Ch. 8 The Hero Party, and Sion
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 8 – The Hero Party, and Sion
Morning broke in the forest. I was tidying up the remnants of the campfire, feeling the quiet dawn air. Shortly after, the child lying next to me slowly sat up. They stared at me intently for a while, then spoke.
“…Something… feels strange. It feels like someone is watching me.”
Their voice was soft but clear. I was momentarily taken aback but pondered their words as I looked at them. “Watching you? What do you mean?”
The child’s eyes were steady. “It feels like… a brother. But at the same time… it doesn’t feel like a brother…”
I was stunned by their words. Why was the child calling me a brother? And what did they mean by “feels like a brother but not”?
“First, what’s your name?” I asked, pushing aside their confusing statement.
The child thought for a moment, then shook their head. “I don’t remember…”
“You don’t remember?” Claire, who had approached, chimed in. “This is serious. Could it be that this child’s memories were sealed by something?”
I sighed and looked at the child. “Well, if you don’t know your name, we’ll have to give you a temporary one. Is it okay if we pick one for you?”
The child nodded quietly. Claire flicked her finger and said, “How about ‘Ruan’? It’s simple and easy to say.”
I looked at the child and asked, “Is that okay? The name Ruan?”
The child thought for a moment, then nodded quietly. “Okay. Ruan…”
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As we traveled, Ruan would occasionally stop and look around, behaving strangely. At first, I thought it was just childish curiosity, but their actions became increasingly odd.
“Eli, there’s something off about that kid. Just now, they tried to go where there’s no path.” Claire whispered to me.
“Yeah.” I replied, watching Ruan. “It’s like they’re being drawn to something.”
Then, Ruan stopped and said, “Here.”
“What’s here?” I asked, puzzled.
Ruan pointed under a tree and said, “There’s something underground. I can feel a strange energy.”
Claire narrowed her eyes and said, “Energy? Could it be…”
Curious, I dug into the spot Ruan had pointed to. Before long, I found a black gem-like object. It was clearly imbued with demonic energy.
“How did you know this was here?” I asked, looking at Ruan.
Ruan clutched their chest and said, “I don’t know. Something… shows me. And… I hear a voice.”
“A voice?” Claire asked, surprised. “Could it be that this kid can sense demonic energy?”
I looked at Ruan and asked seriously, “Ruan, can you tell us more about what you see or hear?”
Ruan hesitated for a moment, then said, “It’s like… it tells me which direction to go. And if something feels dangerous or bad, it warns me.”
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When we arrived at the village, we stopped by the guild to officially register Ruan. Their ability was useful but also dangerous, so I had to continuously suppress their power while keeping them close.
“Registration’s done here. Now we need to pick up a new quest.” Claire said, looking at the guild board.
I nodded. “Right. Let’s start with a simple quest near the village. Ruan needs to get used to things too.”
But as we were choosing a quest, a familiar voice called out from inside the guild.
“Hey! Eli!”
A familiar voice came from inside the guild. Turning around, I saw a face I hadn’t seen in a while. A friend, smiling brightly and waving. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Oh??? You?!?! We’re all meeting here?” He walked over to me, grinning.
“Same here.” I smiled lightly and said. “You joined the hero party, huh? Looks like you’re doing well.”
He nodded and replied, “Yeah. Thanks to that, I’m doing great. But right now, we’re all split up doing quests. I’m here for a quick job.”
“Nice.” I nodded and said. “Then how about we team up this time?”
But Claire, who was standing beside me, cut in and narrowed her eyes.
“Who are you? You just showed up and started acting all friendly?”
“Ah, I guess introductions are overdue.” He gave an awkward smile and said. “I’m Eli’s old friend, and…”
“A player.” I cut him off and answered. “He’s a player too.”
Hearing that, Claire froze for a moment, then her eyes widened as she exclaimed.
“What?? Seriously?? You’re a player too??”
My friend leaned in and whispered to me.
“Who’s that?”
“She’s a player like us.”
“What?? She’s a player too??”
“…”
Then Claire started staring intently at me and my friend. My friend shrugged and began to speak.
“Yeah. I’m a player too. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah… right.” Claire looked around and shook her head. “By the way, how did you join the hero party?”
He chuckled and replied, “Connections.”
“Huh?” Claire asked, looking incredulous.
He pointed at me and said, “Eli pulled some strings. I guess you could call it the power of being the Saintess.”
Claire’s eyes widened as she looked at me, then she shook her head vigorously. “This world is so realistic. Getting into the hero party because the Saintess pulled strings…”
I sighed and said, “It’s not like that, Claire…”
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During the conversation, my friend glanced at me and asked.
“Oh, right, Eli, what about the church? It’s chaos there with the Saintess going missing and all. Did you just sneak out?”
I pursed my lips and nodded.
“As you can see. Yeah. I left on purpose. Honestly, staying there as the Saintess would only lead to bad endings.”
He sighed and said, “I get that you snuck out of the church, but isn’t it dangerous to draw so much attention? A ton of people are looking for you right now.”
“I know. That’s why I’m trying not to get caught while moving around.” I replied in a tired voice.
Claire chimed in and asked, “And the church is spreading rumors that whoever finds the Saintess can marry her…”
Hearing that, my friend chuckled and said, “Eh…? Seriously? Eli, be honest, are you trying to find a fiancé or something?”
“F*ck, don’t joke around.” I said irritably. “I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”
“Alright, alright.” He raised his hands and stepped back. “But what’s your plan now? Are you just going to keep wandering around here?”
I shook my head and said, “No, we’ll move to a safer place. And I need to take proper care of Ruan too.”
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As we walked, Claire asked, “By the way, friend, what’s your name? I can’t keep calling you ‘friend’… what should I call you?”
He smiled and replied, “Ah, right, right. My name is Sion. Nice to meet you.”
“Sion, huh…” Claire nodded and said.
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“Ruan, if it’s not too hard, can you try using your ability a little?” I asked Ruan cautiously.
Ruan nodded and closed their eyes for a moment. Seeing their small hand tremble, I immediately placed my hand on theirs and channeled a bit of holy power.
“It’s okay. Take your time.”
Ruan slowly opened their eyes and said, “Over there. It feels heavy. Probably… something like demonic energy.”
Claire crossed her arms and said, “This kid is really amazing. They know everything before we even find the path.”
“But we can’t let Ruan use their ability too often.” Sion said with a serious expression. “You know that, Eli. This kind of power is too much for a child.”
“I know.” I reassured Ruan, patting their head. “Ruan, it’s okay. Don’t push yourself. Just let us know when it’s necessary.”
Ruan nodded and said, “Okay. But… it’s strange. Sometimes it feels like you’re blocking my power.”
I was momentarily stunned by their words. Claire, hearing this, looked at me and said, “Eli, is your holy power affecting Ruan somehow?”
“Maybe.” Sion muttered and added, “Eli, since you’re the Saintess, are you giving some kind of protective aura to the people around you? I also felt strangely light when I was near you before.”
“Damn, so I’m just casually spreading Saintess bonus effects everywhere.” I replied with an annoyed sigh.
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As we moved in the direction Ruan pointed out, the air began to feel strangely heavy. The trees in the forest looked as if they were sick, turning ashen, and small demons were roaming around.
“Here.” Claire said, drawing her sword. “It looks creepy, just as expected.”
“Ruan, you’ve done enough with your ability. We’ll handle the rest.” I said firmly.
But Ruan shook their head and said, “No. I want to help too.”
I tried to stop them, but Claire spoke first. “Eli, don’t overprotect this kid. You shouldn’t stop them from wanting to help.”
“Alright.” I reluctantly nodded. “But don’t go too far ahead. Just give us signals from the back.”
Ruan nodded quietly at my words. Their eyes sparkled as if they sensed something. Then, they pointed in one direction and said, “Over there. There’s something big.”
“Something big…” Sion narrowed his eyes and continued. “Let’s be careful. In cases like this, it’s likely a boss-level monster.”
We slowly moved in the direction Ruan pointed. Before long, a massive demon revealed itself. It was a wolf-like creature covered in dark energy.
“That thing looks tough.” Claire said, tightening her grip on her sword.
“Ruan, stay back.” I shielded Ruan with a protective barrier and then turned to Sion and Claire. “Ready?”
“Of course.” Sion said confidently. “It’s not for nothing that I’m the priest of the hero party~~”
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Random kid added I suppose?
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