Chapter 25

Episode 25

“I’m more confident in doing better for you than the Saint.”

…Did I hear that right?

After pondering Chloe’s words for a while, I came to this conclusion.

“Haha, Chloe. What’s with the sudden joke?”

I couldn’t help but think she was messing with me. There was no reason for her to suddenly say something like this, and the timing wasn’t right either.

For a little kid to try teasing someone, how dare she.

“It’s not a joke.”

Huh?

“Even though the Hero still has some weak points for a Hero, the way you showed yourself last time was truly heroic and cool.”

“…Oh, really?”

“Yes, really. You were the kind of Hero I’ve always dreamed of.”

Suddenly receiving such praise made me feel shy. As I scratched the back of my head, Chloe looked at me with bold eyes and spoke.

“If the Hero allows it, I’ll support you in every way I can! I won’t say harsh things like the Saint does!”

…So she won’t talk nonsense?

That’s kind of tempting…

“Wait a second, Hero. What are you hesitating about? Why are you even considering this!?”

The Saint, sounding flustered, confronted me.

Of course, I’d ask the same. You’re the one who keeps spouting nonsense. I need some healing too.

As if reading my thoughts, the Saint countered with another reason.

“Chloe is still a student at the Royal Magic Academy. She hasn’t even graduated yet, and you’re thinking of taking her with you?”

Hmm… That’s true. But Chloe shouted that it was fine.

“Saint, that doesn’t matter. I can just drop out!”

“Chloe, for the sake of your future, it’s better to refrain from such choices…”

“It’s fine! I’m confident I can live well even without finishing school! And…”

Chloe looked at me. Her amethyst eyes, matching her purple hair, reflected my image.

“…If I can be by the Hero’s side, I think I’d be pretty satisfied.”

…What is this situation? My head is really getting tangled.

Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if this is even a serious situation. Are the Saint and Chloe teaming up to mess with me?

But Chloe’s serious eyes made me think otherwise. She probably meant what she said.

…I don’t know why she’s acting like this. What did I do to make her suddenly want to stay by my side?

“Ah, of course, if the Hero wishes, I’ll even serve you at night…”

“I never asked for that!”

Are you trying to turn me into a criminal!?

Chloe’s bold statement made my head spin. Was she always like this? The Chloe I’ve seen so far wasn’t like this…

I glanced at the Saint. She looked unusually flustered, unable to say anything, just stammering.

…I thought about asking for advice, but if she’s that flustered, she probably can’t help. I had to think and decide for myself.

I cleared my mind and seriously pondered. And then…

“…Chloe.”

“Yes!”

“Unfortunately, it’s going to be tough.”

“…Huh?”

It was the conclusion I reached after considering various situations.

“It’s not that I dislike you or anything, so don’t misunderstand. There’s a reason I can’t accept you as a companion.”

“…What’s the problem? Is it because my chest is too small…”

“It’s not that!!!”

…She’s not all there either.

“Listen. First of all, as you said, I’m still weak for a Hero. Honestly, I don’t think I have the strength to protect a companion yet.”

My current strength is only enough to handle low-level monsters without blessings. With this level of power, how am I supposed to help a companion in danger? At the very least, I should be able to keep up with other Heroes.

Sure, the Saint is here, but still… I can’t keep asking the Saint for help every time a companion is in danger, can I?

I need more time to grow stronger. I’m not ready for companions yet.

“So Chloe, the first reason is that I can’t protect you if you’re in danger.”

“But you protected me from the Ogre.”

“…That was only possible because of the blessing. And there’s another reason.”

“What is it?”

“You have things to do back at school. Don’t talk about dropping out. I don’t want to ruin someone’s life because of me.”

I can’t take responsibility for Chloe’s life. Someday, my adventure will come to an end, and when that happens, Chloe will need to live in this world. Of course, she should graduate from school.

And it’s the Royal Magic Academy, a place that’s hard to get into. How can she just drop out and follow me around…?

“So it’s a no. I’m sorry, but Chloe, please go back to the kingdom and finish school.”

At my answer, Chloe let out a sigh full of regret. The Saint, on the other hand, seemed to sigh in relief.

…Why is she like that?

Anyway, Chloe is smart, so she probably understood what I meant.

“…Then what about after graduation?”

“…Huh?”

“After I graduate, can I come to the Hero’s side?”

…I was a bit dumbfounded. Why is she so insistent on me?

“…At that point, it’s up to you.”

“Okay, then I’ll come back to the Hero after I graduate.”

“…Haha.”

Chloe smiled brightly.

“Until then, don’t go meeting other girls.”

“…Was that a joke?”

Haha, Chloe. I don’t want to become a criminal.

The Saint, who had been listening to our conversation, glared at me and muttered.

“…Lolicon.”

Why are you acting up again?

Yo.

After leaving the restaurant and wandering around looking for a place to stay, I asked Chloe.

“By the way, Chloe, what’s the magic academy like?”

“Hmm, it’s a place where beasts called students engage in fierce competition.”

…Beasts?

“The cadets at the academy will do anything when it comes to grades. They fight like animals trying to claim their prey.”

“…I see.”

Thinking about the overheated K-entrance exam frenzy, it made sense. Well, after going through such a high competition rate to get in, it’s only natural to be greedy about grades too.

“Chloe, were you good at studying?”

“I told you I got in through a special admission for commoners, right? So yeah, I was pretty good at studying. Ranked around 2nd or 3rd in my year.”

…Impressive.

“You’re really good at studying.”

“It wasn’t all good though.”

“What do you mean?”

Chloe laughed lightly.

“…A lot of nobles didn’t like that a commoner like me got high grades. Some of them even bullied me directly.”

…Huh?

As Chloe was talking, she suddenly stopped walking and held her forehead.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Right, the noble who bullied me…”

“Chloe?”

Suddenly, Chloe’s body started trembling like a leaf. Seeing her whole body shaking, the Saint and I quickly supported her.

“Chloe, are you okay? Saint, can you heal this?”

“…Hero, don’t freak out like an idiot~♡ This isn’t an injury or anything.”

“Huh? Then why…?”

Chloe answered my question, still trembling.

“…I remembered. How I became a monster.”

“…What?”

I looked at the Saint, and she looked at me.

If she remembered how she became a monster, that means she remembers how she swallowed the Transformational Stone.

The Saint said to me,

“First, let’s find an inn and get a room. Then we can hear her story slowly.”

“Ah, right.”

We supported the trembling Chloe and headed to the nearest inn. We quickly got a room and sat Chloe down on the bed.

The Saint gently stroked Chloe’s back as she continued to tremble.

“Chloe, take a deep breath in and out.”

After taking a few deep breaths, Chloe’s trembling gradually stopped. Seeing her calm down a bit, the Saint asked her,

“Chloe, can you tell us? How did you end up swallowing the Transformational Stone?”

“…Yes. I remember everything now.”

Chloe’s voice was still shaking a little, but she slowly began to tell her story.

“There was a group of nobles who always bullied me for being a commoner. Especially one person I really didn’t get along with, a cadet named Anais Cesar.”

…Anais?

I felt like I’d heard that name before. Where had I heard it?

…Wasn’t that the name Oz mentioned?

“Anais and I really didn’t get along. She was one of the main people who bullied me. But on the day the midterm exams ended, the group she hung out with called me to a secluded place. Honestly, I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to be bullied again, but I thought if I refused, they’d just bully me worse next time, so I went.”

“…And they made you swallow the Transformational Stone?”

“…They forced my mouth open and made me swallow a small red stone. Then my body started turning into a monster, and I ran away from the academy to survive. If I stayed, I would’ve been exterminated for sure. After that, I fully turned into a monster and lost my memories.”

After hearing the whole story, the Saint looked at me. She was probably also remembering the Anais that Oz had mentioned.

But Oz is a commoner from the Empire, and this Anais Cesar is a noble from the Minerva Kingdom, right? Maybe they just have the same name.

Still, I thought I should ask to confirm, so I asked Chloe.

“…Chloe, about this Anais Cesar person.”

“Yes?”

“Is she originally from the Minerva Kingdom?”

“Hmm… I don’t know about that, but I do know she wasn’t originally a noble. She was adopted by the Cesar family four years ago. That’s why I fought with her more than other nobles—because she was originally a commoner too, yet she bullied me. It was so ridiculous…”

A girl named Anais who was adopted four years ago and enrolled in the ‘magic’ academy.

Hmm, this seems… like a match?

When I gave the Saint that look, she let out a deep sigh.

“…It seems like we need to go to the academy, Saint.”

“Indeed. Let’s go and investigate how the Transformational Stone was obtained too.”

“Huh?”

Chloe looked at us with a questioning expression. I scratched my head and honestly told her.

“…That person might be my childhood friend.”

…To be precise, the childhood friend of this body.

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