Hero Selen (1)

"Liam, please just behave yourself for once and don't cause any trouble."

I swallowed the urge to put my fist through his jaw and repeated the warning for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Don't worry about it."

That slick tone. That grinning face. Anyone with eyes could tell he was letting half of what I said go in one ear and out the other.

"If you start another incident, I swear I'll take a club to you this time."

"I've really changed. I'm a different person now, I mean it."

How many times had he declared he'd changed? The fact that he never actually did, no matter how often he got lectured, was a talent in its own right.

"And keep your dick to yourself. How much more seed do you have to sow before you're satisfied?"

"I promise I'll just drink and hang out today. I swear it on the Goddess."

Invoking the Goddess was his way of asking me to recognize that he was being serious — at least by his own standards.

"So can I go?"

I was exhausted. Saying anything more would only wear out my mouth, so I had no choice but to nod.

"I'll bring you back a souvenir!"

Liam waved and vanished toward the far side of the village. I could never understand how someone who was supposed to be the Hero could be so frivolous.

"O Holy Sun, why in the world did You choose a man like that as Your Hero?"

A sacred voice resonated through my mind. The Goddess answered me with a loving smile.

"But he's far too dissolute. I fear he'll end up tarnishing Your honor."

When She put it like that, I couldn't bring myself to complain any further.

"Understood. I'll drag him onto the right path even if I have to grab him by the collar."

The other companions were too kind-hearted to say anything harsh. I was the only one who could give Liam a piece of my mind.

The Goddess's warm words filled the hollow in my chest with a gentle heat. At times like this, living as a Saintess in a strange world didn't seem so bad.

If only this warmth could last forever.

Sunlight leaking through a gap in the curtains opened my eyes. An unintentionally early rising. It was a crisp morning, and even though my sleep had been interrupted, I felt good — as if the Goddess Herself had woken me.

I got out of bed and stretched. My body was in reasonably decent shape today, too. Ordinarily I would have gone looking for a strong opponent to fight, but not now.

The Holy Knight of Evil's Bane.

That incident — where I'd been fooled by his reputation and ended up not with a defeat but with nothing but a foul mood — had taught me a lesson. Just because something looks delicious doesn't mean you should reach for it without suspicion. You might get badly burned.

From now on, I needed to choose my opponents carefully. Even a stone bridge should be tested before you cross it — that saying held true in this world as well. Don't trust rumors. Investigate thoroughly, so the same thing never happens again.

For the time being, I planned to keep a low profile and do some reconnaissance. Fortunately, Serda was a city where the strong gathered in droves. There were plenty of people I was looking forward to. But I'd already decided which of them I wanted.

The Hero.

The Hero currently in Serda was my next target. She was, quite literally, the most suitable opponent to defeat me. After all, a Hero's role was to vanquish evils like the Banished Saintess.

First I needed to gather information and figure out what kind of person this Hero was.

Having organized my thoughts, I picked up the small bell sitting on the table and gave it a gentle shake. A clear, ringing chime. Moments later, a child made of water appeared in midair.

"How may I assist you, honored guest?"

A water spirit. This inn employed spirit attendants. So that was why Giph had put me up in this shabby-looking place — a business policy of thoroughly respecting guests' privacy. I didn't have to hide my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠identity, which was convenient in all sorts of ways. The fact that the spirit was incredibly cute was a bonus.

"Breakfast and a newspaper, please."

"Will you be settling the bill later again this time?"

"Yeah. Giph's covering everything."

I casually dropped my friend's name. In Serda, the two syllables Giph were as good as a cheat code for buying on credit.

"Understood! Please wait just a moment!"

The spirit attendant scattered into the air the same way it had appeared, then rematerialized.

"I've left it at the door."

The service was astonishingly fast. A speed perfectly suited to a Korean.

"Thanks."

"Not at all. Please call again if you need anything!"

I wiped away the water droplets that splashed as the spirit vanished, then carefully opened the door. A reasonably sized box sat waiting outside. I quickly pulled it inside and shut the door, worried someone might see.

Part of me wanted to wander around as freely and boldly as I usually did. But if I wanted to stay in Serda, I had to hold back. How had I ended up this conscious of other people's eyes? It struck me anew just how much my personality had softened.

It was all because of Liam, the Hero of our Hero party. Looking after someone who caused trouble everywhere he went had forced me to learn patience and social grace.

Then Liam's last words suddenly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠came back to me.

A memory I couldn't easily forget. The way he'd reflected and even apologized, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so unlike himself, still lingered before my eyes.

"...You should've just done it right the first time."

Unfortunately, the image of Liam's head being split open by the Demon King's hand surfaced along with it. I'd managed to live without looking at that memory for a while. It would take a little time to tuck it away again so I wouldn't have to see it.

I waited for the queasiness in my stomach to settle, then opened the box. Inside were a neatly folded newspaper and a steaming bowl of rice soup. I'd lost my appetite, so I skipped the meal, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked through the paper.

An article about me, right from the front page. Curious what it said, I started reading — and a hollow laugh escaped me, I was so incredulous.

Playing politics even from beyond the grave. I could somewhat understand now how that grotesquely inflated reputation of his had been manufactured. It was so unpleasant I stopped reading and flipped to the next page.

Another article about me. It would have been written from a reporter's guesses and fantasies anyway, so I didn't bother reading it and kept turning pages. After that, nothing but worthless rags came one after another without end. Serda's press was far shoddier and more dismal than I'd expected. Even so, this was a bit much.

I was about to close the paper in disappointment when I found the article I'd been looking for.

This was what I'd wanted. I focused and read slowly, carefully.

Trivial family history and excessively detailed descriptions of her appearance unspooled one after another. This wasn't a novel. I skipped all of it, and only then did something useful appear.

Information that she had extraordinary gifts. I couldn't help but be astonished.

Liam had been the strongest member of our Hero party. Not by a little — by a landslide. He could have taken on the rest of us by himself and still won comfortably. He caused problems and gave us ulcers on ordinary days, but in a real fight there was no one more reliable. Whatever else we said about him, my companions and I had always depended on Liam.

And now they were saying this girl had talent that surpassed even his. An unfair level of giftedness, truly.

Found her.

Here was someone who might, someday, be capable of handing me a defeat. My heart pounded with excitement. She was still a fledgling, but given time she would bloom in full, brilliant glory. Perhaps even into a Hero the Demon King himself would fear.

Of course, she was woefully inadequate for now. She had only been the Hero for two months. In other words, she was still in a period of insufficient learning.

...Wait.

The importance of a teacher or mentor in developing one's skill cannot be overstated. That is especially true during the period when one needs to accumulate experience. If the Hero received someone's help, she would be able to bring her talent into even more dazzling bloom. Right now, when she knew nothing, was the perfect window.

But I couldn't trust anyone else. An ordinary person's instruction, if mishandled, could damage a genius's potential. Which left only one option.

I would have to do it myself.

I wasn't a genius either, of course. But I knew well the proper direction a Hero's growth ought to take. I had watched over Liam at the Goddess's request, after all, and seen it firsthand.

I made up my mind. I would become her guide and show her the path to her destination — so that the Hero could accomplish the subjugation of the Banished Saintess. So that she could snatch a victory from me.

There was no reason to hesitate. I put on my robe at once and left the inn. My heart was still hammering wildly, speaking for how I felt.

"What's the matter? Are you unwell?"

"No. I am quite all right."

Hero Selen spoke with composure, yet her eyes narrowed slightly. A sudden chill had begun to creep over her — a cold steeped to the brim in foreboding.

Is something bad about to happen?

A sense close to prophecy. A faculty that had developed since she became the Hero. She had experienced it now and then before, but this time was different. A biting cold, like a winter wind. Some unusual crisis was drawing near.

Just how dangerous is it, to feel like this...

Selen did not yet know. That someone was coming to teach her how to grow stronger.