Episode 42
“…Hero, why are you spacing out like that?”
“…Uh…sorry…”
Abel was still out of it. Maybe it was a natural reaction. After all, Chloe had launched an unexpected sneak attack. Even if she wasn’t his type, when a woman like that comes at you, any man would be flustered.
Seeing this, Estelle clenched her teeth.
‘That sly cat…!’
When Chloe asked Abel to bow his head, Estelle, sensing something was off, quickly reached out. But her timing was a bit off, and she couldn’t stop Chloe from pulling her little stunt.
‘I haven’t even done that yet…!’
She never expected to be cut in line like this. First, they went on a secret date behind her back, and now this cheek kiss… She’s been beaten to the punch in expressing affection, the so-called “cheek peck.”
‘Ugh…!’
These thoughts turned into jealousy, giving Estelle a reason to act out towards Abel.
“Did you enjoy it that much? You really can’t resist women, huh? You lolicon♡ Criminal♡”
“…When did I ever?”
Hearing Estelle’s words, Abel was startled. Seeing his reaction only made Estelle more upset. If he was surprised, it meant he really felt that way.
“You pervert hero♡ You must’ve loved it, huh? You beast♡”
“…Shut up.”
Abel slightly narrowed his eyes. Seeing his expression, Estelle was taken aback. It seemed Abel was genuinely upset.
Normally, Estelle would have stopped here, but jealousy had numbed her rationality. Without realizing it, she kept insulting Abel.
“Eek, the pervert hero talked to me♡ I feel gross♡”
“…Why do you always say things like that, Saint? It’s really upsetting.”
Finally, Abel let out that he was upset.
Considering Abel’s usual demeanor, him saying this to Estelle meant he was truly bothered.
So, Estelle was deeply flustered.
“I have my limits too.”
Abel’s voice was dead serious. Regaining her senses, Estelle regretted her actions.
‘I’m such an idiot! I should’ve stopped…!’
Abel narrowed his eyes and looked at Estelle, who fumbled and apologized.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Of course, I know the Saint doesn’t really mean it…”
As Abel said this, he suddenly seemed to remember something and widened his eyes slightly.
“Ah, Saint.”
“…Yes?”
“There’s something I’m really curious about.”
“Yes?”
After getting angry, what could he suddenly be curious about? Estelle waited with a puzzled expression.
“Saint, you’ve always called me ugly, right? Why did you do that?”
“…Huh?”
Estelle was startled. She couldn’t bring herself to say it was because she was worried that if Abel realized his looks, too many women would flock to him.
“No, you always said I looked like a goblin. But where can you find such a handsome goblin? That’s why I was curious. Even if you were teasing me, you said it every day, so it was strange.”
Abel’s direct question left Estelle flustered. Seeing her reaction, Abel pressed further.
“Maybe you teased me every day because you liked the attention I gave you!?”
Abel had hit the nail on the head. In truth, Abel didn’t have any ulterior motives; he was just venting.
But his words had a perfect effect on Estelle. Feeling dizzy, Estelle started blurting out anything.
“W-w-what are you talking about! You pervert! Do you think I like you, the lousy hero, or find you cute…!? How could I ever think that!?”
They say when people lose their rationality, their true feelings come out. That’s why there’s a saying about truth in wine. So, the words that came out of the irrational Estelle were filled with her true feelings.
Abel was a bit taken aback by Estelle’s intense reaction.
“…I never said anything like that.”
“Hah…!”
Estelle finally snapped out of it. Realizing what she had just blurted out, her pale cheeks turned bright red.
“…I’ll use a wish ticket.”
“…What?…What!?”
Suddenly talking about using a wish ticket. But contrary to rational thought, Estelle’s heart started pounding. What could she possibly ask for?
“When you saw me, did I look handsome? Be honest.”
“…Huh?”
“I even used a wish ticket, so you can’t lie. Swear to the goddess and be honest.”
What kind of wish ticket is this for such a question? Estelle looked at Abel with a bit of disbelief, but he seemed determined not to take back his words.
“…Honestly?”
“Yes.”
Estelle slightly lowered her gaze and answered.
“……Y-you looked handsome.”
As Estelle readily admitted, Abel smiled with satisfaction.
“Since the Saint admitted it, don’t call me a goblin anymore.”
“…Okay.”
That day, Estelle lost to Abel for the first time.
#
Chloe’s matter was resolved, and now we wondered where to go next, so we asked the loser. She seemed a bit sulky from what had just happened.
“Saint, why are you still sulking?”
“…I don’t know.”
The Saint glanced at me, then quickly turned her head away.
…She’s still cute like that. Maybe it’s better if she just sulks every day?
“Saint, you have to tell us where to go.”
“…The next regular reporting meeting is in the Vesta Kingdom.”
“Ah, is that so?”
So, our next destination is the Vesta Kingdom. Traveling around different countries like this feels just like backpacking.
The Saint suddenly tapped my cheek twice and then abruptly stood up.
…What’s up with her?
“We don’t have the luxury to waste time like this. We need to make the Hero more human-like before the Regular Reporting Meeting.”
“…I’m already human.”
“You’ve just barely surpassed the level of an ant~♡ You need to get stronger.”
“How much time do we have before the Regular Reporting Meeting?”
“About two weeks. It takes about a week to get from Athene to Pockulum.”
Not much time left, huh? I remember the Regular Reporting Meeting is held every two or three months, so that much time has already passed.
What have I been doing since the last Regular Reporting Meeting?
I’ve been hunting monsters in Habsburg City, taking requests at the Guild, saving Chloe who turned into a monster, heading to Lancaster City to return her, and even caught an Ogre along the way…
…Thinking about it, quite a lot has happened. No wonder two months flew by.
“Should we head out right away?”
“Yes, we should… Oh, right. Hero, there’s something I need to tell you.”
What is it?
“I heard from Cardinal Johan that an order has been issued to all Churches.”
“Huh? Did something big happen?”
If an order has been issued to all Churches, including the Solaria Church, something major must have occurred.
“The Saintess of the Rudria Church has disappeared.”
…What?
“Wasn’t she traveling with Hero Levius?”
“Yes, that’s right. But it seems she’s run away.”
…What the hell? Now even Saints are running away.
“What should we do?”
“So, if we happen to find her on our way, we need to escort her back to the Rudria Church. We have our own schedule, so we can’t go out of our way to search for her.”
“Ah… I see. But why would a Saintess leave her Hero?”
“…It’s just speculation, but it might be due to Hero Levius’s personality.”
Personality? Does Hero Levius have some major flaw? When I talked to him last time, aside from suddenly suggesting to change the Saintess, there wasn’t anything particularly unusual.
“…Huh?”
Come to think of it, I did hear that he didn’t get along with the Saintess. Is that the reason?
“Saintess, I’ve figured it out! Hero Levius and the Saintess don’t get along! That must be the reason!”
So that’s why she ran away! Didn’t see that coming, huh?
But upon hearing my deduction, the Saintess started giggling.
“Pfft♡ I already knew that.”
“…How did you know?”
“You asked me about it before, remember? Hero Levius asked you to change the Saintess, and now the Saintess has run away. It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
…Smart girl.
“Bragging about something so obvious makes you look like a fool~♡ Idiot♡”
…I should’ve traded her back then.
“…But what’s Hero Levius’s personality like?”
“Hero Levius… I haven’t had many direct conversations with him, but there are a lot of rumors.”
Rumors?
“Hero Levius comes from the Grosspell family, one of the prestigious families in the Minerva Kingdom. Maybe because of that, he’s a bit arrogant.”
“Really?”
“And there are rumors that he doesn’t treat non-nobles as people. He sees commoners as tools. That’s why many people outside his own country dislike him.”
…What a jerk. Commoners aren’t people? Disgusting elitism.
“How did someone like that become a Hero? Doesn’t the Holy Sword judge a person’s character?”
“No? It’s very strict. It’s not just any Holy Sword~♡”
“Then how did Hero Levius become a Hero?”
“The Holy Sword that chose Hero Levius is… unique.”
Unique? Is it some kind of cursed sword?
“What’s so special about Hero Levius’s Holy Sword?”
“It’s called the Holy Sword of Ecstasy.”
“…Ecstasy?”
Ecstasy means extreme joy and pleasure. It’s an exaggerated expression, but not necessarily a bad word.
“Why is that Holy Sword considered unique?”
“The Holy Sword of Ecstasy doesn’t have the usual penalties, and its unique ability is quite unusual.”
“Penalties?”
This is the first time I’m hearing about this.
“Remember when I told you not to harm people? That’s because of the Holy Sword’s penalty. The more a Hero harms people, the more the Holy Sword loses its power and sharpness.”
…Really?
“…Uh, but last time I knocked people out?”
“Pfft♡ You don’t have to be so worried~♡ As long as it’s not fatal, it’s fine.”
…That’s a relief.
“So, the Holy Sword of Ecstasy doesn’t have that penalty?”
“No, that’s why Hero Levius is the only Hero who can kill people without consequences. Doesn’t that sound off? A Hero, who’s supposed to protect people, can kill them.”
“…Yeah, that’s weird.”
A Hero who kills people? That doesn’t sound much like a Hero.
“So, what’s the ability of the Holy Sword of Ecstasy? You said it’s unusual.”
“It makes the wielder stronger the more pleasure they feel.”
“…What?”
…Pleasure?
