Chapter 75: Shedia
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: Shedia
“Cloud. The way you’re talking… it sounds like you’re planning to leave us here and go somewhere. Am I right?”
Cloud nodded at Eri’s words.
“Where are you planning to go?”
“I’m thinking of visiting the Alitia Kingdom, the Empire, and the Policia Duchy. I might even stop by the Carta Kingdom.”
“That’s practically a tour of the entire continent… This isn’t just a short trip. Cloud, be honest with me. Do you not need us anymore?”
Eri had been relentlessly bullied in Lorian’s party. The harassment wasn’t direct, like beatings or insults.
Lorian, the core of the party, disliked such vulgar behavior.
Because of that, they had always been indirect, ignoring or persecuting her in roundabout ways.
This made Eri a bit sensitive to that kind of phrasing. It was only natural that his words—saying he would leave the three of them in the capital and travel the continent—felt like he was abandoning them.
“Is that… really true?” Neria asked, her voice trembling.
Cloud doesn’t need us… doesn’t need me anymore? Why?
A torrent of thoughts rushed through her mind.
The time she left the party, leaving Cloud behind.
The fact that Cloud knew her shame.
The time she lost to Mars in a simple sword fight.
The way Cloud seemed closer to Frillite than to her.
Too many memories were surfacing.
Neria’s face turned deathly pale.
Her mind went blank, and she couldn’t even begin to think of what to say.
While she stood there, her mouth agape, Eri spoke.
“If there’s something we’re lacking, tell me. I’ll fix it. I’ll work harder than I did in the dungeon if you want.”
For once, Eri didn’t let her pride get in the way. She humbled herself, willing to accept anything he wanted.
Neria finally snapped out of her daze and nodded vigorously.
“I-I’ll work harder than before, too. I’ll do whatever it takes not to be a burden…”
Neria’s eyes trembled.
Looking at her face, which seemed on the verge of tears, Cloud let out a deep sigh.
“When did I ever say I was abandoning you? We’re just parting ways for a while to achieve a goal.”
“That’s the same…”
“It’s different.”
Cloud cut Eri off, his tone more serious than before.
“As you all know, I’m the Hero. I have a duty to protect the citizens from the demons. To fulfill that duty, there are times when comrades must separate for a while. Now is one of those times.”
Cloud had a lot to do.
He had to recruit new companions and find the equipment left behind by past Heroes before the Four Heavenly Kings descended.
If something went wrong and he was delayed, a terrible situation could unfold where they would have to face the Four Heavenly Kings without a Hero.
That was why the existing party members needed to hunt down demon spies and delay the Kings’ arrival as much as possible.
“And besides, have I ever once tried to give up on you, even if I pushed you a little hard? I haven’t. I’ve always tried to put the past behind us and treat you like before. So, to be honest, your reaction right now is quite baffling.”
Eri and Neria fell silent.
They had grown so comfortable with him lately that they often forgot what they had done to him in the past. Realizing that his attitude had been a form of consideration, they understood just how rude their recent remarks had been.
A long silence followed.
Not just Neria, but even Eri couldn’t figure out how to break it.
She was so ashamed of her own rashness that her lips felt heavy.
“It looks like you need some time to sort out your thoughts. Let’s rest for today and talk again tomorrow.”
Breaking the long silence, Cloud left the table and went upstairs.
The table remained quiet even after he was gone.
A moment later, Eri pushed her bangs back and leaned against her chair. She turned her head to look at the other two.
Neria was staring blankly at the table. From her sorrowful expression, Eri could guess what she was thinking without having to ask.
Ophelia had finished her meal and was praying quietly.
Eri spoke to her.
“Ophelia, are you okay with this? You haven’t seemed shaken from the start…”
Ophelia stopped her prayer and opened her eyes.
What should she tell Eri?
The reason Ophelia wasn’t shaken was because of something Cloud had done recently.
When the Archbishop suggested replacing her as a Saint Candidate, Cloud had refused. Instead, he had smacked the back of the despondent Ophelia’s head and told her it was time to go, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Ophelia could never forget the stinging pain from that moment.
She could never forget the look on his face, as if he were looking at something pathetic.
As long as those memories remained etched in her mind, her faith in the Hero would never waver.
However, it felt a bit much to explain all of that in detail, so she kept it simple.
“I just know the Hero isn’t the kind of person to do something like that.”
Eri gave a bitter smile at Ophelia’s words.
“You’re right about that… I’m going up first.”
She still had food left, but she was no longer in the mood to eat.
Eri climbed the stairs and entered her room.
Lying on her bed, she tried to organize her thoughts.
I understand what Cloud said about having to part ways for the sake of his duty. But…
The thought of being separated from Cloud made her heart heavy.
She had a rough idea why.
Cloud was one of the few people who acknowledged and respected her. She probably didn’t want to be away from someone like that.
…But Neria and Ophelia acknowledge me, too.
Cloud wasn’t the only one who acknowledged her.
Neria and Ophelia did as well.
Even if Cloud left for a while, those two would still be here, so she shouldn’t feel this down.
There was something else that was strange.
If she did as Cloud said and things went well, she could stop the demons’ vile plans with her own hands.
If that happened, she would not only gain the recognition of the royal family but also be treated as a hero by the citizens.
That was something Eri had dreamed of her entire life.
It was on a completely different level from being acknowledged by one person, Cloud.
And yet, her heart wasn’t moved at all.
Of course, she would feel good to receive that much recognition, but the thought of Cloud not being there made it feel empty.
What if Cloud was there, on the other hand?
What if he placed his hand on her head and praised her, just like he did in Roberton?
Thump-thump.
A thrilling sensation rose from her chest, and a great sense of fulfillment filled the space within.
This feeling had continued ever since the incident in Roberton.
At this point, Eri had no choice but to admit it.
She had come to crave the acknowledgment of Cloud alone more than the acknowledgment of everyone else.
His smile.
His touch.
They had made her this way.
Once she admitted it, her heart felt at ease.
…Tomorrow, I have to convince him to let me follow him, no matter what.
Eri thought about how she would apologize to Cloud and how they could solve the problems in the capital.
After a sleepless night, she had perfected her apology.
However, she couldn’t come up with any special solution for the capital’s issues.
…If the four of us put our heads together, we’ll figure something out.
With that thought, Eri tidied her disheveled appearance.
She went to Cloud’s room and knocked softly on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Cloud? It’s me, Eri.”
Knock, knock.
“Cloud? Are you sleeping?”
She knocked several more times, but there was no answer. The more she knocked, the more anxious she became. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Eri grabbed the doorknob.
Creeak.
The door was unlocked.
Eri swallowed hard and stepped into the room.
The room was completely empty.
Except for a piece of paper on the table.
With trembling hands, Eri unfolded the paper.
===================================
To Eri, Neria, and Ophelia,
By the time you read this letter, I’ll probably have already left the capital.
I apologize for leaving like this after saying we’d talk tomorrow.
I know this is sudden, and you might feel betrayed, but I had no other choice.
Seeing your reactions, I didn’t think you’d be convinced no matter what I said. And I don’t have the luxury of time to persuade each of you.
That’s why I had to resort to this drastic measure.
After reading this, don’t even think about trying to find me on your own. If our paths get crossed, we’ll end up with a Hero’s party without a Hero.
Got it?
I’m leaving the capital in your hands.
To be honest, what you do from now on is your choice.
You’re not the Hero, after all.
But if you leave the capital, I’ll personally be very disappointed.
================================
Eri’s hand, holding the letter, trembled.
Her heart screamed at her to chase after Cloud immediately, but the word ‘disappointed’ in the letter held her back.
For someone who craved Cloud’s approval, the disappointment he mentioned weighed on her heavily.
In the end, shackled by the thought of ‘Cloud’s disappointment,’ all Eri could do was sink to the floor, powerless.
“Eri? What are you doing in Cloud’s room…?”
It was Neria, who had come upstairs, finding it strange that neither Cloud nor Eri had come down for their meal.
“Huh…? Wha-what??”
She read the letter and shook her head.
“N-no… this isn’t… this is a dream!”
Denying reality, she began slamming her head against the inn’s wall, saying she needed to wake up.
If only she could knock herself out, but the body of a level 40 was incredibly durable.
Crash!
The inn wall couldn’t withstand Neria’s repeated headbutts and collapsed.
Ophelia paid for the damages.
*
The Alitia Kingdom, a haven of crime and pleasure.
Though a kingdom, the king held almost no real power. The royal family was nothing more than a hollow scarecrow, with a dark force pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
That force was the criminal organization, the Snake Venom Society.
The Snake Venom Society had not one, but four heads.
They were the True Ancestors, each with their own family.
These immortal beings had settled in the Alitia Kingdom long ago and had been controlling it for hundreds of years.
One of these True Ancestors, Kelidon, spoke with an expressionless face.
“Did I hear correctly? The 3rd Unit has been annihilated?”
At the True Ancestor’s voice, the survivor from the 3rd Unit trembled. To a mere lower vampire like him, even the True Ancestor’s voice was an object of terror.
“One survived, but even he was intentionally let go, so it would be correct to consider it a total annihilation.”
“I find that hard to believe. The 3rd Unit may be a half-measure, but they are still one of my claws. Their opponent was the Hero, but he is an incomplete one at that. To think that whelps who couldn’t even handle a single half-baked Hero have been calling themselves my claws… How unpleasant.”
Kelidon’s eyebrows, which had been impassive, twitched slightly. At the same time, his second-in-command, Raymond, thrust his hand through the lower vampire’s chest and seized his heart.
“Gah, gack… T-True Ancestor… please, have mercy…”
“My master’s mercy is not something to be wasted on the likes of you.”
Raymond squeezed his fingers, crushing the lower vampire’s heart.
The lower vampire collapsed with a thud.
Raymond wiped the filth from his hand with a handkerchief.
“Raymond.”
“Yes, Master.”
“What is the strength of the 3rd Assassination Unit? Are they weak enough to be defeated by a half-baked Hero?”
“In the past, I would have shaken my head without hesitation. They may be inferior, but a family is a family. However, if the recent rumors about the Hero are true, I cannot give you a definite answer.”
“The result is lying right there, and you cannot give me a definite answer?”
Kelidon pointed at the dead vampire.
“Their mission was subjugation, not assassination. It’s possible they couldn’t display their full abilities.”
“They had numerical superiority and the element of surprise. To say they couldn’t display their full abilities is nothing more than an excuse.”
Kelidon stared at the dead vampire.
I thought this would be an easy task. It seems I misjudged.
Not long ago, a spy planted in the Hailey Family had brought back a crucial piece of information.
Hailey had ignored a request from Gis. From what he heard, it wasn’t even an unreasonable request. Just send an assassin to intimidate Cloud, not kill him.
Kelidon found it strange that Hailey would refuse such a simple request.
But it was too good an opportunity to pass up just because it was strange.
It was a chance to pull Gis’s trust, which had been exclusively directed at Hailey, over to his side.
If he played this opportunity right, he could diminish Hailey’s standing and elevate his own.
I thought it was purely sweet, but it seems there was a faint trace of poison.
But the fruit was so sweet that the poison was negligible.
It wasn’t something to give up on just for losing a single claw.
Kelidon gave Raymond an order.
“Send the 1st Unit and Shedia.”
“…My apologies, Master. Unlike the 3rd Unit, the 1st Unit is composed of rather noble bloodlines. They will consider it an insult to be placed on the same level as Shedia.”
“I want this matter to succeed without fail. Shedia’s bloodline is undoubtedly filthy, but it is also true that she is our only success. Bring anyone who complains to me. I will personally snuff out their life.”
A faint anger laced Kelidon’s voice. In the face of the True Ancestor’s wrath, all Raymond could do was bow his head.
“…Yes, I will obey your command.”
Raymond exited the True Ancestor’s room, his head still bowed.
His expression was dark.
“I hope the 1st Unit doesn’t let their emotions ruin the mission.”
After all, if the Hero were to die, it would cause an uproar across the continent.
Raymond sighed as he walked down the corridor.
*
I lay on my bed, killing time by tossing a crumpled ball of paper into the air and catching it.
For the record, this paper ball was a warning from Adreana.
A warning that Gis would be sending assassins and that I should lay low for a while.
Thanks to this warning, I managed to avoid causing a commotion in the city.
Anyway, they should be here soon…
I took out the moonstone necklace from my pocket. It was a gift from the Empress of the Empire.
“Will this really work?”
It was something werewolves were said to go crazy for.