Chapter 32: Warrior

In truth, there were no treasures left in the ruin I told Hestia about.

It had remained an undiscovered ruin, perfectly hidden until now, but that was no longer the case.

The most valuable item had already been taken by ‘someone’, so going there now would only yield pretty trinkets at best.

‘How do I know that?’

‘That’s because I was the one who created that ruin.’

The true identity of the treasure hidden there was a powerful martial art created long ago…

‘Yes, it was indeed the martial art Elisha had obtained from somewhere.’

I hadn’t paid it any mind, thinking it was a martial art that would soon disappear anyway, but Elisha had found it in the meantime…

She was truly a woman whose movements were surprisingly difficult to predict.

What was even more peculiar was that, for some reason, she hadn’t touched any other treasures, only taking the secret martial arts scroll.

‘I don’t know why, but well… I suppose it’s because the other items weren’t necessary for her, the Regressor.’

Thanks to that, the ruin I created still appeared to be an ordinary ruin on the surface.

After I was certain Elisha had obtained the secret scroll, I went to the ruin separately to confirm.

I wouldn’t have found it strange if she had utterly destroyed everything I had set up, but surprisingly, most of the traps I’d laid out seemed intact, considering what she had taken.

In its current state, it would be able to show Hestia the ruin she was expecting.

I glanced at Hestia, who was following closely behind me.

‘You really ought to be grateful to me.’

‘Where would you find a friend like me…?’

****

The destination was set, and now all that remained was a leisurely journey with Hestia…

…but there was no such thing.

Although the ruin was located relatively close to the academy, contrary to my expectation that it would take about three days if we went slowly, we arrived on the very same day.

‘How was that possible?’

That was because the Hero, who disliked wasting unnecessary time, had used a warp gate.

To use it without a reservation, just showing up on the day, usually required waiting in line even if one paid a considerable fee, but Hestia was able to use the warp gate without any problems or waiting for her turn.

This was because she was the Hero, a being of higher standing than even nobles.

‘Damn power-tripping…’

We teleported to a village near our destination and immediately set off for the ruin’s location.

Although we had warped to the closest village, there was still quite a distance, so Hestia and I decided to rent a carriage.

“T-this, this is the most expensive and precious carriage in this village, so please, please handle it with care…”

“By the way, Hestia, do you know how to drive a carriage?”

“This is my first time driving it myself… but I’ve watched it a few times, so I think I can do it.”

“Ah, ahh… No…!”

‘No, did she just take it?’

Watching the villagers despair, unable to do anything because their opponent was the Hero, and Hestia tightly gripping the reins as if to say, ‘Just trust me,’ made me chuckle a little.

‘Our Hero doesn’t know anything about power trips.’

‘She just lacks tact.’

Of course, from the perspective of those who had only heard about her through newspapers, it would be no different from a high-ranking noble suddenly appearing in their village and trying to seize their expensive carriage.

And so, we were able to acquire a very expensive and precious carriage with excellent performance, capable of traversing even rough roads without hindrance.

As Hestia didn’t know how to drive a carriage, I ended up holding the reins.

She tried to refuse, arguing that she was already sorry for causing trouble and couldn’t ask me to do such menial work…

“What if we get into an accident?”

“It’s fine. I’m not someone who would get hurt by a simple carriage accident…”

“But I would get hurt.”

“…”

At my perfect rebuttal, she had no choice but to bow her head.

Before Hestia, who wore a subtly dejected expression, could feel guilty, I added.

“The reason we’re borrowing a carriage is because of me, anyway. Isn’t it faster for you, Hestia, to just run?”

“Isn’t that the same for you, an academy student?”

“Well, yes… I could probably run faster than a carriage, but I don’t have the stamina to run for long.”

It was difficult to embark on an exploration without a carriage.

Unlike her, who expends almost no stamina from simply running, I’m merely set to have ordinary stamina…

Hearing my words, Hestia finally seemed relieved, and she spoke in a warm voice.

“Thank you… for always thinking of me.”

“I was thinking of my own safety, though?”

“You are the first… to treat someone as flawed as me in such a way.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

…Anyway, putting aside the accumulating misunderstandings, Hestia and I set off for the ruin.

****

A massive cliff where no trace of human passage could be found.

Hestia and I, having dismounted from the carriage, stared blankly up at the cliff.

“…Is there really a ruin in a place like this?”

“I don’t know. I’ve only heard about it.”

“How did Elisha even find a place like this…”

‘Indeed, I wonder about that too.’

I felt like asking her how she discovered this place, just once.

‘Is there a way to casually probe her about it later…?’

As I was pondering trivial matters, Hestia murmured beside me.

“…I don’t feel anything.”

“Huh?”

“I feel a faint sense of incongruity. This is the first time I’ve experienced something like this… It seems like some kind of barrier has been erected around here.”

“Really? I don’t feel anything…”

“Hmm…”

Hestia looked around with an uncertain expression.

Beside her, I could only quietly break out in a cold sweat.

‘It’s actually normal not to feel any incongruity there…’

‘From the start, I even used my authority to perfectly conceal this area from transcendents.’

‘Whether it’s the Academy Head or the Great Pioneer, it’s strange that Hestia is feeling an incongruity in a place where it should be impossible to feel one.’

‘Then again, she is a connected being…’

– *Swoosh*.

Just as I was lost in thought, Hestia grabbed my collar and carefully pulled me towards where she was standing.

I looked at Hestia, bewildered as I was pulled along, and she turned her head slightly to the side and spoke to me.

“W-well, just in case it might be dangerous…”

“Ah, thank you. You really are the Hero.”

“…”

Hestia said nothing, gripping my collar even tighter.

‘She still goes quiet when she’s embarrassed.’

Instead of smiling mischievously, I led the way.

“Then, shall we start by checking over there?”

“…Yes.”

Hestia and I walked closely together near the cliff.

The occasional conversations ceased completely, and only silence flowed.

Hestia watched me, yet she didn’t open her mouth first.

It seemed she didn’t particularly want to break this awkward silence.

As if even this quiet time, filled only with silence, was precious to her…

****

[The Hero is destined to become a transcendent.]

This was a story that had been passed down as a truism for a very long time.

It was a preposterous tale that should have been treated as mere urban legend or distorted myth, yet for some reason, successive Heroes had accepted it without doubt upon hearing it.

Hestia, as the Hero herself, knew the reason very well.

She felt it.

That her current body didn’t suit her, and that she saw the world differently from ordinary people…

Everything was merely a foundation for when she would someday become a transcendent.

Hestia hated that.

Talent incomparable to others.

Vast wealth and power that accompanied it.

She could possess everything that even a less ambitious person would be satisfied with by having just one.

Of course, there was a price that came with it.

She wanted friends, but she couldn’t find anyone who could be her friend on equal footing.

However, objectively speaking, this wasn’t a big problem.

Friendship? Connections? Companions?

No matter how diligently one built them up at the academy, they would all become meaningless once one ascended to transcendence.

Instead of easily gaining what was needed to ascend to transcendence, one discarded what was unhelpful in return.

A naturally formed, most perfect environment for becoming a transcendent…

It was as if…

Her destiny was rejecting everything that didn’t aid in her ascension to transcendence.

It might have been the fated path all previous Heroes had walked, but Hestia utterly detested it.

That was why her connections at the academy were even more precious.

Had it not been for the connections she’d serendipitously found, she, too, would have spent her time alone and lonely.

Everyone lauded her as the Hero, but to her, the Hero was him—the one who had first saved her from that dreadful fate.

Hestia gazed at her first friend, who was walking beside her along the cliff.

To him, who seemed to be looking around for the ruin, he seemed oblivious to her presence.

‘This isn’t him ignoring me.’

‘Because he’s a considerate person who tries to treat everyone equally…’

‘Even now, he was clearly trying not to make her feel burdened.’

Hestia narrowed the distance between them just slightly more.

She took in his appearance, examining him closely.

His black hair, common yet uncommon, and his black eyes.

An expression difficult to read, in a different way than the Holy Maiden she’d recently met…

It was his usual appearance, one she had always seen and always held in her gaze.

Watching him nonchalantly ignore her gaze, Hestia recalled a conversation they’d had.

– …The weather seems nice.

– It is. A day like today would be perfect for a date…

– …?!!!

‘A date…’

– H-hmm… We’re still in the getting-to-know-each-other stage, so it might be a bit too soon…

‘Ugh…!’

Pushing away the embarrassing memory that had suddenly surfaced, she once again took in his appearance.

His black hair swaying softly with every movement, and his deep black eyes like black crystals.

…For some reason, his face, seemingly ordinary yet not, appeared even more captivating today…

Hestia meticulously scrutinized his face and thought.

‘A man and a woman meeting alone…’

‘A man and a woman huddled close, chatting intimately…’

‘A man and a woman walking side-by-side, matching each other’s steps harmoniously…’

‘Isn’t this completely a date…?’

Hestia’s cheeks were already flushed crimson as she asked herself that question.