90 Awakening

90.

I was a bit dumbfounded.

,What are you talking about… No, it’s not the time to say you don’t want to! Liel!

I raised my voice even louder, but Liel quietly shook her head. She had an expression I had never seen on Liel’s face before.

,Hero-nim, I’ve only ever run away until now. I’ve only ever tried not to do things I didn’t like or difficult training. Maybe even the Goddess Eustea didn’t like me very much.

,B-but this isn’t the time to be talking about that…!

The Red Dragon was looking at us and slowly approaching.

Kung, kung, the imposing footsteps echoed.

Just to trample us to death. As if threatening us like that.

,But if Eustea-isiyeo would grant me just one wish…

Liel was glaring at the dragon. It was a face I was seeing for the first time on Liel, too.

That face was out of place in this situation.

But I liked that face.

A face that seemed to say she wasn’t afraid of anything.

Not even that giant dragon.

,I want to be like you! I want to stay right by your side forever! So, Hero-nim, please don’t tell me not to!

A faint reddish light began to emanate from Liel’s body.

A warm light that gave comfort and courage to those who saw it.

It was a sacred light.

,T-this is…

I suddenly remembered.

What Mother Superior Maria had said.

,Awakening.’

A miraculous phenomenon that occurs when a follower of Eustea overcomes unbearable hardships.

That was happening right before my eyes now.

The red light that enveloped Liel’s body began to take shape.

Red wings of light.

Two wings of light were brilliantly spread out behind Liel.

,We can do it, Hero-nim! Let’s defeat that monster together!

I straightened my sword.

I can do it.

If I’m with Liel, I can do it.

There was no more fear in my heart.

,All Rise!

,All Canceller!

,Holy Barrier!

,Blessing of Great Healing!

,Blessing of Fire Resistance!

,Blessing of the Wind!

,Let’s go, Hero-nim!

My body, buffed by the awakened Liel, had changed surprisingly.

I could feel all my stats increasing to a terrifying degree.

The HP that had been dwindling was also filling up every second.

I can do it. I can defeat it.

I felt an omnipotence that made me feel like I could do anything.

,Hero-nim, the dragon’s forehead. I can feel that’s its weak point!

,Haaaah!

I soared into the air. The Crane Sword, bathed in sunlight, gleamed dazzlingly.

,Kyaaaa!

The Red Dragon raised its head, ready to fire its breath. But I was completely different from before.

All Rise + Blessing of the Wind.

Having become the wind, I plunged the Crane Sword into the center of the Red Dragon’s forehead faster than it could react.

,Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!!!

The dragon thrashed around, screaming horribly. But I fixed my body and drove the sword in further.

I could feel something hard at the end of the sword.

A skull?

I pushed the sword, which was half-lodged in its forehead, even harder, as if I was going to split its skull.

Ppogak.

I felt it. I felt something splitting through the sword.

At the same time, the Red Dragon’s massive body began to crumble rapidly.

Its body was melting away in an unnatural way, as if the air was escaping from a giant balloon.

I quickly jumped down to the ground from the dragon’s forehead.

,T-this is…

The dragon’s body melted away limply.

What emerged from within was a suspicious-looking rod and a naked, beautiful woman.

It was someone I knew.

,…Sel, Selina?

The evil sorceress. Selina the Red.

Selina, whom I had sent far away.

The Red Dragon’s true form was Selina.

While I was panicking at the unexpected situation, the villagers had already gathered.

,You did it, Hero-nim!

,Hooray, great Hero-nim, hooray!

,Hey, hey, I believed in you!

,You’re our village’s savior!

,He, hee… I just did what any hero would do.

Hmm, so this is what it feels like to be a hero. Not bad.

I finally feel like I’ve done something a hero would do.

The journey of the great hero Elena is just beginning.

,No, no, you’re not a savior or anything!

A voice that broke the mood.

The owner of that voice was Village Chief Reizo.

,That’s not a savior, it’s the opposite! It’s a disaster! You’re the one who’s going to ruin our village!

,W-what did you say? How can you say that to me, who risked my life to fight…

,It’s the second time already! It’s the second time the village has been devastated! It’s all because of you, Hero!

I looked around.

The village was indeed a mess.

What was once a bustling street was now just a skeletal frame and ashes.

But that’s not my fault, is it?

,Wait, this is all because of the dragon, this Selina the Red! I was just fighting to protect the village…

,Didn’t that dragon come to our village looking for you? If you hadn’t let that sorceress live in the first place, this tragedy wouldn’t have happened!

,Ugh…

I couldn’t argue with Reizo’s point.

I was the one who let Selina go during her first attack.

It was true that I didn’t expect it to come back as such a huge threat to the village.

,I’m sick of it! I don’t need heroes or wizards, I don’t need any of it! We just want to live! Please take that monster with you and get out of our village! I’m begging you! Hero-nim!

Village Chief Reizo knelt on the dirt and ash-covered ground and bowed his head.

He banged his head hard, over and over again.

He seems serious.

Village Chief Reizo is serious about the villagers.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to wield a sickle against the Red Dragon, or to show this side of himself against another monster who defeated it.

The villagers, too, seemed to have come to their senses after the momentary euphoria of victory, realizing their situation of having lost their homes and property.

They sympathized with Village Chief Reizo and were giving me uncomfortable looks.

Those Leaf Village bastards… They’re quick to change their attitude.

Well, I’ll just leave.

I have no more business in this village.

If there’s one thing I regret…

,H-Hero-nim…

Liel, who had approached me at some point, was holding onto my arm tightly.

I had decided to leave the village. But Liel is not at fault.

As the priest in charge of this village, she could stay here.

The time had finally come to say the words I had been putting off, the words I didn’t want to say.

Gently stroking Liel’s hair, I said.

,Thank you, Liel. I couldn’t have won the fight earlier without your help. But I think it’s time for me to leave now.

,H-Hero-nim… I…!

I hugged Liel tightly and said.

,You have a church to protect, Liel. It’s okay now. You can do well without me.

,B-but…! Hero-nim…!

I feel like I’m going to cry.

I turned my back to hide my tears.

,Goodbye, Liel. I’ll come visit you secretly sometimes.

It’s a touching farewell.

I was holding back the stinging in my nose.

,B-but…! I-it’s burned down! T-the church…!

Huh?

I looked at the place where the church used to be.

All that remained there was a charred ruin.

It seems it was caught in the range of Red Dragon, no, Dragon Selina’s fire breath.

It may be a precious church to Liel, but it’s also a church I built with my own blood and sweat… I feel a little empty.

,H-heeing… What am I going to do now?

Liel’s face looked like an abandoned puppy.

I have no choice.

It can’t be helped.

I had no choice but to reach out my hand to Liel.

,Will you come with me, Liel?

,Yes!

Liel nodded with a dazzling expression.

And so, the small and cute nun, Liel, who had awakened as a High Priest, joined me on my adventure.

========================================

After leaving Lopa Village with the unconscious Selina and Liel, I immediately contacted Eldritch.

Eldritch couldn’t hide his surprise after hearing the whole story.

,Hoo, congratulations on obtaining the Sapphire of Time. But I never thought Selina would have completed that spell.

,But Master, how is it possible for a human to transform into a dragon?

,Of course, it’s impossible for me. She’s probably the only one who can do it. I had heard rumors that Selina the Red was secretly researching such an ultimate spell… I never thought she would actually succeed…

It seems that the ‘spell to transform into a dragon’ was Selina’s ultimate skill.

To think she would try to destroy an entire village just because of me…

I don’t think I held that much of a grudge… I just teased her a little…

,As expected of the one color of the seven colors. She deserves to be called the strongest Red Magician.

One color of the seven colors… That expression makes me feel like she’s hyping herself up.

I also asked about the broken rod that came out of the Red Dragon’s body with Selina.

,That’s probably the Draconic Rod. It would have served as the core for transforming into a dragon.

Hmm, then it must be expensive.

I carefully wrapped the broken Draconic Rod in a cloth, making sure not to lose a single fragment.

,Anyway, you’re saying you’re having trouble finding a place to stay right now? I need to get the Sapphire of Time from you, so I’ll come pick you up.

I waited on a hill where Eldritch had marked a waypoint, and Eldritch appeared in about ten minutes.

,It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen your face in person, Hero. But who is this nun?

Come to think of it, I haven’t told Eldritch that I have a new companion.

I was so busy telling him the story that I forgot.

,Ah, hello…? You’re Hero-nim’s master, right? I, I’m Hero-nim’s, um, uh… Ah! I’m Liel, a nun who is Hero-nim’s companion. Nice to meet you.

,She’s my girlfriend.

,H-Hero-nim?

Liel blushed in embarrassment.

I stuck out my tongue slightly and made a face that said, ‘It’s just a joke,’ and she pouted cutely.

Cute.

So this cute creature is going to follow me on my adventures from now on.

Hoo, soon… I’ll really make her mine soon… Hehe, hehehe…

,I don’t care about your love affairs. Let’s go then. To my house.

Eldritch’s portal magic. Eldritch immediately began drawing another portal as soon as he got out of the portal.

The portal, carrying a total of four people, including the unconscious Selina, began to transport them to Eldritch’s house.