The Hero Doesn't Die That Easily
"What? He knows how to use a sword?"
"Isn't he better than you at this point?"
Such murmurs rose from the crowd behind us. Still, I ignored them, calmly cutting down the goblins one by one.
Of course, if I wanted to, I could sweep these pathetic goblins away in an instant. But I was holding back to exactly the level of skill I'd planned to show, dragging things out as I fought.
The level I'd set for myself was just a notch above the Holy Knights.
"...You let three of them get away."
In the end, after I'd driven off the goblins, Jena von Darius gave me that assessment. She hadn't even told me to catch them all in the first place. I'd just shown her my skills as requested, yet she eyed me with dissatisfaction, arbitrarily judging me on her own terms.
"Th-that's incredible for someone who hasn't even had proper training, isn't it?"
The saintess, on the other hand, sparkled with excitement, blurting out such praise. Having confirmed I had far better skills than she'd expected, she was already painting rosy pictures of the future in her mind.
"Hah, how childish."
I muttered under my breath at Jena. She bristled at my words, clearly stung.
"Are you saying that to me? What do you mean by that?"
Jena dropped her pretense and demanded an answer. I shrugged and glanced at her subordinates. Just counting their numbers made my point clear enough.
The saintess, belatedly noticing a few Holy Knights were missing, glared at Jena in anger.
"Don't tell me you orchestrated this?"
"......"
Jena had no retort to the saintess's accusation. Even if I was a Hero who hadn't earned full recognition, pulling a stunt like this was crossing the line. Especially with the saintess in our party. No matter how weak the goblins were, she'd be hard-pressed to avoid reprimand.
"I'll report this to the Church officially. Just so you know."
Jena looked troubled at Marian's words, but the saintess showed no sign of backing down.
"How about this."
I spoke up, rolling my shoulders as I addressed both the saintess and Jena.
"This childish prank happened because you don't trust my abilities, right? So test them yourself. If you do, we can call it even. Sound good?"
The saintess reacted first, as expected. With Jena's weakness in her grasp, she wouldn't want to let this chance slip.
"What nonsense! This is a Church matter. It's not for you to—"
"But it was aimed at me, wasn't it? If anything, it's more my problem."
Unable to argue, Marian bit her lip in frustration. Jena, meanwhile, quietly watched, unwilling to squander the opportunity that had fallen into her lap.
Suddenly, Marian grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the carriage.
"Are you insane? Just because you took down a few goblins, you think you can take her?"
Her face flushed with agitation, she whispered urgently in my ear, glancing nervously at Jena as if terrified her voice might carry.
"You don't know my real strength yet."
"...Your opponent is the captain of the Holy Knights. Even if she got the position through her family's influence, you need real skill for that role! I don't care if you swung a sword back home—this is a hopeless fight."
"...You're talking too much."
I wiped my ear from her machine-gun whispers and shot back at her.
"No, it's not too much—I'm telling you, you can't beat that woman!"
Abandoning any pretense of secrecy, Marian yelled outright. Glancing at Jena, I saw her suppressing a smirk. Probably thinking I'd chicken out and back down. The saintess clapped a hand over her own mouth in shock at her outburst, but it was too late—Jena and the Holy Knights had all heard.
"You don't get it. I don't fight battles I can lose."
"You're crazy...!! Please, just listen."
I stared coldly at the saintess, who was feigning concern in that infuriating way. I'd been willing to let it slide, but her persistent act was starting to grate.
"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"
"Shut up and do as I say. Keep interfering, and I'll spill everything that happened at my house that night."
I whispered in her ear, and the effect was immediate. Marian's face drained of color, her body trembling as she stared at me. Her reaction was so extreme that even Jena took notice, curiosity piqued. But I couldn't share the saintess's weakness with that woman. I patted Marian's shoulder, flashing a bright smile as if urging her to play along.
"You trust me, right, Saintess?"
"...O-of course. You're the Hero from the oracle."
A lie. Her eyes screamed she didn't believe me one bit.
**
"He won't back out and whine later, will he?"
With the saintess's tacit approval, Jena agreed to face me herself. She was already sneering at me like victory was assured.
In a way, her reaction was natural. The skill I'd shown in front of her barely matched her Holy Knights, so to her—their captain—I must look like a green rookie. She probably thought she couldn't lose even if she tried.
"Don't worry. I always keep my word."
Jena nodded with a satisfied smile at my assurance. Despite her emotional slip-up, she seemed to think this fool of a Hero was helping her out. Watching her good mood, I slowly spoke up.
"But just testing my skills sounds kinda boring, don't you think?"
"...What are you on about now?"
Jena scowled, glaring at me. Not even a minute after starting, and I was already changing tunes, or so her eyes said. I shrugged at her.
"You get something out of this, but what do I get? To balance it, you should stake something too."
Our balance-obsessed goddess would applaud. Jena's expression shifted oddly before she nodded. She clearly didn't consider losing even a fingernail's chance.
"Fine. What do you want on the line?"
"...Nothing right now. Just grant me one wish if I win?"
I dangled the bait at Jena. Armored in overconfidence, she bit without hesitation.
"Hah? A wish? Sure. If you win, what's one thing I wouldn't give? I'd hand over my head if you asked."
"Good. Everyone heard that? Plenty of witnesses—no need for formalities."
"What a joker. You really think you can beat me?"
As I kept insisting I'd win, Jena went from amused to annoyed.
"Guess we'll see when we fight."
I sheathed my sword and assumed a stance aimed at her.
"What? Not drawing your blade?"
"Gotta make a wish first. Can't kill you."
Jena let out a disbelieving laugh.
"That's why you're still so far behind."
Shing—
She drew her sword and declared it to me. Meaning she could wield a real blade and still hold back enough not to hurt me. I shrugged and struck a formal guard stance at her. Of course, it was a fake one I'd improvised on the spot.
"Someone taught you the basics, at least."
Jena beckoned lazily with her fingers, brimming with confidence: come at me if you dare. I smirked and mimicked her gesture exactly.
Her face hardened coldly in an instant.
"But no manners, apparently."
With that, she thrust her sword at my face in a flash. I ducked and closed the distance into her guard—
"Got you."
Her blade twisted mid-air, slicing my arm. This bitch—drawing blood just like that?
I glared at Jena, feeling the burning pain in my forearm. A twisted smile crossed her face, like a kid gleefully plucking dragonfly wings. She'd claimed she could control a live blade, but if the saintess complained, she'd probably call it a mistake.
"Thick-headed bitch. Forgot already?"
Ignoring the pain, I snapped at her. She looked flustered for a split second, but I gave no opening, flipping my sheathed sword up under her chin.
Crack—
A sharp impact rang out, her head snapping back. My arm throbbed fiercely, but compared to the satisfaction surging inside me, it was nothing.
"I told you—I don't die from shit like this."
The blood gushing from my arm had already stopped. The deep gash from her sharp edge was visibly healing in moments. Only then did fear bloom in the saintess's and Holy Knights' eyes. Not just good recovery—they were starting to grasp how terrifying it was to fight someone who wouldn't stay down.