Episode 5
Levius noticed two people approaching him. There was a woman with striking black hair and amber eyes, dressed in a nun’s habit, and next to her was a white-haired man with a simple, unassuming appearance.
The unusual thing was that both of them were exceptionally good-looking. The woman was stunningly beautiful, and the man was so handsome that even Levius had to admit it to himself.
Levius knew who they were. How could he not? The emperor had just introduced them on the stage moments ago.
Levius approached them first.
“Hero Abel, right?”
“Ah, it’s an honor to meet you, Hero Levius.”
Abel bowed politely. Levius then asked him, “Which family do you hail from, Hero?”
“Family?”
Levius was puzzled by Abel’s reaction.
“…Hero Abel, are you not of noble birth?”
“No, I’m a commoner.”
Abel answered honestly.
“Hmm, I see.”
Levius’s voice noticeably dropped. His tone suddenly changed, as if his mood had soured, leaving Abel slightly flustered.
Abel tilted his head, confused by Levius’s sudden change in attitude. He wondered if he had said something wrong, but that wasn’t the case. It was just…
“Well, we might see each other often from now on, so let’s get along.”
“…Yes, I look forward to it as well.”
Levius’s attitude had changed upon learning that Abel was a commoner.
Levius was from a noble family in the Minerva Kingdom. Like most nobles, he didn’t see commoners as equals but rather as tools. Although he had been trying to suppress such attitudes since becoming a hero, the fact that a fellow hero was a commoner didn’t sit well with him.
Levius glanced at the saint from the Solaria Church standing next to Abel.
‘Wow.’
Even from a distance, she was beautiful, but up close, her beauty was even more radiant. She was a bit short, but not too short, so it was fine. Her completely black hair, rare even on the continent, and her amber eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight were striking. Levius smiled pleasantly at her.
“The saint accompanying Hero Abel is from the Solaria Church, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
As Abel answered, the saint beside him stepped forward and greeted Levius.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Hero Levius. I am Estelle, a humble servant of the Solaria Goddess.”
“Nice to meet you, Saint Estelle.”
The more he looked at her, the more beautiful she seemed. He even wished he could take her with him instead of the boring woman he was currently with.
‘?’
But Abel was giving Estelle a strange look. It wasn’t a sinister look, but one filled with anger.
‘Are they not on good terms?’
Levius thought it was strange for a man to not get along with such a beautiful saint. He suddenly saw this as an opportunity.
“Hero Abel, could I speak with you privately for a moment?”
“Huh?”
“Just for a moment. It won’t take long.”
Levius smiled amiably and made his request. Abel rolled his eyes and glanced at Estelle.
“Go ahead, Hero. I’ll wait here.”
“…Alright.”
Levius and Abel walked to a secluded corner. There, Levius spoke to Abel.
“Hero Abel, are you perhaps not on good terms with the saint from the Solaria Church?”
“Uh…does it seem that way?”
Abel gave a vague answer, but Levius was convinced. This man clearly had some conflict with the saint.
“Good timing. I’m also not on the best terms with the saint I’m traveling with.”
“Ah, really?”
Abel looked at him with curiosity, and Levius felt even more assured.
He must be thinking that he’s found another hero who doesn’t get along with a saint.
“I have a suggestion for you.”
“What is it?”
“How about we swap saints?”
“Huh?”
Abel looked at Levius with a puzzled expression.
“Is that allowed?”
“Yes, there’s no problem. It’s just like swapping companions.”
Levius wasn’t wrong. Although the church might strongly oppose it, Levius was confident he could handle that.
“Hmm…”
Abel seemed to ponder for a moment. Then, he suddenly said to Levius, “This isn’t something I can decide on my own, so I’ll go ask.”
“Huh?”
What is this commoner saying? Leaving a bewildered Levius behind, Abel quickly approached Estelle.
“Did you have a good conversation?”
Estelle greeted Abel with a gentle and pure expression. Abel then asked her, “Saint, Hero Levius suggested swapping you with the saint from the Rudria Church. Is that okay?”
“…Huh?”
“He said there wouldn’t be any problem.”
“……”
Estelle narrowed her eyes and glared at Levius, who was standing behind Abel. Levius was startled by her intense gaze.
‘…What?’
Levius was a hero. Not a rookie like Abel, but a seasoned warrior, a true hero.
Even though Elfride was overwhelmingly strong, Levius was still one of the top warriors on the continent.
Yet, he felt nervous under Estelle’s fierce gaze. This wasn’t the kind of aura one would expect from a saint raised in the church.
“Hero Levius, is this true?”
“…Ah, no. That’s not…”
‘Why am I making excuses?’
She was just a saint. No different from the boring woman he was traveling with. So why was he, a hero, afraid of her?
It made no sense. But his mouth was already spouting excuses.
“…Hero Abel must have misunderstood something.”
“Huh? Hero Levius, what do you mean…”
“Is that so? Alright. Then we’ll go greet Hero Elfride now.”
“…Very well. I look forward to seeing you again.”
Levius had no choice but to let Estelle and Abel go.
#
I felt wronged. I had looked at the saint with that expression.
“Why did you…”
“Are you looking at me with those perverted eyes, Hero? Are you a pervert~♡”
“When did I ever look at you pervertedly? I was just feeling wronged.”
“Don’t worry. I know you didn’t do anything wrong, Hero.”
“Then why did you act like you understood? That bastard backstabbed me!”
“Why did you act like you were convinced?”
“Because it was the quickest way. It’s not good for you, Hero, to make enemies with other heroes. Seeing how you can’t even think of this yourself, maybe your brain is just for decoration, Hero~♡”
“…Hmm.”
“So, you did it for my sake. Well, I guess I can’t complain.”
“Are we going to greet Hero Elfride next?”
“Yes, we should.”
“Is Hero Elfride also a noble?”
“You’re the only commoner hero. A commoner hero in a class-based society? You’ve got a tough road ahead~♡”
“…Damn, filthy classism. I wish I had been reincarnated as a noble.”
“By the way, Saintess.”
“Yes, you pathetic Hero~♡”
“It’s not my place to say this, but wasn’t Hero Levius’s proposal beneficial for you too, Saintess?”
“…What do you mean?”
“It’s obvious that Hero Levius is stronger than me. Wouldn’t it be much easier for you, Saintess, to be with a stronger hero?”
“…So, you liked the Saintess of the Rudria Church after all.”
“Huh?”
“What are you even talking about? How did we end up here?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then why are you asking me that? Don’t tell me you, a weakling hero, have the audacity to dislike me? Isn’t that a bit too arrogant for someone as weak as you?”
“…No, I was just curious why you wanted to stay by my side.”
The Saintess suddenly stopped walking.
“Saintess?”
“…I said I’d be your friend.”
“Huh?”
“I said I’d stay by your side because I felt sorry for you, a lonely hero with no friends. Are you deaf or something?”
What the…
‘Why is she saying such unexpectedly cute things?’
I couldn’t get used to it. Maybe my discomfort showed on my face because the Saintess smirked and said,
“Of course, if you stay a pathetic loser forever, I might get bored and leave~♡”
“…Yeah, I’ll do my best.”
But where the hell did a Saintess learn the word “loser”…?
Before I knew it, Elfride came into view. She was surrounded by nobles, chatting away.
‘Total social butterfly.’
…Well, with that face, it’d be weirder if she wasn’t.
Elfride finished her conversation with the nobles and turned her gaze toward us.
Oh, the social butterfly Elfride noticed me.
“Ah, so you’re the newly chosen hero.”
She spoke to me in a dignified tone, pretending to know me.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Elfride Batory, the hero.”
Elfride extended her hand to me.
‘Batory? What kind of last name is that?’
It was the surname of Erzsébet Báthory, a notorious serial killer from Hungary. Naming a hero after a serial killer? The author’s taste is something else…
I shook her hand and introduced myself.
“I’m Abel.”
“A commoner, I see?”
“Yes.”
“Then there must be a lot you don’t know.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
What, are you going to mock me too? But my expectations were completely off. Elfride smiled kindly and said,
“If there’s anything you don’t know, feel free to ask anytime. As a fellow hero, I’ll do my best to help you.”
“…Oh.”
Now this is a heroine. Her tone alone is so kind. She’s the complete opposite of the bitch next to me.
When I openly expressed my admiration, Elfride looked puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing. It’s just hard to believe someone like you would offer to help me.”
“Is that so? But we’ll probably be seeing each other quite often from now on. It’s better to get used to it.”
“Understood.”
Compared to Levius, she’s much easier to talk to. Levius couldn’t hide his disappointment the moment he found out I was a commoner.
“By the way, the Holy Sword of Order… You’ve been chosen by quite a picky sword.”
“Huh? What do you mean by picky?”
“The conditions for awakening the sword’s ego are quite strict.”
“…Ego?”
Wait, is this an ego sword?
“All Holy Swords have an ego. Didn’t you know that?”
“No. I was chosen as a hero without knowing anything…”
The original owner of this body might have known something, but as someone who just got reincarnated here, I know nothing. I haven’t even read the novel.
“But is there a reason why the ego needs to be awakened?”
“Because only then can the Holy Sword unleash its true power.”
“Ah… So, Hero Elfride, have you awakened your sword’s ego?”
“Yes. However, only the hero chosen by the sword can sense its ego, so there’s no way to show it to you.”
So, this novel’s world has ego swords. Interesting.
“What’s the ego of your Holy Sword like, Hero Elfride?”
“It talks a lot.”
“Huh?”
Elfride furrowed her brows slightly and said,
“It’s being noisy right now. It’s making a fuss, saying you’re handsome.”
“…Really?”
Handsome? Me?
I suddenly wanted to check what this body’s face looks like. I’ve been putting it off because I haven’t had a chance to look in a mirror, but I should check it out soon.
“Anyway, let’s work well together from now on, Abel.”
“Yes, Hero Elfride.”
“Just call me Elfride. There’s no need for formal titles between fellow heroes.”
“Ah, understood.”
Elfride gave a slight nod and returned to the nobles waiting for her.
Now that’s a hero. Popular, beautiful, and kind.
Just then, the Saintess poked me from the side. When I gave her a “what?” look, she whispered,
“Hero.”
“Yes?”
“All women are foxes. Don’t trust anyone except me.”
“???”
You’re the least trustworthy one here, you witch.
