Chapter 23: Change

Ariana’s question was somewhat expected… but unfortunately, the Hero is still Luin.

“I didn’t absorb all of the Hero’s divine power—only a portion of it.”

What I absorbed from Luin wasn’t even ten percent of his total divine power.

Even so, it was painful enough.

‘First, I need to talk this through and figure out what exactly happened.’

Ariana, who sat before me, was someone close to the pinnacle of divine power, but when it came to matters like this, the Pope would know the most.

Unfortunately, the Pope was currently unavailable thanks to the Succubus Queen,
so that left the Saintess, me, and Luin.

“Haha, the Hero said not to look for him for a while and then just disappeared, so I got worried about his condition and decided to come here.”

…Almost had a team, but it seemed puberty hadn’t quite let go of him yet—he ran away.

In his place, we spoke with High Priest Liv.

“Couldn’t this all be part of the Goddess’s plan to make Ace the true Hero?!”

“Saintess…”

“Hm. I can’t say it’s completely impossible, but if that were the case, there wouldn’t have been a need for the Goddess to choose the Hero in the first place. She could have just chosen Brother Ace from the beginning.”

“Right…”

Ariana’s wild claim left me wondering how to respond, but thankfully, High Priest Liv gently and logically refuted it.

“Then how about this? From what I’ve heard, Brother Ace received divine power around the same time as the Hero.”

“That’s correct.”

“And during that time, the Hero hasn’t trained—he didn’t even bother with basic exercise.
Whereas Brother Ace has been training without missing a single day.”

“Yes. Because if I didn’t get stronger, I’d end up losing my family to goblins or worse.”

“A noble mindset. Thanks to that, Brother Ace has gained a strong body and spirit for his age. Part of it may be due to the early manifestation of divine power, but it’s really his own will and diligence that forged his strength.”

At those words, Ariana nodded proudly.

“In short, Brother Ace possesses the qualifications to be the vessel for the Hero’s vast divine power.”

“…Excuse me?”

Wait, hold on.

What did I just hear?

“How did we get to that conclusion?”

Isn’t this like saying if you do 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and run 10 kilometers every day,
you’ll go bald but become the strongest?

Ariana seemed just as confused and turned to Liv with a question of her own.

“How exactly does that qualify him?”

“Ah, it’s simple. The Hero’s divine power can only be shared with those acknowledged by the Goddess. That’s why divine power can be freely exchanged between the Hero, the Saintess, and the Pope.”

“Whaaat?! S-So you mean I… I gave my divine power to Ace…?”

“Hm? The Saintess’s divine power can be given to anyone, so that’s fine. But that raises another question—did the Pope never explain this to you?”

“W-Well, the Pope…”

“Ah, now that you mention it, he’s been missing for quite some time, hasn’t he? Right when you should’ve been learning these things, the Pope vanished.”

Right at the moment she was supposed to be learning something this important, the Pope had to fall victim to the Succubus Queen…

Somehow, it all felt a bit too… intentional.

Still, I decided to focus on what High Priest Liv was saying again.

“Expecting that the Hero would be unable to control his divine power, the Goddess granted a portion of it to Brother Ace! So he could be someone capable of receiving it!”

He spoke with conviction.

But as the one actually involved, I couldn’t help feeling skeptical.

“No matter how you spin it, that sounds like a stretch—”

“No! I’m sure of it!”

“S-Saintess…?”

“You think so too, Saintess? Then it seems we’ll need to request a new official title for him in the Holy Kingdom.”

“That sounds great! How about calling him ‘the Vessel’?”

“‘The Vessel’… That really does suit Brother Ace.”

“My vessel really isn’t that great though…”

“Haha, Brother. You can be proud of yourself. The Saintess acknowledged you, and you actually managed to receive the Hero’s divine power, didn’t you?”

Before I could say anything, the two of them reached a conclusion on their own, and it was decided that when we returned to the Holy Kingdom, I’d be given the title of “The Vessel.”

‘But I’m really not cut out for something like that…’

My protests didn’t matter.

***

Hoo…

Trying to settle my nerves, I grabbed my shotel and headed toward the Duke’s training ground.

In this cold northern region, knights were sweating and swinging their axes with intense focus.

It was all because of an order from Karmen.

While I was holding off the demon, Karmen had tearfully made a heartfelt plea.

That if they were knights, they should act like knights and head out immediately to slay the demon outside.

That even a single holy knight who believes in the Goddess was out there fighting a monster, so why were they, who believed in her father—someone weaker than the Goddess—doing nothing?

Her words struck a chord. From that day on, the knights began training with sincere effort, and what I was seeing now was the result.

As I naturally settled into a spot in the corner, someone quietly approached me.

“Ah, Adele.”

“Sir Ace, I heard you were seriously hurt… Is it really okay for you to be out here?”

Since this wasn’t a combat situation, Adele wasn’t in armor but in comfortable clothing.

Which meant—it was the first time I’d ever seen her actual face.

‘Wow… she really is the knight heroine.’

Unlike Ariana, with her gentle retriever-like expression, or Bellatrix, who gave off the aura of a commanding older woman, Adele, being a knight, had a face that balanced beauty and strength, a look that embodied the very definition of a lady knight.

Her black hair, tied back in a ponytail, gave off a calm and composed vibe.

Her green eyes, gleaming like polished jade, looked like they would never lose sight of their target.

“…Sir Ace?”

“Ah, forgive me. It’s just the first time I’ve seen your face, Adele.”

“…Ah.”

Adele quickly covered her face with her left hand.

At the odd sight, I gave her a questioning look.

Peeking through her fingers, she spoke.

“I apologize. It must have made you uncomfortable. Even knights who see me every day say things like, ‘Your aura is too intense,’ so someone who barely knows me must feel even more uneasy.”

Though her face remained expressionless, she bowed slightly, genuinely apologetic.

“I’ve tried to soften my gaze, but I fail at it more often than not…”

“No, no—hold on.”

I couldn’t stand hearing that any longer, so I grabbed her by the shoulders and gently straightened her posture.

“Who said something like that to you?”

“…Pardon?”

“I mean, who’s the idiot that told you something so ridiculous? Far from being scary, your beauty is the kind you’d never get tired of, even if you saw it every day.”

“I… I don’t understand what you mean. You’re saying I’m… beautiful?”

“Are you seriously asking that? Most people who are good-looking have at least some idea of it.”

“I-I suppose…?”

“Then please, tell me—who had the nerve to say Adele ‘looks scary’?”

“You might’ve met him before. Roer Inferior—”

“Ah! That guy—of course it was him!”

If it was Roer, then everything made sense.

Adele was like a flower blooming on a cliff, someone who only conversed with Princess Bellatrix and Roer, who held a deep inferiority complex toward her.

There’s no way Roer would ever speak kindly to her.

So Adele ended up believing she actually looked intimidating, all because of him.

‘Just wait until we’re back.’

Insulting Ariana…

Gaslighting Adele…

Roer, your sins run deep.

“Adele, you’re beautiful. There’s no need for you to worry. You’re not a burden to me in the slightest. If anything, seeing you makes me smile without even realizing it.”

“Is… that so?”

Adele tilted her head slightly, still expressionless.

‘Ugh, that gap is killing me.’

So strong and composed, yet subtly clumsy, this side of her drove me crazy even back when I played the game.

And now I was seeing it in real life.

“…Then, Sir Ace—what do you think of your own appearance?”

“Hmm? Me?”

It was a bit of a random question, but hey, not that big a deal.

I mean, I’m not some chiseled heartthrob like the Hero.

At best, I’m… what, average?

“Even if I’m being generous, I’d say I look… plain.”

Honestly, I didn’t get blessed with great looks.

Even High Priest Liv is more handsome than me.

The average appearance level in this world is just unfairly high.

“…So that’s what it feels like.”

“Pardon?”

Anyway, I’ll take the compliment, thanks.

And if it’s not too much trouble.

“Would it be alright… if I asked for a spar?”

“Ah! I was actually about to ask you the same thing. Perfect timing.”

I’d been wanting to test out the bit of divine power I got from the Hero anyway.

And with Adele, I could go all out without worry.

With my hopes high and my spirits even higher, I began a sparring match with Adele.