Episode 4
“That person over there is Elfride, the hero of the Vesta Kingdom. She’s currently the most outstanding among the active heroes.”
“Ah, really?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve never even heard of Elfride’s name?”
Judging by the way they’re talking, she must be really famous. But how long have I even been here? How would I know?
I nodded, admitting I didn’t know, and the Saint tilted her head, puzzled.
“Hero, you really don’t know anything. Did you live a shut-in, loser life every day~♡”
“…That’s not it.”
Probably. When I left, there was a friend who helped me… I still don’t know their name, but judging by the monkey-like friend I had, I wasn’t a loner.
“Shall we head inside now? The heroes have all gathered, so it’ll start soon.”
“Yes, let’s.”
…But I don’t see the Saint near Elfride. Just as I was feeling a bit puzzled, music suddenly started playing.
“Whoa, that startled me.”
“Hero, if you get scared by something like this, what are we going to do? Such a scaredy-cat♡”
It seems like the Saint has a disease where she can’t go a single moment without teasing someone. If that’s the case, I’ll just have to understand. If she’s doing this without having that disease, she’s dead later.
The grand music played for a while, and then someone stepped onto the high platform at the end of the banquet hall. A commanding presence, a benevolent expression, and dazzling attire with a crown.
Even someone as clueless as me could immediately tell who that person was.
“That’s the Emperor… His Majesty.”
I almost forgot the title. The Saint poked at my mistake, saying,
“Be careful with your words. A stupid mistake like that could lead to big trouble. Even a foolish hero like you won’t make that mistake again, right?”
“…Yes.”
Can’t argue with that.
The Emperor of the Mars Empire glanced around and began speaking.
“Thank you all for gathering here.”
His voice was deep and resonant. Just hearing it, you could feel the dignity of the Emperor.
“Now, we shall begin the Hero’s Regular Reporting Meeting. Before we start, I have some joyous news to share.”
The Emperor’s gaze slowly moved. His eyes landed on me.
“Finally, a hero has appeared in our Mars Empire. Please come up to the platform, Hero Abel.”
I was suddenly called. Flustered, I looked back at the Saint, and she gave a slight nod.
“Go on, you mediocre hero♡”
I have to go first? Judging by the Saint’s look, that seemed to be the answer.
‘Sigh.’
I walked up to the platform following the Emperor’s call. Glancing back, the Saint was following with a gentle expression.
‘If only she could be like that all the time.’
As I approached the platform, the Emperor smiled benevolently.
“Come up, Hero Abel.”
“…Yes.”
I bowed my head, and the Saint slapped my back from behind.
‘…….’
I bowed even lower to greet him, and the Emperor nodded, welcoming us.
“Yes, it’s good to meet you. Is this the first time you’ve seen me in person?”
“…Yes, it is.”
“We’ll be seeing each other often from now on. Then, let’s proceed.”
Since I don’t know the novel’s plot, I have no idea what’s going to happen next. I hope I don’t get caught up in any trouble just because my face is known now.
Following the Emperor to the front of the platform, he introduced me loudly.
“Now, this person here is the hero of our Mars Empire, Abel. He is the hero chosen by the ‘Holy Sword of Order.’”
‘Holy Sword of Order?’
There are different types of holy swords? Just then, the Saint whispered from behind.
“The holy sword on your back is the Holy Sword of Order. The other heroes each have their own holy swords.”
“…Ah, I see.”
Did she read my mind? How did she know to answer that… Mom, I’m scared.
But after the mention of the Holy Sword of Order, the people’s reactions were strange. Even though they’ve seen heroes before, they were looking at me with curious eyes.
‘Why are they acting like this?’
As I was puzzled by their reactions, the Emperor spoke.
“We expect great achievements from you, just like the other heroes.”
The Emperor said this while patting my shoulder.
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
“Good, do your best.”
The Emperor gestured that it was okay to step down. I glanced at the Saint, and she gave a slight nod.
Following the Saint down from the platform, she smiled and said,
“Hero, you did well without being too nervous.”
“…Did I?”
What’s this? She’s actually complimenting me? But that was just my misconception. The kind compliment she gave me was just a buildup.
“Of course, when you tried to just bow your head to greet His Majesty, you looked like a total idiot~. What kind of citizen greets their monarch so casually? Ah, maybe it’s because the hero has the intelligence of a monkey, so you didn’t consider that♡”
“…I was just nervous meeting someone so important for the first time.”
Stop teasing me, damn it. That’s what I thought as I made that excuse, but the Saint’s eyes widened slightly.
What, why is she surprised?
“Saint?”
“…Ah, I see. Well, the hero has only lived in the countryside, so it’s understandable.”
“…Yes.”
Yes, I’m a country bumpkin. A city bumpkin from Seoul, a city in a country called South Korea, not this world.
“Now, the other heroes’ regular reports will begin. Hero, you should watch carefully with those mediocre eyes of yours and remember. You won’t have to do it today, but from next time, you’ll have to report too. Ah, if you think you won’t remember, you should let me know in advance?”
“…I’ll remember.”
“With a memory worse than a goldfish’s, I’m worried if you’ll remember well~♡”
What kind of image does the Saint have of me?
The Emperor stepped down from the platform, and a well-dressed man stepped up. A brown-haired man wearing glasses, clearly a civil servant of this country.
“We will now begin the Hero’s Regular Reporting Meeting. First, Hero Levius of the Minerva Kingdom will speak.”
A short, red-haired man stepped onto the platform. Behind him, the Saint of the Rudria Church followed, along with two more women.
“Who are those people?”
“The people behind him seem to be Hero Levius’s companions. You could’ve figured that out with a little thought… Is the hero really a chimpanzee~?”
“So you can recruit more companions?”
“Of course. Later, you’ll need companions too, hero. Though, with your current mediocre skills, no one will come~♡”
Just wait until I get stronger.
“Hero Levius, report your activities over the past two months.”
“Yes, I have defeated two Behemoth-class monsters and protected two cities in the Minerva Kingdom from monster attacks.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
Everyone in the banquet hall was impressed. Amazing, as expected of a hero, splendid—those were the general reactions.
…What part of that is impressive? He just defeated two monsters and protected two cities. That’s it.
‘He’s a hero, right?’
Shouldn’t a hero do something more grand and impressive?
“Saint.”
“Yes?”
“What’s a Behemoth-class monster?”
I asked, wondering if Behemoth-class monsters were incredibly strong. The Saint smiled her usual smug smile and answered.
“It’s a monster that even your mediocre skills couldn’t scratch. To put it simply for a fool like you, it’s about equivalent to a thousand Kobolds.”
“…Really?”
That’s impressive. Well, the people here aren’t fools, so they wouldn’t be impressed by something trivial.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean Behemoth-class monsters are incredibly strong. It’s just that you’re so weak that they seem strong in comparison.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, even I can easily defeat a Behemoth-class monster.”
Huh, so it’s not that big of a deal after all. If it’s a monster that even a Saint can handle alone without the Hero, it doesn’t seem like an incredibly strong monster.
But why are people reacting like it’s such a big deal?
“But everyone seems to be saying it’s amazing?”
“Hmm~♡ Well, for ordinary people, it’s a strong monster, so that’s probably why. It’s impressive that you need everything explained to you like this~.”
“Then, from the perspective of the Hero’s achievements?”
“He didn’t do too badly, but he didn’t do too well either.”
Ah, I see. I guess I’ll have to work harder than that later. That way, I won’t get scolded by the Saint.
After Levius’s report ended, a clerk with glasses spoke up.
“In recognition of Hero Levius’s achievements, by the Emperor’s decree, we shall bestow a reward. 1 million gold, three horses, and the Holy Armor provided by the Temple.”
“Thank you.”
Holy Armor? What’s that? When I asked the Saint, she answered.
“Holy Armor is defensive gear imbued with Holy Power, created by the Church. It’s the best protection against monster attacks.”
“Like the Holy Sword?”
“The Holy Sword wasn’t created by the Church, Hero.”
“Oh, really?”
The Saint tilted her head and said,
“Hero, have you never heard the legend of the Holy Sword?”
“…I’m not really interested in that kind of stuff.”
“Really, you know so little~. Even a five-year-old passing by knows this story, but you don’t? You’re such a dummy~♡”
“So, what’s the legend?”
When I asked innocently, the Saint smiled and answered.
“You’re so cute when you ask so innocently♡ Like a child♡”
Damn it, she’s teasing me again.
“…So, what is it?”
“Simply put, the legend says the Holy Sword was made for humanity by a star far away. Of course, the legend might not be true, but it’s a fact that no one knows where the Holy Sword came from.”
“Really?”
“Yes, although the Holy Swords are managed by the Church. But not all Holy Swords are under the Church’s control. Some Holy Swords’ locations are unknown.”
“I see.”
“And you know that the Holy Sword chooses the Hero, right? You were chosen by the Holy Sword of Order, weren’t you?”
“…Yeah, I know that. But I didn’t know it was called the Holy Sword of Order.”
Honestly, I didn’t know any of that. So, the Hero is chosen by the Holy Sword. That means other Heroes must have their own Holy Swords.
“Pfft, you don’t even know what your own Holy Sword is? What a dummy♡”
Yeah, I’m a dummy. Must be nice hanging out with a dummy, huh, you brat.
“Next, Hero Elfride, please come up.”
A beautiful blonde woman stepped up to the podium. I saw her earlier, but she really looks like a heroine…
But why is she going up alone? Does she not have any companions? No Saint is following her either. I watched the podium with curious eyes and listened.
“Hero Elfride, report your activities over the past two months.”
“…I defeated one Behemoth-Class monster and one Leviathan-Class monster.”
The hall buzzed even more than before.
“As expected of Elfride.”
“The Vesta Kingdom’s influence will grow even stronger.”
Why are they like this? It seems like she did even less than Levius, but they’re all amazed. She only took down two monsters this time, right?
“Saint, what’s a Behemoth-Class and Leviathan-Class?”
Huh? The Saint seemed a little surprised too. When I waved my hand in front of her, she looked at me.
“As expected of the strongest Hero. Not bad.”
“Huh?”
“You asked what Behemoth-Class and Leviathan-Class are, right? Leviathan-Class monsters are much more dangerous than the Behemoth-Class monster that was mentioned earlier.”
“Hmm, I see. What about Behemoth-Class?”
“Those are even more dangerous than Leviathan-Class monsters.”
“Oh… so that’s really impressive?”
When I said that, the Saint narrowed her eyes and looked at me. What, did I say something wrong?
“Isn’t it impressive?”
“It is impressive, but I don’t like it when you praise it.”
What kind of nonsense is that?
“I could defeat something like that too.”
“Oh, really?”
Huh. I guess it’s not that impressive after all. It seems like the Heroes here are still growing. They all look pretty young, so they probably haven’t been Heroes for long.
“Could I defeat one too?”
“With your bug-like skills? Hmm, you’d have to work really hard. Maybe in about five hundred years♡”
“…Oh, okay.”
Damn it. Shouldn’t you say something like, “If you work hard, you can do it,” like a proper Saint?
“Of course, it depends on how hard you work, Hero.”
“I think I’m working hard already.”
“Is that all? You’ve got a long way to go, you amateur Hero♡”
“…Okay.”
…Just send me home already.
#
Elfride seemed to receive a much better reward than Levius. I didn’t hear it properly because I was talking to the Saint, but I guess that’s the case. According to the Saint, she defeated much more dangerous monsters than Levius.
After the reports ended, the Emperor stepped back up to the podium.
“The report session is over, but since everyone is gathered here, please enjoy the prepared banquet. Have fun.”
As the Emperor stepped down, the gazes directed at me suddenly changed.
What’s with them?
“Um, Hero…”
Then, a soft voice called from behind me. I turned around and saw a small girl. She was much smaller than the Saint, who wasn’t tall to begin with.
“Yes?”
“Do you have a sponsoring family? You don’t, right?”
“…Huh? Sponsoring?”
What’s that? As I was puzzled, the Saint stepped between me and the girl.
“The Hero is busy right now, so let’s talk later~.”
“Huh? Saint, what do you mean…”
“Come on, Hero, let’s go greet the others.”
“???”
The Saint grabbed my hand and pulled me along. Wow, her hand is soft… Wait, where are we going?
“I told you not to talk to the nobles, Hero. You’ve already forgotten? You really are like a goldfish.”
“Was that person a noble?”
“Most people here who aren’t Heroes are nobles. Except for the Heroes and their companions, everyone else is a noble. Even if someone talks to you, be careful not to fall for sweet talk about sponsorship.”
“Okay…”
She’s really worried about me. Seeing this, it seems like the Saint cares about me a lot. That’s why I can’t say anything even when she acts crazy.
“So, where are we going?”
“First, you should talk to the other Heroes. There are times when Heroes need to cooperate with each other.”
“Ah, I see.”
But how long is she going to hold my hand?
“Saint, can you let go of my hand now?”
“…Oh.”
The Saint quickly let go of my hand. Then, she coughed awkwardly a couple of times and said,
“W-what, are you a horny monkey or something? Getting excited just from holding hands, really♡”
“Huh???”
What is she even saying?
“Calm down and go greet Hero Levius.”
“…I wasn’t excited at all.”
“…Anyway, let’s go.”
Why is she like this?
