Chapter 132: Bonds Formed in the Holy Empire
Ariel Grande.
The SS-grade hero of the Holy Bishura Empire was a stunning beauty in her late twenties whose silver hair suited her perfectly.
Yet, as she approached thirty, she had never even experienced love, let alone dated anyone.
It was unavoidable.
Even before being summoned to this dimension as a hero, she had been one in another world.
Born as the illegitimate daughter of a border noble, she had grown up ordinarily until she was chosen by the gods and defeated the demon king as a hero. That had been in her early twenties, after years of grueling hardship. And not even a week after vanquishing the demon king, she had been called forth by the goddess.
Still, Ariel didn't mind. A commoner might have panicked, but she accepted it as it was and gave her all to her duties. Thanks to her talent as a hero from another dimension, she quickly rose to SS-grade.
Years passed, and she reached her late twenties. Having spent her life in harsh training and fierce battles, romance or love felt like an extravagance to her. More precisely, everyone was intimidated by her.
Am I that unappealing?
Ariel, unable to look at herself objectively, couldn't help but think that.
Eventually, she came to a rough guess.
They all saw her as too special.
Not as a single woman, but only as the hero.
I'm nothing special at all.
Those who had repented their sins under her influence—or conversely, those who had fallen—would be shocked to hear that.
But Ariel took it seriously in her own way.
Would she end up alone forever, without even romance? Living as a hero until death—wielding her weapon, slaying the wicked, saving the good—was fine. But doing it all by herself? That felt too pitiful.
She was even starting to give up.
Even the S-grade hero Belltant, the man closest to me, sees me as special. What guy would treat me like a woman?
If half the world were men, maybe. But this was a gender-reversed world.
Not even one in five were men, and they were passive and effeminate to boot. The one thing she resented about the goddess who summoned her here was this. At least if their personalities were normal, she might cling to a sliver of hope.
But today was a little different.
"See you tomorrow, Ariel."
"You too, Hansol."
On her way back to her room after parting with Kim Hansol.
Ariel's mind was filled with one man's face.
"……."
She was so skilled at hiding it that even her closest friend and comrade, Hansol, hadn't noticed. Hansol's eyes had been clouded by drink and revelry, too.
Ariel maintained her calm expression through the corridors, but the moment she shed her medium armor and collapsed onto the bed, it crumbled. Her lips twitched into a silly grin, her cheek muscles relaxed.
"Hehehe♡"
A dopey laugh and a girlish face.
If anyone who knew Ariel saw that scene, they'd suspect her identity before congratulating her on falling in love—it was utterly unlike her usual self.
"Lord Siu…."
The name that slipped softly from the SS-grade hero's full lips: Han Siu.
In Ariel's hand was the necklace he had just given her as a gift.
Ridiculously, it was the first accessory she'd ever received from a man in her nearly thirty years of life. Not as a reward or payment, but purely out of fondness or affection. That made it all the more meaningful.
"He was truly a wonderful man."
She murmured with a smile full of joy.
Her gaze, brimming with affection, fixed on the necklace, her thoughts consumed by Han Siu and nothing else.
It hadn't fully blossomed yet, but it was undoubtedly close to romantic love between man and woman. Yet Ariel, so inexperienced in romance, didn't realize it. Instead, thinking of him reminded her of the one man in her original world who had stroked her hair.
"Daddy…."
She jolted upright in surprise, scanning the room, then sighed in relief remembering it was her own quarters.
"Phew. Even so, this is a bit embarrassing."
A grown woman calling for her dad.
But she couldn't help it.
Her ideal man was her father.
The one who stroked his daughter's hair when she struggled under the hero's heavy burden, telling her she was his daughter first, that she could lean on him and act spoiled anytime. He had passed from old age, impossible to see even if she returned to her original world.
Yes.
She wanted to act spoiled.
You called me an ordinary girl….
Maybe she could lean on him.
Maybe she could act spoiled to her heart's content and soothe her soul.
Thump. Thump.
Ariel clutched her pounding chest and closed her eyes contentedly.
For some reason, she felt she could sleep deeply tonight, even if just a little.
"Uwaaaah!! Lord Siu…."
"Oh, you're up?"
Han Siu turned at the loud cry and chuckled upon seeing Elaine.
It was nearly noon when she woke—must've been pretty drunk.
"Feeling okay?"
"I dispelled the hangover with holy magic right away…."
"Haha. Good to hear."
"Ugh, I'm really sorry for throwing a tantrum yesterday…."
"It's fine, it's fine. Happens to everyone. Honestly, it was refreshing and fun."
At that, Elaine bonked her head against Siu's shoulder. Her face, as red as yesterday's, seemed to beg him not to mention it, but Siu didn't stop. He meant it sincerely, and it had been especially amusing.
"This kind of thing is fun too. Next time, wanna grab a drink without relying on mana or holy power?"
"Lord Siu, really…."
As the two flirted sweetly, Hildear clung to Siu's other arm from the side.
"Me too…. You'll hold me, right?"
"Of course."
A party purely enjoying drinks without mana or holy power? It sounded delightful just imagining it. Knowing his own tolerance was high, Siu felt confident.
Just then, the door Elaine had entered through swung open, and a girl came rushing in.
"I passed!!"
"Whoa."
A pale-faced girl with fluttering golden hair.
It was Gwen Washidishi, inhabiting an artificial chimera body modeled after her ghost form.
She hugged Siu tightly from behind, rubbing her face against him.
"Ah, you passed? Congrats."
"Yeah! They gave me special treatment—tested me quick and done!"
Gwen, who had crossed into the Holy Empire with Siu's party yesterday, had undergone her aptitude test as planned. Normally, the process was rigorous with extras, but as she said, she got VIP treatment.
The reason went without saying: Siu. As the top prospect hero, saint candidate—now confirmed saint—his guarantee was absolute backing for any ghost. Plus, her true power remained hidden.
"What were the results?"
"Huh? I passed, duh?"
"No, not that."
Gwen still clung tightly from behind.
Knowing the innocent, ditzy girl wouldn't get it, Siu asked Rozalin, who had entered with her, instead.
"I've brought the detailed documents. Refer to them for specifics—it's a lot. But key points first: as an undead, she's classified as a ghost."
"Huh? For real?"
"Yes. A bit unexpected, but…."
Ghost. Among ghost-type undead, it was low-tier.
Considering the evil spirits or souls below it that hadn't fully monstrous yet, it was bottom-tier as a monster—even if not for a necromancer. Combined with Siu's guarantee, that's why results came in a day.
"Surprising…."
Gwen's powers at the mansion were clearly high-tier.
Her domain control, wraiths, poltergeists—those were ghost powers, not necromancy. Yet only ghost classification? Bizarre.
"Simple classification is ghost, but it notes extremely strong traits as a jibakryeong."
"As a jibakryeong…."
"Ah-ha. Means I can only use my powers at the mansion."
"Eek."
Gwen let out a short groan at the spot-on point.
"I see…. So maybe I can't use my full power now because…."
"Yes. Not the body's issue, just…."
Just weak.
Even if necromancy magic and ghost abilities were separate, they were closely linked. Her ghost existence stemmed from necromancy, which drew from ghost power.
"…Sorry I can't help…."
Gwen mumbled glumly.
"……."
Siu was at a loss, wondering if that's why she'd been hiding her face against his back. Cocky most times, but cute like a kid now. Far older than her size suggested.
"…Haha. It's okay."
"Really…?"
"Yeah. Joining the hero party was your condition from the start, right? Before we got close, maybe not—but now, you could just be the mansion mascot."
Siu was sincere.
Not using a high-level necromancer was a shame, but not impossible.
Even if not full combat force, fine. She was a bonus anyway; Siu had other recruits in mind—plenty strong.
Plus, her being on our side weakens the demons' forces.
Following Siu, Rozalin, Elaine, and Hildear offered Gwen comforting words.
As he said, they'd grown fond of her. No way they'd coldly discard her for lacking combat power.
"Everyone…."
Gwen's voice grew teary.
"So you'll have sex with me, right?"
"…Huh?"
But what followed shattered the mood.
"Even if I can't help, sex is okay, right? You'll do it? Yeah?"
"……."
"……You're really…."
Siu sighed deeply.
He resolved to make use of Gwen's power, no matter what.