Zoltan was surrounded by a vast expanse of grasslands.

During this season, the farmers from the north district typically head outside the two
meter high ramparts, or more like a stone wall, that surrounds Zoltan to mow grass
from the outer grasslands to collect feed for their livestock in preparation for winter.

The people from Downtown want animal feed too so there were many participants.

Poor adventurers below D-rank also participate as a side-job. The frequency was low
but they were in charge of exterminating monsters whenever they appear. The
rewards for the job was low but they could receive food such as vegetables and wheat
flour from the farmers.

They could easily earn a living by gathering medicinal herbs but the nature of this job
meant that they would be surrounded by companions and would be carried to town
immediately if they suffer any serious injuries. To them, it was important that there
would almost not be any need to put their lives on the line.

The collected grass would be piled up in the north district warehouse to become hay
and sold at a reasonable price once winter came.

“It’ll be winter soon.”

The sky was clear and sunny.

The temperature was slightly chilly.

I wore a coat over the usual shirt I wore.

With my left hand kept in my pocket, I was on my way back to the shop hugging with
my right hand a package containing a large number of potatoes and cheese as well as
chestnuts as a bonus that I received from the farmers in exchange for medicine.
“It’s still warm compared to Logavia.”

Lit said as she plunged her hand into my coat pocket as well.

She held my left hand tight to warm her slightly chilly hand.

“Didn’t you just comment that it was still warm?”

“Winter is still winter.”

Perhaps she was slightly embarrassed as Lit lifted the bandana wrapped around her neck
up slightly to cover her mouth.

When I gripped her hand back tightly, I discovered through the gap of her bandana that
Lit was grinning.

It was somewhat cute so I ended up grinning too.

“Ah, Red is grinning.”

And so Lit made fun of me.

How unreasonable.
We returned to the shop just before noon.

It was still too early for lunch.

Lit took three tins of 10-liter milk out from her item box that she received from the
farmers similarly by exchanging medicine.

You might think that it would have been fine for me to store the potatoes in the item
box too but although the item box would recognize the milk kept inside the tins, it
would not recognize the bag the potatoes were kept in and will store the bag and the
potatoes in separate alternate spaces.

Then, I would have to image them separately when I want to take them out, with no
choice but to take the potatoes and cheeses out one-by-one.

And I would have to memorize every single different kind of vegetable when putting
them in so it was quite an arduous task and keeping them in a bag and carrying by hand
was a lot faster.

“The milk will go bad if we don’t use it quickly.”

“Shall we exchange one tin with other food in the market?”

“Good idea, I’ll pop by for a bit.”

“Can I come along?”

“Of course.”

Now then, if there was another person around, they would have had this question.

Who would watch the shop if the two of us went together?

…Autumn was ending after all so it can’t be helped that the two of us wanted to have a
stroll together!

Gonz would probably hold his belly and laugh if he heard it.
But only Lit and I were there.

I plan to live an irrational fun life to the fullest.

I grabbed a bag with common copper coins in it and set off once again together with Lit.

When we reached the market, Zoltan’s summer languidness had completely passed as
shop owners wearing slightly thicker clothes were raising their voices to promote their
products.

“Now what should we exchange it for.”

In the cities of the Avalon Continent, coin purchase of goods was practiced but there
were still many who barter for goods.

The common copper coin with a low value equivalent to 0.01 Peryl was fundamentally
used as a supplementary coin when bartering goods.

Previously, even in Newman’s clinic, there was an old lady who paid the treatment cost
using meat and common copper coins too so it was a common sight on this continent.

I heard that the money economy of the Dark Continent was advancing. Their copper coin
was about the size of a pinky and unlike our common copper coins where there are even
privately-made copper coins mixed in, they apparently engrave their copper coins.

Even in the Avalon Continent, their coins are high quality with a low price so there are
also countries that import the Dark Continent-minted coins to use as their own country’s
coin.

If a person plans to travel to the Dark Continent, they can exchange money at such
countries.

The price of milk in Zoltan was slightly high.

Because it was better to rear milking cows in a slightly cooler environment.

It was probably 20% more expensive compared to other regions.

Normally it would cost about 5 Peryl for 10 liters but in Zoltan, it would cost 6 Peryl.

6 Peryl was equivalent to the living expenses for six days. Instead of exchanging it in a
single shop, we would probably be exchanging it for food ingredients one after
another.

Or for some expensive food material that is not normally sold.

In comparison, beef was slightly cheaper compared to milk.

The farmers commented that Zoltan had a suitable environment for meat cow animal
husbandry.

However, compared to the price of beef in the central region, it was not cheaper by even
10%. It sold for 95% of the price in the central region, about 4.5 Peryl for 1 kilogram.

It wasn’t really agreeable.

“Isn’t it the season for stew soon?”

“Stew huh, then, shall we buy some sausages and I’ll make pot-au-feu?”

“Can’t we add beef in directly? I like stewed meat!”

“That works too, beef stew it is then. The vegetables will be onion, cabbage, turnip,
and leek. The appetizer will be marinated fish. Fried chicken to go with the stew. After
finishing the stew, we can add pasta and let it simmer. The dessert will be fruit yogurt.”

“Wow, that’s luxurious! But is it all right? For such a day without any occasions?”

Lit’s eyes were sparkling from my words but she asked with her head slightly tilted.

I smiled to dodge the question.

It was too embarrassingly hard to admit that I was happy and over-enthusiastic because
Lit made a dish request.
“It’s done~”

“Yay~”

I placed the stew on the table we set in the living room.

After that, I set a small lit charcoal stand on the table.

The fire wasn’t very strong but the heat radiation from the charcoal caused the stew
to emit bubbling sounds.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yup.”

She had eaten most of the marinated fish while waiting for the stew.

I kind of felt that she ate a little too much even though it was meant to be an appetizer
but it seemed that it was a needless worry on my part when I placed the stew in front
of her.

We had fun conversations while we picked at the stew.

“This chicken dumpling is delicious too.”

“Yeah, I ended up buying it after the butcher strongly recommended it for the leftover
amount of common copper coins I had but it certainly matches his recommendation.
I will have to thank that butcher.”
After we finished eating, I added pasta and left it to shimmer.

The soup pasta that soaked up the taste of the ingredients was delicious as well.

The after meal dessert was yogurt with cut grapes and bananas.

Seeing the sweet-tooth Lit happily eating it made me want to ask if she wanted my share
too.

Well, I ate my own share too though. I love sweet stuff too.

“Thank you for the meal!”

After we both finished eating, Lit had a satisfied smile on her face.

I felt from the bottom of my heart that the effort put into making today’s luxurious meal
was worth it just by seeing that smile.
We properly manned the shop from the afternoon.

Lit took care of the storefront while I went to compound medicine in the workshop.
Today I was making antidotes.

The production of the Devil’s Divine Protection had stopped but it was doubtful if the
authorities had seized all the remaining drugs.

Furthermore, from then on, we would have to treat the withdrawal symptoms of the
drug.

I guess there was a need for a medicine to reduce the withdrawal symptoms too.

“I might as well mass produce Cure Poison Potions.”

Drug poisoning was treated as the effect of magically-induced poisoning.

If Cure Poison was used, it would immediately treat not only the mental addiction but
even the addiction symptoms in the body.

However, the difficulty was that Cure Poison Potions were extremely expensive at 300
Peryl a bottle so it was a medicine that only rich adventurers, merchants or aristocrats
could lay their hands on.

“Hopefully the symptoms can be coped with using antidotes made from brewed medicinal
grass.”

Cure Poison Potions were Magic Potions made by containing spells in them. It was not
something I, who can’t use magic, could make.

However, the antidotes made using medicinal grass could only ease the symptoms a
little. In apothecary, drug addiction was different from poison.
Although I could sell them at a cheap price by using the Multiplying Potion to convert
one potion into five potions…

“If only I had a tight-lipped, trustworthy cooperator who has the authority to distribute
it.”

My acquaintances in Zoltan tend to be middle to lower-class citizens in Downtown.

My connections were non-existent.

“Well, I’ll discuss it with Lit and I guess I’ll give up if that is no good too.”

People probably won’t die even if they don’t have the Cure Poison Potions.

However, the problem was that the Holy Church would question their blasphemous act
of taking the Devil’s Divine Protection so the church that normally treats and isolates
drug addicts would not actively do so for this incident.

There was a need for a partner to nurse the patients suffering from withdrawal
symptoms until they can be off the medications. Zoltan had multiple clinics but they did
not have the capacity for treatment of hospitalized patients.

At most they could mainly treat the patients who come to the clinic and only give them
a short hospitalization duration before they are sent home to recover.

“Regardless, they are all problems that are too large for me to handle.”

I ended up having a lot of thoughts but it wasn’t a problem that I could draw any
conclusions.

I’ll just do my best within the realm of my apothecary.

In the evening, after I finished compounding, I dropped by the shop to check and found
Lit greeting customers with a smile.

It seemed that the shop was quite busy.

“Due to the riots at South Marsh, medicines for emergencies… like the hemostatic agents
are selling very well. Also, the Guards bought quite a number of hangover medications.
I sold quite a few Cure Potions too.”

The Cure Potions I was selling in the shop were from the requests I put up to the
Downtown adventurers to cooperate to contain spells inside the potions I made. The
total hours spent working on it plus the part-time wage adds up to 13 Peryl.

To the fledgling adventurers, the total working hours were long but it was an easy
request where they could earn money just by using magic so it was a popular request.

“Ooo, that’s amazing, isn’t this a record high sales?”

“I think it should rank number one or two. Even though the shop was closed until the
afternoon. Moreover, various clinics apparently don’t have enough medicine so I believe
the orders will come in from tomorrow onwards.”

Lit passed me a note of today’s sales.

I took a quick look at it and we certainly did sell a great deal.

“In this case, I better compound more medicine. Furthermore, at this rate, I would run
out of the medicinal grass I use as materials. I’ll head to the mountains to gather
medicinal grass tomorrow so I guess I’ll put in more work to compound a little more
today.”

“It might be better if we leave the shop open until the customer traffic recedes too.”

“We’ll be working a little overtime though. Can I leave it to you?”

“Sure! It seems that there have been customers that don’t normally buy medicine from
us so it’s the time to let them know of the high-quality medicine sold at Red & Lit’s
Apothecary.”

I wonder if they could be deemed as high-quality but I was confident that there were
no failing-grade medicines.

There have not been any claims from customers and even though there was no chance
of winning against the value of medicine sold by shops where the medicines were
made using the Intermediate Compounding skill or by shop owners who possess
Divine Protections that can use magic, the people who use medicine are not those who
would seek such high-quality goods.

“Could I have this cold medicine please!”

A young Half-Elf girl paid 10 common copper coins and asked with a lively voice.

It was a medicine made using ginger that would raise the body’s metabolism and was
not a medicine that would show immediate effects unlike medicine made using skills
but… this kind of medicine was needed too.

“Be careful not to drop it okay.”

Lit smiled gently and passed her the bottle with the medicine in it.

“Thank you very much! Mother looked like she was suffering from the cold!”

“I think your mother will definitely be happy.”

The young girl lowered her head and left the shop with light footsteps.

My name is Tise. I am an Assassin but now I am probably a flying ship pilot.

“At this rate, we should reach by tomorrow.”

Night had fallen so we landed in a forest a distance away from the highway in order for
me to rest.

I was currently explaining the route to Hero-sama with a map spread open.

“I see.”

Hero-sama silently listened to my words as I traced the route on the map.

She occasionally looked in my direction and twitched her cheek but I end up getting
startled thinking I did something to anger her.

Ugeuge-san was tapping my shoulder telling me it was all right and cheering me on.
Yup, I will do my best.

Hii!? Hero-sama twitched her cheek again! She keeps staring in my direction!!

It’s fine, keep calm, keep calm…

“Tomorrow, land at this point.”

Hero-sama pointed at the map.

It was close to a mountain about a day’s walk from Zoltan.

“Here? That would be quite a distance from Zoltan though?”

“The flying ship would stand out. In Zoltan, I wish to hide the fact that I am the Hero.
You should treat me as a regular traveler too.”

Ehhhhhh? No way no way no way!!

No, I didn’t mind landing the flying ship at a distant location and neither did I mind
walking from there!

But it’s impossibly impossible for Hero-sama to pretend to be an ordinary person!

After all, I break out in cold sweat just by standing beside her! And my back becomes
all drenched! And I have to wash my underwear every night!

A person who emits such overwhelmingly strong aura can only be either the Hero or the
Demon Lord!

Although I have never met the Demon Lord before.

“Is that so? Sorry for being rude but Hero-sama isn’t really familiar with being an
ordinary traveler.”

“You are right. I have always lived as a Hero. That’s why, if I can’t pretend to be a traveler
well, I hope that you could cover for me.”

Seriously ―
“I do not know if I can serve as Hero-sama’s guide. I am nothing more than a vile Assassin.”

“That does not matter. Even now, you have pointed out that I am not familiar with being
a traveler.”

So I was evaluated on that point huh… but I feel that anybody could have pointed that
out…

But I was afraid to object any more so I guess I have no choice but to give up. It is the
job of an Assassin to answer to the wishes of their employer as much as possible.

I have received training to blend into the crowd and if Hero-sama… it’s probably
impossible. But I can’t say that. For now, I’ll just nod and survive today.

It is also an important ability of Assassin to survive difficult situations.

“Well then, that’s all for tomorrow’s plan. You can get some rest. I will act as the lookout.”

Hero-sama said as she went out on to the deck.

I am Tise. Assassin and Flying ship Pilot but now I act as the cover for Hero-sama
dressed as a traveler.

I would never have thought that I would end up like this when I was still an Assassin.

It’s true.

In the middle of the night, as a person was washing their sweaty underwear, she detected
the presence of Hero-sama pacing about as if looking for something for some reason.

She tried to listen carefully.

“…Not here.”

She heard a somewhat disappointed voice.

Not here? Of course, we are the only people on the flying ship so obviously nobody else
would be around.
What was she doing?

“?”

Ugeuge-san also tilted its head in doubt.

Early in the morning, I completed my preparations to head to the mountains.

“I’ll be going then.”

“Have a safe trip, here, your bento.”

“Thanks.”

Incidentally, 90% of that bento was made by me. Lit only made the burnt fried egg that
was crispy on both sides.

Early this morning, she suddenly came to the kitchen and said that she wanted to
experience the situation of handing a bento to me as I leave.

She said that just handing it to me would be insufficient so she wanted to make just one
item and ended up making just the fried egg.

“Mufu―”

Lit seemed to be satisfied, having passed the bento to me.

As I head to the mountains, the knight was still in the middle of the bridge and seemed
to be obstructing the people who wish to cross the bridge.

It seemed troublesome so I took the detour as I did before.

Does that knight have a lot of time on his hands?

No, I don’t want to do it.

In front of my eyes was a drainage channel with the wastewater from the village daily
use as well as filth and even trash tossed into it.

Floating in it was a deformed wood carving of a Wyvern toy that was tangled in the trash.

“Uaaaaaaaan!!”

A boy was crying as he pointed at the toy floating in the drainage channel.

He probably dropped it.

A stench that could warp a person’s nose was coming from the drainage channel and
there were incomprehensible sediments that would cause people to avert their eyes
from the discomfort.

It would be possible to endure it if I gave up and went somewhere else but the child
continued to cry and would not leave that place.

Perhaps the child knew about my special characteristic. Maybe his tears were a calculated
action.

I thought to myself and once the seed of doubt sprouted in my heart, the hatred that
could not be released started burning at my heart.

I am a Hero. A Hero cannot forsake people in need.

Even if I am younger than that boy.

Even if I am only here for leisure.

Even if I previously dirtied my clothes in a similar situation and mother beat me and
warned me to never do it again.

The Divine Protection does not care about my personal circumstances.

I can’t endure it any longer, I will leap into that, wade through the filth and ruin my
entire day for the sake of a toy that was not even worth a single copper coin.

I helplessly took a step toward the drainage channel… and a hand grabbed my shoulder.
“Leave it to me.”

That person leaped into the drainage channel without any hesitation.

While frowning from being submerged in filthy water up until the waist, that person
approached the toy with powerful steps, grabbed it and returned.

“Here, don’t drop it again, and it is dirty so remember to wash it.

“Thank you Gideon-oniichan!”

The child who was crying just now smiled happily and ran away holding the dirtied toy.

“Fuuu…”

That person looked at his own terrible state and gave a bitter smile.

As I tried to approach him, he stopped me in a hurry.

“You’ll get dirty.”

“…Onii-chan.”

That person was my one and only Onii-chan.

“Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? Ruti has not done anything wrong.”

“But…”

“I did it because I wanted to. So don’t worry about it.”

“Okay… Onii-chan?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t do it after all.”

I hugged Onii-chan without worrying about dirtying my clothes.

He initially tried to push me away but after realizing that I was crying, he seemed to
have resigned himself and let me remain as I was.

“Let go get our clothes cleaned together.”

“Yup.”

I’m sure the true hero actually refers to people like Onii-chan.

Not a person like me who was forced to do it but a person who would leap into the
drainage channel of their own free will.

I aimed to subjugate the Demon Lord, setting a huge goal to resolve the issue that
causes the most number of people to suffer because I would then not have to bother
myself with helping such minute cases.

In actual fact, I did not care about the fate of the world or what not.

The Hero Ruti and Tise were walking on the highway that led to Zoltan.

Ruti was not wearing her usual armor. She did not have the Holy Sword of Demon
Vanquishing on her waist too.

When Tise told her that it would draw too much attention, the Hero obediently stored
her equipment in her item bag and disappeared somewhere for about 10 minutes.

Tise waited as she wondered where she went when Ruti returned while holding a sword.

“I sensed the presence of goblins nearby so I went to get their equipment.”

“Is that a Goblin Sword?”

A Goblin Sword with three holes drilled into it.

It seemed like it would break at any moment just by swinging it.

“Well, they won’t know if it’s kept in the sheath. Let’s go.”
Nevertheless, that slightly dirty sheath and handle seemed to match something a
traveler would have so Tise gave her permission.

“Okay.”

The Hero smiled happily at having her own thoughts accepted by Tise but the smile was
so faint that Tise did not notice it and the two of them departed from the flying ship.

Zoltan’s grassland undulated as the wind blew.

The forest that Ruti and the others were in previously had already finished its
preparations for winter but Zoltan’s grasslands were still in the midst of changing from
green to brown so it was a strange phenomenon.

“But it is warmer here.”

Tise said.

Ugeuge-san didn’t seem to like the cold that much so it was happy that they came here.

It hopped about inside the small pouch that Tise hung on her waist.

“Is that so?”

Ruti answered expressionlessly.

With her Environmental Resistance, the cold was nothing more than information on
the temperature to Ruti.

Even the blistering cold of the far north and the scorching heat of the desert would not
impede Ruti in any way.

At the same time, the taste of the delicious warm milk Gideon made for Ruti during
winter was lost to her as well.

That was a regret that remained in Ruti’s heart.

After walking for a while, there was a crowd of people.

“What happened? I’ll go have a look.”

Tise slipped through the crowd with her petite body and quickly returned.

“A Knight is blocking the bridge. It seemed that Adventurers who had confidence in
their skills had challenged him but they had the tables turned on them. It might be a
slight detour but there is an alternate path, shall we proceed along it?”

“No, we will pass through here.”

Ruti headed straight into the crowd.

“Move.”

“Hey miss, it’s dangerous, there’s a strange Knight…”

The man who called out to her spoke mid-sentence before he noticed his trembling feet.

“Oh, oooh…”

The man instinctively moved aside.

The others saw his state and naturally moved aside so as to not block Ruti’s path.

After Ruti passed by, they finally realized that they were frightened.

There was a Knight wearing armor on the bridge with a spear that had a cloth wrapped
around its tip as if signifying that he would not kill his opponents.

The Knight was a large man close to 2 meters in height.

“Toll fee. Pay 100 Peryl if you wish to pass through here.”

The man said.

Ruti tilted her head.

“Why?”

“Why? Because I want to.”

“I see, then there’s no need to pay.”

Ruti walked straight toward the Knight’s position and did not show any signs of drawing
her sword.

“Yo-you, what exactly…”

Despite everything, the Knight could not figure out the girl closing in on him.

He could only imagine himself getting killed no matter what he did.

As she watched his reaction, Tise imagined that the Knight would soon throw down his
weapon to surrender.

However.

“Uoooooooo!!!”

The Knight screamed with fighting spirit, took a large step forward and released a sharp
thrust.

“…Eh?”

Tise uttered a strange sound, having not understood what the Knight was thinking.

Ruti very easily grabbed the spear, that was supposed to have been thrust at her at
high speed, with her right hand.

Even though it seemed as though she was just holding it casually with a single arm,
the Knight could not move the spear at all no matter how much strength he used.

“Hindrance.”

Ruti muttered softly and raised the spear along with the Knight.

The giant Knight floated and flew through the air.

“Ooooooh!?!?!”

Having been tossed aside by Ruti, the Knight passed over the parapet and dropped into
the river.
“Tise, let’s go.”

“Ye-yes.”

Even though she wanted to act like travelers, what can they do after suddenly winning
so prominently? Tise hugged her head as she chased after the back of the Hero.
As I was walking, I somewhat heard somebody groaning.

I suspiciously walked toward the source of that sound.

“Uu… cold.”

I saw a huge man shivering while seated next to a bonfire.

The man was in only his underwear and his clothes were drying on a nearby tree branch.

“I almost drowned and I had to take off my armor in the middle of the river, the full plate
was expensive though.”

The man muttered with teary eyes as he snapped a branch in two and tossed it into the
bonfire.

All right, I’ll assume I didn’t see anything.

Just as I turned to the right to leave that place…

“Wait! That person there, wait!”

Geh, he saw me.

The man noisily approached me.

It seemed like a sign of trouble so I wanted to escape but I guess it won’t be good if I ran
away without saying anything.

“Ah, is there anything?”

I subtly hinted with an aura that I honestly found it annoying as I answered with a
friendly smile.

“Umu, I am the Drake Rider Otto. The raid leader of the glorious Knights of Fafnir.”

“Drake Rider?”

[Drake Rider] was a Superior Divine Protection in the Calvary system and just as the
name implied, they bond with Drakes and was a Divine Protection that specialized in
fighting while riding on Drakes.

If compared against the similar but more common Divine Protection [Wyvern Rider]
that rode on Wyverns, the [Drake Rider] was fundamentally stronger.

There were various reasons but the number one reason was that the [Drake Rider] had
the ‘Human-Drake Unity’ skill which allowed them to bestow the skills they possess to
the Drake they were riding on.

Naturally, Drakes have their own Divine Protection as well so by gaining two Divine
Protections, they would be able to overwhelm opponents of the same Divine Protection
level as them.

However, that did not mean that the [Drake Rider] was a ‘strong’ Divine Protection.

Drake Riders had one fatal shortcoming.

A Drake Rider can only bond with a single Drake in his lifetime.

Even if they have numerous powerful skills, once they lose that single Drake, they
would never get another chance. Once that happens, the remaining skills brought
about by their Divine Protection would become that of the lower-grade [Cavalry]
Divine Protection and, because of the allocation of skills toward bonding with Drakes,
they would be inferior to Cavalry of the same level.

Because of that…

“…And that was how the monstrous giant Glendale lost his compatible trusted partner.”

That was often used in the past for heroic tales of those from the strong Divine Protection
systems.
That was to say, even without losing the skills from Drake Rider, they could not be used
once their partner was lost.

“Ah, what? Knights of Fafnir?”

The Blacksmith Mogurim once mentioned that name.

I had not heard of it before but was it trending at the moment?

“Yes, the Knights of Fafnir! People living in the remote border of Zoltan might not be
familiar but apart from the honorable Knights of Bahamut and the ruthless Knights of
Tiamat, the third Knight Order that everyone in the Imperial Capital knows about is
the Knights of Fafnir! I was active as a Drake Rider there.”

“I don’t know about it.”

“It can’t be helped that you are ignorant of the common knowledge in Central when living
in the countryside like Zoltan. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

He comforted me by patting my shoulder.

I stared at the man called Otto with reproachful eyes.

I was once the Vice Captain of that Knights of Bahamut after all.

“So, what does Knight-sama want? I am in a hurry after all.”

“Right! I have a request.”

“Request?”

“I, in order to subjugate the Hill Giant Dandak, obtain his castle and become a noble who
possess territory, came to Zoltan.”

I heard that before.

Three years ago, five Hill Giants attacked and took over the castle of the lord situation
northwest to Zoltan.

Zoltan sent a subjugation party once but they were routed and since the nobles who
owned that land were all killed by the giants, it has been neglected all this time.

Occasionally, reckless adventurers who dream of owning a castle challenge them and
they never return but it doesn’t cause any particular problems.

“Hmm~, I see. Good luck, bye.”

“Wait wait wait, listen to the end.”

Otto hurriedly stopped me as I was about to leave.

“In order to look for martial artists who could fight against giants, I challenged the people
crossing the bridge.”

“Ah, so you are that troublesome Knight.”

“And then, today, I finally encountered a female warrior who possesses equal strength
as I do. That was fate and I shall find that female warrior, defeat the evil Hill Giants
together and obtain the castle!”

Otto became embarrassed after saying so much.

“And I shall propose to that female warrior and live in that castle together.”

“Ah, I see, good luck.”

“Wait wait wait, just a little more, next is the main topic.”

Otto hurriedly stopped me once again as I was about to leave.

I’d like it if he hurried up and gave up.

“So what exactly do you want me to do.”

“No, it isn’t anything major.”

He was acting bashfully.

A giant man over two meters tall acting like that was nothing less than disgusting though.
“When I was tossed into the river, my weapon, armor, luggage, and money was washed
away… so I would like to borrow money. I will return it to you after I obtain the castle.”

“No.”

I naturally answered immediately.

“Even if I lower my head?”

“Yup.”

“Then there’s no other way! I will have you leave your money even if I have to use force!”

Otto exclaimed as he opened both his arms and attacked. In only his underwear.

“If you don’t want to feel pain, obediently buheraaaaaa!?”

Before he knew it, my right straight with the force of my entire body behind it slammed
into Otto’s face.

Hah, that’s bad, I reflexively retaliated. I didn’t want to fight because I didn’t want to
stand out but in actual fact, I guess I was instinctively irritated.

Otto flew backward and caused a large splash of water as he once again fell into the river.

Otto’s body floated up onto the surface of the water and was taken down the river by
the current.

That guy was a bandit so it doesn’t matter, I guess I’ll hurry on forward.
Zoltan’s autumn was short.

Although my frequency of coming to the mountain to harvest medicinal grass had

decreased, I did not have any time to feel the season of autumn in the mountain before
the leaves dropped and it transformed into a winter mountain that gave a sense of
loneliness.

“Even though the snow has not accumulated, the number of medicinal herbs I can
gather will be limited as it is winter.”

While it was winter, polyp mushrooms used to make the medicine for Choleric Cold,
snow stalks that were effective for wounds infected by Night Soil Fever and gray
starfish grass could still be harvested.

However, it was painful that the henbane grass used for hemostatic agents and
disinfectants as well as the koku leaves used for antidotes, materials for high demand
medicine, could not be harvested.

I must harvest those two medicinal grass as much as possible today while it was still
barely within the time frame to be able to harvest them.

“I want to build a greenhouse and be able to secure a supply of them to some extent
even during winter.”

I’ll have a discussion with Gonz once I return.

For now, I’ll focus on harvesting medicinal grass.

I wished the Chimeras would help out since they were already watching me.

When I turned my gaze toward the Chimeras that were staring at me from far away, they
anxiously fled.
I am Tise. In the past, I used to be an assassin but now, I am just a person wrapping my
arms around my head in worry.

The reason was naturally Hero-sama.

“I am just a traveler, not anybody suspicious.”

Hero-sama explained to Zoltan’s gatekeeper.

That was not bad, not bad at all but.

Hero-sama was carrying a Greater Giant Frog which weighed over 500 kilograms.

Why?

Only 10 minutes have passed since I started explaining to the gatekeeper our fictitious
circumstances as I bribed him.

Not more than 15 minutes had passed no matter how I look at it.

Even though I mentioned that I would do the talking so all Hero-sama had to do was wait
quietly.

“Er, erm, Ruru-san.”

Ruru was Hero-sama’s fake name we would be using in town.

Incidentally, I was Tifa.

Our setting was that we were looking for our missing father.

Although we didn’t know much about the Alchemist man Hero-sama was searching
for, if we were going to be looking for a man, I figured it would probably be better if
we made our setting as looking for a family member. We won’t encounter any future
problems as we could just brush it off as a case of mistaken identity.

Anyway, the problem was the situation in front of me right now.

“What is with the frog on your back?”

“It was hibernating in the ground nearby and I thought it would be a danger once
summer came so I subjugated it.”

“O-okay, I understand. But why are you carrying it?”

“?”

“No, don’t tilt your head there.”

“Animals and beast-type monsters defeated near towns should be carried to the town’s
trading post.”

No, well, that is true, but!

The gatekeeper tapped my shoulder.

I stiffly turned around, to the point that I could imagine I was making creaking noises,
and then, I saw the gatekeeper’s surprised look with sparkling eyes.

“Your companion is amazing. I’ll call the butcher to bring a wagon so please wait here for
a while.”

Hero-sama did not seem to mind and was staying aloof from the praises and curious
gazes from the surroundings

For now,

“Ruru-san, the gatekeeper will bring a wagon from the butcher so you can lower the frog
down.”

“I see.”

The frog was lowered to the ground with a loud slam.

Ah, I’m sure that with this, we would be the talk of the town.

There was no longer an option for covert operations…

The nights in the mountain were cold during this season.

I trembled as I covered myself with the sleeping bag.

The bonfire crackled as it burned.

I hugged a hot water bottle that I had heated up.

“It’s cold.”

The mountain was close to The End of the World so the wind that blew down from the
large mountain range was chilled to a great extent.

On days where the winds were strong, we could feel cold that was unimaginable in a
subtropical region like Zoltan and sometimes the winds from the mountain might
even carry with it snow.

Those were only carried over by the wind so it would not pile up but it was still cold
nonetheless.

“I miss my bed.”

I didn’t use to miss home that much in the past.

I even thought of building a small hut here in the mountain.

Thinking that staying two to three nights in the mountain would increase the efficiency
of my medicinal grass harvest.

But I no longer do now.

I want to return home as soon as possible.

“I see, I guess that means I have found a place to return to here.”

I fell asleep while thinking about the home where Lit was waiting for me.
The next day, I gathered medicinal grass in the mountain as well and descended down
the mountain when it became dark.

I ran home at full speed when nobody could see.

I returned to Zoltan after sprinting on the road at night at full speed.

“Hey~”

The gatekeeper looked back just as he was about to close the gate when I shouted.

“Why isn’t it Red, you’re back from harvesting medicinal grass?”

“Yup, please let me in.”

“So troublesome, just jump over the wall over there.”

“No way, that’s too troublesome.”

The gatekeeper complained lightly as he delayed the closing of the gate slightly.

Zoltan’s city walls were only two meter high stone walls.

Anybody could easily climb over it if they wanted to.

It was a tacit agreement to turn a blind eye to the adventurers who missed the curfew
that return by secretly climbing over the wall.

It would be a huge issue in other cities but such cases were just laughed off in Zoltan.

“That was close.”

“Red, you are seriously good at barely making it in time.”

“I’m diligent after all.”

“If you’re diligent then come back with some time to spare! By the way, I’m done for the
day so want to have a cup after this?”
“Ah~ Sorry. I’m going home.”

“Ka~ So unfriendly, you’re better at getting a bride than me huh?”

“Of course.”

“Don’t say that with such a straight face… fine, how about just one cup?”

“Ah — well, I have not drunk all this while so all right, we’ll grab one cup from the food
stand.”

It was important to catch up with friends too.

Although I did not intend to stay out late.

Leaving the castle walls, we entered the 「Oden」 food stand that was always open at
the boundary of the harbor district and Downtown.

“Welcome.”

Working there was… not a dirty old man… but a sleek-styled High-Elf with silver blonde
hair bundled into a ponytail.

When the old man was grumbling that he was well into his years and it was about time
he shut down the stand, this Oparara said ‘It would be a waste to close down this stand,
in that case, I shall succeed it!’.

The rugged-faced old man was extremely weak to beautiful people and although he
refused for about 30 seconds, he lost to Oparara’s enthusiasm and from then on, the
two of them worked the food stand but now, Oparara opens the stand alone most of
the time.

The race of High-Elf possess the country called the Kiramine Kingdom and it was
currently the only other Kingdom in the Avalon Continent that officially crowns a king
apart from the human race.

The Dwarves living in Sir Beard Mountain was nothing more than a self-governing
dominion given to an Earl.

Rather than a king from the definition of a country’s top leader, the humans and High-
Elves were the only ones in the Avalon Continent with kingdoms true to the meaning
of the word.

Because of that, they proclaimed themselves as High-Elves, noble Elves.

Humans did not question them in particular and just called them High-Elves.

However, despite being mixed with human blood, the Half-Elves, descendants of the
once legitimate conqueror of the Avalon Continent, the Wood-Elves; and the Wild-
Elves whom lineage can be traced back to the lost civilization of Ancient-Elves,
apparently refer to them as Avant-Elves (City-Elves).

During the Wood-Elf era, they used to be called Gray-Elves due to the color of their hair.

Well, I just call them High-Elves like normal.

I am human after all and they would usually be put in a bad mood if they were called
Avant-Elves.

The High-Elves fundamentally don’t put up a front. They always spoke whatever was in
their heart.

If the mood turned sour, they would outright claim without mercy that the words you
said hurt them so they were, in a sense, hard to get along with but also easy to get along
with.

Of course, there were individual differences.

There probably were High-Elves that do not reveal their true feelings.

They only don’t put up a public face because they don’t like to but when they actually
do, they could use it a lot more cunningly compared to humans.

The Knight Squad Captain always grumbled that the royal family of Kiramine could not
be trusted.

“Radish and beef tendon, egg, hanpen. Beer as well.” (TLN: Hanpen = white triangle fish
/meat paste)

The gatekeeper ordered by pointing at the ingredients floating inside the square pot.
“Then, I’ll get radish and wiener, ah and chikuwa. And a cup of beer.” (TLN: Chikuwa =
cylindrical fish paste with a hollow center)

“Sure thing!”

Oparara answered spiritedly with the bell-like voice of High-Elves.

She placed the ingredients in wooden containers with experienced hand movements.

“Now that I think about it…”

When she passed the container to me, she seemed to have remembered when she saw
the medicinal grass bag that I placed on the floor so Oparara asked me.

“Red, are you no longer selling mustard?”

Even though it was Red-san all along until he opened the food stand, I guess that could
be attributed to the fastidiousness of High-Elves as she even mimicked the way the old
man called me.

“Yeah~ It’s because I don’t go to the mountain often now compared to before. I only
gather enough spices for my own use.”

“That’s a pity. The supply in town is not stable.”

The market price of mustard at the trading post was 5 Peryl for one kilogram.

It would become even more expensive after it passes through the trading post to the
market.

It went well with oden but it was naturally chargeable.

So the gatekeeper and I put up with the lack of it.

However, a young girl appeared.

“Welcome.”

“Daikon, beef tendon, egg, four chikuwa, and mustard.”

“Coming up!”

After picking up an ingredient, the young girl liberally dunked it into the small dish
which had the mustard in it.

That eating style was the Oden King Style where she would order a second helping of
mustard once it became thin!

Amazing!

Ordering four chikuwa was amazing too.

She probably loved chikuwa a lot.

Leaving that aside, that was the first time I’ve seen her.

She was short but her body was well trained.

Her clothes were worn from travel but they had good quality.

She had a short sword on her waist. Inside her clothes, she had three throwing knives
on her flank.

The short sword had Strengthening Magic and some other special effect. And there was
concealment magic to conceal all that.

A chainmail made of Mithril Silver was sewn into the inside of her clothes.

It was equipment that emphasized practicality. And she intentionally made them seem
like regular items to keep a low profile.

That child had amazing skill. She should be an Adventurer used to traveling… but her
presence was thin.

She probably had a job that required her to not be noticed.

Thief, Spy… or was it Assassin?

That was when the young girl suddenly turned toward me.
“Is there something?”

“Ah, sorry. I was curious as I had never seen you before. And you seemed to intend to
ask for more mustard.”

“Mustard is required for oden.”

“I want to earn enough to be able to say that too.”

I was just glancing at her from the corner of my eye but that child noticed that my
attention was on her huh?

She’s quite strong.

Who exactly is she?

“You’re the girl from yesterday!”

The gatekeeper cried out after seeing the young girl’s face.

“You know her?”

“Red! You’ll be surprised to hear that her companion dragged, with only one hand, a fat
frog that was hibernating in the mud near the castle walls and defeated it using martial
arts I had never seen before with a worn-out goblin blade!”

The girl’s cheeks twitched subtly.

That seemed to be a topic that she didn’t want to touch on.

However, the movement of her expressions was inconspicuous so the gatekeeper did
not notice.

“That older girl, what was her name, Ru… Ruti?”

“Ruru.”

I thought she would ignore him but she corrected him, maybe because she disliked
that he was mistaking her companion’s name.

“Oh, right, Ruru! Traveler-san, Tifa right if I remember correctly. If you plan to stay in
Zoltan for the long term, you can head over to the Adventurers Guild, we’re always short
on skilled adventurers and that fat frog too, I put in a request asking for the removal of
it as it would be dangerous after its hibernation but nobody accepted it at all.”

The Greater Giant Frog was a surprisingly troublesome monster despite how it looked.

It would use its tongue to capture its opponents and although it seems slimy, the razor-
sharp frog teeth can easily chew through chainmail and even if it failed to chew through
your armor, it had the troubling habit of swallowing you first.

It was not an opponent that D-rank adventurers could face. A party of C-rank adventurers
attacking it together would not be able to let their guard down either. That was the kind
of opponent it was.

By defeating that Greater Giant Frog alone, that Traveler Ruru should possess an ability
in the upper C-rank or around B-rank.

The girl called Tifa glanced at the gatekeeper who was speaking incessantly.

“Hey, leave it at that. You’re troubling the traveler.”

“Eh, really?”

“Yeah, that child came here to eat oden alone.”

Tifa nodded slightly.

The gatekeeper scratched his head awkwardly.

“Sorry, I got a little excited.”

“It’s okay, excuse me, I would like to take the remainder home, is that all right?”

Tifa said as she stood up, took the remainders from Oparara after ordering an additional
chikuwa and konjac jelly and left.

“See, you made her angry.”

I said as I finished the remaining beer in my cup.

“Well then, I’ll be leaving too.”

“Eh — keep me company for another cup and comfort me for having angered the
traveler.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Geh — Oparara! I’ll have a chikuwa too!”

“Ah, please wrap chikuwa, radish and chicken meat for me, I’m bringing it back for Lit.”

I placed one Quarter Peryl silver coin and a couple common copper coins on the counter
as payment.

Tise was wary of being tailed so she detoured a couple of times before returning to her
inn at the harbor.

“What happened?”

Ruti asked after noticing Tise’s condition.

“Hero-sama, please be careful. To be honest, I was looking down on the remote region
but there seems to be a troublesome opponent in Zoltan too.”

“Troublesome opponent?”

“A young man. We only talked for a short time but he noticed my gear and knives.”

Tise said as she pointed at the Mithril Silver weaved into her clothes and the knives she
concealed.

Her equipment was calculated to not make even the sound of a pin drop no matter how
violently she moved about.

Not to mention mediocre opponents, Tise was confident that even those who possess
the Divine Protection of Investigator and Detective would probably not notice.

“However, he saw through me. He also had ability, probably close to my equivalent. I
don’t think I will be able to win if we fought in a situation where he had the advantage.
Of course, it would be different for Hero-sama.”

Although she paled in comparison to the Hero, Tise was chosen by Ares as the strongest
in the Assassin Guild.

Tise would not humble herself in such comparisons. That was purely her judgment.

Above all that, Tise judged that the man could be the strongest opponent she has ever
faced.

“A person like that shouldn’t be living unaffiliated and in obscurity. He might be the
strongest adventurer in Zoltan.”

“But at the tavern, they mentioned that the strongest person in Zoltan right now was the
B-rank Byuui.”

“That is probably the public image. I sensed some kind of dignity from that man’s
bearing. Maybe… he used to conduct himself with official Knight Order etiquettes.”

“Knight Order.”

The face of a person Ruti knew very well appeared in her head.

However, there were plenty of Knights in the world. The person she met yesterday on the
bridge who she couldn’t really remember was a Knight too. Ruti denied her own
thoughts.

Tise continued talking without noticing that.

“A former Knight and a veteran warrior who fought at the frontlines against the Demon
Lord Army. I feel that a person like that could only end up in the remote border if he
did something dishonorable. It would generally be ignored if adventurers had some
dishonor to their name but a Knight would implicate his entire Knight Order.”

“I see.”

“Although I do not know what it was…”

Tise pondered a little.

“This is nothing more than speculation but perhaps he was alienated by his superior
because he was young and excellent and he had no choice but to kill him. I can’t imagine
a person with such skills to flee here because of a simple loss.”

“I see.”

Tise took off the short sword that she had suspended on her belt.
She sat on the bed and sighed deeply.

“Zoltan does not have any decent adventurer. The strongest adventurer was only B-
rank. I found it weird how they were able to subjugate a Senior-rank Demon.”

Tise heard a little about the incidents that occurred in Zoltan from Ares who had
questioned Albert.

A senior-rank demon and B-rank adventurer colluded and it was stopped by a skilled
adventurer.

However, according to the information she gathered in Zoltan yesterday and today, it
was a traveling adventurer and the Guards who settled the incident. That adventurer
was apparently also currently recorded as B-rank.

“Those are information for the masses. The true hero is probably that man. Now that
I think about it, getting along with the gatekeeper was probably so that he could gather
information on the people who visit the town. He stood up immediately after I stood
up as well so he was wary of me. Only drinking a cup instead of a jug meant that he
was vigilant on a regular basis and could naturally act at any time. With an attitude
that everywhere is a battlefield, no interest in fame and only holds pride in his silent
accomplishments, a true hero.”

Tise reflected on her actions.

She was naive to think that the only trouble in this journey would be covering up for the
Hero.

A Hero’s journey would not be so simple, even in the remote border Zoltan, huge
obstacles would stand in the Hero’s path.

“Hero-sama, we must decide on our policy.”

“Policy?”

“To cooperate with that man or to oppose him. If he was a Knight and a brave warrior,
I feel that his beliefs should be similar to ours.”

“That would be difficult. The Alchemist I seek seems to be in the prison ward.”
“Prison?”

Ruti seemed to have gathered information too.

Tise was worried if Ruti had caused any disturbances but judging by how she didn’t
say anything, probably nothing happened. The Hero had done information gathering
herself since before.

Although it was through tapping the shoulders and more of intimidation rather than
negotiation…

Ruti heard from the Contract Demon that an Alchemist who was the close aide of Big
Hawk produced the medicine. However, after drinking the medicine, the Contract
Demon refused to say a word so she could only get the Alchemist’s name and physique
in the end…

All of Big Hawk’s close aides were confined in the prison and she found information
that corresponded to the Alchemist and that he was under medical treatment in the
prison ward for the slash on his shoulder during the riot.

“As long as I conceal the fact that I am the Hero, it would be impossible to take the
Alchemist away through negotiations.”

“I see… then it will be a prison break huh?”

“Yes.”

“We will be antagonizing the entire town. And that man.”

“Shall I meet that man directly?”

Meet and defeat.

Tise determined that was what she was implying.

“…Of course, Hero-sama would not lose. That would be impossible but that man has
probably also considered the situation where he is defeated. It would be dangerous to
meet him without investigating his background.”

“I see.”
The Hero nodded while tilting her head slightly.

It would be unfair to blame Tise for being over-vigilant.

Tise, who as an Assassin, had seen many ambitious individuals and conspirators and
could never imagine with her common sense that a person with ability close to hers
would actually aim for a leisurely slow life.

The two of them discussed their future plans late into the night.

At that time, Ugeuge-san was sleeping with its legs folded down in Tise’s pouch.
Morning.

Getting out of bed gets tough once it turns to winter.

However, time would not wait for me so I mustered myself to jump out of the blanket and
stood up.

“Morning.”

Surprisingly, Lit was awake before me.

She seemed to have been taking care of the medicinal grass in the garden in the cold air.

Her fingers had turned white so I wrapped my hands around hers.

They had become completely cold.

“So warm.”

Lit sat beside me and smiled.

Lit helped me a lot.

Although she did not have the Compounding skill, she could easily make others have a
good impression of her due to her Charisma skill and she played an important role in
promoting the growth of the medicinal grass in the garden and chasing away the
harmful pest through her Spirit Magic.

She received etiquette training as a princess and also interacted with all kinds of people
in town by slipping out of the castle. Lit could take the most optimal attitude to interact
with a customer.
As a first-rate adventurer, Lit’s knowledge of medicine was even better than that of
people working in other apothecaries. As a party that actually uses the medicine, she
could also explain the side effects that were not well known or what happens when
people with various resistance skills take them.

Adventurers living in the north ward who believe in Hero Lit’s advice coming from her
experience actually go out of their way to come to our shop to purchase medicine.

By teaching Al ‘the anticipated rookie’ the sword, Lit’s reputation was rising even further.

After Al went to register in the Adventurers Guild, he was apparently confronted by

ill-bred senior adventurers who benefited from Big Hawk’s requests but he utilized
his small body to lead them to a narrow alleyway and defeated them with just a single
bladeless training shotel.

Although there were differences in the grade between the Divine Protection of
[Weapon Master] and that of [Warrior], by defeating opponents with higher divine
protection level than he had, Al showed promising future prospects and rumors went
around that the one who taught Al the sword, the Hero Lit, was amazing as expected.

During times when there were no customers, many adventurers and Guards often
came seeking her advice while they bought medicine.

After just listening to them, the advice she gave which only relied on her knowledge and
judgment was well received too.

My original plan was that it would be fine as long as I could secure an income enough
to live my life and I did not have a burning desire to become wealthy but I was still
glad that the sales were increasing.

The painting that Lit brought over seemed to receive praise as well.

There were offers coming from nobles of the central ward to purchase it at quite a sum.
Of course, they were rejected.

Maybe that became a reputation as people who seem to live in the central ward,
customers wearing countless layers of clothes came to purchase medicine too.

The new analgesic medicine seemed to have raised our reputation as well.
Due to the notoriety of the ‘Devil’s Divine Protection’, knowledge regarding the
dependency of analgesic drugs became greater so that became a tailwind for my medicine.

Yesterday, I received a report from Lit that the ones I prepared in the storeroom had
completely been sold out so I was planning to compound another batch.

Our sales had risen to about five times that of when I first opened the shop.

The medicinal grass I gathered from the mountain yesterday might disappear relatively
quickly too.

Lit suggested yesterday to form a contract with some farmer and create a medicinal grass
garden.

Although there was quite some knowledge on cultivating medicinal grass, it was a lot
easier to obtain medicinal grass that was growing wild in the mountain so they could
be nurtured easily once we got used to it.

However, Lit mentioned that the yield per unit area would be inferior to that of
vegetables so it might not match the purchase price to a certain extent.

“Even so, it would be cheaper than buying it from the Adventurers Guild huh.”

After I stopped bringing medicinal grass to the Adventurers Guild, it seemed that there
was a shortage of medicinal grass.

Due to that, the prices of medicinal grass increased.

Although it seemed that adventurers could purchase them from the Adventurers Guild
at the price they bought them.

I believe they would be able to gain a lot more profit if they dealt with it more shrewdly
but Zoltan’s Adventurers Guild apparently didn’t have that kind of business sense.

“Welcome.”

Lit called from the shop front.

I smiled lightly and left the shop front to Lit as I concentrated on the compounding work
ahead of me.
Today’s lunch was pizza.

Lit was working the shop front so I got started with cooking a little earlier.

I flattened the dough I prepared in the morning and spread tomato sauce liberally.

“I’ll give the seafood-style pizza a try.”

Zoltan was located near the mouth of the river so the distribution of marine products
was flourishing too.

First, a bedding of cheese and above that, de-shelled clams, sausages and round slices
of tomato.

And another layer of cheese above that.

While the pizza was baking, I scraped potatoes that I received from the farmers to make
a thick potato soup. It would be the base for a bouillon soup with minced meat and
vegetables that I make on a regular basis.

I seasoned the remaining sausages with salt and grilled them on a frying pan. The
golden brown sausages expanded plump from the heat. I took a bite to taste and it gave
a satisfying crisp sound.

Lastly, I made a salad using tomato and lettuce.

It was easy as all I had to do was cut them.

Opening the oven and taking the pizza out, I saw that the golden brown cheese had
melted properly and the fragrant scent of cheese and clams spread throughout the
kitchen.

I sprinkled some chopped parsley on the baked pizza and served it with some capsicum-
base seasoning in a small dish.

Lit came right when I finished cooking.

“Looks delicious! I’ll bring it to the living room.”

“Thanks.”

Lit skillfully arranged the cooked dishes.

She was already used to it.

“”Thank you for the food.””

Lit took one slice of the pizza that had been cut into 8 slices and bit down on it.

Looking at Lit smile deliciously while holding her cheek, I made a small victory pose
today as well.

“Oh, right.”

Lit said after our meal as we were drinking herb tea.

“This morning, there was a prison break.”

“Prison break?”

“Yup, a Guard who came to the shop to buy medicine told me about it.”

“Hmm, that’s rare. Have they caught them?”

“It was a pretty big incident as they used some kind of quiet special explosive that blew
the prison wall off.”

“What?”

That’s huge.

“Hmm, Big Hawk’s contacts? I thought that the Thieves Guild was happy to have gotten
rid of him but I guess Big Hawk’s faction was bigger than expected. Looks like the
successor is going strong even without Big Hawk. The town’s public security would
become worse if it became a huge prison break.”

“That’s the thing, it doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“What do you mean?”

“The exploded wall was the inner wall of the prison and seemed to have been planned
to match with breakfast. Quite a few inmates tried to flee but the outer walls were still
intact so none of them escaped in the end.”

“That’s strange.”

“There were prisoners who attempted to scale the outer wall or those who took the
guards as hostages but they were suppressed in the end. Ultimately, there was only one
escapee.”

I see, a diversion huh?

The plan was most likely to break that person out of prison from the beginning.

“But I don’t understand. Was there such an important person in prison?”

“The escapee was the guy Red injured and was recuperating in the prison ward. That
Alchemist who kidnapped Al.”

“Ah, that guy…”

The small man who used sticky bombs as a weapon.

He was a high-level Alchemist despite his appearances and an opponent that indirectly
led Lit into a corner through his live sacrifice bomb.

It might be dangerous if he was left to his own devices.

Well, he was wounded so he should need quite some time as Cure can only seal the
surface wound. I don’t think he would be able to move much for a while.

“It would be great if he’s captured soon.”

“Yeah.”

We finished our conversation and Lit stood up to returned to the shop front after her
break and I stood up to move to the workroom.
Even though we were going to be in the same building and only be separated by a
couple of meters, Lit was reluctant to part so I hugged her and kissed her cheek lightly.
Turning back time a little.

Morning. Ruti and Tise were walking in the north ward.

The cold air in the morning caused their breaths to turn white.

“If we’re going to break him out of prison, there should be magic countermeasures in
place. Invisibility cloaks probably won’t work.”

Illusion Magic which would make a person invisible would be the first to have counter-
measures set up for.

It would be difficult to dispel every single spell but countermeasures were possible
using local budgets if they stuck to specific magic systems.

“The plan will be according to what we have discussed.”

Ruti said softly.

Tise revised her impression of the Hero.

She was certainly lacking common sense but she was by no means reckless.

Ruti investigated the prisoner’s daily schedule yesterday and gathered materials such
that they could judge when was the best time to infiltrate.

The result of their discussion was to take the strategy with the highest rate of success by
doing it flashily but minimizing the damage.

Unlike the stone wall that surrounded Zoltan, the outer brick wall of the prison was
sufficiently tall and there were sharp spikes on top of the walls too.

Without the ‘Leap Mastery’ skill possessed by Divine Protections such as [Roof Walker]
or [Flying Dragon Knight], it would probably be difficult to climb over the wall.

Ruti drew her goblin blade that had holes opened in it.

“Martial Art, Rock Slicer.”

With a swing of Ruti’s sword, the wall was shredded smoothly without any resistance.

The two of them passed through the square hole that was hollowed out.

And after passing through, they fitted the hollowed out section of the wall back into its
original spot.

Due to the extreme sharpness achieved by the martial art, it fit perfectly without any
gaps to the point that nobody would notice the cut without investigating it closely.

In addition, it took them less than a second from approaching the wall to slicing through
it and infiltrating.

By the time the prison guard on the watchtower, who found keeping watch a troublesome
task, looked over, the two of them had already slipped into the shadows.

The bell for breakfast rang inside the prison.

The inmates lined up beside the table and muttered prayers before their meal following
the words of the guard.

The sound of a slam rang out.

The guard frowned but didn’t say a word.

“Geh, shitty insect.”

It was the sound of a skin-head inmate stomping on a large beetle that was crawling on
the floor.

The body fluid of the insect stuck to the barefoot of the man when he raised his foot.
The inmate with a burn scar on his cheek scowled and spat on the floor.

The middle-aged official, who was sent there for corruption, standing opposite them
clicked his tongue loudly as he was fed up with the unsanitary and ill-mannered actions
of the inmates.

“What was that?”

The skin-head who crushed the insect threatened him.

Although the middle-aged inmate was an official, he had the Divine Protection of
[Grappler].

He stained his hands with corruption because he had given up on his career as his Divine
Protection did not match working as an official.

As he could not dispel the frustration from the impulses of his Divine Protection while
doing regular work, he went on Goblin hunting on his off days so his Divine Protection
level was quite high.

He was confident that he could keep pace with unlawful opponents in unarmed fights.

In comparison, the skin-head inmate’s Divine Protection was [Bar Brawler].

He was a regular at the prison and have been imprisoned many times for violent incidents.

His latest trial ended in a single minute and his sentence was decided without him saying
a single word.

He had accepted that he was such a person and continued to pass day-by-day as a helper
for fights or by shaking people down.

It was not a life that a person could be proud of but because of that, he had a personality
that could not endure others looking down on his physical strength.

The man with a burn scar on his cheek standing beside the skin-head inmate was a
laborer who possessed the Divine Protection of [Warrior].

He stabbed a person during a trivial fight and unfortunately, that man died. He had
already spent a year in prison.
The incident which caused him to come here was not related to his Divine Protection
at all.

However, he only felt regret whenever he saw the ridiculous behavior of the inmates.

All three of them had a completely different set of values and Divine Protections.

In the end, the skin-head inmate leaped onto the table and the middle-aged inmate
raised both his hands.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion.

The three inmates looked toward the origin of the sound with their mouths wide open.

Somebody among the three shouted. Later, when they were asked who shouted, they
would all say that they don’t know.

At that moment, the three inmates with completely different values and Divine
Protections had the exact same thought.

“Outside!”

There was a large hole blown into the wall of the dining hall.

By the time the guard turned to look, the inmates were all swarming toward the hole
in the wall, striving to be the first to reach it.

It was a misunderstanding by the guards and inmates who thought they heard an
explosion.

It was Ruti’s fist that broke the wall.

It was just that the sound of humanity’s strongest fist hitting the wall sounded exactly
like an explosion.

By the time the inmates were rushing toward the hole, Ruti was no longer anywhere
to be seen.
The intruder boldly walked down the corridor of the hospital annex.

But nobody noticed them.

The intruder walked around the hospital annex without using any magic but nobody
questioned them as they memorized the position of the personnel.

After roughly looking around, the intruder climb up to the window barred with iron
bars and slipped between the ‘gaps’ of the iron bars.

“Welcome back, Ugeuge-san.”

Tise smiled gently after seeing her partner return.

Ugeuge-san waved one leg in response.

It hopped up onto Tise’s arm and Tise activated the ‘Spider Empathy’ skill to establish
thought communication.

Spiders do not understand words and letters so all Tise could sense were vague images.

However, Tise had trained and studied on her own to understand it.

“Okay, I got it. Thank you, Ugeuge-san.”

Have a safe trip, Ugeuge-san raised both its front legs as if signifying that.

The guards came out in full force to respond to the chaos from the prison break attempt.

Only a single person remained at the entrance to the hospital annex and that person was
already made unconscious by Tise’s blow to his vital point.

“Skill: Decoy”

When Tise activated her skill, a person with the exact same appearance as the
unconscious guard appeared in front of Tise’s eyes.

Decoy was a skill used to create a split body of the user’s own body or a person they
touched.

The split body could not move independently nor make any sound but it could be given
simple orders like to pace around a certain range or nod if something was said to it.

Split bodies were like balloons with no contents so they had no combat ability at all
but it was an ability that belonged to the summoning system rather than the illusion
system. Thus, it could not be detected via anti-illusion magic countermeasures.

From experience, Tise knew that the decoy could buy a lot more time than expected
of its physically weak split body.

From then on, it was a race against time.

The guards only realized that the close aide of Big Hawk, the Alchemist Codwin, was
missing 30 minutes after they finished suppressing the prison escape attempt.

Ruti took off the gag that was tied onto the man’s mouth.

“Wh-who are you guys?”

Dragged to a dim warehouse in the harbor district, the Alchemist Codwin held onto
his wound that hurt from being moved and he asked with a terrified voice.

The man was not bound in any way apart from his mouth but he understood that the
two people there were stronger than him by far. He knew that it would not be a good
idea to oppose them.

After thinking a little about the question the Alchemist asked, Ruti…

“I want you to compound the Devil’s Divine Protection.”

She frankly told him her purpose.

“Devil’s Divine Protection…”

The Alchemist regained a little of his composure after knowing the goal of the two who
broke him out of prison.
(I see, so they wish to make a business by selling the Devil’s Divine Protection. I thought
I would not be able to avoid the death sentence but it seems like there is hope for me
to live.)

The Devil’s Divine Protection was an item that denied the belief of the Holy Church.

As the Alchemist who made them, he imagined that he would be the first to be dragged
to the execution ground.

He was cornered to the point where he continued to secretly rub his wound against
the bed to put up a pointless struggle to delay that day as much as possible.

(However, the Devil’s Divine Protection requires demon hearts. Without Big Hawk-
san, I can’t make it. If they find out, my value would be lost. I have to somehow buy
time and get them to bring me to safety outside of Zoltan.)

The Alchemist desperately wrecked his brain to look for a path of survival.

(The materials can no longer be acquired within Zoltan. The remaining choices are
either remote lands or criminal cities where wanted posters would not reach. Right,
Muzari would be good. Runaway slaves are hired as miners there so if I can get hired
as an Alchemist to compound medicine for the miners, I could spend the rest of my
life there.)

The Alchemist’s behavior showed that he was at a loss to what to say to explain that
but…

“Here.”

The Alchemist’s thoughts were all blown away when he saw the paper Ruti passed to him.

“Th-this is the compounding recipe for the Devil’s Divine Protection!?”

The Alchemist was confused.

Why did these girls have this and why did they deliberately break him out if they knew
about the compounding method?

The skills needed to compound the Devil’s Divine Protection were Intermediate Alchemy
Level 5 and Intermediate Compounding Level 1.
It was quite a requirement but it was not something that only Codwin was capable of.

“Wh-why…”

His question was referring to why they had it or why did they break him out of prison
but Ruti misunderstood him.

“So that I can use it.”

The Alchemist could not stop his body from trembling when Ruti announced her own
intention and looked down on him with cold eyes.

The man who lived in the underground society was frightened like a child.

“I-I understand, I will do whatever you say! So please stop it with those eyes!!”

The Alchemist appealed to Ruti with a wail.

“The Devil’s Divine Protection is too well known in Zoltan.”

“Yes.”

Ruti nodded to Tise’s comment.

“Even without that, we have broken that Codwin man out of prison so we should leave
Zoltan as soon as possible. Let’s leave tonight.”

They had tied Codwin up with rope and hid him in a large crate located in the warehouse.

The Alchemist was obedient and didn’t show any intent to resist.

“Understood.”

Ruti had no objection to leaving Zoltan.

The next destination would be the city where the celebration was held for their
subjugation of Desmond of the Earth.
“…I will surely find you.”

Ruti muttered decisively with a soft voice but a serious expression.

Just that alone had enough intimidation to cause Tise to give a quiet shriek.

“We’re here, the people at the harbor district inn mentioned that this place has the best
selection of products.”

“Can’t we heal him with Hands of Healing?”

“No, Ruru-san is the only person with the Hands of Healing skill.”

If they intend to conceal their identities, it would be better to not let the captured
Alchemist know that Ruti was the Hero as well.

In addition, once they leave Zoltan, they would probably find a Healer who could use
the ‘Regenerate’ spell which could heal the wound even after some time has passed.

It would cost quite a sum to have such a high-level spell cast but it was not an issue
with the Hero’s financial strength.

“Let us stick to first aid measures using analgesic and cure potions until we leave Zoltan.”

Cure Potions could only stop the bleeding from an open wound but that would be
enough for now.

It would be fine as long as the Alchemist did not die.

That was when the two of them arrived at the [Red and Lit Apothecary] to purchase
medicine.

The door chimed when Tise opened it.

It was an Apothecary in Downtown so she had imagined a small dirty store but the
interior of the shop was a lot cleaner than she had expected.

All kinds of medicine were on display on the shelves on the walls.

There were containers of miasma-repelling herbs placed here and there so there was
also a slightly refreshing scent inside the shop.

There were a number of artistic drawings on the shop walls and there was a statue of
a winged angel with compassionate eyes in the center of the room. Tise could not
understand art but the paintings made using gentle colors and the angel statue caused
her heart to relax.

Apparently, they had to request Magic Potions like Cure Potions from the shop
attendant directly. The item list placed beside the statue was quite thick so it seemed
that it was true that the place had a good assortment of items.

The shop attendant was a man. He was talking to a Half-Elf man as he arranged the
medicine.

“That person is!?”

Tise felt her breath freeze as that man was the skilled adventurer she met at the oden
stall.

Tise tried to warn Ruti but…

“Onii-chan!!!!”

“Ruti!?”

The scene Tise saw at that moment was enough to crush the figure of the Hero Ruti
she had in her mind until that point to pieces.

With teary eyes but a radiant smile on her face, Ruti opened both her arms to hug that
man.

The man caught the leaping Ruti even though he was surprised.

“I wanted to meet you! I missed you for a long time!!”

Standing there was not the Hero with tense aura which Tise felt until now.

In the man’s arms was a smiling and crying Ruti, just a regular young girl.
My younger sister was in my arms.

My younger sister who I thought that I might perhaps never see again or at least until
she defeated the Demon Lord.

“Onii-chan!”

Ruti squeezed with her arms that were wrapped around my back.

Ruti was smiling, smiling while crying.

Gonz who was beside me and the Chikuwa-loving child who entered with Ruti were
shocked stiff with their mouths wide open.

I have to say something…

First, I tightly hugged Ruti back.

I was happy to be reunited with my younger sister too. From the bottom of my heart.

After a while, once Ruti had finally calmed down, I softly squeezed Ruti’s shoulder and
she obediently separated from me.

Her expression had returned to her usual expression too.

She was smiling even now but those who did not know Ruti would probably see it as an
expressionless look.

“Onii-chan… you’re wrong.”

“…? What are you referring to?”

“I do not feel anything for Ares.”

Was she referring to the time when Ares hugged her when I left?

“Really? I was sure that…”

“No.”

Ruti denied it with a strong tone which she rarely used with me.

That was Ruti’s way of expressing her denial where there was no room for discussion so
I honestly gave in.

“All right all right, it seems that I was mistaken.”

“Yes.”

Ruti corrected me sadly. I see, so she did not have such a relationship with Ares…

While I was partially happy, I was also sad as it meant that Ruti did not have anybody to
rely on in the end.

…I guess it was about time I explained to those around us.

But how should I explain it?

“Onii-chan so that girl is Red’s younger sister?”

“Onii-chan so the person in front of me is Gideon-san?”

“Gideon?”

“Red?”

Gonz and Chikuwa-loving girl both tilted their heads in confusion.

Hah, how should I explain this?

Lit was out buying dinner.

I will have to explain all kinds of matters to Ruti before she returned.

At the same time, I had to explain to Gonz as well.

Gonz was not exactly a tight-lipped person but he was still a person who could distinguish
what not to speak about.

“Hmm.”

I’ll close the shop for a time.

After all, I could not manage the shop in this situation.

“Er, firstly, Gonz.”

“Yeah.”

“This child is my younger sister. But please do not tell those around us for now. I’ll explain
to you properly another day so it would help me if you quietly went home for today.”

“Sure, I don’t really get what is going on but I can certainly tell that you both like each
other.”

Gonz grinned.

“Younger sisters are good.”

Gonz had Nao too, his younger sister.

The two of them got along well and he treats her husband Mido and their son Tanta like
his own family.

Gonz stood up straight and pat my shoulder.

Then,

“Erm, younger sister-san. Red… or perhaps your real name is Gideon? I don’t know
your circumstances but this guy is a great and reliable guy for this Zoltan’s Downtown
district. He has not done anything bad so you can relax.”
“Okay.”

Ruti nodded.

However, it seemed to me that there was a shadow on her expression.

In the living room were me, Ruti, Chikuwa-loving girl… she was apparently called Tise,
an Assassin that replaced me by Ares’ recommendation.

I felt that my role and that of an Assassin was quite far apart though.

“Ah — where should I start?”

“Onii-chan?”

“What is it?”

“Who is living with you?”

Ruti asked after taking a look around the room.

Ugh, she noticed even before I explained huh?

There wasn’t anything in the room that indicated Lit’s presence.

However, she probably realized that another person apart from me lived in this house
from the arranged flower and flower pot as well as the sense of dishware.

I was a little nervous revealing it to my younger sister.

“I have someone I live together with.”

“…I see.”

“She’ll probably be back soon but you remember that shotel-wielding princess-sama
Lislet who acted with us in Logavia?”

“That person huh?”

Ruti said a little sadly.

I guess it was really my mistake to think that she liked Ares instead of me.

Since we traveled together… no, since we were young, Ruti only had eyes for me.

“In any case, tell me the truth as to what happened to lead to this. I believe I asked Ares
to say that I left the party to do scouting because I felt it was hard for me to fight.”

“After that, Yarandorara started claiming that Ares killed Onii-chan even though he
claimed that Onii-chan ran away.”

That Ares bastard, he didn’t keep his promise huh?

Although it might not be my place to complain after I had left the party.

I told them my circumstances where I was told by Ares that I was a hindrance to the
party and to leave the party, fell into despair, ended up in Zoltan, opened an Apothecary
and ended up living together with Lit.

“I intend to live like this together with Lit. I plan to eventually marry her.”

I was a little nervous to clearly speak the word marriage.

Lit was a princess while I was a Knight with nothing more than a single generation of
peerage.

It was not quite a case where our standings matched but… Lit and I were both prepared
to abandon our social standings.

“I see.”

My expressions probably told Ruti that I was serious. Ruti did not say anything about
the difference in pedigree and just quietly nodded.

“I’m sorry for leaving without telling you.”

“…It was Ares who was wrong. But.”

Ruti looked at me directly.

“I will silence Ares. So, is it all right?”

“…”

“Lit can come along too. Onii-chan, let’s journey together again.”

Ruti said as if she was begging me.

Pain ran through my heart.

I… thought that there were others Ruti could rely on apart from me.

Ares, Danan, Theodora, Yarandorara.

They all had their weaknesses but they were stronger than me and were her companions
who mastered their respective paths.

Even without me, Ares’ magic, Danan’s fists, Theodora’s spear and miracles, Yarandorara’s
power to manipulate plants… I thought that they would be able to support Ruti.

“The party can’t hold without Onii-chan. I can even expel Ares. We need Onii-chan.”

Ruti explained the current situation of the party.

That Ares failed to accomplish my work on his own.

Danan left to look for me, Yarandorara left the party thinking I was murdered.

Tise entered the party to replace me but having one to replace three did not add up.

“……”

They defeated the Wind of the Four Heavenly Kings so I thought that the Hero party was
doing well.

However, the Hero’s journey was not going favorably at all.

Just like the misgivings Lit had, huge issues surfaced after I left.

If I wish to return, I still had a place in the Hero party.

I could return to my days of adventuring once again if I wished for it.

However, even so… despite all that, I.

“Sorry, Ruti. I have already found my meaning in staying here.”

Not just Lit, this shop, this daily life have become my purpose in life.

This Zoltan… had already become my home.

“I see.”

Ruti quietly answered, having seemed to had a hunch midway through.

Then.

“In that case, I’ll live in this city too.”

My beloved younger sister said with the determination to abandon her adventure as I
did.

Selfish words that carried with it the meaning of escaping from the war which determines
the fate of the world.

However, I wonder if anybody could condemn those words.

Today will probably be a long day.

What should I say? What can I say?

My thoughts were swallowed by a bitter vortex.

But I did not feel that it was painful.

Because in front of my eyes was my beloved younger sister, a young girl who endured
unbearable sorrow with an expressionless face.
Lit came home immediately following that conversation and was placing her groceries
down.

“I’m home~! Red isn’t here? The shop is closed too.”

I hurriedly ran to the shop.

“I’m here~ I was in the living room… some guests came by.”

“Guests?”

There was a soft footstep.

Somebody was probably peeping their face out from the door behind me.

I couldn’t see behind me but…

The groceries fell to the floor with a thud.

Lit froze and was too shocked to say a word.

“Ah~, yup, my younger sister came by.”

Even if I couldn’t see behind me, I could easily guess who was behind me by looking at
Lit’s expression.

“It’s been a long time.”

Ruti greeted Lit with a soft voice.

The sound of a soft clink echoed.

It was the sound of me placing a cup of coffee on the table.

The room was currently so quiet that such a soft sound could echo in the room.

(The atmosphere is bad.)

Lit and Ruti were both focusing on the cups in their hands and were not looking in front.

Tise was staring at the jumping spider on the back of her hand.

The jumping spider was looking around restlessly and somehow seemed to be acting like
it was worried about Tise.

“Ah, Ruti. Where are you staying?”

“An inn in the harbor district.”

“Harbor district huh? Aren’t the inns in the central ward or north ward better in quality?”

“It’s all right.”

“I see… but what do you plan to do? Will you be sleeping here today?”

Ruti’s expression instantly lit up but she immediately lowered her head.

“No, I still have something to do in the harbor district… but, I would like to be together
after I am done with that task.”

“Sure.”

A task huh…

“I have not asked, why did you come to Zoltan?”

“One reason was to look for Onii-chan.”

“Me…?”

“Because Onii-chan is needed to subjugate the Demon Lord.”

Hmm… when we first met, when she announced that she would live here… and her
reason which was to look for me, all of them felt a little out of place.

“Another reason was to look for a person.”

“A person?”

“An intellectual who was hiding in Zoltan. He possesses the knowledge necessary for
the subjugation of the Demon Lord. But we have already found him so that is done.”

“I see.”

“Erm!”

Lit who had been keeping silent all this while called out.

“Red… what will you do?”

Right, I had not told Lit yet.

“I will stay here. And run this shop together with Lit.”

“Really?… But.”

Lit glanced at Ruti who was showing a sorrowful expression.

“Lit, you don’t have to worry. I too… will live in this town.”

“E-eh!?”

“We have to return for tonight.”

“Return…”

Ruti stood up.

Strange, the strong sense of discomfort that I have been feeling since a while ago was
still there.

I believe whatever that was happening to Ruti’s body was not absolutely bad… but it
was not entirely good either.

“Onii-chan.”

“Come by anytime. I will be in this shop.”

“I was about to ask that.”

Ruti lowered her head slightly.

I gently rubbed her head.

“Hn…”

“I have not talked to you enough. We both have a lot to catch up on after I left.”

“That’s right, but this is enough for today…”

Ruti looked directly at me… and smiled happily once again.

“But it is all right, after all, I have a ton of time after this.”

Lit who was beside me was surprised to see Ruti’s smile.

Ruti left plainly.

Lit and I sat at the table and pondered intently.

“Hey, Red. Is it really all right?”

“What is?”

“That… I find it strange to say it but… Ruti needs you.”

“You’re right.”

“In that case, I kind of think it would be better… if you went with her.”
Lit’s expression seemed like she was suffering.

“For the sake of the world huh…”

To be honest, I can’t say that my heart was not wavering.

Recalling Ruti’s sorrowful expression certainly made a part of me hesitate.

“Let’s sit down and talk again, me, Ruti, Lit, and Tise, the four of us.”

“Okay.”

It was not an issue that could be resolved immediately.

We needed time.

Some people might accuse us of delaying the Hero.

But if that was a crime, the blame was on me. Ruti had not done anything wrong.

After all, even if the fate of the world rested on those shoulders, Ruti was still only a
17-year-old young girl.

After leaving the shop, Ruti quickly left the location and groaned while holding her chest.

“Yu, Ruru-san!?”

Tise rush over in a hurry.

Ruti took out the Devil’s Divine Protection from her chest pocket and drank a mouthful.

“I shouldn’t have said that I would remain in this town.”

Ruti softly muttered as cold sweats appeared on her forehead.

Ruti was currently suffering an attack from the fierce impulses of her Divine Protection.

Even though the impulses should have been weakened by the Devil’s Divine Protection,
when the Hero stated her desire to abandon the very role of a Hero, the world
strongest Divine Protection, the desire to pursue justice protested with pain that could
crush a person’s heart.

“It has not weakened yet.”

“Ruru-san…”

Tise was worried.

As she expected, the current Hero-sama was somewhat strange.

Tise had definitely not traveled with the Hero for a long time but her current condition
was undeniably abnormal.

“Kyaaaaaa!!!”

That was they heard a scream.

Tise responded quickly.

But Ruti had rushed over even before she did.

Outside the Downtown district, at the water canal that bordered the harbor district.

A single High-Elf woman was grabbed by her hair and pull to the ground.

“Hey, who let a long-ear do business here huh?”

There was an oden stall overturned in the vicinity.

The oden ingredients that the High-Elf Oparara made with care were scattered miserably
on the ground and there were two red-faced drunk men grinning as they stepped on
them.

“Stop it!”

“This is a human-sama town, demi-humans like you showing your faces here would
damage the aesthetic of the place.”

There were human supremacists like them in any town.

In most cases, most humans frowned at their actions but there was a sufficient number
in their community so they exist in every town.

They seemed to be filled with twisted joy when they looked at the red-faced Oparara
due to their beatings…

However,

“Eh?”

It happened in the blink of the eye.

The next instant, there was a punch directly in front of him from a young girl with her
legs in a wide stance.

There was no time at all for him to protect himself.

“Oge!?”

He lost the air in his lungs and following that, he was wrecked by intense pain as if his
internal organs were mashed and crushed.

Ruti held herself back so as to not kill the man.

However, that was not due to mercy. She aimed to hold back just enough so that he
would not lose consciousness but be in such pain that he would wish that he had died.

That single punch would probably remain as a lifelong mental trauma for that man.

The man bent over doubled and pressed against his stomach as he moaned while his
tears and drool flowed freely.

“Heee, wha-what!?”

The other man tried to escape in a hurry but Tise had already wrapped around him.
“M-move!”

Tise grabbed the man’s arm which he extended to thrust her away and she tossed him
into the air with a turn.

“Ugya!!”

Pressing onto the joint of the man that crashed into the ground, Tise softly pressed
her finger to the man’s side.

“U-ugaaaaaaAA!!!!!!”

He screamed so loudly that it felt like his throat would tear.

She had applied the Human Body Destruction technique.

An attack that only applied pain to the opponent without causing any injury.

“Chikuwa… what a waste.”

Looking at the trampled chikuwa, Tise pressed a little harder with her finger.

By the time the two thugs were handed to the Guards who came rushing over after
hearing the commotion, the two of them were already crying and cowering without
worrying about their appearances.

“With that, they will never do it again.”

Ruti murmured when she saw the condition of the two thugs.

Tise nodded too.

“Thank you for your help.”

The Guards seemed that they were outraged by the two men’s actions so they did not
say a word about Ruti and Tise’s violent actions and dragged the two men away after
thanking them.
“Fuuuu.”

Tise was a little satisfied.

As an Assassin, it was rare to help others like that. It was unusual… but it didn’t feel bad.

In contrast, Ruti slumped her shoulder a little.

“Th-thank you! You saved me!”

Oparara approached them while holding a wet towel to her cheek that was punched.

Ruti placed her right hand on that cheek when she saw her face.

“Ruru-san!”

Tise warned Ruti when she realized what she was about to do.

However, Ruti activated ‘Healing Hands’ without heeding her.

“Eh!?’

Oparara released a voice of shock.

In an instant, the pain from her cheek and body disappeared and neither of the wound
or the swelling from her previously red and swollen cheek remained.

“I still can’t abandon the people in need.”

“Ruru-san.”

“Sorry, even though you told me not to use my skill.”

“N-no, it is all right… I’m sure that was the right thing to do.”

That was right, that was what being a Hero meant.

Tise was convinced and a little proud that she stood alongside a person who would do
the right thing.
Ruti stared at her right hand that fought against the strong and protected the weak.

The suffering she felt from her impulses until just now was resolved by helping the High-
Elf. After some time passes, the Devil’s Divine Protection would kick into effect too.

She came running precisely because she knew that doing this would dispel her Divine
Protection’s impulses.

“I wonder if this is the right thing to do.”

Ruti asked her own Divine Protection in a voice soft enough that nobody else heard it.
I am Tise‧Garland.

Possessing the Divine Protection of Assassin, Hero-sama’s companion.

It was currently night time.

After I had given food to the Alchemist Codwin which we had confined in the warehouse.

Our original plan was to leave Zoltan during the night but we found Hero-sama’s Onii-
chan which she has been searching for in this town so the plans had changed.

Hero-sama’s wish seemed to be pointing toward staying in this town.

However, we also needed Codwin to make the medicine.

(Too many people know Codwin’s face in this town…)

We would have to prepare a workshop for the Alchemist at a distance where Hero-sama
could reach from Zoltan and be able to monitor him such that he would not escape.

(Difficult.)

Those were my thoughts.

If there were more of us here, we might have been able to come up with a couple other
plans but only Hero-sama and I were there.

This was the first time we have been to Zoltan so there was not anybody we could
trust. There wasn’t a branch of the Assassin’s Guild either.

If I had to choose, I would say that Hero-sama’s brother, Gideon-san, should be trust-
worthy…
“Hero-sama, it’s still difficult.”

“Yes.”

Hero-sama silently nodded.

“Shouldn’t we move to another town and stay there until we prepare enough of the
medicine? We can return to Zoltan after that.”

“I know.”

“Heeee!?”

I involuntarily flinched when I sensed the bad mood coming from Hero-sama.

Even though she has only been pondering while seated in a chair, her intent was terrifying.

I thought her mood would soften a little after meeting Gideon-san but that was not the
case.

“Tomorrow, I have something I wish to investigate. Until then, I want you to find a
hideout, it’s all right as long as it can stay hidden for a week.”

“I-if it’s something like that, I think I can manage but… what is it that you wish to
investigate?”

“There is apparently an Ancient-Elf ruin in the mountain next to where we stopped

the flying ship. If the facilities are functional, I was thinking of using that as a hideout.”

When did she acquire such information?

“Wood-Elves apparently live somewhere near that mountain too so I heard that useful
plants grow gregariously there.”

“Ancient-Elf ruins and Wood-Elf existing in the same place?”

Unusual. That was the first time I heard of an Ancient-Elf ruin and Wood-Elf territory
in the same region.

Although it might just be because we currently have no knowledge of it.

After all, Wood-Elves seem to believe in recycling nature.

The instructor in the Assassin’s Guild mentioned when he was teaching me history
that Wood-Elf buildings are one with nature so once the Wood-Elves disappear, the
trees would grow and the Wood-Elf ruins would disappear without a trace.

It was possible… that Wood-Elf ruins were atop other Ancient-Elf ruins but just that
the traces had disappeared.

“If the Ancient-Elf ruin was functional, it would certainly function as a hideout… but,
why?”

Why must we go to such lengths to stay in Zoltan?

However, after seeing Hero-sama’s serious expression, I could no longer articulate the
remainder of the question.

Terrifying…

*Tap tap* Small feet tapped my shoulder.

Ugeuge-san tilted its head.

Ugeuge-san was asking what was the matter.

Don’t think too deeply? No, maybe it meant don’t think too hard? And to look properly?

Ugeuge-san was unusually talkative as it communicated with me.

Even now it was continuously moving its two front legs to convey its thoughts to me.

“What’s wrong?”

I was a little uneasy.

Ugeuge-san was trying to tell me something but I could not understand.

I replied with a question to somehow understand but Ugeuge-san repeated the same
image.
What does it mean? It has been a long time since I had this feeling.

…That was why my attention was drawn to Ugeuge-san and not Hero-sama.

“Tise.”

“Eh?”

Before I knew it, Hero-sama was in front of me.

However, Hero-sama’s gaze was not directed at the shocked and frozen me.

She was staring at my shoulder.

At Ugeuge-san who tilted its head with a blank look.

Hero-sama stretched her hand toward my shoulder.

My thoughts froze. Fear and confusion pierced my head.

Perhaps I did something to anger Hero-sama.

Even so!

Without realizing, I leaped back and drew my sword in a stance.

My teeth made sounds as I gnashed them.

The fear from drawing my sword against an opponent that I had no chance of winning
against burned within my head.

Hero-sama stopped moving while expressionlessly remaining in her position with a

stretched out arm.

She stared straight at me.

I believe it was only a short moment but… to me, it was an extremely long duration.

“…You’re wrong.”
Hero-sama said as she looked at me.

“I know that child is your pet. I was not trying to pat your shoulder without noticing it.”

What was she saying?

I listened to her as I breathed out roughly. But I could not understand the contents.

“I have seen it move its arms and feet a lot while next to Tise. I have also seen Tise feed
it some insects that you caught…”

Hero-sama talked continuously.

I trembled as I held my sword at the ready.

A small shadow leaped past me.

“Ugeuge-san!?”

Ugeuge-san leaped onto the floor, raised both its arms and tried its best to make itself
look large with its small body as it stood in front of me.

“Wh-what… eh? ‘Look properly’?”

What should I be looking at…

Ugeuge-san desperately moved its small body and repeatedly told me to ‘look properly’.

That was when I… finally ‘looked properly’.

“You’re wrong, I absolutely did not have such intentions.”

Who was in front of me?

Hero-sama. The owner of humanity’s strongest Divine Protection, burdened with the fate
to save the world, living for the sake of justice and a person all her companions feared.

However, I saw… a young girl who angered her good friend but could not understand
why she angered her and was at a loss.
I was off.

Even though I drew my sword out of fear and showed a combat posture, but to Hero-
sama, she couldn’t understand and it just seemed to her that she had somehow angered
me.

Hero-sama was too overwhelmingly strong and at a place too distant from us… that
she could no longer empathize with the common person’s killing intent and hostile
intentions.

That might be similar to how adults just laugh wryly even though a young child was
seriously angry.

That mistake finally made me understand, to ‘look properly’ at Hero-sama, that Hero-
sama had always been alone.

That was right, I could now see my past memories properly.

When we were discussing on the flying ship, Hero-sama’s occasional change in

expression when she looked at me was similar to how I smiled when I looked at Ugeuge-
san and she also smiled when she looked at Ugeuge-san.

That night, when she was looking for something, she was also looking for a small bed
for Ugeuge-san. That was all there was to it. (TLN: Chapter 48 last part)

In the end, Hero-sama could not think of what best to say…

“Sorry, I don’t know why I angered you. But I hope you can forgive me… sorry.”

She just apologized.

The clang of metal resounded as I let the sword fall to the ground.

I was asking myself why I had never realized it.

And I succumbed to the feeling of guilt.

When I crouched down, Ugeuge-san jumped to the back of my hand.

(Apologize?)
Ugeuge-san told me.

Yup, that’s right.

I stepped toward Hero-sama, toward Ruti-san.

Ruti-san was surprised… and her shoulders shuddered a little.

I took a breath to say the words.

“I should be the one apologizing. I misunderstood you. I am really sorry.”

“Really?… You’re not angry?”

“No, I am not angry. Is Ruti-san not angry?”

She seemed to be a little surprised that I called her Ruti-san but I felt that her lips
loosened a little. I believe she didn’t hate it.

“I’m not angry.”

“That’s great. But… I would prefer if you told me that you would like to touch my pet
before you touch it.”

“All right.”

I extended the back of my hand where Ugeuge-san was standing toward Ruti-san.

Ruti-san also extended her left hand.

*Pyon*

Ugeuge-san lightly leaped from my hand onto Ruti-san’s hand.

Then, it waved to Ruti-san with its right arm.

“…Name.”

“Ugeuge-san.”
“Ugeuge?”

“Ugeuge-san, its name is until the ‘san'”

Ruti-san gave a blank look and then looked toward Ugeuge-san.

“Ugeuge-san, I am Ruti. Pleasure working with you.”

Ruti-san narrowed her eyes and smiled gently.

I am Tise‧Garland.

Possessing the Divine Protection of Assassin, currently Hero Ruti-san’s friend.

Ancient-Elves.

The First race, said to have dominated the land before the dawn of the world, during
the age of the Gods and before the dawn of history.

In the beginning, Fairies and Spirits lived in the First world.

The First world was enveloped in spring whole year round and it was a paradise where
the Fairies with eternal life danced, sang, and enjoyed for eternity.

However, there were no disputes or distress. Therefore, there was no reason to change
their days of eternal happiness.

The First world was a paradise but also a world that was perpetually stagnant.

After an extremely great duration, the Supreme God Demise felt dissatisfied with the
existence of the First world that it had watched all that time. (TLN: A note, I’m still torn as
to how to translate the Supreme God’s name, the name is actually more like Demis, similar
to how you would pronounce the ‘demi’ in demi-humans with an ‘s’ added to the back.)

Then there was the Second world. Namely, this world, was made.

On the first day, the universe was made.

On the second day, Heaven and Earth, the Sun, the Moon and the stars were made.

On the third day, the insects, animals, and plants were made to serve as sustenance.

On the fourth day, monsters that filled the land were made.

On the fifth day, Elves, Dragons, and Demons who possess intelligence were made.

On the sixth day, he made Ancient-Elves that resembled the most excellent beings in
the First world, the Fairies, to serve as rulers and humans who resembled his own
appearance.

On the seventh day, the Asura were born during the night when he went to rest after
finishing all his work.

On the eighth day, the God was angered when he saw the Asura greet it and said ‘I did not
create something like you’.

According to the Holy Church’s books, the creation of the world followed that sequence
of events.

The term ‘Ancient-Elf’ was coined in the current era while in the oldest materials that
still exist till this day, the Ancient-Elves were only referred to simply as Elves and the
Elves created on the fifth day were recorded as ‘Fey’.

They are some Elf scholars who have differing views but the Dwarves and Orcs who
live in the Dark Continent are a species of Elves too. In addition, the Goblins
propagating in both continents are also an Elf species that originate from the Dark
Continent.

If we categorize the Elves currently in existence, the genealogy established by the

mainstream Elf scholars is,

〇 Ancient-Elf (Extinct)
→Wild-Elf

〇 Elf = ‘Fey’
→Wood-Elf (Extinct) →Half-Elf
→High-Elf
→Dark Continent Elf species (Dwarf, Orc, Goblin)

Returning to the topic on Ancient-Elves, it has been established that they had far
superior civilizations if compared to the current age but many other aspects are still
shrouded in mystery.

By looking at the Elven Coins that can temporarily raise a person’s Divine Protection
level and conversely the Wild-Elf secret medicine that can reduce it, we can tell that
the Ancient-Elves had analyzed Divine Protections to some extent.
There are clergymen who believe that act of insolence angered the God and the Ancient-
Elves were annihilated as a result.

Ultimately, the reason for their extinction is unknown.

However, in this era, the first Demon Lord and the first Hero were born and legend
remains of the defeat of the first Demon Lord by the hands of the first Hero.

That is, the first Hero was not human but an Ancient-Elf.

In that case, Elves should be the Hero in this era too.

Ruti thought to herself as she bisected, with the Holy Sword of Demon Slaying, the
Clockwork Giant that was making unpleasant metallic grinding sounds in front of her.

In an Ancient-Elf ruin located within the mountain where Red harvests medicinal grass.
After Ruti and Tise’s investigation, they found that it was luckily still functioning.

The upper layers have been devastated by the Chimeras and Zoltan adventurers
aiming for Ancient-Elf treasures but the device to ascend from and descend to the
lower layer was undamaged.

The mana crystal that provides energy was in a dormant state for a time after the
power was depleted but as it has been replenishing for many months and years, there
didn’t seem to be any issue restarting it.

Ruti, who had conquered countless Ancient-Elf ruins to date, manipulated the device
with experienced movements and advanced to the lower layer.

In there, they found the usual Clockwork Monsters of Ancient-Elf ruins and they set
off in search of the Clockwork Mother that controlled them.

“Fuuu…”

Tise wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.

Unlike Ruti who had a composed expression, Tise faced a couple of dangerous scenarios
and fatigue could be seen on her face.
(In addition to relentless waves of Clockwork Soldiers, we have already fought four
Clockwork Giants even though there are usually only one directly before the
Clockwork Mother in the other ruins. Not only that, we have even fought the raid
weapon Clockwork Destroyer as well as the diving weapon Clockwork Leviathan…
what is with this ruin?)

Tise cursed internally.

Nevertheless, Ruti could settle it when enemies appeared alone so Tise was able to
advance through that ruin of abnormal threat levels.

Eventually, the two of them arrived before the Clockwork Mother room at the very end
of the ruin.

Once they destroyed that, all the Clockwork Monsters would stop functioning. Just
selling the parts alone would result in a profit of over 100 thousand Peryl so to
adventurers, conquering an Ancient-Elf ruin was literally a get rich quick dream.

(I wonder if there would be any adventurer who would be thinking of getting rich
quick when faced with this.)

Tise unconsciously took half a step back and derided herself.

The Clockwork Mother, a mass of clockwork which controlled all the Clockwork
Monsters. And standing in their way, an aggregate of shining metals, a Clockwork Dragon.

Unlike the other Clockwork Monsters that make unpleasant noises whenever they
moved, its artistically and elaborately pieced together body did not make a single
creak during movements. Its body was filled with heated tar and she could catch
glimpses of its red tongue used as a spark to ignite the tar once it opened its mouth.

The previous generation Demon Lord once repaired a similar model and used it as a
weapon, an ultimate weapon that once killed all the companions of the previous
generation Hero whom traveled with him from the start and caused the previous
generation Hero to flee in defeat.

“Hero-sama!”

Tise suggested to temporarily retreat to get the cooperation of Gideon-san and Lit-san.
It was too strong for just the two of them to challenge.

“No problem.”

However, Ruti, with the same nonchalant air and her Holy Sword loosely held in her
right hand pointing downward, walked toward the artificial dragon made by the
Ancient-Elves.

Two weeks have passed since Ruti came to my shop.

Ruti seemed to have left Zoltan for three days after we first met but she fundamentally
stayed in Zoltan after that.

She registered with the Adventurers Guild together with Tise and although not
proactively, they occasionally accepted requests to subjugate goblins near town.

Goblin subjugation was a little disproportional to their actual ability but… they
probably did that to eliminate the impulses from their Divine Protections.

Subjugating the human-type goblins that attack villages would serve as the perfect
choice to eliminate the Hero’s impulses to aid people and the Assassin’s homicidal
impulses.

Even though it was just goblins, their appearance of taking up any request with just
the two of them without bothering about the number of opponents, leisurely entering
the goblin abode as if going on a stroll and returning after annihilating them have
made them the talk of the town as reliable newcomers.

Furthermore, even though goblins are inferior in terms of physical strength and
intelligence when compared to humans, as they live in an environment of fighting and
plundering, there occasionally would be some with high Divine Protection levels that
could not be taken lightly. They would become unexpected threats if left alone.

But then, as they do not conceal their own ability, it was possible to perceive beforehand
if there are any such individuals just by gathering information properly. After all, such
requests are posted on signboards targeted toward newcomer adventurers.
In addition, it was a tacit understanding due to the nature of Zoltan which saw many
wanderers visit that nobody pried into their past and they seemed to be adventuring
carefreely.

And then…

“Welcome.”

“Heee!?”

Today, for some reason, she was helping out in my shop.

Even though she could be seen standing behind the counter, perhaps due to her aura of
the strong, whenever she greeted a customer that enters the shop, they would reflexively
scream.

That probably hurt her feelings.

However, I discovered something new.

“Maybe they won’t scream if you smile a little more?”

“Really?”

I thought I was the only one who noticed that Ruti was hurt but it seemed that Tise
noticed as well.

Tise gave her some advice like that.

“That’s right, you’ll definitely be fine if you smiled just a little more. Can I leave the
counter to you for a little longer?”

“Sure.”

Ruti clenched her tiny fists and showed that she would work hard.
While Ruti and Tise were working at the storefront, I had Lit make an inventory by
counting the type and number of medicine we had in the storeroom.

We did normally manage our inventory but Lit and I discussed and we decided that it
was a good opportunity to properly check our inventory.

“Good work.”

I visited the storeroom with two cups of coffee in hand.

Lit was holding a pen and paper and seemed to be struggling with counting the massive
number of medicine…

“Ah―! Sheesh! I can’t remember where I counted up till!!”

She shouted in despair.

“Sorry sorry, I’ll help out later so why don’t you take a break?”

“Okay, I’m a little tired.”

We moved to sit at the chairs in the living room.

I could hear Ruti and Tise interacting with the customers at the storefront.

“Are you sure you don’t need to watch that side?”

“There wouldn’t be any meaning in having them help out if I still had to stay there,
right? Ruti is a child who would notice that.”

“You understand her very well.”

“Well, she’s my younger sister after all.”

Lit and I took a sip of the coffee at the same time.

“Nn, today’s coffee is rich, there’s plenty of sugar and milk. But it’s still delicious.”

I took a little more effort in brewing today’s coffee.

I added hot water to roughly ground coffee and filtered it through three metallic filters
with small apertures.

Since the apertures of the filter were blocked by the coffee ground, the coffee was
deliberately extracted over a long time.

As the flavor of the resulting coffee was very strong, I could still make a strong coffee even
after adding milk and sugar to it.

“Here’s some herbal tea to cleanse your palate.”

“So it’s a coffee to enjoy during the moment and not for the aftertaste.”

“Yup.”

“Thank you, it’s delicious.”

It was a brewing style to make rich coffee meant to be drunk slowly.

The herbal tea next to it was meant to suitably reset the palate and allow one to experience
the refreshing first taste once again.

We enjoyed a calming time together.

“Thank you for the treat.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lit placed the cup down with a satisfied look.

We stared at each other silently just for a while.

But Lit immediately stood up.

“Well then, I’ll go over to the storefront.”

“The storefront?”

“It’s about time we let Ruti and Tise have a break too.”

“Then I’ll go to the storefront.”

“No.”

Lit said with a wide smile.

“Obviously Ruti looks forward to having an enjoyable time drinking coffee together with
you too.”

Lit left the room before I could say anything.

I played with the coffee cup with my finger. It made a nice sound.

The tableware that Lit chose that even kept within the budget were excellent.

“Well then, I guess I’ll prepare drinks for the two of them.”

I placed the cups on a wooden tray and moved to the kitchen.

“Good work, the two of you.”

On the table were three cookies and three cups of sweet-flavored cocoa.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for the treat.”

Ruti’s eyes shined after she grabbed the cup and took a sip.

Tise started with the cookie.

“These are preserved rations that adventurers eat, right?”

Tise showed a surprised expression.

“This is… amazingly delicious.”

“I mixed in some tree nuts that I gathered in the mountain. The taste is similar to
cinnamon.”

“Cinnamon… I have never eaten that.”

“Really? Then, I’ll make cinnamon pie for tonight.”

Oh right.

“Also, here, cloth soaked with syrup.”

“Eh?”

“I figured it would be a good snack for that spider.”

I said as I took out a dish with small cut pieces of cloth on it.

The spider on Tise’s shoulder hopped off.

The spider was well-behaved as it raised a hand to greet me before starting to drink the
syrup.

“Thank you very much. So you noticed.”

“This child? Of course, since you are on such good terms with it.”

“Ugeuge-san.”

“Ugeuge?”

“Its name is until the ‘san'”

Tise showed a faint smile of happiness as she looked at me.

(Both Gideon-san and Ruti-san gave the same reply when they heard Ugeuge-san’s name.
As expected of siblings.)

She lacked facial expressions but the girl called Tise was probably an ordinary girl on
the inside just like Ruti.

“Onii-chan.”

“Hn, what is it?”

“Can we have lunch together too?”

I pat Ruti’s head.

This girl, even though I have just been talking about dinner with Tise.

“Of course. That was the original plan after all.”

“Okay.”

“Not just lunch, you’ll be having dinner as well right?”

“Yup.”

Ruti smiled softly.

“Actually, I love Onii-chan’s cooking.”

It was an extremely natural smile. It sparkled and was a lovely smile that others could
see that it originated from her heart with just a glance.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Yep!”

“Do you have any requests?”

“…I want to drink honey milk.”

“All right.”
Her request was different from what I expected to hear.

But it was fine.

There was still an hour and a half before lunch.

Maybe I’ll make something delicious which goes well with honey milk.
Four people sat side-by-side at a table.

On the table were bacon sandwiches, mashed potato gratin, and a salad made with the
breast meat of Dragon Chicken, a chicken the size of a brown bear, that I bought from
the market butcher and seasoned with lemon dressing with onion added to it.

As well as hot milk with added honey that Ruti loved since she was young.

“Thank you for the treat.”

As expected, Ruti started with the honeyed milk.

Her eyes sparkled with just a sip and she drank about half in one go.

I inadvertently smiled from nostalgia as Ruti’s drinking style did not change from
when she was young.

“Ah, this meat is from Dragon Chicken right? That’s rare.”

Said Lit as she ate the chicken meat salad.

Dragon Chicken meat have some slight difference in flavor but it is basically chicken
meat so it was amazing how Lit could tell immediately.

Judging from the smile on her face, it seemed to suit her taste. That made me happy
just a little.

“Apparently, it possessed the [Beast] Divine Protection which the ranch failed to detect
during selection, escaped after going on a rampage, and they had to request for
adventurers to subjugate it. Because of that, the butcher had a large quantity of
unscheduled meat come in and sold them at a discounted price.”

Animals have a few different Divine Protections compared to Humans and Elves.
Although some of them might possess Divine Protections such as [Warrior], [Sorcerer]
and [Grappler] like Humans, only 5% of the total animals possess such Divine
Protections while the remaining 95% either possess [Cattle] or [Beast].

Those with the [Cattle] Divine Protection are highly cooperative and have a tendency
to be gentle while those with the [Beast] Divine Protection do not like to stay in herds
and have a tendency to be aggressive.

Naturally, the animals that possess the Divine Protection of [Cattle] are more suitable
as livestock. The reason why cows, pigs, horses, chickens, and goats are more suitable
as livestock is that an overwhelming number of them are born with the Divine
Protection of [Cattle] instead of the Divine Protection of [Beast].

It might be possible to slowly train even those with the Divine Protection of [Beast] if
it was for the sake of taking them as pets but that was not feasible for commercial
livestock.

The common practice for ranch owners was to determine if the livestock were [Cattle]
or [Beast] while they were still young and to dispose of the [Beast] at the early stages.

Some might question this practice but I do not have enough knowledge regarding
livestock to meddle in it.

Take for example this incident. It might have been all right if all it did was break the
fence but it also hurt the other livestock and humans so I think it might be better to
put them down while they are still young after all.

After hearing that the chicken was disposed of because it was a [Beast], Ruti looked at
the Dragon Chicken seriously before eating it.

I knew that Ruti wasn’t really talkative but Tise was the same as well.

Tise could speak when needed and will also convey her thoughts but for example, even
though she mentioned that the dishes were delicious, she didn’t say a word after that
and just ate in silence.

Judging from the movement of her eyes, she was paying plenty of attention to our
words and attitudes but she didn’t seem to be the type to bring up small talk or filler
topics.
As a type that will only speak when she had a clear purpose to, it felt to me that, to her,
words were a tool to convey her own thoughts only when she had to.

In such a situation, the people who mainly spoke naturally ended up being me and Lit.

Currently, we were explaining how we had been spending our time in Zoltan.

Compared to when I flew back and forth as a Knight, went around town fighting the
Demon Lord Army as the Hero’s companion, or resolving issues that crop up in towns,
every day here was peaceful and Ruti listened with great interest.

“In essence, Lit and my daily life go like that.”

“Although there are occasionally times when Red is not around when he goes to harvest
medicinal grass.”

Lit called me Red as usual.

We discussed last night on whether to call me Red or Gideon in front of Ruti and as we
have been living in Zoltan as Red and Lit, we decided to stick to our usual way of calling
each other Red and Lit.

“Onii-chan.”

“What is it?”

“The place you harvest medicinal grass, is it the mountain to the northwest?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“…In that case, I know the location so I’ll harvest the medicinal grass.”

“I’m thankful for the offer but are you sure?”

“Yup.”

“All right. Thank you, you can just help out when you’re not busy.”

Ruti nodded.
Night.

We ate dinner with the four of us together again and although Ruti was expressionless
as usual, she expressed that she was enjoying herself through her body actions.

“By the way.”

I said after it came to my mind.

“We have a bath here. Do you want to enter before returning to your inn?”

“Bath, yup, I’ll enter.”

There would be very little opportunities to enter a bath when on a journey.

As cleanliness is important, it was crucial to properly wash your body and wipe it but
in most cases, it would be in the form of a water barrel and a towel. There would rarely
be a chance to soak comfortably in a bathtub.

In my home village, we dragged a large old bell back and used it as a bath.

It was large as a bell but it was only large enough to fit small children.

The adults could only wash their bodies with the water but could not enter the bathtub.

The people from my home village believed that using the bath daily would make it
harder to fall sick so the village foundry repaired an old church bell that was marked
for disposal and donated it to serve as a bathtub for children who would fall sick more
easily.

For that reason, Ruti and I entered the bath about once every three days when we were
young.

“Bath, we entered together in the past.”

Ruti said nostalgically, perhaps she recalled the same memories.

The water in that bell bath was warmed directly by a flame.

Of course, that meant that the base was extremely hot so we were cautioned not to
submerge to touch the base and to remain on top of a piece of the wooden grate that
floated in the bath.

Usually, an adult needed to be present and the child’s parent will help to lift the child
into the bath but in our case, both of us were capable of taking care of ourselves so
from when Ruti was two years old, I carried Ruti to enter the bath together.

When Ruti held to me with her small arms to soak into the bath together, her expression
melted into one of content from the warmth, the same child who our parents mentioned
‘won’t cry, won’t make any noise or won’t smile’.

That was so cute that we ended up soaking in the bath until the very last minute that
was physically possible for us.

I believe… Ruti didn’t hate it too.

“Will we not enter together today too?”

It seemed that she didn’t hate it.

“No, well, naturally we can’t enter together now that we are at this age.”

“I see.”

Ruti looked like she was really disappointed. Yup, it should be all right for brother and
sister to enter… or I guess not after all.

“Then, I want to enter with Lit-san.”

“Eh?”

Lit who was seated comfortably on the chair raised her voice in surprised after hearing
our conversation.

“We can’t?”

“…Hmm, yeah, okay. I also wanted to have a talk with Ruti.”

Lit said with a faint smile.

Ruti smiled ever so lightly and nodded.

It was true that Lit and Ruti had not had much chance to talk.

Lit was once beaten up by Ruti in the arena so she probably felt that Ruti was hard to deal
with.

Ruti generally doesn’t speak much in the first place so they ended up not having many
conversations.

This might certainly be a good opportunity.

“I see, then, I’ll prepare the hot water.”

“Eh?”

Tise was the next one to voice out.

After fidgeting with both her hands,

“Can I enter together as well?”

She said.

It might be a little crowded with three people so in that case, maybe I’ll pour hot water
into the small single-person bathtub that was next to it too.

“Then, I’ll get the water ready so take your time to relax.”

After I stood up and said that, for some reason, Tise closed her eyes and seemed as
though she had resolved herself.

On the ocean. The rapid sailing ship Sylpheed. In the first-class room of that ship.

“Fu, fufu, I have no idea just what kind of mission are you trying to fulfill but it is
impossible to subjugate the Demon Lord without the Sage Ares, Hero Ruti!”

Even though he was exhausted from using advanced magic for consecutive days, Ares
spread his arms wide and shouted with glaring bloodshot eyes.

Theodora was applying Healing Magic to a pale-faced Albert.

Blood was scattered about on the floor at the base of Ares’ feet.

When Ares focused his concentration, the blood wriggled and drew some kind of a
pattern, pointing to a certain direction.

“I was not wrong after all! Hero-sama is headed toward the Wall at the Ends of the World!”

“It will be troublesome if you plan to go to the Wall at the Ends of the World. Even if
we detour around the Wall at the Ends of the World by sea, it will be a voyage without
any resupply points. We would have to borrow a large caravel or even a military
galleon along the way. It will become a journey that we have no way of chasing up to
them without an airship.”

Theodora tossed in dispirited words.

Ares looked as though he didn’t intend to answer that as he laughed while looking at
Albert’s splattered blood.

“The power from a contract with a Contract Demon still remains in this blood! A
contract on the wish to reach where the Hero is! This blood has the power to point us
toward Hero Ruti! As long as I can bring out that miracle! I can still chase after the Hero!”

“I don’t know.”

Theodora muttered as she looked at the screaming Ares with cold eyes.

Ares turned around and glared at Theodora.

“About what?”

“Hero-dono left us behind of her own will, what meaning is there in chasing after her
like this?”

“My power, the power of the Sage Ares, is required to defeat the Demon Lord! I am
only doing my best to save the world. What about you, why are you here? If there is no
meaning in chasing, then you could just run away.”
“Because if it was only you, you would have killed this man Albert.”

Ares’ face distorted as he strode toward Theodora and grabbed her by the collar.

“I can use Healing Magic too! At a higher level than you can! Don’t forget that I am only
entrusting it to you because you said you will do it!”

“You’re wrong, Ares.”

Theodora looked on with a sympathetic look.

That action annoyed Ares even further.

“Just having the skill to heal people is not enough. If you cannot empathize with the
injured and heal the injury by knowing their pain, that act is not the act of healing a
person.”

“Ha! Worthless! Meaningless! You wish to act superior over me with such ambiguous
words?!”

Nothing said to Ares would get through at the moment. Theodora judged that was the
case and shook her head side-to-side as she pushed away Ares’ hand that was grabbing
on to her collar.

“You would do well to remember that you would have gone through a bitter
experience if human lives were not at stake here… regardless, leave Albert’s treatment
and healthcare to me. I will definitely keep him alive until you find Hero-dono.”

“I’ll be troubled if you try to curry favor with just that.”

“I am not currying favor of any sort. I am just doing what I should do as an unimportant
member of the clergy as well as a companion of the world-saving Hero. We fight
without being ordered by anybody, not for the sake of gaining favors or receiving
thanks. We fight of our own will on the belief of saving the world. At the very least,
that is the case for me.”

Ares glared at Theodora fiercely and roughly left the room as if indicating that he could
no longer stay in the same room as her.

Theodora looked at the blood scattered on the floor and was about to leave to draw
water to clean up as usual.

“I……”

Albert, who was asleep due to the loss of blood, woke up and uttered a soft mutter.

Theodora returned to Albert’s side.

“Have you regained consciousness?”

“Am I being useful to the Hero party?”

Albert looked at Theodora with sunken but pure eyes devoid of malice.

“I don’t know. But thanks to you, we are catching up to Hero-sama. No matter what
happens after this, we will be able to choose an outcome on our own without leaving
it to the decision of others. This could only be possible with you, Albert. Thank you.”

“Is that so…”

A gentle smile appeared on Albert’s lips.

“I’m glad.”

Theodora did not know anything about Albert’s past.

However, she felt that Albert, with his condition of consuming his own vitality but still
capable of smiling calmly, was a lot more befitting to be called a hero compared to
them, who kicked Gideon out and had become scattered.

(I can’t let him die over something like this.)

Theodora strongly resolved herself.

*Drip*

A drop of water fell from the ceiling.

As I looked at the ripple that was steadily radiating outward, I somehow felt chilly
even though I was currently in a warm bath.

I am Tise.

Possessor of the Divine Protection of the Assassin and Hero Ruti-sama’s friend.

I was currently in a bathtub.

As a matter of fact, among my assassin friends, I am called the Bath Reviewer Tise, a
bath lover.

My review book recorded with the public baths in various towns, hot springs, and
bathing facilities of post towns which I visited between my work was now regarded
as a must-have when our Assassin’s Guild members plan for an outing.

Warmth was needed in our assassination occupation which called for a hardened heart.

Well, even if getting naked and taking a bath was an excellent way to have a great time,
it was also a proper book written with the purpose of detailing locations to store
weapons as well as escape routes.

In my eyes, the eyes of a bath lover who even wrote a book about them, this bath would
score… very high.

Firstly, having two bathtubs even though it was for home use gave it high points.

The pot-type bathtub I was currently in was a bath that allowed one to cherish their
own personal space.
The society out there was a world that required communication. Even an assassin was
not exempted. On the contrary, assassins which have to portray a different persona
every time they enter a city actually have a job that stresses more on communication.

We are forbidden from speaking without reserve at any given time or place. We always
have to keep in mind the influence of our words and must control our communications.

That is extremely tiring.

Among the assassins, there were many seniors who fail to be promoted even though
they had the skills in assassination precisely because they had difficulty in their
communication ability.

My master hammered the art of wearing a mask into me so I was capable of becoming
any persona.

But that does not mean that I liked to pretend in particular.

In short, I feel a surprising sense of happiness when I, Tise‧Garland, submerge inside

a personal bathtub like this, inside the threshold of a pot.

Warming up the water with a pipe was also a good idea.

I would inevitably be conscious of it if there was a person outside stoking the fire for
the bath.

In contrast, for this bath, the temperature of the bath could be adjusted just by using
the valve a short distance away from the bathtub.

“Four ☆. It is a pity that this bath is quite deep so the water reaches until my mouth if
I sit down.”

My words bubbled on the surface of the water so it was not conveyed to anybody.

I’m short. Instead of relying on overwhelming power, my fighting style involved

utilizing a sharp thrust from behind at a vital spot so having a small body had its
advantages but it also had many inconveniences in my daily life.

Ugeuge-san was having a meal of an insect that was attracted to the moisture from the
bath.
I felt warm and fluffy as I looked at Ugeuge-san holding onto its prey with its front legs
and eating it deliciously.

Hah, I better stop running from reality and face the situation in front of me.

Well, it was not as if something actually happened.

It was just that Hero Ruti-sama and Lit-san were inside a bathtub together.

I thought that I had finally seen Ruti-sama up close after all this while but… Ruti-sama
loves her brother Gideon-san. And it was even at the level of having fallen deeply in
love.

But Gideon-san and Lit-san were mutually in love. Just a single glance was enough to
let me know that they were totally in love with each other.

And to Gideon-san, Ruti-sama was nothing more than a beloved younger sister. I
believe it’s a different kind of love compared to his love for Lit-san.

“It’s a great bath right?”

“Yup.”

The conversation between the two people facing each other wasn’t kicking off.

Ruti-sama has been looking directly at Lit-san all this time and has been responding
to Lit-san with brief replies.

I’m impressed that Lit-san could endure such a situation.

Even if Ruti-sama does not harbor ill will, a person with ordinary courage will not be
able to endure facing the hero directly.

Even I, as Ruti-sama’s friend, find it a lot easier to stand beside her compared to in front
of her.

Furthermore, I can’t say for sure that Ruti-sama does not harbor a single shred of ill
will toward Lit-san at the moment.

I chose to enter the bath as well just in case the unlikely event that trouble broke out.
“Lit-san.”

Ruti-sama has finally spoken first!

My heart pounded as I prepared myself to leap forward at any time.

Just in case!

“What is it?”

“Has Lit-san already entered the bath with Onii-chan?”

She jumped straight into it! Terrifying!

“Yeah, we have.”

She shot back mercilessly! Terrifying!

I didn’t sense any turbulent atmosphere between the two of them.

Even though there wasn’t any, as an Assassin, I have seen how love could become the
motive for murder, for a person to wish for another person’s death, more than enough
times to know it very well.

“I entered together too. Although it was a very long time ago.”

“What was Red… Gideon like when he was young?”

“He hasn’t changed at all.”

“You mean he never grew up?”

“Not that. Onii-chan has always been cool.”

Ruti-sama cast her eyes down slightly.

Upon closer inspection, her cheeks were dyed red.

“I was weak in the past.”

“Really? I can’t believe that when I look at Ruti now.”

“Yes. My very first fight was against a raiding party of Orcs that assaulted the village,
wrong. My very first fight was when I went to search for the child who lost her way in
the nearby mountain.”

“A lost child?”

“I was five years old. I was a young child too. But I could not ignore her as a Hero.”

“The impulses of your Divine Protection huh…”

Lit-san muttered seriously.

The Divine Protection impulses were a common worry for everyone living in this world.

To live your life as willed by your Divine Protection or to defy your Divine Protection
and live your own life.

Most people live their lives as desired by their Divine Protection. Continuously defying
your Divine Protection would be tough after all and the Divine Protection will confer
skills that aid with living the life as desired by the Divine Protection.

But that was not limited to lifestyles that the person wished for.

Incidentally, I probably wouldn’t have become a murderer if not for my Divine

Protection of the Assassin but on the flipside, I did not suffer a terrible life as a slave
so I actually don’t hate my Divine Protection.

While I was lost in that train of thought, Ruti-sama was unusually talkative as she
started narrating about her first adventure.

That day, a child who was not even my friend entered and got lost in a mountain where
the animals had just woken up from hibernation and were looking for food with empty
stomachs.

Fundamentally, children were forbidden from going to the mountain to play.

But as there were lots of tree fruits and such which could be eaten as snacks, there
was an unending number of obsessed children who see the mountain purely as a
playground and slip past the adults’ eyes to enter.

Nevertheless, most children had enough discretion to know not to enter when the
seasons change from winter to early spring because they knew that it was dangerous.

That girl did not have that discretion.

And my Divine Protection also did not have the discretion to wait and survey the
situation until the adults gathered after their work to set off in search of the lost child.

Onii-chan was away somewhere on that day.

I didn’t have anybody else to rely on.

My father and mother were also not strong enough to enter the mountain during that
season.

Even though I knew that it was dangerous, my Divine Protection urged me to set forth.

Slight signs of white snow still remained in the mountain.

The rushing sound of water from the river was probably due to the water coming from
the melted snow.

As a five-year-old, both monsters and animals would be deadly foes to me.

I only had a single knife in my hand.

As dusk approached, I called out that child’s name as I remained on the move so that
I would not be surrounded by the threats on the mountain.

I heard the howl of a wolf in the distance. Something rustled in the bush nearby.

Suddenly, I sensed a large presence and turned back to see a magical beast called an
Amphisbaena, a snake with a large body about the size of a horses’ torso at a total
length of 14 meters and a snake head at the tip of its tail as well, staring at me with its
four golden pupils.

However, perhaps it didn’t consider a small animal like myself as prey as it disinterestedly
averted its gaze and left with ripple-like movements that didn’t make a single sound.

An ordinary child, even those with a courage of iron, would have dissolved into screams
and tears and fled. That would be normal.

However, I did not feel fear.

I merely acknowledged that the threat had left and there was no other option other
than to continue that dangerous adventure.

I probably searched for about two hours.

And I finally found that child after the surroundings had completely turned dark.

That child could not find her way home so she found a warm cave and was weeping inside
it.

There were claw marks on the nearby trees which indicated that this was the territory
of a being that would not hesitate to attack any intruders unconditionally.

There was also a strong beast stench coming from the cave.

If a person had the perception skill, they would notice the huge presence lurking in the
depths.

The magical beast ‘Owlbear’ already considered that child as feed.

An Owlbear is a monster with the body of a grizzly bear and the head of an owl, a monster
that stood at the pinnacle of the food chain in the mountain.

Even the two-headed Amphisbaena just now couldn’t win against the Owlbear.

It probably didn’t kill the child even though it could eat it at any time because it just
finished a meal recently somewhere else. It might have been thinking of eating her
when it was feeling a little peckish.
That child was not bound by any rope. However, if she ever tried to leave the cave, the
Owlbear would probably immediately charge out and break the child’s legs.

It did not do so now because it knew that human children died easily.

So it left the child alone for now because it wanted to keep her in a fresh condition as
long as possible before consuming her.

The Owlbear likely possessed an uncommon Divine Protection.

It was a lot more cunning and cruel compared to an ordinary Owlbear. It had probably
consumed human children before.

Even though I possessed the Divine Protection of the Hero, it was still at level 1 and
my body was that of a child.

The opponent was an Owlbear said to be undefeatable unless your Divine Protection
level was around level 15.

The difference in power was apparent.

However, I could not abandon that child. That was probably the flaw of the Divine
Protection of the Hero.

The Divine Protection did not fear death and prioritized the act of being a hero over
survival.

If I had a huge goal ahead such as subjugating the Demon Lord, I would have the option
to abandon the person in front of me but… at that time, saving that girl was my top
goal and I had to help her even if it cost me my life.

Furthermore, in the first place, I didn’t even have the time to have such thoughts.

Upon seeing my figure, the child loudly cried out my name and rushed out in tears,
alerting the Owlbear in the cave.

“Guoooooo!!!!!”

The Owlbear howled and charged out.

I drew my knife and held it in a reverse grip.

The chances of winning were even thinner than thin ice. But only death awaited if I did
not win.

I only had one chance.

The Owlbear charging at me swiped at me with its claws.

The Owlbear would rip through its opponent with its claws, hold it down and deliver
the fatal blow with its beak.

That was the typical fighting style of the Owlbear.

The speed of its attack was way higher than my dodging capabilities.

However, I held my left hand in front of my chest and waited for that single moment.

“Kyaaaaa!!”

The child older than I was screamed as she saw me get torn.

“Healing Hand.”

However, I was unharmed even though I should have been torn to shreds.

I healed my body with the Skill: Healing Hands the instant my body was shredded.

At my level, I would use pretty much all my healing power in just one cast.

However, that was my only chance.

Seeing the opponent it attacked remain unharmed was unexpected for the Owlbear.

Having caught it off guard, I thrust my reverse grip knife into the left eye of the Owlbear.

The Owlbear screamed out in pain.

(Shallow…)
But my knife only pierced through its eyeball.

It was a deep wound that would eventually cause the Owlbear to die.

However, the knife had to reach the brain if I were to inflict a fatal wound to the Owlbear
such that it would not be able to move at that very moment.

My body flew into the air with the sound of a slam.

I was hit by the Owlbear’s arm that it swung out.

However, the claws did not strike me so I escaped from instant death.

My body tumbled and rolled across the ground before I finally stopped.

Just that strike alone was enough to cause injury to my entire body and I could no longer
even stand up.

(This is as far as I go.)

I did my best. There was no helping it.

My Divine Protection did not insist that I stand and struggle to the end as if having
acknowledged that fact. It apparently showed mercy to allow me to die while lying in
the end.

Even if I lived, I would be subjected to such pain for the sake of people that I was not close
to.

Even if I lived, I would be called a creepy child behind my back by those who cause me
such pain.

Even if I lived, they would seek my help, the help of a creepy child, only when it was
convenient for them and not repay any favor once it was over.

I had enough. Living for five years.

It was even shorter if I counted from when I started being aware of my surroundings.

That time, when I still did not possess the Resistance toward despair, was the time I
felt plenty hopelessness in humanity.

However, there was one.

A person who did not seek my help.

A person who would always help me when I sought for help.

A person who loved me as his beloved younger sister.

I would not regret discarding anything else. My parents, my home, even the world.

But the thought of not being able to see Onii-chan… I hated it.

The moment I had that thought, the words came out from my mouth naturally even
before it passed through my mind.

“Onii-chan, help me!!”

The drawn blade flashed like a lightning bolt.

The sword that came from the blind spot on the left side of the single-eyed Owlbear
pierced through its thick armor of muscles to reach its heart and the 700-kilogram
monster was slain with a single stroke of the blade.

“Ruti! Are you all right!”

That person did not boast his defeat of the Owlbear and did not spare a glimpse at his
feat as he showed an expression that was even sadder than my own as he looked at
my injured body.

“I am fine, after all, Onii-chan came to save me.”

But I did not care about the pain I was feeling.

Since the person in front of me was always there at my side when I was suffering.

After that, I was carried on Onii-chan’s shoulder and we safely descended the mountain.

I only found out long after that that the reason Onii-chan acquired the mastery of his
common skills was that he prioritized raising his Swift Skill so that he could raise the
speed he could rush to me whenever he needed to.
Ruti-sama stared at the ceiling after she finished her story.

Her red cheeks were likely not because she was soaking in a hot bath.

“So Ruti was like that too.”

Lit-san also looked at the ceiling.

She looked like she was recalling something as well.

“I fell into despair after Shisandan murdered my mentor as well as the Imperial Guards
and Adventurers who I trusted and partied with. Especially after a heated argument with
you guys on how we would protect our country with our own bodies. At that time, I felt
that it would have been better if I hadn’t survived. That it happened because of me.”

“I see.”

“Red saved me during that time. He arrived before Ruti and the others and rushed to
face Shisandan in battle for my sake. He encouraged me to slaughter my enemies
rather than wallow in regret.”

It sounded like the disturbance in the Principality of Logavia.

The Principality of Logavia, which held immense military might, had been fighting
small skirmishes with its neighboring country over the right to use a river that
stretched along their border and had also continually been fighting against the Demon
Lord army on their own even before the invasion started.

However, the Demon Lord army led by the Asura Demon Shisandan attacked and caused
devastating damages to the mountain residents who supplied large amounts of fuel that
supported the strength of Logavia’s military, cutting off their supplies.

The strength of Logavia’s soldiers came from their high-quality equipment. Large
amounts of fuel were needed to operate the production factories for the production of
such equipment.

Logavia’s army lost their momentum and their castle was surrounded.

There was a reason why Shisandan performed secret maneuvers behind the scenes to
assassinate the Imperial Captain Gaius which the Logavia King held great trust in.

Even after Shisandan was defeated by Hero Ruti, the surrounding Demon Lord army
did not retreat and continued to surround Logavia despite no longer proactively going
on the offensive. Shisandan’s secret maneuvers had already cornered Logavia to the
point that they could no longer counterattack.

It was then that the Hero Ruti, accompanied by Lit, broke through the encirclement by
utilizing a route through the Forest of Deceit which was thought to be impossible to
escape from, took command of a reinforcement squad comprising of a hundred elite
running drake cavalry, and trampled on the Demon Lord army which had lost its chain
of command which was Shisandan.

“I believe Ruti saw it too, how much I despaired within the Forest of Deceit. I felt that
we were running around in circles and it went on for a week… I feared that Logavia
was already defeated and that everyone had been killed.”

Lit’s expression was still bright even though it was a dark story.

It might be a painful memory but at the same time, it was probably also the memory
of her first encounter with Gideon-san.

“But Red was there. He fought with me. He said that we would save Logavia. I was glad
that Red was there in the dark Forest of Deceit where even the sun rays could not
penetrate. That was the first time I felt such feelings.”

Lit hugged her knees and hid her smile behind them.

I see, so Gideon-san was such a person.

After stacking so much experience, it was no wonder that Ruti-sama and Lit-san both
love Gideon-san.

Ruti-sama scooped up hot water with both her hands.

The hot water that spilled out from her palms splashed back into the hot tub.

“To me, baths no longer feel as good as they used to.”

“Eh?”

“The pleasure of entering a bath was from heating up the body, increasing blood
circulation and healing tired muscles.”

Ruti-sama scooped up hot water again. The sounds of splashing echoed in the bathroom.

“I possess all kinds of resistance in my body. No matter if it is extreme cold or intense

heat, my body temperature will never change. That applies to the warmth from the
bath as well, I can only gain information that this is hot water.”

*Splash*

“I don’t fall sick and I don’t tire. My body condition is always at its peak.”

*Splash*

“It is the same for meals too. I can never feel hungry. Neither do I need water. I can taste
food but my body does not require nutrients.”

*Splash*

“I think that entering a bath feels good because I recall that entering a bath feels good.
I am only recreating my emotions from my memories.”

*Splash*

“When I was a child, the honeyed milk that Onii-chan made for me was extremely
delicious. It was sweet and smooth and I thought that I could drink any number of it.
But, the honeyed milk I drank today, even though it should taste even better than
before, I could no longer taste the deliciousness from the past. Despite that, I can still
recall the delicious taste of Onii-chan’s honeyed milk.”

I see… so that made matters worse.

Ruti-sama is humanity’s strongest.

I, Ares-sama, Danan-sama, Theodora-sama, and even Gideon-san probably are all strong
enough to stand at the pinnacle of humanity.

However, we are not the strongest. Even if we all team up against Hero-sama, we would
not win. Ruti-sama will likely never experience being saved by anybody ever again.

Her emotions can’t surface as much as it used to. Since Ruti-sama’s Divine Protection
denies all harmful emotions.

That was why Ruti-sama had no choice but to yearn for her past.

(…So Ruti-sama only has Gideon-san huh?)

Lit-san said something while looking taken aback.

This was… the Hero’s Divine Protection huh? The Hope of Mankind, the Hero chosen by
God, the World’s Strongest Power.

“I, in truth, hated Lit-san when I was cooperating with you in Logavia.”

“You felt like I was relying fully on you as the Hero, right?”

Lit-san smiled wryly.

“Wrong. I was jealous. Having the freedom to laugh, to be angry, to cry… to fall in love.
I was jealous, so jealous of Lit-san gradually shrinking the distance with Onii-chan…”

There were soft sounds of droplets falling into the water.

It was the sound of small droplets falling from both of Ruti-sama’s eyes into the bath.

“I was really jealous… so I hated you. So when Onii-chan and Ares recommended that you
should be added to the party, I did not invite you.”

“…Ruti.”

“Lit-san, Tise… this is who I am.”

Ruti-sama smiled clear enough for even I and Lit-san to notice.

“This is the Hero Ruti… Lit-san, I did not want to become a Hero, I wanted to become you.”

I was wrong. This is impossible for me.

I worried about needless matters and could not understand the true issue.

I shouldn’t be in this place, it should have been Gideon-san.

Gideon-san is the only person who can surely save Ruti-sama.

Ruti-sama’s smiling visage seemed so sad that I wanted to turn my eyes away.

*Tap tap* A small arm tapped my shoulder.

When I looked around, I saw Ugeuge-san.

“Eh, I’m mistaken?”

Ugeuge-san raised both its arms.

If Ugeuge-san could produce sound, it would probably be shouting right now.

(Nothing is impossible, it is only beginning!!)

Ugeuge-san cried out.

That’s right, it’s just as Ugeuge-san says.

The Princess imprisoned by her Divine Protection that denies even her own free will.

The hero Gideon-san who can save the Princess.

In that case, am I the magician who ‘guides’ the hero?

I suddenly sensed somebody looking at me.

Lit-san was looking in my direction. Our gazes intersected.

Lit-san’s gaze contained strong will as she nodded slightly. It might have been a short
time but Lit-san was also a companion who adventured together with Hero-sama.

There are two humans and one insect magicians who will guide the hero.

These would be the cast for the story. We have come to understand the development
which caused the captured Princess’ sufferings.

In that case, the next action will be to guide the hero and for the hero to fight the evil
Dragon that captured the Princess and rescue her.

I don’t know what I should do to save Ruti-sama.

However, Ugeuge-san and I are Ruti-sama’s friends.

So it begins here even if we can’t see the goal!

The story to save Hero-sama, a story where everyone smiles in the end!
The next day.

Tise and Ugeuge-san came to my shop again.

I heard from Lit about what they talked about in the bath yesterday.

“Thank you.”

I first lowered my head to Tise and Ugeuge-san who were seated directly opposite me.

“There’s no need to thank me. Ruti-sama is my friend too.”

“I am thanking you for that. Thank you for being Ruti’s friend.”

Ruti had always been alone.

The skills granted to her from her Divine Protection of the Hero gave her greater courage
than those around her.

But at the same time, it also brought about a sense that she was a distant existence
that those around her could only be at awe at.

Even her companions drew a line when interacting with her. I was the only person who
always stayed beside Ruti.

I was saddened when I misunderstood that Ruti no longer needed me after Ares took
my spot but at the same time, I was also happy that she found a companion with which
she could speak freely to apart from myself… but I was quite mistaken.

However, now she has made reliable friends: Tise and Ugeuge-san.
There’s nothing that makes me happier.

“In actual fact, it should be Ruti-sama who told Gideon-san… I should be calling you
Red-san here… Red-san that but it’s a difficult situation at the moment.”

“I understand. I don’t mind.”

Lit and I both noticed Ruti’s strange behavior.

She was never capable of laughing or crying so expressively before.

More importantly, the impulses from her Divine Protection of the Hero would never
allow her to say that she wants to live in Zoltan.

“I trust the two of you and I will tell you whatever information I know.”

Tise briefly told us the things she saw and heard.

I could not hide my shock from finding out that the incidents which happened in
Zoltan could impact Ruti who was so far away.

Even though Zoltan should have been a remote border which was completely unrelated
to the war with the Demon Lord army.

“I never expected that the Contract Demon would encounter Ruti.”

Even Tise did not know the exact words the Contract Demon told Ruti.

Ruti, who captured the Contract Demon, performed the interrogation on her own.

“So that’s where she found out about the effects of the Devil’s Divine Protection and its
recipe.”

“Hey, Red, can’t you give Ruti the medicine you used on Ademi to treat him?”

“It won’t work, that medicine won’t have any effect on Ruti.”

The medicine that I gave Ademi to suppress the impulses from his Divine Protection
would be treated as poison by Ruti’s Divine Protection.
It would have no effect on Ruti who possess complete resistance toward poison.

I experimented with that medicine because I wanted to temporarily release Ruti from
the pressure she faced from her Divine Protection but it was impossible with that
medicine.

“What do you think will happen if she continues to consume the Devil’s Divine Protection
to suppress her Hero’s Divine Protection?”

Tise asked while she thought about it.

If she continues to ingest it… the figure of a suffering drug addict overlapped with Ruti’s
figure in my mind.

“I have no clear idea about the principle on which the Devil’s Divine Protection works
but it should be fine as long as she retains her resistances from the Divine Protection
of the Hero. However, the Devil’s Divine Protection should have the effect of lowering
a person’s innate Divine Protection level.”

“So you mean she would show symptoms of addiction if her level drops until she loses
her absolute resistance?”

“The probability of that is high.”

Newman’s place has seen many patients with addiction syndrome due to the Devil’s
Divine Protection.

It causes high dependency and, when overdosed, symptoms such as excruciating

migraines and paralysis of the cardiopulmonary system. However, those symptoms
were limited to patients with low Divine Protection levels.

The Devil’s Divine Protection works the same like a regular narcotic, although
overdose can cause abnormalities in body functions, in cases where there is sufficient
Divine Protection level, the body’s own vitality and resilience brought about by the
Divine Protection will be stronger than the influence from narcotics.

In the case of the Devil’s Divine Protection, the situation becomes a little complicated
because it decreases a person’s Divine Protection level but as it decreases, the
subsequent increase in the Axe Demon’s Divine Protection will similarly compensate
to withstand the addiction symptoms.
The issue of dependency and the Axe Demon Divine Protection’s dominant impulse to
go on a slaughter should not be a problem in Ruti’s case.

“No, wait a minute.”

“What is it?”

Lit asked worriedly after seeing my expression change.

“I did not investigate the compounding recipe but I recall that it should require demon
hearts as the raw material.”

“Those are certainly hard to obtain but it should not be an issue for Ruti?”

Certainly, with Ruti’s strength, she could acquire dozens of demon hearts just by
attacking a Demon Lord army camp.

However, this is Zoltan. A remote region far away from the front lines against the
Demon Lord army.

“It seems that the medicine Ruti-sama is planning to make does not require demon
hearts.”

Tise added.

What does she mean? I believe the Devil’s Divine Protection should be a drug that
suppresses a person’s innate Divine Protection by raising the level of the demon’s
Divine Protection?

“How will it suppress the Divine Protection impulses without the demon hearts?”

The three of us fell into silence in face of that question.

All of us, as adventurers and assassin, have a certain degree of knowledge in medicine.

Although I am the only one who makes medicine, Lit and Tise both are on the side that
uses the medicine and possess greater knowledge if compared to ordinary apothecaries.
And they probably applied that knowledge to their own body to avoid falling in battle.

For that reason, they realize that the contradiction in the medicine Ruti was drinking
was not a trivial matter.

“What’s the meaning of this? That drug was created by the Demons. How is it possible
that it doesn’t need the demon hearts if they had actually killed their fellow race to
obtain the raw materials.”

“It’s unnatural. Sorry, I should have paid more attention.”

However, it was not unreasonable for Tise to not have noticed at that point in time.

After all, until she came to my home, she believed that the Devil’s Divine Protection
was needed to subjugate the Demon Lord.

She didn’t know that the Devil’s Divine Protection was meant to suppress the impulses
from the Hero’s Divine Protection.

“…Tise is an assassin who travel with the Hero party due to Ares’ request. Are you sure
you want to do this?”

Ares’ request was to report to him and accompany the Hero party.

Ares, who is bad at maintaining relations with his companions, probably wanted
companions who obeyed him.

“I am fulfilling the request by accompanying Ruti-sama.”

It seemed that Tise did not have any opinion against the possibility that the Hero Ruti
might give up on subjugating the Demon Lord.

Perhaps it wasn’t a huge deal to Tise, considering how subjugating the Demon Lord was
not her goal.

“I too believe that it is wrong for just a single Hero to shoulder the fate of the millions
of people who live in this world.”

Said Lit. Lit said the same words when she first encountered us.

That belief was the reason she rejected us and tried to protect Logavia with her own
strength.
“But it was useless.”

Lit showed a complex expression.

In the end, it was the Hero Ruti who saved Logavia. Without Ruti, Logavia would have
shared the same tragic fate as many other cities occupied by the Demon Lord army.

“Regardless if it is to continue to fight the Demon Lord or to give up, that is something
Ruti-sama should choose of her own will.”

“Tise… that’s right, Ruti’s thoughts on the matter should come before we talk about
the fate of the world.”

“That’s right. Everyone else in the Hero party gathered of their own will. Neither I nor
Ares received a royal decree to do so. I fight for the sake of staying with Ruti, Ares fight
for the sake of regaining the glory of his fallen house. Theodora fights to save the world
with her martial arts and quit her position as the martial arts instructor of the
Cathedral Knights. Danan joined for the sake of revenge against the Demon Lord army
that burnt down his hometown and dojo. Yarandorara joined because of her sense of
justice. Everyone was not ordered to, they participated willingly… apart from Hero
Ruti who is forced by her Divine Protection.”

I recalled the faces of the companions whom I fought alongside with.

There were also other temporary companions. Two warriors who accompanied us
due to the orders from their lord, the monk from the Holy Church who accompanied
us as a watchdog.

But such companions never accompanied us to the end.

No matter how much authority was behind the orders, it was difficult to continue
risking their lives fighting against the Demon Lord army that has overrun the
continent just for the sake of orders. Even more so after acquiring, multiple times to
boot, enough riches in battles to spend the rest of their lives in leisure.

“I am not a companion by that definition. After all, I am participating because it is a job

from the Assassin’s Guild.”

“That’s not true.”

I immediately denied Tise’s words.

“Tise would not be seated here if it was just for the sake of a job. Aren’t you here, of
your own free will, discussing what we should do to save the Hero?”

Ugeuge-san raised its arm with a snap.

“Right, Ugeuge-san is here not because I ordered it to be as well.”

Tise smiled gently and nodded at Ugeuge-san.

“To save the Hero… to be honest, I have searched for ways since the past.”

My words caused Lit and Tise to return to serious looks.

I searched for methods to suppress the impulses of Divine Protections during my free
time between journeys.

I discovered the medicine that I gave Ademi through that and likewise, the advice I
gave to Al who was troubled about his Divine Protection.

However, the Divine Protection of the Hero causes overwhelming impulses in exchange
for the greatest power.

I even consulted the Wild-Elf elder when I infiltrated the Wild-Elf village in the past.

I still vividly recall the words we exchanged during that time.

“If you wish to suppress the impulses from the Divine Protection of the Hero, the only
option is to die.”

Even the Wild-Elf who, as far as I know, possess the greatest knowledge on Divine
Protection in the Avalon Continent, find it impossible to suppress the impulses from
the Divine Protection of the Hero.

“I’ll brew a new batch of tea.”

It was an issue with no exit in sight. The only option was to take time to exchange our
thoughts.
However, to a problem which I once could not solve on my own, I now have Lit, Tise,
and Ugeuge-san.

I believed that we would surely find a way to save Ruti.

“I guess our only option is to ask that Alchemist for the details.”

In the end, after all the discussions, we came to the conclusion that we had too little
knowledge on the Devil’s Divine Protection.

“Although we have no idea just how much Godwin understands the Devil’s Divine
Protection too.”

Nevertheless, he was supposedly the only Alchemist the Contract Demon taught the
Devil’s Divine Protection recipe and effects to.

He was probably the most knowledgeable person on the Devil’s Divine Protection in
Zoltan.

“Erm…”

Tise raised her hand halfway through our conversation. She seemed a little terrified.

I wonder what on earth happened?

“Are you not angry that Ruti-sama broke Godwin out of jail?”

“Ah, what, so it’s just that.”

I see, I guess I have that kind of ‘image’.

“First things first. Ruti has revealed her true self so I should do so too.”

“True self?”

“Firstly, I am not a person who will put my life on the line for people who I do not know
the face nor name of.”
“Eh? But as the Hero party…”

“I only joined because Ruti was the Hero. Of course, I will fight for the sake of my friends
or the people from Zoltan’s Downtown but I will not risk my life for people whose
relationship with me are more distant than that.”

“I’m surprised, I heard that the Vice Captain of the Knights of Bahamut fought tons of
monsters to save many people.”

“That was only because I continued to volunteer for missions where I was likely to face
strong monsters in order to raise my level as much as possible in preparation to set
off on the journey with Ruti. I did that single-mindedly and ended up getting promoted
up until Vice-captain before I knew it.”

“Is that so…”

I was speaking the truth.

Otherwise, I would not have holed up in Zoltan and aimed for a slow life.

“The damages this time was probably only limited to injuries suffered by the jailers and
prisoners. Well, it wasn’t a good act but it’s not a big deal to me.”

Tise seemed genuinely surprised that I would say that so easily.

“I’m also a bad princess who did things like working as an adventurer or a bouncer after
I left the castle.”

Lit also smiled wryly.

In Lit’s case, she has a love for her hometown but she doesn’t hold a stance where she
must abide by the law.

To the two of us, the jailbreak that Ruti pulled off wasn’t something we would reprimand
her for.

“Please let Ruti-sama know that the next time you have the opportunity. I believe Ruti-
sama is probably afraid that Red-san would find out.”

“All right.”
We nodded and smiled slightly at Tise’s words.

Ruti seems to have made a very good friend.

“Anyway, we can’t decide on our future direction without hearing what Godwin said.
So our destination will be the Elf ruins in the mountain I harvest medicinal grass?”

“Ruti-sama has destroyed the system to enter so you will have to jump into a hole that
leads a hundred meters underground.”

“Violent work from Ruti as usual.”

That was probably done so there would not be any other infiltrators.

It seemed that Ruti ended up destroying the elevator. I could still descend using the
Slow Fall skill from my Acrobatics Skill Mastery or Lit could hug me and make something
work with her Spirit Magic.

Tise seemed to have her own way of descending considering how she didn’t say anything.

“I guess we don’t have any problems with that aspect.”

“Yeah.”

Our direction was set.

Ruti should be at the ruins now as well so it was just right.

“Then, let’s close the shop and head toward the ruins.”

I quickly got up.

“Ah, wait.”

But Lit spoke up seemingly having thought of something.

“What’s wrong?”

“Isn’t the trade ship arriving today? I was wondering if we should go and purchase the
alchemic tools needed to compound the Devil’s Divine Protection?”
“Godwin mentioned that too. That the tools were insufficient. It was possible to
acquire them in Zoltan but the selection wasn’t good.”

“But this is the last stop for the trade ship, will they still have any left?”

Zoltan was located in a remote region.

The trade ship that comes from the west will make a U-turn at Zoltan and return via
the route it took to come here.

As trading with Zoltan was not very profitable, only small-sized vessels that don’t cost
much to operate travel all the way here.

So there was no telling if they sold the tools we were looking for.

“But the trade ships only come by once or twice a month so wouldn’t it be a good idea
to take a look while we have the time today?”

“That’s true too, that will be our first destination then.”

“But shouldn’t it be all right if just one person go?”

Tise chimed in.

That’s certainly true too.

“Then, since I can run faster than a horse or running drake, I’ll cover the harbor.”

“All right, I have a memo about the alchemic tool that Godwin talked about.”

Tise took out a memo and a silver coin bag from the item bag on her waist.

The names of all kinds of expensive tools such as the Alphilia filter were written on the
memo.

That would have been quite tough to buy with the assets I had. I thankfully borrowed
the silver coin pouch from Tise.

“Well then, we’ll borrow a couple of running drakes and head on ahead.”
“Sure thing, I’ll catch up soon.”

After putting on our traveling gear, we left the shop and I posted a ‘temporary closed
for today’ sign on the entrance to our shop.

The harbor district was located on the western side of Zoltan and directly connects to
the river.

Just like the district name suggested, the district was equipped with harbor facilities
and although it was situated near the mouth of the river, it was still just a river so large
ships could not enter.

It was fundamentally used by sailboats or galleys with shallow hulls.

Even so, as Zoltan was situated in the path of storms, it was extremely dangerous for
such vessels to journey during the summer season.

Even with such conditions, the reason the trade ships still came over was that Zoltan
was at the frontier.

And surprisingly, there were three new ships anchored in the harbor.

“Even though there would usually only be one ship.”

The ship usually moored at Zoltan were work boats used for fishing, rowboats meant
for traveling up the river to trade with the neighboring villages and just three caravels,
small sailboats, capable of carrying 20 people each.

While all other countries field the new galleons or robust large galleys, it was
downright unreliable to only have a fleet of three small olden caravels to defend the
capital. Well, there was also the fact that there was no opponent that would wage war
with Zoltan.

With such circumstances, I could easily distinguish the ships that had recently come in.

Currently, in addition to the usual trade ship moored in the harbor, there were also
two fast ships. One was a small galley while the other was a mid-sized sloop sailboat.
The sloop sailboat had a deep hull and they might have been afraid of running aground
at the harbor as they had anchored in the middle of the river and seemed to be
transacting with the harbor via smaller boats.

“The smaller ship should be here to transport items ordered by the wealthy residents
of the Central district? Whereas for the mid-sized vessel, does it intend to head
eastward toward the Wall at the End of the World?”

If that was true, they might be selling unusual items to earn some extra money. I wasn’t
certain if they had the alchemic tools but maybe I can hold some expectations.

I walked toward the harbor city while feeling a little excited.

“You’re two days late but I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“He-heh, my apologies.”

Charter Mail, the service that transports any requested parcel at the quickest speed.

Captain Blake, captain of the Golden Road, a light-class galley, lowered his head politely.

However, in his heart, he felt like spitting. The winter sea there did not experience any
storms but the waves were strong and they faced great difficulty in steering. And yet
sometimes, the wind may stop abruptly and even as a skilled sailor, Blake could not
determine the speed their boat should sail at.

(The people on land acting all high and mighty.)

However, he never revealed a hint of those feelings.

He only crinkled his suntanned face into a pleasing smile and continuously lowered his
head.

Blake may be a sailor but the Divine Protection he housed was [Court Poet].

He could learn skills capable of manipulating the emotions of others in order to anger
or appease them. Negotiations were also their forte.

However, Blake could not bring himself to utilize the emotion manipulation type skill
on the man in front of him.

The young man with a smile that seemed like it was pasted on his face looked through
the catalog of the parcel as he stroked his chin.

“Could you let me take a look at the parcel?”

“Sure thing.”

Was it the confidence of the strong that exuded from the man’s body?

At the same time Blake realized that the man was strong, he also determined that he
could not be trusted and was secretly wary of him.

“Byuui-san, the parcel has been transported to the warehouse to the side of the ship.”

The man called Byuui held the inventory with his left hand as he stroked his chin with
his right.

Suddenly, Byuui’s expression turned grim as if having noticed something.

“Is something the matter?”

There was an adventurer-like man with a copper sword on his waist in Byuui’s line of
sight.

To Blake, he seemed to be an ordinary adventurer that could be found anywhere.

“That’s someone I’m bad at dealing with, I don’t want to meet him if it’s possible.”

Byuui shrugged his shoulders and lowered his voice a little before he began counting
the items that arrived.

(These many magic tools should be sufficient. All the results of my investigation so far
point toward the Wood-Elves sealing a weapon in the mountain. The only likely
location there would be the Ancient-Elf ruins. The Wood-Elves here seem to have
analyzed the Ancient-Elf techniques to a certain extent.)

Byuui picked up the cutting-edge surveying equipment and made his resolve.

A couple of hours later.

Three men and women stretched their bodies after rising from a small boat that landed
on shore.
“Such a shabby harbor.”

Sage Ares commented bitterly when he saw Zoltan’s harbor.

Normally he would not voice that out but Ares currently did not have the composure to
do so.

He must find Hero Ruti and be by her side when she subjugates the Demon Lord.

Otherwise, he would not be able to justify why he continued on this journey covered
in blood and mud. Ares was frustrated with the situation.

Theodora frowned slightly upon hearing Ares’ words.

Nevertheless, they would not be able to find an inn to stay today if she tried to correct
every single word that Ares said.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah.”

Theodora asked Albert who was tottering behind her.

As a fugitive of Zoltan, Albert’s face was wrapped in a bandage to hide his features.

That bandage was a magic item that, when wrapped around a person’s face, would cause
others to not pay attention to them.

Of course, such recognition inhibitor would not have any effect on people at the level
of the Hero party like Ares and Theodora but Theodora figured that the residents of
the remote region Zoltan would not be able to see through it for now.

“But it is quite lively despite how it looks.”

“There are trade ships moored so I believe the market is open. I heard that Ares-san’s
ship crew members will also be selling goods during their stay at the harbor.”

Said Albert.

The Sylpheed vessel that Ares paid a great sum to borrow was basically only loaded
with water and food. However, the sailors bought small but expensive items like precious
metals and crafts using their own pocket money in order to sell them at whichever
harbor they would stay at.

That said, they would probably not find a great deal at the remote region of Zoltan.

“However, I’m glad we didn’t have to travel to the Wall at the End of the World. The
crew members of the Sylpheed were not enthusiastic of that prospect either.”

Although Ares borrowed the Sylpheed on a contract that they would travel to wherever
he wished, heading toward a location beyond the Wall at the End of the World which
was the world largest mountain range was still outside their expectations.

Forging ahead where there would not be any decent resupply points with only a single
fast ship would probably be difficult. In that case, their plan was to borrow a couple
other ships to form a fleet.

That was until they approached Zoltan and found that Hero Ruti was not headed
toward the Wall at the End of the World but was actually in Zoltan.

“Crossing to the other side could be easily done with the flying ship but the same can’t
be said for both sea and land routes.”

If Zoltan could trade with the East, this region would not have been called the remote
region.

At the moment, the only trade routes across the Wall at the End of the World were the
sea route that circles around north called the Crown Route or the mountain road
called the Dragon Path. Both were said to be harsh paths where less than half survive.

“Like I was saying, that one-armed personage beat up all the pirates!”

“Stop lying! How could a single person defeat five pirate ships.”

“His single punch split the ships in two!”

“Ahahaha! If you want to make something up, at least make it a little more believable,
you drunkard!”

“What did you sayyyy!”

“Are you telling me he crushed a sailboat that can carry up to a hundred people with only
his fist!”

“He did!”

Ares’ frown deepened increasingly as the voices from the trade ships became louder.

“Haaa. Let’s hurry up and find a lodging. I’d rather not stay in such a dingy town. The
central region would be many times better so let’s find our lodgings there.”

“I’ll be looking for an inn here. In order to gather information from the harbor.”

“Do as you please. We already know Ruti’s whereabouts so what’s the point of gathering
information now.”

Ares snorted and shrugged his shoulders before walking off.

“He’s normally not that terrible.”

Theodora said to Albert with a troubled expression.

By no means did Ares have a good personality but he was not that short-tempered either.

“Ares’ reason for joining this journey is to subjugate the Demon Lord together with the
Hero to revive the fallen Suroa Duke house which had lost not only their name but also
their land, prestige, and assets.”

Albert shook his head to indicate that he didn’t mind it.

“Is it that difficult to revive a fallen house?”

“The family head four generations ago started a rebellion. Moreover, he conspired with
the neighboring country which was aiming for their territory. A crime of high treason.
They tried to murder the king and snatch the country. And it was through a contract
to hand over the country’s territory to a foreign country. The majority of the family
was executed and the family name was inherited by Ares’ great grandfather who was
studying under another house.”

“That… is a terrible past.”

“It’s better if you don’t talk about this in front of Ares, he can’t put down the fact that
he has to struggle in life because of such an incident.”

“Of course.”

Albert nodded. For a person like Ares with a lot of pride, that was probably an intolerable
personal history. Something that should not be touched upon.

Albert kept what he heard at the back of his mind and led Theodora to an inn in the
harbor district.

Rewinding time a little.

After Byuui confirmed the parcel and instructed for the various tools to be carried into
the mansion he rented.

When Red was looking through the market that was opened near the trade ships.

“Ah, they really have it.”

I paid with silver coins and received several tools.

Although I could not get all of them, I was able to purchase a few of the magical
alchemic tools we were looking for like the high precision measuring tools and filters.

“Just these are worth over a thousand Peryl huh?”

That was a negligible amount when I was with the knight order or in the Hero party
but it was a considerable sum to me now.

Naturally, the trade ships did not accept loans or credit. Only lump sum payments.

I wrapped the tools I purchased carefully and stood up to chase after Lit and Tise.

“Gideon!”

At that moment, a loud voice called out my name.

I knew that voice. I recognized it but why was he here?

A huge shadow leaped over people’s heads with a lightness that was unimaginable from
that enormous body.

A huge man landed in front of me with a loud slam.

“It’s really Gideon! You’re totally in some shabby equipment!”

The man grabbed my shoulder without knowing anything about my circumstances.

Why did he appear at this timing…

“Danan, calm down, this place is too conspicuous so let’s change location. We probably
have much to talk about.”

I had not seen Danan for a while and he had lost his right arm from below the elbow
but he laughed it off.

“I’m glad to see you again, comrade (friend)!”

It looked like it was going to be troublesome. I did not imagine reuniting with Danan
at such a place and at such timing.

That was probably my blunder.

However, looking at Danan smiling happily after seeing me again, I could not shun this
reunion.

“Yeah, well, that’s right… I’m happy too.”

In my heart, I was troubled by what was to come but… at the same time, I smiled from
the bottom of my heart because I was able to reunite with Danan.
Current situation

Ruti: Checking on the Devil’s Divine Protection production status in the Ancient-Elf ruins.

Lit, Tise, Ugeuge-san: Moving toward the Ancient-Elf ruins to explain the situation to
Ruti and investigate the Devil’s Divine Protection.

Red, Danan: Reunited at the harbor, currently explaining each other’s circumstances in
a quiet bar in the harbor district.

Theodora, Albert: Gathering information after finding an inn in the harbor district.

Ares: Searching for an inn in the central district.

Byuui (Shisandan): In his own mansion in the central district in preparations to head to
the Ancient-Elf ruins.
The storms often affect the harbor district.

Flooded floors due to the rising river level was an annual occurrence and it wasn’t rare
for buildings to collapse.

The residents of the harbor district had given up on conquering the storm and their
construction technology developed in the direction of easily constructed buildings
that do not have to last for very long such that it would be fine even if they were
destroyed in the storm.

In a part of the harbor district which saw little pedestrian traffic, there lied a shop which
was half destroyed by the storm three years ago. The old walls and new walls were joint
together like patchwork and wind whistled through the gaps between the walls.

The shopkeeper was an old lady with a bent back who received her customers with an
amicable smile.

“Here you go, white fish soup.”

“Thank you.”

I carried the two platters of soups with floating fish fillet that was served onto the
counter to my table.

As it was currently still slightly early for lunch, we were the only customers in the shop.

“Looks delicious!”

Danan said with sparkling eyes.

“You always say that.”

I laughed as I looked at Danan.

That was Danan’s set phrase whenever food was placed in front of him. If the cooking
was decent then Danan would say it with sparkling eyes.

I involuntarily felt a sense of nostalgia after watching my companion’s habit after such
a long time.

“No way, the chance for me to say ‘looks delicious’ decreased after you left. The meals
we had on the road became shitty unpalatable.”

“Don’t say shit at the meal table. Do you guys alternate the cooking duty?”

“Nah, Ares said he’ll do it so we let him do it.”

“Ah~, that would be impossible.”

I don’t believe Ares knew any inkling about cooking. He probably tried to do everything
I did to keep up appearances for chasing me out of the party.

That’s called being unreasonable.

“Leaving it up to a person who can’t do it would probably cause dissatisfaction to

accumulate. For such instances, the work should be alternated so everyone can share
the belief that it is not easy. After doing that, all members can discuss the best course
of action and you’ll be able to find the person best fitted for the task too.”

“We’re all battle-orientated experts after all.”

Danan scratched his head.

“In the first place, this is all because you selfishly left.”

Danan’s arm on his head blurred.

And the next instant, Danan’s finger was right next to my forehead.

I twisted my head and avoided Danan’s forehead flick by a hair’s breadth.

“Seems like your skills have not dulled.”

Danan grinned as he retracted his arm.

Give me a break.

The pain from a forehead flick by that thick finger would not subside even after three
days.

I avoided it by luck but Danan’s movements were many multitudes sharper in the past.
He was only playing around now but it would be terrifying how swift it would have
been if he was serious.

“You know, I can count with just two hands the number of people in the world capable
of avoiding my forehead flicks.”

“No no, I still feel the difference in strength after all. Danan is strong.”

He overtook me in the past but now, the difference between Danan and my ability was
insurmountable.

While I was spending my time leisurely in Zoltan, Danan was placing his life on the line
battling against the Demon Lord army on the front lines.

Once he overtook my level which was my only merit, there was no longer any aspect I
could triumph over him.

“…I don’t feel that way though. Gideon, you are a man I can respect.”

Danan said a little desolately after hearing my words.

Danan and I made slurping sounds as we drank the soup.

It was seasoned in a simple manner relying only on the flavor of the fish as well as salt
and apart from the fish fillet, large chunks of potatoes and cabbages floated in the soup.

It was not an elaborate dish but it was still delicious. If your cooking skill is low, just
utilize the flavors of the ingredients. That was a good dish that followed that principle.

The old lady who managed the shop used to be a singer who sang for sailors. After
retiring, she switched to a completely different occupation to become the proprietress
of an inn and continued running this shop for many years relying on her ingenuity and
characteristic smile despite having no skills that matched her work.

“So why did you leave?”

Danan muttered just a few words.

“…Didn’t you hear from Ares? I ran away.”

I requested Ares to coordinate an excuse with me so that I would not inconvenience the
knight order but from what I heard from Tise, Ares quickly revealed that I ran away
after they probed him further.

Danan most likely heard about it too.

“Because Ares said those things to you?”

“There was that too but… more importantly, I recognized it myself. I was made painfully
aware of it during the battle with Desmond of the Sand. That I could no longer keep up
in battle.”

“You’re wrong!”

Danan slammed the table.

The soups surged upward and spilled onto the table slightly.

“I realized it fully after you were gone. Gideon, you are strong. Not in terms of pure
physical strength but your courage to make calm decisions even while fighting against
foes stronger than yourself and your knowledge of the most effective actions to take in
a battle even without possessing battle techniques and spells; you are a truly strong
man. We need you for the journey.”

Danan’s eyes were serious.

However… I had already made my decision and I could not stay there indefinitely for a
question and answer session.

“Sorry, but I have already found a place where I belong here. I will no longer journey
with you guys.”
“But the Demon Lord must be defeated if you wish to protect this home of yours!”

“That is true.”

Danan dove directly into the issue.

I relived Albert’s words in my head.

[Those with power have the duty to use that power. ]

Is it a sin to not fight? Is it our duty to fight because the Divine Protection we are born
with wishes for it?

I have pondered that question all this time as I looked at Ruti.

Young Ruti was mandated to save the world from birth. The people, the world and even
the Divine Protection will not allow her to say that she does not want to fight.

We continued to stare at each other but Danan was the first to avert his eyes.

“…Fuuu, well, I see, you quit the journey on your own will.”

“The trigger might have been Ares but I decided to quit the journey myself.”

We kept silent for a short while.

Both our gazes crossed, filled with complex emotions.

“I don’t understand but anyway, I got it. Let me see what you do in Zoltan for a bit. I’ll
think of what to do after that.”

“I don’t mind but… there’s one problem.”

“What is it?”

“Ruti is here too.”

“Ha?”

Danan froze from the shock.

“Why would Hero-sama?”

“…You might be upset with Ruti if you hear what I have to say.”

“I will? Toward Hero-sama? That’s impossible.”

Should I tell Danan the truth? In order to avoid trouble, I could certainly deceive Danan
and steer him away from Ruti’s problem.

“However Danan. I want to tell you everything I know. What Ruti is thinking, what she
is suffering from. Because you are Ruti’s companion.”

“Hero-sama’s sufferings?”

Why did the hero companions become all disjointed just because I left? I failed to
understand when I first heard about it.

All I did were chores that did not require any skills. To put it bluntly, they were tasks
that anybody could do with just a little hard work.

I imagined that they would probably struggle once I was gone but those were tasks
which could be resolved just by sharing the burden among companions.

But in reality, Ares tried to do everything himself and failed miserably. The party
members became disgruntled and the party fell apart.

Was Ares the cause?

He was certainly a factor. If Ares just admitted that it was too much for one person to
handle, it would not have reached this stage.

But that was not the only reason. Even if Ares did not voice out, it would have been all
right if they just helped out when they realized that Ares could not cope with it on his
own.

The other reason could be attributed to distrust toward Ares for chasing me out. After
all, Yarandorara and Danan left the party because they could not trust Ares.

“True companion huh?”

It might have been words spoken by Ares but ironically, that was the reason for the
collapse of the party.

“I considered you to be a true companion.”

Danan reacted to my words and replied.

I was happy, happy that he said that but… it’s different.

I started telling Danan about Ruti.

About how she has been suffering all along because of how the Hero Divine Protection
manipulated her.

About how she lost most of her humanity in exchange for complete immunity.

And about how she was suppressing her Divine Protection impulses by using the
Devil’s Divine Protection… and that she might quit being the Hero.

The companions who accompanied Ruti all that time failed to understand Ruti’s anguish.

Ruti was the Hero with the role to carry the party forward. Because that was determined
by her Divine Protection.

If all the members performed their roles properly according to their Divine Protection,
the party would do well. That was probably Ares’ definition of a true companion.

However, it did not go well. Because I was not a slave to my Divine Protection.

“Troubled because of her Divine Protection? I never imagined it.”

Danan was shocked by my words.

“The Martial Artist Divine Protection complements me well. I enjoy training my body
and fighting strong foes excite me. Nothing makes me happier than to see myself get
stronger. For that sake, I will endure whatever hardship that may come… I am that
kind of person.”

“Yeah.”
“…I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all.”

Danan was basically on the side of humans who can’t comprehend the feeling of
suffering due to their Divine Protection impulses. Among all the people I’ve met, Danan
was the person who loved his own Divine Protection the most.

The fact that he possessed even greater strength with his [Martial Artist] Divine
Protection that can’t be considered as a superior Divine Protection than his companions
with the superior Divine Protections of [Crusader] and [Sage] was proof of that.

“I don’t get it. But I get that I don’t understand anything! The only thing I can do is fight!”

“You muscle head.”

“That’s why, for the time being, I will fight for the sake of whatever Hero-sama is trying
to do! If Hero-sama quits being Hero-sama, I will think about it when that time comes!”

Ahh sheesh. Danan is really Danan.

“If we’ve decided on that, we don’t have the time to be lazing around here! Let’s go
Gideon, it is our role to help Hero-sama if she is having trouble!”

“Wait wait, my story is done but what about yours?”

“We can talk about it on the move, what happened to me is no big deal!”

I feel that losing your right hand is quite a big deal though.

Danan’s expression clearly showed that he could not sit still.

“All right.”

It’s been a long time since I saw that aspect of Danan.

This loveable muscle brain has always practiced actions over thoughts. No matter
what situation he found himself in, he was the kind of man who would never stop
moving forward because of worry.

I occasionally found myself dazzled by Danan’s simplicity.

The door opened and Red and Danan left the shop energetically.

“Are you sure we don’t need to chase after them?”

Said the man with a bandage wrapped around his head seated a couple of seats away
from where Danan and Red were seated… Albert.

Theodora who had her spear on her back answered with silence as she looked at her
own hands placed on the table.

Theodora stood at the very peak of humanity in terms of magical arts. If Theodora
seriously used presence elimination magic, even with a combination of Danan and
Red, it would be hard for Danan and Red to detect them when they didn’t hold any
hostility. (TLN: Previously translated Theodora as the master of technique but this
paragraph finally showed that she was a master in magical arts instead.)

(Hero-sama has given up on subjugating the Demon Lord?)

Theodora did not have Danan’s simplistic way of thinking.

Theodora failed to register Albert’s worried query about her condition as she continued
to worry about what she should do.

Emotionally she wished to cooperate with Ruti and Gideon. If Ruti was suffering then
she wants to help her!

Theodora never imagined that she would hate herself as much as she hated herself
today for not having Danan’s straightforwardness.
Slightly before Ruti came to Zoltan.

I was manning the counter for my shop.

It was raining outside. I rested my chin on the palm of my hand on the countertop as I
listened to the pitter-patter of the rain and felt time pass by.

It was a peaceful afternoon. The air was slightly chilly.

“Red.”

A voice that I was very familiar with called out my name from behind me.

Naturally, Lit was standing there when I looked back.

In her hands were two cups of hot coffee with white steam drifting up.

“Customers aren’t coming in huh?”

Lit sat down beside me. She presented the cup of coffee to me without saying a word.

“Thanks.”

I accepted it with a word of appreciation.

The coffee was diluted. With no milk or sugar.

The Principality of Logavia, Lit’s hometown, had harsh winters.

Because of that, they often drank hot drinks to warm themselves and had the practice
of making their coffee and tea diluted so that they could drink them in large quantities.

As I brought my mouth closer to the cup, the amber liquid surface shook and released
a nice aroma.

“It’s a little chilly today.”

Said Lit.

Although it could not compare to Logavia, the sudden chilly temperature after Zoltan’s
long sweltering summer might have felt a lot colder due to the drastic change in
temperature.

I nodded and took a sip of the coffee that Lit brewed.

It was warm.

“There’s more if you want more.”

“Thanks, it’s delicious.”

We sat side-by-side at the counter as we drank our coffee.

There would be very little customers on a rainy day. Even more so when it was cold
winter rain.

“Customers aren’t coming in huh?”

“It’s raining after all~”

Sales have been steadily increasing ever since Lit came.

I originally planned to earn just enough to live happily so I would be content if I could
maintain the current income.

I enjoyed listening to the sound of the rain as we both spend the languid afternoon time
doing nothing.

Somehow it was very comfortable with just the two of us alone in that space.

More importantly, I somehow knew that Lit also felt the same way. That was happiness.

“Hn.”
Lit entwined her fingers with the fingers of my hand that was resting on the counter.

When I gripped her hand back in return, Lit grinned and smiled happily before she hid
her red-faced embarrassed expression behind the bandana wrapped around her neck.

“Somehow.”

Lit said with her mouth hidden behind her bandana. While still holding my hand.

“I feel that this current moment is happiness.”

“I feel the same too.”

It looked like Lit’s face turned redder.

My face probably turned red as well.

“When I first met Red in Logavia, I never imagined that I would be living together with
you like this.”

“Well, of course.”

“During that time, I told myself to be content with what I had but I always felt as though
I was missing something.”

Despite being a princess, Lit snuck out from the castle countless times and ended up
becoming a famous heroic adventurer in Logavia with two swords in her hand.

She earned her alias the Hero Lit around that time. It was written in the Adventurers
Guild documents but the residents in Zoltan directly used that alias too.

“My Divine Protection is Spirit Scout. I can hear the voices of spirits and can protect
my friends and companions with that ability. I hated being protected inside the castle.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I had confidence in my knowledge of Divine Protections.

From the time I heard that Lit was a Logavia princess, I was the first to guess that she
began acting as an adventurer in public because of her Divine Protection.
Lit suddenly jumped at me.

I frantically took my hand off the cup and received Lit.

“Even now, my Divine Protection whispers to me to not stand idle and to fight for the
sake of protecting my companions.”

“Is that so?”

Lit continued talking as she buried her face in my chest.

“But after meeting you in Logavia and having had various discussions with you until
today, I understand now… just following what your Divine Protection tells you to will
not bring you happiness. The lack of contentment I felt at that time and how I didn’t
feel anything stir in my heart after fighting according to what my Divine Protection
whispered to me all that time in Zoltan before I met you, I knew that I could not find
happiness there.”

Lit tightened her hug.

She pressed her face tightly against my chest as if trying to hide her reddening ears.

“Red. I wish to do my best to protect this small shop. That action alone can mostly
satisfy my Divine Protection impulses. Nevertheless, my heart still itches a little. But I
feel a lot more satisfaction, a lot more contentment than before. I would never be able
to achieve it no matter how much I obeyed the impulses from my Divine Protection.
My Divine Protection does not think of my happiness.”

“Lit…”

“I am happy! I am very happy right now! Exchanging words with you like this, having
physical contact with you, spending our time together, these all make me so happy
that I feel like I am dreaming! I am happy every day regardless of the tingling of my
Divine Protection! Ahh, I like you, I like you, I like Red so much, I like you so much that
I can’t help it!”

Lit suddenly raised her head after her outburst.

Her expression showed that she was feeling refreshed from finally saying what she was
holding in.
“Ah, that was refreshing. Somehow I feel like I’m overflowing with so much happiness
just by being with you like this today that I might be going crazy.”

“What’s with that logic.”

“Hehe, Red’s face is turning red.”

Of course it would turn red.

Sheesh, I have to retaliate a little.

“Wait, Lit.”

I stopped Lit who was trying to turn around to face the coffee placed on the counter.

“Hmm?”

I replied her as I stared directly into Lit’s beautiful blue eyes.

“I’ll say it because I also feel like I’m overflowing with happiness from Lit’s words. Lit, I
like you, I love you, let’s live together forever.”

“…Fue.”

I broke into an embarrassed smile but Lit turned completely red and even forgot to
cover her mouth.

Then, she hugged me tightly.

“Hmph, it’s all Red’s fault that I’m overflowing with happiness again. Take responsibility
and let me stay like this for a while longer.”

“Sure but I’ll, in turn, be overflowing with happiness if you hug me like this. I might say
such words again.”

“In that case, we can just stay like this forever.”

“Yeah.”

“…That might be nice.”

The sound of the rain continued.

The customers will probably not come in for some time.

Ares took off the equipment he had on his body and staggered as he tossed himself onto
the bed.

“Phew.”

Actually, he wished to not spare a single moment to chase after Ruti but after using
magic continuously for days and nights, he was severely exhausted.

(I don’t know the true identity of the wicked scheme that is hindering my dream but my
victory is certain.)

The proof of that was his ability to realize the miracle that was capable of finding the
Hero in this vast world.

Ares’ lips twisted into a smile.

【Don Don】 Somebody knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

Ares reluctantly dragged his body up.

“I said, who is it? I wish to rest.”

“It’s me.”

Ares remembered that voice.

But the owner of that voice wasn’t supposed to be there.

Ares stood up cautiously and kept his right hand free in order to be able to cast spells
at any time as he slowly approached the room door.
“Are you sure you got the correct room?”

Ares deliberately tried to feign ignorance.

“Yes, I came here to see the Sage Ares. I’m Danan.”

Ares slowly opened the door.

A large man wrapped in thick muscles stood in front of him.

“It’s been a long time.”

The man grinned as he hugged the bag of candied fruits with [both] his hands.

“Here, this candied orange is great.”

“………”

After entering the room, Danan offered the bag’s contents to Ares.

“You look very tired. At times like these, candied fruits are the best.”

Ares made a sign with his left hand. He cast a spell for detecting poison and verified
that the contents of the bag did not have any traces of poison.

“So cautious.”

Danan smiled bitterly but he didn’t seem to mind.

Ares took one of the candied oranges and put it into his mouth.

“Hmm.”

Ares realized how much sweet things soothed a tired body.

However, due to his animosity toward Danan, Ares retained his sullen expression.

Danan smiled bitterly at Ares’ expression.

“Looks like you liked it.”

“Danan, why are you here?”

“Me? Naturally, it is to look for Gideon. I found information that Gideon is here. On the
contrary, I want to know what Ares is doing in such a remote region, moreover, on
your own. Is Hero-sama in a separate inn?”

“Gideon is here?”

“Yeah, he is apparently running an apothecary.”

Was this perhaps a scheme by Gideon? That line of thought crossed Ares’ mind for an
instant.

He immediately denied it as foolish. Gideon’s incompetent Divine Protection had no

ability to plot such conspiracies.

However, emotionally, his hatred boiled as Gideon seemed to be hindering him once
again.

Danan narrowed his eyes when he saw that reaction.

“So where is Hero-sama.”

“…She’s not here.”

“What’s the meaning of that.”

“I don’t need to explain it to you.”

“However, Gideon is here. I have to report that to Hero-sama.”

The edge of Ares’ mouth convulsed like he was sensitive to the topic.

Danan placed his hand on his chin and groaned.

“Hey, tell me what happened. I’m not exactly your enemy. Depending on the situation,
I can opt to not report Gideon’s location to Hero-sama.”
“…Why did you switch your stance?”

“Our goal is to defeat the Demon Lord. Not to reunite Hero-sama and Gideon.
Furthermore, Gideon plans to settle down here. He no longer thinks about subjugating
the Demon Lord. Hey, do you remember Lislet of Logavia? He’s living in this town with
that princess-sama.”

“Hah, as expected, Gideon is such a person. Even though I’m continuing to fight, he fled
to live a carefree peaceful life and aim to marry into nobility! What a dirty guy!”

Ares hysterically shouted.

Danan was exasperated. Such unreasonable words even though he was the one who
chased him away.

Well, that was the reason why he made contact with this guy. Asura, who took the form
of Danan, laughed within himself.

“So, it will be a waste of time for Hero-sama to remain here to convince Gideon to come
back. I do not wish to waste time as well. I too do not wish that Hero-sama will stop
here in a bid to persuade Gideon.”

“I see… that’s very perceptive coming from you.”

“I am the type to say whatever emotion that comes to mind on the spot. I’m a different
person altogether when I take it easy to think about my words and use my head.”

“Hmph, sounds very much like you.”

Ares laughed as if making a fool of him.

Danan was inferior to himself after all. Ares secretly felt superior over the man who can’t
control his emotions.

“Well, that’s how it is. So why is Hero-sama here? Is it possible that Hero-sama found
out about Gideon’s location?”

“……”

“What’s wrong?”
Ares seemed to be hesitating whether to say it.

(Has this guy ever failed in anything? I’m reluctant to talk about my own failure.)

Danan was amazed at his foolishness even though it won’t help him to hide the facts
as he switched the way he asked the question.

“Well, anyway, we should act while we still have the chance. Gideon is using the alias
Red here but he is quite well known in Zoltan.”

“Hmph, so that guy still wish to hold the pretense of being a hero in such a low-level
place.”

In actual fact, Red was famous for living together with the Hero Lit but Danan did not
have to correct every misconception he had.

“Either way, there’s a high chance Hero-sama will notice that Red and Gideon are the
same people. If you have any business in Zoltan, you should get it done as soon as
possible. Given how I’ve been to Zoltan first, I know a bit about the place so I can help
you.”

Danan… that was Shisandan in disguise, suggested to Ares.

His goal was to discover the [certain object] the Wood-Elves sealed prior to their
destruction and to bring it back.

Even his choice to risk the danger and make contact with Ares was to ascertain his
goal and if it was not related to that [certain object], he would make them leave Zoltan
even if he had to lend them a hand.

Shisandan had two concerns.

The first was the possibility of the Hero strengthening her combat ability through the
Devil’s Divine Protection. In particular, the situation where the humans realize that
demon hearts are not needed for it. However, due to its nature that denies Divine
Protection, the Holy Church will oppose it; and as long as their Divine Protection still
remain even if it is weakened, it will probably not be like the era of Ancient-Elves.

The other concern was if the Hero acquired the [certain object] that Shisandan was
searching for. It would be a blunder that would pale in comparison to having the flying
ship snatched from him.

Shisandan may be a key general figure but he was evaluated as being particularly
excellent at hiding and working in enemy territories.

That was the reason why he was entrusted to the important task this time.

“…That’s right!”

Ares raised his voice without noticing Shisandan’s thoughts.

“Ruti realized that Gideon and Red were the same people from that demon’s words.
That’s why she took the flying ship to this place!”

(Hmph, regardless if this guy’s conjecture is right, the Hero left her companions to
come to Zoltan huh? It looks like it has no relation to my mission.)

“Danan! Where is Gideon’s shop!?”

“Of course I know where it is but what do you plan to do?”

“Ruti is currently not in Zoltan but in a mountain far away. I will take this chance to
meet Gideon and order him to disappear from Ruti’s sight.”

“Order?”

“That guy is now an ordinary person who has left the party. Shouldn’t he obey my
orders!?”

“Sigh, I don’t think he will obediently obey them.”

“I’ll make him obey even if I have to use my power! Now tell me where that guy’s shop
is!”

(This guy is so frustrated just because the Hero left him behind huh? If I remember
correctly, I heard when I was in Logavia that this guy’s goal was to rebuild his house.
He probably can’t leave the Hero party… maybe I can use him for something.)

Shisandan’s mouth bent into a grin. If Red was there, just by seeing that expression,
he would probably notice that was not an expression Danan would make.
“Well, fine. I’ll lead you there.”

And if Ares had his usual composure, he would have noticed that Danan who was close
to Gideon would not obediently guide him to the shop going by the flow of the
conversation. However.

“Ku, kuku, damn Gideon, just how far must you hinder me…”
Ares smiled as if he was convulsing and pale white blood vessels surfaced on his clenched
fists.

Ares’ mind was only filled with hatred toward Gideon who was hindering him.

TLN: The author is really going all out to make Ares hated.
Zoltan Downtown. Ares and Shisandan arrived in front of Red & Lit Apothecary.

Naturally, Red locked the shop before he left.

However, to Ares, breaking down the door with magic without making a single sound,
not even the click of a regular lock unlocking, was a simple task.

Ares unreservedly entered the shop in which Red and Lit lived in.

There was nobody in the shop.

Ares broke into the house thinking that they might be hiding in a secret room but it
was clear that nobody was at home from the lack of presence.

However, the tableware that Red and Lit bought together, the two beds which used to
be placed slightly apart that were now snugly fit next to each other in the bedroom,
Red’s notes on the trends in Zoltan’s diseases in order to prevent serious illnesses due
to the lack of medicine, the compounding tools that made countless medicine, the
kitchen where the food that Lit and Ruti praised to be delicious was made, and the
storefront where plenty of medicine was sold to Zoltan’s residents…

Ares flipped them over without hesitation, strewn them across the floor, destroyed
them, trampled on them and, feeling irritated at the lack of any results despite all that,
stomped around the house.

“Damn it!”

Shisandan smirked as he looked at his condition.

“So, in the end, after vandalizing the entire place, you realize that there is no information
here at all.”

“Shut up!”
Ares shouted. Shisandan shrugged off his threatening attitude.

“Perhaps Gideon is on his way to Hero-sama?”

“What’s the basis to your claim…”

“There’s no need for any evidence. You think that Hero-sama came to Zoltan because
she realized that Red was Gideon, right? Then shouldn’t you consider the possibility
that Hero-sama and Gideon are acting together?”

“…Hmph.”

Ares kicked the door violently and went outside.

Shisandan took a look around the interior of the shop before following him out.

The medicine cabinet was broken open roughly and the medicine inside was scattered
across the floor. The angel statue inside the cabinet had fallen over and its wing had
broken off.

It was a terrible sight. Even though Red and Lit experienced plenty of laughter here
and were enjoying their life here in Zoltan.

This place was the symbol of their slow life.

“Fumu.”

What would Gideon do once he sees this?

“Humans are interesting creatures.”

Furthermore, taking into consideration that Ares, who trashed this place this much,
was once a companion who traveled together with Gideon, the Asura Demon
Shisandan felt his interest in the human species increase even further.

“Shisandan is alive?”

Red unintentionally asked again to confirm.

The two people were running on the highway that passes through the marsh.

“Yeah, the being that tore off my right arm to consume was without a doubt the Asura
Demon Shisandan that we fought in Logavia.”

“But we were certain that we defeated that guy.”

And we even beheaded him.

Even though we did not have the leeway to retrieve his body, I was sure Lit brought
his head back to Logavia to present it to the king as proof of having taken vengeance
for Gaius.

After that, I heard that it was put on display for others to see before it was buried in a
mound.

“Are you sure it was not a sibling from the same race?”

“No, I will never forget a foe that I have fought against. That figure and sword technique
without a doubt belonged to Shisandan.”

Danan was convinced that the person who attacked him was Shisandan.

It was probably true if Danan was so insistent.

“Yeah, there are still plenty of unknowns regarding the Dark Continent and the Demon
Divine Protection but… are they capable of resuscitating the dead?”

“There’s no way I would know if you don’t know about it. Well, don’t worry about it.
It’s nothing major. I’ll just keep killing him whenever he revives.”

Danan said as he laughed loudly.

There were guards riding horses in front of us. We avoided them and ran past right
beside them. We were far ahead by the time the guards were in a flurry trying to soothe
the horses that reared up in shock.

Despite that, I was actually slowing my speed down considerably to match Danan.

“I see that Danan has acquired the fatigue resistance skill too.”
“It’s one of the Martial Artist skill though.”

The fatigue resistance from the Common Skills that could not be acquired without first
raising it to mastery could easily be obtained directly through the Unique Skills.

Unique Skills were strong after all.

We continued to run in a sprint which would cause ordinary people to immediately

run out of breath.

“Strange.”

“What is it?”

“At this pace, we should have already caught up to Lit and Tise so did she use some
kind of Spirit Magic to strengthen and heal the running drake while it ran?”

I didn’t think there was a need to rush to that extent but… we should hurry.

“Hey, Gideon!”

“…!”

At that moment, we felt an oppressive feeling from the sky.

We quickly laid prone underwater in the marsh and looked up at the sky.

Far up in the sky was the figure of a flying dragon.

“That’s a Spirit Drake?”

“If it’s a Spirit Drake, who summoned it?”

“I don’t believe there’s a Divine Protection holder in Zoltan capable of higher magic that
can summon drakes.”

Drake Summoning was a higher magic that stood at the very apex of summoning magic.

Even the large cities in the central region won’t have individuals capable of it, not to
mention in Zoltan.
“The direction… oi, is that toward the mountain which you said Hero-sama was heading
toward?”

“Yeah, it might be. Just who might it be?”

The opponent was traveling by air.

Even if our destination was the same, traveling by air in a straight line meant that the
distance to cover was very different when compared to the undulating road through
the marsh which we were taking.

“Gideon, don’t worry about me, go ahead at full speed. I’ll catch up as quickly as possible.”

“Sorry.”

“Be careful, it’s dangerous to think that there’s nobody capable of fighting with us in the
remote region. Somehow the back of my neck is tingling. It feels like that right before I
fight a strong foe.”

I touched the hilt of the copper sword I had on my waist.

“I’m weak so I don’t hold such thoughts.”

The things the poor quality copper sword could cut through did not amount to much.

“I will only do what I am capable of. I’ll hide if there’s a strong foe so Danan should catch
up quickly.”

I said with a smile before I put my full strength into my feet and ran.

In the blink of the eye, Danan’s figure became a spot in the distance and soon disappeared.
The Spirit Drake in the sky was exceedingly quick.

“That’s not an ordinary Spirit Drake. A spell or something has been done to enhance
its movement speed.”

In terms of pure speed, I believed that I was moving at the same pace but the difference
was that I was on land.

I had no choice but to slow down when turning around corners and my speed would
drop in an instant if I ran off the road.

“I want to believe that Ruti is fine.”

Ruti was immensely stronger than me. I felt that I did not have any need to worry about
her.

However, as expected, I just couldn’t calm down when, right in front of me, a suspicious
opponent was heading toward the mountain that Ruti was on.

After running for a while, I spot two running drakes in front of me.

“Hn, so I’ve caught up.”

There was no way I would mistake Lit’s figure from behind even when she was a distance
away.

“Lit! Tise!”

“Red!”

The running drake looked at me with interest as I ran beside it and it cried out curiously.

Water and Wind Spirits were drifting around the running drake.
As I didn’t know any magic and didn’t have any skill that analyzed magic, I could only
infer that the Water Spirit treated fatigue while the Wind Spirit raised movement speed.

As suspected, they had raised their speed using magic.

“Lit, did you see the Spirit Drake in the sky?”

“Yeap, I saw it. But there isn’t anybody in Zoltan capable of summoning that. Even
Mistome-shi from the previous generation B-rank party can’t do it.”

As Zoltan’s strongest adventurer, Lit had accurately grasped the ability of the strong
individuals living in Zoltan so that was probably the truth coming from Lit.

“Someone from the outside huh?”

Not only did Danan appear, but another individual holding a magic-field Divine Protection
with Divine Protection level comparable to the Hero party also came to Zoltan?

Was it a coincidence?

“Oh right, Danan is here too he’ll be catching up soon.”

“Danan!?”

Lit raised her voice in surprise and Tise’s eyes were also wide open.

“Red, you met Danan?”

“Yeah, at the harbor. Apparently, he came to look for me.”

After Lit heard that, she hesitated a little before,

“I see… sorry, but actually I have met him too.”

She said with slightly downcast eyes.

“Lit met Danan?”

“Yup. He came to drag Red back. But he found that Red was living a peaceful life and
decided to treat it as if he didn’t see anything so I didn’t tell Red.”
Danan did? That guy wasn’t the kind to say such things.

That guy was a muscle brain that wouldn’t be able to comprehend the concept of
happiness that came from living peacefully. He would probably say without any
hesitation that if we enjoyed living together, we could just subjugate the Demon Lord
while being together.

He would easily drop the element of peace that was crucial to our happiness. He was
that kind of a person.

Furthermore…

“When did that happen?”

“Erm, I first met him when I was searching for the production base of the Devil’s Divine
Protection…”

That’s strange.

Danan mentioned that he arrived in Zoltan today. There was no reason for Danan to
lie in that situation.

However, Lit did not have a reason to lie as well.

“Lit, did that Danan have any strange features?”

“Strange features? Nope, I don’t recall anything in particular… well, I did not speak to
Danan that much so I won’t be able to tell that well.”

When Lit entered as a member during the time we were breaking through the Forest
of Deceit, Theodora and Danan had remained in Logavia to defend. In exchange, we
called in reinforcements which were Yarandorara and Lit.

That was why Lit did not talk to Danan much.

…Even though she did not, it was unthinkable that she would not see the huge difference
in Danan.

“Did Danan have both his arms?”

“Eh? I don’t understand your question…”

“It’s exactly as I worded it. Right and left arm, did he have them both?”

“Ye-yeah.”

“What’s wrong?”

Tise had also tilted her head sideways due to the incomprehensible question.

“The Danan I met had lost his right arm from the elbow down.”

“Danan-san has only one arm!? What in the heavens happened!?”

“Bu-but I am certain Danan had his right arm when I met him…”

“…Lit, I understand if you will be surprised and I still do not know the exact details either
but,”

“I’m already surprised!”

“There’s something even more serious. Danan… apparently, it was Shisandan that ate
Danan’s right arm.”

Lit’s body stiffened.

The running drake felt the hesitation in its rider and was about to stop in confusion
but I pulled the reins and urged it to continue running. The running drake turned its
black pupils to look at me uneasily but it obediently continued running.

“It’s impossible. I was convinced that we killed Shisandan that time!”

“Certainly. I believe Lit brought Shisandan’s head back and buried it in Logavia.”

To Lit, he was a hated opponent that killed her teacher. She probably could not accept
that the opponent who she thought she had exacted vengeance upon was actually still
alive.

Burning hatred flickered across Lit’s expression for an instant.

“Shisandan… was the Asura Demon that Ruti-sama fought in Logavia?”

I nodded to Tise’s words.

“I have not actually seen him so I don’t know for sure. I have merely heard about it.”

“Maybe it was some kind of a mistake?”

“I don’t know. But Danan will not forget about an opponent he fought against before. I
believe that it has high credibility if Danan claimed it to be so.”

We ran in silence for a while.

“The Danan I met…”

“Was probably Shisandan. He ate his right arm and copied his appearance.”

There were many mysteries revolving around the ability of the Asura Demon race
which was the only race that did not possess Divine Protection in this world.

I did not know that they could transform without killing their opponent.

“If only I told you sooner… if it was you, you would have noticed that he was a fake. If that
happened, I… could have swiftly.”

“Kill him?”

“…Yes, I might no longer wish to continue as an adventurer but that guy is an exception.”

Lit was feeling conflicted but I could understand.

She wishes to treasure the daily life we have and to continue running the shop together.

That feeling was definitely genuine.

However, obtaining revenge was an entirely different matter.

It was Shisandan who deceived and killed her teacher and many of the royal guards
and Logavia Adventurers that trusted Lit.
“…Although we do not know if Shisandan had anything to do with that.”

Captured in my line of sight was the Spirit Drake flying in the sky.

The distance between us was gradually getting wider.

“I’ll fight alongside you if that is Shisandan. Even if that is somebody else altogether
and Shisandan is still at Zoltan, I will still fight him with you. This time around, we will
get revenge for Gaius.”

“But Red…”

“True, I have already decided to no longer fight for the sake of the world.”

That was the reason for the bitter expression on Lit’s face.

I chose to live with Lit over traveling to save the world.

Lit felt that if I had resolved to do that, she should also put aside her grudge with
Shisandan and her fighting to live with me. Those were Lit’s thoughts and she was
suffering because she could not make that choice.

“If Lit has a reason to fight, I will fight alongside you. Our lifestyle is not exactly a
binding curse. No, we will not let it bind us. There is no reason to avoid fighting and
leave behind bitter regrets.”

“…Sorry.”

Tears surfaced in Lit’s eyes for a little before she tightened her facial expression.

“If we meet Shisandan, I will return to being Hero Lit for a little while.”

She turned her determined gaze toward the Spirit Drake in the sky.

“Thank you, I am all right now so Red, you should go on ahead.”

“Okay.”

Once again, I channeled strength into my legs.

From here onward, the roads leading to the mountain would gradually become worse
so I would probably have to reduce my speed. I will not be able to catch up to that
Spirit Drake.

But I should be able to arrive within a ten-minute difference.

“Be careful as well, Lit and Tise.”

The running drake was surprised when I raised my speed even further and tried to
not be outdone but I quickly pulled ahead.

“Gya!”

While hearing the cry of frustration from the running drake behind me, I rushed on
ahead to reach Ruti’s side.
I came to this mountain countless times to gather medicinal grass since coming to
Zoltan so I knew the mountain like the back of my hand.

However, unlike my usual practice, I stopped by the settlement at the foot of the mountain.

That settlement had inns for adventurers who went to the mountain to stay the night
but its main purpose was a settlement for lumberjacks who supply Zoltan, with its
expanding wetlands, with crucial lumber.

As I did not wish to waste time, I used a Quarter Peryl to buy information on any sightings
of that drake.

“It flew toward that direction.”

“That direction?”

He seemed to be at about the age where he would join his father to work as a lumberjack
from next year onward.

The young man in patched clothes pointed not toward the mountain but toward the
forest at the side of the mountain.

“Thank you.”

I passed the silver coin to the young man and left the settlement.

I’m pretty sure that was where Ruti hid the flying ship?

I remembered Tise telling me that.

They had apparently locked it such that it could not be moved by anybody apart from
Tise but there were still many parts about it that were still unknown to them.
It might be a minion from the Demon Lord army who possess a key to dispel the lock
and had come to steal the flying ship.

“The flying ship was originally a product of the Dark Continent’s technology so the
Demon Lord army will naturally know it better compared to Tise.”

Should I head to where Ruti was or should I head toward where the flying ship was
hidden in the forest?

I hesitated for a little while but I decided that I should still head to Ruti’s side first.

Because I felt that Ruti’s problems were more important than the existence or absence
of the flying ship.

I headed toward the Ancient-Elf ruins found within the Chimera den in the mountain.

“What do you think Danan, isn’t it a splendid flying ship? With this, we can head to the
Dark Continent without caring about the naval blockade by the Demon Lord army. The
day of our victory draws near.”

Ares boasted about the fruits of their adventure.

“That’s good in itself but Ruti doesn’t seem to be here.”

“That’s true. But knowing that the flying ship is here is a great harvest. While I’m here,
I’ll set up a barrier that will prevent anybody other than ourselves from approaching
it. It would be a serious issue if this flying ship were to be stolen. Furthermore, with
the barrier, I would be able to know if Ruti approaches the flying ship.”

Regardless of how he was exhausted from casting magic for consecutive days, Ares
promptly started preparing and was still able to lay a barrier over the entire flying
ship even after having summoned the Spirit Drake today.

That was as expected of the strongest Sage in the world. Shisandan was honestly
impressed by his magical power which even senior-class demons would not be able
to contend against.

(Divine Protections do not impart knowledge and judgment. That is probably the fatal
flaw for this man.)

Even though Ares reached the mountain quicker than Red, his choice there meant that
his arrival at the ruins would be delayed.

That time difference would impact the outcome later.

Passing through the mountain, I soon reached the Chimera den.

As usual, the Chimeras only watched and surrounded me from a distance without
attacking.

Unlike before when I approached the Chimeras because a novice adventurer got involved
with them, this time I headed toward the ruin.

I entered the ruin that had been consumed by the forest and was overgrown with roots
and ivy.

Only the flooring and ceiling indicated that it was an Ancient-Elf ruin, made of an
unknown rigid but smooth material that was neither metal nor stone.

I investigated that location briefly in the past. The defense system activated toward
the deepest parts of the ruin so I could not investigate it completely but this ruin gave
me the impression that it was a lot more secure compared to the other ruins in the
central region.

I have also looked through quite a number of literature on Ancient-Elf ruins.

Scholars held the opinion that each Ancient-Elf ruin held a clear purpose. Although, in
a sense, that would obviously be the case.

I personally saw the ruin which sealed the proof of the hero that was located near the
Imperial Capital. Ares and Ruti probably noticed it as well… that it wasn’t a seal.

That ruin [produced] the proof of the hero. The proof of the hero that Ruti obtained
was not the same one which was used by the previous generation’s hero. Let alone a
relic that has been said to have been passed down since ancient times.
The proof of the hero was a brand new tool produced by the same ruin which made
the previous generation hero’s proof.

I did not see any of the Chimeras which I normally see inside the ruin.

Ruti probably disposed of a few of them so the Chimeras judged that this location was
dangerous.

Proceeding forward, I found a door with a huge hole in it.

“Even though it can be opened properly just by activating the device.”

Ruti probably pried it open forcefully. Although for Ruti, that was most likely the most
efficient method, I still smiled bitterly at her brute force approach.

Ruti was not stupid by any means. She should be able to understand the way to open
the door if she examined it seriously. But Ruti was a little sloppy in that sense.

After entering the door, I soon found a gaping dark hole.

Normally there should be a lift device there but…

“There’s nothing here.”

It looked like Ruti did destroy it just as Tise said.

I had no choice but to descend without it.

“There’s no helping it… Acrobatics skill mastery: Slow Fall.”

I touched the Divine Protection within me and activated the skill.

With that skill, as long as I had a wall within arm and leg reach, I could use it to reduce
my speed and descend at a safe speed from any height. I used the same skill at Big
Hawk’s mansion as well.

Gazing down from above, the interior of where the lift device was supposed to be was
pitch black. I took out a light stick from my belt pouch. A light stick was a thin cylinder
about 30 cm in length made of brass.
I struck the tip of the light stick on the floor. The moment I did that, with a soft whoosh,
the brass started burning without releasing any heat. It lit up the surroundings with
as much light as a regular torch.

The light stick was a cheap magic item that cost around 2 Peryl with a special magic
applied to it and was a disposable lighting equipment that could emit light for up to
10 hours once it was struck.

One might say it was cheap but that was the price for one if you purchased it in a 100-
stick bundle. However, owing to the fact that it can be lit easily, that it would not go
out once lit and that it would not set anything in its vicinity on fire, veteran
adventurers always had a few sticks on hand as emergency light sources. I too always
carried three sticks on my belt.

I kicked the wall several times to slow my descend as I descended down the pitch black
vertical hole.

The light from the light stick in my left hand could not reach the bottom of the vertical
hole. I could only see up to 20 meters ahead clearly. All I could see ahead was dimly lit
surroundings that led to pitch black darkness.

Even though I was repeatedly reducing my speed, I was still descending at high speeds
so it was nerve-wracking.

I felt that I descended for a couple hundred meters. Before long, I caught sight of the
remains of the lift device below my feet.

I found a spot which seemed safe to land on and I kicked off the wall to land.

“Fuuu.”

Even though I was using a skill, jumping down such heights was a little tiring. While I
possessed fatigue resistance, mentally-draining acts would still wear me down.

But I postponed resting as I looked around. The basement of the ruin was lit up in
some places but the majority of it was blanketed in darkness.

I raised the light stick in my left hand and progressed toward the depths.

In the basement, I could no longer see the ivy-like plants which covered the walls.
Along the passage, I would occasionally see the remains of the Ancient-Elf defense
weapons which were probably destroyed by Ruti. Just by bring these back and selling
them would net me couple decade worth of my shop’s earnings.

But in the first place, Zoltan would not have shops that could purchase such high-
quality items.

“According to Tise, they were producing Devil’s Divine Protection in a section at the
south-west region.”

Ruti would probably be there.

I took out a compass and verified the direction before advancing deeper into the ruin.

But why did the Ancient-Elves create such a huge facility so deep underground?

After walking for a little, along the way, I noticed that the building materials changed
to something clearly different. Plates made of clay were affixed to the walls.

“These are not Ancient-Elf writings but Wild-Elf writings.”

The race destroyed by the previous generation Demon Lord. Half-Elves like Gonz were
said to be mixed-blood descendants of those Wild-Elves that mingled with humans.
For that reason, unlike the Ancient-Elf writings, I could read almost all of the Wild-Elf
writings.

“Hero administration?”

I wondered what it meant. It was a mystery how the Wild-Elves entered the Ancient-
Elf ruins and also a mystery why they carved a clay board with those words.

“Furthermore, the section ahead should be the lodging section?”

Tise mentioned that beds were placed in each of the rooms so the section ahead was
where the Ancient-Elves slept… presumably. Although I did not know the purpose of this
ruin, that clay board should refer to another room. The rooms ahead are just common
bedrooms.

Was there meaning in purposely placing a clay board at that location?

“…Well, I won’t be able to get to an answer just by thinking about it.”

More importantly, my top priority now was to meet Ruti.

I temporarily ignored my rising doubts and curiosity and hurried toward Ruti’s side.
Tise only explained to me in words the location of the room where they had the Alchemist
Godwin compound the medicine.

Finding it in the Ancient-Elf residential block made up of uniform rooms was a little
arduous.

“Is it here?”

I ended up spending quite some time.

I figured that Lit and the others would have already started climbing the mountain.

I opened the oddly heavy sliding door that could be seen everywhere in the Ancient-Elf
ruin.

“Oop.”

A glass bottle flew out from behind the door.

I ducked forward and avoided the bottle.

The next instant, the bottle exploded with a blast.

It splattered a green adhesive solution but by that time, I had already charged into the
room with a front roll, stood up and thrust my sword at the Alchemist’s neck.

“Yo- you’re that guy from the Apothecary! You’re here to arrest me!”

“Ah, I’m not here to fight.”

“That’s ironic given you have a sword pointed at me!”

“Well, that’s because you threw that bomb. Moreover, if I intended to fight, this sword
would have already penetrated your neck.”
Godwin had another adhesive grenade in his hand.

After a brief glaring match, Godwin slowly lowered his hand.

Matching his movements, I slowly removed my sword from Godwin’s neck.

“Where is the girl that captured you?”

“What, Apothecary, you have business with that girl? I’d give up if I were you. Having
been cut down by you, I know that you’re strong but you can’t win against that girl.”

“Don’t misunderstand, I am acquainted with her.”

Godwin showed a face of surprise.

“Following Hero Lit, you are acquainted with that girl too? Apothecary, just who are you
exactly?”

“I’m just a regular apothecary. More importantly, where is she?”

“Like I’d know. Won’t she be somewhere in the ruin?”

Searching for Ruti in this ruin would be another bone-breaking task.

“……”

Should I shout for Ruti?

I wished to avoid doing so if I had the option. Me being here was something Ruti would
not imagine. Ruti would probably be sad if she realized that I knew about the Devil’s
Divine Protection and her act of breaking Godwin out of prison.

If possible, I would prefer to be there to tell her that it didn’t matter to me.

“Oi, Godwin.”

“What.”

“Call out to her.”

“M-me?”

“If you shout loudly, she should be able to hear it with her Extrasensory skill.”

“Why don’t you call her? I don’t trust you. How are you going to take responsibility if
you are actually that girl’s enemy and she comes to think that I have betrayed her.”

“Then you can claim that I stabbed you with this sword and threatened to kill you.”

“No. My fear toward that girl comes from the depths of my heart.”

So troublesome.

“You won’t do it no matter what?”

“No matter what.”

“There’s no helping it then.”

I grabbed Godwin’s left hand which held the bomb.

The bomb was dangerous so I placed it on the floor.

“Wha-what are you doing…”

Godwin worriedly tried to break free but I grabbed hold of him firmly and did not let go.

“Don’t worry, I won’t wound you.”

“Wo-wound… you bastard! Stop!”

Godwin seemed to have figured out what would happen as he panicked and struggled.

“There’s also that, my Lit faced danger because of you.”

“W-we were even after you cut me!”

“That was for Al’s sake.”

Previously, because of this guy’s adhesive grenade, Lit was almost killed by the Stalker
Demons. This was a little payback for that time.

“Here.”

I pulled Godwin’s left arm and twisted it just slightly in a direction where it wasn’t meant
to bend in.

“Gyaaaaaaaa!!!”

Unable to withstand the pain, the scream that erupted from Godwin’s throat reverberated
throughout the ruin.

“You demon…”

Godwin rubbed his left arm while seated on the ground.

He glared at me with hate-filled eyes but I ignored him.

More importantly, I listened carefully for the presence that should be approaching.

Godwin was an Alchemist that was crucial for the production of the Devil’s Divine
Protection. He was a person that Ruti needed.

So if she heard that scream…

At that moment, an impact caused the door to burst open.

Under the shadow of the door that was flying through the air was the shadow of a young
girl that was sprinting like lightning.

From that crouching posture, her sword thrust toward my neck with pinpoint accuracy.

It was a little similar to my previous motion of thrusting my sword at Godwin but that
speed and sharpness were incomparable.

However, that thrust stopped before it reached my neck.

“Onii-chan!?”
I realized when I saw it. The emotion that appeared on Ruti at that moment was [fear]
which was something that would never appear on the Hero Ruti.

Ruti and I moved to a different room.

Godwin was fairly taken aback from disbelief after watching Ruti’s behavior but he
still retained fear toward Ruti so he obediently followed Ruti’s instructions to rest for
a while.

“Onii-chan… why are you here?”

It seemed that Ruti was using this room as the place to sleep in this ruin.

It was a slightly larger bedroom compared to the other rooms and was two passages
away from Godwin’s room.

Although the Ancient-Elf technology was more advanced compared to the modern day,
the furniture in the room were all old and weathered.

Ruti and Godwin both moved the junk in their rooms to other rooms and slept on the
simple prefabricated beds.

In Godwin’s room, he also had cookware as well as storage for water and food so it
was sufficiently equipped for living.

Also, by some principle unknown to me, the Ancient-Elf water supply facility was still
functioning. I was reluctant to drink the water of unknown origin and nature but it
could be used for daily use such as for bathing.

The laundry poles set up next to the rooms Godwin and Ruti were using formed a
scene that broke away from the Ancient-Elf’s lifestyle.

“Onii-chan?”

“Ah, sorry, it’s been a long time since I entered an Ancient-Elf ruin. I was a little surprised.”

“I see.”
Now for the main topic.

“Ruti, I heard about the situation from Tise.”

Ruti’s shoulder trembled in shock. I looked down and thought about what I should say.

She was probably thinking that I was upset.

Taking the Devil’s Divine Protection and breaking a convict from prison were
unthinkable acts for Ruti who had been living as a Hero until now.

Furthermore, it was an act that went squarely against the teachings of the Holy Church
which preached to live life befitting of your Divine Protection.

“I’m sorry, for not being able to do anything all this time.”

I said and lowered my head deeply.

“Eh?”

“I have always been searching for a way to suppress the impulses from Ruti’s Divine
Protection. Although I have been keeping it a secret from everyone.”

I said as I took a medicine from my belt pouch.

It was the Wild-Elf secret medicine that I had Ademi drink the other time.

“This is also a medicine that can suppress the impulses from Divine Protections. It has
the effect of temporarily lowering your Divine Protection. But this uses poison. It won’t
work on the Hero’s Divine Protection.”

“Why?”

Ruti was puzzled.

“Hasn’t Onii-chan always been acting to save the world? Ever since you were young,
you kept becoming stronger, entered the knight order, and saved a ton of people.
Furthermore, you even came along on the journey to subjugate the Demon Lord. A
hopeless journey to travel through various lands with just a few members to fight
continuously with the Demon Lord army. Unlike me, Onii-chan was not forced to help
people. But you still fought nonetheless.”

“…I guess I never actually told Ruti properly.”

The Demon Lord subjugation journey that Ruti chose.

I had been with her from the very beginning when the Demon Lord army’s marauding
troops attacked our home village and Ruti fought against the Orcs on her own.

From that time on, there had been people who became Ruti’s companions temporarily
and there had been members who pulled out of the party but I had continued to travel
with her up until after the fight with Desmond of the Earth.

However, I was still worried if I should say those words. Because kindness can hurt
people too.

“Why did Onii-chan want to defeat the Demon Lord?”

Ruti looked at me directly with anxiety floating within her beautiful eyes.

“I only wanted to protect you.”

Ruti’s eyes opened just a fraction wider. Her gaze trembled slightly as if she was shaken.

“Even when you defeated monsters from when you were young?”

“And also when I joined the Bahamut knight order. Because I wished for enough
strength to protect Ruti when you go on your journey.”

“Why…? Because I am the Hero?”

“Stupid, isn’t it obvious… it is because Ruti is an important person to me. I knew that
Ruti would go on a journey eventually so I was just preparing for that day. That is why
if Ruti quits being a Hero, I will not mind it nor will I blame you for it.”

To tell the truth… I would be lying if I said that I didn’t hesitate.

I was well aware from the time I journeyed with her when she was the Hero. If Ruti
was not there, the damages caused by the Demon Lord army will expand enormously.
It’s possible… that the Avalon continent might even perish.
That was why I did not compel Ruti to quit being the Hero.

However, I will still be Ruti’s ally. That was my decision.

“Is it really all right? I even abandoned my companions to come here. I broke Godwin
out of prison… and quit being the Hero. Onii-chan will still forgive me after all that?”

“I will.”

“Am I allowed to be selfish? Is it all right to do what I want to do rather than do it for
the sake of the world or for the sake of my Divine Protection?”

Living a slow life. That was probably something considered as selfish and forbidden
for the Hero.

Nevertheless, I will not deny Ruti’s wish.

“Just like how my life is mine to live, Ruti’s life belongs to Ruti.”

Ruti slowly placed both her hands on my cheek.

After staring at me fixedly, Ruti placed her forehead on my chest.

“Onii-chan, I am really selfish. Selfish to the extent where I fail as a Hero.”

From that position, I could not see Ruti’s expression.

But I could tell Ruti’s warm body temperature from her palms on my cheeks.

“Even so, I hope that you will not come to hate me.”

I placed my hands over Ruti’s hands.

“Ruti will always be my beloved younger sister.”

“Thank you, I love Onii-chan too.”

Ruti said quietly.

I recalled the stormy day we clung to each other when we were young.
I am Tise. Hero Ruti-sama’s friend.

Following Red-san who went on ahead, Lit-san and I finally arrived at the entrance to
the ruin.

“…I don’t like this.”

Lit-san said with a stern look when we were about to enter the ruin.

“What’s wrong?”

“I sense human presence in the mountain.”

“Presence huh?”

It seemed that as a [Spirit Scout], Lit-san’s presence detection skill was activated in
nature-rich environments.

However, adventurers often came here to gather medicinal grass and people from the
nearby settlement came here for logging and hunting.

“But such people rarely come this far in.”

“Is the presence nearby?”

I turned to look back.

Lying on the ground there were two Chimeras which we had just slain.

It was certainly true that only those with considerable ability can approach this area.

“Most probably. I don’t know the exact distance though.”

“Perhaps it is the person who summoned the Spirit Drake?”

“Maybe, what about tracks?”

Compared to the [Spirit Scout] which could ambiguously sense the presence of their
opponent from a long distance away in a natural environment, as an [Assassin], I was
skilled in tracking skills that could even track unique footsteps on stone pavements
from within a crowd.

“Only three people, Ruti-sama, Godwin, and Red-san entered the ruin. Compared to
the time when I was last here, there has only been the addition of Ruti-sama and Red-
san’s tracks. Before coming here, within the month, only Red-san and another person’s
tracks led into the ruin.”

“Another person?”

“They seemed to have investigated the upper level of the ruin once. They did not visit
again after investigating it once.”

It seemed to me that Red-san came to gather certain medicinal grass that grew a little
way in from the ruin entrance. There was probably an abundance of mushrooms and
moss due to the suitable moisture levels.

Ugeuge-san seemed to love that level of humidity as it peeked its head out from the
gap of my bag and its black jewel-like eyes shined.

“There was another adventurer from Zoltan who came to investigate this ruin?”

We started walking into the depths of the ruin.

Lit-san looked like she was pondering about the other person who came here as we
walked.

When we reached Godwin’s room, Godwin backed up in fear when he saw Lit-san.

“It’s fine. I certainly did end up getting injured because of you but I don’t resent you and
I don’t intend to take revenge.”
“So-sorry.”

Godwin trembled in fear as Lit-san grinned.

Lit-san seemed to have found it interesting as she purposely made it seem like she was
about to draw her sword.

This person was surprisingly quite childish.

“Where is Ruru-san?”

We had decided to use aliases when in front of Godwin, I was Tifa while Ruti-sama was
Ruru.

Leaving my name aside, Hero Ruti’s name was too famous.

“That personage went somewhere with the apothecary.”

“I see.”

In that case, it seemed that it would be quicker if I followed their footprints.

Thankfully, the footprints were still clearly present. Although if I did not have my skill,
I probably would not have been able to distinguish the footprints left on the hard floor
surface of the Ancient-Elf ruin.

Just as we were about to leave the room, Lit-san turned back.

“What’s wrong?”

Lit-san opened the item bag on her waist and from within, placed on the floor a magic
knife that would emit a darkness that shrouded the surrounding light when the
command word was spoken, a chain shirt that was sewn with excellent sound muffling
material, smoke sticks that would emit smoke when broken, and thunderstones that
would emit sound and light when struck.

“Lit-san!?”

“Godwin, although your life means nothing to me, you seem to be an important person
here. It is possible that somebody has infiltrated this ruin. That person has equal or
greater ability compared to us. You probably won’t be able to win so use these to protect
yourself.”

“So-somebody stronger than you guys!? Don’t joke with me, bring me along too!”

“We are busy with our own tasks. We’ll be back soon once we meet up with them.”

In addition, Lit-san also placed a magic potion that contained the invisibility spell.

“I’ll leave this here too but… it’s a mere consolation. It probably won’t work against
that level of an opponent.”

Godwin grumbled as he picked up the various items placed on the floor.

“I beg you guys, don’t drag me into a fight between you heroes.”

“Isn’t it better than being executed?”

Godwin shrugged his shoulders when Lit-san said that and he sat on the floor as if having
given up.

His appearance seemed so pitiful that I ended up pitying him just a little.

Ugeuge-san also raised its right arm to cheer him up.

If Ares did not stop at the flying ship and entered the mountain directly, he would have
seen Red within the mountain and would have probably been able to follow him.

However, without that aid, Ares had to rely on his own magic to circle the mountain and
search.

“She should be around this vicinity.”

Ares scratched his arm in frustration as he said that.

Ares was using the spell that used Albert’s blood to point toward Ruti.

The scarlet blood that hung from the disk was drawn toward Ruti as it reacted to Albert’s
magical power.

However, the disk was not capable of indicating vertical directions.

Ruti’s current location was within the expansive ancient ruins underneath the mountain.

“Why! Why can’t I find her!”

Ares continued to scream regardless of the blood flowing from his arm from his scratching.

Shisandan was troubled by what to do as he looked at his condition.

Shisandan’s impression of Danan whose appearance Shisandan was copying was that
of a human who was not that bright. Although he did not snatch his memories, he had
conversed with him multiple times during the time he infiltrated Logavia as Gaius.

Shisandan was convinced that his impression was not wrong given Ares’ attitude.

Shisandan had already anticipated that the Hero Ruti had entered the Ancient-Elf ruin.
Ares probably could not find her because she was underground.

But he wondered if it was a good idea to suggest that given he had disguised himself
as the idiotic Martial Artist that was Danan.

The man known as Ares was severely cornered. It could be said that he was in a state
where his thought process had stopped.

However, the Asura Demon race has fundamentally different values and philosophy
compared to humans or Elves or even other demons.

Shisandan has consumed many humans to this day and has seen all their memories
but even so, Shisandan still could not understand the thought processes of humans.

When he infiltrated the humans, he only reproduced the actions of the person he
mimicked by choosing their actions from past memories according to the situation.

This time, Shisandan did not acquire Danan’s memories. Because of that, he would not
speak out unless necessary and only followed behind Ares.

(But if this goes on, we will not move forward.)

Among the countless memories Shisandan had consumed, there were also memories
of men who have been cornered just like Ares. Shisandan decided that he would have
to act with those memories as a reference.

“Hey, I just remembered but isn’t there an Ancient-Elf ruin in this mountain?”

“And what about it! Stop sprouting useless drivel and help to look for Ruti!”

“No, well, I heard that the ruin extended underground as well.”

“…Why did you not say that earlier!”

“I seemed to have completely forgotten about it.”

“Tch, that’s why I hate incompetent fools. Where is that ruin!”

(Did it go well? I twisted it to give the impression that it wasn’t something that Ares
failed to consider but something that Ares was supposed to discover but he forgot about
it.)

It seemed that Ares did not have any misgivings.

Shisandan chuckled to himself.

(Moreover, I can use this guy. Not by deceiving him but instead, I might be able to turn
him into my ally.)

However, obviously, it would be impossible to persuade him if his identity was

revealed now. But after this man gets rejected by the hero and his dream breaks down?

If he finds out that even after all was lost, his wish could still come true by dirtying his
hands, would this man be willing to fulfill it by any means necessary?

(It’s a matter of timing. At any rate, I might not be able to win if I choose to antagonize
him now.)

Ares’ magical power was the real deal. He might even be able to operate the ‘artifact’
sleeping within the Ancient-Elf ruin if he gets his hands on it.

Shisandan thought about the scheme he had to lay as he walked ahead. To Shisandan,
the time spent thinking of ways to ensnare such an opponent was the most enjoyable
time. On that note, he was delighted when he tricked Lit in Logavia.

Shisandan secretly revealed an evil smile that Ares was unable to see.
Around that time, Danan was still sprinting red-faced with a grim expression.

Even though he was considerably faster than an ordinary person due to the strengthening
from his skill, he was still only about halfway to the mountain.

“Damn it, if this goes on, everything might be over by the time I catch up to them!”

Danan shouted as he continued running.

His appearance even caused the traveling peddlers that he passed by to scream in fear
thinking that there were highway bandits chasing from behind.

“Nuoooo!!!”

Danan was putting in spirit but it was impossible to dramatically raise his running
speed no matter how spirited he was.

Just as he was starting to regret not loaning a running drake, he felt intimidating pressure
from above.

“What!? Another Spirit Drake!?”

Danan cried out in surprise.

Another gigantic Spirit Drake soared through the sky with the wind under its wings.

But its appearance was quite significantly different from the Spirit Drake they had
spotted previously.

“Arya, it looks similar to the one that Theodora summons.”

Only the wings of that Spirit Drake was red in color while its body was covered by all
kinds of armor.

Danan recalled that the beings summoned through Theodora’s Covenant Magic have
similar characteristics as summoned beasts.

Danan didn’t know because his knowledge in magic was practically none but there
were differences between the Arcane Magic used by Ares and the Covenant Magic used
by Theodora. Theodora’s Covenant Magic draws its power from Victity’s domain, the
‘Guardian of Martyrdom’, one of the three Apostles of Supreme God Demis.

Because of that, the ones Theodora was capable of summoning were only the spirit
beasts who possess the attributes to exist in Victity’s domain so the summoned spirit
beasts materialize in the state where they had received Victity’s influence.

Incidentally, Ares could use Covenant Magic as well but he borrowed power from
Rarael’s domain, the ‘Guardian of Hope’, another one of the apostles.

Apart from the Three Apostles from whom the Covenant Magic could borrow power
from, it could also borrow power from the Three Kings of the Demon Overlord,
mentioned in legends to have rebelled against Demis.

The Spirit Drake slowly circled over Danan’s head and descended, aiming straight for
Danan.

“Oh?”

Was he going to be attacked? Danan thought to himself excitedly as he stopped running

and clenched his left fist.

Danan was aware that it was his bad habit to forget everything else whenever he felt
the presence of a strong foe but he made a clear distinction that he was such a person.

Ares often made snide remarks about it but after the two or three issues that occurred
initially after Danan joined the party, mysteriously no other problems happened
whenever Gideon was around.

Now when he thought about it, Danan understood that Gideon had grasped the
problematic points of the personalities of not only Danan but all the members as well
and worked hard to assign them tasks that suited them the most.
(Things might have been different if Gideon talked about his achievements a little
more to those around him… but there’s no use thinking about it now. Now, I should
focus on the Spirit Drake in front of me.)

When the drake reached a height where he could see its face, the Spirit Dragon flapped
its large wings to slow down.

“Danan! It’s me!”

A woman clad in armor called out while seated on the back of the drake.

“Theodora!?”

Theodora, who was supposed to be in a faraway place, was there right in front of him.

That was the second time in Danan’s lifetime which he sat on top of a Spirit Dragon.

“It sure is convenient.”

Previously he sat on the Spirit Drake that Ares summoned as they flew toward the
castle of Gandor of the Wind.

At that time, they had employed the aid of the Thunder Drakes to break through
Gandor of the Wind’s wyvern cavalry but Ares insisted on riding his own Spirit Drake
which he could control so Danan had to ride on it together with him to protect him.

But at that time, shortly after praising how convenient a Spirit Drake was, he felt like
complaining to Ares every single time they faced danger because of Ares’ lack of
control over it.

“Why don’t you use it regularly if it is this convenient?”

Danan took his seat behind Theodora and threw the question at her as she controlled
the Spirit Drake.

“Because it draws too much attention. The people capable of summoning Spirit Drakes
are limited. Even the Demon Lord army will be on their guard if they see them.”
“I see.”

Danan was convinced and nodded. A Spirit Drake flying in the sky was easily visible
from the ground. Just earlier Gideon raised his speed and ran ahead because they saw
one as well.

“By the way, who is this?”

“I am Albert. It is a pleasure to meet you, Danan-san. Even in Zoltan, I have heard of

your active role in fighting against the Demon Lord army. It is a long story but I am an
adventurer currently partying with Theodora-san.”

Albert said and lowered his head.

“Hmm” Danan nodded and immediately seemed to have lost interest.

“Nevertheless, you saved me the trouble here. I’ll be able to reach the mountain quickly
as well with this.”

“Are you not going to ask further as to why am I here?”

“I won’t understand even if I asked. Hero-sama is in the mountain and she needs our
strength. That is more than enough for me.”

“…You are such a simple man. You’re making me envious.”

Theodora smiled bitterly.

That smile had a hint of envy within it but Danan, with his rough personality, failed to
notice it.

“I picked you up because regardless of the outcome of the choice we must make soon,
I wanted you to be there as well.”

“?”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, you should just act according to whichever way you
like. I will act according to my beliefs.”

“Ou, I don’t really understand but of course I will.”

Danan laughed loudly.

Albert was completely taken aback at how Ares, Theodora, and Danan were all completely
different types of heroes.

After Ruti calmed down, we returned to the corridor.

“Red!”

Just as we headed out, we found Lit and Tise running toward us.

“That was quick.”

“Because I rushed over.”

Lit nodded with a smile.

Ruti seemed expressionless but her cheeks had become slightly red.

That was her gesture when she was happy.

“Thank you.”

Ruti muttered softly.

We started walking toward Godwin’s room. In order to gain information on the Devil’s
Divine Protection.

The medical knowledge I had accumulated to this day might be useful in finding the
principle behind how the Devil’s Divine Protection suppresses innate Divine Protections.

Initially, the Contract Demon described the principle of the Devil’s Divine Protection
as a medicine that would suppress a person’s innate Divine Protection by recreating a
demon’s Divine Protection using demon hearts as the raw material.

“The Contract Demon explained it to me that way as well.”

Ruti agreed. However, Ruti tilted her head sideways.

“But my body treats the effect of the demon heart as a curse. Because of that, the axe
demon heart used as the ingredient for the medicine I drank would not recreate the
Axe Demon’s Divine Protection in me.”

“In that case, how does Ruti suppress your innate Divine Protection?”

Ruti tilted her head.

“The Divine Protection that formed in me was a nameless Divine Protection.”

“Nameless Divine Protection?”

“Yes, even if I try to contact it, it does not have any skill, doesn’t have any impulses, it
is just a Divine Protection that merely exists.”

What?

That was the first time I heard of such a Divine Protection even though I have
accumulated quite considerable knowledge of Divine Protections from books.

Or rather, can it even be called a Divine Protection?

“But my levels have transferred to that nameless Divine Protection. It has suppressed
my Hero Divine Protection impulses as well.”

“If it doesn’t have any impulses, doesn’t that mean it won’t cause any urge to slaughter
even if its Divine Protection level becomes higher than the person’s innate Divine
Protection level?

Lit added in with a slight hint of expectation in her tone.

The event that shook Zoltan was certainly caused by the slaughtering urge brought
about by the impulses from the Axe Demon Divine Protection. If the newly formed
Divine Protection does not have impulses, it would not manifest the urge to slaughter
as well.

“But a nameless Divine Protection huh… in addition to being a completely unknown

Divine Protection, it is clearly different in nature compared to the other Divine
Protections. Instead, I feel a sense of eeriness from the unpredictability.
All Divine Protections have their roles.

The respective skills and impulses of strong and weak Divine Protections, as well as
their names, are all designed such that even we who receive the Divine Protections are
aware that they are meant to allow one to be aware of your own role and to provide
the ability to achieve it.

However, what about the nameless Divine Protection?

“I can’t tell at all, I’d like to hear Godwin’s opinion as a professional Alchemist.”

We discussed as we walked and arrived at Godwin’s room.

As Ruti had blown apart the door into the room filled with alchemist tools, we could
see Godwin’s figure even from outside the room.

Godwin’s shoulders trembled when we entered the room.

“Oh, don’t scare me.”

Godwin breathed a sigh of relief when he knew that it was us who entered the room.

“Godwin, sorry to cut to the chase but I’d like to hear in detail regarding the Devil’s
Divine Protection.”

Although we didn’t know how far we could get to the heart of the matter, we tackled
that medicine introduced by the demon head-on.
“In other words, the Devil’s Divine Protection was originally a medicine that manifests
the nameless Divine Protection. However, a restriction was added to it, causing the
manifestation of the demon Divine Protection and the transfer of Divine Protection
levels to it. In its original form, the user’s innate Divine Protection level will not
decrease and the demon Divine Protection would not manifest even without curse
resistance.”

Godwin concluded his explanation with that.

We were in the midst of listening to Godwin’s thoughts on the Devil’s Divine Protection.

“So the property of suppressing a person’s Divine Protection was retrofitted to it?”

“It’s hard to judge. I think it is also possible that the manifestation of the new nameless
Divine Protection suppresses the impulses from the innate Divine Protection even if it
does not lower its level. However, the original effect of this medicine was only to create
the nameless Divine Protection residing in Ruru-san right now.”

“That means the demon’s explanation to Ruru about how the medicine could increase
Divine Protection leveling efficiency by temporarily reducing her innate Divine
Protection level was not the original intended purpose of the medicine?”

“Since the Divine Protection levels will not be transferred in the first place, the
manifested Divine Protection disappearing after a week and the transferred levels
returning to your innate Divine Protection would probably not happen when using the
original medicine.”

It was getting stranger by the minute.

The demons who improved on this medicine seemed to have altered the compounding
recipe as if wanting to crush the original effect of the medicine.

“What about dependency or drug addiction effects?”

Asked Ruti. She was probably interested in that aspect of the medicine as the person
using it.

Even though she could completely invalidate any effects due to her resistances, there
was the possibility that she might lose her complete resistance if her Divine Protection
level continued to be transferred and lowered by the medicine.

“That depends on the ingredient. Dwarven Black Fire Pepper with high toxicity was
used as an ingredient. Even Zoltan has banned it so it was the hardest ingredient to
procure. Although Big Hawk-san’s hidden storage has quite a number of them now.”

“Are there no substitutes?”

“I am originally nothing more than an alchemist-wannabe affiliated to the Thieves

Guild. Altering a compounding recipe is beyond my ability.”

Godwin used his skill to analyze the medicine and made his conjecture by combining
the information he heard from the Contract Demon and from us.

As a Thieves Guild executive working under Big Hawk, Godwin’s alchemist knowledge
was definitely not abundant.

I thought to myself after I received from Godwin his note on the results of his analysis
skill.

I could not conclude on substituting the ingredient with just this information.

Nonetheless, Ruti’s Healing Hand could completely treat any drug addiction.

Alternatively, there are many high-level Healers in large cities capable of using spells
that can treat the side effect of drugs. It would cost quite a sum of money but that
would be an insignificant amount when compared to the Hero’s assets.

I guess I’ll ignore it for now. Although I plan to solve it someday.

“Referring back to the slaughtering urges of the Devil’s Divine Protection, what do you
think will happen if the nameless Divine Protection level surpasses the innate Divine
Protection level?”

“I can’t say for certain but… as the Axe Demon impulses were the cause of that, I believe
it is fine to assume that nothing will happen for a Divine Protection with no impulses.”

I held the same opinion too.

“So what is the conclusion?”

Asked Tise.

“Let me see, the risk seems to be small for now. There is a need to be aware to not let
your Divine Protection level drop too much but there is little fear that you will develop
homicidal urges.”

Ruti’s eyes widened just slightly.

She was probably afraid that I would forbid her from using the Devil’s Divine Protection.

“In the first place, the dangerous aspects were pretty much all added to the original
medicine by the demons so I was thinking of trying to alter the recipe back to its
original form.”

I didn’t expect my knowledge of medicine to be useful for a situation like this.

I felt a little proud as I watched Ruti make a delighted gesture.

“The next issue would be how Zoltan regards the Devil’s Divine Protection as a dangerous
article because of the disturbance caused by it. If we try to procure unique ingredients
like the Dwarven Black Fire Pepper, the Zoltan authorities would immediately mark us.”

“Why don’t we just grow the ingredients on this mountain?”

Lit said as it came to her mind.

“It is easier said than done as growing a plant imported from another land is extremely
difficult. Well, there is value in trying though.”

“I see.”

“I’ll investigate the possibility of substituting the ingredient as well. It might be possible
that the demons intentionally used ingredients with toxic properties.”
According to Ruti’s story, the demons seem to have devout faith in Demis. It is shocking
but also natural that the demons, who faithfully live according to their Divine
Protection’s wishes, become devotees of the Supreme God Demis.

Those demons held onto the compounding technique for the medicine that creates a
new Divine Protection which opposed the Supreme God Demis’ will. Regardless if it
about the effect of the Devil’s Divine Protection or that they tried to keep the
possibility that it could promote the growth of a person’s innate Divine Protection a
secret, the demons also tried their best to remove the element from the Devil’s Divine
Protection which went against the Supreme God Demis’ will.

Perhaps their choice to use high toxicity ingredients and rare materials were also to
prevent the unintentional spread of this medicine?

Since it had toxicity, apart from those capable of advanced magic, it would have a fatal
impact on ordinary people.

Even so, to think that the demons worship Demis.

I want to have a good long discussion with Ruti someday again. When I was in the Hero
party, I used to discuss late into the night with Ruti, since she didn’t need any sleep,
various facts regarding this world which we discovered during our journey. Since it
has been a long time, maybe I’ll talk to Ruti until I feel sleepy after we return.

I’m looking forward to that.

“Onii-chan, is something the matter?”

Ruti noticed my gaze and tilted her head.

I said it was nothing with a smile.

“I see.”

She nodded slightly.

“Something is here!”

Suddenly, Tise exclaimed quietly but sharply in a manner that only we could hear.
Apart from Godwin, all of us quickly drew our weapons and concentrated our nerves.
Godwin withdrew back in fear after seeing my cue to him to fall back.

“I-I believe I’m safe if you guys are here.”

Godwin said uneasily.

Ruti showed no sign of noticing Godwin’s comment as she slowly approached the door.

With the [Hero] Divine Protection’s extra-sensory skill, Ruti’s five senses such as
vibration, temperature, smell and others possess the same perceptual ability as her
vision.

It was inferior to Tise’s [Assassin] wide-range perception ability but in close-range,

Ruti’s skill which could even see behind the wall was superior.

“Iron Snake.”

Ruti muttered softly.

Something small shot out from the dark entranceway. However, Ruti’s sword swung
down in front of the Iron Snake the instant it shot out and it was split in half before it
even had the chance to use its fangs.

“Iron Snake? Why are they here?”

Ruti’s expression became clouded.

Iron Snake was a type of golem made by magic and alchemy.

It was an Iron Golem that imitates a small snake about 30 cm in length so it had no
power but its selling point was its excellent capability in sneaking around and in
infiltrating through small gaps.

Furthermore, using magic, it had the ability to map the area and convey the information
that it viewed through its eyes to the user. It was a golem used for gathering information
in enemy territories.

“It is a separate kind of artificial golem compared to the clockwork golem seen in
Ancient-Elf ruins. There have been no records of encountering Iron Snakes in Ancient-
Elf ruins.”

“It seems that somebody has infiltrated the ruins. They may have eliminated their
presence with magic but I can still feel slight presence if I concentrate.”

Said Tise. Ugeuge-san popped out from her bag and conveyed something to Tise.

“Ugeuge-san said that two people apart from the Iron Snake stepped on the web it spread
out.”

Ugeuge-san nodded to indicate that was true.

Ugeuge-san, who traveled together with Tise and raised its Divine Protection level,
could apparently grasp the size and shape of the people through the movements of its
web when they touch it.

“Two people huh?”

It was probably a party of two who summoned the Spirit Drake.

It was questionable if they saw us from that brief moment but the opponent has likely
obtained information that their Iron Snake was destroyed.

We had completely no clue who the opponents were.

“…Maybe it is Shisandan.”

Lit muttered with an expression mixed with dark anticipation and unease.
“Hey, wouldn’t it be better if Ruru protects me?”

“You’ll have to make do with me as your guard.”

Godwin asked pathetically.

Ruti and Lit walked in front, followed by Tise, followed by Godwin and I took up the rear
behind Godwin as if to protect him.

“But within this group Apothecary is the most unreliable.”

“You don’t mince your words huh.”

“Because this involves my life!”

Godwin was actually the highest level Alchemist in Zoltan but he would not stand a
chance against the class of opponents that the Hero faces. He was well aware of that
himself.

However, this formation was the product of planning.

*Twitch* Ruti reacted to something behind her.

I immediately tossed a throwing knife from the item bag I borrowed from Lit.

The knife penetrated the Iron Snake that was sneaking up and destroyed it.

Ruti and I did not need words to communicate. I was confident that I could act in
accordance with Ruti’s intention just by watching any slight changes in her gaze.

We were a sibling combination that fought through countless battles. It wasn’t an

exaggeration to claim that I could share Ruti’s extraordinary sensory skill the moment
she detects something.
“Although it can’t be said to be sturdy due to its small size but to be able to destroy an
iron golem with a single knife toss. Just who are you Apothecary? What did you do that
made you have to hide?”

Godwin stared at the Iron Snake that had stopped moving due to its broken head and
said to me in amazement.

“The Iron Snakes have disappeared from this floor.”

Tise used her skill, silently looked for presences and concluded confidently.

We found a total of four Iron Snakes and destroyed them.

However, Tise’s Perception skill detected at least seven Iron Snakes. That meant that
three of them left this floor.

“What about the humans?”

“I can’t pinpoint their location yet because they erased their presence with magic.
However, it seems that one of them is moving to the lower level.”

“They are acting separately?”

Lit sounded like she found it a little unexpected.

That was convenient for us if they were our enemies.

“But the opponent should be aware that their Iron Snakes have been destroyed? Even
if it was Shisandan or somebody not related to the Devil’s Divine Protection or us, they
should understand that there is a threat capable of destroying their Iron Snakes at this
location but they still divide their combat strength?”

“It certainly is strange. It might be that they are using some spell or martial art to mislead
my skill though…”

But was there even a person in this continent capable of hiding from and misleading
Tise, humanity’s strongest [Assassin]?
“We shall stay prepared for the possibility that Tise’s senses were misled but let us act
with the assumption that Tise’s senses are right.”

“All right.”

Ruti nodded to my words.

And then Ruti smiled slightly.

“Hmm?”

“Now’s not the time but it’s been such a long time since Onii-chan directed the party
like this so… I felt happy.”

Ruti looked into my eyes and said that before she returned to her serious expression
and faced ahead.

All members including Godwin felt that abnormality.

“Something is coming!”

Lit gave a sharp warning.

“Ugeuge-san’s web has all been torn down! It is a huge swarm of something the size of
a fingertip!”

“Ruti! Lit! Levitate!”

Ruti and Lit who could cast the Levitate spell quickly applied it to everyone.

We levitated as we waited for the swarm that suddenly appeared.

“Spiders? Ants? Hopefully it is not parasite grubs?”

Godwin proposed the swarms that adventurers often encounter. It would be naive to
make light of bugs. Swarms can’t be defeated using weapons and require area-of-effect
spells or fire so swarms were troublesome opponents that would one-sidedly defeat
novice adventurers.
However, it wasn’t bugs that appeared.

“Hii!”

Godwin raised an involuntary shriek after seeing those things fill the floor.

Even Lit took a breath in and shivered.

“Plague Eyes…”

They took the form of crying human eyeballs. They use the countless red tentacle-like
blood vessels that extend out to crawl across the surface.

That sight alone was horrifying enough but the eyeballs also rupture and burst into
foam after moving for a while.

The spilled liquid would bubble and multiple eyeballs would gush out.

“It is a high-level spell. A type of compound magic using Summoning Magic and
Necromancy Magic. Using the eyes of humans who died with resentment such as death
row prisoners as the medium, the summoned death row prisoner eyes will continue
to summon countless death row prisoner eyes just like that.”

The eyeballs covered the floor as they shed tears and stared up at us as we levitated
in the air.

Even I felt a chill looking at that scene.

“There is no way to control it. It is a spell that is only meant to continuously increase
their number and consume everything on the ground until the effective time is over…
however, because the eyeball swarm was summoned through Summoning Magic, the
summoner will be able to know the location of where their numbers decrease. So I
heard that some people use that property to utilize them as a means to detect
enemies.”

“Does that mean the opponent will discover us if we attacked them?”

“That is not certain because if we were to use indiscriminate wide-area attacks, the
opponent won’t be able to use that information to locate us. Conversely, one could use
levitate to avoid them.”
It was a spell with tremendous effects but it also had its weakness.

As long as we are able to stay afloat until the effective time runs out.

“…Weren’t they searching for our whereabouts using the Iron Snakes?”

“Perhaps our two opponents are not able to share their information?”

Lit and Tise asked and it was certainly a mystery why they used Plague Eyes at such a
timing.

However, as I was pondering it in my head, Ruti found it troublesome and frowned.

“We won’t know even if we think about it so let’s ask the opponent.”

“Eh?”

Ruti made a seal with her left hand.

“Lightning of Judgement.”

“Wha!?”

Violent lightning surged around us.

The Lightning strikes fell onto the eyeballs that filled the floor causing the tears to flood
the ruin ground in an instant.

The Hero’s Divine Protection had bad magic power consumption for spells but her
instantaneous firepower could defeat even those holding superior magic-using Divine
Protections such as Sage. It was a power that made fun of the Magic Warrior-type
Divine Protections which struggle with both sword arts and magic.

Ruti frowned.

“It was defended against.”

The instant she muttered that, Ruti held her sword and charged off.

“Oi! Don’t go alone… Lit, Tise! Protect Godwin and catch up to us later!”
I charged off as well without waiting for their replies.

Ruti should have stopped her habit of acting arbitrarily when I was in the party. I
wonder just how did Ruti fight for over one year after I left the party.

“Ruti!”

“After that corner.”

Chasing after Ruti, I didn’t have a chance to warn her before I jumped around the corner.

I momentarily lost my fighting spirit after seeing the person there.

“Ruti! I finally found you!”

“Ares.”

The person there was the Sage Ares, the person who chased me away from Ruti’s side.

But the current Ares appeared very different from the Ares I remembered.

Ares’ usual appearance that was popular with the women in the Imperial City was now
haggard with unshaven cheeks and messy hair. His eyes were bloodshot and dilated,
causing me to recall the deceased eyeballs that foamed on the ruin floor as they
disappeared.

“Ruti, let us set off to defeat the Demon Lord together. Only Ruti who is the Hero can
save the world. And I need to be by your side for that. Hero and Sage. With the two
greatest Divine Protections combined, we do not have to fear the Demon Lord.”

“Ah, Ares, what happened? Why do you look like that…”

I called out to Ares. As a fussy person, Ares always maintained his appearance even
during journeys so I was quite shocked to see Ares’ unkempt appearance.

“Now, Ruti. Take my hand. Are you thinking that you don’t need any other companions?
That is all right, it is true that Danan and Theodora and Yarandorara and Tise and
Gideon are all nuisances. Trashes who only know how to complain but are not useful
for anything. Let us defeat the Demon Lord with just the two of us. Glorious future
awaits us.”

Ares did not react to my words. His cheeks convulsed and seemed as though it was
cramping as he showed a full-faced smile and extended his hand to Ruti.

“Ares.”

Ruti called Ares’ name softly while looking at him with a slight hint of pity in her gaze.

“Ruti…”

“I will no longer travel with you.”

“Eh?”

“I do not know what lies ahead for me. But my journey with you has already ended.
Because I will no longer move forward as the Hero but as Ruti.”

Ares needed the Hero, not Ruti.

That was why Ruti ended her journey with Ares. They were words of farewell but at
the same time, words from Ruti which showed a distinction toward Ares who traveled
with her for such a long time.

Ares faced down while maintaining the smile on his face.

“Ruti is gentle. Because Gideon is here, you can’t bear to discard a deadweight and chose
a trash Divine Protection holder over me?”

“You’re wrong Ares, Ruti…”

“Silence!!”
Ares made a seal with his left hand.

“Ares!? What… guh!!”

The force fist made from the spell Force Hammer slammed into my body and blew me
off my feet.

My back struck the wall behind me with a violent sound.

The impact caused me to spit out the breath in my lungs and I stopped breathing for an
instant. I fell to my knees without being able to withstand it.

“Now Ruti! It is all right now! Let’s go defeat the Demon Lord!”

Ares raised both his arms grandly toward Ruti. As if he was confident that Ruti would
now leap into his chest.

Ruti did indeed leap forward in that instant.

However, it was not for the sake of hugging him.

“In the end, you don’t understand anything about me at all.”

“Eh?”

Ares looked at Ruti’s sword that had pierced through his own stomach in shock.

“Ah, ahhhhhhh!!!!!????”

Ares screamed.

He seemed to be confused as to what was happening as he gazed dumbfounded at his

overflowing blood.

Ruti pulled her sword out without hesitation.

“I am not gentle.”

“U, uaaaaaaaah, wh-why, are you mistaken, I am the Sage Ares, why did you stab me…”
“I avoided your vitals. You should be able to heal yourself with magic. But this is my
answer. I will not hesitate to stab you with my sword if you hurt the people important
to me. If you had injured Onii-chan severely, I probably would have killed you.”

Ruti said it frankly.

She then turned her heel and head toward me.

“Onii-chan, are you all right? I’ll heal you straight away.”

“A-ah, thanks.”

My injuries were not deep. Force Hammer was a spell that aimed to blow its target
away instead of focusing on destructive force. I would probably only end up with
bruises due to my high Divine Protection level.

“Ru-Ruti… my injuries are more severe… heal…”

Ares appealed to Ruti as he held onto his wound.

Ruti answered without looking back.

“I am Ruti, not the Hero. I will no longer help you.”

Ruti plainly rejected Ares.

Ares was born as the second son to the Duke of Suroa. He had two older sisters. The
eldest son joined the Bahamut Knight Order as a page to earn a name for himself and
served as the spear holder for an elderly knight but died when a stray arrow from a
thief hit him.

The eldest son that passed away had the Divine Protection of [Cavalry] but he died
before possessing a spear or riding a horse so he didn’t have a chance to utilize his skills.

His two older sisters were no longer at home. They sold themselves off to the sons of
rich houses in order to raise their own prestige.

“I’m glad you were born. Sage Ares is our hope.”

That was Ares’ father’s favorite phrase to the young Ares. Ares’ father, the Duke of
Suroa, possessed the Divine Protection of the [Warrior]. Ares only saw his father as
incompetent.

[Sage] was a highest-class Divine Protection capable of using magic from both the
Magician class and Monk class. It could be said to be the strongest Divine Protection
in terms of magic.

Furthermore, the [Sage] also possess the ‘Appraisal’ skill that only the highest-class
Divine Protection of the Monk-class, [Saint], possess.

There was a need to concentrate to activate it but it was a rare skill that could discern
the opponent’s Divine Protection and level.

All countries gave [Sages] hearty welcomes because of the existence of that skill. Ares
was truly the hope of the fallen duke house that had nothing left.

No.

The young Ares despised his family.

He would be promised a certain degree of position just because of the Appraisal skill.
He could probably retrieve land the scale of a lower-rank noble. However, it was
probably insufficient to retrieve items suitable for the prestige of a duke house.

The young Ares despised this country.

Ares, who was able to peek at other’s Divine Protection as he pleased with his Appraisal
skill, noticed that there were two types of humans in this country.

People who did everything perfectly and were full of confidence and people with
dismal faces who did things slowly and made many mistakes.

The difference laid in whether their Divine Protections matched their work. As a person
capable of seeing the Divine Protection of the people around him, Ares reached a
conviction that pursuing the wish of your Divine Protection was the path to happiness.

In that case, how should a [Sage] like himself lead his life?

Ares understood what he must do when he first saw the [Hero].

As the wisest person, he should guide the Hero, fight alongside the Hero and after
killing the Demon Lord, correct this irrational world. He will provide all humans with
the living style that suit their Divine Protections. He would manage the world and
embody Demis’ will.

Ares’ goal was not the revival of his family name. That was only a stepping stone.

Ares wanted to become the Emperor that would govern the world.

“I am the Sage, for this to happen… I have not accomplished anything, I do not have
territory, have not started the revolution, have not begun the holy war, nothing…”

Ares murmured in a daze while watching the blood gush out.

Forgetting that he could heal the wound with magic, he suffered the pain of setback
that he never imagined he would experience as the [Sage].

“Why? What is wrong with the [Hero] living as a hero… Even the [Guide], even though
it was natural to part with that trash Divine Protection at the Imperial Capital, why is
he here? Why am I, the [Sage], alone… bleeding. You fools, why are humans so foolish,
shit, damn it…”

Ares pressed down on his wound and crouched, continuing to spit out curse words as
he clenched his teeth while blood flowed from his mouth.

Even though he knew that it was meaningless, he could not stop the stream of hatred
spewing from his mouth. Nothing has gone as desired since the day he chased Gideon
out of the party.

In other words, that was equivalent to admitting that the trash Divine Protection
[Guide] was more excellent than [Sage]. Furthermore, Ares inevitably proved the
contradiction to his belief that one should live according to their Divine Protection.

The pillar within Ares’ heart started crumbling.

Because he was in that state, Ares failed to notice the shadow that was approaching him.

“Are you all right?”

Upon hearing a voice, Ares turned his ghostly visage due to his blood loss toward the
source of the voice.

A young man with tanned skin stood there.

He had a gently curved single-edged blade on his waist and wore a mantle with iron
plates sewn onto it.

“Who…”

“I am Byuui. An adventurer as you can tell. More importantly, those are some serious
wounds. Are you all right?”

Byuui took out an Extra Cure potion.

After staring at that hand for some time, some light returned to Ares’ eyes and he cast
his own Extra Cure spell.

“Oya, so you can use Healing Magic. I guess I did something unnecessary.”
Ares glared that Byuui who had a thin smile on this face.

“You’re an Asura Demon.”

The ‘Appraisal’ skill that Ares activated detected Byuui’s lack of Divine Protection.

If Ares actually used ‘Appraisal’ when Shisandan was masquerading as Danan, he

would have realized that he was an imposter but as long as ‘Appraisal’ required
concentration to cast, Ares would not use ‘Appraisal’ on people he knew unless he had
suspicions about their identity.

But this time it was different. Ares did not have such a naive personality to trust an
adventurer he met for the first time inside an ancient ruin.

A smile crept onto Byuui… Shisandan’s lips when he saw Ares’ condition.

“As expected of the [Sage], you noticed my true identity.”

Shisandan tickled Ares’ self-esteem.

Ares immediately maintained a posture which allowed him to cast magic at any time.

However, a magic-user fighting on his own was an extremely unfavorable situation.

(First, I have to summon.)

Letting spiritual beasts protect themselves was the play by the book. However, Ares
was already within Shisandan’s range.

Ares felt a chill run down his spine.

(This is all Gideon’s fault!)

But only hatred continued to burn within his heart.

Shisandan took a step back of his own volition as if having seen through Ares’ heart.

“I do not plan to fight you, [Sage].”

“What do you plan to do exactly?”

“I got to watch you get discarded by the Hero.”

“You bastard!!!”

Ares was incensed and reflexively activated his Summon Magic.

A Spirit Dire Tiger flew out with its fangs bared but Shisandan split it cleanly in two
with a simple flick of his sword.

“Calm down. I am not here to laugh at you. How about it, do you want to form a party
with me for a while?”

“Ha? What nonsense. I, a member of the hero party, party up with a demon?”

“Hero party huh?”

Shisandan’s youthful face grinned

Ares felt the blood vessels in his brain pulsate from his anger.

“Do you know why you were chased out from the Hero party?”

“Because there is a fool by the name of Gideon who misleads the Hero.”

“That is right.”

Shisandan affirmed.

Ares did not expect him to agree with him and inadvertently retracted his hostility
toward him.

“If Divine Protections are the roles assigned to us by God Demis, the [Demon Lord]
and [Hero] fighting against each other is destiny, it is the rightful path. We, the Demon
Lord army, also wish that the [Hero] will stand up and fight with the [Demon Lord].”

“…In other words, the [Demon Lord] is just fulfilling his role according to his Divine
Protection.”

“That is right. As the two of them fight, the stagnant power balance between the two
great continents will shift toward one side. But eventually, a new Hero or Demon Lord
will appear and shake the power balance once more and both continents will develop
through those battles. It applies to Divine Protection as well as civilizations, they will
not grow outside of war. That is because the abilities of humans and demons who are
responsible for civilization is decided by the level of their Divine Protection. Large-
scale war will cull the ones with weak Divine Protections and the experience will go
to those with strong Divine Protections. The ones chosen by their Divine Protections
will advance the world to a new era.”

“Divine Protection and civilization are the same… that is… something I have never
considered before.”

In contrast to Ares’ expression lost in wonder, Shisandan was cursing in his heart on
how it was a farce.

Shisandan spoke the ideals of the traditional Demon Lord. To the Asura Demons that
do not hold any Divine Protection, it was nothing more than an absurd farce.

It was ridiculous to think that techniques unrelated to fighting such as agriculture or

engineering would not advance without war. The Asura Demons felt that the Divine
Protections were ridiculous shackles.

Regardless of Shisandan’s inner thoughts, Ares’ hostility toward him had reduced
considerably. Shisandan decided that it was about time he moved into the main topic.

“The legacy of the previous generation Hero lies below this ruin. How about it, we can
always fight after we obtain that first, right?”

“The previous generation Hero’s legacy!?”

“If you pass that to her, the current generation’s [Hero] will probably recall her mission.
She will likely understand that it is worthless to have individuality as the Hero.”

“Individuality? What do you mean… no, more importantly, I can’t hand over the previous
generation Hero’s legacy to a member of the Demon Lord army.”

“But if this current situation continues, the Hero will quit being the [Hero]. If that
happens, any legacy or whatnot will not matter at all.”

“That…”
Shisandan’s figure swayed. His silhouette transformed into a demon with six arms.

“Once you find the legacy, with your intelligence, you might understand what the [Hero]
is. And you might be able to do something about it. Furthermore…”

The demon whispers slowly soaked into Ares’ spirit.

“Even I, an Asura, will find it difficult advancing forward. I need the power of a [Sage],
your power.”

For Ares who was abandoned by Ruti, those words were his weak spot which crumbled
the defensive wall around his spirit.
Ruti and I returned to Lit and the others.

We were able to quickly reunite with the four people who were trying to catch up to
us from behind. After telling them about our encounter and parting with Ares, Lit was
overjoyed, Tise showed a slightly surprised expression while Godwin seemed like he
couldn’t really catch what was happening.

“It is natural that Ares would summon a Spirit Dragon.”

Tise nodded to Ruti’s words.

I too recognize that Ares was humanity’s strongest spell-user but…

“I’m curious about Ares but I’m also worried about the person who was with Ares.”

The person apparently left Ares behind and advanced further underground. Their
subsequent movements were unknown to us.

Tise mentioned that there was another person who was better than Ares in their
ability to eliminate their presence.

We would have gotten an answer easily if we could ask Ares but I gave up on that idea
since it was impossible to do so while he was in such a condition.

“What is the possibility that it is Theodora?”

Lit made the natural guess.

“Normally that would be the case but it is baffling that they would act separately.
Theodora would never act alone in a dangerous area such as an Ancient-Elf ruin. Since
she is the type to prioritize reason over her own feelings.”

“Ah~ that’s true, she does give off that feeling.”

The other person’s action does not tally with the thought process of Theodora that I
was familiar with. Furthermore, I had never heard anything about Theodora having
any knowledge regarding golems such as Iron Snakes.

Although operating golems did not require any skills, it requires a high degree of
knowledge and fine magic control. In theory, all spell-users should be able to operate
them but in reality, not many are actually able to operate them.

The reason why despite their high cost, the handy golems, which do not suffer fatigue
and are able to be mass-produced, can’t replace the labor force was due to the difficulty
in operating them.

“In that case, is it a new companion that Ares found after Ruti left the party?”

“That might be the case.”

We had returned to the room where Godwin placed his alchemic tools as we talked.

I started a fire and made herb tea inside a pot. Both Ruti and I needed some time to
calm down. We remained silent for just a few minutes.

“Hey, until when will I be confined in this ruin? I can compound medicine in another
town if that is all you need me to do.”

Godwin complained softly into the herb tea that was emitting white steam.

However, when Ruti turned over to look at him, he hurriedly corrected himself with
“N-no, not even a month has passed since we came here so it is all right.”. I guess he
was afraid of Ruti after all.

“I’ll think about it.”

Ruti concluded with that and meant that she felt sorry for Godwin’s condition but
those feelings were not conveyed to Godwin at all.

Godwin became increasingly anxious thinking that she misunderstood and apologized
profusely.

Tise and I watched his actions warmly when,

“Then… this is not related to Shisandan?”

Lit whispered to herself.

“Shisandan huh.”

His presence totally skipped my mind from the shock of reuniting with Ares.

“But Ares-sama possess the Divine Protection of the Sage. He would notice a demon
with no Divine Protection.”

“No, Ares will not ‘Appraise’ a person he met before. In Logavia too, he did not notice
that Shisandan infiltrated as Gaius midway through.”

“Currently Shisandan is taking on Danan’s appearance right?”

If that was the case, it might not be strange if he was deceived.

“Then that would mean Shisandan prepared the Iron Snakes. For what purpose?”

I initially thought that he was looking for Ruti. It was easy to assume that the Demon
Lord army was aiming for the Hero.

But Shisandan continued deeper into the ruin despite acquiring the knowledge that
we were here through the Iron Snakes.

If he was planning a surprise attack using Danan’s appearance, instead of using Iron
Snakes, it would have been better if he looked for us together with Ares.

“In that case, he has a separate goal. Rather than us, the Iron Snake was meant to
investigate something inside this ruin.”

Said Ruti.

I nodded and agreed as well.

“That’s right, the squads led by one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Dreadna of the Fire,
has been collecting weapons and treasures from ruins across the lands. Robbing ruins
can be considered one of the Demon Lord Army’s strategy. There is a possibility that
Shisandan came here for that sake.”
However, Dreadna’s squad only conducted their raids within the region controlled by
the Demon Lord Army. Even though Zoltan does not have a large defense force, there
has not been any precedence of the Demon Lord Army raiding ruins so far out from
the front lines.

The mystery still remained.

“Please wait.”

“What’s wrong, Tise?”

“I sensed Ares-sama’s presence move. I faintly sensed another person’s presence as well.”

“What? Did they return from the deeper parts of the ruin?”

Lit stood up.

“If there is a possibility that it might be Shisandan, I can’t let it slip.”

“Yeah, it upsets me to have to meet Ares again but we’ll have to let him know if he is
being deceived.”

Even if we have parted ways, we can’t leave it be if he is being deceived by an Asura Demon.

We set off in search for Ares.

However, we could no longer find Ares on that floor.

“T-this is!?”

Ares was shocked by the sight in front of him and was at a loss for words.

It was a sight that did not match the Ancient-Elf ruin constructed with an unknown rigid
substance.

The devices that were originally in the room have all been destroyed while stone
coffins made from granite lined the room side-by-side.
Desiccated mummified bodies of Wood-Elves laid fully clad in armor and held to their
chest Elf swords that still did not have a speck of rust after over a decade.

“Wood-Elves emphasize on the importance of circulating back to nature. Their custom

is to place their dead in the forest after the ceremony to allow animals to eat them but
I see, there is something ahead which they wish to protect even at the cost of leaving
the circle of life and be forever bound.”

A grin appeared on the mouth of the tanned youth.

“We are near the Hero’s relic.”

Vague anxiety filled Ares’ chest.

Why are the Wood-Elves hiding the previous generation Hero’s relic? The [Hero] ’s
relic should be a symbol of hope. What was the meaning behind strictly concealing its
existence such that not even a single word remained about it?

The two of them advanced deeper into the ruin.

The Wood-Elves glared at the two of them with hollow eyes but Shisandan sneered at
their actions while humming to himself.

The room was filled with hostility that coiled around them. It was so intense that Ares
instinctively felt the chill.

However, they were not undead. Just corpses. In the first place, for the Undead that
does not possess Divine Protection, they would not be able to harm the two of them
no matter how much their physical ability was strengthened.

It happened just as they were about to step past the exit of the room.

The two of them were suddenly struck by a fierce wave of hostility. Shisandan reflectively
drew his sword.

The next instant, an Elf sword came flying toward Shisandan. Shisandan held the
sword he drew with two hands to receive the blow.

It was a sharp blow. Numbness remained in Shisandan’s fingers which held the sword.
“Who is it?”

One of the Wood-Elves sat up loudly.

And then proceeded to collapse to the ground.

“Da-Danan!?”

Ares cried out. The man hiding inside the coffin grinned fearlessly.

“Shisandan, I was able to arrive before you because you took your own sweet time.”

Ares was confused. Danan came with him to this ruin so it was not strange that he would
be here.

However, this Danan had many significant differences compared to the Danan which
Ares met.

In particular, the lack of his right hand was a huge difference.

Moreover, he was confident that this was the real Danan because of the strong presence
which he was exuding.

Ares finally understood.

The Danan that Ares though he reunited with was actually an imposter, it was this Asura
Demon.

“Danan huh? So you’re actually still alive. You have as much life force as a cockroach.”

“Hahaha. That was perhaps meant to be sarcastic but I am proud of my cockroach or

rat-like life force. That strength is also one of the strengths of living beings.”

Danan thrust his left arm out and slowly stepped into range.

“Oi, Ares. This guy is my prey. Don’t interfere.”

Shisandan’s expression did not show any complacency as Danan approached while
enhancing his entire body for battle.
(The numbness in my fingers isn’t going away. Was it a martial art?)

Shisandan realized that the first surprise attack was meant for him to block it. He
could not put strength into his trembling fingers and could only perform clumsy
movements like a beginner who had just held a sword.

(He got me. It’s bad that both my arms are damaged now. Even after returning to my
Asura Demon form, all six of my arms will still not be able to move.)

The Asura Demon is originally a demon with six arms but the damage they receive
while in disguise will still remain.

If one of his arms was cut off in this state, it would be the same as cutting off three of
his arms.

(But, you have lost your right arm too. I wonder if you can still fight properly.)

The moment Danan stepped into Shisandan’s attack range, the single-armed Martial
Artist and the Asura Demon kicked off the ground and charged at each other at the
same time.

Danan deflected with his left hand the sword which Shisandan swung down as he
charged over.

The next instant, while still in the parrying position, like a whip, Danan’s left arm
switched direction and caught Shisandan’s face.

“Agh!?”

Shisandan stumbled backward.

He immediately tried to raise his sword but Shisandan lost strength and fell to one knee.

“Ah, right.”

Danan said as he looked down at Shisandan.

“I don’t intend to forgive you and will kill you here but I have to thank you.”

“What?”
“Thank you for making me notice how lazy I’ve been with my left hand. I never would
have known that my left hand could move like this if I didn’t try. Thanks to that, I am
now stronger than you.”

Ares could tell from Danan’s combat style during their journey that he was not bluffing.

Even though it was absurd, this Martial Artist maniac actually became stronger after
losing his right arm.
The battle progressed with Danan holding the advantage.

Shisandan delivered strikes one after the other with his talwar sword but his movements
were dull.

The ‘Collapsing Angle Fang’ martial art that Danan released as his surprise attack caused
both of Shisandan’s arms to be in a half-paralyzed state.

“Ora! You’re open! ‘Rampaging Demonic Kick’!”

A strong back kick wrapped in Ki was thrust at Shisandan’s stomach.

Shisandan’s body flew into the air along with the shock from the martial art, slamming
into the wall behind him and he supported himself with both his hands as he fell to
the floor.

“Oraora!!”

Danan showed a ferocious grin as he continued his onslaught of violent kicks without
giving Shisandan time to stand up.
Shisandan who had collapsed on the ground could not retaliate at all and could only
defend one-sidedly.

“Ares!”

Shisandan called out Ares’ name.

His plea was evident… he was asking for aid.

“……”

Ares did not move.

He was asking him to attack Danan, a member of the Hero party and someone he traveled
with?

Impossible, impossible, impossible… Ares’ thoughts were in a mess.

“Ares!”

Shisandan called out to Ares once again. Ares crouched down and covered his ears. He
wanted to forget everything. He didn’t want to think about anything.

[Think, act, do not idle, advance, you are the Sage, your choices are always right, precisely
because you are the Sage.]

Ares’ own emotions were painted over by the impulses from [Sage]. Ares did not have
the freedom to let others choose. He always had to think for himself and act accordingly.
Even when his Divine Protection does not tell him which choice to make.

To act like a [Sage]. That Divine Protection called out to Ares.

“Ares! Help me!”

Shisandan cried out for the third time. He was bathed in countless blows from Danan
and was desperately defending as his blood flowed freely.

The battle will come to an end soon. It held the meaning that Ares, who has been
banished from the Hero party, would never be able to return to it.
That’s right, so there was no need to think about it after all.

“Gargantua Storm Javelin!”

Danan is a simple man. Similar to his own experience, Ares was trick by Shisandan as
well. That was why, once he knew the true identity of Shisandan, he would naturally
be hostile toward Shisandan.

That was all he thought about. Regardless of how much he hated Ares, he believed in
the goodness within Ares as a member of the Hero party.

“Wha!? Ares! You bastard!?”

It was a black cloud spear that was the condensation of a huge storm that could cover an
entire country. An advanced spell that only superior spell-user Divine Protections could
utilize.

In an instant, Danan, whose reaction was delayed, reflexively bend his body to avoid a
direct hit.

However, huge electric shock from the power of the lightning that wrapped around
the spear which could rend a hundred-year-old tree ran through Danan’s body.

“Ugaaaaaaa!!!!”

Danan’s body stiffened from the lightning strike. Danan’s vision blacked out for a brief
second from the pain and flash of light.

During that brief moment, fresh blood splattered across the air.

“Gu…”

Shisandan’s talwar cut deep into Danan’s flank.

“Explode.”

When Shisandan muttered that, his talwar exploded.

The explosion ripped the wound open and the heat and shock destroyed Danan’s body
from the inside.
“I believe even you won’t be able to survive having your insides destroyed.”

Nevertheless, Danan did not collapse.

Disregarding the blood that spilled to the floor from his wound, Danan wordlessly ready
his clenched left fist.

“Humans are so interesting. I have never seen a [Martial Artist] such as yourself. Your
strength surpasses your Divine Protection.”

Shisandan slowly stood up and formed a seal with his left hand. His body swelled
greatly and returned to his original large frame of about two and a half meter tall.

Six well-trained arms. His tanned face returned to that of a demon with fangs.

Shisandan drew the five swords he had on his waist one after the other and displayed
the original six sword martial art style of the Asura Demon.

Danan lowered his posture to meet his attack. His eyes were hollow but he had not lost
his will to fight.

The six swords assaulted him consecutively like a tornado. Every single blow was filled
with enough power and killing intent to split even a large elephant in half.

However, despite having wounds all over his body and partially losing consciousness,
Danan could still respond to the murderous tornado with only his left hand as he broke
the swords one by one.

Danan was still able to skillfully execute his martial arts which was said to be able to
rend steel with just his fingers even in his current half-dead state.

“You martial artist freak. But.”

Shisandan’s right feet twisted like a snake.

All of Danan’s efforts were put into defending against the sword strikes so Shisandan’s
right feet slammed into Danan’s chest.

“Gah, bu…”
Danan felt an intense pain in his chest.

When Shisandan pulled back his right feet, a broken sword tip could be seen protruding
from Danan’s chest.

“I specialize in martial arts too. Although you might only see it as acrobatics.”

Shisandan said with a laugh. Before he kicked, he grabbed a broken sword tip that was
in the air with his toes and thrust it into Danan’s chest using the momentum of his kick.

“Na… h… that was… martial arts…”

Danan did not seem to care about Ares’ spear as he glared at Shisandan with a slight
grin on his lips.

And finally, Danan exhausted his energy and collapsed on the floor.

Ares found that he was surprisingly calm when he saw Danan collapse.

Ares felt that his own psychology was bizarre as he imagined that he would be a lot
more shaken and be stricken with guilt for attacking his companion and betraying him.

(No, that’s not it, it is because I am used to it. This is not the first time I betray a
companion after all.)

Gideon’s face appeared in Ares’ head.

(We go a long way back.)

Ares joined the party when Ruti came to the Imperial Capital. In the current party, he
was the most senior member after Gideon. He had also adventured with Gideon the
longest if he excluded Ruti.

The two of them survived through life-and-death battles many times and had saved
each other from death countless times.

While Ares hated Gideon, he trusted Gideon’s ability. Ares was most probably the
person who best understood Gideon’s greatness.
(That is precisely why I chased Gideon out.)

With Gideon around, Ares can’t be the [Sage]. Ruti will never trust him and his
companions will never rely on him. Even without skills, Gideon was still a lot more
sagacious than he was.

Ares finally understood the reason he chased Gideon out.

“Ares, thanks.”

The huge Asura Demon thanked Ares.

The choice, once made, can never be reversed. Ares chose the path of betrayal to
proceed with Shisandan and regain the [Hero] that was snatched from him.

“Let’s proceed. It is ahead, right? The Hero’s relic.”

“Yes, I believe so.”

Ares disregarded the collapsed Danan and continued deeper into the ruin along with
Shisandan.

Elaborate traps were set directly in front of the room at the deepest parts of the ruin
but they were easily disarmed when Shisandan channeled magical power to the
Ancient-Elf control panel next to him.

It was unthinkable that the control panel for such powerful traps could be operated so
easily. Just operating the Ancient-Elf ruin control panel required immensely delicate
magical power manipulation.

However, the items placed within the golden box which was likely made by the Wood-
Elves blew all other thoughts from Ares’ mind.

“The-these are!?”

There were five long swords. Ares recognized those long swords.

“The Holy Sword of Demon Vanquishing! Bu-but this.”

The artifact-class long sword Ruti held, The Holy Sword of Demon Vanquishing. A
sword passed down from God to successive generations of Heroes, a sacred and
invincible sword that had slain many Demon Lords.

There were five other such swords even though there should only be one such Holy
Sword in the world.

“No, that’s not it. These are not Holy Sword of Demon Vanquishing.”

Shisandan denied his claim.

“The current Holy Sword of Demon Vanquishing is a forgery of the previous generation
Hero’s sword that was taken out from his grave. These are the original that were
bestowed by God.”

“The-then, these are the real swords?”

“Yes. To differentiate, let’s call them the True Avenger, no, the Sacred Avenger.”
(TLN: Holy Sword of Demon Vanquishing = Avenger)

Shisandan discarded the empty sheathes on his waist and extracted the Sacred Avengers
one by one from the box and hung four of the swords on his waist.

Then, he passed the last one to Ares.

“In the first place, the Hero Divine Protection is similar to the Imitation Avenger that
the Hero is carrying now. In other words, it is a replica of the first generation Hero’s
soul made by God.”

“Soul? Replica?”

“There are two tasks in order to make the current generation Hero become the [Hero].”

“Two…”

That was Ares’ goal. Ares gripped the handle of the Sacred Avenger.

“The first is to pass this Sacred Avenger to this generation’s Hero. The Avenger is
similar to the Proof of the Hero in that it has the power to strengthen the Hero’s Divine
Protection. Once the Divine Protection is strengthened, the impulses will similarly be
strengthened. The impulses weakened by the Devil’s Divine Protection will probably
recover as well.”

“Th-then, that means Ruti will return to my side!?”

“No, that alone is not sufficient. Originally, the [Hero] is an apparatus that embodies
justice. It feels no fear, no confusion, no hesitation. For that sake, it was given a strong
impulse that would override the host’s ego.”

“Then what would the second task be?”

“Why is the current generation’s Hero not the [Hero] but Ruti? That is because Ruti
has feelings that she can’t fulfill. It is because she holds a desire that she wishes to
accomplish even at the cost of the pain from the impulses.”

“…In other words, Gideon.”

Shisandan heard Ares’ mutter and nodded with satisfaction.

Around that time, Gideon, or rather Red and his companions were advancing forward
to chase after Ares.

“I sense somebody battling far away.”

Red and party quickened their pace after receiving that warning from Tise.

However, at that time, Red still had no idea that Ares had already chosen a completely
different path.

Their confrontation was inevitable.

We ventured deep into the ruins.

Although Ruti had never explored deep into the ruins as well, the defensive clockwork
golems had all stopped functioning so we were not hindered.

Only an eerie silence hung in the ruins.

“He-hey, small girl.”

Godwin called out to Tise with a pathetic voice.

Tise glanced back at Godwin.

“Aren’t I a total deadweight? Wouldn’t it be better if you protect me as we wait outside

the ruin?”

“And I have to wait outside as well?”

“I can’t protect myself after all… Hey, I’m begging you, I can’t feel safe here with you all.”

“There is no place safer than here.”

Tise said expressionlessly.

Godwin hung his head dejectedly but he had no intention of escaping from the depths
of the Ancient-Elf ruin on his own so he obediently followed us.

While that conversation went on as we moved forward, we eventually reached a large

hall-like room.

There were magical eternal lanterns hanging from the ceiling along with three lift
devices which led to the lower floor lined next to each other in front of us.
There seemed to used to be some kind of a sign above them but only traces remained
of somebody forcibly peeling them off.

I wondered if it was done in a fit of anger by the Wood-Elves that reached this point
as the tables and chairs placed in the hall were all destroyed. Ancient-Elf furniture is
extremely sturdy so they can’t be destroyed completely unless by magic or skill but
did the Wood-Elves see something that caused them to fail to control their anger?

We suddenly heard a clank.

It was the sound of the lift device moving. The force field made through Ancient-Elf
magic that still remained since ancient times activated and we could hear the lift
device approach by sliding on the rail.

“Is it Ares?”

As I was about to draw my copper sword, a shining silver long sword was passed to me
from the side.

Ruti held out my favorite sword from the past, Thunder Waker.

“So you held onto it for me? I was sure it would have been sold.”

“There’s no way I would sell it. It is Onii-chan’s sword.”

I hesitated slightly to grip the sword.

That was a symbol of when I was in the Hero party. It was a complete opposite to my
current life.

However, I firmly gripped the handle of Thunder Waker. If Lit was returning as an
Adventurer temporarily to seek vengeance, I shall also return as Gideon temporarily.

“Thank you.”

I thanked her briskly and swung the sword once to ascertain my ability to wield it.

It felt completely different from the copper sword I used in Zoltan. My skill ‘Weapon
Focus 【Long Sword】’, which was not activated by the copper sword, was activated
and I remembered the feeling of becoming one with the sword.
“Now then.”

The lift device would reach us soon.

The brakes engage with a clang and the solid door began to open by itself.

But it wasn’t Ares.

“It’s been a long time, my beloved pupil.”

It was a person with the appearance of Logavia’s Royal Guard Captain, Gaius, Lit’s mentor,
who spoke with a voice that Lit knew very well.

“You will not defile that appearanceee!!!!!”

Lit screamed and charged forward swinging her shotel.

“Wait! That’s not it!!”

Ruti warned her sharply.

But by that time, Lit had already cut Shisandan who was inside the lift device.

“!?”

Shisandan who took on Gaius’ form did not shake at all upon receiving Lit’s attack. Lit
did not feel any feedback from her sword as if having cut through the air.

“It’s an Illusion Decoy! The real body…”

Shisandan, in his invisible state, swung his sword down at Lit’s back.

However, Lit quickly turned around and parried the sword which she shouldn’t have
been able to see. After all, Lit also boasts the ability to be called Hero Lit.

The collision between the swords dispelled Shisandan’s invisibility and he came into
view.

“Tch.”
Shisandan clicked his tongue and rotated two of his six arms to his back.

He crossed his two swords and defended against my slash directed at his back.

“What will you do Asura Demon? You planned to trap Lit but now you are pincered.”

Lit had nowhere to escape to because she was within the lift device.

However, Shisandan who was blocking the entrance to the lift device was also in a
disadvantageous position sandwiched between me and Lit.

(Leaving that aside, is that an Elvish sword? That is an unusual choice for demons.
Furthermore, I’m worried about the other four sheathed swords on his waist.)

After having my blow defended against, I took half a step back and swung my sword once
again.

The Asura Demon opened both its feet and defended against Lit and my sword blows
with all six of its arms.

Suddenly, I felt a tinge of discomfort coming from the back of my head.

“Magic!?”

I quickly took on a defensive posture.

“Paralyze Flame!”

The room wall on one side disappeared and there was a wall directly behind it.

It looked like he made an illusionary wall in front of the wall’s original position and
created a space to hide.

Toxic flames danced across the floor aiming for me and Lit.

That was an attack magic which would paralyze the victim once touched. Lit and I both
do not possess paralysis resistance. Lit could attempt to resist it using her Spirit Magic
but I could only rely on my high Divine Protection level to endure it.

However, that was only if the opponent was somebody of about the same ability.
Against humanity’s strongest spell-user, the possibility of resisting was virtually none.

“Ares!!”

It was Sage Ares who released the spell, wearing a foreign sword on his waist. That guy,
did he lose his mind and pair up with Shisandan!?

“Die! Gideon!”

The flames approached. But a shining white film wrapped around us.

“Sacred Magic Shield.”

Ruti’s left hand was formed into a seal.

Ruti, as a veteran in the fight against the Demon Lord Army, had likely anticipated and
prepared for the possibility of Ares’ betrayed and was not fazed by it.

“Ares, I will still forgive you if you stand down now. Surrender.”

“Ruti, it is still not too late. Please say that you will resume the Hero journey with me.”

The two of them formed seals once again at the same time.

“Gargantua Storm Javelin!”

“Thunder of Justice!”

A storm javelin and a thunder of justice.

The aftermath from the collision between the Sage and Hero, two of the strongest
spell-users, forced Shisandan and me to halt our battle for a short moment.

The fierce impact caused cracks to run through the Ancient-Elf structure which was
supposed to possess incomparable toughness.

“We are equals in terms of magic.”

Ruti muttered. At the same time, their magic struggled to overpower one another and
dispersed.
In that case, I wondered if I should be impressed with Ares who could use magic at the
same level as the Hero or be amazed by Ruti who could use magic that could oppose
humanity’s strongest spell-user despite being a vanguard.

The spell-users of the world would probably mourn their Divine Protection if existences
like Ruti were commonplace in the world.
“I-I will not die hereeeee!!!”

Godwin suddenly started running away. There was a distinct look of fear on his face.

“This does not involve me! You heroes should keep your fights between heroes!!”

Godwin’s mental spirit probably couldn’t withstand the fight which threatened to
explode out of control with a single touch.

He ran toward the exit with desperation showing on his face.

“Wait! Don’t move on your own!”

I hurriedly shouted after him but the panic-driven Godwin did not register my warning.

“Summon!”

Ares cast his magic with a smile.

When Godwin reached the exit, magical power gathered in front of his eyes and formed
a large shadow.

“Hiii!?”

Godwin screamed upon seeing the green scaled-drake appear in front of his eyes and
fell on his rear.

The Spirit Drake summoned through Ares’ magic bore its uniform row of razor-sharp
fangs as it opened its mouth wide and approached Godwin.

He was in danger but if I moved to help, Lit would be cornered by Shisandan so I could
not move!
“Gyagaaaaaaa!?”

However, Godwin did not fall prey to the Spirit Drake.

A throwing knife pierced the drake’s right eye and it twisted its body as it howled.

“Staying beside us is the safest so please remain nearby.”

It was Tise who threw the knife.

She stood between the drake and Godwin without any change in her expression.

“Wi-will you be okay? Your opponent is a drake you know!?”

Godwin could only see the stark difference in physique between the young girl smaller
in size compared to himself and the colossal drake in front of his eyes.

Godwin commented uneasily.

“My Divine Protection is certainly not suited for these circumstances.”

“He-hey!?”

“I will have to take about a minute.”

Naturally, Tise would never be defeated by something like a Spirit Drake.

The only difference was that she would have to spend the longest time among the
Heroes assembled here excluding Godwin to defeat the Spirit Drake. The Assassin
Divine Protection had many skills that worked better in favorable conditions. They did
not excel in circumstances when they have to fight while protecting somebody.

Nevertheless, Tise’s ability was above that of a Spirit Beast summoned through the
strongest spell.

Tise’s words held a strong power. Godwin did not say anything more and could only
stare in blank amazement at Tise’s back as he remained on the ground, having lost the
strength in his waist and couldn’t stand up.
(It has proceeded as planned so far…!)

Just as Ares planned, Ruti was fighting on her own.

Ruti had pulled away from her companions and was dealing with Ares on her own.

The feeling of Ruti’s hostility directed at only himself made Ares feel terror that shook
him to his bones but at the same time, a strange feeling of exhilaration.

(Even though Ruti was this helpless with that Alchemist man around, he moved
toward the exit along with Tise. Continuing to defend against my spells in this spread
out formation will be too large a burden even for the Hero. In that case, she should
choose to perform a quick attack with her sword. I will be able to use magic on Gideon
before she is able to reach me but I would not be able to protect myself if I do so. Ruti
will move with the assumption that I will protect myself.)

Ares touched the Sacred Avenger on his waist with his right hand.

(That is my true aim. According to Shisandan, as long as I draw this sword and touch
any part of Ruti’s body with it, the Hero Divine Protection will be strengthened. Ruti
will be incapacitated in this fight once she returns to being the Hero. Because if one
considers efficiency, partnering with me should be the best choice. As a Hero, she
should not hold any hostility toward me!)

All the others were small fry as long as Ruti didn’t act. Ares would be wary if it was
Danan, Theodora or Yarandorara but the members here were just the Hero party
dropouts Gideon and Lit as well as Tise who was a fill-in.

Ares was confident of his victory.

Lit and I struck Shisandan from the front and back.

(This guy is stronger than when we fought him previously.)

Shisandan fluidly redirected Lit and my consecutive collaborative strikes despite us

holding the advantage from the pincer maneuver.

He was not an opponent that we could defeat quickly. But we could not take our time
either.

(Ruti!)

Even though I was in the midst of fighting with Shisandan, I was still concerned about Ruti.

At that moment, Ruti was dealing with Ares on her own.

Given normal circumstances, Ares should not have any chances of winning. But Ares
should be well aware of that fact.

However, given how he did not escape toward Shisandan or toward the Spirit Drake
in that situation, he probably had some kind of a plan.

“Shisandan, what is the sword both you and Ares have on your waists?”

“Ho, as expected of Gideon, so you noticed.”

Shisandan said with admiration.

“You will know very soon.”

A large grin appeared on Shisandan’s face.

The next instant, Shisandan and I, and most likely every member present there felt the
fear of death.

For a brief moment, we unconsciously forgot about our battle and looked back to
watch Ruti standing in the center of the room.

“Martial Arts: Great Whirlwind”

Ruti wielded her herculean strength granted by her Divine Protection and powerfully
and swiftly swung her sword as if drawing a circle.

A shockwave pulsed through the air. Leaving deep scars in the sturdy walls of the ruins.

Perhaps it was an ability of the Hero Divine Protection but the slash from Ruti’s weapon
did not affect us at all.

But her opponents will be mercilessly battered by the whirlwinds formed from her
sword slash.

“Hii, hiiiii.”

That sound came from Godwin.

The head of the Spirit Drake rolled onto the ground in front of his eyes and released
light as it disappeared.

“Power of this extent…”

The next voice came from Shisandan.

All six of the Wood-Elf swords he used for defense were completely crushed. Furthermore,
blood flowed from his two lower arms and they dangled weakly by his side.

“Ah, ah…”

The last voice came from Ares.

He seemed to have used the sword he had on his waist to defend himself on the spur
of the moment so he was unharmed.

However, the body of the sword was miserably crushed and was ruined.

“Im-impossible.”

Ares trembled in fear.

I guess that was a trump card meant to deal with Ruti?

Shisandan, who had been sporting a complacent expression all this time, showed a stiff
expression as well.
But Shisandan merely spat a short sigh and regained his previous expression.

“Ares, I will handle Ruti. We will proceed like this.”

“Eh, ah.”

“The sword breaking was unexpected but I did anticipate the possibility of you failing.
It’s not an issue.”

Shisandan stamped his foot down on the ground.

“What’s the matter Shisandan? You look like you have lost your calm.”

I provoked Shisandan. It would be great if this could mess up his pacing but he was
not such an easy opponent.

“Yeah, I’ll admit that. Your younger sister is a dangerous existence. That is exactly why
I can’t allow her to be anything else other than the Hero.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Watch out!”

Tise cried out as Shisandan and I were glaring at each other.

“Something is coming from below!”

“Below!? This is bad Lit! Run!”

“Eh?”

I tried to rush over to Lit’s side but Shisandan stood in my way. Shisandan also
prevented Lit from exiting the lift device.
“Come on, stay here for awhile.”

“Move!”

My sword was stopped by the sword Shisandan drew from his waist.

“What, that’s the Avenger!?”

My attention was drawn toward Shisandan’s sword for a moment. It was only for a
short period of about three seconds.

But that short moment was undeniably time that I had lost.

The battle that would begin now lasted shorter than 30 seconds. When comparing to
30 seconds, three seconds was irrefutably time that I couldn’t afford to lose.

First, the lift device floor burst upward.

“A second Spirit Drake!?”

A Spirit Drake clad in armor appeared in the narrow space of the lift device and started
attacking Lit with its mouth open.

Lit swung her shotel at the Spirit Drake’s face while in an unstable posture.

But Lit stopped her attacks in shock when she saw the figure grabbing hold onto the
back of the Spirit Drake’s neck.

“Yo-you are!”

“Holy Chain”

“Wha! Eh!?”

Lit’s body was bound by a holy chain. It was a powerful Covenant Magic that even Hero
Lit was unable to resist.

“Theodora! Why!!”

Ignoring Lit’s cry, Theodora wielded her spear and jumped from the lift device.
Ruti perceived it was an emergency and rushed toward the direction of the lift device.

Theodora’s spear and Ruti’s Holy Sword clashed and their movements came to a halt.

“Why?”

Ruti asked with an incredulous expression.

“I am sorry but the world needs a Hero. I don’t mind if you hate me. I will split my stomach
to apologize once this battle ends. I will offer this life if it can compensate for it. But Hero-
sama! You are the only person capable of saving the world!”

Those words caused Ruti to hesitate. Theodora who was physically inferior was pushing
Hero Ruti back.

Theodora’s Spirit Drake attempted to sink its fangs into Lit who was still bound by the
chain.

“Lit!!!!”

Now wasn’t the time to worry about my own safety!

I abandoned defense and thrust my sword forward in order to break past Shisandan.

However, Shisandan did not attempt to block me and dodged to the side fluidly.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

(A trap!?)

I was lured in. This was akin to dancing on top of Shisandan’s palm.

But, but, but!

“Thunderwaker! Pierce my foe!”

I yelled with fighting spirit as my sword directly pierced through the Spirit Drake’s neck
until the crown of its head and the momentum propelled me into the lift device.

The Spirit Drake died instantly. The drake could no longer exist in the current realm and
its figure slowly dissipated.

As I grabbed hold of Lit and was about to leap out, at the corner of my eye, I could see
Ares with a victorious grin on his face.

Tise threw two knives in order to halt Ares’ casting.

Ares used his left arm as a shield to cover his face. Fresh blood poured out from Ares’
left arm.

However, the pain was suppressed by the desire for victory that rushed to his head.

“This is the end! Iron Wall!”

The lift device that Lit and I were on creaked. The sound came from the ceiling.

Ares magically created a massive amount of steel clumps on top of the lift device. The
appearance of a load that far exceeded the weight endurance of the lift device caused
the brakes to crumble.

“Red! Run!!”

With ‘Lightning Feet’, I might have been able to escape on my own. If I released my grip
on Lit.

I would not be able to save Lit even if I remained there.

If I was still Gideon, I probably could have come up with the most efficient choice.

“I’m sorry Lit.”

But now, I was Red. Even if I wielded Thunderwaker once again, I was no longer the
person who was content with living through grueling adventures every day.

I did not know if I would reach but I did not let go of Lit as I leaped out of the lift device.

“Onii-chan!!”

Ruti no longer hesitated. She clearly recognized Theodora who was in front of her eyes
as an enemy.
The Holy Sword which was swung with both hands cleaved through Theodora’s spear
and tore a deep wound through her flank along with the half-plate that she was wearing.

“As expected of Hero-sama… that is why, I…”

The appearance and defeat of Theodora, humanity’s strongest Covenant Magic-user

and expert spear-wielder, took only a short 30 seconds.

But that was a decisive 30 seconds.

“I’ve won! This time I have finally won against Gideon!”

In the midst of Ares’ cry of delight, Lit and I plunged downward along with the lift as it
was crushed by the lump of steel.

Living with the Divine Protection of the Hero, most of Ruti’s emotions have been in a
suppressed state since birth.

In particular, she possessed complete immunity toward ‘fear’ since Divine Protection
level 1 so Ruti had completely no idea what fear felt like.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!”

That was the first cry of fear that came from Ruti since birth.

Her most beloved person died. He died in front of her eyes. She would never be able
to see him ever again. He would never call her name ever again. She would never be
able to touch his warm body ever again.

And this happened after she thought that she could finally convey her feelings to him.
Even though the days to come were supposed to be a slow life where nothing happens
and she would be able to spend time with her loved one.

Something within Ruti broke. Ruti had lost the something that supported her to continue
living in this hell called life.

“That’s it.”
Shisandan lifted his four Sacred Avenger and stared at the dazed Ruti.

“You, who are no longer a Hero, will be shaken by Theodora’s betrayal and the death
of your brother. It is only in that moment that my strength surpasses yours. All the
groundwork was for this exact moment!”

Even under that circumstance, Ruti still intercepted Shisandan with the Avenger. She
parried Shisandan’s attacks with pinpoint accuracy.

…The dying cries of the Holy Sword echoed in the room.

“It is praiseworthy that you could break the Sacred Avenger that Ares was holding
while using that imitation. You have truly surpassed the realm of the Hero. But you
must pay an equivalent price.”

A crack formed in the middle of the blade of the Avenger that Ruti was holding.

“Your sword was already damaged from that strike against the Sacred Avenger.”

Shisandan swung his sword in a circle and sliced through the floor around Ruti and
himself.

Ruti, who was staring at her broken sword with hollow eyes, and Shisandan disappeared
into the space below the room.

Laughter resounded in the room that had gotten quiet.

“Ku-kukuku, ahahahahahah!!!!!!”

Ares laughed maniacally.

“I’ve won! With this, I can once again resume my journey with Ruti! See, I am better
than Gideon! This is proof! He is dead while I am alive! The winner and the loser! The
Sage and the idiot! Ahahahahaha!!!!!!”

Ares laughed as he formed a seal with his right hand.

“Cutter Tornado!”
A tornado formed with countless wind blades hidden within.

The tornado deflected the knives that Tise threw once again and it directly attacked Tise.

“Kyaaaaaa!!!!!”

Her entire body was shredded and Tise collapsed into a sea of her own blood.

“A lowly Assassin like yourself actually direct your blade at me, your client?”

“…Why?”

“Hah?”

“Ares-sama likes Ruti-sama right? How could you do something like this?”

“I don’t get you. Ruti is the Hero right?”

Because she is a Hero, any kind of sacrifice is permissible in order to be a Hero. Ares
claimed that was the best for Ruti’s happiness.

Tise clenched her teeth. She ignored the blood flowing from her wounds as she stood
and drew her short sword.

“Hou, amazing. I would not have been able to stand. Nevertheless, you are causing
yourself unnecessary pain. If you just laid there, you would probably get away with your
life? As long as you don’t die from blood loss.”

Entrusting Ruti-sama to such a man? That was out of the question.

Even if the world and God Demis-sama who bestows the Divine Protections allow it, I
will never allow it.

Ruti-sama is my friend before she is the Hero. She is certainly strong. But she is also
clumsy, acts off-point… and falls in love.

Ruti-sama is a regular girl! I will never entrust my friend to a man who does not
understand that!

But Tise’s body disregarded her will and collapsed. Ares laughed as he looked at her
appearance.

Tears flowed from both of Tise’s eyes from frustration.

Because Tise cried, ‘he’ stood in her place and stepped in front of Ares.

“Ha?”

The tiny spider jumped out of the bag and raised both its arms as it stood in front of Ares.

Its opponent was mighty, it didn’t have any allies, its chances of winning was none.

But what about it! Ugeuge-san faced the ‘villain’ that hurt its friend with its measly body.
After seeing that tiny figure, the final remaining person stood up as well.

“Ku, uooooo! Mongrel!!”

Godwin cried as he threw thunderstones and smoke bombs. The roaring sound and
smoke assaulted Ares.

Godwin did not understand the meaning behind this fight. In the first place, he was
forcibly dragged here, confined to this place and had accumulated a ton of
dissatisfaction. Just a while ago, he decided that this had nothing to do with him and
tried to escape so now he pondered deeply the reason he was doing this.

Furthermore, Godwin was a villain. He was Big Hawk’s right-hand man and had
perpetrated acts that others despised countless times. He was the main criminal in
working together with a demon to distribute a dangerous analgesic.

Nevertheless, he held the belief that a villain has a villain’s way of thinking. There was
a line he found unforgivable.

“I-I am also a villain! But even I can’t forgive a villain who does not consider himself a
villain!! That is the only thing I can’t stand!”

Godwin’s teeth clattered loudly from fear but nevertheless, he still drew his dagger
capable of casting the darkness spell and barked.

Ares was exasperated when he saw that.

“Worthless trash. This is why I hate brainless idiots. Force Shot.”

The force punch blew Godwin away along with the smoke and magical darkness,
slamming him into the wall and he became still as he bled.

Ares confirmed with his eyes that Godwin was a small fry and lifted his foot.

Then, he stomped on Ugeuge-san on the floor, who was raising both its arm, without
any hesitation.

“There’s no way you guys can win.”

There was no longer anybody who could oppose him.

All that was left was to listen to Gideon’s wretched end as he gets crushed beyond
recognition underneath the steel wall. The same sound as the miserable arachnid that
he was crushing right now.

The lift was about to reach the lower level’s floor. Red and Lit would have died in just a
few seconds.

“Fuuuuu.”

The large man with wounds all over his body focused all his will into his remaining left
arm.

He did not look at the lift that was approaching overhead as he formed an image of
exploding the energy he transferred from both his feet out through his left arm.

“I don’t really get difficult matters. What Gideon is thinking, what Hero-sama is thinking,
what is right and what is wrong, only I would probably not understand anything at all.”

Danan clenched his fist. The wounds that were sealed by the Cure Potion opened once
again and caused him to bleed.

“But, only in this aspect, I can proudly say that I have confidence in!”

Danan focused all the martial arts he had cultivated until now and thrust his fist into
the air.

“Martial Art: Rising Dragon Howl!!”

A dragon rose from his left arm. This was Danan’s ultimate martial art which he used
to pierce a huge hole and sink a Pirate’s galley ship using only his fist.

The dragon broke through the lift and disintegrated the thick lump of steel as it continued
to rise even further upward.

“Gideon! And Lit! You guys are my friends! That’s why I will help you! That’s why I will
not let you die! Only that is absolute! I won’t let anybody tell me otherwise!!”
“This is… Danan?!!”

Perhaps because Theodora lost consciousness, the holy chain binding Lit was
dispelled but with the skills we had, we had no way of dealing with the large mass over
our heads while we were free falling in a lift with nowhere to escape.

I was about to be convinced that it was the end and give up but a dragon made of ‘Ki’
pierced through from below and destroyed the large mass of steel above our heads.

“Lit, grab on!”

“Yes!”

We rode on the dragon and stood back-to-back as we repelled the falling steel fragments
together with our swords.

“Danan! That guy always appears when it counts!”

We grabbed hold of Danan’s dragon and returned to the upper level in one go.

Once again, Lit and I confronted Ares.

“Ares!!”

The situation in the hall had changed completely by the time we returned.

Shisandan and Ruti were nowhere to be seen. There was a hole in the room. The two
of them probably dropped below.

Theodora had collapsed near the lift. She seemed to have fainted.

Tise and Godwin were also on the ground. They had suffered heavy injuries.

Ugeuge-san was also injured, seemingly having been crushed underfoot by Ares. He had
fought as well.
And finally, Ares who was bleeding from his left arm glared at me with hatred.

“Why! Why do you not die! Even with that trash Divine Protection!”

Lit and I ran toward Ares.

We could only rely on close combat if we wanted to have a chance of winning.

“You have outlived your time! Die! Die! Die!! Gargantua Storm Javelin!!!”

Ares formed a seal with his right hand. A storm javelins was shot in our direction.

“Ku!?”

It was too fast, I wouldn’t be able to dodge it!

I clenched my teeth and prepared myself to endure it.

“O wind spirits!”

Lit’s chanted and the wind spirits danced around me.

The enormous storm javelin pierced us and we were exposed to intense lightning storms
and strong gale winds.

“Guuuuu!!!!”

Lit’s Spirit Magic was unable to completely nullify the power from a Sage’s most
powerful spell but it was able to reduce it to a degree where I could endure it without
losing consciousness.

Behind me, Lit was blown off her feet and I heard her tumble to the ground. I couldn’t
sense any signs of her standing back on her feet.

Lit focused all her energy into protecting me and did not defend herself.

I clenched my teeth and suppressed my urge to look back. The time spent looking back
would be wasted. It would be an act that would squander Lit’s sacrifice.

That would be many folds more painful than Ares’ spell.

Ares was already in front of my eyes. Another three steps. And then he would be within
reach of my sword! He had no more chances to use spells! I will cut him down before
he formed a seal!

(He’s probably thinking that but…)

Sage Ares was confident of his victory this time.

(Gideon, after you were gone, I acquired an even stronger skill. The preparations for
the skill only possible for Sages, ‘Life Death’, a ‘concurrent activation’ of Secret Arts
and Covenant Magic with both hands that can already be called an instant death
technique, has already been completed. Without Lit’s Spirit Magic, a person like you
with no resistance toward instant death technique from your Divine Protection will
definitely be unable to defend against my instant death spell! I shall deal with your
detestable brain using a skill you have no knowledge of! This is my victory! This time,
you will die!)

Sage Ares attempted to activate the spell with his left hand that was pierced by Tise’s
knife.

However, at that moment, the index finger on Ares’ left hand moved in a direction
opposite of his will.

His left hand’s seal broke and the spell activation failed.

“Wha!!!?”

Ares turned back to look and saw Tise submerged in her sea of blood but with a
victorious smile that Ares should have had on his face.

“Don’t underestimate my friend.”

Tise pulled on the thread that Ugeuge-san had wound around Ares’ index finger. Tise
knew that Ares could use the concurrent activation skill. She had aimed for that moment
while laying on the floor.

Ugeuge-san was not an ordinary spider. It was a spider that grew alongside Tise.
It’s Divine Protection was [Warrior]. It was the lowest-grade of Divine Protection that
was only capable of strengthening their physical ability but it still possessed the ability
to withstand being crushed underfoot without dying.

Ugeuge-san did not rush out without a plan. It endured the crushing step and placed
a thread around Ares’ finger.

“Bu-but, there was no way I would not notice that!”

Nevertheless, if it was under normal circumstances, Ares would perceive Ugeuge-san’s

movements due to his inferior ability.

“He-hehe.”

Godwin laughed lifelessly from the ground.

“Putting my life on the time for… sp-spider-san… I have really fallen too.”

Godwin’s tossed thunderstone, smoke bomb and his assault that he bet his life on.
Those were all meant to divert Ares’ attention from Ugeuge-san’s movements.

“Ku, oooooo!!!!”

Red closed in. Ares desperately tried to cast a spell.

The actions that the two people and one arachnid bet their lives on did not even reach
Theodora’s 30 seconds. It was just a mere second, an interference that robbed Ares’
finger of its freedom for just a short moment.

But the two people and one arachnid believed in that single second. That Red would
win with that alone.

I sliced off Ares’ right hand which he tried to cast magic with using Thunderwaker.

“U-uaaaaa!!!”

I ignored his scream and followed with slicing off his left hand.
“Hand seals are indispensable for magic activation! Now you can no longer use magic!”

“A, ahh, ahhhhhhh!!!!!!”

Ares lost both his hands. To Ares, a [Sage], that was akin to robbing his everything. He
had lost his magic.

“Ares, this is the end.”

I raised my sword to deal the final strike to Ares. Thunderwaker reflected the light in
the room and shined.

“He-help! Shisandan! I’m going to be killed! Theodora! Return my arms! Anybody, help!
Anybody! Help me!!”

Ares fell to the ground and plead for help as he struggled. But there wasn’t anybody
who responded to his voice.

“Wh-why, why is it always you? When I am stronger, when I am wiser, why does
everybody flock to you instead!!”

“Do you not understand?”

Ares looked at me. They were eyes filled with despair.

“He-help me, I-I was just doing what I had to do as the [Sage], Gideon, I… I was only…”

“No.”

I channeled all my strength into Thunderwaker and swung it down upon my ex-comrade.

The sword ran through Ares’ shoulder until his side and completely bisected Ares’ body.

Blood flowed from Ares’ mouth.

“Dr-dream, my dream… dr…”

Ares murmured gurgling words from his mouth that was dyed red and his heart finally
stopped beating.
His end was witnessed by Lit, Tise, Ugeuge-san, Godwin and myself.

In the end, he coughed out blood and Sage Ares never moved ever again.

Sage Ares was dead.

Danan’s fatigued body shook.

Albert who was waiting outside the lift hurriedly rushed over to support Danan.

“Are you okay?”

Upon receiving the final Extra Cure Potion that Albert held out, Danan immediately
down its entire content.

His opened wounds sealed once again but there were still many parts which had
turned black from internal bleeding that did not regain its natural color. Danan had
suffered such grievous internal injury that even Healing Magic could not treat it.

“I’m just a little tired.”

“A normal person would be dead. Moreover, the Cure Potion will not replenish the
blood you had lost.”

“Something like blood can just be replenished by eating meat.”

Danan said as he took some dried meat out from his chest pocket and tried to consume
it but Albert frantically stopped him.

“Your internal organs are a mess so you can’t! More importantly, the lifts have come so
we should go up too.”

The central lift was destroyed but the lifts on the left and right were still fine.

Which Danan was saving Red and Lit, Albert struggled to operate the control panel
and managed to call the other lifts.

“Tch, normally I could just run up a vertical hole like this.”

“Without any magic at all?…”

Albert and Danan rode the lift.

“But I don’t understand that Theodora too. She joined hands with Ares and Shisandan
but asked you to help me. Aren’t her actions a mess? At first, I thought she was just
putting on an act to help me as I was still breathing but it seems that I was wrong.”

After Theodora confirmed Danan’s safety, she promised to cooperate with Shisandan
and Ares in the room with the coffins. Ares was surprised but pleased with Theodora’s
unexpected behavior and willingly moved to the hall according to her suggestion.

Meanwhile, Albert who was hiding under Theodora’s concealment magic helped Danan
drink the Cure Potion and gave him first aid after all the others left the room.

“Well… I think Theodora-san probably didn’t understand it herself. She couldn’t

understand so she took contradictory actions.”

“I don’t get it!”

Danan said indignantly. His face was filled with a strong look of discontent.

“If Theodora opposed Hero-sama, then Theodora is already dead. Seriously, what’s going
on…”

“Really? Theodora-san is strong too.”

“That’s right, myself, Theodora and Ares are all strong enough to defeat a scale of
thousands of orcs on our own. But Hero-sama is a different matter altogether.”

“…The difference is that significant?”

“Theodora has no chance of winning if it comes to a fight. It would be the same even if
we three worked together with Yarandorara, Tise, and Red.”

A look of anxiety surfaced on Albert’s complexion. Danan was in a foul mood because
he believed that Theodora was dead.

“I’m sorry, I would have been able to carry you up in an instant if I could move my body
a little better.”
Danan muttered softly after seeing Albert’s expression.

A metallic noise rang out.

Ruti dressed in armor slammed into the floor without softening her fall.

“……”

As opposed to Ruti who was staring absentmindedly at the hole in the ceiling, Shisandan
nimbly landed on the ground.

Two contrasting figures. Shisandan readied his four Sacred Avengers.

“Now, how do you feel, O Hero.”

“Why? I only wanted to live a peaceful life with Onii-chan.”

“Hmph, so you still retain your ego huh?”

Ruti did not look at Shisandan.

If she was a Hero, she would have faced Shisandan who was an Asura Demon.

“Hero Ruti, you are a dangerous entity after all. In the name of the Asura, I will destroy
you here.”

Shisandan focused his strength into the arms holding the swords.

The Sacred Avengers’ brilliance intensified and enormous power flowed into Shisandan.

“You are strong. But the Sacred Avenger are holy swords made to destroy existences
like you. And if an Asura holds them, there is no reason why you can’t be killed!”

His opponent was a young girl who had lost her weapon. Nevertheless, there was no
complacency in Shisandan’s expression.

Shisandan leaped.
The four holy swords assaulted Ruti but Ruti slowly stood up and used her broken
holy sword to parry all of Shisandan’s attacks.

“Ooooo!!!!”

Shisandan roared. The Sacred Avengers shined even brighter and his sword finally
caught Ruti’s left arm.

Ruti was wounded and she staggered backward.

“…Is it that bad for me to live an ordinary life?”

“That is ironic. The Divine Protection is meant to prevent a situation like this but
instead, you created a mental spirit to resist the impulses from your Divine Protection.
That’s right, you have no choice but to live as the Hero. The world wishes for that.”

“The world?”

“Nevertheless, we Asura also have some responsibility for your circumstances. Don’t
think too badly of us. But if we destroy the Demon Lord of Fury and prevent his
accession to be the Reigning Demon Emperor, the God and people will probably allow
the Hero to live a peaceful life.”

Ruti didn’t really understand what Shisandan was talking about.

There was a dry metallic sound.

It was the sound of Ruti discarding her broken sword.

“I have never once said that I wanted to be the Hero. I don’t want such power.”

“Stop it, pick up your sword.”

The air around Ruti who had her left hand hang limply down her side shook as if in fear.

Shisandan tossed one of his swords in front of Ruti.

“Pick it up. Hero Ruti.”

But Ruti did not lay her eyes on the sword, the Sacred Avenger that the Hero should hold.
“This emotion burning in my chest. Thanks to your words, I finally remember. Anger…
this is rage.”

Shisandan resolved himself. He held his three holy swords up and attacked Ruti. He
planned to cut her head off once she entered his range.

(This strength, although ‘Devil’s Divine Protection’ acted as the trigger, her strength
has developed so far and so clearly. As an Asura, as the responsibility of one who holds
this sword, I must cut her down here.)

Ruti had devised a swordsmanship, taking the Bahamut Knight Order swordsmanship
she learned from Red as the foundation, that could be called a Hero-style
swordsmanship.

However, at that moment, Ruti had completely forgotten all the fundamentals of her
martial arts. She only wanted to channel out the violent emotions swirling in her heart.

Ruti slowly drew her right hand back.

Without any thoughts in her mind. Just,

“My, and Onii-chan’s, ordinary life, return it.”

She verbalized the true essence behind her anger.

After coming to terms with it, the only thing left to do was to explode out.

Ruti’s figure disappeared from Shisandan’s sight.

(Fast!?)

Shisandan immediately took a defensive posture.

(But no matter how fast she is, she only has her bare fists. I will receive her attack with
my sword and strike back. Then it shall be my victory!)

Shisandan crossed his swords and held a defensive stance in front of Ruti who was
charging straight at him.

“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
That was Hero Ruti’s first ever battle cry.

The figure of the Hero that was always calm and collected was nowhere to be seen. At
that moment, Ruti was not fighting as the Hero but as Ruti.

“…Impossible.”

The fight was settled in a single blow.

Shisandan lost the feeling in his arms and his swords fell to the ground.

Three of the holy swords that the first generation Hero received from God were
pulverized into dust.

“Cough…”

Fresh blood overflowed from Shisandan’s mouth. Shisandan held his mouth with
trembling hands.

(I guess this is a fatal wound.)

Normally a person would press down on their wound but… even with six arms, he
would not be able to press down on the gaping hole in his torso.

(But the Hero has touched the Sacred Avenger… that should mean I have achieved the
bare minimum goal.)

Shisandan collapsed with a satisfied smile on his face. The Asura collapsed and no
longer moved a finger.

It was clear to anybody’s eyes that he was dead.

“With this, she’ll be fine.”

After removing the armor fragments inside Theodora’s wounds and making her drink
a Cure Potion, her condition became stable.

“Why do you help her?”

Godwin asked with dissatisfaction.

“Because Theodora is a friend.”

“Ha? This woman indirectly just tried to kill you.”

“That might be the case. But she is still my friend.”

“Although I hate those who have are not aware that they are villains themselves, I also
hate people like you who put on saint masks.”

I laughed wryly as I looked at the angry Godwin.

“You’re wrong. What Theodora did was a hostile act. But.”

I looked at my own hands. They were still shaking.

“I do not want my younger sister to experience the feeling of killing a companion who
had traveled with you, even if they had become an enemy.”

Ares was the enemy. I did not regret killing him.

However, there was still that lingering emotion.

“It’s fine if it is for that reason…”

Godwin made an uncomfortable expression and didn’t say anything else.

“More importantly, I must help Ruti next.”

I had all the members drink Cure Potions and had Lit heal Ugeuge-san who couldn’t
drink potions with her Spirit Magic but to be honest, they were all beaten up.

Only Godwin was relatively unharmed but naturally, I could not bring him along to
fight Shisandan.

“Red-san, are you going?”

“Of course.”
“Then I will go too.”

Tise said as she stood up. Ugeuge-san was resting its body on Lit’s palm but it also
raised its arm and tried to tag along when Tise stood up.

“Don’t worry, Ugeuge-san should concentrate on healing.”

“Sorry, it would go faster if I could concentrate better.”

“That is already plenty with the injuries Lit-san have. Thank you.”

Lit’s injuries were probably the most severe. After receiving a full-powered spell from
Ares, she still had painful burns and wounds all over her body. Her feet seemed to be
hurting as well as she was seating in an unnatural position.

“It will be the end once we defeat Shisandan. We can meet up with Danan and go home
after that.”

I told Lit and smiled to her to reassure her.

At that moment, a cry resounded from the hole in the ground. The sound of a tremendous
impact followed after it.

“Ruti!?”

That was Ruti’s voice!

But, Ruti shouting during battle!?

I held Thunderwaker with my left hand and was about to leap into the hole.

But a single shadow flew out from the hole and blocked my path.

“Ruti! So you’re all right.”

Ruti did not show any expression as her right hand hung limply by her side while
holding the Avenger that Shisandan held previously and she just stood idly there.

“Ruti? Are you all right?”

Ruti’s condition was strange. I worriedly moved closer to Ruti.

“Eh?”

Suddenly at that moment, Tise strongly pulled my shoulder.

She interposed her body between Ruti and me.

The smell of blood erupted out.

“Tise!!!”

I heard a splash.

Blood flowed from the Avenger.

Tise’s body crumbled. I supported Tise’s body with my left hand.

The young girl’s clothes dyed red in an instant.

“You… can’t do that… Ruti-sama, this person is your important person… so you can’t…
hurt… him…”

It was Ruti who cut Tise.

Ruti stared at us with a transparent expression.

“I-it’s the slaughtering impulse!”

Godwin shouted. That was the side effect of the Devil’s Divine Protection. The incident
that happened in Zoltan was still fresh in my memory.

That manifested in Ruti as well!?

The cry of swords clashing against each other resounded in the hall.

“Lit! Godwin! Please take care of Tise!!”

I lowered Tise to the floor, focused my strength into both my arms and locked swords
with Ruti to hold her back.
During that time, Godwin swiftly grabbed Tise’s body and retreated.

“Gu!?”

The moment my attention shifted to my back for an instant, Ruti sent a kick to my
stomach.

My body screamed from receiving the heavy blow.

Ruti followed up with a slash using her sword and I received it with Thunderwaker.

It produced an unpleasant metallic sound.

I leaped a few steps backward to create distance.

And then, I looked at Thunderwaker.

“…Thank you for everything until now.”

Countless cracks ran through Thunderwaker’s body. A single blow from Ruti caused
about half of the blade to crack.

Thunderwaker would probably never see another battle.

But if Thunderwaker had snapped, I probably would have been cut in two. This sword
was an excellent sword until the very end.

I placed Thunderwaker on the ground and put my hand on the handle of the ‘Copper
Sword’ hanging on my waist.

I faced Ruti head-on while in the sword-drawing position.

“Do-don’t be reckless! You don’t plan to fight with such a poor weapon!?”

I heard Godwin shout from behind.

The copper sword was certainly a cheap product that could not compare to
Thunderwaker.

Ruti slowly swung her sword down.

I sharpened my spirit. The match would be decided in a split second.

The Copper Sword was brittle and dull. That meant that the Copper Sword was softer
compared to a steel sword.

Softer meant that it was not as sturdy as steel. But!

Matching Ruti’s blow, I wrapped my fingers around, not the handle but below the
cross-shaped sword guard and drew my sword as if grabbing the blade directly.

Bahamut Knight Order style, cross-guard counter.

That was not a martial art originating from a Divine Protection. It was a sword technique.

By drawing the sword while holding the blade, it was a defensive technique meant to
receive the opponent’s sword using the sword guard and handle that form a cross. It
was a technique meant for weapons such as the Bahamut Knight Order longsword or
the copper sword I held now where the blade, guard, and handle were made from a
single piece of metal.

Normally I would use it while wearing gloves but with the dull copper sword, it would
not cut my finger off even when gripped bare-handedly.

Ruti’s strike drove into the copper sword.

It was the Avenger that could break even an excellent sword. There was no way a copper
sword could stop it.

But due to the difference in hardness, the copper sword did not break but was torn
like butter from the guard to the blade.

“!!”

At that instant, I put strength into the fingers holding the copper sword and twisted.

The holy sword was sandwiched by the torn copper sword. When I twisted the copper
sword, it naturally applied a rotational force to the holy sword as well. The holy sword
was wrestled from Ruti’s hand.

A clang resounded and the holy sword fell to the ground along with the copper sword.
It was similar to the disarming technique of letting your opponent dig their sword into
your wooden shield but that was my first time performing it with a sword.

I’m glad it went as planned!

Nevertheless, I had lost my weapon as well. Whereas Ruti had her magic and there
was a difference in ability even in terms of bare-handed fighting so I had zero chances
of winning.

“………”

Ruti stopped moving. There were no signs of her sending a deadly punch in my direction.

“I’m glad I asked Godwin his opinion as an Alchemist regarding the Devil’s Divine
Protection in advance.”

I muttered to myself.

The slaughtering impulse from the Devil’s Divine Protection came from the Divine
Protection of the respective demon.

While for Ruti’s Devil’s Divine Protection, there was no Divine Protection from any
demon. The innate Divine Protection was within Ruti since birth.

In that case, she should not have any slaughtering impulse. Since Ruti would never
want to kill others. I could vouch for that as Ruti’s brother.

As such, by the process of elimination, there was only one source for the slaughtering
impulse that was controlling Ruti.

“There is one other Divine Protection remaining. That would be the [Hero] Divine
Protection.”

In Ruti’s journey to take control of her own life, her Divine Protection posed as her final
obstacle.

It was probably brought about by that sword Shisandan was holding. It wanted to
annihilate all of us who were helping her to quit being the Hero.

I heard the sound of droplets falling rapidly to the ground.

I moved closer to Ruti. Then, I put my arms around her shoulders and embraced her.

“Ku, u, uaaaaaaaa!!”

I couldn’t even imagine just how much it hurt Ruti inside. She had struck down Tise,
her best friend, and swung her sword with the intention to kill me.

Ruti’s face distorted as she cried loudly with anger, sadness, regret, relief… a myriad
of emotions mixed in her voice as she remained in my arms.
The brakes of the lift clamped onto the rail with a clang.

“Hn, as expected, it has already ended.”

Danan and Albert came out from the elevator.

Hm, why was Albert there?

“Theodora!”

My question was answered when Albert’s facial color changed after he saw Theodora
on the floor and he ran over.

“She is all right. Her wounds are deep but they are not fatal.”

“…Thank god.”

It seemed that Albert came with Theodora.

I’ll have to get them to explain to me in detail just what was going on including this
incident with Ares.

Danan was shocked to see the Hero’s crying appearance.

“Danan, you saved us earlier. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, more importantly, I’m sorry I came late.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Shisandan and… Ares is dead. The fight is settled.”

“I see.”

Danan and I looked at the motionless Ares but we could not express a smile of victory.
“Red! Ruti! Come here!”

At that moment, Lit’s cry echoed in the hall.

“My power can’t reach Tise’s wounds! Hurry!”

Ruti, who was crying in my arms, was startled and ran toward Tise without even wiping
her tears.

Naturally, Danan and I chased after her as well.

“Tise…!”

Tise’s expression was pale and she had lost consciousness. Her clothes dyed red in blood
was painful to look at.

“Both her breathing and pulse have stopped!”

Tears swam in Lit’s eyes. She understood that her magic could not save her.

“Leave it to me.”

Ruti held her right hand over Tise and concentrated.

The Hero’s skill “Healing Hands” could ‘regenerate’ a person even on the verge of
death. Unlike the ordinary “Cure” spell, it was an abnormal skill that was equivalent
to advanced Covenant Magic even at level 1.

In addition, the effects of the skill would rise sharply as the level increases. Even if Tise’s
condition could not be treated with Lit’s Spirit Magic, Ruti should be able to heal her.

However, Ruti’s hand remained raised but she was unable to do anything.

“Why… I can’t interact with my Divine Protection!!”

“Your Divine Protection? Did your Divine Protection stop functioning temporarily due
to your berserk state just now!?”

I recalled hearing from the Wild-Elves when I was talking to them regarding the secret
medicine that intensive use of medicine that affects the Divine Protection would cause
the Divine Protection to become dormant. The dormant state probably meant that the
person would temporarily lose their Divine Protection’s power.

It differed from the current situation but Ruti had probably lost her [Hero] power
temporarily.

“Why, why… all along you have been pulling me around, dragging me into fights that I
don’t wish to fight and you are even the one that hurt Tise… so why do you remain
silent when I wish to borrow your power!!”

Ruti screamed. However, no matter how much Ruti asked for the [Hero] ’s power, no
matter how she begged with tears, her Divine Protection did not respond.

“Ruti…”

We were helpless as we watched Tise’s life drain away in front of our eyes.

Ugeuge-san tilted its head as it tapped Tise’s arm with both its hands as if to rouse her.

However, Tise did not look at Ugeuge-san with her usual smile.

“He-hey, you guys are Heroes, right? You guys should be able to do something!”

Godwin shouted as he looked at our state. However, neither Danan nor I have the ability
to save Tise.

“No… after I thought that I had finally… finally made a friend, I… with my own hands!!!”

Ruti wept as she hugged Tise’s body. Am I really powerless to do anything?

If only I did not have [Guide] but a magic-using Divine Protection…!

“I will heal her.”

I heard a voice from behind us.

It came from Theodora who was being supported by Albert.

“Theodora…”
“I am a priest. It is natural that I will reach out to a wounded patient.”

Danan and I stepped aside and made way for Theodora.

“Ca-can she be trusted?’

Godwin asked uneasily. In Godwin’s eyes, she was an enemy that suddenly appeared
and cornered Lit and me to the verge of death so it was a natural reaction coming from
him.

“Yeah, it’s all right.”

But I replied confidently. I knew Theodora’s personality very well. She would never
inflict any more harm to Tise.

“Gideon, Danan. Thank you for trusting me.”

Theodora smiled weakly as she borrowed strength from Albert’s arm to sit beside Tise
and Ruti.

“Regenerate.”

The moment Theodora activated the advance Covenant Magic, Tise’s body was wrapped
in warm light.

The painful wounds quickly sealed from within and blood returned to her face.

Then,

“Her pulse is back…!”

Lit, who was holding Tise’s arm, shouted with a bright expression.

“Her breathing as well.”

Ruti placed her cheek near Tise’s face and said with a hoarse voice due to her tears.

Tise was saved!

“She will be fine with this.”

Theodora, having finished casting her Covenant Magic, breathed out deeply with
trembling lips and weakly entrusted her body weight to Albert.

“Sorry Albert. I have shown you an unbecoming appearance as a Hero.”

“Leave such matters aside and heal yourself! I no longer have any Cure Potions left.”
But Theodora did not treat her own injuries as she looked at Ruti with troubled eyes.

“I will not ask for your forgiveness. Even now, I can only think of doing what I did.”

“Why.”

“…Will you continue to serve as the Hero after losing the impulses from your Divine
Protection?”

“……”

“I do not mean to criticize you, it is the natural course of action after all. Among us,
you are the only person who has been forced to fight battles against your will. If you
wish to stop the journey, nobody can criticize you.”

“I did not expect Theodora to say that.”

Theodora looked down weakly.

“After Gideon left, I thought about why you did not chase after Gideon.”

“……”

“Because it doesn’t matter for the Hero’s journey? That is definitely wrong. After
Gideon left, our party turned into a mess. The party would probably disband in the
near future. You should have understood that fact as well, right?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, you should have been able to chase after Gideon with the reason that it
was impeding the journey. But you were unable to… I thought about why for a period
of time.”

Theodora showed a self-ridiculing smile.

“The reason was that the [Hero] no longer needed Ares, Danan, me, nor even Gideon,
not a single person. Even if we try to disband the party, the [Hero] would just continue
forward without food, without water, without sleep and without tiring. Even allowing
our choice to join you for the journey was just an act of benevolence from the [Hero]
Divine Protection. Isn’t that right?”
“…Yes.”

Ruti replied softly but nodded with her head.

Is that so. I believed that I was being a hindrance to the Hero party but… to Ruti, all
the members were already a similar hindrance to her…

“If we continued the journey, there would eventually come a time when the [Hero]
would continue forward on her own without resting. Nobody would wish for such a
journey. Anybody would fall into despair if they have to continue forward every day
without any company in the cold wilderness of the Dark Continent. But the [Hero]
does not feel fear nor despair… My dull-witted self finally realized what a cruel fate
the [Hero] held.”

“Then why.”

“That is precisely why. You will definitely not continue the Hero’s journey. It is natural.
You have no reason to protect a world that forced you to take such a journey. That line
of thought is natural… but I still believe that the [Hero] is the only person who can
save the world. To protect the world even at the cost of sacrificing a single young girl,
that was why Demis-sama created the Divine Protection of the [Hero]. That is the
conclusion I had reached as a priest. I decided that you should live as the [Hero] even
at the cost of killing your sense of self.”

Contrary to her words, Theodora’s expression was filled with pain. She was hurting
herself with her own words.

“Theodora, even so, I.”

“I lost. So it is fine now. I will no longer compel you to do anything. I wish that you will
live a free and happy life.”

Theodora said as she closed her eyes.

“If you can’t forgive me, you can cut me down now. I had prepared myself for it when
I made this choice. I had betrayed you. I tried to snatch the life of an important person
to you, who is, at the same time, a precious friend of mine as well. It is not something
that can be forgiven.”

Tise stirred slightly in Ruti’s arms. It was proof that she was alive.
Theodora’s lip showed a faint smile.

“I am glad that I saved your friend in the end… I have always been a hindrance but I
hope I was able to help slightly.”

Ruti remained silent the entire time.

“Pl-please wait!”

At that moment, Albert called out.

“Th-this might not be a place for me to speak but! Red and Lit were saved because
Theodora-san helped Danan-san! I beg you, please forgive Theodora-san!”

“Albert…”

The prideful Albert was lowering his head for someone else’s sake. It was honestly an
unexpected sight.

“I have always wanted to become a Hero. A Hero whose choices would determine the
fate of the world. I looked up to all of you. But I would never have imagined that the
choices that determine the fate of the world would be this harsh.”

Albert continued speaking with his head lowered.

“Theodora was torn for a long time thinking of the best action to take. She contradicted
her own actions by saving Danan-san… but I can confidently say that Theodora-san
did not act for her own sake. She suffered and was torn by choosing between the
world, her faith, and friendship. If Theodora-san acted for her own sake, would she
even hurt Hero-sama or Red whom she respects!? Nobody would willingly choose
such a difficult choice!? I am not asking you to forgive her but I hope that you
understand the suffering she had to endure to make those decisions!”

Albert desperately appealed to Ruti. Those were probably words that only Albert, who
wished to be a Hero more than anyone else but was not a Hero, could say.

Ruti only stared at Albert without saying a word.

At that time, Tise who was in Ruti’s arms opened her eyes.
“Ruti-sama… so you are all right.”

“Tise!? You’re awake?”

Tise did not seem to have returned to her regular condition but her complexion was
fine and she would probably be able to move once she had rested for a while.

Seeing Tise open her eyes, Ugeuge-san happily leaped onto Tise’s shoulder.

Tise smiled widely when she saw Ugeuge-san dancing on her shoulder.

“Sorry for worrying you.”

“What is wrong with me worrying about you, please do not apologize… I am glad you are
safe, I am sorry for hurting you.”

Ruti hugged Tise tenderly and was delighted that she was all right.

Of course, I was overjoyed as well. Lit took my hand as well and smiled.

“…All right.”

Ruti’s expression softened and she smiled lightly to Albert and Theodora.

“Tise is safe because of Theodora. Thank you. That’s why I am fine with it as well.”

Ruti said before she looked to me and Lit.

“To me, Tise is an important friend as well. Thank you for helping her.”

“She is to me as well. Moreover, Tise was injured because she covered for me. I am really
glad that she is all right.”

Ruti nodded to our words.

“Nobody bears a grudge with you. So I will also not harm you any further… but.”

Ruti faced down and continued with an apologetic tone but with a firm will.

“At least for now, I do not intend to continue as the [Hero].”

She clearly stated her refusal.

Theodora merely nodded silently after she heard those words.

With that, the battle within the Ancient-Elf ruins came to a close.

We rested ourselves today and decided to return to Zoltan the next morning.
Five days after the battle in the Ancient-Elf ruins.

“Red! Wake up!”

Lit shook me awake.

“What is it… I’m so tired after we finally finished cleaning up the shop that Ares messed
up just yesterday… furthermore, it’s cold today so I don’t want to leave the bed yet.”

“Never mind that just look outside!”

Lit dragged me by my hand and I reluctantly got up.

“Fuaaaa.”

After yawning, I poured a cup of water from the water jug and drank it.

The water cooled by the cold night air was delicious.

“Hurry!”

Lit was urging me quite excessively today.

Just what was going on?

I immediately knew the reason when I stepped out.

“Snow huh?”

White snow was fluttering down from the air.

It was rare to see snowfall in Zoltan. I have seen snow above the mountain where I
gather medicinal grass but it rarely snowed in the streets of Zoltan.
“It’s snowing, Red! Even though it did not snow last year or the year before that!”

Lit was in high spirits. In the Principality of Logavia situated north, snow was a symbol
of the coming cold winter but in Zoltan, it was purely a beautiful sight.

“Do you think it will pile up?”

“Nah, I think that would be hard.”

We stood outside the shop and looked up at the sky as we felt the snow touch and melt
in our palms.

“Onii-chan.”

I was called from behind.

Looking back, I saw Ruti in a snow-like white one-piece and a white hat that matched
her outfit well.

The one-piece was regular clothes that she bought with me at Downtown. It was not
a magic armor.

Furthermore, there was no sword hanging from Ruti’s waist. Her magic accessories
such as rings and amulets that she usually wore had now all been removed.

She looked like an ordinary girl that could be seen everywhere.

However,

“Achoo.”

“Of course you would feel cold.”

Regardless if it is Zoltan, she would naturally feel cold if she only wore a one-piece
without an overcoat on a snowy day.

“Ehehe.”

Ruti had sneezed but she looked delighted.

“I’m happy that I can feel cold for the first time in such a long while.”

“You’ll catch a cold you know?”

“I have never caught a cold before. I’m looking forward to my very first cold.”

I quickly returned to the room and came back with the cloak I usually used.

“Here, sorry that it’s men’s wear.”

“…It’s warm.”

Ruti muttered like a normal girl and smiled broadly.

Ruti had not lost the Divine Protection of the Hero. Even now, the Divine Protection of
the Hero was still within Ruti.

However, the unnamed Divine Protection that was born within Ruti had changed its
name into [Shin]. According to Ruti, it was not exactly a Divine Protection. (TLN: Shin
was written in katakana so it can mean either True, New, or Heart etc. I will only know
in the future if the author clarifies it.)

In other words, it was not a ‘Divine Protection’ bestowed by God. It would probably be
a huge deal if the Holy Church found out.

There were no impulses coming from [Shin]. That is to say, [Shin] does not have a role
to play.

Apart from those aspects, [Shin] was fundamentally the same as a Divine Protection.
It had levels and skills. In order to raise them, she just had to defeat opponents that
possess Divine Protections.

The special aspect about [Shin] was that skills from it could not be chosen freely by
just raising the level but she must apparently fulfill certain criteria as well before she
could acquire them.

The skill Ruti acquired was called ‘Ruler’. An outrageous skill that can disable or
forcefully activate an opponent’s Divine Protection skill on touch. Now, even the
legendary famed highest rank Demon Lords can probably no longer hold their own
against Ruti.
However, to Ruti the most pleasing aspect more than anything else was the point
where she could activate that ability with her own free will.

Now, Ruti was ruling over her own Divine Protection of the Hero and have mostly
invalidated her complete immunity and impulses.

“Achoo.”

“It’s cold after all, I’ll go make breakfast so please wait a while inside.”

“Mmm, okay.”

We walked back to the house. Before entering the entranceway, Ruti and Lit looked
back once again and looked at the white snow dancing in the sky, reluctant to walk
away from that sight.
After the fight ended, Theodora and Albert quickly bid goodbye the next day.

The two of them probably intended to join the front lines in the battle against the Demon
Lord army.

“Farewell.”

Theodora only said a single word of parting before she left without looking back.

She tried to return the equipment that she gained from the journey to Ruti but Ruti
replied with ‘You might need it for the battle that you desire one day’ and did not
accept them.

Theodora would probably never return to Zoltan again.

Danan would be concentrating on recovering in Zoltan’s sanatorium for half a year.

Danan had pushed his body quite excessively so even he will probably have to rest
obediently for some time.

Godwin was given his freedom. Ruti no longer needed the Devil’s Divine Protection.
Moreover, in this round of fighting, Godwin played a crucial role in the victory. Ruti
closed her eyes to Godwin’s crimes in order to repay him for his actions.

That was probably a choice that would not be possible for Ruti when she was the Hero.

After receiving plenty of coin for the journey, Godwin set forth for the Archipelago
Kingdoms to the south where the Holy Church’s influence was thin.

“If it is at the Archipelago Kingdoms, even I should be able to make a living after having
made an enemy of the Holy Church with the Devil’s Divine Protection incident. Oh
right, maybe I’ll open an apothecary there.”

Godwin looked at me and said with a laugh.

“This morning, we have tomato stew with bacon and white bean, pizza made with the
remaining tomato and freshly squeezed orange juice.”

“”Thank you for the meal!””

The breakfast table has become a lot livelier than before.

“The food onii-chan makes is always delicious.”

Ruti smiled brightly as she ate.

Ruti was enjoying every day as though all the happiness that had been suppressed by
her Divine Protection of the Hero have been released.

“You’ll be with Tise today as well?”

“Yup.”

Ruti and Tise purchased a farm in the North District and were now growing medicinal
grass there.

There was a demand for medicinal grass but it was for many different kinds of
medicinal grass and their crop yield were typically small. A regular farmer would not
attempt to farm them because of the bad efficiency but Ruti wanted to take up the
challenge and nurture medicinal grass.

“We will be sowing the seeds soon. We’ve also prepared logs to grow the mushrooms.
I will do my best.”

I never imagined a day would come where Ruti would show me such an expression.

Ruti, who has been lived her life controlled as the Hero, will for the first time challenge
something that she personally wants to do.

As an older brother, I was delighted from the bottom of my heart with the change I see
in Ruti now.
“Yo, Red!”

Gonz entered the shop.

“Tanta has caught a cold.”

“Cold medicine then. Give me a moment.”

I retrieved a week’s worth from the shelve and wrapped it in a bag.

“Did the issue with your younger sister go well?”

“Yeah, it’s all right now.”

Gonz showed a relieved smile after I said that and passed the package to him.

“That’s good to hear. Introduce her to me properly one day.”

Gonz was worried for me even though I didn’t explain the situation to him.

Just like all Zoltan residents, he did not try to pry into our past. He has a loose tongue
but he was capable of discerning where to draw the line.

Nevertheless, I wish to properly introduce my younger sister. Even though she was
laying low for now, I want to let my Downtown friends know that I have a younger
sister called Ruti.

“All right, I’ll bring everyone over the next time.”

Not just Ruti. I wanted to introduce Tise and Danan as well.

They were my battle buddies that fought alongside us after all.

Afternoon.

Ruti, Tise, Danan and I arrived at the church in Zoltan’s Central District.

“O Supreme God Demis. Today, your faithful child has come for his first and last
pilgrimage. The path a child walks is engrave in their [Divine Protection] and their sins
will return to your side alongside their [Divine Protection]. If your child’s [Divine
Protection] is filled with virtue, please guide him to Nirvana. If the child has not
obtained the qualification to pass through the gates of Nirvana, until the day you gift
him with a new [Divine Protection], please award your faithful child, Ares’, soul with
peaceful sleep.”

The priest said before he sprayed perfume on the face of Ares who was lying in the
coffin. The scent of the snow rose perfume universal to the Avalon Continent spread
through the air thinly.

It has a pleasant smell but as it was used for funerals, the snow rose perfume always
carries an image of passing. As the church uses it on a daily basis, all churches have
their own snow rose flower bed which might also be one factor that solidified the
image that follows the scent of that flower.

Speaking of snow roses, the poets of the Avalon Continent will, without fail, compose
at least one poem on the snow rose in their life. I have no talent in reciting poems but
I still felt something linger in my mind.

There was four of us in attendance while two people were helping the priest.

It might be a very lonely departure for a hero’s funeral.

But Ares who was lying in the coffin did not have voice any complains and was just
lying quietly with his eyes closed.

According to the teachings of the Holy Church, the crimes committed in life are
recorded in your [Divine Protection]. When the [Divine Protection] is returned to God
Demis, those crimes are removed from the person and in their next life, they are
reborn as an innocent soul after receiving a new [Divine Protection].

But to those who do not follow the teachings of God Demis’, in other words the
doctrine of the Holy Church, the [Divine Protection] is not taken back by God Demis,
the soul burdened with sin will apparently suffer eternity as a slave to the ‘Demon
Overlords’ in the seven layers of hell called the Seven Hells.

The priest rang the bells he had in his hand.

“Now, Red-san.”

“Yes.”

I followed tradition and placed a piece of firewood inside Ares’ coffin. Similarly, Ruti,
Tise and Danan each placed a piece of firewood.

The priest prayed one final time. In order to express to God Demis just how faithful
Ares was to him.

“The funeral procession has ended without any issues. As you all know, the cremation
will happen on the 7th day after death so you may return to meet the deceased on that
day if you wish to see him again.”

“…No, it’s okay.”

I hesitated for a little but I refused.

Ares had finally been released from his battle as the [Sage]. I hope he will rest peacefully.

“Understood.”

The priest smiled faintly and rang the bell once again. Thus, the funeral for [Sage] Ares
came to a quiet end.

After leaving the church, the sun was already red and on the horizon.

“Phew.”

The last time I borrowed formal wear from the clothes rental shop was during the
party for the opening of my shop.
This time it was for the funeral of a companion.

That felt somewhat strange to me.

“Onii-chan.”

“What is it?”

“Sorry, I am always burdening Onii-chan.”

I pat Ruti’s head.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

I do not regret cutting down Ares. I do not regret it but even now, I honestly felt that I
do not want to have to do it ever again.

“As expected, a carefree life here in Zoltan suits me better.”

I had not even purchased a sword to replace my broken copper sword. At that moment,
I didn’t have a single weapon on my waist. I could not get myself to buy a replacement
until Ares’ funeral was complete.

“I have finally changed as well.”

When I just started my slow life in Zoltan, I avoided battles but I could not feel calm
without having a weapon on me at all times.

When Gonz came to seek my help for Tanta’s white eye disease, I had a sword on my
waist as well when I left my house. I chose to carry a copper sword instead of a steel
sword because I was trying my best to resist my fighting habits which I could not seem
to drop.

“Let’s go home.”

Ruti held my arm and smiled. Ruti did not have a sword on her waist either.

I replied with a smile as well and we seemed like an ordinary pair of brother and sister
walking the streets of Zoltan.
In this world filled with fighting, it would probably be hard trying to live without a
weapon in hand. Even I have plans to purchase a new copper sword the next day.

But, I do not want to carry a weapon for the sake of my [Divine Protection] but to
willingly carry it to protect those important to me. I also wanted to swing the sword
and use the skills from my [Divine Protection] on my own free will.

I thought to myself as I walked with Ruti.

Night.

It was after Ruti, Tise, and Danan had dinner. I asked Lit to help to clean the dishes and
look up into the night sky.

“Yo.”

I heard a voice from behind. It was Danan.

“It was delicious. Your meals are the best after all.”

“Thanks.”

“I won’t be able to eat it once I return on my journey. Such a pity.”

“As expected, you’ll be leaving once your medical treatment is over?”

“Yeah, I have vowed to never forgive the Demon Lord who destroyed my hometown.”

“I see.”

I would probably still see Danan for a while but that would likely be for only about half
a year.

The path that the [Martial Artist] Danan walks was different from mine as I have
stopped fighting.

“Hey, Red. I’m dull so I don’t really get it but… this incident, how do I put it, I feel that
there are still many worrying parts. You should have noticed as well, right?”
“…That’s right, such as why was Shisandan still alive? How did Shisandan know the
whereabouts of the Sacred Avenger and why was he seeking it?”

I heard from Theodora that the sword Shisandan held was the legacy of the first
generation Hero. Similar to Danan, Theodora had also warned me that this incident
felt strange to her.

And above all else,

“Why were there five Sacred Avengers?”

“Yeah.”

The Sacred Avenger was a longsword with a total length of about one meter.

Needless to say, humans and Elves only have two arms. Two swords would be more
than sufficient for dual-wielding.

So why was there five of those swords?

“…I’m guessing they are not meant to be spares.”

“I don’t think God will be that generous.”

A legendary sword bestowed by God. Apart from the Sacred Avenger, there were other
weapons that appeared in legends and myths but they were all single items. I had
never heard of having spares.

“From what Ruti heard from Shisandan… most probably.”

Most probably, those five Sacred Avengers were not too many but actually ‘insufficient’.
Because the second generation Hero was holding onto one.

“I believe there are originally six of them. If that is the case, the numbers would match.”

Yeah, six swords would be sufficient.

Dark Continent. The underground world, Underdeep. Within it, the Asura country
‘Asura Cuchetra’, the Demon Lord Castle that was the capital.

A huge figure sits on the throne. He was a giant that would surpass five meters if he
stood up.

His six arms and body composed a warrior’s body trained to the ideal, his face
expressed rage while the third eye on his forehead was open, housing a flame.

Demon Lord of Fury, Taraxon. He was the king of the Demon Lord Army that was
invading the Avalon Kingdom and he possessed the figure of a great warrior of the
Asura Demons.

Taraxon was a usurper who destroyed the race of the original Demon Lord of Fury, the
Ras Demons, and snatched the position.

Taraxon was moving four of his arms as if in search of something. His remaining two
arms formed a seal in front of his chest and were stationary.

Eventually, light gathered at Taraxon’s feet.

The light intensity grew and became a huge lump.

Then, the light settled into shape and gained mass.

The light ultimately transformed into the shape of Asura Demon Shisandan.

Shisandan knelt with a practiced motion and hung his head down.

While looking down at his figure, the Demon Lord stopped moving his arms and spoke.

“Ooo, O Hero. So disappointing to see that you died.”

The souls of the Asura Demons that were not the creation of God Demis existed
outside the great circulation of souls.

Asura souls will always return to the Asura King and they will once again be reborn as
the same Asura.

The Asura were by no means a strong race from the beginning. When the world was
filled with [Shin], the Asura Heroes were defeated time and again and killed.
But the defeated Asura learned from their defeats, again and again, they continued to
fight without giving up after being killed countless times and eventually destroyed the
King of [Shin].

That indomitable will was what made a ‘Hero’. That was the philosophy of the Asura.

“You may train to regain the power you lost, Hero Shisandan.”

“Yes!”

Shisandan nodded strongly. Even though he is an Asura, once he dies, he would lose
his magical power and much of the strength of his trained body.

However, defeat gives them the courage to obtain power beyond what they had
originally. Therefore, no Asura is afraid of death or defeat.

(If I train further.)

Shisandan recalled the single strike from Ruti. He was awed by that destructive power.

Would he be able to reach that realm? The path was long but that was what delighted
the immortal Asura above all else.

Shisandan smirked with his head looking down.

Author’s note:

The next chapter will be the final chapter for Ruti’s arc!

The plot that I planned from the beginning will end with the next chapter but thanks to
having so many blessed readers, I wanted to write more.

The next arc will be on the life of a normal young girl working hard in Zoltan with Tise,
Red, and Lit’s slow life as the theme, a ‘Hero’s Slow Life Arc’.

I have already planned the plot so I will continue writing without pausing!

So I will continue to do my best to write a fun story for you all and thank you all very much!
“Thank you very much.”

I bowed to the customer who bought the medicine.

Placed under the counter was my newly purchased copper sword kept in its sheath.

The Blacksmith Mogurim complained ‘Another copper sword huh?’ but I have
somewhat grew attached to this cheap weapon. It was something like a symbol of my
determination to live a slow life.

“Red, I’m done with the delivery.”

Lit came back as if replacing the customer that had left.

She tidied up the now empty medicine box and sat beside me.

At the same time, I heard the sound of somebody jogging over from the back of the
shop.

“Onii-chan, we have finished tending to the medicinal grass in the garden.”

It was Ruti and Tise.

The two of them had nothing to do for now after they had finished sowing the seeds
in the newly purchased farm. Because of that, I started teaching them how to nurture
the medicinal grass in the garden.

This morning I taught them how to prune the medicinal grass so I had them help me
with it just now.

Today, I asked them to prune the medicinal grass called Red Egg.

Red Eggs were the red fruits of the Red Egg shrub that grows to a height of slightly
below one meter but the shrub drops its leaves and stops all activities during winter.

During that time, I would prune some of the branches off to allow it to concentrate its
nutrients. When that time comes, I could boldly cut the branches off and leave only
about one-third of them.

The harvesting season for Red Eggs was during early summer so with the high
ambient temperature in Zoltan, it was possible to harvest them quite a bit earlier than
usual. It is a plant that tasted like eggplant despite being a medicinal grass so it could
also be used as an ingredient for high-class cooking. It is effective as an antipyretic and
could also be used for symptomatic relief of dangerous fevers such as the Goblin Fever.

The demand for this medicinal grass was high in Zoltan but the fruits in the wild were
small. Nurturing it to bear larger fruit was quite fun and also gave a good sense of
accomplishment.

It was one of the medicinal grasses that were worth growing.

“Thank you for your work, I’ll verify it later so you two can take a break for now.”

“…I’ll help too.”

Ruti said and sat down beside me on the opposite side of where Lit was seating.

“Are you sure? You should be quite tired?”

“It feels really good to sit down when my feet are tired.”

Ruti said with a wide smile.

Then, she took my left arm and hugged it to her body tightly.

“Mu!”

In retaliation, Lit grabbed my right arm.

Unlike Ruti, I could feel her volume transmitted through my arm.

“Gununu.”
Ruti glared at Lit with a half-eye stare in vexation.

Lit, not to be outdone, returned with a complacent glare as well.

A tense atmosphere formed in the store for an instant. But,

“Buhahahaha!”

Ruti and Lit burst out at the same time and laughed happily.

“What are you girls doing.”

While I was smiling wryly, I also narrowed my eyes in happiness at the calm atmosphere
coming from Ruti.

She was no longer giving off the appearance of the [Hero] that Lit felt was ‘terrifying’.
She was now just a regular young girl called Ruti.

“I wonder what should I do in such circumstances.”

Tise said, half with exasperation and half with happiness at seeing Ruti appear happy,
as she looked at us.

Ugeuge-san on her shoulder tapped on Tise’s shoulder and seemed to be happy with
Ruti’s transformation as well.

Karan!

The doorbell at the store entrance made a loud noise.

“Ru-Ruti-san!”

Meguria-san, a staff from the Adventurers Guild, came running over.

“An urgent request came in! A group of Ogres from the Wall at the End of the World
have occupied a village… and they even captured the C-rank Adventurers that went to
deal with them!”

Ruti let go of my arm and stood up.

“Understood.”

After seeing Ruti nod, I moved my copper sword to the side and passed Ruti her sword.
It was a goblin blade with holes in it.

“Onii-chan, I’ll be back.”

“Yeah, be careful.”

Zoltan, a city where the only B-rank adventurer Byuui has gone missing. The party
formed by Ruti and Tise was filling the void for now.

It was a side job to them at best. Ruti agreed when she was approached by the
authorities for her promotion to B-rank adventurer, although on her condition that
she only helped during her spare time outside her medicinal grass plantation.

Her alias as an adventurer was ‘Ruti‧Ruru’. Unlike me, she was not used to using a fake
name so we settled with one where she would be called Ruru by others while those
closer to her could call her Ruti.

Ruti only put on an armored coat with iron plates in it above her regular clothes.

That could not be said to be sufficient armor given she was definitely going to be
fighting but for Ruti who doesn’t armor up much when fighting, that seemed to be the
style she had decided on.

Ruti was no longer the [Hero]. She no longer had a strong urge to help others either.

However, that does not mean Ruti would become a person who would not lend a hand
when she sees the suffering of others.

At first, she seemed as though she was feeling some hesitation toward helping others.

However, when I told her,

“You have finally gained your freedom. You should do what you want to do without
adhering to being the [Hero].”

It seemed like she felt a weight off her shoulder and she decided to become an
adventurer who would help if she felt like helping and not help when she didn’t want to.
“As I thought, Ruti-sama is a hero after all. A hero that fights of her own free will, not
to fulfill a role given by a Divine Protection.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded to Tise’s words.

That was Ruti’s slow life. To live a hero’s slow life without being imprisoned as a [Hero].

The back view of her gallant figure walking off was the back view of a person walking
a path where she was no longer made to walk by anyone.

“Ruti! I’ll make something you like when you return. What would you like?”

When I called out to her, the young girl treading on her life’s path on her own free will
turn around to look in my direction.

“I would like honeyed milk.”

After saying that, my younger sister showed a very natural and a really cute smile.
Author’s note:

This marks the end of the Hero Ruti Arc!

The Ruti Arc was a story about the hero who was controlled by her Divine Protection
transforming into a person who could live a slow life with her own free will.

Tise and Ugeuge-san were originally scheduled characters but they became characters
with more presence that I had imagined. I originally planned for them to part here but
they got along with Ruti a lot better than expected so they remained in Zoltan and I was
able to enjoy writing the story as well!

As an author, nothing would make me happier than if this was an enjoyable story to my
readers as well.