Deciding Our Destination

I promised to meet Hestia again the next day to finalize our destination, then returned to the dormitory alone. Most of the students had already left, so the building felt quieter than usual. I was about to head inside when a notice posted on the dormitory's main entrance caught my eye.

I stared at it in silence. Had the investigation not wrapped up yet? It looked like Sabina was looking for someone. She had to be swamped teaching the professors a lesson, yet she'd still left this notice. Whatever it was, it seemed urgent.

Who could it be? Surely not me? But Sabina wasn't the type to go through this much trouble just to find one person. It probably wasn't about me. It had better not be. I was already stretched thin as it was.

Deciding the notice didn't ring any bells, I ignored it and headed to my room to pack. It wasn't much of a "pack"—there wasn't anything I needed to be careful with. I simply stuffed everything that came to mind into my backpack.

The mercenaries would have a heart attack if they saw this. It was the kind of simple loadout you'd take on a casual outing. Any professor who noticed would probably scold me for being reckless, but since I had no intention of showing anyone what was inside my bag, it didn't matter. Besides, Hestia wasn't the type to rummage through someone else's belongings anyway.

The next day arrived without any particular incidents.

"Good morning," she said.

"Oh, am I a bit late?"

"Not at all. I arrived early."

Hestia and I exchanged light greetings early that morning and began walking through the Academy together. The sky was clear without a single cloud, and a refreshing breeze blew past us. It felt so peaceful that it reminded me of the casual outing I'd briefly imagined the day before.

Hestia seemed to be thinking something similar. She gazed up at the clear blue sky and said, "The weather appears quite favorable today."

"It really does. Days like this are perfect for a date..."

"...?!?"

I teased her just a little, and her expression changed in real time. While I enjoyed that entertaining reaction, I followed her gaze and looked up at the sky as well. Unfortunately, what caught my eye wasn't the clear blue expanse, but the massive magic circle hovering above it.

Of course. As if it would be that easy.

The ominous mana flowing from that giant magic circle, which would one day bring about Ruin... Karl Myers had desperately gathered as much as he could and absorbed it into his own body not long ago, yet it hadn't affected the circle in the slightest. Then again, if something that crude could influence it, it wouldn't be called the magic circle of Ruin in the first place.

In the end, everyone would probably dismiss what happened that day as nothing more than a simple incident caused by the Myers family's dagger driving people into a frenzy. No matter how closely you examined it with ordinary eyes, you wouldn't find anything unusual. It was a moment when I couldn't help but feel sorry for the Empire, which was still investigating the Academy.

"Ahem... Since we are still in the process of getting to know each other, it might be a little premature..."

"I'm getting a bit hungry. Should we grab something to eat first? I found an incredible restaurant the other day..."

"...That sounds good."

"Oh, did I cut you off? Weren't you saying something just now?"

"No, I was not."

"Huh? I could have sworn I heard..."

"I was not."

"Something about it being a bit early..."

"I was not."

"That it might be premature or something..."

"I said nothing of the sort."

Sorry about that.

After filling our stomachs properly with Hestia at the dining hall, we left the Academy right away. I chattered away beside her as she walked with a stiff expression, then seized the right moment to ask about our destination.

"So where exactly are we headed?"

"Hmm. Originally I would have visited the imperial palace first, but this time I would like to focus a little more on the journey itself."

...A journey? Weren't we supposed to be doing mercenary work? Hero, are you trying to trick me?

"Of course, I will take on mercenary requests if they come up, but I wish to do far more exploring."

"Exploring?"

"Labyrinths, dungeons, or ruins—that sort of thing."

"Ah, I see..."

Come to think of it, the Hero had spent most of her time alone, so investigating places like ruins would have been difficult. It was common knowledge that you should never explore ruins by yourself in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠case you fell into a trap, and she probably hadn't dared go alone because she always needed companions. Now that she finally had one, she wanted to give exploration a try.

To be honest, I wasn't particularly eager to recommend it. Labyrinths, dungeons, and ruins were places where penniless explorers often went hoping for a life-changing score. Valuable treasures did appear from time to time, but only by ordinary standards. To a Hero who would one day become a Transcendent, ordinary treasures were completely useless. If she wanted something that could actually help her, she'd have to go all the way to the distant Tomb... but if she went there now, she'd be torn apart by a single blow from a demonic beast. It was a place where even Transcendents were treated like flies, so it was only natural for someone who hadn't even escaped the mortal realm yet.

The only exploration sites available to Hestia right now were places considered dangerous within the Empire at best. Even if she went, there was no real risk aside from getting lost, and no matter how lucky she got, she wouldn't obtain anything more valuable than a "pretty trinket." It seemed her expectations were misplaced because of common knowledge that only applied to ordinary people.

Part of me wanted to tell her the truth and suggest we go somewhere else, but...

"I looked up several reference materials in the Academy library. I have also studied the standard types of traps, so you will be perfectly safe as long as you follow my lead. Should any danger arise, I will protect you without fail, so there is no need to worry. Especially in the case of ruins..."

Seeing her so excited made my resolve weaken. Well, if she really wanted to go, what could I do? From the beginning, I was nothing more than baggage, so the choice was hers.

"Hmm, then shall we do that? Though now that I think about it, I'm just following you around, Lady Hestia. Do you really need my permission?"

"Even so, I am in your debt..."

What am I going to do with this pushover, seriously...? If I ever find myself short on cash later, I should ask Hestia for help. She was so kind she might even hand over the Holy Sword...

"Haa... Lady Hestia..."

"Yes?"

"I never thought I'd be the one saying this, but... sometimes you have to be a little shameless to get by in this world."

"...?"

I decided to keep my advice short. I didn't want her to start thinking of me as some old man in a young body. "Anyway, just take what I said with a grain of salt. So... have you made a decision?"

"A decision?"

"You said you wanted to visit a ruin the most. Finding an undiscovered ruin site inland, away from the Tomb, is nearly impossible, so I assumed you'd already picked a place."

"...Are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you saying it is impossible to discover a ruin through simple exploration?"

"...Of course it is."

This world was already small, yet it produced an unusually large number of Transcendents. Thanks to them, nearly all the hidden places and ruins on the continent had been thoroughly explored long ago. The only reason Elisha's secret martial arts site had remained hidden was because it was so unusual. It was common knowledge now that discovering such opportunities was virtually impossible.

If she truly wanted to explore, the only options—as I'd mentioned earlier—were to head to the Tomb or become a Transcendent and cross into a higher dimension. Unfortunately, the current Hestia had neither choice available to her. So the next best thing was to visit a ruin someone else had already been to.

She couldn't possibly have been unaware of that... right?

"I see."

"...Wait, did you really not know?"

"D-did I not clearly tell you? I lack experience in the ways of the world..."

But you said you researched exploration sites! No wonder she kept talking about it like it was some vacation...

I almost said something but stopped myself. Fine, let's look at it positively. These clumsy aspects were probably part of the Hero's charm—her mechanical demeanor softening into something almost human. It made a little more sense now why the regressor Elisha always kept her close. Just being around her was entertaining...

"Right, well... what do you want to do now?"

"Ahem... I suppose I should look for a suitable ruin right away..."

"The good ones all require reservations. Even if we booked one now, it would be difficult to get in before the break ends. Of course, there are ruins that don't require reservations, but... you know what I mean?"

"...You are saying it would not be suitable for a first experience?"

"It'd probably be more fun to take another mercenary request."

A faint look of disappointment crossed Hestia's face. She must have been looking forward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to this more than I'd thought. I should have realized it when the usually passive girl spoke up with her own opinion right away.

"It's unfortunate, but it can't be helped. That's just how the world works—things rarely go exactly as we plan."

"But this is simply... my own mistake..."

"That part is true. This might sound a bit rude coming from a friend, but you seem more careless than I expected, Lady Hestia."

"..."

When I said it playfully, her cheeks flushed a faint red. Now that I'd pointed out her weakness and she'd grown embarrassed, it was time to offer a carrot instead of the whip.

"Still, there's no need to be too disappointed."

"I am not disappointed. Though I will admit it is a shame..."

"That's what disappointment is. Anyway, I happened to hear about the location of a ruin by sheer luck."

"...From whom?"

I hadn't thought that far ahead. I'd better pin it on the easiest person to lie about.

"It was Elisha, I think...? I just overheard it in passing..."

"Ah...!"

For a moment Hestia looked like she was about to acknowledge the name, but instead she simply nodded as if it were unfamiliar. So she doesn't even want to share her friend with the likes of me? How petty.

"Elisha is pretty famous around the Academy these days. She even dueled you, Lady Hestia."

"...That is correct."

"Since it came from someone famous, I thought it was worth remembering. What do you think? Shall we head to that ruin?"

Hestia seemed to hesitate for a moment. Her thoughts were obvious. She clearly saw it as stealing a ruin her friend had gone through the trouble of finding. If she refused here, there was nothing I could do. I'd given her a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chance; if she chose to turn it down herself, that was that. Besides, even though I'd told her to let it go in one ear and out the other, I'd also mentioned earlier that sometimes you had to be selfish. If she'd taken those words to heart, she wouldn't end up losing anything. Though with Hestia's kind nature, it was anyone's guess how she'd respond.

"That would be... I should first ask Elisha for permission..."

"Do you know where she is right now?"

"...I do not."

Elisha had already left the Academy. She was probably running around somewhere right now, busy saving the world. I shrugged with a slightly regretful expression.

"That's too bad. If you say no, Lady Hestia, then there's nothing we can do. When I think about it, it does feel a bit wrong to do this to Elisha."

"...You speak of her quite familiarly. Are the two of you acquainted?"

"We've talked a few times."

That woman follows me around constantly. Since the topic had come up, I decided to tell Hestia a few of Elisha's heroic (?) tales.

"Our first meeting was probably on the day of the entrance ceremony. She saw me and mistook me for someone else, then suddenly hugged me."

"...Pardon? She hugged you?"

"Funny, right? Later we even took classes together. When I got hit by a monster's attack and collapsed, she carried me herself."

"She carried you herself...?"

"It was embarrassing, but thanks to her I was able to rest comfortably until the class ended."

"..."

Hestia listened to my entire story with an expressionless face. I'd tried to make it funny, but it seemed it hadn't been very amusing. Just as I was about to say something to break the awkward silence, Hestia grabbed my arm first.

"...Please guide me."

"Huh?"

"I would like you to guide me to the ruin."

"But you just said you wouldn't go..."

"I never once said I would not go."

"Eh...?"

And so, our first destination was decided: a ruin.