episode_0007

There is no citizen of the Southern Kingdom who does not know the story of the warrior. And there are few who do not know his actions.

Of course, few people have delved into the details of his actions, even though it is widely known. The hero tried to save everyone.

The classifications of the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom had no meaning to him. Whether they were humans, elves, dwarves, or even… demons, he risked his life to save those who wanted to be saved.

And, we did it. We did it. We saved the world. We overcame despair. We really did it.

But, even so, he seemed like a child who didn’t know how to organize things.

This happened.

It was a story that was often passed down among the people. The daughter of the elven chieftain was captured by the demon tribe. She was a woman with tremendous magical powers, and was destined to become the demon tribe’s magical power extraction experiment subject.

But that didn’t happen. Why? Because there was someone who heard that she was in danger, ignored all warnings, broke through the demon tribe’s defenses alone, rescued her, and returned.

It was only natural that the elf chieftain’s daughter would feel affection for the man who risked his life to save her, prevent her from belittling herself, and give her hope.

There was something like this too.

A slave from the Northern Kingdom has escaped. Ain slaves are born with the unfortunate fate of being kidnapped from their original homeland and brought to the Northern Kingdom.

Even among the Ain race, she boasted peerless beauty, so it seemed that if she continued like this, she would be bitten by the fangs of desire and lead a terrible life.

But she was saved thanks to someone who condemned the person who enslaved her.

Until the moment she returned to the embrace of her family, the princess of the Ain tribe naturally felt affection for the man who had cared for and encouraged her.

There was also an incident that almost decided the fate of the Southern Kingdom.

The second princess of the Southern Kingdom was kidnapped by the Demon Tribe.

However, there was a person who pursued the second princess, who was kidnapped and taken away, until the end, defeated the demon tribe after a bloody fight, and returned to the palace with her.

There was a man who completely captured the princess’ heart and insisted on following her all the way to the end of her journey to defeat the Demon King, eventually leading her to follow him as a wizard.

The man who did all that, despite having so captivated people’s hearts, did not know how to embrace them.

The same thing happened again and again until the Demon King was defeated. Even after the Demon King was defeated, the same thing happened again as the remnants of the Demon Clan were defeated.

Even today, when traveling and interacting across continents, the love between women does not fade away, but rather only grows stronger.

It was a romantic tragedy so ironic that it was hard to believe that the great warrior and warrior of hope had created it.

And in it, there was a pure, hurt woman.

“Thank you, Glen.”

“No. Rather, I feel sorry for speaking to you so frankly.”

Originally, I was going to taunt him by asking why he didn’t come early. But I didn’t expect to hear such an emotional confession…

Glenn couldn’t help but sigh. He tried to keep a smile on his face, and was busy trying to comfort and calm her down. Unlike the sad and depressed woman she had been a little while ago, she seemed to have recovered a lot.

‘Dinner… When will dinner be ready? Please call quickly.’

“No, Glenn. Rather, I should be the one to apologize. I have burdened you with telling me my true feelings, even though I have only met you for a short time. It is strange. To bring up such burdensome things to someone you have only met three times? You are disqualified as a saint. If you continue like this, you will really…”

“I want to tell you that is absolutely not the case.”

Glenn never wanted to see the saint belittle himself.

Yes, it was definitely awkward. It was hard for ordinary people to confess their love for a warrior to someone they had only met once three years ago, once two days ago, and once today. Even so, I never wanted to see the saint reproach herself.

“The saint just needed someone to listen to her story. It’s something that’s hard to tell anyone, especially to the person you know best and are closest to, so your actions…are not bad at all. Personally, I think it might be better to consult a third party who doesn’t know you at all.”

That’s right. Most of the warrior’s companions are women.

Just from what Glenn saw from afar, there were thieves, wizards, wizard 2, archers, archer 2 (elves), and a saintess, etc… If he told any of them about this, it was obvious what kind of chaos would unfold.

“Is that so? But-”

“If you still feel guilty, it would be better to express gratitude. ”

“…Mr. Glen.”

The pupils shook. It wasn’t Glenn’s own. It seemed as if the saint was somehow moved. Ugh, what is this? I was just talking nonsense. It’s burdensome and my heart feels like it’s going to burst.

“Thank you so much, Glenn. I will never forget you.”

No, Glenn smiled, without saying anything as corny as that, for the rest of his life.

“It’s an honor, Militia. Well, can we get back to the request? ”

“Oh, yes. There’s not much time left until dinner, so I think I can explain the details during the remaining time.”

Before he knew it, he had accepted her request, but Glenn had no regrets. After all, he had gotten himself involved this far, so it was not like an adventurer to back out.

One of the unspoken rules of adventurers is that if you delve deep into something where you don’t know the reward or the content, just keep digging. If you succeed, just set your reward and receive it based on the results.

So, Glenn felt at ease.

“Can I ask you one more question related to the request, Militia?”

“Oh, yes. Of course. What are you curious about?”

Okay, let’s dig in, Glenn asked with a relaxed expression.

“Why did you ask me to act as a ‘master’ rather than a ‘agent’? In general, it would be most reasonable to appoint an adventurer as an agent.”

“Because I want to tie it with my own hands.”

“With your hands, you say?”

The saint nodded with a determined expression. It was a face that showed her determination.

“I also knew how unfair and difficult it was for a woman to fight a man with her bare hands. That’s why I initially tried to hire a proxy. However, after seeing the Duke of Opperspelle and those who were afraid of being harmed by him, I realized that I should take matters into my own hands rather than burden others. Because of me, the bishop and the monks almost had to bear a great burden. Even the experts who knew martial arts were likely to get caught up in me and suffer great harm. So rather than asking someone else to fight for me, I wanted to learn how to fight with my own hands and overcome this crisis. That’s the ultimate reason why I asked you to be my teacher, not my proxy.”

“Your own hands…”

It wasn’t without merit.

If you act as an agent, you may be in trouble due to some kind of backdoor scheme. There is even a high possibility that you will be in such a crisis that you will not be able to go to the scene of the fight.

However, if it is a helpful role, if it is a role that helps her fight, then there is a very high possibility that the other side will lower their guard. That will be the case. They seem to be confident that if the saintess’s power is lost, then there will be nothing.

And, the saintess was an extraordinary person. Her face was completely different from when she had talked about her love a little while ago. Her attitude and posture were all different. Perhaps, the saintess, no, Milicia Airgrants… The source of her momentum was…

‘Is it just something you’re born with? Except for the love part.’

Glenn, who felt a little bit of a kinship with himself, said quietly.

“Okay. Since it has come to this, I will prepare thoroughly and teach you. However, since time is limited, I think I will have to make a very tight schedule. It will probably be a more painful ordeal than you think. Is that okay?”

“Yes. I am ready. And please don’t worry too much. For a year, I have explored the territory of the Demon Tribe and overcome numerous crises. I can overcome difficult trials. Please believe me.”

Well, that’s only natural. Even without the power of a saint, the experience and knowledge gained from the countless adventures she’s had will never disappear. With that kind of mindset, she’ll probably be able to use the 48 days more wisely than anyone else.

Glenn nodded and began to talk quietly about his training plan.

Surprisingly, spontaneously.

“Okay. I will unconditionally believe in Milicia’s determination.”

“No, unconditionally?”

“Yes.”

“, thank you.”

“Okay, let’s talk. First, before we start training, there’s something you absolutely must do. Do you know where Count Bronkhorst is?”

“Oh, yes. I am aware of that.”

“Then…”

Glenn began to explain his plan with a relaxed expression. The saintess was surprised by Glenn’s ingenuity, but listened intently and sometimes even offered her opinions.

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“Huh…”

A joyful sound burst out of my mouth. The night air was cold, but my heart was still excited.

After the saint’s impressive confession, everything went smoothly. After reaching a final agreement(?) and enjoying Deacon Douglas’s fantastic dinner, Glenn left the saint’s mansion with a peaceful mind.

The surroundings were dark, and the stars and moon shone together in the night sky. Ah, today was strangely beautiful.

“Huh…? Huh?”

No, no, no! What are you feeling? You’ve finally gone mad. In an instant, Glenn came to his senses and held his head.

This is a serious mistake. He had been so determined to pull himself together, and he had been making such a fuss about not getting involved, yet he ended up accepting the saint’s request.

What? Political background? Horrible inside story? If you get involved, you won’t be able to protect yourself? Goodbye, past me! You were smart! Future me was the biggest idiot of idiots! Run away, past me!

“What on earth did that brat say that he was so good at, giving me consolation? And education, training? There’s a limit to getting drunk on the atmosphere. Seriously. You’re crazy, you’re crazy. You’ve never taught me, you’ve only beaten me up. Oh my, really. What the hell did you eat this morning? You’re imagining such evil things in your head. Oh, was there some strange medicine in the tea that Milicia-sama served you… That can’t be true. What the hell is that brat……”

Mumble, mumble. Mumble, mumble.

Glenn walked, his face downcast, his already small figure reduced to that of a child. He tried to refuse the carriage. He wanted to just walk. At first, his heart was filled with romance, but now only frustration remained.

This could be said to be the second time that he broke his own promise.

The first one was exactly 15 months ago. That incident. An incident that left me with a huge scar, and made me abandon the life I had lived until then and live like this, a bookworm obsessed with reading.

However, compared to that time, now is different in that, in anger at the unfortunate fate that has befallen one person, he has abandoned the self-preservation he had maintained until now and once again thrown himself into the unknown chaos.

But, if an adventurer has rested for a whole year and three months, isn’t it time to get back on his heavy butt? Some people might say that. I understood. The only problem was that Glenn still lacked that kind of mindset. He already felt it. He wasn’t ready to go on an adventure yet.

Nevertheless, he had once again stepped into the unknown, a subject he was truly unprepared for.

“Yeah. Just like now…”

Glenn, who had been walking slowly, suddenly stopped and jumped backwards. And then, something strange happened in that place.

There was something digging into the road with a thud. It was a throwing dagger. If it hit a person, it would definitely cause damage, and even kill them.

The fact that something like that was just thrown where Glenn was staying meant only one thing.

“…I’m not ready yet because some idiots are rushing out and challenging me without even knowing I’m a high-level adventurer.”

Ready to beat those idiots to death. While thinking that, my body was already moving. I had already figured out the angle and direction of the dagger. The moment I finished thinking, I had already arrived in front of my opponent.

“Uh, uh…”

“You don’t know how to test my skills and you’re trying to assassinate me. Are you in your right mind or not?”

By the time the opponent realized who he was, it was already too late. Glenn’s fist struck the stomach of the assassin who had thrown the knife at him in that short moment. It was a punch that was almost piercing. The assassin, whose face and body were covered by a mask, fell down in shock. Soon, no sound was heard.

“Oh. He wasn’t exactly a high-level assassin.”

“What are you…you.”

“Huh?”

At the moment when I was lamenting the other person’s shortcomings, I heard another voice from the side. I turned my gaze and saw that he was wearing a similar outfit to the mask I had seen earlier. The moment I saw him, I made a judgment.

“Oh my!”

“You shouldn’t scream when your friend gets hurt. Are you an amateur? Is there a problem with your skills?”

He approached in an instant and struck the stomach with the same blow. This time, it was lighter than before. However, the opponent fell over in pain as if he had been gored by a huge horse.

…I expected something like this would happen, so I didn’t want to get involved.

Glenn took off his glasses bitterly and let out a sigh of resignation rather than relief. Perhaps, these guys were preparing this assassination because they thought he would act as the saint’s representative. That bastard Opperspel really is dirty. I didn’t like the fact that he was close to the Duke of Arklight in the first place. And there was a reason for that.

Anyway, it wasn’t good to leave a corpse here that wasn’t a corpse. After doing some warm-up exercises by slightly swinging his arms, Glenn carried the two assassins on his back.

Shhh…

“Oh my god…”

Glenn felt like he was going to cry.

“It’s so heavy. I’m going to throw up.”

My body was so weak. Was it a reaction from not practicing recently? Glenn lamented and walked slowly, knowing that if the Master found out, he would be furious and beat him up.

The night that seemed comfortable turned out to be a heavy and long night. It’ll get worse starting tomorrow. Probably.

From tomorrow, can I do well? Can I shoulder the burden of teaching, which is heavier than the two assassins now? Can I maintain my composure before the saint? Can I lead her so that she can win? And…

Glenn, a high-level adventurer, walked through the night, sweating profusely and with countless questions swirling in his head, realizing that a romantic night was in reality a painful night.

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[Late night, the saint’s room]

“Good night, my lady.”

“Yes, good night, Douglas.”

Click, and the door to the saint’s room closed.

After all the schedules for today were over, a night of rest came to the saintess. The saintess quietly laid down in the white bed, illuminated only by moonlight. Looking at the ceiling, the saintess began to quietly recall the memories of the past few days.

Operschuppel’s sudden challenge to a duel was rude, petty, and embarrassing. The unexpected and ridiculous proposal and her own recklessness had led to a big problem. And, without any regrets, she had to take off her shoes and run around. To resolve this situation.

‘My Lady, don’t worry and just concentrate on your work with Opperspelle. I will make sure that your duties are carried out by those damned monks who rejected your offer.’

Benedict, the oldest monk among them, encouraged her when she was worried. He urged the younger monks to do the work for the saint so that she could focus on this work. I couldn’t help but be grateful.

So, I ran around trying to find an agent. I went to them myself more than once or twice. However, after being rejected by all of them, I finally thought about contacting my colleagues.

However, she knew very well, as they were her comrades who had fought together, that among the warriors, there were few who were skilled in bare-handed combat.

Of course, it is not necessarily the case that someone who is good at bare-handed combat is a requirement for a duel. However, if you think about it a little, it is obvious that Opperspelle would have prepared a great fighter as a substitute. Opperspelle himself is strong, so he can step forward if necessary.

And, in order to block the variable, she would have used covert tactics to prevent her from finding a proxy. She would have already obtained information that there was no one among the warriors who was good at bare-handed combat.

Eventually, while she was struggling with all the methods at hand, Butler Douglas leaked her some information. It was said that the martial artist, who had been inactive since his last appearance a year and three months ago, was staying at the Adventurer’s Guild.

The saintess then recalled. Three years ago, the adventurer Glenn, who had proudly received the king’s award despite his small stature.

And two days ago, I wasn’t disappointed with Glenn’s appearance after a long time.

As soon as she entered the guild, Milishia felt a great deal of attention, but she approached the table in the corner as instructed. Even as she listened to the whispers around her, her attention was focused on one person.

And what he found was a man in obviously shabby clothes, smaller than expected, holding a book and not even paying attention to himself.

The sight seemed like it would immediately tell me I had come to the wrong person. I didn’t want to doubt the people who had provided me with the information, but no matter how I looked, it was hard to find anything resembling the confident adventurer I had been three years ago.

‘What business do you have with me, Saint Lady of the Church of Air Grants?’

However, the glance from behind the large glasses was enough to blow away her thoughts. It was not the confidence she had at that time that she found. What she felt in the gaze, what she had discerned with the saint’s insight, was regret, remorse, and the sharp sense of a fighter.

Milicia, slightly surprised, looked at him again and could see that his small body was oozing with years of experience and training from long battles.

You didn’t come to the wrong place. Although he looks like this now, he is definitely the adventurer Glenn I saw from afar three years ago.

Strangely enough, with a feeling of fate, I hesitantly gave him the request.

‘I decline. I do not accept unclear requests.’

But what came back was a firm refusal.

However, seeing that he had rejected her request outright, the saintess ended up saying that she would come back again with some intuition. It was really something she had said based entirely on her intuition. In fact, if he had rejected her, she would have no choice but to spend the remaining time looking for someone else. However, for some reason, she decided to ask him again.

‘Ah, ‘The Adventures of Raspberry Ben’. It was a good book. It was a delicate depiction of a boy’s adventures and friendship.’

And this time, he changed his strategy. He invited him to his home and had a conversation over reading.

It was a bold strategy, but surprisingly, it worked. His haggard appearance had changed to that of a boy. The confident adventurer he had been three years ago was starting to appear little by little. And the saintess, although she hadn’t intended to, found herself opening up her heart to him as he smiled and passionately shared his hobbies with her.

That’s probably why I said it without realizing it. I made another painful mistake. I leaked the secret I had kept hidden. The secret I couldn’t tell my friends and colleagues. Those sweet, secret feelings that were as precious as gold.

‘It’s not your fault.’

He gave warmth to her, who was feeling reckless and remorseful and despairing even after saying what he had said.

‘Don’t deny the you who liked him, the you who was like that.’

‘You, the noble saint, and you, the one who loved the warrior, were always beautiful.’

Since he was an adventurer, he seemed to be going to spit out curses at the warrior who did not accept his heart. He seemed to be going to criticize him, saying how could he do that to a saint-like person.

But he didn’t. He chose to comfort himself and listen to his story. It was unexpected consideration. It was unexpected comfort. And it was unexpected…kindness.

‘Excuse me, Glen. Are you sure you’re okay?’

‘yes?’

Just before leaving, the saintess asked him again as she held him back. Although she had finally said that she would accept the request, somehow, her intuition was telling her to ask him again. So, the saintess hesitated and asked.

‘Would you be okay with me fighting myself instead of sending Glenn as my agent?’

‘…No. I won’t say it’s okay.’

ah.

For a moment, I felt disappointed, but then I felt blood rushing to my face as I heard the answer that followed.

‘I will believe you. As I said earlier, unconditionally.’

‘I will trust you.’

“Unconditionally…”

Suddenly, instead of looking up at the ceiling, I found myself tossing and turning sideways.

In her right hand was his handkerchief, which had been wiping away her tears. The outside of the handkerchief was embroidered with pink thread, and on the inside, there was a phrase written.

“Without a single flaw, unconditional affection for you”

“Unconditionally…”

For some reason, the saintess held the handkerchief in her hand close to her chest and muttered that expression until she fell asleep alone.

-Chapter 1: You must not accept strange requests. The End-