episode_0006

“I’ll go with you… until we recruit the first companion.”

That’s what I said—or at least thought.

“Alright.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“R-really?!”

“Yeah.”

“You won’t run away in the middle, will you?”

“I won’t.”

I plan to run away immediately after recruiting the first companion,

but if I say that now, I might get held back.

“I’ll help you until the end.”

“Deal?”

I threw in a little lie.

“Hwaaaa…”

“I’m so glaaddd…”

Lia let go of my wrist and stood beside me.

And then,

while looking at the map, she asked:

“Master.”

“Where are we going?”

“First, I’ll take you to the kingdom of ice in the north, .”

“Glacieria?”

“Yeah.”

“Why there?”

“Because there’s someone perfect to recruit as the first companion.”

“The first companion?”

“Since we’re on the topic, let me explain.”

“You know your mother gave you the power of the hero, right?”

“Yes.”

“There’s one more thing.”

“She also prepared people to become your companions.”

“Ah!”

“It was in the hero’s legend, wasn’t it? The mightiest warriors from each kingdom who aid the hero’s journey!”

“You know it well.”

“You just have to choose from among those warriors.”

“Choose?”

“Out of the eight strongest warriors from the eight kingdoms, you’ll select four to form your hero party.”

“A five-member party to defeat the Demon King.”

That’s the basic setup.

You could take him down alone if you wanted,

or with a two-, three-, or four-member party—it doesn’t matter.

But since the hero party buff can apply to up to five people,

a five-member party is ideal.

…Or so I explained.

“You got one thing wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“Including Master, there’d be six of us.”

“So it’s a six-member party.”

Lia said with a faint smile.

Does she mean she won’t let me go until the Demon King is gone?

Not a chance.

I’m running away as soon as we recruit the first companion.

So,

the hero party stays at five members.

Yeah.

That’s the right answer.

“Anyway.”

“I think we should gather the four companions first.”

“Companions…”

“I recommend recruiting the person from , the kingdom of ice, first.”

“But if you don’t like them, you can pick someone else.”

If this were a high-difficulty world, I’d insist we follow the recommended path.

But since it’s a low-difficulty world,

instead of efficiency, it’s better to let Lia do what she wants.

If she becomes assertive enough to disregard my strategies,

she’ll probably solo the Demon King without me.

…That’s what I thought while explaining.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Huh?”

“Because I trust you, Master.”

“I’ll believe in and choose whoever you recommend.”

Lia said with a bright expression.

This wasn’t good.

I’m a guy who’s supposed to run away after recruiting the first companion.

If she trusts me too much, there’s a chance she’ll turn dark when betrayed later.

So, I reasoned with her.

“No.”

“Trust yourself, not me.”

“No.”

“I choose to trust Master.”

“What about me makes you trust me so much?”

“Everything.”

“If you blindly trust someone you just met today, you’ll get betrayed.”

“Betrayed?”

“I’m saying I might actually be a bad person.”

“But you aren’t.”

“?”

“You’re the person Mom sent.”

Lia looked at me with sparkling eyes.

Suddenly, my head started hurting.

‘Sigh…’

‘Right…’

Someone who knows an incredible amount about the Goddess of Light, Serena,

and about the hero.

Someone who appeared at just the right moment to help.

Given all that, it wouldn’t be strange for her to think I was sent by the Goddess of Light, Serena.

… Wait.

Is that actually it?

Did the Goddess of Light willingly summon me?

‘That could be it.’

wasn’t just a simple game—

it was like a , something that allowed you to experience the future of another world.

And I, the one who studied the the most, was chosen.

… That was the hypothesis I came up with.

It was possible.

‘Reincarnation web novels often have plot twists where the protagonist thinks it’s a game, but it turns out to be another world—so it’s a pretty common trope.’

This might really be another world,

and the culprit behind my summoning might be the Goddess of Light, Serena.

… That’s what I thought, but—

‘So what?’

Just giving me cheats wouldn’t have been enough to ease my nerves,

so she sent someone to help too.

Considering the Goddess of Light’s doting nature, that was entirely plausible.

But.

If it’s “Easy Mode,” Lia could clear the game effortlessly without needing my help.

There’s no reason for me to guide her all the way to the end.

‘The first companion is strong in combat and smart, too.’

‘Even if I just hand them the guidebook, they’ll manage just fine.’

Which means.

There’s no reason for me to stay by her side.

… That’s what I thought before explaining.

“Even so, me helping you should stop here.”

“Huh?”

“If we sparred, you’d understand.”

“How weak I really am.”

“Uh…”

“That… that’s…”

“I know.”

“That I’m an absurdly weak person.”

By any measure, I wasn’t fit to be part of a hero’s party.

I could guide her until she recruited the first companion,

but that’s it.

I’m too weak to even serve as a pack mule, so it’d be best to step aside.

A weak person tagging along would just become dead weight.

… That was the logic I laid out.

But.

Lia objected.

“No.”

“Master is strong.”

“?”

“If you use my body, you can beat anyone, right?”

In other words—

Instead of fighting herself, she’s offering to become my weapon?

Sigh…

That’s not it.

… With that in mind, I said:

“Lia.”

“Yes.”

“You realize what you’re saying, right?”

“Yes.”

“You know, yet you’re suggesting that?”

“Yes.”

“You’d let me swing you around like a club?!”

“You’re allowing that?!”

“Yes.”

“Do you even intend to fight on your own?”

“I’ll try my best, but…”

“If I can’t, then I’d rather be Master’s weapon…”

“A weapon…”

“Using the hero as a weapon…”

“No good?”

“No good.”

“Why?”

“If I wield you, I could one-shot any monster and block any attack, but—”

“My body is the problem.”

“Your body?”

“If we’re fighting weak monsters, it’ll be fine.”

“But against strong ones, I’d die in one hit—I’m too frail.”

It’s true that Lia is an invincible shield,

but that only matters when she can actually block something.

If an enemy is too fast or strong for me to react,

even the best shield loses its meaning.

So—

Fighting while lugging Lia around is impossible.

“……”

“That’s how weak I am.”

“So, should be my limit.”

I am planning to run away if things get dicey,

but the best outcome would be her accepting my reasoning before parting ways.

I tried my best to persuade her, but—

“If the problem is Master dying mid-fight…”

“Couldn’t we just stab you with a sword to put you in , then revive you with a potion every time…?”

“?”

“Eep!…”

“N-never mind!”

Somehow…

That sounded terrifyingly ominous…

Must be my imagination…

For now

There’s no escaping traveling to with Lia.

So

I decided to make the most of it.

‘This might actually work out.’

‘If I can grab a few hidden items along the way, the future could be much smoother.’

Items I’d never get alone,

but attainable with Lia’s help.

A way to upgrade Cain, my weak D-rank adventurer, to a somewhat usable level.

… With that in mind, we headed to the next village.

The rural village of Lude.

Since Lia’s hometown, Ruben, was destroyed by bandits,

this is, in effect, the true starter village.

A place to buy gear, stock up on items, register as an adventurer, and hunt nearby monsters.

One of the real starting points of the game.

… That’s how I explained it.

“Gear?”

“Is that necessary?”

Lia questioned, glancing at her holy sword and armor.

She had divine equipment bestowed by the goddess—

why would she need gear from some countryside village?

“Those are time-restricted items.”

“Time-restricted?”

“They’ll disappear after a while.”

Poof!

As soon as I said that, they vanished.

“Eeeek?!”

Lia reverted from her hero form back to a village girl.

Her hair and eyes remained the golden hue symbolizing the Goddess of Light, Serena,

but her holy sword and armor were gone.

Now, she was dressed in a long, countryside-style skirt outfit.

Thus—

Time to gear up.

“Uuu…”

“I really liked it cause it was so prettyyyy…”

“Want it back?”

Nod nod

“Then clear the Hero’s Trials.”

“Hero’s Trials?”

I explained.

A trial to permanently reclaim the holy sword & armor she temporarily unlocked during awakening.

A trial to obtain their liberated true strength.

Effectively, one of the toughest trials in , rewarding the best gear in the game.

And it’s infamously brutal.

So hard that most players skip it since defeating the Demon King is easier.

‘And its mental trials are the real killer.’

Slaying monsters would be no issue if you could just one-shot them,

but this tests your psyche instead.

All stats and traits are nullified,

replaced by a barrage of traumatic triggers meant to shatter your mind.

‘Considering even the bold version of Lia would have her spirit broken…’

‘The crybaby version stands no chance.’

… I summarized all that.

“Uuu…”

“I’ll just pick something else…”

Shivering, Lia reluctantly abandoned the holy sword & armor.

“Probably for the best?”

“Y-yeah…”

Accepting the need for gear, Lia obediently hunted for a blacksmith.

But.

No need to splurge on top-tier equipment for her.

“Lia.”

“This should be enough for you.”

The gear I picked: a shortsword and activewear.

The cheapest,

lightest gear available.

“Ehh?”

“You want me to fight with this?”

“No matter what you wield, attack and defense stay the same.”

A high-damage weapon?

Strong armor?

Meaningless for Lia, whose traits are and .

Then what?

What’s the best gear for her?

Easy—Lightweight Equipment.

If attack and defense are identical regardless,

then maximizing speed with lightweight gear is the way to go.

… That’s how I explained it.

“Ah!”

“So that’s how it works!”

Lia smiled and equipped the cheap, light gear I recommended.

Meanwhile,

I geared up differently.

The best sword.

The sturdiest leather armor.

‘Nice.’

‘Monster leather really is the best.’

Monster leather armor.

Lighter than steel,

yet stronger—quality gear.

The only downside is the price, but—

‘Lia’s footing the bill anyway.’

‘This much should be fine.’

We had money from hunting Kkyuling,

and from wiping out bandits.

With that, this much was affordable.

… Thinking that, I turned to Lia.

“I’m short on funds.”

“Could you spare some?”

“Sure!”

Lia answered cheerfully.

What’s with this reaction?

I did plan to siphon money from our protagonist to buy better gear since we were traveling together anyway,

but isn’t this too easy?

‘Crybaby Lia is cowardly but surprisingly sharp…’

‘No way she doesn’t understand the value of money…’

… So I thought but,

figured it wasn’t worth dwelling on, and moved on.

Meanwhile.

Lia was thinking.

‘Why didn’t I realize this sooner?!’

‘If Master’s too weak to keep up with the hero’s party, we just gotta upgrade his gear!’

… So she gladly opened her wallet.

‘Master.’

‘I’ll buy you the best equipment—so stay with me until the very end.’

She blew nearly all her savings on the most昂贵的gear,

but Lia was smiling.