Chapter 7: A Hero’s Burden: The Unseen Path

The smell of monster blood was, to put it kindly, not good.

It was like dirty water—no, more like the stench of a sewer.

Rotting, but not in the normal way.

According to an adventurer dispatched by the guild, it was rotten, in a sense.

But not the kind that comes from decaying flesh—it was something more fundamental.

Something rotten at the very core of these creatures.

No one could really explain it properly, not even the adventurer who told me.

So people just agreed to call the mysterious essence that made up these “monsters” magi.

As I brushed the black gunk off my armor, someone tapped my shoulder.

“Well done.”

I turned and saw Siwoo grinning brightly at me.

“There aren’t many goblin corpses left. Even if we cut off the ears to sell, we won’t get much.”

That power I used to burn them away—that’s the power bestowed upon the Hero.

It’s functionally the same as the divine power the clergy uses, but far stronger in scale.

“Not that I can heal or buff myself with it…”

“The Hero’s job is to eliminate enemies, after all.”

Siwoo said it like it was obvious, in response to my grumbling.

Honestly, it felt like something pulled straight from the original story.

According to Siwoo, Rira in the original game was known for her raw damage output.

Especially after her final upgrade form.

“Healing and buffing the body—that’s the Saintess’s role.”

Yeah, I know that.

Still, it felt a bit unfair that we both used the Goddess’s power, but my version was… incomplete.

Come to think of it, Siwoo could even talk to the Goddess.

I had memories of my past life too—so why couldn’t I communicate with Her?

Was that also part of Her divine will?

I clenched and unclenched my left hand, the one that had channeled the divine flame, as I quietly stared at it.

That’s when I heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind.

“Adventurer!”

It was Chloe’s voice.

“Adventurer, are you alright?!”

“I’m not badly hurt. What about the villagers?”

“No one’s seriously injured, either—huh!”

She’d been smiling brightly while talking but suddenly gasped.

“What?”

“You’re covered in wounds!”

Ah.

They weren’t serious, but I did have some scrapes and cuts.

With attacks flying in from all directions—blades, pitchforks—it was impossible to dodge everything perfectly.

Still, nothing life-threatening.

No need to worry about infections or tetanus—healing potions would take care of the minor stuff.

“You can’t! A girl shouldn’t have scars on her body!”

That comment came so out of nowhere, I couldn’t help but make a stunned face.

Siwoo’s reaction wasn’t much different—he just gave a faint, wry smile.

But Chloe didn’t care about our expressions.

She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes in prayer.

Divine power slowly began to gather in her hands.

Chloe opened her eyes and brought the orb of light to the small bleeding wound on my arm.

It felt a bit like pressing a slowly warming heat pack to my skin.

A moment later, even the faint sting was gone.

When she pulled her hand away, all that was left was bloodstained skin—the small, cracked wound had vanished completely.

She’s definitely skilled.

“Do I give the offering directly to you?”

I tossed the line as a joke while she took a step back after the healing.

I wasn’t expecting a big reaction, but Chloe’s response was more intense than I thought.

“W-What? No, um, well…”

Flustered, she looked around with darting eyes.

Then, in a much more timid expression than when I first met her, she cautiously looked up at me.

“A-Are you… by chance, a Hero?”

Did she figure it out from seeing my divine power?

“Well, not a full Hero yet. Just a Hero candidate.”

As I sheath my sword back into the scabbard on my back, Chloe’s mouth fell open.

“Whether I’ll actually become one… I guess I’ll find out once I attend the academy.”

Even after I added that, Chloe’s expression didn’t change much.

…Funny thing is, she was supposed to become a Saint candidate herself.

For some reason, I felt a pang of guilt.

We left the village with a warm send-off from the townsfolk—a completely different atmosphere from when we first arrived.

They wanted to show us their gratitude, but really, what could this small village offer?

They’d already lost livestock to the goblins, and hosting us would probably drain their already empty stores.

Better to head straight for Lord Cloren’s keep.

Besides, the food there’s likely better anyway.

Definitely.

Still—

“Hero, and your friend as well—thank you so much. Thanks to you, our village was saved. Meeting you during such troubled times was nothing short of a miracle.”

Hearing Chloe’s words as we were about to leave made it hard to walk away.

I was glad no one had died, but the cost… was Chloe’s unknown power—something even she didn’t understand.

She’d never have figured it out on her own if we hadn’t said anything.

Not that she seemed unhappy being a nun here.

She looked like she genuinely liked the village.

She’ll probably be okay, even if we leave her here.

“…Haa.”

I let out a small sigh and scratched the back of my head.

Then glanced at Siwoo, who was standing beside me.

He already knew what I was thinking—it was obvious from the faint smile on his face.

Honestly, even if he was my best friend, that knowing smirk was a little annoying.

But what could I do? We’d known each other too long.

And I’d never been good at hiding my thoughts anyway.

“You.”

“Yes?”

Chloe’s eyes widened a bit when I suddenly spoke up.

Maybe because my voice came out a little rough.

Even though I’d made up my mind, I didn’t really know how to say it.

Just because I was a Hero candidate didn’t mean I could talk directly to the Goddess.

Siwoo could, but he said it wasn’t like he could always get an answer on demand.

Ugh, forget it.

“When we head to the lord’s keep… Come with us.”

“Hmm?”

When I suddenly said that, Chloe’s eyes widened in surprise.

“D-Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s not that.”

I hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke up.

“I just thought you seemed pretty skilled when you healed me earlier.”

Chloe’s face showed an expression that seemed to say, So what?

“I just need to check something.”

I couldn’t exactly ask her to join my party right then.

After all, that would mean I’d have to take responsibility for her the whole way.

But I couldn’t just leave a Saint candidate behind either.

If the Demon Lord’s army comes later, it’s better to have someone with at least some power.

Since there’s no system or status screen in this world, I figured that the number of stars or whatever wouldn’t really matter much.

Of course, my goal was to quit being a Hero and hide in some corner until everything blows over, so I couldn’t take full responsibility for her either.

This was just insurance.

After rationalizing this to myself, I looked Chloe straight in the eyes.

“Are you going far? If I leave…”

“Hey, nun, what are you saying?”

One of the village men stepped forward and spoke up.

“The Hero is asking you to come! Isn’t this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”

No, I’m not a Hero yet.

“But if I’m gone, what will you…”

“They’ll send another nun or priest from the Order. But the Hero won’t pass this way again, will he?”

Actually, I live just nearby.

I’ll probably pass by again when I go home for the holidays, but whatever.

Chloe stood there for a while, hands clasped in front of her chest, her head bowed deep in thought.

“…Thank you, everyone. I’ll never forget the time I spent with you.”

No, I’ll be back, really.

At that moment, I didn’t feel like I could jump in and say anything.

I glanced at Siwoo, who was standing next to me with a contented smile on his face.

He definitely misunderstood.

He thought I had invited a 1-star character to join my party.

But in this situation, I couldn’t just whisper to him, so I wondered how to communicate what was really going on.

Before I could come to a conclusion, though…

“Alright, Hero. I’ll follow you. I’ll help you as much as my abilities allow.”
Seeing Chloe, her face full of determination, I couldn’t bring myself to say, “No, I’m just checking your abilities.”

Even if she didn’t become a Saint candidate, it seemed like I’d have to take her to the academy. Morally, at least.

“…I’m still not a Hero, though.”

In the end, all I could do was mumble that quietly to myself.