Chapter 45
I really accidentally found the Saint of the Rudria Church. First, I talked to the Saint and freed her from the Sacred Artifact she was bound to.
I greeted her first.
“I’m the Hero, Abel. This is Saint Estelle, who travels with me.”
“I am Selin, a faithful servant of the Goddess Rudria….”
Selin’s expression as she greeted me was very dark. If someone saw this, they might misunderstand and think I was threatening her….
“…Uh, why did you run away?”
“…I know.”
…What do you know all of a sudden?
“The Church has issued an order to find me and bring me back!”
“…Ah.”
It seems she had also heard about the order.
“That’s why I tried to run away….”
So, she really doesn’t want to go back? What could have happened to make her act like this?
“What happened to make you do this?”
“…I got slapped.”
“Huh?”
She got slapped? By whom?…Don’t tell me it was Levius?
Selin explained everything to me. Levius had been invited to a banquet where he fought with Elfride, and when he returned to his room, he was so angry that he started throwing things. When Selin tried to stop him, Levius hit her.
“…So, that’s why you ran away?”
“…That’s not all. This incident was just the trigger. Hero Levius has been like this for a while.”
“He’s been like this for a while?”
“He didn’t like me. He said I was a boring woman. So, he would often take out his anger on me, and verbal abuse was just the beginning. He didn’t hit me before, but he would throw things at me….”
Wow, what a total asshole. I guess there was a reason why that weird Holy Sword chose him.
“But this time, he finally hit me directly? That’s why I couldn’t take it anymore and ran away….”
“…I didn’t see it before, but he’s a total asshole.”
“…Huh?”
Selin’s eyes widened as she looked at me.
What, did I say something wrong?
“Levius, that bastard. How can a so-called Hero act like that to his own companion? If he treats his own companion like that, it’s obvious how he treats others.”
The Saint next to me nodded in agreement.
“Rumors don’t just come out of nowhere.”
“Exactly. I wish I could punch him if I were there.”
“Oh, Hero. You might end up getting beaten up yourself♡”
“…I know how that feels.”
Damn, I know.
“…He doesn’t act like that to all his companions. It’s just me….”
“Huh?”
…Why?
“Hero Levius has two other companions besides me, Natalia and Sonia.”
“Ah, those women?”
“Yes…he doesn’t usually act like that with them. Of course, they also know how to handle themselves….”
Then why is he discriminating against her?
“What’s the reason?”
“…It’s just my guess, but I think it’s because I didn’t sleep with him.”
“…Huh?”
For a moment, my mind went blank. Did I hear that wrong?
So…he treats her like that because she didn’t sleep with him?
…Is he really a Hero?
“Do you know about Hero Levius’s Holy Sword of Ecstasy?”
“Yes, I know.”
“To draw out its power, Hero Levius requires a woman’s body. Honestly…I don’t think that method is wrong. After all, it’s the fastest way to gain a lot of pleasure.”
“But the Saint can’t do that, right?”
“…There’s no doctrine in the Rudria Church that says a priestess must remain chaste.”
…So, the Saint doesn’t have to be a virgin? Isn’t that a bit off, Goddess Rudria? How open-minded can you be?
“But I…believe that such a relationship should be with someone I love….”
“…Ah.”
There are plenty of people like that.
“So, when I refused, our relationship soured. And I also tend to speak my mind a lot….”
“Our Saint also speaks her mind a lot.”
And in a really annoying tone, too.
“Actually, there aren’t many Saints who don’t speak their minds. Saints are supposed to assist the Hero and guide them on the right path. But it seems Hero Levius didn’t want to hear any of my words.”
This is a bit of a sad situation. If we send Selin back now, things will only get worse. If Levius continues to act like this, Selin won’t have a chance to reflect on her actions after running away.
I looked at the Saint.
“What should we do?”
“…Hmm.”
The Saint also seemed to be pondering. It was a conflict between a Hero and a Saint, so there was a lot to consider.
The Saint asked Selin.
“Do you not want to return to the Church?”
“…If I return to the Church, I’ll definitely be sent back to Hero Levius.”
“But since the order has been issued to all Churches, you’ll have to return no matter where you go.”
“That’s true, but….”
Selin hesitated, as if she wanted to say something. I encouraged her to speak.
“If you have something to say, please say it.”
“…If Hero Abel accepts me as a companion, that would solve the problem….”
“Huh?”
I already have a Saint by my side. Despite her tone, her appearance and abilities are undeniable. Honestly, it would be hard to find a better priestess than the one next to me.
“Saint Selin, as you know, I’m already traveling with Saint Estelle here. Is it okay for one Hero to have two Saints?”
“…There’s no rule that says a Hero can only have one Saint. It’s just the norm….”
So, it’s like an unwritten rule. It’s only right to follow such norms….
“But! I can handle Sacred Artifacts, and I can also use swords and bows! If you accept me as a companion, I can definitely pull my weight!”
Suddenly, Selin started promoting herself, like a job seeker in an interview.
But I was a bit surprised by what she said.
“You can use swords and bows?”
“Yes!”
“Oh….”
She can handle cold weapons? It’s a bit surprising that a Saint like her can use such weapons. But then the Saint next to me spoke.
“…So what?”
“Huh?”
“What’s the use of that? Saint Selin, you can use swords and bows, but…”
“Even so, you can’t really take on the role of a swordsman or an archer, can you?”
“…Uh, that’s… Saint Estelle is right….”
Yeah. That’s probably not it. Knowing how to handle a weapon and being able to fulfill that role are two completely different things.
…What should I really do? If I send her back to the Church, it’s like sending Selin back to Levius, and that would mean pushing her back into the hell she just barely escaped from.
But if I just keep her around, her role overlaps too much with the Saint. Plus, it doesn’t seem like Selin is stronger than the Saint by my side….
Having two Saints around seems pretty inefficient, doesn’t it?
“…For now.”
“Huh?”
“We’ll keep her with us until the next Regular Reporting Meeting, Saint.”
Selin, who heard the conversation, was delighted, while the Saint slightly furrowed her brow.
I made this decision after a lot of thought, so don’t look at me like that….
“Let’s decide what to do after that—whether to reconcile or whatever. Who knows, our thoughts might change by then?”
“…Sigh, another woman, huh?”
“Huh?”
Is the problem that she’s a woman, not efficiency…?
“Alright. If that’s what the Hero wants, then we’ll do it.”
The Saint answered like that, but she didn’t seem too pleased.
…She’s not going to sulk again, is she?
“Thank you, Hero! Thank you too, Saint Estelle!”
Selin bowed deeply. Was she really that happy about not having to go back to Levius?
…Kind of pitiful. I could imagine what kind of treatment she must have endured, and it made me feel sorry for her. I should treat her well while she’s with us.
#
And so, Selin joined our party. It’s been a week since Chloe left, and now we have a new member.
After Selin joined, we continued our journey toward Pockulum. We’ve crossed the border of the Minerva Kingdom and are now in neutral territory.
The Saint, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.
“Hero.”
“Yes?”
“Shall we begin?”
…Looks like she’s found something again.
“…Sure.”
Now somewhat accustomed to this, I drew the Holy Sword, and Selin tilted her head in confusion.
“Hero? What are you doing?”
“Training.”
“Huh?”
The Saint led the way into the forest, and I followed. Selin trailed behind me, still puzzled.
“Hero, why are we going into the forest? There might be monsters here.”
“That’s why we’re here.”
“…Huh???”
Selin seemed to not understand my words. I guess Levius didn’t grow stronger this way.
“You’ll understand if you follow.”
Seeing is believing, so it’s faster to show her. Selin and I followed the Saint deep into the forest.
“Sit down.”
The Saint whispered softly and crouched down. Following her lead, I crouched as well, and she pointed ahead.
“Do you see that? Even with your pathetic eyesight, you should be able to see it♡”
“…I see it~~.”
Damn, does she think I’m blind?
The monster the Saint pointed at was a white tiger. A white tiger with a large horn on its forehead. Is that really a monster? It looks more like a divine beast.
“It’s called a Hom Tiger. It’s classified as a mid-level monster, but individually, it’s much stronger than Orcs or the Goliath we fought last time.”
“…I see.”
“The Hom Tiger’s strength lies in its forelegs. But its hind legs are weaker. Got it~♡”
“Yes.”
“Um, excuse me….”
At that moment, Selin asked us.
“Hero Abel, you’ve only been a Hero for about three months, right…?”
“Yes.”
“But you’re planning to take on a Hom Tiger without any Blessings? Isn’t that too much?”
…Why is she asking now?
Selin seemed to be worried about me. The Saint chuckled and answered her.
“It’s fine. Even though the Hero is still a bit of a rookie, he can handle that much. More importantly, Hero♡”
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you try provoking it this time♡”
“…How?”
“You’ve learned runes, right?”
Before Chloe left, after crossing the border, I did learn how to draw runes. Back then, I casually drew a few Chinese characters I knew, and Chloe was amazed, calling me a genius.
I just scribbled a few characters I knew, but Chloe was really impressed.
…I already miss her.
“I only know a few, but… I’ll give it a try.”
“Sure~♡”
I closed my eyes for a moment. I’m still pretty inexperienced, so if I don’t close my eyes and focus, it’s hard to gather mana.
“…Got it.”
“Now, aim at the Hom Tiger over there.”
“Okay.”
I used the mana gathered in my fingers to draw a Chinese character, or rather, a rune. I drew the character for ice (氷) while chanting the incantation.
“Ice Spear.”
A sharp ice spear appeared and flew toward the Hom Tiger.
Thunk!
And the ice spear lodged itself right into the Hom Tiger’s backside.
…Its backside?
“…Huh?”
“…Hero, isn’t that a bit too much?”
“Ugh….”
The Hom Tiger was thrashing around wildly with the ice spear stuck in its backside. This is basically an ice enema….
I glanced at the two beside me. They were looking at me with strange eyes.
…I’m really innocent here. It wasn’t intentional!!
But it didn’t seem like they’d believe me even if I explained. Let’s just finish this quickly….
“…I’ll go take care of it and come back.”
