The Hero Wept Part 2

My sister's request wasn't really what I'd been getting at—I'd been hoping to hear

what she wanted for lunch. It didn't matter all that much, though. There was still an

hour and a half left until lunchtime.

What goes well with honey milk?

At lunch, Rit, Tisse, Ruti, and I crowded around the table.

There were bacon sandwiches, potatoes gratin, and a salad made with the breast meat

of a dragon chicken—a giant, bear-size bird—I had gotten some from the market's

butcher, as well as onions, and topped it with a lemon-flavored dressing.

Naturally, we also had hot milk with honey, made the way Ruti had loved ever since

she was a child.

"Thank you for the food."

Unsurprisingly, Ruti went for the honey milk first. With the first taste, her eyes

gleamed, and then she immediately downed half of it in one gulp on the spot. The years

had done nothing to change the way she drank it. I couldn't help but break into a smile

from the nostalgia.

"Ah, this is dragon chicken, right? That's different," Rit commented as she partook of

the salad.

It was just like Rit to notice something like that after a single bite. Dragon chicken meat

had a slightly different flavor, but it was still basically just poultry. Judging by her grin,

the flavor worked well for her, which was gratifying.

"Apparently, the farm missed it in their selection process, and one dragon chicken with

a Beast blessing caused a mess and ran away. They got an adventurer to deal with it,

but that left the butcher with a lot of poultry to offload, so it was on sale."

Unlike humans and elves, animals did not have many different kinds of blessings. They

could be born with blessings like Warrior, Sorcerer, and Thief, but that was rare; only

one in twenty. The remainder had Cattle or Beast blessings.

The former fostered a greater tendency toward cooperation and gentleness, while the

latter tended to induce a dislike of flocking and more aggressive behavior.

Animals with the Cattle blessing were best suited for livestock, of course. The reason

cows, pigs, horses, chickens, and goats were kept as farm animals was because they

tended to have the Cattle blessing. It was rare for creatures like them to be born with

the Beast blessing.

When it came to pets, it was possible to train an animal with the Beast blessing, but

they weren't suitable as livestock for commerce.

It was standard for the owner of a farm to determine as quickly as possible which

blessing an animal had and then have those with Beast blessings put down early. I had

a few doubts about that method of handling things, but I didn't know enough about

farm animals to really be butting into it.

The occasional broken fence wasn't the end of the world, but creatures with Beast

blessings did occasionally injure other livestock or people. I guess addressing the

matter in some form or another while they were still small was the only choice.

Hearing that the chicken meat had been from one with the Beast blessing, Ruti looked

down at it with a severe expression for a moment before she began eating it.

I knew that Ruti wasn't much of a talker, but Tisse was a quiet one, too. She would say

what was necessary to assert her thoughts, but that was all. After mentioning that she

was enjoying the food, she ate in silence.

Judging from how her eyes were moving, she seemed to be paying close attention to

what we were saying and how we reacted, but she was not the sort of person to

contribute small talk to keep the conversation moving.

Tisse was more the sort who only spoke with a clear goal in mind. She'd use her words

as tools to carefully and precisely convey her intentions.

Given that, the natural result was that Rit and I were doing almost all the conversing.

We used the time to outline the sort of life we were living in Zoltan.

Compared to when I was a knight or part of the Hero's party, the day-to-day here was

far more peaceful. Ruti seemed to be particularly interested as she listened to us.

"This is generally about how our day goes."

"From time to time, I have the shop to myself when Red goes out to gather herbs,

though."

Rit was still calling me Red. We had spoken the night before about what to do about

that—whether she should call me Red or Gideon when Ruti was around. We'd settled

on keeping things as they were. While in Zoltan, we were just Red and Rit.

"Big Brother."

"What?"

"Is the place you get herbs that mountain to the northwest?"

"Yeah, it is."

"…In that case, I know the place. I'll get some for you."

"I'd certainly appreciate it, but are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine."

"Got it. Then as long as it doesn't interfere with any of your own stuff, I'm happy to

have the help."

Ruti nodded.

I don't have dreams.

Winter had come to the forest, and the trees were barren in the cold. Gray clouds had

blotted out the sky, and a cold, dry wind was blowing. My ears hurt, so I pressed my

hands against them to warm up.

I was seven years old, and I was always by myself in the woods near the village.

It was only around a five-minute walk from home. If I listened closely, I could hear the

sound of people going about their lives in the village.

I stayed in the woods, waiting for the sun to set—for the day to pass.

When there were lots of people around, there was no telling when someone would

require help. The Hero couldn't refuse a person in need.

Hiding in my house was difficult, since my parents and I did not get along very well.

My mother wove inside, and when I was around her while she was working, she would

get into a terrible mood.

I didn't have any allies. Not anymore…

"Ruti."

I spun around in surprise. That voice belonged to the person who I so longed to see,

the one I was waiting for.

"Big Brother."

I leaped into his arms as he spread them with a smile.

Usually, my mouth never moved, but my cheeks would just naturally relax when I was

in his arms.

And seeing me grin, Big Brother would beam happily, too. Moments like that were

blissful.

"I was promoted to esquire, so I was given a week off to tell my family and take care of

whatever preparations I needed."

My big brother had been scouted by the Bahamut Knights and had left for the capital.

I had thought we wouldn't see each other for a long time, but he had risen from page

to esquire in just half a year and had traveled all the way from the capital back to this

far-off little village.

"I never had any free time because I was always busy attending to my superiors, but I'll

be able to take some time off now. I'll come visit whenever I can."

"Really?"

"Really."

I welled up with joy and clung even tighter to him. He held me closer, too.

I would have liked to stay that way forever, but Big Brother gently released me after a

bit.

"Shall we head back now? I haven't had a chance to say hi to anyone else yet."

"Okay."

I was a little disappointed. The two of us walked out of the forest, holding hands. His

had gotten bigger and stronger since he'd left.

I didn't dream because I couldn't sleep anymore. At night, all I could do was walk

through scenes from my past.

I could still clearly remember the warmth of Big Brother's hand holding mine back

then.

I stretched my fingers out in the darkness of the night. Until just two weeks ago, I had

thought that I would never feel his hand again. But now…

As I waited for the dawn, I smiled as I realized that I was looking forward to tomorrow.

The next day.

"Not that this is really the sort of place anyone would go for sightseeing."

"I see."

Ruti and I were walking around the working-class part of Zoltan.

The plan was to show her around. She still wasn't familiar with this section of town.

There were only a few clouds in the sky—great weather for walking.

As Ruti and I strolled along a path that had been worn into the ground by many before

us, we spotted a bunch of kids waving branches and pretending to be adventurers as

they ran around.

"Not so fast, goblin!"

"Grargh!"

The one pretending to be a monster was trying to sound menacing, I guess, but for

some reason, he made a drake roar as he scampered about. The children seemed to be

enjoying themselves. It was a familiar scene in this neighborhood.

One of the boys running around noticed me and turned around.

"Hey, Big Bro Red! Teach me how to fish sometime!"

"Sure thing. I'm a bit busy, but another day."

"Hurray! It's a promise!"

The boy raised his arms in joyful triumph. Then, as if realizing something, he made his

best effort at a serious expression.

"Big Bro," the kid began.

"What?"

"You shouldn't cheat on Rit!"

"She's my little sister. She only just arrived in Zoltan." I grinned wryly as I tousled the

child's hair.

"Cut it out!" He laughed as he shook his head.

"Heeey!"

"Ah, they're calling me. I'll see you later!"

With that, the boy ran back to his friends.

I was filled with warmth as I watched him go. It was a peaceful Zoltan morning scene.

When he was far enough away, Ruti tilted her head a bit.

"Are you certain it's all right to admit that I'm your little sister? Unlike that half-elf man

from when we first met, that child will tell everyone he knows about me."

"I intend to keep your blessing and the fact that I'm the knight Gideon a secret. But

you're my little sister. There's nothing bad about being proud of you. I don't see a need

to conceal that."

"…I see…"

Upon hearing that, Ruti's eyes widened slightly. Then her cheeks relaxed a little bit,

and she nodded slightly.

The two of us continued for a while until we came upon a familiar building.

"That's a sauna that we go to pretty regularly. It's run by an old man named Zeff. He's

an interesting guy and a respectable artisan."

I was still delivering fragrance bags to him regularly. I'd worried that folks would get

bored with it, but Zoltanis had truly taken a shine to a bath with herbal scents. It was

just ten in the morning, but more people were going in than I would have thought.

"A sauna."

Ruti's gaze was fixed on Zeff's shop.

"Want to go take a look?"

It was a little bit out of the way, but there was no pressing reason I had to finish

showing her everything today, either.

Nearly two years had passed since I'd left the Hero's party. Since we were making up

for lost time, it wasn't such a bad idea to take a more scenic route.

At my suggestion, Ruti turned to look straight at me.

"I've never been in a sauna like this before," she admitted.

Back in our home village, there was a small lodge for smoking meat to keep it from

spoiling. It also functioned as a community sauna. That was the best our little town

had. There'd been no for-profit bathhouses or the like. And once Ruti had set out on

the Hero's journey, there hadn't been any time for saunas in lands under attack by the

demon lord's army. If we stayed somewhere after defeating the demons, it was usually

the local lord's mansion or a palace. In such resplendent locales, we'd just used private

baths there.

Thinking back on it, at least while she was with me, Ruti had never visited an

establishment of this sort.

"So it's your first time, huh? Unlike the elegant spas they have in castles, this is a simple

one that uses stones heated by a stove. It can get a little raucous with the other

customers, but that's not such a bad thing, either."

"I'd like to try it."

"All right, then shall we?"

"Yes."

Ruti and I headed into Zeff's shop. Inside, there were several groups of customers who

were enjoying a beer after their steam. It must've been nice to be able to drink in the

morning.

"Welcome. Oh, Red, eh?"

Zeff's teeth flashed as he grinned and greeted us. The young man working part-time

seemed busy delivering the drink orders and didn't have the opportunity to pay much

attention to us.

"Looks like business is booming."

"All thanks to you. Don't think I've seen this young lady before," Zeff remarked as he

motioned to Ruti with his hand.

"She's my little sister."

"Oh? You never mentioned having a little sister before."

Zeff gave Ruti a long, hard look.

Uh-oh, this might be bad.

"…gh." A cold sweat popped up on Zeff's wrinkled brow. His hand on the counter

started trembling, making a noise as his fingers drummed nervously on the surface.

"Zeff, um…" I started frantically trying to think up an excuse.

However, Zeff just looked down, averting his gaze as he took a deep breath. "Phew,

sorry 'bout that. I'm fine now."

"Ah, no, it's my bad. My sister is—"

"I've got no interest in prying into my customers' blessings or past. I'm sorry for

bothering you, Missy."

Ruti looked a bit surprised as Zeff lowered his head. It might well have been the first

time anyone had ever had that reaction to her. It was typical that people who saw the

Hero found themselves incapable of ignoring her—whether they felt respect, fear,

hatred, or whatever else. It was rare for someone to respond the way Zeff ultimately

had, by pulling back a bit.

But that was the way things were in Zoltan. People here didn't pry into one another's

lives.

"All right, two people, yeah?"

I placed two quarter payril on the counter, took the locker keys and towels, and then

walked away.

"Okay, I guess I should explain things before we go in."

"Can I not just go in with you?"

"No, there are different rooms for men and women."

"I see."

Ruti looked dejected.

"But we can get drinks and some snacks after we finish in the sauna. It's not much, but

let's have a little something together."

"Okay."

Then I outlined how to go into a public sauna. Ruti nodded along as she listened with

her own sort of serious expression.

"That's the gist of it, at least. As for me, let's see, I was thinking of keeping it a bit short

today and get out after twenty minutes, but what did you feel like?"

"I'll do that, too," Ruti replied.

"Got it. You should relax and not worry about time, though. I'll wait for you out here if

you take a little longer."

"I'll be okay."

"Great!"

And with that, Ruti and I split up for a bit and went to our respective changing rooms.

Last time, Gonz and Storm had turned it into a competition, but saunas weren't the

kind of place for an endurance test.

When I got out of the sauna, I dumped a jug of water over my head to wash off the

sweat. The cool liquid felt great on my hot body. There were refrigeration units in a

high-ranking noble's sauna to cool the water so you could enjoy the tranquil

temperature of a lake in the middle of winter, but there was no way you would find a

magical device like that in Zoltan.

But— Well, even without that, just plain water felt great when you were washing away

the perspiration after a steam.

"That should be enough, I suppose?"

It was a little earlier than the twenty minutes I had said, but I changed back into my

clothes and headed back into the hall.

A short while later, exactly twenty minutes from when we'd entered, Ruti came out.

"Over here."

Ruti trotted over and sat in the chair next to me.

"What do you want to drink?"

"Whatever you think is good."

"Hmm, all right… Then I guess let's get a mixed-fruit milk."

I placed the order with Zeff, and soon after, he brought two wooden cups of the stuff.

It was a tasty drink with a nice blend of sweet and citrus. Glancing over, I saw that Ruti

was gulping hers down.

""Haah."" We finished and set our cups down at the same time.

"It's been so long since I could be together with you like this, Big Brother," Ruti said as

her face relaxed. "We were always side by side when the journey first started. I was

still weak, and you were always helping me. You taught me so many things."

"When we first set out, huh? Your blessing level was really low in those days."

"Traveling was fresh and interesting back then. And also, you were there."

"That brings back memories."

The demon lord's army had attacked our village, and Ruti and I had cleared the

abandoned mine that the goblins were using as their base and then led all the villagers

from nearby towns to take refuge there.

After that, we attacked the demon lord's army's camp, took care of a problem for a

weapons merchant and got access to his weapon stores to gather gear, and then

reclaimed our home with the help of the armed villagers.

The loss of such a small foothold was a paltry thing to the demon lord's army,

operating on a continent-wide scale. Neither the forces of Avalon nor any powerful

demons had bothered getting involved in such a small skirmish.

But even still, all the people who'd battled that day were serious. They were fighting

to protect their homes and families, after all.

It was something much easier to picture than the fate of the world. You could say it

was a bit less grand, but it was the adventure that had kicked off our quest.

It had been Ruti's first time outside the village, so everything she saw was new and

different. I could still remember the first time she ever saw a unicorn. It was a tranquil

scene as she brushed its white coat.

Unfortunately, even that was taken away from my sister as her blessing rose in level.

"Ah!" A young girl's voice suddenly brought me out of my thoughts.

A dwarf girl was looking at Ruti with wide eyes.

"It's the shaking girl!"

"Shaking girl?"

I was confused, but Ruti's shoulders twitched. The girl smiled like she was reuniting

with her hero.

"That was so cool! The way you poured the water like boom right after getting out of

the sauna, and then when you shook your body and the water went flying everywhere!"

In her excitement, the girl's voice grew loud. Other women who had been in the sauna

with Ruti also commented on how impressive it had been, which caused a little bit of

commotion.

Ohhh. Only one of the towels Ruti had was wet. I had just assumed she hadn't brought

one into the sauna, but apparently, it was because she had shaken her body to dry off.

It was a superhuman sort of feat.

Ruti looked down, seemingly uncomfortable. Hmmm.

"She's pretty amazing, isn't she? That's my little sister for you, though."

"She's your little sister?! So cool!"

The girl enthusiastically hopped up and down at that.

"Ohhh, you've got a sister, Red…"

The other people around us in the rest area seemed to relax a bit once they learned

that the unknown entity was just the younger sibling of the guy who ran the apothecary.

"I've never seen anything like that before."

"She seems pretty strong. A pretty far cry from you, Red."

"She only recently arrived in Zoltan, so I was showing her around a bit."

"Ohhh, I see."

With that, their conversation shifted to the pet dogs they had, and Ruti and I slipped

away after a brief introduction. Leaving Zeff's place, Ruti looked a little bit down.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I hadn't meant to make a scene."

I'm sure she had just been trying to dry herself as efficiently as possible. She still didn't

seem to realize why it had drawn as much attention as it had, but she still felt guilty

for drawing everyone's eye and causing problems for me when I was trying to hide my

identity and just run an apothecary.

I gingerly brushed her blue hair.

"Ruti, you don't have to worry about anything here."

"But…"

"It's true that I'm keeping my past a secret, but none of them tried to probe any further

about us, right?"

"Yeah."

"Even if you stand out a little bit, it won't cause a problem here in Zoltan. So don't

worry about it. Just do as you please."

Ruti's red eyes stared straight at me. It felt like those ruby orbs were trembling slightly.

"You promise? It's really okay."

"Of course. I'm glad, even. I got to introduce everyone to my awesome little sister."

That was the truth. I had been considering going around town to everyone I knew and

having them meet my sibling. The only holdup was that I still didn't have a clear grasp

of what was going on with Ruti, so I wasn't sure how exactly I should introduce her.

"Am I really that great a little sister?" Ruti pondered in a soft voice.

It was very gentle, like she was just mumbling to herself, but there was no way I could

have missed it.

"You're adorable, kind, and straightforward. I'm proud to be your brother," I declared

firmly.

Ruti's cheeks flushed so subtly that anyone else would have missed it. She was

embarrassed, and that was cute, too.

"All right, shall we continue the tour? How about we go check out the market next?"

"Okay."

Ruti held out her hand.

Whoa, that's nostalgic.

I took it, and the two of us walked through the neighborhood.

I could feel Big Brother's warmth as we held hands.

Today, it wasn't my blessing that was pulling me along, but Big Brother's arm. And that

made me so unbelievably happy.

"Big Brother."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Nothing."

He chuckled quietly at my silly response. That expression of his was more precious to

me than any treasure I had ever held.

Ahhhhh, this is bliss…

If I could have just one wish granted, it would be to have this day last forever. But it

was God who forced the Hero blessing on me… so who should I be asking to grant my

wish?

Unable to think of anyone, I kept the wish tucked away deep in my heart.

That night, Rit, Ruti, Tisse, and I had dinner together. Ruti's face was as flat as always,

but she still managed to convey that she enjoyed the meal with every fiber of her being.

"Oh yeah, we have a bath here. Do you want to take a dip before going back to your

inn?"

"A bath? Yes, please."

There was just no helping the fact that you almost never had a chance to take a proper

bath while traveling. We would wash—cleanliness was important—but it was just a

bucket of water and a towel most of the time.

There was a big old bell in our village that had been turned upside down that we used

as a tub. Big might be something of an overestimation, however, as it was only large

enough for one child to fit in at a time. The adults in the village just washed themselves

off with water and didn't get into the bath.

Our village widely believed that regular bathing made it harder for miasma to cling to

you. Hence, the man who did the metal casting for the town acquired a discarded

church bell and repaired it so that at least children, who were more susceptible to

miasma, could take proper baths.

When we were young, Ruti and I had taken baths every three days or so.

"We used to wash together," Ruti commented nostalgically.

I guess she was thinking back to our childhood, too. For that bath, you would warm

the water by stoking a fire directly underneath the bell. Unsurprisingly, the bottom of

the bell would get incredibly hot, so wood boards were placed in the water. When you

got in, you would sit on one of the planks, which would sink some, and you would have

to be careful not to touch the bottom.

There was always an adult around, and for little children, their parents would help

them, but because we both had gotten the hang of it at an early age, from around the

time Ruti was two, I would get into the bath while holding her.

She would cling to me with her tiny hands. Our parents always complained that Ruti

never cried, screamed, or laughed, but when we were in that warm water, her face

would melt into a smile without fail.

It was so adorable to see how happy she was, so we had bathed together until we'd

grown too large to fit in the bell. I'd like to believe Ruti had enjoyed that experience as

much as I had.

"Can we get in together today?"

Phew, I guess it's safe to say she didn't hate it, then.

"Weeeell, at our age, we probably shouldn't be taking a bath with each other."

"I see." Ruti seemed to be genuinely disappointed.

Yeaaah… I mean, if we're siblings…? No, no, even then, we really shouldn't.

"In that case, I'd like to go with Rit."

"Huh?" Rit had been lounging comfortably in her chair, listening to us, but that caught

her attention.

"Is that a problem?" Ruti pressed.

"…Hmm, no, that's fine. I had wanted a chance to chat a little bit with you anyway," Rit

answered with a grin.

Ruti nodded with just the slightest smile.

I hadn't thought much of it, but Ruti and Rit really hadn't exchanged many words.

Way back when they had faced off in the colosseum that one time, Rit had wound up

pretty bruised and battered. The experience might have left her feeling a little

uncomfortable when it came to dealing with Ruti.

My sister was naturally a quiet sort of person, so if you didn't start the conversation

yourself, she'd keep quiet.

This seemed like a good chance for the two of them to open up to each other.

"I see, then I'll go get the water warmed up," I said.

"Um?" Tisse called out. She was fidgeting her hands restlessly. "Would it be okay for

me to join, too?"

It might be a bit tight for three people, but perhaps if I filled the smaller single-person

tub attached to the main one?

"Sure, I'll get things ready, so just take it easy here for now."

As I got up, I caught Tisse closing her eyes like she was steeling herself for an encounter.

On the seas. A first-class room in the high-speed clipper known as the Sylphid.

After being outed as a conspirator in the Devil's Blessing incident and losing to Red,

Albert was lying weakly on a bed.

His head was throbbing in pain, and he felt an unpleasant sense of fatigue gripping his

body. But even with all that, he was not dwelling on how terrible the situation was.

Quite the opposite, he even felt a profound sense of satisfaction from the bottom of his

heart.

The Sage, Ares, was beside the bed on which Albert was lying.

"Heh-heh-heh, I don't know what sort of mission you are pursuing, Ruti, but there's no

way you can defeat the demon lord without me!"

Several days of using high-level magic had left Ares exhausted, but his bloodshot eyes

still shone as he raised his arms and shouted his declaration.

Theodora was casting healing magic on Albert, who looked pale and sickly. Albert's

eyes narrowed as he idly passed the time beneath the glow that was infusing him with

life force energy.

There was no one in Zoltan capable of using healing magic of that level. Not Ria, the

monk he had once formed a party with, nor even Bishop Shien who headed Zoltan's

holy church could begin to compare.

But even with spells of this level, Albert was having his blood drained every day, which

kept him from fully recovering.

After Tisse and Ruti had left in the airship, Ares, Theodora, and Albert, who had been

dragged there in a stupor by the contract demon, had remained at camp for several

days, just waiting idly.

When Albert found out that they were the Hero's party, he was excited. Long had he

dreamed of joining up with such a glorious group. Even more than elation, though, he

was ashamed and disappointed in himself for arriving not as a champion, but as a

filthy criminal.

Things had since changed, however.

There was blood splattered around the floor at Ares's feet. It had been taken from

Albert's arm. Distorted scars ran down his limb where it had been healed by magic

only to be lacerated again, over and over.

As Ares concentrated, the blood seemed to squirm and form a figure of sorts that

indicated a direction.

"There's no mistaking it! Ruti is somewhere in the direction of the Wall at the End of

the World!" Ares's bellow resounded in the room.

Hearing the Hero's name, Albert's weakened heart started to pound in anticipation.

However, while Ares and Albert grew more excited, Theodora's expression was distant.

"If she's on the other side of the Wall at the End of the World, then we've got a problem.

Even if we go around it by sea, that would mean a voyage without any supplies. We're

going to have to borrow a large carrack or a galleon warship. We aren't going to be

able to keep up with an airship."

Ares seemed to have no intention of answering Theodora's concern. He just grinned

as he stared at the crimson liquid on the floor.

"This blood still retains the power of the contract demon's accord! The one to go to

the Hero's side! Our friend here has the ability to show us the way to Ruti! If I draw on

this miracle, I can surely catch her!"

"Get a grip already," Theodora muttered as she beheld Ares's frenzied shouting with

an icy gaze.

Ares swung around and glared at her with wide eyes. In those orbs was such a

tremendous bloodlust that even Albert felt a chill run down his spine.

"What did you say?" snarled Ares.

"Milady left us behind of her own will. What meaning is there in chasing after her like

this?"

"The power of Ares the Sage is necessary to defeat the demon lord! I'm merely doing

my best for the sake of the world. Why are you here, though? If you really believe there

is no meaning in pursuing Ruti, then shouldn't you just turn tail and run?"

"If left to your own devices, you would have already killed Albert here," Theodora spat

back.

Ares's face warped as he lunged in and grabbed the woman by the cloak. "I can use

healing magic, too! Mine is at least as powerful as yours, if not more so! Don't you dare

forget: I've only entrusted this to you because you said you wished to do it!"

"You just don't understand, Ares," Theodora responded. Her tone of voice made it

sound like she pitied him, which only served to vex Ares further.

"It's not enough to just have a skill that restores the wounded. If you can't empathize

with an injured person and understand their pain on some level, then you can't

actually perform the act of healing."

"Hah! What nonsense! Meaningless equivocation! Do you really think you can pull the

wool over my eyes with such vague platitudes?!"

Judging that there was nothing she could say that would get through to Ares as he was

now, Theodora merely shook her head limply and gently removed his hands.

"If it weren't for the fact that a life is at stake, this would be a good chance for you to

learn from painful experience… Just leave Albert's healing and health management to

me. I swear I'll keep him alive until you find Milady."

"Don't go thinking you can hold this over my head for a favor later. Not over something

as trivial as this."

"I had no such intention. I'm merely doing what needs to be done, both as a cleric of

no great importance and as someone who was once a comrade of the Hero who will

save the world. We didn't fight all this way because of anyone's orders, to have

someone owe us, or out of some desire for gratitude. We struggled because we wanted

to save the world. At least that was why I fought."

Ares stared Theodora down with a tremendous glare, and then, as if to indicate he no

longer wished to be in her presence, he stormed out of the room.

Theodora looked down at the blood on the floor and picked up a bucket of water to

start cleaning. It had become a regular practice of hers recently.

"Shall I help you…?"

Theodora looked a bit surprised at Albert's offer.

"You don't have to worry about it. Just rest yourself."

"…Am I…? Have I been any help at all?"

Albert looked her in the eye. His gaze was weak, but his eyes were pure and bore no

malice.

"I don't know. But thanks to you, we are getting closer to Milady. Whatever else might

happen now, we will be able to determine the result for ourselves without relying on

anyone else's decisions. And that is something we would not have been able to do with

you, Albert. You have my gratitude for that."

"I see…"

A peaceful smile crossed his lips.

They would head toward the Wall at the End of the World next, taking the southern

sea passage around it. That would put their vessel close to Zoltan.

Albert's missing right hand ached.

Seeing that, Theodora said, "Our next stop is the merchant city of Lark. We'll get you a

prosthetic hand there. Lark does a lot of trade with the archipelago country. I'm sure

they have prosthetics made by alchemists there. Even if you can't hold a sword, having

a hand that can move again should ease the pain."

"But to slow your journey on account of me…"

"Don't worry about it. If it wasn't for you, we would never have discovered where

Milady was. We can spare a little time," Theodora assured with a smile.

Albert glanced down at the stump that had once been a proper, full arm.

"He was mysterious, the man who severed my hand," Albert said, recalling the

appearance of that D-rank adventurer with a bronze sword at his waist. He'd been

strong. So much so that Albert couldn't even begin to guess at how badly he'd been

outclassed.

"Why? Even with all that strength, why did he not become a hero?"

Albert wasn't expecting an answer. The quiet question was more directed at himself.

However, Theodora looked down at Albert with a hard expression. "People must try

to live in a way befitting their Divine Blessing."

"That's what the holy church teaches," Albert added.

Almighty Demis bestowed Divine Blessings. Those who had been granted powerful

gifts were expected to fulfill suitable roles. Theodora was a Crusader and a cleric of

the sacred Last Wall fortress. Albert had expected her statement to end with some sort

of remark about the church.

To his surprise, though, Theodora shook her head.

"However, Divine Blessings are not people."

"Huh?"

"People have free will. They have lives, dreams that they hope to achieve… Is someone

with a blessing that could allow them to become a hero required to live their life as

one? Are they not allowed to choose another path?"

"But that is what God wishes for them," countered Albert.

"Then why did God give people free will? If fulfilling the Divine Blessing's role is

everything, what need would we have for choice?"

"That's… I don't know."

Albert was not a theologian, nor was he even a particularly fervent believer. He was

not remotely equipped to debate a cleric like Theodora.

"My apologies. I'm actually looking for the answer to that question as well."

"Even you feel doubt?"

"I was left behind by Milady. I'm not nearly wise enough not to doubt myself after that,"

Theodora admitted with a bitter smile. "What was the name of the man who took your

hand?"

"He called himself Red."

"Red, huh? I'd like to meet him," Theodora muttered quietly to herself as she took the

bucket and brush for cleaning the blood on the floor and left the room.

Albert closed his eyes after watching her leave. Bereft of stamina, he quickly drifted

off to sleep.

There was a splash.

A single drop of water had fallen from the ceiling. Even though I was in a hot bath, for

some reason, I felt a chill as I stared at the ripple it made.

My name is Tisse. I have an Assassin blessing, and I'm Ruti the Hero's friend.

Currently, I am soaking in a tub. To be frank with you, I love baths. I adore them so

much that my fellow contract killers call me the bath reviewer.

During my journeys, I put together a guidebook that contained all the notes I had on

public baths, hot springs, and sauna complexes in places I had visited over the years.

It's considered a must-read by fellow Assassins Guild members preparing for

excursions of their own. Murder was a rough line of work, and everyone wanted that

one comfort that could bring them warmth.

A place where people generally stripped themselves bare and defenseless was the

perfect spot for assassination, so my guide was also a proper resource for work. I'd

written in notes about where to conceal weapons and the location of escape routes.

And from my perspective as someone who loved baths enough to write a book on

them, this one… earned high marks.

Despite being for household use, there were two separate tubs, which was a big plus.

The separate bath I was currently in was one in which you could really appreciate your

personal space.

Society demanded that you communicate. That was no less true for assassins. In fact,

precisely because killers had to infiltrate cities while always playing the role of a false

identity, it was a job that often endured the stresses of social engagements.

No matter the time or place, you could never speak freely. You always had to control

your communication, paying close attention to what exactly you might be saying and

what sort of influence that might have on the job at hand. It was incredibly tiring.

I knew several assassins who had been working longer than me who were perfectly

skilled as killers but had difficulty with the job's social aspect and could never make a

name for themselves.

Because my master had drilled into me how to mask my emotions and thoughts

properly, I could become whatever kind of person I needed. But it was not like I

particularly enjoyed dwelling beneath a facade.

I'm trying to say that being able to soak myself in a private bath and enjoy a little space

to myself as Tisse Garland made me incredibly happy.

That this bath used a pipe to warm the water was another point in its favor. If someone

were outside stoking a fire, I wouldn't be able to help focusing on them. But with this

tub, you could control the temperature by just getting a little bit out of the water and

adjusting a valve.

"Four stars. It is just a little bit unfortunate that the bath is quite deep, so the water

reaches my mouth while I'm sitting." Unfortunately, my comment was little more than

a burbling sound that no one else could interpret.

I was short. Since I fought in a way that took advantage of precise strikes to critical

points from behind rather than a method that relied on strength-based power, being

small in stature was advantageous. Still, it also led to many inconveniences in my

personal life.

Mister Crawly Wawly was currently dining on an insect that had been drawn to the

humidity of the bath. Seeing him carefully holding it with his front legs as he ate it

while looking so happy was endearing.

Haaah, I should stop trying to escape reality and face what's happening in front of me. I

mean, it wasn't like there was an actual problem yet. It was just that both Ruti and Rit

were in the same bath together.

Having watched her from up close recently… I could tell that Ruti loved her big brother

Gideon. As in, she was deeply in love with him.

But Gideon and Rit both cared for each other. It was clear at a glance that they were

head over heels for each other. And to Gideon, while Ruti was his beloved little sister,

that was all there was to it. It was a different sort of affection from what he felt toward

Rit.

"It's a nice bath, isn't it?"

"Yes."

There was no flow to Rit and Ruti's conversation at all as they sat across from each

other. Ruti watched Rit without looking away, answering questions with few words,

and not volunteering any discussion herself. Honestly, Rit was doing quite well to

endure it.

Even if Ruti harbored no hatred for Rit, a person with ordinary nerves probably

wouldn't be able to take sitting face-to-face with her. I had become the Hero's friend,

and even I had a much easier time sitting next to her instead of directly staring her

down. Honestly, I'm not sure Ruti felt zero anger toward Rit.

I had joined them in the bath like this to help ensure that nothing terrible happened

in the worst case.

"Rit."

Finally, Ruti said something!

My heart was racing as I readied myself to leap out of the water at any moment if

necessary.

Just in case!

"What is it?"

"Have you already taken a bath with my big brother?"

Going there already?! Urgh!

"Yes, I have."

And a merciless counter! Terrifying!

There did not seem to be any hint of turbulence brewing between them. Still, love was

the sort of thing capable of pushing a person to murder. I knew that too well as an

assassin, having seen all kinds of situations where someone felt driven to end

another's life.

"I have, too. A long time ago, though."

"How was Red… Gideon back when he was young?"

"The same as he is now."

"So he hasn't grown at all?"

"No. Big Brother has always been cool." Ruti glanced down slightly. Looking closer, I

could see her cheeks had turned a little red. "I used to be weak."

"Really? It's hard to imagine that with how you are now."

"It's true. My first fight was an orc hussar who attacked our village—no, that wasn't it.

The first was when I went out into the mountains near our village to look for a child

who had gotten lost."

"A lost child?"

"I was five years old, just a little kid myself. But I'm the Hero, and I couldn't ignore

someone in trouble."

"Ah, the blessing's impulse…," Rit murmured with a serious expression.

The urges of a Divine Blessing were something that all who lived in this world

encountered. The question of whether to live a life following one's Divine Blessing or

to resist that and exist as you wished was one everyone struggled with. Most people

chose the route their blessing pushed them toward. Resisting those intrusive impulses

was a painful thing, and your blessing would grant you the skills necessary to live a

life per the path it desired of you. Even so, there was no guarantee that was the sort of

person you wanted to be.

While I was lost in that thought for a moment, Ruti began recounting her first

adventure. She was far more talkative than I had ever seen her.

On the first day of spring, a girl who was not my friend ventured out to the mountains

that were crawling with animals who had just woken from their hibernation and were

wandering around in search of food. Somewhere along the way, she had gotten lost.

Big Brother had gone out to take care of something that day. I didn't have anyone else

I could rely on. Father and Mother were not powerful enough to be going into the

wilderness during that season.

I knew it was dangerous, but the Hero blessing pushed me, saying I had to go.

There was still a little bit of white snow left on the mountain. The river rushing so

loudly was probably because of the snowmelt. I was only five years old. Even ordinary

beasts were deadly opponents for me, let alone monsters.

All I had was one unreliable knife. I was shouting that lost girl's name as evening

closed in, always moving to avoid anything that might be slinking after me. Noticing a

presence, I turned around and saw a large wolf sizing me up. Perhaps it didn't desire

to eat such small prey because it looked away from me disinterestedly and

disappeared into the darkness.

However brave they were, a normal child would probably have screamed and run

away at that. It was only natural. I didn't feel fear, though. I just acknowledged that the

threat had passed and continued my dangerous adventure.

Shortly after dusk, I finally found the missing girl. Unable to navigate her way back,

she had instead discovered a cave that seemed warm and was crying inside it. There

were claw marks from a large beast on a nearby tree, and there was a powerful animal

odor inside the cave.

If the girl had possessed Perception, then she would have noticed the enormous

creature inside. The owlbear had already judged her to be its next meal.

Owlbears were at the top of the food chain in the mountains. Even the wolf from before

would have fled from one. I imagine the only reason it hadn't killed her already was

that it had just finished eating something else earlier.

The clever beast knew that human children died easily. The owlbear was letting her

live so that it could consume her in the freshest state possible.

Although I had the Divine Blessing of the Hero, my level was still only one back then. I

was just as much a kid as the lost girl. The enemy was an owlbear, something said to

be unbeatable without at least a level of fifteen. The difference in strength between us

was obvious. Still, I couldn't abandon her. I suppose you could call that a flaw with the

Hero blessing. It didn't fear death and prioritized fulfilling the role of the Hero over

survival. Not only that, it didn't even really register that such single-mindedness

sacrificed something in return.

"Ruti!!!"

The girl noticed me and shouted my name as she ran over in tears, alerting the owlbear

that another source of food had arrived.

"Guuooooooooh!!!!!" The great beast roared as it leaped out from the depths of the

cave.

I held my knife in a backhand grip and readied myself. I knew my likelihood of winning

was slim. If I failed, all that awaited me was death… I had just one chance. The owlbear

charged and swung its claws down at me. It was too fast, so I couldn't dodge it. Because

of that, I held my left hand to my chest and waited for that one moment.

The owlbear's claws ripped into my body.

"Healing Hands."

I should have been torn to pieces, but I was uninjured. Using all the power of Healing

Hands, I had healed myself at the same moment its claws were gouging into my body.

I'm sure the owlbear never expected its prey to be uninjured. Using that moment

where it was off guard, I slammed the knife into the owlbear's left eye as hard as I

could. It roared in pain.

Too shallow…

Even though I had stabbed it with all my might, the knife had only pierced its eye. It

was a deep wound; one could have been an eventual cause of death, but I had required

an instant kill. My weapon needed to have reached the monster's brain.

There was a thud as I was sent flying through the air. The owlbear had flailed its arm

and knocked me aside. Because it had not managed to hit me with its claws, I avoided

dying then and there, but that was all.

My body rolled across the ground before finally coming to a stop. I desperately tried

to raise my blade, but my arm was just hanging loosely… The bones were broken.

I had tried my best. There was nothing to be done.

And perhaps the blessing acknowledged that because it did not demand that I die on

my feet. In its infinite mercy, in the end, it had allowed me to face death lying on my

side.

Even if I didn't perish, all it would mean was that I would continue to suffer like this

for people I wasn't even particularly close to. If I survived, I would continue to suffer

for others, only to have them call me a creepy girl behind my back. My survival simply

meant being used by those who secretly feared and hated me whenever it was

convenient for them to ask for my assistance.

It was enough. I had lived for five years—not even that long counting from when I

became aware of my surroundings. Back then, when I didn't have Immunity to Despair,

that moment was more than enough to make me lose hope.

However… there was one person, just one, who did not demand my help. There was

one who would always be there for me whenever I wanted help. One person who loved

me just because I was his adorable little sister.

I could leave everything else behind without care: my parents, that village, even the

world. But not being able to see Big Brother again… I couldn't take that.

And as that thought crossed my mind, the words slipped out of my mouth before I

even knew what was happening.

"Save me, Big Brother!!!"

A blade slashed in like a bolt of lightning.

A sword cut into the left side of the owlbear's body, out of the blind spot from the eye

I stabbed. The weapon slipped through the beast's thick armor of muscles and pierced

its heart. The seven hundred kilogram monster perished with a single blow.

"Ruti! Are you all right?! You're so badly hurt!"

He did not pause to take pride in defeating an owlbear. He did not even glance at the

tremendous feat he had accomplished. He just looked at my wounded body… and

cried.

"I'm sorry for being late. I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay. You saved me, Big Brother."

I didn't mind the pain at all because the person in front of me would always be by my

side whenever I was suffering. He would cry for me.

That made me happy.

When Ruti finished her story, she fixed her gaze on the ceiling.

Her flushed cheeks definitely weren't because of the hot bath.

"So it was like that for you, too."

Rit was looking at the ceiling as well. As if she was trying to remember something.

"When Shisandan killed my master and the royal guards and adventurers who had

believed in and supported me, I was despondent. Even though I had gotten into such

a bitter argument with you all about how we would protect our own country, at that

moment, I couldn't help wondering if things wouldn't have been better if I had never

been born. Since it was my fault that it had turned out like that."

"I see."

"And that was when Red saved me. He rushed in early before the rest of you arrived

and faced off against Shisandan and fought for me. He pushed me to get revenge

instead of stewing in regret for what had happened."

That must be something that happened during the fighting in the Duchy of Loggervia.

Rit's eyes were closed as she recalled the scene.

"I'm sure you noticed it, too, Ruti, but there were countless times when we were in the

bewitching woods when I was about to give up. It felt like we were wandering in

circles, and even if we weren't, we spent a whole week in that forest… I couldn't help

thinking that everyone in Loggervia might already be dead."

It was a dark story, but Rit's expression was bright and clear. The memory was painful,

but it was also when Rit had met Gideon.

"Through it all, Red was there for me. He fought alongside me. He talked about trying

to save Loggervia together. Deep in the bewitching woods, where the sun couldn't

reach, I was okay because I had him. It was the first time I had ever felt like that."

Rit hugged her knees, hiding her mouth as she smiled.

Ahhh, I see. So that was the sort of person Gideon was.

It wasn't really a surprise that Ruti and Rit would both fall in love with him after those

sorts of experiences.

Ruti cupped some bathwater in her hands and raised it. The water trickled out and

back into the tub with a splash.

"Baths don't feel as good to me as they used to."

"Huh?"

"The reason that soaking in hot water feels good is that when you get into the tub, your

body warms up, your blood starts circulating better, and tired muscles feel renewed."

Ruti scooped up more water. The sound of the drips filled the room.

"I have immunities to all sorts of things now. Whatever extreme cold, or intense heat,

my body temperature doesn't change. The warmth of a bath is no different. To me, it's

nothing more than just a single piece of information that the environment around me

is hot."

Drip.

"I don't get sick, and I don't feel tired. My body is always in optimal condition."

Drip.

"It's the same for food, too. I don't get hungry. I don't need water, either. I can taste

flavors, but my body doesn't need nutrients."

Drip.

"The reason I think baths feel good is that I can remember the pleasant sensations of

the past. I'm just re-creating the feelings from those memories."

Drip.

"The honey milk Big Brother made for me when I was little was the most delicious

thing ever. It was sweet and gentle, and I felt like I could drink it forever. But the honey

milk that I had today, even though it should have tasted better than it used to, didn't.

But even so, I still have my memory of Big Brother's honey milk being wonderful."

Oh… So that was what had been aggravating the problem.

Ruti was humanity's strongest.

Ares and I, Danan and Theodora, and even Gideon—we were stronger than most other

people. Yet even banded together, we wouldn't be able to defeat the Hero. Ruti would

never again be able to experience the feeling of someone truly coming to her rescue.

Her feelings did not modulate as strongly as they used to because her blessing had

taken the bulk of emotions that might harm her. Because of that, she could only

experience love in the past.

…So does that mean Ruti can't ever love anyone other than Gideon?

Rit remained silent as well, shocked and unable to respond.

So this is the Hero's blessing? Humanity's hope, the Hero chosen by God, the world's most

extraordinary power?

"When we were with you in Loggervia, I hated you, Rit."

"Yeah, I was definitely standoffish then. The whole 'Who would just stand by and let

someone else save their home?' thing and all," Rit said, smiling wryly.

"I don't mean like that. I was jealous of you. Able to smile freely, to get angry, to cry…

to love. I was jealous of you getting closer and closer to Big Brother… so jealous…"

There was a splash. Droplets of water were falling from Ruti's eyes into the bath.

"So truly envious… I hated you. And because of that, even though Big Brother and Ares

said we should add you to the party, I didn't ask you."

"…Ruti…"

"Rit, Tisse… this is me." Ruti smiled so plainly that even Rit and I could tell.

"This is the Hero, Ruti… I just wanted to be you, Rit, not the Hero."

I had been wrong. I wasn't the right person for this. I had been worried about the

incorrect thing. I hadn't understood what the real problem was. It needed to be Gideon

here, not me.

He was the only one. Undoubtedly, he would have been able to save Ruti.

Ruti's forlorn smile was so tragic that it made me want to avert my eyes.

There was a tiny tap on my shoulder. Looking back, I saw Mister Crawly Wawly there.

"Huh? I'm wrong?"

He raised both his legs. If he had a voice, I'm sure he would have been shouting as loud

as he could.

Don't give up hope! Just start now!

Mister Crawly Wawly was right.

A princess taken prisoner by the Hero blessing, unable to freely determine her path.

Gideon was the hero who could save the princess. So then would that make me the

mage to guide him?

Sensing a gaze, I saw that Rit was looking at me. The two of us exchanged glances. She

nodded slightly, determination plain in her expression. Though it had only been for a

short while, she had been one of Ruti's comrades, too.

We had two people and one spider to be the mages who guided the hero that Ruti

needed. That would do for the cast of the story. The imprisoned princess had already

suffered more than enough.

In that case, the next step was to lead Gideon to battle the evil dragon that had

captured the princess and rescue her.

I didn't know what I could do to help Ruti, but Mister Crawly Wawly and I were her

friends. Even if we couldn't see the goal in the distance, this was just the beginning!

The start of a story where we save the Hero, and everyone smiles in the end!