Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Words as Shackles or Salvation (5)
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Words can be shackles or salvation.
"......"
Veronica and the heroes, along with the knights, rushed back in a hurry.
According to Baron Strau, it had seemed like a dire crisis.
But what they actually saw upon arrival was...
"Kuaaaagh!"
"Kragh!"
On the contrary, the rampaging trolls were the ones in peril.
Whenever something enveloped in light darted through the trolls, they were sliced to pieces, spraying blood everywhere.
"Wh-what in the world is..."
At first, they were utterly bewildered.
But being the most skilled among those present, they quickly identified the streak of light.
'Someone's massacring the trolls.'
Veronica was the first to realize it.
As the one most accustomed to speed, she even caught a glimpse of the woman within the fleeting light.
"...A girl? Red hair...?"
One of the heroes, hearing the description, let out an incredulous chuckle.
"Hah, that absurd aura manifestation... I had my suspicions. Jenny Harkur's here...?"
Jenny Harkur.
The third daughter of the famed late Marquis Harkur, known for graduating at the top of Hero Academy's history.
And even after becoming a Hero, she was recognized for solo operations, racking up incredible feats on her own.
"Jenny Harkur? Why is she here...?"
The knight captain of Hasler's private knights wondered why she, who should have been diligently carrying out missions, had suddenly appeared.
'When I contacted the Hero Management Bureau, they said they had no manpower and could only send heroes...'
In fact, only heroes had been dispatched, and they'd been scouring the Ode Marshes until just now, now standing beside the knight captain.
He hadn't heard anything about a Hero being sent.
Could the Hero Management Bureau have anticipated this Troll Lord's uniqueness and the troll horde's rampage in advance...?
'No, that lazy organization wouldn't bother.'
This was something else.
The true 'righteous spirit' shown by a few responsible Heroes or heroes.
Helping those in genuine crisis on their own, not as a mission.
It was clearly voluntary action.
"No way, what the hell is that bitch doing?! Those trolls are our kills!"
At that moment, oblivious Dayrun started throwing a fit.
He genuinely believed he and the heroes—or even he alone—could handle the situation.
But...
"You lunatic, shut your mouth."
The other heroes thought differently.
"Jenny Harkur's a Hero. Way more important than us."
"Piss her off, and you're done for."
Unlike Dayrun, these were seasoned heroes with plenty of experience.
They understood the world's structure perfectly.
Heroes were just the Hero's attendants.
Clean-up crew for missions too trivial for the Hero's party or the Hero herself.
People praised heroes as amazing, but compared to a Hero, they were nothing.
Especially Jenny Harkur, the rising star with the world's eyes on her.
Heroes like them, not widely known even in the Empire, could vanish without a trace if they upset her.
"B-but... we're heroes too..."
Dayrun stammered in confusion.
No, they were all proud heroes like him.
They'd mocked commoners and the powerless freely until now.
Why the sudden change? Dayrun couldn't comprehend.
"...Heroes are easier to replace than Heroes."
"Never cross a Hero, no matter what."
'Hmph! Hero or hero, they're both important in this world. Just different names, right?'
Seeing them cower at the mere word "Hero," he dismissed them as cowards.
#
With Jenny handling most of the rampaging trolls.
The rest were dealt with by B-rank or higher adventurers and knights who could manage them easily, plus the returning heroes.
Since she'd taken out nearly half alone and was still massacring them.
The leftovers weren't much trouble.
The rampaging trolls were strong, but ultimately top-tier C-rank monsters.
No matter the numbers, with heroes, S-rank adventurers, and more on their side, they were being steadily cleared.
Once the crisis was mostly resolved...
"Hehe, I'm back, big bro. Sorry I'm late."
Even so, expending that much aura and stamina had worn her out, so Jenny returned first to rest.
With the rampaging trolls nearly wiped out, her absence from the field was no issue.
"As I said earlier, you arrived right on time, Miss Jenny."
Jenny finally reunited with Kane.
Of course, by calendar, it hadn't been that long.
A month or two, maybe?
But to her, that time had felt like decades.
The one always supporting her, comforting her, guiding her.
Perhaps her most precious person.
His absence had been unbearably tough.
But she couldn't cling to him like a child.
Because she had to become the 'outstanding Hero' he'd hoped for.
'Still...'
Still, this should be fine.
"I think I've become a pretty great Hero, like you wanted, big bro?"
Her face, saying that, seemed faintly bitter for some reason.
"......"
No, it wasn't his imagination.
At least Kane realized it was her true feelings.
Having been by her side as a brother and mentor all this time, he knew.
"...Is it hard?"
How much of a shackle his words had become for her.
How much they were tormenting her.
"...Huh? Oh, no! What would be hard? I'm totally fine."
Jenny realized she'd let her true feelings slip and hurriedly masked her expression.
But it was a forced smile.
Her weary heart still lingered beneath.
It was understandable.
Due to her gentle nature, her superiors kept dumping missions no other Hero would touch.
And because she was a Harkur daughter.
The top graduate.
They expected the world from her, and made no secret of their disappointment if she fell short.
An overwhelming workload.
Unrealistic expectations and arbitrary letdowns.
Stubborn superiors who ignored her input.
It was exhausting.
Already at her limit without Kane by her side.
The more she Hero-ed, the more her spirit wore down.
What held her was just one thing.
Kane's wish for her to become an outstanding Hero.
And yet.
"...Honestly, it feels a bit tough lately."
Maybe from overusing her stamina and mental strength recently.
She unwittingly poured out her inner thoughts to him.
The bizarre teammate assignment.
The excessive workload.
Trash superiors...
Once her mouth opened, it wouldn't stop, spilling every grievance.
'Huh? Why am I telling big bro this...'
The thought crossed her mind, but Jenny didn't stop.
With her most reliable person, voicing her pent-up feelings made her worn spirit heal bit by bit.
"......"
"......"
After spilling it all.
A sudden realization hit her.
'...Wait, isn't this basically complaining that it turned out this way because big bro told me to be a Hero?'
It had somehow turned into blaming him.
Not her intention.
As she hurried to explain.
"...I said that because I wanted you to become a strong Hero, Miss Jenny, so you could live freely and happily as you wished."
Kane, who had listened quietly, bowed his head deeply.
"I never wanted you to suffer like this."
He let out a heavy sigh.
As if berating his own pathetic self.
"...I'm sorry."
He knew well that Jenny's kind, ambitionless nature meant half-measures would just lead to exploitation.
That's why he wanted her stronger than anyone, strong enough to smash those who tried to use her.
His words about becoming a strong, outstanding Hero meant that.
When she said she'd be a Hero to save people, he thought he'd respect her choice.
But to think his words had shackled her into the 'exploited Hero' he least wanted.
Too focused on his adventurer instructor duties, he'd neglected her.
And even asked for her help despite her busy schedule.
"I have no face to show you, miss."
"No, big bro, why are you apologizing? It was just a misunderstanding."
Even so, she smiled for him.
Still called him big bro.
"...Thank you."
Truly, what a good little sister, he thought.
'Marquis Harkur... your daughter has grown up right.'
Strong and kind.
The perfect Hero.
That's why Kane resolved himself.
"Do you have to stay with the Empire?"
He needed to pull her from being an Imperial Hero.
From the Hero Management Bureau.
"A Hero saves people from crisis. But you can do relief work without belonging to a nation."
Of course, major national missions went to the Hero Management Bureau, becoming Heroes' duties.
But the world's crises weren't just those.
Personal commissions from the Adventurer's Guild, or spotting demon precursors while passing by.
'The Hero Management Bureau is broken. They fix only a tiny fraction of problems and mistake it for true salvation.'
Bureau Heroes and heroes handled only pre-filtered, template missions.
But adventurers?
They could take any paying commission freely.
And if you were a famed adventurer like Scarlett or Veronica.
Missions too dangerous even for the Bureau came as priority requests.
So, if rising star Jenny switched to adventurer?
How many incredible commissions would pour in?
Maybe even more than the Bureau would seek her out first.
"Miss Jenny, perhaps..."
"Should I quit right now and become an adventurer?"
"...Pardon?"
Before Kane could finish, Jenny grinned.
"Looks like the misunderstanding's cleared up. From what you're saying, you want me to quit being a Hero and go adventurer, right?"
"...Y-yes, that's right...?"
Kane answered blankly, and Jenny nodded.
"Okay then. I'll quit and come right back."
"Pardon...? Wait, can you really quit being a Hero that easily...?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah~ All I have to do is return this."
To the flustered Kane, she pointed to the Hero-emblem badge on her chest.
'...N-no way it's that simple...'
Of course Kane knew.
Heroes were nationally vital assets; quitting wasn't easy.
So when suggesting she quit and transfer to adventurer, he'd figured at least three years battling the Bureau.
But... just like that?
"Don't worry. I'll be right back~!"
Jenny immediately set off for the capital.
"......"
Kane stared blankly, then thought.
'Miss Jenny... was she always this decisive...?'
For some reason, it felt a bit different from the girl he knew.