Chapter 7: Turning Point

Thud.

It was the sound of the shotel piercing flesh.

Let me be clear—I had no intention of actually stabbing the Hero in the neck.

In fact, I stopped just before hitting his neck.

So then, how did the sound of flesh being pierced happen?

“Do I look like a joke to you?”

Right before the shotel could hit his neck, the Hero blocked it with his hand, causing the blade to drive straight into his palm.

“!!”

I tried to quickly pull back, but the Hero didn’t let go of the shotel stuck in his hand.

With no other choice, I abandoned the shotel and retreated.

The Hero pulled out the shotel with a mocking grin and tossed it behind him.

“I’m not holding back anymore. I’m going straight for it.”

-BOOM!

With another loud crash, the Hero charged in again, and I quickly rolled to the side to dodge.

-Slice.

“…!”

But the Hero moved too fast, and I ended up exposing my side.

“…Khak!”

A single cough burst open the wound, and blood spilled out.

I quickly lifted the visor of my cuirass and spat out the blood.

-Drip, drip.

“You acted like a backseat expert, but you didn’t even deserve to speak, did you?”

“…It wasn’t backseat talk—Khak! It was advice. Honest advice from the heart, without a single lie.”

The Hero frowned in displeasure and slowly began walking toward me.

“With your shield gone, your shotel lost, and your body wounded—what can you even do?”

“If your shield breaks, you block with your sword. If your sword breaks, you stab with your shield. That’s how it works.”

“So with neither left, what can you do now? Nothing, right? Isn’t this proof the Goddess is on my side?”

“If there’s no sword… then isn’t it simple? I’ll make one.”

“What?”

The Hero didn’t understand.

So I explained it to him properly.

“If I have neither sword nor shield, then what of it? I have a will sharper than any sword, and faith thicker than any shield.”

“…That’s just wordplay.”

“But sometimes, even wordplay is enough to earn the Goddess’s favor.”‘

I place my right hand over my chest.

Then, shaping my hand as though gripping a sword, I draw.

“What are you doing… What?!”

The Hero, who had been watching like it was a waste of time, now had confusion in his eyes.

-fofofof…!

“My will shall not be broken.”

From within my chest, a ‘sword’ forged of golden divine energy was drawn.

“You made… a sword out of divine power?”

The Hero reacted as if he’d seen something that shouldn’t exist.

‘Half of that was a gamble… I’m lucky it worked.’

It was also my first time shaping divine power into a form, so I hadn’t been sure it would succeed—but my gamble had paid off.

“This is absurd…”

The Hero halted his steps, unable to hide his shock, and this time, I slowly walked toward him.

“Hero. The Goddess grants power to protect the weak. Even we holy knights are given sacred strength and bodies to defend the helpless and fight evil. And the same goes for the priests.”

Now, with the Hero thrown off, I do my best to persuade him.

“Then what of you, Hero, who stands at the top? Heroes of the past defeated the Demon King, the embodiment of evil, and never held back in using their power for mankind.”

“Heroes have always embodied the seven virtues: humility, charity, kindness, patience, purity, temperance, and diligence. That is why people praise the Hero.”

The Hero’s pupils begin to tremble.

‘I believe in you—the protagonist.’

“Hero.”

With sincerity, I speak to him.

“It’s not too late. Please… show us the dignity of a true Hero.”

The Hero stared silently at the hand I held out to him.

-Slice!

“Ace!”

Seeing the blood flowing from Ace’s side, Ariana cried out in desperation.

She screamed for the fight to stop immediately, but unfortunately, it seemed neither of them heard her.

When she could no longer bear it and tried to intervene, High Priest Liv stepped in to stop her.

“Saintess. Please… just wait a little longer.”

“Are you telling me to just stand here and watch what’s happening?! Ace is—Ace is bleeding like that…”

For the first time, Ariana raised her voice in anger at the High Priest, but though Liv accepted her fury, he didn’t move from her path.

“Just a little longer… please wait a little longer.”

High Priest Liv seemed to have something in mind, and Ariana, breathing heavily, watched the two fight over his shoulder.

And then, at that moment.

Fwoooosh…!

“…Huh?”

She witnessed the moment a sword formed of divine power was drawn from Ace’s chest.

“What the…”

Ariana found herself staring blankly at him, without realizing it, and the same went for High Priest Liv.

When they came back to their senses, Ace was already speaking to the Hero.

“Hero.”

“It’s not too late. Please… show us the dignity of a true Hero.”

Seeing his compassionate face, more concerned for the Hero than himself, Ariana felt an emotion she couldn’t describe.

And at that moment, the Hero moved.

—Clang!

The Hero’s sword clashed with Ace’s, and Ace’s sword didn’t hold long before vanishing completely.

“…As expected, it’s hard to maintain a stable form.”

Ace said calmly, as if he had anticipated it all.

Ariana immediately ran forward.

***

“I won.”

“Haha, it seems you did.”

As expected, the sword made from divine power couldn’t withstand even three strikes from the Hero and vanished completely.

On top of that, blood was still flowing from his side, draining his strength.

Weakened, he sank to one knee and quickly accepted defeat.

“In the end, I was right. The Goddess took my side like this, didn’t she?”

The Hero raised his sword with a hardened expression.

“Still, you made me think about a lot of things. So, I’ll just take one arm.”

The Hero’s sword came down toward my shoulder.

I clenched my eyes shut, bracing for the pain.

“!! Ariana, what are you doing?!”

‘What?’

Startled by the Hero’s voice, I opened my eyes.

At some point, Ariana had stepped in front of me, arms spread wide.

The Hero’s sword had stopped just short of her nose.

“Saintess!”

Panicking, I pulled Ariana toward me.

The Hero, clearly shaken, shouted at her.

“You almost died! If I’d stopped the sword just a little later, you would’ve been sliced in half!”

For once, I shared the same sentiment as the Hero.

Holding Ariana, who had ended up in my arms, I shouted at her.

“Saintess! That was far too reckless! My duty is to protect your sacred body, not let you get hurt!”

At my scolding, Ariana yelled back, as if she was the one who had every right to be angry.

“Ace! Is that really what you should be saying right now?! Why in the world did you fight with the Hero, Luin?! You almost lost your arm! And blood’s still pouring from your side…”

“That’s…”

Can I really say it out loud?

I glanced at the Hero, uncertain.

But his conflicted expression gave me no clear answer, so I just went for it.

“I hoped the Hero might change.”

“What?!”

“You are the hope of humanity. If I could change the way someone like you thinks, I’d gladly sacrifice my body to do so.”

That was the truth.

If the Hero ends up going down the Demon King route, we’re all dead anyway.

So even if I die, I need to make sure he turns out human first, right?

“Ace…”

Ariana looked at me, tears welling in her eyes.

Then she clenched her teeth and turned her head away.

She looked up at the Hero.

And what she said next shocked us all.

“…Someone like you isn’t a Hero! How could a supposed Hero act like this?! You trash! You… you monster! You’re a demon!”

“…Wh—at?”

Whether due to the shock, the Hero couldn’t form any words, but Ariana’s fury didn’t stop.

“During the monster Wave, Ace threw himself into the flames to protect the people of his church! Unlike you, who easily defeated the monsters because you’re a Hero! Ace was just a young boy, yet he risked his life to protect others!”

“Someone like you isn’t a Hero! Ace is far closer to being a true Hero! You, who were born with overwhelming power, wouldn’t understand how amazing Ace is! He wakes up early every morning, trains himself, and lives a life of restraint—something you could never comprehend!”

“You’re not the kind of person who can lie down on a bed of thorns! You’d just jump over it alone, then mock the others for not following! You’re not a Hero—you’re just a thug with strength!”

Huff… huff…

As if she had let everything out, Ariana gasped for breath.

I was speechless at the sight of this side of her I’d never seen before.

“You…”

Even the Hero couldn’t find anything to say.

Eventually, he turned his back and quickly walked away.

“Did that… go well?”

I was a little worried that someone as temperamental as him might spiral out of control after what Ariana said.

But the look on his face as he left was a little different, not anger, but something more reflective.

Still, it didn’t feel like this was the end of it.

More like a ticking time bomb that could go off later.

As my head grew heavy with thoughts about the Hero’s unpredictable future, I suddenly felt warmth on my side.

“…A mother’s warm touch… a mother’s warm touch…”

It turned out Ariana was casting healing magic on me.

I quietly watched her using her holy power.

When she turned her head, our eyes met.

She looked absolutely terrified. Ariana asked me cautiously.

“Ace… did I do the right thing…?”

“Saintess…”

The way she looked so afraid—like a child who swore for the first time and now feared the consequences— made me smile without realizing.

“Haha, you did well. Honestly, it made me feel better. I should be thanking you.”

“Really…?”

After reassuring the thoroughly frightened girl.

I dusted myself off and stood up.

Seeing High Priest Liv awkwardly approach after Ariana had already finished healing me.

I gave him a signal that I was fine.

‘At this point, I’d say the route where the Hero ends up with Ariana is almost completely blocked off… probably.’

It already feels like Ariana’s happiest ending is slipping out of reach—but that’s fine.

As long as we succeed in rehabilitating the Hero, everything will fall into place.

As long as Ariana doesn’t fall in love with someone else before the Hero changes, even just seeing him reflect and do good could raise her affection for him again.

‘I just hope whatever you’re thinking about leads to something positive.’

Because that’s the only way for Ariana, for you… and for the world to be happy.