Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Qualifications of a Hero (8)
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"Haa, haa, haa, haa."
My breath comes in ragged gasps.
Terror gnaws at my heart.
Even covered in blood, riddled with sword wounds across my body, fur singed, and with Aria's blade of light still embedded in it.
The enemy is a monster with enough power to hurl me all the way here and shatter the village entrance.
It's an opponent way beyond anything I could handle.
I managed to survive only because I was slow to notice the attack.
But the moment I grasped the sheer gap in our strength, my resolve wavered.
The power of the barrier protecting me weakens.
If I take another hit like that, there's no way I'll come out unscathed.
Even that blow, which the barrier barely held against, sent shockwaves through me—my back still throbs from it.
I need to grip my sword properly, but my hands are shaking.
It's not just my hands.
Shoulders trembling, legs wobbling and stiff, teeth chattering at the sight of this overwhelmingly superior being before me.
I can't win.
The instant I face it head-on, I'll die.
I want to run.
Right—Kalt's here.
With Kalt around, maybe it's okay to flee?
That monster's covered in blood because of Kalt, no doubt.
He's probably chasing it right now.
So even if I run, Kalt will catch up soon and finish it off.
Such feeble thoughts flitted through Nellis's mind.
But.
"Haa, haa, haa..."
Nellis didn't take a single step back.
Not even with the Kobold King before her, which had smashed through the village entrance and paused only briefly before charging again.
Not even with her back aching and her body trembling in fear.
Nellis didn't run.
Because behind her.
At the farthest point from the village entrance.
The village chief's house—the largest building in this small village—was where people had gathered to take shelter.
The monster was charging straight ahead in a beeline.
What if I retreat?
It'll keep barreling toward the chief's house, for sure.
If it could smash the village entrance, the chief's house would be even easier pickings.
All those people inside would get hurt.
Worse—they might die.
Nellis couldn't stand by and watch that happen.
She'd spent nearly a month in this village already.
She spent most days out subjugating kobolds, but even so, the villagers would greet her with words as she headed to the inn or strolled through the village on a whim.
Smiles and thanks.
"We're alive because of you."
"Thank goodness we have a hero."
There was some gossip too—about how different she was from the adventurers who'd heartlessly abandoned them when the dungeon overflowed nearby.
But the villagers were grateful to Nellis.
To the hero protecting their village.
Nellis loved their smiles.
She'd grown attached to the people she'd seen nearly every day for a month.
She couldn't bear to see them get hurt.
Because she was a hero.
At first, she hadn't wanted to be one.
She preferred holding cute dolls over swords.
Talking about love stories over fighting monsters.
Picking out pretty clothes over safety gear.
Originally, Nellis was just an ordinary village girl.
She'd never volunteered to fight monsters.
But after becoming a hero.
Defeating monsters and receiving gratitude from so many people—it felt good.
As time passed, she wanted to grow stronger.
As time passed, she wanted people to smile more.
As time passed, she yearned to become more like a true hero.
She still loved cute dolls, got excited over love stories, and sometimes wanted to wear pretty clothes.
But at the same time.
Just as much as the things she'd always liked.
Nellis had come to cherish people's smiles and gratitude.
She hated monsters and demons that made people sad and stole lives.
Before she knew it, the ordinary village girl had taken on the mindset of a hero.
Even if she hadn't resolved her fundamental issues.
Even if she was called part of the Sloth Party and could only fight monsters a bit below her level.
The resolve in Nellis's heart was that of a true hero.
'Steel yourself. Don't be scared. Don't be scared. Don't be scared!'
So she could hold out a little longer.
So that even if she was flung away, she could block its charge just a bit more.
To keep her blessing's power from weakening, Nellis repeated to herself.
It was the best she could do right now.
"Nellis!"
"Watch out, Nellis!"
Her comrades' shouts rang out.
Voices filled with worry for her.
Comrades who carried their own mental burdens, just like her.
But lately, thanks to Kalt, they were showing steady improvement.
Precious comrades and friends who'd followed this flawed, problematic hero like her.
Hearing Scarlet and Aria's voices made Nellis dig in even more.
She poured strength into her trembling legs and arms.
She didn't want to show them a shameful sight.
Not at a time like this, when it mattered most.
A hero like her couldn't run.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
-Grraaaargh!
Heavy footsteps echoed as the Kobold King charged toward Nellis.
To the Kobold King, Nellis was just an obstacle blocking its path.
The monster was chasing her.
Even as she fled, the monster that had slashed her was pursuing.
She had to run.
She had to escape.
That was the only way to survive.
It didn't know why the attack had stopped.
The Kobold King had no time to care.
Obstacle.
Move.
The Kobold King swung its sinew-severed arm toward Nellis once more.
The massive monster arm reared back.
It was surely an attack she couldn't fully withstand.
Even so, Nellis steeled herself and held her ground.
"Uwaaaah!"
She bellowed loudly to bolster her courage, if only a little.
Right then.
"Good work, Nellis."
Kalt's back appeared before her.
More reliable and reassuring than anything—Kalt's back suddenly materialized.
"Leave the rest to me."
Vmmm!
A blue mana blade flared to life from the sword in Kalt's hand.
And in the next instant.
A beautiful blue line flashed by in an eyeblink.
Followed by blood.
The massive monster body, sliced into multiple pieces, tumbled to the ground with wet thuds.
The gruesome sight of the giant corpse splitting apart.
But in Nellis's eyes, the Kobold King was nowhere to be seen.
All she saw was Kalt.
"Kalt... sir."
"Sorry, Nellis. I was late. You okay?"
"Y-Yeah... I'm f-fine."
He'd felled the monster she'd thought overwhelming with a single mana blade.
Arriving at her moment of crisis, dispatching it with overwhelming power, saving her—Kalt.
In Nellis's eyes, Kalt embodied the hero she aspired to be.
Forcing strength into legs that felt ready to buckle from released tension, Nellis asked,
"Kalt sir... Can I... Can I get... as strong as you?"
"What are you talking about?"
Kalt replied with a gentle smile.
"You'll get way stronger than me."
"R-Really? Stronger than you, Kalt sir?"
"Of course. You're a hero—you've got endless potential. And I'll train you to get there."
Even hearing him say she'd surpass him felt unrealistic.
After all, she'd staggered from a single blow, while he'd ended it in a flash.
But even so.
She wanted to believe his words that he'd make her strong.
No—she believed that if it was Kalt, he could turn even someone like her into more than she ever imagined.
"Kalt sir... I'll do my best..."
"Yeah, you can do it, Nellis. So for now, relax and rest easy."
"Ah..."
At those words, Nellis's tension fully shattered, and she plopped down right there.
"Nellis!"
Scarlet and Aria came running from the ruined village entrance.
Seeing her comrades' faces melted away the last of her tension.
"Ow!"
The pain in her aching back hit her vividly.
"A-Aria...! H-Heal! Heal me! M-My back! My back hurts so much...!"
"O-Okay. God, lay your healing hand upon this one!"
"Whoa, isn't this that monster from earlier? It's totally chopped up..."
As Aria healed Nellis and Scarlet gawked at the mangled Kobold King corpse,
Kalt walked toward the village entrance.
"Kalt! Where are you going?"
"There are still kobolds left, right? Better clean them up so the village can relax for a while. You all rest. You're exhausted."
"E-Exhausted? If anyone's tired, it's you—you moved the most! Wasn't this guy their boss? With him dead, the rest'll scatter. You don't have to push yourself..."
"Might as well handle them while they're still bunched up—it'll save trouble later. Besides... this is nothing compared to humoring Mabel's whims. So relax... and rest up."
Kalt became a gale once more, heading out of the village, and only after several more storms of blood did he return.
"Waaaaah!"
The villagers who poured out cheered to welcome him back.