was fascinating to watch Elraim, a being made entirely of water, extend a hand toward me. I reached out and shook it.
"Wow... They say Spirit Kings can communicate with humans, unlike regular spirits. It's really true."
As Elraim laughed, her watery form shifted, her face taking on a smiling expression. As the Spirit King and I conversed and shared a laugh, the shadow on Lucia's face vanished, her expression brightening once more.
"By the way, Lucia, how did you get here? And since when did you know I was the Hero?"
"Ah... I suspected it when I saw you kill those Orcs so easily. But to be precise, I overheard you talking when you went to the reinforcement barracks."
Lucia wiggled her pointed ears, showing them off to me. Only then did I remember how incredibly sharp an elf's hearing was. I could only offer a bitter smile.
"And when I saw you heading somewhere..."
Whoosh—
"I asked this Sylph to follow you."
Lucia held out her palm to the sky. A translucent Sylph, shaped like a mischievous child, fluttered down and began to play with her fingers.
"And you followed me all the way here?"
"Yes."
What would have happened if Lucia hadn't come? Dantalion and his demon army would still have been turned to ash, but the people trapped in the valley would never have made it out alive.
"Thank you, Lucia. If it weren't for you, everyone trapped in that valley would have died."
"No! I... I'm the one who's grateful. Thank you so much for accepting me into your party in the first place."
"Into the party...? Ah..."
For a split second, the word "party" made me wonder if I had already recruited her into the hero's party. Then I remembered what had happened at the Adventurers' Guild, and a chuckle escaped my lips.
A moment later, I saw soldiers waving flags at me from the top of a distant hill. It was the signal that the trapped troops had successfully escaped.
"Shall we head back to the village? It looks like everyone made it out safely."
"Yes!"
Thanks to Lucia's efforts, one of the two paths leading into the valley had been completely blocked. The trapped army was more than capable of defending the remaining path against the advancing demons, allowing everyone to be rescued safely.
"Hero! Thank you!"
"This is all thanks to you, Hero!"
"Hero! Thank you for saving our lives!"
By the time Lucia and I returned to the village, a crowd of knights, soldiers, and adventurers who had survived the valley had gathered to express their gratitude. The villagers had also poured out, cheering for me, the Hero who had brought their families, friends, and comrades back safely.
"Hero! You are the savior of our Horon Kingdom!"
Even Count Rochelly rushed to the village entrance, grabbing my hand and shaking it vigorously. Before long, the crowd swelled so much that we couldn't move forward or backward.
"It was nothing. For now, could we go somewhere quiet?"
"Yes! Right this way!"
Honestly, I wanted to tell everyone about Lucia's incredible feat and redirect their cheers to her. But since she had asked to keep her ability to summon the Spirit King a secret, I kept my mouth shut.
Count Rochelly guided us toward a barracks he had prepared in advance. The knights clearing the path had a rough time of it, as people kept crowding around us at every turn.
"Hero, who is this beside you...?"
"Ah... She is the spiritist who helped me. Without her, it would have been a very difficult battle, even for me."
"Ah! Is that so? Thank you so much for aiding the Hero and saving our people!"
Count Rochelly stood up and bowed politely to Lucia. Flustered by the formal greeting, her face flushed bright red, and she could barely stammer out a reply.
"To have an elf aid us like this... it truly feels like looking at the Hero's party."
"What?! N-No, it's not like that... How could someone like me be in the Hero's party? Besides, I'm a half-elf."
"Ah... My apologies. It is rather difficult for us humans to tell the difference."
"No, it's fine..."
Sensing Lucia's continued discomfort, Count Rochelly stopped pressing her and shifted the conversation to the main topic: Dantalion.
"Hero, what happened to Dantalion?"
"I believe he escaped."
"Ah... I see."
"However, he was critically wounded, so he won't be able to move for a while. It seems his comrades were the ones who carried him away."
"Comrades? Do you mean..."
"Yes. One of the other Four Heavenly Kings must have been there."
Even when I had used Detonate from a distance, Dantalion had taken severe damage. There was no way he could have walked away unscathed after taking a point-blank Detonate while our blades were locked. Another of the Four Heavenly Kings must have been watching from the shadows and retrieved him.
"So there were two of the Four Heavenly Kings present...?"
"Yes. But that's just my speculation. I can't say for certain."
"Well, if it is your speculation, Hero, it is highly likely to be true."
From what I had observed during the war against the Demon King three years ago, the demon army had its own internal power struggles, much like humans. While some of the Four Heavenly Kings worked tirelessly to achieve results and win the Demon King's favor, others wouldn't hesitate to sabotage their peers to climb the ranks.
"Count, what happened to Illuen?"
"Actually, a report just came in from the border checkpoint. She has already fled the Horon Kingdom, likely heading back to the Elf Kingdom."
"I see..."
"In any case, we have a major problem, Hero. His Majesty was furious upon receiving the report. I expect a massive political storm will blow in soon."
"Naturally. Too many lives were lost today..."
Although the combined efforts of Lucia, Count Rochelly, and myself had saved the trapped army and adventurers, the casualties prior to that had been devastating. The Empire, which had provided the false intelligence, Illuen, who had caused this disaster, and the Elf Kingdom that had dispatched her—none of them would be able to escape accountability.
If only I had formed the Hero's party sooner, as Edwin had suggested... If I had participated in the battle from the start, perhaps today's tragedy could have been avoided. Of course, no one would dare hold me responsible, but I couldn't shake the lingering guilt.
"If you will excuse me for a moment..."
Count Rochelly excused himself after receiving a report from an administrator, leaving Lucia and me alone in the barracks.
"Thank you so much for today, Lucia. I'll make sure Count Rochelly compensates you properly for your efforts."
"Oh, no... You really don't have to do that."
"No, I insist. Adventurers are paid based on the demons they slay, so you should receive a substantial sum."
"I didn't do it for the money... I did it to help you, Hero."
To help me... Her performance today was easily on par with, if not superior to, my former party members. In fact, the mere ability to summon a Spirit King would make her a coveted asset for any kingdom, let alone a hero's party.
"Which is why I wanted to ask, Lucia."
"Yes?"
"Please don't feel pressured, but..."
"Go ahead."
"Would you... be willing to join my party?"
Lucia stared at me blankly for a moment, as if she hadn't understood. Then, as the meaning of my words finally registered, her eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth in shock.
"What?! Me?!"