Chapter 93

“The Hero and I stayed in the village for about a few days, helping with its reconstruction.”

“Rebuilding the shattered temporary buildings, recovering the food that had been swallowed by the giant snake…”

“To be honest, hunting got kinda annoying, so I butchered the huge snake, stripped it of its meat, and handed it over as food. That’s a minor story.”

“I purified all the poison, so aside from a slightly weird feeling, the meat is now clean. It should be enough to feed the villagers for a few days.”

“After about seven days, the village was somewhat organized and became livable again.”

“Hmm… then, I suppose it’s time for us to leave.”

“Hm? Have you finally decided to move?”

“Yes. I’ve come to deeply realize that if I don’t act, many people will suffer, just like in this situation.”

The Hero’s words made me nod.

“Great power comes with great responsibility,” wasn’t that from some famous hero story?

Since the Hero possesses great power, there’s an equally great responsibility attached to it.

“Well, that applies to me too, but isn’t my responsibility more about somehow keeping this world running? Hmm…”

“By the way, wasn’t it a Dragon? Spewing fire from its mouth and flying around freely… If we hadn’t managed to cut off its wings, defeating it would have been tough. Dragons truly live up to their reputation as the mightiest creatures on land.”

“Dragon?”

Could it be… he still thinks that Wyvern was a Dragon?

“Are you talking about the monster you faced?”

“Huh? Yes, wasn’t that a Dragon?”

At the Hero’s question, I shook my head vigorously.

“There’s no way that thing could be a Dragon! Dragons are much more noble, beautiful, and majestic beings.”

There’s a world of difference between them and that Wyvern which lacked even a speck of intelligence! Absolutely!

“Huh…? You mean that wasn’t a Dragon?”

“That flying lizard you fought was a Wyvern. It was strong, sure, but nowhere near the level of a Dragon.”

The Hero looked a little disappointed at my words.

Honestly, even with the Hero’s strength, taking down a Dragon would be tough. Absolutely!

“In any case… let’s take the Wyvern’s corpse with us. Its skin can make sturdy armor, and its membrane, teeth, claws, and bones should also be useful.”

Since Wyverns provide top-tier materials outside of Dragons, I’ll craft some clothes out of its skin and give them to the Hero.

Silver armor protects well, but there are always gaps left uncovered.

I cut the Wyvern’s wing membrane, enchanted it with a spell connecting it to subspace, and stuffed the entire corpse inside.

Hmm. A pocket that swallows things much larger than itself. Strange, but handy.

Besides, since it’s made from Wyvern membrane, it shouldn’t tear easily.

“Then, let’s depart.”

“Hm… Shouldn’t we say our final goodbyes?”

“Huh?”

“That girl. She seems to have feelings for you.”

At my words, the Hero’s face turned red instantly.

“M-my feelings… I have duties to fulfill!”

“But you won’t be a Hero forever, right? One day, you’ll put down the Sword of the Hero and live a normal life.”

The Hero couldn’t respond to my words.

“Well, you have plenty of time, so take your time thinking about it. And don’t forget to properly say goodbye. Not doing so will lead to regrets.”

With a determined expression, the Hero ran back toward the village.

I won’t spy on the Hero and the girl’s farewell.

Personal privacy… hmm… though I’ve already intruded quite a bit, I should at least respect it this last time. Absolutely!

“Let’s see… while the Hero finishes saying goodbye, I’ll make some clothes out of the Wyvern’s skin.”

I know the Hero’s exact size, so it shouldn’t take long to make!

I’ll make boots from the thick part of the skin and gloves from the softer parts.

Each piece will protect the Hero’s body. Let’s get to work!

“Are you leaving?”

The girl spoke to the Hero.

“Yes.”

“I figured as much. It doesn’t make sense for someone as renowned as a Hero to stay in a small village like this for long. Your departure wasn’t unexpected.”

The Hero couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Umm… I’ll miss you a little. For some reason, I really liked you, Hero. You gave off a very familiar vibe. If you weren’t a Hero, I might have proposed to you first and asked you to stay.”

“I…”

“But it’s hard, isn’t it? When I see how you look at the Dragon Priestess… Well, the answer is obvious.”

The girl forced a laugh.

“Do you like her? The Dragon Priestess?”

“…”

The Hero remained silent.

“Hmm… Silence speaks volumes. Thanks to that, I can cleanly let go. Someone as beautiful as her… who could compete against her? Especially someone like me, just a girl from a small village.”

With a slightly resigned tone, the Hero finally spoke.

“It’s true that I like her, but it’s a love that can never be fulfilled.”

“Wow? Even the mighty Hero has unattainable love?”

“She sees me like a child. And… her vast heart isn’t something one person can monopolize.”

“Monopolize…?”

The Hero only shook his head slightly.

“Anyway, it exists. Anyway, I’ll be going now.”

“Yes. Safe travels. Thank you for helping our village.”

The Hero gave a small bow before starting to walk away, and the girl began waving her hand as she watched him leave.

Even as the Hero’s figure grew distant, she kept waving.

Finally, her waving hand slowly stopped when the Hero’s figure became faint. Her hand fell gently.

She was holding back something.

She continued to hold it back while watching the Hero’s retreating figure.

No, she couldn’t hold it back.

“HERO!!! IF YOU EVER RUN OUT OF PLACES TO GO AFTER YOUR MISSIONS ARE DONE!!! PLEASE COME BACK TO THE VILLAGE!!!”

Would the Hero hear the girl’s voice? She didn’t know.

But she shouted anyway.

“I’LL PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU TO STAY!!! I’LL HAVE A PLACE READY WHERE YOU CAN RETURN ANYTIME!!! SO PLEASE!!! COME BACK ONE DAY!!!”

A promise without a set date. A message that might not even reach him.

But all the girl could do was shout.

May this voice reach him.

She shouted with all her heart.

“Since the Hero’s mission ends…”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

“Hmph. Such a wimpy guy. Here, try this thing I made while you were saying goodbye.”

I handed the Hero the gloves I made from the Wyvern’s skin.

Though I made them a bit hastily, the quality of the raw material was excellent, so they turned out pretty good.

It’ll take more effort to properly make the clothes and boots. We’ll need to take our time with those.

The Hero slipped on the Wyvern-skin gloves I gave him and clenched and unclenched his fists a few times.

“Is there any problem with movement?”

“Yes. They fit perfectly.”

Hmm. Even though I made them roughly based on sight, they suit him well.

“Then, let’s be off. The sooner we move, the more people we can save.”

“Yes. Let’s hurry.”

Our destination was already decided.

We had already identified the locations of other dangerous monsters through the wind spirits.

And so, the Dragon Priestess and the Hero set off on their journey.

The nameless Hero and the Dragon Priestess wandered the world, defeating monsters that harmed many.

In the comic-like flow of events, they subdued shape-shifting animals, split the ice giants they met in the north, decapitated the rock-wrapped beasts, and chopped up massive fish swimming in pools of poison. Nothing could stop their advance.

Many praised their adventures, and their great deeds were celebrated far and wide.

Naturally, news of their exploits reached others.

The title of Hero would remain sacred forever.

Of course, it was natural that their fame spread among other races as well.

After burning countless hordes of locusts, the Hero and the Dragon Priestess rested in a village when two messengers arrived.

One was sent by the Elves, the other by the Dwarves.

“As a representative of the noble Elven race, I invite the human Hero to join us. Surely grasping the dirty hands of those dwarves is less preferable than ours.”

“A Hero must understand the importance of weapons and armor! We Dwarves will offer you our finest equipment. Don’t listen to those pointy-eared liars!”

Why are these guys always at odds?

Did they fight or something? Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha never said anything about it?

Ahem. Let’s assess the situation first. Decisions can wait.