The Hero's Childhood Friend (2)
"Sihyun, let's do this together now."
"Alright. I'll join you... but first, let's go somewhere else."
"Huh? Why?"
"What do you mean, why? There are people all around us right now... Just come with me for now."
I roughly grabbed Serin's hand. She still had no idea what she'd just done.
The fervent stares from the students and the way the professors turned their heads as if they couldn't bear to watch were far too uncomfortable.
We hurried out of that place and moved somewhere we could talk alone.
"Are you... mad?"
"I'm not mad. It's just... ha... doing something like that in front of so many people is embarrassing."
"I'm sorry. It's been so long since I last saw you that I got too excited."
Once Serin finally understood the situation, she lowered her head in apology and began biting her nails as if scolding herself.
I gently lifted her chin, tilted her face up, and kissed her forehead to help her calm down.
"I know. I'm happy to see you too. It was just too sudden today."
"Yeah! I can understand that much. By the way... this place looks pretty strange, doesn't it?"
"This is my research lab. There are quite a few dangerous items here, so you'd better be careful."
"Then I'll sit here and we can talk."
"Sure. But why did you suddenly come here? Did you finally return home in glory or something?"
Serin simply sat down comfortably with a beautiful smile. She pulled out an enormous sword that reached from her back all the way to my chest, then knelt before me.
"Hero Serin. I have come to recruit the academy's top genius mage, Sihyun, as my comrade."
"Wait, hero?"
"Won't you come with me?"
As she reached out her hand, I instinctively took it. Before I knew it, I had agreed to become her comrade.
I had expected things to turn out this way eventually. What I hadn't expected was that she would become the hero and come find me first.
"Am I the only comrade? And what's the goal?"
"There are about three others besides you. Our objective is to kill the Demon King."
"Huh?"
The very mention of the Demon King sent a primal terror through me.
Before I had adapted to this world, I hadn't fully grasped just how horrifying that being was. But now, after learning so much, I understood perfectly.
The ruler of all evil. Before the first hero appeared, it had tried to drown the world in darkness. It had even covered half the continent in shadow.
I had heard that the first hero's arrival had only managed to temporarily neutralize it, ushering in an era of cold war. That was the extent of what had been accomplished.
'How on earth are we supposed to defeat a Demon King that even that legendary hero couldn't kill...'
"Are you serious? I get that you're the hero now... but you're really going to try to take down the Demon King?"
"Yes. Before I became the hero, I made a promise to the Goddess. I told her that in this generation, I would end everything."
It was terrifying. I hadn't seen the Demon King with my own eyes, but the thought of a creature that could spew black mana powerful enough to eclipse the sun was beyond imagination.
Even so, the warmth of Serin's hand gripping mine made me keep leaning into her.
'Well, maybe she'll change her mind during the journey.'
It wasn't certain that she would even reach the Demon King.
After all, if a hero's will broke, they could always be replaced by someone else.
I decided I would stay by her side, hold her hand when her spirit faltered, and walk her back home as her steadfast companion.
"Alright. Let's work together."
I would aim to become the Archmage, while Serin sought to defeat the Demon King. Even though our goals were different, I knew deep down that we would become true partners.
"Hello... I'm Sihyun, Serin's childhood friend."
"Ah, so you're the one! The childhood friend the hero mentioned."
"Oh! This kid? Looks like the hero has a good eye for talent after all."
"Nice to meet you. You must be surprised since it's our first meeting, but please take care of me."
The first impressions of the comrades Serin had brought along all seemed like good people.
There was Alen Veretas, the instructor who had taught swordsmanship to the country girl Serin. Her purple hair was tied back, and she carried herself with the elegance and dignity of nobility.
"I am Alen Veretas. There is no need to be overly formal with me."
"I'll be in your care as well... Since I'm a mage, I'll do my best to provide support from the rear."
"Then I suppose I should introduce myself too~"
An elf who seemed quite familiar with the group stepped in front of Alen and extended her hand to me. She had hair the color of lush greenery and the sharp, pointed ears characteristic of elves.
"I'm Neria Treegarden! As the princess of the elf kingdom, you should show proper respect!"
"You don't need to take anything this woman says too seriously, so there's no need to be formal."
"Hey! I may tell a lot of lies normally, but I really am a princess, okay? The name Treegarden carries a lot of prestige..."
"I'm sorry these two are causing you so much trouble. My name is Via Lactea, and I hold the position of Saintess in the Seraph Church. I'll be counting on you from now on, mage."
"I'll be counting on you too!"
Finally, the saintess with flowing blue hair, wearing a benevolent smile and crossing her arms to emphasize her enormous breasts.
Just talking with all the party members already made me feel completely drained.
Serin, who had been watching over me protectively from the side, stepped in to mediate and began what sounded like a speech.
"Now that all our comrades have gathered, let me explain. Alen and I will take the front line. Sihyun will provide firepower support from the rear along with our archer Neria. And finally, our saintess will handle both healing and additional support."
Seeing Serin in her pure white gauntlets brought back memories of the little girl who used to smile beneath the trees.
Her eyes were still upright and honest, radiating that same bright energy as always.
"As you all know, our final destination is the Demon King. The road ahead will be difficult, filled with trials and tribulations. Even so, we must press forward."
"Serin..."
"And one day, when we reach the end, we will be able to say it. That the hero's party of this generation brought peace to the world. That a new legend was born. I believe in our party and intend to move forward. What do you all think?"
The first to respond to Serin's question was the noble Alen.
"As a noble of the empire, I declare this: I will fulfill my duty by your side."
"Then I shall speak as well. I swear upon the name of every elf and upon my own name recorded in the World Tree. I will stay by your side until the very end and help you slay the Demon King."
After the two of them made their declarations, both I and the saintess felt something rise within our chests.
Events were already unfolding, and the era was moving quickly. We had the chance to become the legends who would defy that very era.
"Then, as a servant of the Seraph, I will offer all my prayers. I, Saintess Via, shall become the light that protects and guides you all."
"Sihyun? Will you... come with us?"
There was a faint trace of anxiety in her eyes as she looked at me. It was the look of a puppy afraid of being abandoned.
What this fragile, anxious hero needed was a reliable mage to support her.
I pulled Serin into my arms, lifted her onto her toes, and kissed her. It was far more passionate than our first kiss, enough to blow away all her fears.
"Haa... Is this enough? I'll always be by your side to hold you up whenever you feel like you're about to collapse."
"Ah..."
"Hey, hero! What the heck! Doing something like this in front of everyone... This is so unfair!"
"That's right! Some of us have only ever seen old men while living in the church!"
"Ahem. From my perspective, this seems a bit too risqué."
It was a little noisy, but I believed my vow had reached all the way to their hearts.
Not long after we set out on our journey, a major problem arose.
"You only have two rooms available for the night?"
"I'm terribly sorry, adventurers. With all the mercenaries and travelers gathering today, we don't have many rooms left."
"This is tricky... What should we do?"
Because I was the only man in a party of five, lodging had become a serious issue.
Four women and one man. With only two rooms, if I took one for myself, the four women would have to squeeze into the other small room.
"Then there's no helping it. Serin, you'll sleep with me tonight."
"Eh?! W-wait, did I... hear that wrong?"
"You didn't hear wrong. There are two beds anyway, so what could possibly happen?"
"But still..."
Since there were two beds, nothing would happen until she was ready.
However, the world wasn't as accommodating as I had hoped.
"Um, excuse me, guests? I'm so sorry, but... both rooms only have a single bed... I truly apologize!"
"Then Sihyun and I will..."
"Aaaagh! No way! Sharing a bed with a woman who smells like this?! Serin, switch with me right now! I swear I'll take really good care of him!"
"Ahaha, everyone seems to be having fun. I'll just sleep on a chair, so you two can take the bed..."
"Nooooo! Sharing a bed with a woman?! If that's how it's going to be, you might as well just take my virginity!"
"Shut up, Neria. I'm not exactly thrilled about sleeping with a woman either."
'This party really isn't normal, is it?'
Still, I didn't think this rowdy atmosphere was so bad.
Alen and Via dragged the crying and screaming Neria into one of the rooms. Serin and I watched them go with our hands behind our backs before heading to our own room.
"Whoa~ It's so soft. I knew it, this is way better than those hard beds in the dormitory."
"You like it that much?"
"You wouldn't know, but the magic academy has insanely strict rules. It might be a little tough, but this kind of life is much more comfortable."
"Then how about making it even more comfortable?"
"How?"
"Here. The innkeeper mentioned earlier that this place has a hot spring. Let's soak our bodies thoroughly today and set out on our adventure tomorrow."
I accepted the towel she gently handed me and gave her a grateful hug.
With the sound of her racing heartbeat as background music, I savored that warmth for a little while.
'This kind of life isn't bad at all.'
A life consumed by lust was fine, but this kind of gentle, pure love didn't seem so bad either.
This is Hero Serin. I'll upload the illustrations of the other party members separately in the announcement section!