Ramon Mountain Range, East of Santea.
A person was walking on a forest path filled with lush greenery.
The girl was walking with a wooden stick slung over her shoulder, tapping it lightly as she took unsteady steps.
“......”
The girl, who looked a bit drowsy, suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at the bushes nearby.
The bushes rustled, and a small squirrel popped out.
The girl naturally crouched down and offered some acorns from her pocket to the squirrel, which accepted them eagerly, and started eating.
“Is it tasty?”
“Chirp.”
As the girl was petting the squirrel, suddenly the ground began to shake.
The startled squirrel jumped away, scattering the acorns, and ran off. The girl wrinkled her brows.
Soon after, a giant bear appeared, not just a simple animal but a creature more akin to a monster. The bear’s mouth was smeared with dried blood, evidence of a previous hunt.
Despite the terrifying and predatory gaze of the beast, the girl didn’t seem to be afraid and only muttered while tapping her wooden stick on her shoulder.
“I didn’t plan on having meat for lunch.”
With a roar, the bear charges at the girl.
The girl raised her wooden stick, and a blue energy emanated from it.
The girl swung her stick towards the bear’s snout as it approached her with its mouth wide open.
The sequence of actions seemed light, but the outcome was not.
With a loud noise, the bear’s body collapsed and fell to the ground.
The girl stared at the dead bear and leaned against a nearby tree.
Returning to her drowsy expression from earlier, she looked up at the clear sky without a cloud.
“Hmm.”
***
Upon returning to the lord’s castle safely, the first thing I did was to calm Asher.
She must have been worried sick while I was missing, because she couldn’t hide her surprise when she saw me.
“I had you worried. I’m fine, so don’t worry.”
“Yes, but what happened exactly...?”
Although Asher asked calmly, her voice was still shaky, unlike her usual self.
The last time Asher saw me was when I disappeared after being attacked by Ditrodemian, so I understood her intense reaction.
“Let’s go inside first.”
Since we were in the middle of the castle corridor, I took Asher to the room first and roughly explained what had happened.
Being teleported by Ditrodemian’s ability to the outskirts of Santea and encountering other demons there.
There was nothing to hide except for the existence of the hero.
Although I wondered if it was necessary to hide it from Asher, I decided to leave it out for now, as the story was already complicated enough.
“I see. You were swept away by the demon’s spatial ability.”
After hearing the explanation, Asher muttered.
She was probably able to safely return to the Lord’s castle with Ti-Yong. Ti-Yong wouldn’t let anyone ride on its back unless they were of the wyvern species or had a special connection with me.
I was not sure if Asher was recognized for her abilities or if Ti-Yong was just a clever guy who knew when not to make a fuss.
“What was the situation like after I disappeared?”
“Well, we searched the forest for another day and then returned to the Lord’s castle.”
“What about the Overlord’s spy?”
“We went separately, and she probably returned to the Overlord’s castle.”
Asher lowered her head with a gloomy expression.
“I’m sorry. I was just thinking that we need to find a way to quickly locate Sir Ron.”
“No, your judgment was appropriate.”
The butler had told me the story earlier. Asher wanted to inform the Overlord of the situation and request her help.
If I had any problems, the only person she could rely on was the Overlord.
It had been a while, so the Overlord had probably already received the news, but it was probably not a big deal.
There was no way to hide the fact that it was related to Ditrodemian, but the only thing that needed to be kept secret was the existence of the hero.
If the Overlord found out that I had formed a cooperative relationship with the hero, what kind of reaction would she have?
That was the one thing I couldn’t predict.
For some reason, the Overlord in the game seemed to have a strange fondness for the hero, despite the fact that the hero was a decisive obstacle to Calderic.
In any case, it wouldn’t be good to let the other find out about the hero.
“...”
I stared at Asher blankly.
The task to be done from now on was to finally find the successor.
I had been with Asher for almost all of my journey so far. Without her help, I couldn’t have come this far.
“Asher.”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember what I said about my goal in the ancient ruins before?”
After blinking, Asher answered.
“Yes, you said you wanted peace on the continent...”
I nodded.
“From now on, this is the real starting point. Does your will remain the same as the answer you gave back then?”
Asher had said that she would willingly lend her strength, no matter what I do in the future.
Asher replied with a firm voice, as if it was obvious.
“Of course. I’ll help you with whatever you want, Sir Ron.”
The fact about the succession of the Holy Sword was an extremely confidential matter, as it involved the fate of the entire continent.
There was no need to explain all the details to Asher and directly involve her.
Even if I didn’t explain the reasons one by one, she would always obediently follow my orders, as usual.
But I didn’t want to continue using her by hiding what I was doing from her forever.
I already trusted Asher as an absolute ally, a valuable colleague, and a subordinate.
So now, at least to her, shouldn’t I make my ultimate goal clear?
I stood up and said to Asher.
“There’s a place we should go to right now. Follow me.”
***
I left the Lord’s castle to head to a high-end inn located on the outskirts of the city with Asher.
I had told the hero that I would come visit her by noon tomorrow.
Without any trouble, the hero was already having her meal on the first floor of the inn.
“You came right away,” the hero said, putting down her spoon while looking at Asher standing behind me. Asher also looked at the hero with a puzzled expression.
I looked around the inn’s hall and said, “You should finish your meal first.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ve reserved a room, so let’s go upstairs.”
The hero immediately finished her meal and stood up from her seat.
As far as I knew, the hero’s body was unaffected even if she did not consume food. She was almost like a transcendent being, borrowing power from the Holy Sword.
However, there was a dialogue in the game where she didn’t exercise her authority in such trivial matters.
We went straight up to the room upstairs and faced the hero, feeling her magical power spreading around the room. She seemed to block the sound from leaking outside.
“Sit here too, Asher.”
Asher tried to stand behind me instead of sitting, so I placed her on the seat next to me.
Before getting into the main topic, I decided to introduce Asher first. However, the hero asked first.
“Who is that person?”
It was a voice full of suspicion and alertness.
We would now talk about the location of the successor, and it was a natural reaction since I had brought in a strange person who I hadn’t mentioned before.
“Asher Gronhilde, she is my escort knight,” I said to the hero. “She will also be working with us from now on. She is a person who will be of great help.”
“The collaborator was only supposed to be you, Seventh Lord, wasn’t it?” the hero replied with a slightly uneasy expression.
“I know what you’re trying to say, but don’t worry. She’s someone I trust more than anyone else.”
While the hero looked a bit uncertain, Asher also turned to me, indicating that she didn’t understand what’s happening.
I also revealed the hero’s identity to her.
“Asher, this person is the hero of Santea.”
“Yes, yes?” Asher turned her gaze to the hero, looking much more surprised than before.
I knew that even if I introduced her abruptly like this, she wouldn’t be able to understand the situation.
“Asher, listen carefully. From now on, what I’m going to do is...”
I finally explained everything to Asher, including the Holy Sword, the succession of the Holy Sword, and the cooperative relationship with the hero.
As I explained everything step by step, Asher’s expression changed in various ways.
After hearing all the explanations, Asher looked at the hero across from her.
Her gaze was filled with confusion, but that wasn’t all.
“Are you really the hero of Santea?” she asked in a voice that seemed to have a strange sense of hostility.
I immediately understood Asher’s attitude.
That’s because, for Asher, anyone from Santea, especially the hero, she couldn’t be friendly with.
The hero also looked at Asher with a suspicious expression, as if sensing something. After a moment of silence, Asher spoke again.
“I am a survivor of the White Moon tribe. We were exterminated by Santea.”
“......!”
The hero’s eyes widened slowly at those words. She also knew well about the horrific massacre committed by the royal family.
I thought about whether I should intervene in the conversation, but decided to leave it be. It was also a problem that needed to be solved by them.
“I’ve always been curious. Hero, do you know about the massacre of the White Moon tribe committed by the Santea royal family?”
The hero nodded.
“I know very well.”
At that answer, Asher seemed to tremble for a moment.
After taking a deep breath, Asher spoke again.
“Then you knew about their actions and didn’t stop them. Is that right?”
“That’s not true. At the time, I was in a place where all communication with the outside world was completely cut off. By the time I learned about the tragedy, it was already too late.”
“...”
“Asher Gronhilde, this will undoubtedly be a contemptible excuse for you.”
The hero stood up and bowed deeply towards Asher.
“I’m sorry.”
The hero only conveyed those words of apology.
It seemed like she felt it was too shameful to say anything more, as she only uttered that one word.
When Asher didn’t say anything in response, the hero finally lifted her head and spoke after a long pause.
“The emperor is the mastermind behind the massacre of your tribe.”
“I know. But if you know that too, then why...”
It meant, if she also knew about it, then why was she leaving the emperor alone?
In response, the hero answered with a face that seemed both ashamed and bitter.
“For now, I cannot hold the emperor accountable for the atrocities he has committed.”
