The Birth of a Hero (2)
The berserker from the Southern Kingdom, Hort. He was a man who approached everything with positivity and passion. Even when surrounded by fiends in a life-threatening crisis, a faint smile had lingered on his lips. Yet that same man was now….
“Sister, please save me!”
His face had gone deathly pale as he begged desperately for his life.
“First, calm yourself and stand up.”
All eyes turned in our direction. Hort paid them no mind. He clung to my feet as though he might kiss them at any moment.
“What are you doing to the Saintess?!” Lael moved to pry him off. But Hort resisted fiercely, as if letting go meant certain death.
The commotion drew a crowd. I was already exhausted by the constant stares that came with being the Saintess; this only made it worse.
Agh, seriously…!
I fought down the urge to smack him on the head and spoke in a soothing tone.
“Brother, I’ll listen to whatever you have to say, so please stand up first. You’re causing a disturbance for everyone else by doing this here.”
After a great deal of coaxing, I finally managed to bring Hort to my room.
“Brother Lael, please wait outside.”
“I cannot.”
Lael refused without hesitation.
“That fellow might attempt something untoward toward the Saintess.”
“Untoward?”
“Seeing how freely he places his hands on your body, he may very well harbor impure intentions. Saintess, all men are beasts.”
Coming from someone who had once been a man, the statement felt strangely surreal. Still, I understood Lael’s concern. With Hort’s roguish appearance, it was easy to assume he was the type to chase women.
It was unnecessary worry, though. If anyone tried to touch me with lustful intent, there was no chance I would allow it. I would make them taste the worst pain this world had to offer.
I smiled at Lael. “Then does that make you a beast as well?”
“I-I…!”
Lael waved his hands in a fluster.
“I may be a man, but…! I would never, ever harbor such thoughts toward the Saintess!”
I narrowed my eyes and looked up at him. “Hmm, is that so?”
“I am your guard knight.”
“So if you weren’t my guard knight, you would look at me that way?”
“N-no, that is not what I meant!”
“I’m only teasing.”
His flustered babbling was genuinely entertaining. As expected, people who reacted so well made you want to tease them.
“I’ll call you the moment anything happens.”
“Even so, I cannot allow it.”
“Do you think the person will speak freely if someone else is present during a consultation?”
Lael let out a low groan, clearly torn. In the end he sighed and nodded.
“If you sense even the slightest hint of anything strange, you must call for me immediately.”
“Of course.”
I stepped into the room. Hort sat perfectly straight on the sofa, waiting.
“So……”
I took the seat across from him.
“What do you mean by ‘save me’?”
“Sister, ever since that day I’ve been suffering so badly I feel like I’m going to die.”
“Wait, hold on.”
I cut Hort off before he could continue.
“I’ve been wondering this whole time—what is that title? Why do you keep calling me ‘Sister’?”
“I address those I acknowledge as strong as ‘Brother’ or ‘Sister.’ Therefore, I call you Sister because you are one.”
“Do not call me Sister.”
“Then may I call you Brother?”
“No. I mean stop using either of those titles.”
If a hulking man like him went around calling the Saintess “Sister,” what would people think? I wanted to avoid troublesome situations as much as possible.
“Not being allowed to call you Sister…!”
Hort groaned as though deeply wounded. Was this really something worth getting so upset over? The people of the Southern Kingdom were certainly unique, but this man was on another level.
“Sigh… When it’s just the two of us, you may call me whatever you like. Just don’t do it in front of others.”
Hort’s face lit up instantly.
“Understood!!”
His booming voice echoed through the room. I frowned and covered my ears.
“Getting back to the main issue… What exactly is the problem? Why did you suddenly beg me to save you?”
“Because of you, Sister, my position has become unbearable!”
“Because of me?”
“Do you have any idea how difficult my situation has become after you announced that I defeated the fiend?”
One week earlier, during the fiend incident, our party had agreed to give all the credit to Hort.
I had little interest in claiming achievements. More importantly, if word spread that the Saintess had taken down a fiend with a single sword, it would tarnish the image of the Heavenly God Church’s Saintess. That was why we needed to conceal my involvement.
Was that truly so important? I had wondered at the time, but—
The Saintess must always behave like a Saintess.
As one of the symbols of the Heavenly God Church, please be mindful of your conduct.
Those were the words the cardinal had drilled into me during a week of Saintess training at the grand cathedral. It had bordered on brainwashing.
“I was summoned by the academy dean and forced to accept his gratitude. The other students now look at me like some kind of hero. Everywhere I go, people are chattering about my story.”
Hort listed off his troubles one after another.
“Hmm… Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It would be if they were my accomplishments. But being treated as a hero for someone else’s deeds weighs on my conscience.”
I wanted to tell him to just enjoy it, but someone as straightforward as Hort clearly couldn’t take pleasure in living a lie.
“Still, what can we do about it?”
I rested my chin on my hand.
“Please endure it for my sake.”
“But was it truly necessary to hide the truth?”
Hort asked, genuinely puzzled.
“I don’t understand why you would conceal your power, Sister.”
“It’s not that I want to hide it. The Papal Court ordered me to conceal it, so what choice do I have?”
They claimed this was how an ideal Saintess should behave.
“No, what can they actually do about it? If you wish to use swordsmanship in front of others, what power do they have to stop you?”
Now that he mentioned it…
“You have a point.”
I had assumed he was nothing more than a battle-obsessed fool, but Hort was apparently capable of rational thought. And he was right. The Papal Court had told me to hide my swordsmanship, but there was nothing they could actually do if I chose to use it. Would they expel the Saintess?
I hadn’t needed to be so obedient. I had been too obedient.
“So let’s be frank.”
I shook my head.
“We’ll simply say this incident was your doing, Brother.”
Explaining everything from beginning to end again would be tedious. There was no need to reveal the truth at this point. The fiend had been defeated; that was all that mattered.
“Rather, why not turn this into an opportunity?”
“An opportunity…?”
“Since people already see you as a hero, strive to become a true one. Turn the falsehood into reality. I believe you have the talent to become a genuine hero.”
I mixed in suitable praise.
“…I see!”
Whether one called it simplicity or positivity, his reaction was immediate.
“If people view me as a hero, then I simply need to become a real hero!”
“Exactly.”
“And to think you held such expectations for me, Sister.”
“Expectations?”
“Understood. If you wish for me to become a hero, then from this day forward I will train even harder in swordsmanship to fulfill that role.”
When had I ever said I held expectations? I had only said he possessed the talent. Still, it wasn’t as if I didn’t anticipate his growth. Anyone who could grip his sword so firmly even in front of fiends was destined for greatness.
“Yes. Do your best.”
Hort’s face brightened as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
This was the first time I had conducted a serious consultation. In the past few days several people had come seeking private meetings under the pretext of “consultation.” Perhaps I had a talent for this?
“Oh, that’s right. You mentioned the fiend’s true identity was an assistant professor in the Swordsmanship Department?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Do you know anything more about the matter?”
Hort shook his head.
“Have you ever been inside the assistant professor’s room?”
“No.”
Hmm… Not helpful at all.
“Do you at least know where it is?”
“That much I do know.”
The Swordsmanship Department’s faculty dormitory. The last room at the end of the second floor. That was what Hort told me.
“Could you guide me there?”
“I can guide you, but access is currently impossible. The Magic Department is investigating the room, and they’ve erected a magical barrier that prevents anyone except authorized personnel from entering.”
“That’s not a problem.”
There was no reason to refuse the Saintess’s request—especially when it involved searching for clues related to the transaction together.
“Just lead the way.”
“As you wish.”
We left the room.
“Saintess, nothing happened, correct?”
The moment I stepped out, Lael examined me anxiously.
“I told you it was unnecessary worry.”
I let out a soft laugh.
“Never mind that. We’re heading to the Swordsmanship Department now.”
“What business do you have there?”
“The fiend turned out to be an assistant professor in the Swordsmanship Department. I want to investigate his room.”
“Understood. I will guide you immediately.”
“I’ll be the one guiding her,” Hort interjected.
Lael turned to look at him, his eyes filled with clear displeasure.
“You go back.”
His tone had grown icy. It seemed Lael had taken a strong dislike to Hort. Given what had happened on the first floor, that was understandable.
“I’m afraid I can’t. The Saintess herself asked me to guide her personally.”
Lael looked at me as if seeking confirmation.
“He is a student of the Swordsmanship Department.”
“I am also a student of the Swordsmanship Department.”
“Even so, you reside in this dormitory. When investigating the Swordsmanship Department’s dormitory, it makes more sense to ask someone who actually lives there to show the way.”
“As expected of the Saintess!”
Hort chimed in enthusiastically after nearly every sentence.
“…Very well.”
Lael shot Hort a sharp glare.
“You will walk ten steps ahead of us.”
The two of them continued bickering. No matter what Lael said, Hort brushed it off with cheerful ease.
Sigh…
Perhaps I should have sent Hort away and slipped out through the window instead. I was beginning to regret asking for an escort.