The Birth of a Hero (2)

1.

Hoth, the Berserker of the Southern Kingdom.

He was a man who was positive and passionate about everything.

Even in a crisis situation where he was surrounded by Demons, he had a faint smile on his face.

But now…

“Saintess, please save me!”

His face was pale as he desperately begged for help.

“First, calm down and get up.”

All eyes were on us.

But I didn’t care.

Hoth grabbed my foot and clung to it as if he were about to kiss my instep.

“What are you doing to the Saintess?!”

Rael tried to pull Hoth away.

But Hoth resisted fiercely, as if he would die if he let go.

Murmur, murmur.

Hearing the commotion, people began to gather around us.

I was already tired of the attention as the Saintess, but receiving this kind of attention made me even more tired.

Ugh…!

I suppressed the urge to flick him on the forehead and soothed Hoth.

“Brother, I’ll listen to what’s going on, so please get up. You’re bothering other people by doing this here.”

I managed to coax Hoth and took him to my room.

“Brother Rael, please stay outside.”

“I can’t.”

Rael refused firmly.

“That guy might do something terrible to the Saintess.”

“Something terrible?”

“Judging by the way he touched the Saintess’s body without permission, he might have ulterior motives towards the Saintess. Saintess, all men are beasts.”

Hearing this from someone who used to be a man, I felt strange.

I knew what Rael wanted to say.

Looking at Hoth, who looked like he enjoyed women, I could understand why he would think that.

It was an unnecessary worry.

Someone with lecherous thoughts trying to touch my body?

There was no way I would let that happen.

I would let them taste the worst pain imaginable on earth.

I smiled and said to Rael.

“Then is Rael a beast too?”

“I, I’m…!”

Rael waved his hands in embarrassment.

“I am a man, but…! I, I would never have ulterior motives towards the Saintess!”

I narrowed my eyes and looked up at Rael.

“Hmm, really?”

“I am the Saintess’s escort knight.”

“Does that mean if you weren’t an escort knight, you would have thought of looking at me like that?”

“N, no, that’s not it!”

“I’m just kidding.”

It was fun to see him flustered.

I always want to tease people who have good reactions.

“I’ll call you right away if anything happens.”

“Still, I can’t.”

“How can the person being counseled speak properly if there’s someone else there during the counseling?”

Rael groaned and pondered.

Eventually, he sighed and nodded.

“You must call me immediately if you sense anything strange, even a little bit.”

“Okay.”

I went into the room.

Hoth was waiting neatly on the sofa.

“So…”

I sat across from him.

“What do you mean, save you?”

“Sister, I’ve been having a really hard time since that day.”

“Wait, wait.”

I cut off Hoth, who was about to say what happened.

“I’ve been wondering since earlier, what’s with that title? Sister?”

“I call people I recognize as stronger than me Hyung or Sister. So, I’m calling you Sister.”

“Don’t call me Sister.”

“Then can I call you Hyung?”

“No, don’t call me Hyung or Sister.”

What would people think if I, the Saintess, was walking around with a big guy calling me Sister?

I didn’t want to create a difficult situation if possible.

“To think I can’t call Sister, Sister…!”

Hoth groaned as if he was frustrated.

Was this something to be so upset about?

The people of the Southern Kingdom were unique, but he was someone I couldn’t understand at all.

“Haa… Just call me Hyung or Sister when we’re alone. Don’t call me that in front of other people.”

Hoth’s face immediately brightened.

“Understood!!”

His booming reply echoed through the room.

I frowned and covered my ears.

“Moving on to the main point… What’s going on? Why did you suddenly ask me to save you?”

“It’s all because of you, Sister, that I’m in this situation!”

“Because of me?”

“Do you know how difficult a situation I’m in because you said I defeated the Demon?”

A week ago.

When the Demon incident occurred.

Our party had agreed to give all the credit to Hoth.

I wasn’t very interested in taking credit.

Above all, if the Saintess of the Celestial God Church defeated the Demon with just a sword, it would ruin the image of the Saintess, so it was necessary to hide that I had defeated it.

Was that really important?

I thought.

‘The Saintess must always be Saintess-like.’

‘Please be mindful of your behavior as one of the symbols of the Celestial God Church.’

These were the words I had heard from the Cardinal so much during the Saintess education at the Grand Cathedral for a week.

It was almost brainwashing.

“I was called to the academy dean to receive thanks, the other students look at me like a hero, and everywhere I go, people are talking about me.”

Hoth listed the situations he was in.

“Um… Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It would be if it was my achievement. But it pricks my conscience to be treated like a hero for someone else’s achievement.”

Just enjoy it.

I wanted to say that.

But a straightforward person like Hoth couldn’t enjoy lying.

“But what can you do?”

I rested my chin on my hand.

“Please bear with it for my sake.”

“But, is it really necessary to hide it?”

Hoth asked as if he didn’t understand.

“I don’t understand why you’re hiding your strength.”

“I’m not hiding it because I want to. The Papal Authority is telling me to hide it, so what can I do?”

The ideal Saintess should be like this or that.

“No, what can they do? What can they do if you use swordsmanship in front of others?”

Come to think of it.

“That’s true.”

I thought he was just a battle maniac.

Hoth was someone who could seriously think.

He was right.

The Papal Authority told me to hide my swordsmanship.

But there was nothing they could do whether I used swordsmanship or not.

Were they going to banish the Saintess?

I didn’t need to be obedient, but I think I was too obedient.

“So let’s be honest.”

I shook my head.

“Let’s just say that this time, Brother did it.”

It was annoying to explain everything from start to finish again.

There was no need to tell the truth about what happened now.

All that mattered was defeating the Demon.

“Why don’t you take this opportunity?”

“Opportunity…?”

“If you’re being seen as a hero, try to become a real hero. Make the lie the truth. I think you have the talent to become a hero with your skills?”

I said, mixing in appropriate praise.

“……I see!”

Whether he was simple.

Or positive.

“If people see me as a hero, then I just need to become a real hero!”

“Yes.”

“And to think you had such expectations of me.”

“Expectations?”

“I understand. If you want me to become a hero, I will train my swordsmanship even more to become a hero in the future.”

When did I ever say I expected him to?

I said he had the talent to become a hero.

I didn’t say I expected him to.

But whatever.

It’s not like I don’t expect his growth.

Seeing him holding a sword firmly even in front of the Demon, he was definitely someone who would become great.

“Okay. Good luck.”

Hoth’s face brightened as if his worries had been resolved.

It was my first time having a serious consultation.

There were people who came to have a private meeting under the pretext of counseling in the past few days.

Maybe I have a talent for this?

“That’s right. I heard the Demon’s identity was an assistant professor in the Swordsmanship Department?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Do you know anything about that?”

Hoth shook his head.

“Have you ever been to the assistant professor’s room?”

“No.”

Hmm…….

Not helpful at all.

“Do you know where it is?”

“I know that.”

Swordsmanship Department Professor’s Dormitory.

The room at the very end of the second floor.

That’s what Hoth said.

“Can you guide me there?”

“I can guide you, but it’s impossible to enter there now. The Magic Department is investigating, so a Magic Barrier has been set up to prevent anyone other than those involved from entering.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

There was no reason to refuse the Saintess’s request.

It wasn’t anything else, but I was going to help him find a clue to the deal.

“Just guide me.”

“Okay.”

I left the room.

“Saintess, did anything happen?”

As soon as I left the room, Rael asked, checking my condition.

“It was an unnecessary worry.”

I smiled.

“That’s good. I’m going to the Swordsmanship Department now.”

“What are you going there for?”

“I heard the Demon’s identity was an assistant professor in the Swordsmanship Department. So I’m going to investigate that person’s room.”

“Okay. I’ll guide you right away.”

“I’ll do the guiding.”

Rael looked at Hoth.

His eyes were full of dissatisfaction.

“You go back.”

His tone became cold.

Rael didn’t seem to like Hoth.

Considering what he did on the first floor, I could understand.

“Can you do that? I’m the one who was asked directly by Sister, no… the Saintess, to guide her.”

Rael looked at me as if asking if it was true.

“Well, he’s a student in the Swordsmanship Department.”

“I’m also a student in the Swordsmanship Department.”

“But you use this dormitory. If we’re going to investigate the Swordsmanship Department dormitory, it’s better to ask someone who lives there to guide us.”

“As expected of the Saintess!”

Hoth added comments from the side every time I said something.

“Haa…… Okay.”

Rael glared at Hoth.

“You walk 10 steps ahead.”

The two were bickering.

No matter what Rael said, Hoth seemed to be cheerfully brushing it off.

Haa…….

Should I have sent Hoth away and secretly slipped out through the window?

I regretted asking him to guide me a little.