Episode 30
It’s been a week since I started living as a guest at the temple. Finally, the symbol of the Saintess has arrived from the Holy See. The Saintess called me and Chloe and guided us to the Cardinal’s office.
“Are we leaving now?”
“Yes, we have to. We can’t stay at the temple forever, right?”
…I kind of want to stay longer.
I want to keep living as a guest. I don’t want to be a hero.
While I was thinking that, the Saintess smiled at me and said,
“You have to go, Hero-nim♡”
“…Yes.”
…I’m scared.
The Saintess was wearing her black priestly robes again today. Apparently, they couldn’t prepare white robes that fit her, so she had no choice. But since the Saintess has black hair, this actually suits her better.
“Welcome, Saintess. And Hero-nim and your companions.”
“Hello.”
“Ah, hello.”
Chloe seemed quite nervous about meeting the Cardinal. Well, the Cardinal is a high-ranking figure after all…
“Where is the symbol?”
“Here it is, Saintess.”
Cardinal Antonio smiled at the Saintess and pulled out something shiny from his pocket. It was a bracelet crafted from a transparent gemstone, almost like glass.
“…Diamond!?”
“No, Hero-nim.”
“Ah.”
…It’s transparent and shiny, so I got confused. What is it then?
“It’s a symbol of the Saintess, made from a mineral called Sunstone. It represents the Saintess of the Solaria Church.”
“Ah.”
…What’s a Sunstone?
Just then, Chloe, who was beside me, looked surprised.
“Sunstone? It’s not as valuable as a diamond, but it’s still a rare gem, Hero-nim.”
“Ah, really?”
“It’s a special ore that can absorb sunlight, and it’s sometimes used to create alchemical weapons.”
“It absorbs sunlight? That’s fascinating.”
Then there must be a Moonstone that absorbs moonlight! Haha!
…Wait, is that actually a thing?
The Saintess received the symbol from Cardinal Antonio and expressed her gratitude. The Cardinal then asked us,
“Are you leaving right away?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“I see.”
The Cardinal made the sign of the cross and offered a prayer for us.
“May bright sunshine illuminate your journey.”
The Saintess responded with a prayer, and Chloe and I bowed our heads respectfully. The Saintess and Chloe left the office first, and as I was about to follow, the Cardinal stopped me.
“Hero-nim.”
“Yes?”
“Please make sure the Saintess doesn’t overuse her powers.”
“…Huh? What do you mean?”
Is he saying not to use the Sacred Artifact?
“Well, if it’s about the Sacred Artifact, she doesn’t need me to tell her to stop using it…”
“No, not that kind of power. I mean the power she used to purify Chloe.”
“…Ah.”
The one that turned her hair red?
“Is it bad if she uses it often?”
“Yes, it is.”
“…Will something happen?”
Don’t tell me… her lifespan will shorten or something? That would be such a cliché. If it’s really that, it’s cliché but also kind of sad.
But what Cardinal Antonio said next was surprisingly different.
“The Saintess will gradually grow weaker.”
“Huh?”
The Saintess will grow weaker?
“She will permanently lose the Holy Power she carries within her. For someone born with divinity, losing Holy Power means her health will deteriorate. So please be careful.”
…I didn’t know about that.
If the Saintess grows weaker, that’s absolutely unacceptable. If the Saintess weakens, who will deal with the monsters?
“I’ll be careful.”
“It would be best to awaken the Holy Sword as soon as possible.”
“The Holy Sword?”
“Once the Holy Sword is fully awakened, you’ll be able to restore people who have been transformed by the Transformational Stone, just like the Saintess.”
The Holy Sword has that kind of power?
“Do other Holy Swords have that ability?”
“…Only Abel Hero-nim’s Holy Sword, the Sword of Order, can do that. It’s fortunate that the Saintess has you by her side.”
I heard that awakening the Sword of Order’s ego is tricky, but it seems to have some special power.
Then I should awaken it quickly. I’m also curious about this Ego Sword.
I thanked the Cardinal for his advice and bowed respectfully.
“Thank you for the advice, Your Eminence.”
“Not at all. If anything, I should be thanking you.”
“Why would Your Eminence thank me…?”
“Thanks to you, the Saintess seems to have been very happy. She’s been smiling a lot.”
“…Hmm.”
Haha, she must’ve had a lot of fun teasing me… damn her.
The conversation went on a bit longer, and I heard Chloe calling for me.
“Hero-nim~! What are you doing~?”
“I’ll be going now.”
“I look forward to seeing you again.”
#
We boarded a carriage provided by the temple and headed toward the border region. It’s true what they say—people should travel by carriage. After walking for so long, it feels so comfortable and nice.
Thud!
“Ouch.”
“Oh my♡ Hero-nim, you’re going to become dumber than a gorilla if you keep this up~♡”
…Everything’s great except for occasionally bumping my head like this. Thankfully, the body I’ve possessed doesn’t get motion sickness, so that’s a relief. If I had to deal with both head bumps and motion sickness, it would’ve been a nightmare.
“Saintess, is there anything we should be careful about when we reach the border region?”
“Hero-nim asking such a meaningful question? The sun must be rising from the west~♡”
“…So, is there anything?”
“Hmm~♡ Just act like Chloe isn’t from another country. That’s all.”
“Since it’s the border region, is there a risk of monsters appearing?”
I figured there would be more monsters outside the country than inside. But the Saintess shook her head at my question.
“Not really. There are quite a few monsters living in the neutral zones between borders, and sometimes they try to cross over. But we regularly hunt them down, so there aren’t usually any high-level dangerous monsters. The border guards can handle mid-level monsters just fine.”
“I see.”
She’s really knowledgeable. She’s like a monster encyclopedia.
“Unless a high-level monster shows up, there shouldn’t be much danger. So don’t be scared, cowardly Hero-nim♡”
…What’s wrong with being prepared, you brat.
The carriage took us from one relay station to another, finally dropping us off at the border checkpoint facing the Minerva Kingdom.
“Wow, there are so many people.”
It wasn’t as crowded as the capital, Trakia, but there were still quite a lot of people lined up to cross the border.
As I was marveling at the crowd, the Saintess suddenly popped up beside me and smiled.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because you’re cute~♥ You look like a little kid, amazed by all the people♡”
“…Stop teasing me.”
You’re the kid here!
…Well, there’s an even bigger kid next to me.
“…? Hero-nim, why are you looking at me like that?”
“…No reason.”
“There was some malice in your eyes just now…”
…Why is her intuition so sharp? Is this what they call a woman’s intuition?
“Are there always this many people at the border?”
“This is the gateway to the Minerva Kingdom, so it’s always busy. The Mars Empire, Minerva Kingdom, and Vesta Kingdom have a lot of exchanges. Silly♡ Didn’t you know that?”
“Hey, did you go to school back then~♡”
“…I didn’t.”
“…Huh?”
Honestly, I don’t know. How would I know if this body went to school or not?
But if I said I did, I’d look like someone who went to school but still knows nothing, so I just said I didn’t.
And would a country bumpkin like me even go to school? Probably didn’t even get proper elementary education. Just look at how I can’t even read.
The Saintess looked at me with an apologetic expression.
“…Um… sorry.”
“It’s fine if you know now.”
The Saintess seemed a bit guilty, fidgeting beside me before cautiously speaking up.
“…Hero, I’ll teach you how to read. Once we cross the border, I’ll teach you.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. Seriously.”
“Really, really, seriously?”
“Yes, really, really, seriously.”
“…What are you two doing?”
At Chloe’s incredulous tone, the Saintess and I snapped out of it. Chloe stared at us for a moment before suddenly clinging to me.
“…Chloe?”
“I can teach you how to read too!”
“Wait, that’s my role! Who said you could just appoint yourself as the teacher?!”
“Me~!”
Chloe and the Saintess started bickering again.
…Stop fighting, you crazy women.
“…You don’t have to teach me how to read, but I did have something to ask you, Chloe.”
“Me?… What do you want to ask?”
“Mana.”
Rune characters. In other words, kanji. I know a lot of kanji, but I don’t know how to handle mana. Never even tried it.
If I had mana, could I draw kanji and use magic?
So I wanted to ask Chloe if she could sense mana in me. If she could, I planned to learn how to use it and rune characters from her.
“Do you sense mana in me?”
“Huh? Of course you have mana, Hero. You’re the Hero.”
…?
Heroes can naturally use it?
Come to think of it, when Elfride fought monsters before, she was flying around. That wasn’t the power of the Holy Sword but mana, huh?
“Uh… so how do you use rune characters?”
“You just draw them in the air with mana. Like this, gather mana in your fingers…”
…So how do you do that? If you say something like “just do it,” I’ll smack you.
“You two, stop there and come here. It’s not too late to learn after we cross the border.”
“Oh, okay.”
“…What a shame. I’ll teach you later, Hero!”
“…Sure.”
At least she won’t make annoying comments while teaching.
…I wonder if I’ll just hear the Saintess call me stupid all the time while learning from her.
I joined the long line behind the Saintess. So all these people are trying to cross the border. There are so many.
“…Huh?”
What’s that gate? Besides the iron gate people are using, there’s a gilded gate next to it. But it’s tightly shut, and no one’s using it. There’s no line there either.
“Saintess, Saintess.”
“You only need to call me once, Hero♡ Or did you want to call me twice on purpose~♡ If you like me that much, I can’t help it♡”
…What are you even saying, you crazy woman.
“…Why isn’t anyone using that gate over there?”
“Ah~♡ That gate? That’s…”
“It’s called the Golden Gate!”
I asked the Saintess, but Chloe cut in and answered. The Saintess narrowed her eyes at Chloe, who pretended not to notice.
…I’m surrounded by weird women.
“What’s the Golden Gate?”
“It’s a gate only royalty and nobles can use.”
…Disgusting aristocratic society.
“But you and the Saintess could use that gate.”
“Huh? I’m not a noble. Neither is the Saintess.”
“Even if you’re not nobles, the Saintess of the Church and the current Hero can use the Golden Gate. Heroes and Saints are treated as honored guests in any country.”
“Then why…”
I looked at the Saintess, and she answered simply.
“To avoid unnecessary trouble for you, Hero. And there’s also the reason we need to cross the border with Chloe.”
“Trouble?”
“All the Heroes before you were nobles. So using the Golden Gate wasn’t a problem, but you’re a bit different. Even though you’re the Hero, some nobles might not take kindly to a commoner using the Golden Gate. It’s better to avoid unnecessary conflicts with nobles, so we’re preventing it in advance.”
“I see.”
So it’s because they’re worried about me. And we also need to take Chloe with us.
“…Sorry for making you wait longer because of me.”
“…It’s not like that. Even without Chloe, I wouldn’t have used the Golden Gate with you. So don’t feel bad.”
Chloe looked a bit surprised at the Saintess’s words. She talks like a jerk but is secretly kind. I’m like that too.
With so many people trying to cross the border, it took a long time for the line to move. After waiting for about two hours, we finally saw the checkpoint.
“Three more turns, and it’ll be our turn.”
“Oh, finally.”
“I want to go quickly. I’m tired of waiting~.”
Chloe whined while squatting on the ground. She really acts like a kid.
“Just hang in a little longer, Chloe.”
“Can’t you carry me, Hero?”
“No.”
“Mean.”
I’m tired too, you brat.
“…Hey, what’s that…”
“Damn it, report to the higher-ups immediately.”
The soldiers guarding the border started getting noisy. What are they seeing?
“Close the gate! Seal the entrance!”
They started closing the gate with serious expressions. Wait, if they close it, how are we supposed to leave?
That’s when it happened. Before the gate could fully close, a lion-like paw burst through the gap, and everyone who saw it panicked.
“Ah, ahhh! A monster!”
“What?”
“A monster!?”
“Run, run away!!!”
…A monster?
With a loud crash, the gate shattered. And as expected, the gate didn’t hold for long and was completely breached.
“…Huh.”
The monster that appeared was massive. With its enormous size, it had a lion’s head and paws, a goat’s body with a ram’s head attached, and a snake-headed tail. It was a bizarre-looking monster.
Having read Greek and Roman mythology comics as a kid, I couldn’t help but know its name.
“…Chimera.”
