Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: 10. The Dullard and the Genius (2)
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Gave Helena some time alone and moved to the room next door together.
I wonder how Helena will react.
Whether the strategy of hugging her when she was in cat form worked, fortunately she seemed more flustered than angry.
Took a moment to observe Kati.
Her dazed cat eyes rolled like marbles as she gazed out the window.
Compared to other demonkin, Kati's appearance was less off-putting.
With her white, smooth skin and lips shaped like a cute three-line cat mouth.
If anything, she wasn't ordinary—she was a beauty in her own right.
Sensing my gaze, Kati slyly turned her head to meet my eyes.
"What. Kitty-cat."
Honestly, it was a pretty funny nickname.
Calling her kitty-cat, of all things.
"……."
As I chuckled and teased her, she turned her head away without a word and looked out the window again.
Her sulky reaction was so cat-like, it cracked me up.
"Vivian."
"Yes?"
"What do you think of Helena?"
"Hmm…."
Vivian crossed her arms below her chest, pondering.
I pretended not to notice the way they jiggled on top and looked out the window.
"Oh…. Did you see that?"
Mercy whispered softly, and I replied with ventriloquism.
"Shh…."
Once Vivian finished thinking, she sat to my right.
Kati quietly slipped into the seat on my left.
"Honestly, I'm a bit worried. I've received Kati's help, and I've seen her with you, Ian…."
"Yeah, that's understandable."
"But it'll work out fine."
Vivian spoke with confident conviction.
She was so assured that I turned to look, and she flashed me a bright smile.
"She's someone you brought in, right? So it'll definitely work out."
In the end, that was as good as saying she trusted me.
"Thanks."
"But…. You said you're into Helena? Is that for real?"
"Well, it's not exactly a lie. Though obviously not in a weird way…."
"Aha…."
What was that.
Felt a bit chilly just now?
"Oh, I get it! You mean she's suitable as a party member, right?"
"Of course."
"Then, maybe…."
Vivian seemed about to say something but clamped her mouth shut.
"N-never mind. Shall we go see Helena now?"
"Sure, let's do that."
Must've been my imagination….
*
Fortunately, Helena showed no outright hostility toward Kati.
That said, she wasn't without her guards up.
"I have one question!"
"What is it?"
"Why are you traveling with a demonkin?"
It was a perfectly reasonable doubt.
Vivian, who had trusted first and asked questions later, was the rare case.
Vivian glanced at me curiously too.
I gave a brief explanation of how I'd found Kati back then.
Skipping the demonkin soldier breeding program, of course.
Mentioning one of the empire's dirty secrets wasn't a smart move.
"That was a little over four years ago."
"Four years, three months, and sixteen days, to be exact."
"Whoa…. You remember that clearly."
Helena nodded along as she spoke.
"So she's like your lifesaver!"
"Not sure I'd call it that grand, but…. Yeah, something like it."
"Understood. Still, I can't help but feel a bit…. Oh, no, I trust you, Ian, so I'm not saying I'll leave or anything…!"
I got where she was coming from.
The Holy Flame Church teaches that demons and demonkin worship the heretical god called the 'Demon God.'
As a priestess of the Holy Flame Church, Helena would've been steeped in that doctrine.
That she was even trying to adapt was good enough for now.
Vivian looked a bit disappointed, her expression downcast.
"I understand. You'll get used to it in time."
"Yes!"
"To get along, start with proper greetings. How about a handshake?"
"Pardon?"
Kati stepped forward without protest.
After staring at her expressionless face for a moment, Helena cautiously extended her hand.
"I'm Helena…!"
"Kati."
They shook hands briefly and stepped back.
"Anyway, get along from here on out."
"Y-yes…! Please take care of me!"
Helena then formally greeted Vivian and Mercy as well.
"Greetings done. Time to move."
"What first!"
"Food."
Just like with Vivian, everything needed fixing from the start with Helena too.
*
Helena's reaction to the table laden with food was identical to Vivian's.
"I can't eat this much…!"
Hearing that, Vivian chuckled leisurely from the side.
"You'll eat it all."
And she was right.
Helena devoured every last bit of her portion without leaving a crumb.
"I, can't, believe it…."
Even she muttered in disbelief after finishing.
For reference, Vivian—who'd increased her intake lately—ate far more than Helena.
Slumped in her chair, Helena stared in awe.
"Impressive…."
At the praise, Vivian's hand paused mid-reach for more meat.
"Don't mind it, keep eating. Eat as much as you want."
"Nomf…."
She chewed away contentedly, cheeks bulging.
While Vivian polished off the rest, I probed a bit about Helena.
"You're a combat priestess, right, Helena?"
Priestesses fall into two types.
One is the support type that fights from the rear.
Aria's the prime example, and most priestesses in hero parties are like that.
Though Aria can affect everywhere regardless.
The other is the combat type that fights up front.
They don plate armor, wield maces and shields, and charge the front lines.
That's the type Helena seemed to be.
"Yes! Every nun who took the public exam received combat priestess training!"
Combat priestesses can switch freely—step up front, then fall back to support as needed.
That versatility makes them super useful, and rare, which is great for me.
"No plans to convert?"
"If you say so, Ian!"
"Nah, we'll stick with it."
"Yes!"
Fighting in armor with weapons demands strength training for combat priestesses.
Stuff I couldn't make Vivian do, I could with her….
"Ian…? Why are you grinning like that…?"
"Oh. Just happy thinking about your growth."
"I see! I'll make you even happier!"
Helena's eyes sparkled as she replied.
Her enthusiasm was a good sign.
"Mind if I ask one thing?"
"Ask whatever. No need for permission."
"What happened with the 1st Hero Party?"
Come to think of it, I hadn't told Helena I got kicked out.
"I was exiled."
"Why?"
Vivian's hand stopped while eating fruit.
Vivian hadn't pried deep into her own exile reason.
Probably thought it rude.
"I have guesses, but nothing I'm sure of…. Not even certain if they were good enough reasons."
"I see!"
Helena accepted it boldly, while Vivian fidgeted needlessly on her own.
"Then have you met Philip, Ian?"
Vivian perked up again.
She doesn't say much, but you can read her thoughts plain as day. Kinda fun.
Philip, huh….
I had met the real one.
"That's a secret."
"I see!"
Vivian looked disappointed.
"All done eating? Let's get up. Helena, you have training clothes, right?"
"Yes! I do."
"Change and come out."
*
Vivian emerged first in her stretchy workout clothes.
They'd been baggy at first, but now fit her perfectly.
She seemed a bit embarrassed, though.
Helena wore the loose training garb from the abbey.
She had clothes to wear for now, so we'd get her fitted at the tailor's later—after adjusting to the training schedule.
First exercise: running, naturally.
"Begin."
Vivian ran with practiced ease.
Way faster and more enduring than when we started.
So today's Boing Hammer was solely for Helena.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ -Boing!
"Squeek!"
"Tighten your core when you run!"
…What was that.
Super weird noise?
-Boing!
"Squeek!"
"Breathe through your nose—nose only!"
…Is she doing it on purpose?
For a first day, Helena struggled to keep up.
Her form kept collapsing, so I repeated the same pointers.
-Boing!
"Eek!"
"Nose breathing, forefoot landing, core tight!"
By the time Helena hit lap four, Vivian was at twelve.
Suddenly wondered what sound Vivian used to make when hit by the Boing Hammer back then.
"Hm…."
-Boing!
"Fwack?! Hweh? Am I late…?"
"N-no. That was…. My mistake. Sorry."
Got too curious and….
"Whaa…."
Rubbing her head, Vivian resumed running.
By lap thirty for Vivian, Helena finished ten.
She'd taken an extra break midway, so worse than Vivian's first day.
"Hahk, huff, haaack…."
I checked Helena's wrist as she collapsed, catching her breath.
Incredibly thin.
Her usual long sleeves hid it, but she was as skinny as Vivian at our first meeting.
Didn't realize her face had so little fat either.
Nineteen, right?
Abbeys don't skimp on meals like orphanages, but still….
I'd heard on the way here about what Salome and others at the abbey did to her.
Stress probably kept her from absorbing nutrients properly.
Her mana flow was wildly unstable too.
"Get up and walk while regulating your breath."
"Yek, got it…!"
Even gasping for air, she listened well.
Walking beside her, I asked.
"Didn't eat much at the abbey?"
"Eh? N-not really! Though not as much as what you gave me, Ian!"
"What about eating then vomiting?"
"……."
"It's fine. No need to answer. Rest up, then we'll go again."
"Yes…!"
Vivian, running far ahead, was looking back instead of forward.
I gestured for her to face front, and she finally did.
"Why was she looking this way?"
Kati staring was normal, but Vivian? First time.
While Vivian finished and Helena recovered, I prepped Helena's next exercise.
Strength training—stuff I skipped with Vivian.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Vivian, after fifty laps, was getting a massage from Mercy.
Post-training massages loosened muscles, so Mercy had handled them till now.
Didn't know why, but they felt great, so Vivian just went along.
'Since Ian told her to.'
She watched Ian and Helena over there.
Helena, drenched in sweat, panted roughly as Ian held her from behind.
"C-can't, do more…!"
"One more time—just one last one!"
"Urgh…!"
Helena was doing pull-ups on the iron bar Ian had pulled from his pocket.
Her stamina was lower than expected, so Ian supported her from below.
"Hold steady on the way down too! Why're you getting heavier?"
"Losing strength!"
"Hold it anyway!"
"Nyaaagh!"
Helena barely hit five before collapsing.
A simple question rose in her mind.
"This kind of training is new…! Why do we have to do this?!"
A valid question.
Vivian was curious too.
No one else trained like Ian.
Ian brushed aside the reasons popping into his head and pulled out a magic word.
"The 1st Hero Party trains like this."
"I'll do it again!"
Helena sprang up, but Ian made her rest more.
In the meantime, Vivian sidled over.
"Can I try too?"
Ian hadn't assigned Vivian strength training since she didn't need it.
But variety in workouts was always good.
No reason to refuse.
"Go ahead."
After months of Ian's diet, endurance, and agility drills, Vivian nailed the pull-ups.
Ian clapped in satisfaction.
As Vivian grinned sheepishly, Helena asked.
"Did everyone in the 1st Hero Party do this?!"
"Kaily and Beatrice did it regularly. Aria almost never. Sylvia sometimes?"
"I want to be like Aria!"
"Aim higher than Aria."
"Y-yes…! I'll do it!"
Helena nodded eagerly at the absurd demand, entranced.
Ian was the first to recognize her worth and potential.
Even an unrealistic goal like surpassing Aria felt possible because it was his words.
'Sylvia did it sometimes too….'
Vivian latched onto that thought.
She'd kept up so well compared to Helena that she didn't need Ian's support.
"As expected of you, Vivian! Amazing…!"
"Hehe, you think so…?"
Blushing at the praise, Vivian felt a twinge of guilt toward Helena.
Back at the orphanage.
She'd seen established kids bully newcomers.
Worried her actions might look that way to Helena.
'We aren't close yet, so I need to be careful….'
*
After a few days of training, Ian defined Helena's level.
'Dullard.'
Vivian had exceeded expectations from day one and grown smoothly after—that was clear genius.
Just held back by her environment.
Helena, excluding defensive miracles, had plenty of shortcomings.
Ian wasn't worried or anxious about it, though.
Worst case, slap on artifacts and holy relics till she was stacked.
He'd picked her for that one stellar defensive miracle anyway.
Still, curiosity and a competitive spark ignited.
'How far can I take this Helena?'
Different from the 1st Hero Party's four, whose growth was guaranteed regardless of personality.
A clear dullard, unlike Vivian.
If she grew enough to make 'dullard' a joke, what would she look like?
He was curious.
'More importantly, she seems anxious about not keeping up lately…. Time for a counseling session soon. Mental state affects performance, so I need to manage that.'
*
Sylvia muttered, piggybacked on Aria's back.
"Reminds me of when I first met Aria. I was scared you'd steal Ian, so I snapped at him and gave you the cold shoulder…."
Back then, Sylvia's feelings hadn't reached love.
Just budding dependency and possessiveness, ignited by Aria's arrival.
She thought she'd been subtle, but to Aria, it was blatant.
Aria had been baffled at first but soon recognized Sylvia's value.
Aria hadn't coveted Ian then either.
She'd wanted other things.
"Shouldn't have done that…. Ian must've been so troubled…. When we should've cooperated…."
Aria didn't reply, but Sylvia kept muttering to herself.
No sobbing or whimpering.
But tears flowed relentlessly, like a river after rain.
"Is this how Ian felt? When he was exiled? No, probably worse…."
"Yeah, that's what it was…. Kicking someone out, declaring you'll never see them again—that's this feeling. Ian must've felt this back then…."
Aria didn't want to hear the ramble.
But she couldn't abandon Sylvia.
"Why does regret always come late? Is there no regret that doesn't? …It's weird, huh…. When Ian taught me letters, we did something like that. Error notebook, I think. After solving problems he made within the study range, I'd review my mistakes. That way, I could see what I did wrong."
"We did that together with Ian…. Why didn't I think to make an error notebook for my life? Why, why on earth…."
It felt like filthy sludge worming into her ears.
Sylvia's inescapable voice dragged Aria's mind back too.
She didn't want to remember.
She could dull her hearing and layer protection on her ears to block it, but too late.
Sylvia's regret had already infected her mind.
She'd wanted it because of Sylvia.
Given it up because of Sylvia.
Now, thinking of him again because of Sylvia.
The situation was pathetic.
"Aria…."
A call seeking response.
"Yes."
"Aria, why did you love Ian?"
"…Pardon?"
Aria nearly stumbled.
"Sorry…. I actually heard it that day…."
Never imagined Sylvia knew.
Careless.
She'd overheard Sylvia by chance; the reverse was entirely possible.
"After that, I got so anxious, and to Ian, I…."
And from some point, she'd been one cause of Sylvia's downward spiral.
Aria hadn't said she loved Ian out of love.
It was pure, emotionless possession.
If Sylvia learned that, what chaos would follow?
"…Aria?"
This emotion was new.
Aria was feeling 'fear' for the first time in her life.