Chapter 6: Ria is smiling
by fnovelpia
“I’ll go with you until we recruit the first companion.”
…He thought as he spoke.
“Alright.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“R-Really?!”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not going to run away halfway, right?”
“I won’t run away.”
Although he planned to run away as soon as they got the first companion, he couldn’t say that out loud, as he’d probably be caught.
“I’ll help you till the end.”
“That good enough?”
He lied a little.
“Haah…”
“Thank goodness…”
Ria finally let go of his wrist and stood beside him.
Then, looking at the map, she asked, “Master.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’ll start by heading north to the Ice Country, Gleisia.”
“Gleisia?”
“Yeah.”
“Why are we going there?”
“Because there’s someone perfect to recruit as the first companion.”
“The first companion?”
“Since we’re on the topic, I’ll explain.”
“You know that your mother gave you the power of the Hero, right?”
“Huh?”
“There’s one more thing.”
“Three…”
“She also prepared someone to be your companion.”
“Ah!”
“Remember the Hero Legend? The strongest people from each country who help the Hero on their journey!”
“You know it well.”
“You get to choose from among the strongest from the eight countries to form a four-member Hero party.”
“The idea is to form a five-person party to defeat the Demon King.”
That’s the standard.
You can fight alone, or with a party of two, three, or four.
But you can receive the Hero Party Buff with up to five people.
So, a five-person party is the best, he explained.
“That’s wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“If you include Master, that makes six people.”
“It’s a six-person party.”
Ria smiled slightly as she spoke.
‘Was she implying that she wouldn’t let him go until they defeated the Demon King?’
Not happening.
As soon as they recruit the first companion, he’ll make a break for it.
Therefore, the Hero Party has five people.
Yep. That’s how it should be.
“Anyway.”
“I’m planning to recruit four companions.”
“Companions…”
“My recommendation is to start with the one from the Ice Country, Gleisia. But if you don’t like them, you can choose someone else.”
If this were a high-difficulty world, he’d insist on following his plan.
But since it’s a low-difficulty world, it’s better to let Ria do what she wants.
If Ria becomes self-reliant enough to ignore his guidance, she’ll eventually defeat the Demon King on her own.
…He thought as he spoke.
“That won’t happen.”
“Huh?”
“I trust you, Master.”
“I’ll choose the person you recommend.”
Ria said cheerfully.
That wasn’t good.
Since he planned to run away after recruiting the first companion, if she trusted him too much, she’d risk falling into despair if he betrayed her.
So, he tried to persuade her.
“No.”
“Believe in yourself more than in me.”
“No.”
“I’ll trust you, Master.”
“What makes you trust me so much?”
“Everything.”
“If you trust someone you just met that easily, you might get betrayed.”
“Betrayed?”
“I’m saying I could be a bad person.”
“But you’re not.”
“???”
“You’re someone sent by my mother.”
Ria looked at him with bright, trusting eyes.
Suddenly, his head started to ache.
“Sigh…”
“That’s true…”
He knew a lot about the Goddess of Light, Serena, and he also knew a lot about the Hero.
And just when Ria needed help, someone like him appeared.
It wasn’t unreasonable to think that he was someone sent by the Goddess of Light, Serena.
‘Huh?’
‘Was that actually the case?’
‘Could it be that the Goddess of Light, Serena, possessed him?’
‘That might make sense.’
[Prophecy RPG] wasn’t just a game; it was more like a prophetic text that allowed him to experience the future of another world.
And since he had studied the “prophetic book” more than anyone else, it made sense that he was chosen.
…He formed a hypothesis.
It was possible.
‘In possession-themed web novels, it’s common to think it’s just a game, but it turns out to be another world!’
This might actually be a real world, and the culprit behind his possession might really be the Goddess of Light, Serena, he thought.
‘But so what?’
It didn’t matter.
Even if Serena sent someone to assist Ria, she wouldn’t need his help in “baby mode.”
Even without his guidance, Ria would clear everything easily.
So, there was no reason for him to stick around.
‘The first companion is strong and smart. Just showing them the guidebook would be enough.’
Therefore, he had no reason to stay by Ria’s side, he thought as he spoke.
“Either way, helping you until here is the right thing to do.”
“Huh?”
“You saw it when we sparred.”
“Just how weak I am.”
“Uh…”
“T-That’s…”
“I know.”
“I’m really weak.”
No matter how you looked at it, he wasn’t the kind of guy fit for a Hero Party.
He could play the role of a guide until they recruited the first companion, but that was the limit.
With his abilities, he couldn’t even carry luggage properly.
It’s better for a weak person to step back than to be a burden, that was the logic he used.
But Ria disagreed.
“No.”
“Master is strong.”
“7”
“I can win against anyone if I use my body.”
So that’s it.
‘You don’t want to fight directly but want to become my weapon instead?’
‘Sigh…’
‘That’s not right.’
I thought to myself as I spoke.
***
“Ria.”
“Yes.”
“Do you even know what you’re saying right now?”
“Yes.”
“You know, but you’re still saying that?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re okay with being swung around like a club?!”
“You’re allowing that?!”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you want to try fighting on your own?”
“I’m planning to try, but…”
“If it doesn’t work out, I think it would be better to at least become Master’s weapon…”
“A weapon…”
“A weapon… used like that…”
“A hero’s weapon?”
“Is that not okay?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Why not?”
“If I use you, I can defeat any monster in one hit and block any attack.”
“But the problem is my body.”
“Your body?”
“It’s fine when fighting weak monsters.”
“But when it comes to strong monsters, I’m just a fragile human who could die from a single hit.”
Ria is indeed an invincible shield, but that’s only true when she successfully blocks.
If an enemy is too fast and strong for me to react, even the best shield is meaningless.
So, fighting while holding Ria is too much.
“I’m just that weak.”
“That’s why we should only go as far as <Gleisia>.”
If things get rough, I’ll consider running away.
But it’s best to part ways after coming to a mutual understanding.
I’ve done my best to convince her.
“If the problem is that you might die while fighting…”
“…Then every time you die, I could stab you with a sword to put you in a near-death state and then heal you with a potion…”
“?”
“Ah! …Nothing!”
Somehow…
I feel like Ria just said something ominous…
‘Maybe it’s just my imagination?’
We can’t avoid going to <Gleisia> together.
‘So…’
‘I might as well make the most of it.’
‘This might actually work out.’
‘If I pick up a few hidden items along the way, my future will be much easier.’
These are items I couldn’t obtain on my own, but with Ria, I can get them.
Strengthening the weak D-rank adventurer “Kain” to a somewhat useful level.
…I thought to myself as I headed toward the next village.
***
The rural village of Reuben.
Ria’s hometown, “Reuben,” was destroyed by bandits.
So practically, this village is the starting point.
A place to buy equipment, gather items, register as an adventurer, and hunt nearby monsters.
One of the villages where the real game begins.
…I explained.
“Equipment?”
“Do we need that?”
Ria looked at her holy sword and armor, puzzled.
She seemed to question why we would need equipment when we already had gear imbued with the goddess’s power.
“Those are temporary items.”
“Temporary?”
“They’ll disappear after a while.”
Swoosh!
As soon as I said it, they vanished.
“Ugh?!”
Ria reverted from her hero form to a rural girl appearance.
Her eyes remained the same bright yellow, symbolizing Serena, the goddess of light, but her holy sword, armor, and sacred aura were gone.
Now she looked like a simple village girl, wearing a long skirt.
‘So…’
We need to get her equipped.
“I really liked it because it was pretty…”
“Do you want to get them back?”
She nodded.
“Then you have to pass the Hero’s Trial.”
“Hero’s Trial?”
I explained.
When awakened, one can obtain the holy sword and holy armor permanently through the trial.
It’s the trial to unlock the true power of the holy gear.
In <Prophecy RPG>, it’s known as the hardest equipment to obtain.
Even harder than defeating the Demon Lord, it’s recommended to just ignore it.
‘Testing one’s mental strength is the real issue here.’
If it were just about defeating monsters, one hit would suffice.
But the trial tests mental resilience.
All stats and traits are stripped away, and it pushes one’s mind to the breaking point by triggering past traumas.
‘If even the brave Ria found it mentally overwhelming, there’s no way the crybaby Ria could handle it.’
…I briefly explained the situation.
“Oh…”
“Then I’ll just wear something else…”
Ria shivered and gave up on the holy gear.
“That’s probably for the best.”
“Yeah…”
After realizing the need for equipment, Ria quietly looked for a blacksmith.
But there’s no need to spend too much on her gear.
“Ria.”
“This should be enough for you.”
I picked out a wooden practice sword and light gear.
Cheap and lightweight—the best choice for her.
“Huh?”
“Fight with this?”
“No matter what you use, your attack and defense won’t change.”
‘A stronger weapon?’
‘More durable armor?’
With Ria’s traits of <One-Hit Kill> and <Absolute Defense>, such things don’t matter.
So…
The best choice is ‘light equipment.’
If the attack and defense are the same, it’s better to increase attack and movement speed by wearing lighter gear.
…I explained.
“Oh!”
“That makes sense!”
Ria smiled and put on the light, affordable gear I recommended.
Meanwhile, I chose different equipment.
The best sword.
The most durable leather armor.
‘Nice.’
‘As expected from monster leather.’
The monster leather armor was lighter yet tougher than steel armor.
It’s expensive, but…
‘Ria will cover the cost.’
‘I guess this much is fine.’
Since I earned money by catching bandits, it’s enough to afford this.
…I thought as I spoke to Ria.
“I’m a bit short on money.”
“Can you lend me some?”
“Sure!”
Ria cheerfully agreed.
‘What?’
I was planning to squeeze some money out of her for better gear, but…
She gave it up so easily.
‘Ria might be a crybaby, but she’s surprisingly clever.’
‘There’s no way she doesn’t understand the value of money…’
…I thought, but decided to let it go.
Meanwhile, Ria was thinking.
‘Why didn’t I think of that?!’
‘If Master can’t keep up because he’s weak, I just have to make him stronger with good equipment!’
…Ria thought to herself as she willingly opened her wallet.
‘Master.’
‘I’ll buy you the best gear, so let’s stick together to the end.’
Despite spending nearly all her savings on the best equipment, Ria was smiling.
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