episode_0139

“From the moment you were embraced by another man, from the moment I saw that, the Leon you knew is dead.”

Perhaps my words were too shocking, as Pyria, completely drained of strength, simply collapsed.

Unable to even meet my gaze, she trembled like a frightened small animal, just like that.

“Oh my.”

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind. At the appearance of this voice, Noren was startled and stepped back, and Pyria, who had collapsed, looked at the owner of the voice with a haggard expression in that brief moment.

“Hero. You’re still here~”

The owner of the voice was none other than Lucy.

It seemed that the conversation with the saintess had ended sooner than expected, as she approached me with a gentle smile.

“Didn’t you have something important to talk about?”

“Eyy~ It was nothing much. Just a simple greeting and a warning not to cause trouble.”

“…Sounds like something important?”

Lucy walked over with an exaggerated gait, linked her arm with mine, and looked at Pyria and Noren.

Pyria sitting down and Lucy standing and looking down. The sight of them somehow resembling a loser and a winner must be a delusion, right?

“Y-you are?….”

“Ah, is this the first time we’ve met in person? Nice to meet you. My name is Lucy Wenderera. Currently, I am one of the members of the hero Leon’s party, one of the people supporting the hero.”

“Pa, party….”

At the word party, Pyria trembled as if struck by lightning, looking back and forth between me and Lucy.

Lucy, seeing Pyria’s reaction, seemed to enjoy it, pressing her chest against my arm even more to flaunt herself to Pyria. It was no longer just the action of one of the companions, but an action like that of a lover, and Pyria, knowing this, barely opened her trembling mouth.

“Pa, party… Are you a companion?….”

“Hmm… More than just a companion, perhaps?”

“Mo, more than….”

“…But, Noren sisters.”

Lucy turned her gaze to Noren, who had been quietly avoiding her gaze behind Pyria since her appearance.

“I clearly… spoke nicely, I thought….”

“Hic….”

Nicely?….

If speaking nicely means telling them to get lost, what kind of words would come out if she spoke badly?

I was curious for a moment, but there was no need to satisfy such curiosity now.

“Let’s go, Lucy.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Wa, wait a moment!!….”

Just as I was about to leave with Lucy, Pyria urgently stopped me.

Having risen from where she had collapsed, she put her palms together and pleaded.

“O, once… Please… Just once….”

“….”

“Give me a chance… Give me… a chance….”

“There is a saying among the goddess’s words.”

To Pyria, who was asking for a chance, Lucy looked down at Pyria and said in a cold voice.

“Sand can be picked up, but water cannot. However, even that sand cannot be picked up completely, so what is important is a heart that repents for sins and actions that do not commit sins.”

“….”

“I already know about you. The Noren sisters too. I don’t know… what kind of face you came here with, but….”

Lucy spoke in a slightly rough tone, as if with contempt.

“That action of asking for a chance, it’s truly disgusting.”

“…Then… what should I have done!!”

“Did you have to do something?”

“Huh?….”

To Pyria’s words, shouted as if in desperation, Lucy spoke lightly, as if saying something trivial.

“Are you someone great or something? It seems you have a high opinion of yourself.”

“Wh, what are you talking about!… Leon! Leon! To the other heroes!….”

“Yes, he must have been bullied. But so what? Is there any reason why you should solve that?”

“Because I’m Leon’s party!”

Lucy chuckled at Pyria’s retort.

At that smile, Pyria hesitated and stepped back.

“Party…, party…, party… That’s a good excuse, isn’t it?”

“E, excuse?….”

“The purpose of a hero’s party is not to protect the hero. It is to grow together with the hero. If you can’t even properly understand that difference… give up.”

“Ugh….”

I can’t see through Pyria’s heart, but I think the words I said before and the words Lucy said would overlap in Pyria’s heart.

Leon is dead. From the moment Pyria was embraced by another man.

The purpose of the hero’s party is not to protect the hero, but to grow together.

These two things were, in the end, the same thing.

The action Pyria took to protect me was, in the end, not protecting me.

That it was herself who ultimately severed the relationship between Leon and herself.

“…No, it’s not… it’s not… it won’t be….”

But Pyria, unable to accept that, eventually collapsed again, muttering like a broken person.

“…If you really want to atone, hero. May I offer you a suggestion?”

“?”

Huh? What suggestion all of a sudden?

I was just watching because Lucy was beating up the kids nicely without me having to do anything, but suddenly Lucy makes a suggestion to me.

“It seems that Pyria won’t give up easily. The journey ahead is going to be quite rough… so I think that to be accepted as a party member, they must have skills commensurate with that.”

“Oh…, that’s right.”

Suggestion, party, accept.

Hearing that story, a glimmer of hope flashed in Pyria’s eyes, who had been like a broken person. But Noren, who was watching that scene from behind, was looking back and forth between Pyria and Lucy with an uneasy expression.

“Even if you made a foolish choice once, there was also a story that the goddess also bestowed forgiveness and tolerance. You don’t feel good about cutting her off like this either, do you, hero?”

Lucy says with a smile.

Lucy knows that I’m not the real Leon.

The reason she’s saying this is…

Is it to prevent Pyria, who had a connection with the original Leon, from clinging to me anymore?

If so, I’m fine with it.

“That’s true.”

“!!”

“Then let’s do this. Pyria, as far as I know, you participated in the group as an archer who mainly uses a bow, right? Then, in any case, it means you came into the party as a combatant… so if you prove that you have sufficient skill, we’ll accept you back into the hero’s party. It just so happens that the hero’s party lacks people to keep the distant enemies in check, like archers.”

Of course, it’s just lacking, not needed.

In the first place, my sword energy has a longer range than most archers or mages.

But….

“Pyria.”

“Y, yes!”

“Will you do it?”

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it! I’ll definitely… I’ll definitely do it!!….”

To my question, Pyria nodded desperately.

“Okay. Then Lucy. Guide her.”

“Yes. I understand. I’ll guide her.”

* * *

The place Lucy brought me and Pyria’s group to was the training ground.

Come to think of it, Baekryeon and Seolrin said they train with the holy knights here, right? However, judging from the fact that they are not visible now, it seems that the training is over. All that remained was the sight of holy knights running around the training ground with piles of training sand on their bodies.

“But how are we going to measure it?”

“It’s simple. What we want to see is Pyria’s combat ability. That is, she must be able to do at least one person’s worth in any situation.”

That’s true.

I glanced at Pyria, who was following behind with a firm resolution, and then turned back to Lucy and said.

“Then?”

“I’m thinking of picking three of the holy knights and having them have a 1:3 duel.”

“1:3?”

In any case, Pyria is a rear guard.

In other words, the rear guard can only do its job with a reliable front line.

But to face three vanguards alone without such a front line….

“Isn’t that too disadvantageous?”

“It’s not, though. The enemies we’ll have to face in the future will be very strong. Sometimes you may have to face multiple enemies alone. You must be able to exert at least the minimum level of skill at any time, in any situation, to truly be qualified to enter the hero’s party.”

That’s not wrong.

Lucy looked at Pyria, who was standing behind me.

It was as if she was saying, ‘Can you do it?’ but in any case, words of concern for Pyria came out of Lucy’s mouth.

“But it won’t be easy for a rear guard to face three vanguards. If it seems difficult….”

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!!”

“…She’s so motivated, I think it’ll be okay?”

Perhaps, as expected, Pyria will not be able to win.

The stats of Pyria that I looked at with the status window were weaker than even the holy knight with the lowest stats among the holy knights training there.

Of course, stats don’t tell you everything about combat, but you can consider at least the minimum indicator.

“Excuse me, Sir Aledro.”

“Oh, isn’t that Lucy. What brings you here?”

“Would it be okay to borrow three holy knights for a moment? It won’t take long.”

“Of course, it’s possible, but.”

Lucy went to the side alone and started talking to the person who seemed to be the captain of the holy knights who were training the holy knights.

Listening to the content of the conversation, it seems that she picked three pretty good guys.

The three men who returned with Lucy had quite sturdy physiques.

“Hero Leon! It is an honor to meet you!”

“I’ve heard about your achievement of defeating the fragments of the demon king!”

“We will also continue to work hard to support the hero’s back!!”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Three men who spoke in voices that echoed as soon as they made eye contact with me.

I felt strange, as if I were watching a scene from the military.

No, if you have to be picky, this is their own military.

“Everyone, you will now fight the person who is here. Please do not use divine power. I will heal your injuries, so please don’t worry.”

“Are you saying this person alone?”

“Yes.”

One of the three holy knights asked Lucy as if something was wrong, but Lucy nodded.

Eventually, realizing that they had no choice but to do it, they each picked up wooden swords for training.

“The distance is 20m. If the holy knights become unable to continue fighting, or if you endure for a certain period of time, it is Pyria’s victory.”

The victory condition is to defeat the holy knights, or to endure for a certain period of time.

After all, as a rear guard, the ability to endure until the vanguard comes is definitely necessary. Is that a victory condition that takes that into account?

‘But it’s impossible.’

“Start!”

With Lucy’s declaration, Pyria kicked back and put an arrow on the bowstring.

The holy knights each kick off in the front, left, and right directions to attack Pyria from three directions.

“Haa!!”

The arrow is fired.

However, one of the holy knights lightly knocked away the incoming arrow with his wooden sword, narrowing the distance with Pyria.

Pyria desperately tried to endure by shooting arrows, but in the first place, the rear guard is overwhelmingly disadvantaged in such an open space without cover.

Above all, her skill itself was also inferior….

Pow!!

“Ugh….”

“Give up.”

Barely 3 minutes since the start of the battle.

In just 3 minutes, Pyria was suppressed.

Lucy slowly approached Pyria, who had been subdued by the holy knights, and then said as if declaring.

“Good work. Pyria. Now go back home… and wait for the hero to save the world. Like an ordinary village girl who just admires the hero without doing anything.”

“!!”

The holy knights released their suppression, but Pyria did not move, sitting on the ground.

Lucy, who was looking at Pyria’s appearance, approached me, and I left the training ground with Lucy.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!”

And after that, it seems that a desperate cry full of grief was heard from the training ground.