The Hero Saved the Village Maiden
I stared silently at Lina, tied to the pillar. Compared to elves—the so-called race of beauty—or saintesses, her looks were nothing special, but I had to admit she had a decent pair of tits. Plump and full, with pink nipples that caught my eye right away. And that wasn't all. Through the tear in her skirt, her shapely legs led up to her crotch, teasing just enough to build tension.
Hmm...
"Mmph!!!"
As I took a moment to admire her body, Lina started struggling again, making muffled noises.
"What? Got something to say?"
I looked at her with a blank expression. Sure, she'd been a nice eyeful, but that was it. I had no interest in getting tangled up with some random girl who meant nothing to me in my previous life.
"Mmph!!"
"...Yeah, you can't exactly answer with that gag on."
I walked over slowly and removed the cloth from her mouth.
"W-what the hell are you staring at, you perv?!"
The moment I did, Lina yelled at me, her face flushed red. I couldn't help but let out an absurd chuckle at her reaction.
Humans, huh... classic.
It wasn't like I'd gone out of my way to save her or beat down those Pareil thugs just for her sake. But the fact remained that she'd escaped danger thanks to me. And yet here she was, not a word of thanks—instead, snapping at me right off the bat.
Not that I was disappointed. Humans always took others' goodwill for granted. Hell, from what I'd seen, most intelligent beings did the same.
"Quit staring and untie me already!"
Lina jerked her arms, barking the order like I was her servant. I just watched her, not moving a finger. There was no reason to untie her.
From the moment I'd wished on the goddess to turn back time, I'd set one ironclad rule for myself.
No such thing as free goodwill.
I wouldn't help anyone without reason or reward. Of course, with old man Ghetto, I'd received so much already that I'd have to figure out how to repay him eventually. But this Lina girl? She'd given me nothing—and owed me nothing either.
"What're you doing? Didn't you hear me?"
"Why should I?"
"What?"
"Why the hell should I untie you?"
I met her eyes and asked flatly. My question was so straightforward she couldn't even respond—just gaped at me like an idiot.
"Yeah, no reason at all."
I turned to leave, ignoring her stunned silence. Sure, her body had gotten me a little hard, but I didn't want to stir up trouble in the village where I lived with Ghetto.
"W-wait! You're just gonna leave?!"
"...Eh, someone else'll save you if you're lucky."
I glanced back at her stammering voice. Who knew if anyone besides Pareil's crew would even come to this dump? Lina knew that too.
"You bastard! If a girl's in danger, you save her—it's obvious!"
Scared of being left alone, maybe? She started yelling, her voice cracking like she might cry. I stopped and turned back—not because her words changed my mind, but because the noise was annoying as hell.
"Nothing's obvious in this world. If you'd seen me getting jumped by Pareil's goons, you'd have walked right on by."
"T-that's..."
She trailed off, unable to lie. That settled it. With nothing left to say to her, I started walking out again.
"I-I'm not asking for free help."
"...Huh?"
"Help me out... and I'll pay you. Yeah, money."
I stopped and turned back. How much cash could a country bumpkin like her even have? But I was crashing at Ghetto's place, and the bit I earned chopping wood barely covered basics.
"How much?"
"You asshole. Thirty silvers enough?"
She snapped coldly, clearly not expecting me to actually take her up on it. Thirty silvers wasn't much, but it could buy Ghetto some decent grub. Pretty cheap payback for dealing with those infamous thugs, though.
Whatever—not like it was hard work.
Untying one knot from a pillar-bound girl? Solid deal.
"...Ow, that hurts."
I undid the ropes, and she winced, clutching her wrist. Pareil's idiots had tied her tight—red rope burns marked her skin.
"What're you staring at now?"
I'd been eyeing the marks, and she flushed, snapping again. I didn't remember her being this hot-tempered, but we weren't close—just neighbors, really.
"Where's the money?"
"Duh, I don't have it on me. I'll pay later."
I nodded at her indignant pout and turned to go.
"Hey! At least give me something to cover up! I can't go out like this."
She grabbed my wrist. Yeah, with one tit fully out, that'd be rough. Problem was, I didn't have anything spare either—I hadn't planned on this.
"Ten more silvers."
"What?"
"For borrowing clothes."
She looked floored but nodded eventually. I stripped off my shirt without hesitation.
"Quit staring."
I held it out, but she was gawking at my bare torso, face lit by the window light. Kinda cute.
"Y-you... do some kinda training or what?"
"Why ask?"
"Just... you beat Pareil's crew way too easy."
I shook my head at her nonsense and headed out. No point chatting more—she wasn't worth the time.
"H-hey! Thanks for today."
Her voice trailed after me, but I didn't stop.
**
"What the hell kinda state is that?"
Back home, Ghetto eyed my bare upper body.
Not surprising—I'd left fully dressed.
"No big deal."
"No big deal? Then why're you half-naked?"
"You hear about it?"
I asked curiously. We'd clashed a bit with villagers over me, but Ghetto was a local born and bred, running his little grocery shop. He'd have heard about Pareil's crew.
"Yeah, but what'd you do? Ambush 'em?"
"Ambush? Told you—I'm stronger than I look."
"A woodcutter? Strong? Spill it. What trick'd you pull? They gonna come after you later?"
I grinned reassuringly at his worried face.
"Relax, old man. With me around, they won't bully anyone anymore."
"So how'd a twig like you beat 'em?"
I scratched my head awkwardly at his disbelief. Couldn't exactly say I'd been the Hero, fighting the Demon King's army for twenty years.
"Y'know, swinging an axe ain't that different from a sword. Same basics."
"Bullshit."
"Means woodcutters are tougher than you think."
"You're nuts."
I burst out laughing as he shook his head. He seemed less anxious now, dropping the subject. Fine by me. Sure, axe and sword work overlapped a bit, but no way a guy who'd never swung one would get it. He just needed any excuse to trust me.
**
"Hah... way outta shape."
A few days after the Pareil mess, I swung a stick at the air in the backyard, muttering to myself.
My pre-awakening body just wasn't cutting it—no crisp moves. Or maybe after beating the Demon King, years without proper swordplay had rusted me.
First things first—build muscle.
I wiped sweat from my brow, plotting ahead. No more dying for the cause. Regain my peak strength fast, crush the Demon King's army at leisure—that was the plan.
But before that...
I glanced at the fence beyond the yard. I'd felt prying eyes for a while.
Through the stacked wooden slats, a familiar face peeked—Lina, thinking she was hidden. Her brown hair gave her away completely over the low fence.
"Whew, hot as balls."
I stripped off my sweat-soaked shirt right in her line of sight—not for any real reason, just 'cause her reaction to my bare chest yesterday had been hilarious.
As I approached the fence shirtless, rustling sounded. She'd bolted in surprise.
"What? You into peeping?"
"Kyaa!"
I called over the fence. Caught off guard, she yelped and toppled backward. Her short skirt flipped, flashing white panties.
"N-no! Just here to pay you!"
Face burning, she scrambled up and shouted.
"Right."
I held out my hand flatly. She glared at it, clenching her fist.
"B-but I'm a guest. Least offer some tea?"
She eyed the house behind me. Ghetto was out minding the shop—perfect timing. No plans to force anything, but if the mood struck...
"Sure. Come on in."
I grinned at her self-invitation. She wasn't dumb—she knew what a guy and girl alone meant.
Come to think of it, when she'd fallen earlier, the crotch of her panties looked a little damp.