Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: What Did I Even Do? (7)
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# 175
Hiiiing!
“Run, horse!”
The horse lets out a scream under the fierce crack of the whip.
“Dad, it’s too fast!”
My daughter’s scream echoes around us, but there’s no helping it.
The carriage is slow. Of course, it’s faster than going on foot.
But this is the royal capital—they could easily catch up on fine steeds at any moment.
My pursuers are from the Church of Nature.
I don’t know when they’ll catch on, but those tenacious bastards won’t let me go that easily.
“Now the other churches will come chasing after Master too, right?”
I nodded at the iron bat cackling gleefully beside me.
“Yeah. But I’m more scared of the ancient dragon.”
Honestly, dragons are just something I’ve heard about… I did see one once after buying an egg for seven silvers!
Still, this is the first time I’ve seen traces of a battle with one called an ancient dragon.
Did it even fight back? Judging by the damage, it might’ve just gotten one-sidedly pummeled.
In times like this, running is the best policy. No, running is the only policy!
“Master, something’s over there?”
“In these mountains?”
I’d taken a mountain path too narrow for the carriage with its flashy maneuvers.
We’re racing along, not knowing when the wheels might snap, and there’s a person?
“Hmm… Am I seeing things? Looks like they’re wearing ridiculously expensive clothes…”
“Master’s eyes don’t lie. And it’s a fancy maid outfit!”
Maids of the imperial court don’t dress like that.
Unlike noble-born handmaidens, the maids who do menial work are commoners.
No matter how much training they get, they’re not used to living in outfits that flashy.
“Better to just pass by?”
“You could get dragged into some weird incident even in a situation like this, Master.”
It was a realistic comment from the iron bat, even if disappointing.
So we should just ignore and keep going.
“That looks like magic…”
A blue flash, and an ice wall springs up.
“Ugh…”
Not many people who can use magic would wear a maid outfit that ornate.
“Please help us. I am Serel di Kainel, the exclusive maid serving Princess Vera.”
Even in a situation like this, she greets us with perfect etiquette—definitely noble-born.
Well, a handmaiden. An exclusive one to a princess isn’t out of the question for high nobility!
“Princess Vera has just been captured by the evil dragon Arketai.”
Yeah, I know.
I was just with her brother, that guy.
“Princess Vera is…”
I’m not even paying attention, but she’s about to launch into a long-winded explanation.
The only Vera I know is the ice cream shop, and that’s more than enough.
So hurry up and melt that ice wall, then knock her out with the iron bat to the back of the head…
“Wait!”
“There’s a carriage over there!”
- Busted?
- Damn it!
The maid reacts to voices coming from afar!
“Over here!”
“Serel!”
“As expected, Hero’s master!”
“The Hero was right about you tracking the dragon’s traces first!”
What the hell is this barrage of nonsense? Tracking traces? Me?
- Looks like the Hero pulled some strings? He’s been calling you his master so hard—hard to say you ran away now.
- That idiot got this clever?
If he’d just said honestly that I ran, they might not have sent people.
They’d need to focus on the dragon fight!
But if he says I’m tracking the dragon’s traces so come find me quick? They’d chase full force?
“Master!”
I’m seriously debating whether I can knock out everyone here and escape with my daughter when the Hero waves and runs toward me.
- All right, Master, time to choose. One kingdom and Hero party vs. a dragon sealed for 20,000 years! What’s your pick?
- I wanna beat them all down and bolt to the other side of the continent with Daughter!
Behind the Hero were over a hundred soldiers.
From their gear, elite troops.
No, for this kingdom’s standards, it’s their top forces.
“You’re the Hero?”
“Yes, Serel. This is Swin, the Hero of Light, who will rescue Princess Vera!”
Amid it all, the maid in the outfit beside her sheds tears and offers thanks.
“Thank you… Thank you, Hero… And Hero’s master, thank you so much!”
No, don’t thank me.
I have zero intention of rescuing that Ice Cream Princess, so just leave me alone!
“Since there are witnesses now, it’d be best to calmly head to the royal castle and talk it out, Master.”
The Hero speaks with emotion thick in his voice.
- He’s mad! Master ran, so Hero’s pissed!
- No way, he took the Hero quest for a dragon raid himself—why take it out on me!
- Stress relief?
I’m the one who should be venting stress.
Who drags their sky-like master into a death sentence like a dragon raid?
- He’s too sky-like, can’t tell the difference? Sky-level, so he wants to send you to the actual sky?
Kya… I hadn’t thought of that.
A master so sky-like he wants to send him to the sky!
“Ellis is coming along too, so let’s head out.”
This bastard’s dragging my daughter’s name into it?
- How dare he threaten with my second little sis! Master, let’s just smash everyone and run!
The iron bat calling my daughter little sis seems pissed at the Hero too.
They’re all gonna join the dragon raid and die anyway—better they pass out here from an iron bat hit…
“Fine. To the royal castle.”
“Huh?”
The Hero looks flustered at my response.
“What are you doing! Ice C… No! Princess Vera’s been taken by the wicked evil dragon—we don’t have time!”
“Y-Yes…”
He seems really thrown by my confident shout.
- You’ve finally lost it, Master! Walking into a dragon raid on your own two feet!
- No, this is our chance! We can bury the Hero here!
- W-Wait, really?
- Yeah… Borrowed knife strat! Support the Hero hard… until he’s in a 1-on-1 with the dragon!
- A human vs. dragon 1-on-1? Possible?
- That’s why I’m making him do it. He’s the Church of Nature Hero, optimized for survival—might escape alive if he’s good.
- If he’s good. Really good! Normally he’d die! You’re evil, Master! Villain!
- Hey, former villain!
At minimum, I’ll buy time to escape while he fights the dragon.
If he dies, it’s not my fault. Right, God of Nature?
“No time! The foe’s an evil dragon! Think of the princess trembling in fear right now!”
“Even against a dragon, he prioritizes the princess…”
“As expected of the Hero’s master—such magnanimity!”
“That’s why the Hero of Light achieved all those feats!”
- Argh! What kinda bullshit is that! Full of crap that doesn’t match Master at all! Kids, you’re being fooled! You’re all fooled!
The nearby knights and soldiers’ words make the iron bat scream.
The Hero stares at me with the same urge to scream, held back by the eyes on him.
His lips move like he’s mouthing [What the hell are you doing?!]
This is all your own doing.
Should’ve let me go quietly.
“The disciple says to quickly regroup and head back to the castle! Hurry it up!”
“Hero’s command! Move!”
We decide to take the princess’s maid on my carriage as they mount their horses.
“What’re you doing? Didn’t you say we need to get to the castle fast?”
Before boarding, I flash a mocking smile at the Hero still staring blankly.
“All these people are waiting on you alone. Time to go?”
Now, what awaits you is…
A solo dragon raid that’ll become legend, one way or another!
#4 Their Circumstances: A Daughter’s Circumstances.
The rattling of the carriage finally stops.
“Ugh…”
I quickly hop off and calm my queasy stomach.
“Carse sick? Want big sis to pat your back?”
“N-No!”
My approaching big sis smiles brightly and says something terrifying.
“Tch.”
“Don’t pout!”
I keep patting my chest while watching her step back with a click of her tongue.
Lately, it feels like I’m in a carriage all day.
Sleep in the carriage, wake in the carriage, get out, get back in…
House burned down, so the carriage became home.
“Th-That’s why Dad said getting my own house is important…”
When Dad took part of my allowance to save for my future house, I was disappointed.
Who knew a house was this vital!
Dad was right—life away from home is tough!
“Gotta listen to Dad more.”
With my stomach settled, I hug Misha and Kkoko and chase after Dad.
“Dad!”
“Ellis!”
Hugging Misha and Kkoko, I carefully slip into Dad’s arms.
Feels like ages since I hugged Dad.
Until recently, it was morning, noon, and night hugs!
“Dad, you’ve been neglecting me lately!”
I whine a bit from his embrace.
“Sorry. Lately this annoying Hero’s been sticking to me.”
“Evil Hero!”
I thought Heroes were all cool and kind, but destroying families? What a jerk!
“Dad, how long you gonna travel with the Hero?”
Since the Hero came, it’s nonstop carriage life.
I know he’s Dad’s former disciple, doing lots for the world.
But Dad said it.
Petit bourgeois gotta live petit bourgeois lives!
Our totally normal(?) family is petit bourgeois of petit bourgeois.
So we can’t hang with outrageous Heroes!
Dad said never get close to royals, nobles, their bastards, or people with shady pasts—and Heroes!
Yet here’s Dad dragging the Hero everywhere!
And their talks? All about fighting dragons.
Dragons are so cute!
Just look at our Kkoko!
Even if there’s a bad dragon with a name like big sis’s, a scolding would set it straight.
Or a little(?) punishment from big sis, and it’d behave.
“Sorry. But soon we’ll be back to farming like old times.”
“Really?”
I look up at Dad with sparkling eyes.
Farming’s fun.
Super hard and tiring, but always fun with Dad!
And that thrill when the crops you slaved over grow strong, become tasty food on the table!
Only farmers know that thrill.
“Yeah. So can our daughter wait just a bit longer?”
“Yeah!”
“Good girl, good girl.”
I waited for Dad in the castle, eating yummy food.
Folding fingers to count days—one, two…
When ten fingers weren’t enough, rumors spread through the castle.
The brave Hero’s off to hunt a dragon!
#5 Their Circumstances: A Certain Hero’s Circumstances.
What went wrong?
“Long live the Hero!”
“May the gods bless the Hero of Light, Swin!”
Cheers and encouragement from the cheering crowds as I advance.
“To take down that evil dragon Arketai alone!”
“No Hero in the continent—or history—has shown such courage!”
“He’s the model for all Heroes!”
I come to in the castle after getting pushed around everywhere, and now the whole kingdom’s buzzing that I’m off to solo the dragon.
“The great hero, Hero of Light Swin, sets forth!”
“Long live His Majesty! Long live Hero of Light Swin!”
The king himself bows to me and shouts, so I head alone toward the evil dragon Arketai’s temporary lair to fight, parting from my party.
…How did it come to this?!