Ch.5The Reason He Is Needed (3)

# The Reason He’s Needed (3)

The Saintess, Eirene, who had crushed each of the demon stragglers’ heads one by one, looked at Lug with a bright smile.

“Hoho, Mr. Lug seems to be afraid of bugs.”

Rather than being afraid of bugs, I’m afraid of you treating sentient beings like insects.

You usually seem so gentle and kind, but how can someone change so drastically in front of demons?

Lug forced the best smile he could manage.

He had to smile. If he didn’t smile, he’d die. That was his instinctive judgment.

“Mr. Lug, if you’re that worried, shall I use a spell to exterminate the bugs for you?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

Lug maintained his smile while firmly refusing.

Eirene wiggling her hands mischievously as if about to play a prank looked quite adorable, like an ordinary girl her age, but Lug knew that just touching those hands would be like getting struck by a divine guardian.

He could clearly see the bright light at her fingertips, so there was no mistaking it.

It might be a nice massage for humans, but for demons, it would be nothing short of a journey to the afterlife.

“I’m really fine.”

“Hehehehe.”

“Saintess?”

“Hehehehehehe.”

Lug slowly backed away before turning to flee at full speed.

But, naturally, his escape couldn’t last long.

“If you go that far, you’ll get kidnapped again, Mr. Lug.”

His escape was thwarted by Esmeralda, who grabbed him by the nape of his neck and scolded him.

Lug felt wronged, as he had only tried to flee because he sensed a threat to his life.

While being reprimanded by Esmeralda, Eirene approached with a bright smile, her mischievous expression gone.

“We were playing tag, but I think I was too relaxed. I’m sorry, Hero. I wanted to cheer up Mr. Lug since he’s been through some difficult times. Was I being too childish?”

“No, well… I think it’s fine as long as you don’t go too far?”

“…Saintess, I’m fine too. These things happen.”

Lug nodded at Eirene’s apology. After all, all her actions stemmed from good intentions.

As proof, she seemed to have given up on teasing Lug, with her hands now neatly folded at her chest.

Surely, even smashing the demons’ heads and worrying about Lug who had been kidnapped once were all out of concern for him.

Lug nodded at the generous heart reflected in Eirene’s actions.

He hadn’t meant to look. He was just wary of her hands, which were now resting on her chest.

“I know that the Saintess was concerned about me.”

Lug forgave Eirene.

While thinking that everything would have been perfect if not for the Saintess.

Honestly, she had no flaws in either appearance or personality.

“Haha… I’m glad to see you two getting along so well.”

Esmeralda, watching Eirene and Lug’s antics, awkwardly laughed as she stepped between them.

She could see it clearly—Eirene’s dark intentions, unfiltered.

[Note: I was planning to proceed with brainwashing accompanied by marking, but due to his intense resistance, I’ve decided to postpone it for a while.]

“Ah… what a shame.”

Esmeralda pretended not to hear Eirene’s quiet whisper.

The thought of having to mediate this crazy party in the future gave her an upset stomach.

***

The three set out on their journey.

Esmeralda, Lug, and Eirene, in that order.

Feeling as if he were being escorted like a prisoner, Lug sighed.

Just then, someone appeared, patting Lug on the back.

“Oh, you look like death warmed over, Lug. Did something happen?”

“KYAAAAAAAH?!”

Startled by the sudden touch on his back, Lug let out a demon-like scream and rolled dramatically on the ground.

“Puhahaha! Anyone would think you’re a demon with that scream. What kind of shriek was that?”

Lug finally looked up at the person who had approached him from behind.

It was a girl with red hair tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of her way, and striking yellow eyes.

“Lady Tina?”

“Oh, Lug. Long time no see. Haven’t you missed your big sis?”

Lug stared blankly at the girl who claimed to be his big sister.

Unfortunately, compared to Eirene, she was a girl with a narrower heart.

“…I don’t like that look in your eyes.”

“I was just startled, that’s all.”

Lug boldly lied.

After all, his entire existence was nothing but a lie from start to finish.

A man who felt no shame in lying—that was Lug.

“Ah! Tina! You came to meet us?”

Esmeralda flashed her brightest smile in recent memory upon seeing the hero Tina who had finally joined them.

“Yep! Yep! I’m here. Have you all been doing well? Weren’t you lonely without me? Puhehehe.”

Tina, a girl with a vibrant personality, was a scholar from the academic group <Eye of Truth> who had joined the hero’s party.

‘She looks more like a thief than a scholar, no matter how you look at it.’

Of course, she insisted she wasn’t a thief but an archaeologist.

Considering how she had just grabbed him from behind and her revealing outfit designed for easy movement, Lug couldn’t see her as anything but a thief. Even in battle, she would dazzlingly wield daggers to confound enemies, making it even more suspicious that she wasn’t a thief.

‘Well, they couldn’t have a criminal in the hero’s party, so I guess they gave her a clean identity.’

Lug settled on the most plausible hypothesis in his mind.

Still, he made efforts to understand Tina.

Looking at her body, which was even more underdeveloped than the hero who was presumably the same age, he thought that even if she had been a thief, it couldn’t be helped.

They say children who grow up malnourished tend to develop physically slower, so what could be done? Besides, she was the least dangerous among the hero’s party.

But she was still part of the hero’s party.

There was definitely something about her that Lug considered dangerous.

“Hello! Esmeralda. You’re later than I expected. Did you perhaps encounter some demons on the way?”

“That’s right… we did encounter some. Eirene took them down immediately though.”

“I knew it~ I’ve got good instincts.”

That was her innate “intuition.”

She was someone who seemed to know everything yet knew nothing.

For example:

“What? Lug got kidnapped? Where on earth was your mind? Or perhaps you were secretly colluding with demons to escape our party? Puhehe.”

Tina teased Lug with a smirk. But Lug couldn’t find her joke amusing at all.

It was always like this. She would strike at his vulnerabilities under the guise of joking.

Each time, it took his breath away, making him feel like no number of hearts would be enough when standing before Tina.

“So that’s why you’re moving with Lug sandwiched in the middle like you’re escorting him? I thought you two were preventing him from running away!”

Tina laughed cheerfully.

As her mischievous smile deepened, Lug’s complexion grew paler.

“Did your business go well?”

“Oh! Right, right. At the ruins I visited this time…”

Tina and Esmeralda, reunited after a long time, began to chat.

For Esmeralda, Tina was one of her few friends.

Setting aside Lug, the demon spy, even Eirene, who appeared pure and virtuous on the outside but was not so on the inside, was problematic. Surprisingly, Eirene had never shown that side of herself in front of Esmeralda.

‘Too suspicious.’

In contrast, what about Tina?

Esmeralda liked Tina.

Compared to the other two companions, she was in a similar position to herself.

Though Tina was a member of a renowned academic group, she was essentially a commoner like Esmeralda.

As a result, they had many common interests. But most importantly…

[Name: Tina]

[Race: Human] [Title: Archaeologist]

[Trait List]

Dagger Skill Lv. 62

Archery Lv. 42

Search Lv. 22

Research Lv. 41

Detection Lv. 42

Trap Disarmament Lv. 34

Agile Movement Lv. 27

Stealthy Movement Lv. 33

[Estimated Level: 312]

[Note: She is happy to reunite with her companions after a long time.]

She showed her unadorned self.

There was a problem with the hero’s party.

Everyone was hiding something from each other.

Of course, since people can’t reveal everything, it’s natural to hide things they want to keep secret.

But the hero’s party had issues from its formation.

A hero from a common background with no connections. Countless groups tried to use her.

After all sorts of underhanded dealings behind the scenes, Eirene and the others were selected.

What was their first meeting like?

[Note: They intend to use you as material for sacred artifacts later.]

[Note: They plan to use the hero’s corpse for new magical research.]

It was the worst.

From their first meeting, the Saintess and Mage of the hero’s party were planning to betray the hero.

That’s why she still hadn’t driven away the shameless Lug.

At least he was diverting attention from the crazy group that wanted to grind her up, which was quite admirable.

[Note: She’s looking forward to the upcoming journey. She wants to be friends with you.]

But there was one person.

Someone who approached Esmeralda without any ulterior motives.

“It’s really good to see you, Tina.”

That’s why Esmeralda could endure.

Delighted at their reunion, Esmeralda embraced Tina.

She had been struggling lately, having to be cautious around Eirene, who was the most dangerous, and Lug, whom she most wanted to get rid of.

She needed a sanctuary for her heart.

“Oh, I’m glad to see you too. I didn’t expect such an enthusiastic welcome. Hmm, hmm… But Lug, aren’t you happy to see me?”

“…”

Of course, even Tina’s strange awareness of Lug was an issue she couldn’t tolerate.