Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Return to the Secular World - 4
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"Sorry for being late..."
As the Saintess entered clutching her staff, all eyes turned to her.
"...What happened, Celia? Did you go blind or something?"
A white eyepatch covered her eye.
"N-No... It's still uncomfortable, but I could force it open if I had to."
Only after hearing her words could Pashier finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I was worried... Well, if that's what you say."
Pashier wasn't the only one waiting for Celia.
Elenor lay on a simple cot tilted slightly to let her straighten her back as much as possible, while Nerwen stood in the corner, her bow reclaimed.
This was the first time all four had gathered informally since the Demon King's defeat.
"Welcome, Saintess. Shall we begin our talk, then?"
Yet even with such esteemed figures assembled, no one could defy the authority of the old man present.
He wasn't clad in his usual ornate robes. The shock from before hadn't fully faded.
The muscles he'd built in his youth had withered with age. His body still trembled, and exhaustion filled his eyes.
But no one could ignore him standing there ramrod straight.
"As Emperor, I ask you."
Like the others, he wanted to apportion blame for the wrongs committed.
Naturally. The way he expressed it wasn't resignation or resentment, but anger.
"Saintess, Mage, Archer, and..."
A flicker of affection entered his eyes, but even that love couldn't override his fury now.
"My daughter, Elenor. All of you. What the hell did you do to him?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Don't fall back! Hold the line! You adventurers too! No time for leisurely gathering!"
The toothless general bellowed like he was sobbing, but those around me were excitedly harvesting spoils.
"Is this really okay?"
-Of course not... but adventurers aren't gonna fight alongside soldiers forever, right? Might as well make some money.
With my hands free, I dashed toward where soldiers were still locked in combat.
"Grrraaaah!"
"Ah, so annoying."
I swung my sword down, and the orc cleaved apart effortlessly.
This was just work.
When a lumberjack fells a tree, he doesn't feel threatened by it. Sure, he has to watch for accidents like getting pinned, but basically, it's just physical labor.
Even before gaining the Hero's power, I'd handled a orc or two myself. The Archer and Mage helped, of course, but I had to hold out for the monsters they missed.
I needed money right away, but at least I'd get a bed out of it.
"Right flank's cleared! Just hold a bit longer!"
I was skilled at gathering, but distinguishing valuable parts was beyond me. That was the Mage's job.
I could eye what other adventurers grabbed, but I had no desire to squeeze in among them swarming the corpses like bees.
"Push them!"
The unit captain glanced sideways, checking for more adventurers, but none seemed interested.
Their assignment was the right flank from the start, so he wasn't in a position to berate them for not helping more.
I slouched along again, sword in hand, mindlessly slicing orcs.
-Isn't it thrilling? Standing in the heart of the battlefield, becoming a hero!
"Boring..."
I never imagined I'd think that, but the stimulation was lacking.
Compared to the Hero's swings, this was less a fight and more like hacking a scarecrow.
-So, what's your plan?
"I'm looking into the phoenix, but..."
Phoenix legends popped up everywhere, but most focused on it 'appearing,' with no details on habitat or behavior.
Like it appearing to a famous spiritist, or sharing warmth with a rain-soaked virtuous knight on the brink of death.
"You don't know either?"
-Hmm, maybe I do. Who knows. I've seen a few... but flocks? Never.
"Feels hopeless for now."
In the end, getting the Emperor's help was the easiest and fastest way.
But holding a prepared ritual versus gathering materials from scratch were different beasts.
Judging by the Emperor's attitude, he might provide them readily, but who knew how long it'd take.
No clear one-month deadline either, so my return could get pushed back for various reasons.
"No need to pursue! The orcs are fleeing!"
The captain urgently called me. I shuffled back to the soldiers.
-Whoa, trance state! Sword mastery is close!
"I was just chatting with you. Normally, you'd say I couldn't concentrate."
My body was fairly clean, but orc blood and flesh bits stuck here and there were unavoidable.
"You fought bravely. Bit awkward saying this to an adventurer, but... they're skilled yet unreliable. I'll recommend you—how about joining the Imperial Army?"
"No. Absolutely not."
I lightly refused and trudged back to the adventurers.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "At first, I truly thought he was angry because I failed to keep my promise."
Deep in the Emperor's body, excitement and rage boiled.
His cold reason barely kept it from overtaking him—for now.
"He had every right to be furious. A whole month past deadline—anyone might snap. But no matter how I thought about it, that didn't fit."
The four women all clamped their mouths shut, exchanging glances.
"I wasn't thrilled either. A month isn't that long—a fitting time to bid farewell to comrades we'd fought with and reflect on our achievements. Was it worth that much blame?"
"I'm sorry..."
The Saintess bowed her head first.
"But he hates this world far more than I imagined. Explain it so I can understand."
"Is that really your true heart?"
Pashier fiddled uncomfortably with the magic orb in her hand.
"Then the marriage rumors I heard were just nonsense? You wouldn't want to let go of the Hero's power."
The Emperor gritted his teeth. To wrest information from the others, he had to bare his own flaws and desires.
"I don't need the power. Bloodline was what mattered."
"That's even stranger. The Princess had no special orders—why assume she'd bed Enel?"
"...Statistics."
"Huh?"
Pashier, about to snap at the absurdity, paused to mull the word.
This Demon King subjugation took just over three years—an unusually short time.
Typically eight years, sometimes up to fifteen. Heroic feats were that long, tedious, and arduous.
With the Goddess's blessing, they didn't die easily, and thankfully, no Hero had utterly failed yet.
But Heroes who'd lost years to amnesia after defeats, or wasted time finding new companions after betrayals, were a dime a dozen.
"My closest friend loves Heroes more than anyone. When I asked him to compile records, he didn't even see it as work."
Heroes' ages varied wildly. Sometimes kids barely over ten, other times adults past thirty.
Naturally, no chance for lovers on the journey—only the constant party members.
Having overcome hardships together bred camaraderie, and like it or not, plenty of chances to see each other's disheveled sides.
Unless one was hideously ugly—or even then—romantic ties often formed somehow.
"Even so, why that stiff girl? You were at least cute as a kid, but her friend is..."
"Your age gap's inevitable, but I figured all the other women would flock to him. Statistics again, of course."
The Empire's history was long. Heroes' history was long. Long enough to pattern trends and predict the next one's path and outcome.
"You madman..."
Pashier gnashed her teeth at the Emperor's blatant jab calling her old.
"Satisfied with the answer?"
"You're a fool, but no way you'd settle for such a half-baked plan. If you needed his bloodline that bad, you'd have something more elaborate..."
"No, that's it! Even if he didn't end up with the Princess after the journey, I thought promising him honor, women, and comfort would make him stay!"
But the situation was far worse than imagined. The journey hadn't ended successfully.
"Now it's your turn to speak. What did you do?"
The women's wavering gazes converged on the recumbent Elenor.
"...It was training. Necessary."
"That good man trembling like that?"
Elenor bowed her head.
"I know. My mistake. He had no obligation, but I treated him as a 'responsible party.' As a Hero party member. As the Hero."
"...You really kicked him like you wanted to kill him."
Celia blurted out. Elenor cried in indignation.
"That was the training I did at fifteen!"