The Hero's First Date
The ruins I told Hestia about—the ones supposedly holding the Hero's treasure—had no treasures left. For a long time they had remained carefully hidden, untouched and undiscovered. But not anymore. The most valuable item had already been taken by 'someone,' so even if we went there now, the only things worth picking up would be a few pretty trinkets.
How do I know that? …Because I was the one who built those ruins.
The treasure I had hidden there was an incredibly powerful martial art created long ago… Yeah, it was exactly the one Elisha had somehow obtained from somewhere. I hadn't paid it much mind, thinking it would disappear soon anyway, but apparently she had already gone and taken it while I wasn't looking… She really is a woman whose movements are almost impossibly difficult to predict.
Even more surprising was the fact that, for some reason, she hadn't touched any of the other treasures and had only taken the secret manual. I don't know exactly why, but… well, the other items probably weren't things a regressor like her needed, so I suppose that makes sense.
The important thing is that, thanks to her, the ruins I created still look like ordinary ruins from the outside. After I became certain that Elisha had taken the manual, I went to check on the place myself. Even though she had smashed apart everything I had set up, she apparently hadn't thought anything was strange. Surprisingly, most of the traps I'd laid out were still intact despite what she'd taken.
In their current state, the ruins should be able to show Hestia exactly what she was expecting to see.
I glanced back at Hestia, who was following close behind me. You should really be grateful to me. Where else would you find a friend like me…?
We had decided on our destination. All that remained was a leisurely journey with Hestia… or so I thought. There was nothing leisurely about it.
The ruins were relatively close to the Academy, but my prediction that it would take about three days if we went slowly turned out to be completely wrong. We arrived on the very same day.
How was that possible? Because our dear Hero, who hated wasting time, used a warp gate. Normally, if you show up without a reservation and demand to use it that day, you'd have to pay an exorbitant fee and still wait your turn. But Hestia didn't have to wait at all. She used the warp gate without any issues.
That was because she was the Hero—a being who stood even higher than nobles. Damn power-based society…
After teleporting to a village near our destination, we immediately set off for the ruins. Even though we'd warped to the closest village, there was still quite a distance left, so Hestia and I decided to rent a carriage.
"T-this is the most expensive and precious carriage in the village, so please, you must handle it with great care…"
"Now that I think about it, Lady Hestia, do you know how to drive a carriage?"
"This is my first time handling one myself… but I have watched others do it several times, so I believe I can manage."
"A-ah… No…!"
…Wait, did she just take it by force? I looked back and forth between the villagers, who were clearly in despair but couldn't say anything because their opponent was the Hero, and Hestia, who gripped the reins tightly as if telling me to trust her. A small laugh escaped me.
Our Hero doesn't know how to abuse her power. She's just a little lacking in tact, that's all. Of course, from the villagers' perspective—people who had only ever heard about her through newspapers—this must have looked exactly like a high-ranking noble suddenly appearing in their town and trying to seize their most expensive carriage.
And so we managed to commandeer a truly expensive, precious carriage with outstanding performance that could handle even the roughest roads without trouble.
In the end, I took the reins instead of Hestia, who didn't actually know how to drive. She had tried to refuse, saying she already felt bad for causing trouble and couldn't possibly make me do menial work on top of that, but…
"What if you cause an accident?"
"It will be fine. My body would not be injured by something as simple as a carriage accident…"
"But I would get hurt."
"……"
Faced with my perfect counterargument, she had no choice but to lower her head. Before the slightly dejected look on her face could turn into full-blown guilt, I added,
"Besides, the whole reason we're renting a carriage is because of me. Wouldn't it be faster for you to just run, Lady Hestia?"
"Is that not the same for you, a student of the Academy?"
"Well… I could probably run faster than a carriage, but I don't have the stamina to keep it up for long."
Setting out on an exploration without a carriage would be difficult. Unlike her, who barely consumes any stamina just by running, my setting is that I have perfectly ordinary physical endurance…
Hestia listened to my explanation, and only then did she seem relieved. Her voice grew warm as she spoke.
"Thank you… for always thinking of me."
"I'm just thinking about my own safety, you know?"
"You are the first person who has ever treated someone as lacking as me this way…"
"No, that's not what I—"
…Anyway, leaving the growing pile of misunderstandings behind, Hestia and I set off for the ruins.
A massive cliff where no trace of human passage could be found. Hestia and I, having stepped down from the carriage, stared blankly up at it.
"…Are you certain there are really ruins here?"
"I'm not sure. I only heard about it, so I don't know the details."
"How on earth did Elisha find a place like this…"
Yeah, I'd like to know that too. I was almost tempted to ask her what she had been doing to discover this place. Was there a way to naturally bring it up later…?
While I was lost in these pointless thoughts, Hestia muttered beside me.
"…I feel nothing at all."
"Pardon?"
"There is a faint sense of incongruity. This is the first time I've experienced something like this… It seems as though some kind of barrier has been spread around the area."
"Really? I don't feel anything…"
"Hmm…"
Hestia looked around with a doubtful expression. All I could do was stand beside her and quietly break into a cold sweat.
You're not supposed to be able to feel that incongruity… This entire area was something I had hidden perfectly—even using my authority—so that not even Transcendents could detect it. Whether it was the Academy Director or the Great Pioneer, they shouldn't have been able to sense anything here. The fact that Hestia could feel it was what made her the strange one.
Well, I suppose it makes sense since she's a being who has come into contact with it…
- Swish.
While I was momentarily lost in thought, Hestia grabbed the hem of my clothes and carefully pulled my body toward where she was standing. I looked at her with a bewildered expression as I was dragged along. She turned her head slightly to the side and said,
"J-just in case it might be dangerous…"
"Ah, thank you. As expected of the Hero."
"……"
Without saying a word, Hestia gripped my clothes even tighter. She still goes quiet when she's embarrassed, huh. Instead of teasing her with a mischievous smile, I took the lead and guided her forward.
"Then shall we start by heading over there?"
"…Yes."
Hestia and I walked close together along the base of the cliff. The occasional conversation we had been having completely stopped, and only silence flowed between us. Even while glancing at me, Hestia didn't speak first. It seemed she didn't want to break this awkward atmosphere. As if even this quiet time filled with nothing but silence was precious to her…
[The Hero inevitably becomes a Transcendent.]
This was a story that had been passed down like established fact since ancient times. It was the kind of absurd tale that should have been treated as an urban legend or a distorted myth, yet for some reason, every Hero in history had accepted this ridiculous story without the slightest doubt.
Hestia herself knew the reason very well.
She could feel it. That her current body didn't suit her. That the way she saw the world was different from ordinary people… Everything was merely a foundation preparing her for the day she would become a Transcendent.
Hestia hated it.
A talent that couldn't even be compared to others. The enormous wealth and power that came with it. Things that would satisfy even someone without much greed if they had just one of them—she could possess all of them.
Of course, there was a price that came with it as well.
She had wanted friends, but she could never find anyone who could stand as her equal and become one. However, objectively speaking, that wasn't a huge problem. Friendship? Connection? Comrades? No matter how hard she tried to build those things at the Academy, they would all lose their meaning once she ascended to Transcendence.
In exchange for easily obtaining everything needed to reach Transcendence, she had to discard the things that wouldn't help her get there. A naturally created, perfect environment for becoming a Transcendent… It was almost as if…
Her fate itself was rejecting everything that wouldn't help her ascend.
It might have been the inevitable path every Hero in history had walked, but Hestia hated it more than anything. That was precisely why her connections at the Academy were so precious to her.
If she hadn't met that fateful person by chance, she too would have spent her time alone in loneliness. Everyone praised her as the Hero, but to her, the Hero was the one who had saved her for the first time from that tiresome fate.
Hestia looked at her first friend, who was walking right beside her along the cliff. To him, who was looking around as if searching for the ruins, she didn't seem to exist at all. But this wasn't because he was ignoring her. He was a deeply considerate person who tried to treat everyone equally… He was surely making an effort right now so that she wouldn't feel burdened.
Hestia closed the distance between them by just the tiniest bit more. She took in his appearance, observing him closely. His neither particularly common nor uncommon black hair and black eyes. An expression that was hard to read, in a different way from the Saintess she had met recently… It was the face she had always seen and always kept in her eyes.
Watching him casually ignore her gaze, Hestia recalled the conversation they had shared.
— …It seems like the weather is nice today.
— It does, doesn't it? A day like today would be perfect for a date…
— …?!?!
'A date…'
— Ahem… Since we're still in the stage of getting to know each other, it might be a little early…
'Ugh…!'
She pushed the embarrassing memory that had suddenly surfaced far away and once again took in his appearance. His black hair that swayed softly with every movement, and his black eyes that looked as deep as black crystals… For some reason, today his ordinary-yet-not-ordinary face looked even more charming.
Hestia carefully studied every detail of his face and thought to herself.
A man and woman meeting alone… A man and woman walking closely together, chatting intimately… A man and woman walking side by side, matching each other's steps in perfect harmony…
This is completely a date, isn't it…?
As Hestia asked herself that question, her cheeks had already turned a deep shade of red.