episode_0025

Cain was born in a slum and was good at fighting from a young age.

At the age of 7, he strengthened his body through magic transformation, and by the time he was 13, he could use magic.

Although he had the genius talent to become an adventurer, he decided to use his talents elsewhere.

“Give me the key to the safe when you speak nicely.”

Cain threatened the noble by grabbing him by the collar with one hand and smiling slyly.

Behind him were the bodies of the guards who had been guarding the mansion, and the noble, his face pale, handed over the key to the safe.

Cain became a notorious troublemaker in the back alleys of the capital city, Pifnel.

Having lived his whole life in the slums, he chose to become a king of the underworld rather than venture out to the surface world as an adventurer.

If he made eye contact, he would steal money, and if he found a woman he liked, he would kidnap her.

If he was in a bad mood, he would hit someone, and if he needed entertainment, he would target the nobles.

The royal guards tried several times to arrest Cain, but each time he killed the guards and escaped.

There was even a time when the adventurer guild arrested him for a hefty bounty, but he easily escaped from captivity.

One day, as he lived as a notorious criminal on the run.

The captain of the royal knights arrived with five selected gold-ranked adventurers to find Cain.

No matter how skilled Cain was in combat, he had no chance against opponents of this caliber.

Was this the end of his reign as the king of the back alleys?

Cain knew he had done things that warranted immediate execution.

If he was going to die anyway, he thought he might as well take down a few knights or gold-ranked adventurers with him.

But then, a man dressed in priestly robes appeared between the captain and the adventurers.

“Cain, you have been chosen as a hero.”

A hero? Was he not here to kill him?

The captain beside him glared at Cain with obvious hatred.

But the priest in front of him insisted that Cain had been chosen as a hero.

Faced with this contradictory situation, Cain hesitated as he reached for his sword.

“Bishop, are you really saying this scum is a hero? This man is a wanted criminal.”

The captain asked the bishop.

It was not so much a question as a strong desire that this scum should never be considered a hero.

“The divine will is absolute. This man is undoubtedly a hero. The one and only who will save this world from the clutches of the demon king. No matter what kind of life he is living now, he is the one with the destiny of a hero.”

The bishop’s answer made the captain’s face turn pale.

And Cain, who was watching the whole conversation, smiled so widely that his mouth almost split open.

“Oh~ So you’re saying I’m a hero? Me?”

“Now, renounce your dark ways and accept the destiny of a hero according to the divine will.”

The bishop said solemnly.

Cain had no interest in the destiny of a hero or the goddess’s prophecy.

But becoming a hero meant something entirely different to Cain.

Atonement.

Cain was determined to use the destiny of a hero given to him as a means of atonement for the sins he had committed so far and the sins he would commit in the future.

“Oh~ I’m a hero, huh? I never knew in my wildest dreams. Right, Mr. Captain?”

Cain approached the captain, who was glaring at him with veins bulging in his eyes, and tapped his cheek with the palm of his hand.

Although the captain wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and behead this trash of a man on the spot, he had to grit his teeth and endure it.

It was the moment when the worst hero in history was born.

* * *

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“I’m not trying to be nosy, but…”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Why are you here?”

Kubel Adventurer Guild.

As usual, I visited the guild early in the morning to check the requests, but I was taken aback.

At the counter, Milaia was standing in receptionist attire.

“It’s a daily receptionist experience. Sometimes it’s good to try something like this.”

“Why on earth…?”

“It’s a prescription to broaden my narrowed perspective.”

Milaia said without changing her expression.

Although she was dressed as a receptionist, she didn’t let go of the long sword hanging from her waist.

Moreover, Meruru and Tina, who should have been at the other reception desks, were nowhere to be seen.

Milaia was the only receptionist in the guild right now.

“Where did the other receptionists go?”

“They’re on vacation.”

“Mm…”

“Milaia had seen Unoah chatting intimately with the guild’s receptionists a few times.

She thought that in order to keep Unoah by her side, she needed to capture his interest.

So, after negotiating with the guild master, she decided to be a temporary receptionist for a day.”

But what if a Gold Adventurer were to be a receptionist? And besides, Tina and Meruru are close to her, but being a receptionist isn’t really her thing, right?

I wonder what kind of person the guild master is who allowed this.

Thanks to this, the guild’s operations were almost paralyzed.

Other adventurers couldn’t bring themselves to ask her for tasks at her counter and just watched her cautiously.

“Oh… I might skip the requests today… Haha… Hahaha.”

“I don’t feel like working today…”

“I reported the requests until today, but when I think about it, it doesn’t seem like anything urgent…”

No, if you reported the requests until today, it should be urgent.

The overwhelming atmosphere of Milaia at the counter made all the adventurers in the guild feel greatly discouraged.

Even though she was dressed as a receptionist, Milaia was still Milaia.

The counter now seemed like a judgment seat where adventurers had to lay their necks on the line to do their work.

Seeing this atmosphere, I could understand why she wanted someone who could give her direct advice…

“Sigh… Please register the request for today.”

I handed two Bronze request forms from the bulletin board to the counter.

I could feel the astonished gazes of the adventurers watching from behind.

Oh, it’s really daunting.

The next day.

“Haat-!”

Swish!

“Chikchik!”

With a sword full of magic power, a huge bipedal rat, Ratman, fell to the ground, splattering blood.

Bronze requests often involved subjugating lower-level monsters that disrupted people’s lives.

For me, who trained my body every day without neglecting magic conversion, these requests were now a piece of cake.

“Now, only two left…”

The request was to hunt down ten Ratmen breeding in the Kubel Sewer.

As proof of subjugation, I had to cut off and collect ten of their disgusting tails.

No matter how many times you subjugate them, Ratmen periodically breed somewhere and appear.

So, along with Slimes, they were one of the main food sources for Bronze adventurers.

I was already feeling good at the thought of hunting down the remaining Ratmen and receiving rewards from the guild.

But on the other side of the sewer, around the corner, a familiar silhouette appeared.

“Ah…”

As soon as I saw that figure, my body froze like ice.

It was Milaia, who had paralyzed the guild’s operations under the guise of being a temporary receptionist the day before.

“Milaia?”

Returning to her usual attire after the end of her temporary receptionist duty, she walked straight towards me with a blank expression.

Then, she quietly handed me something.

It was the tails of the Ratmen.

One, two, three… Countless Ratmen tails were tangled in her hands.

“It’s a gift.”

It’s the most sinister gift in the world.

“What are you doing right now?”

“If this is it, then the request to exterminate the Ratmen is over. We can save time.”

The request was to catch only ten of them.

Judging by the number of tails, there were still plenty of Ratmen seeds left in the sewer.

I can’t even speak properly now, I’m so dumbfounded.

“No, not taking the request? Don’t you have work to do over there too?”

“I rarely have to step up.”

Well, in the guild, there weren’t that many Gold-grade requests to begin with.

But that doesn’t mean I, a mere Bronze adventurer, should follow along and interfere with minor requests.

“Hey, this is actually obstructing business.”

“…..”

“How long are you going to do this near me? It’s uncomfortable.”

I expressed my discomfort as firmly as possible.

“Yunoa, until you feel like going with me.”

“What if that never happens?”

When I asked, Milaia closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them and stared into my eyes.

What’s the meaning of this? It’s scary.

While the narration hinted at her state, I never expected her to be so persistent.

Moreover, considering Milaia’s cold and intimidating first impression, her current appearance was terrifying in a different way.

If this continues in the future, I’ll be in trouble too.

I just want to live a normal adventurer’s life and grow steadily.

But simply refusing won’t end this delicate situation.

After much deliberation, I decided to try negotiating with her.

I didn’t want to accompany her as she wished.

But could I at least offer advice as a simple advisor without having to accompany her?

– Milaia needed an advisor who could clear her blurred vision.

Recalling the narration, what she wanted was advice, not a companion.

She didn’t need me to accompany her everywhere.

“Milaia.”

“Yes.”

“What you need is not me, but my advice, right? So….”

“No, now I need you.”

“Uh.”

I was so surprised that I made a strange sound without realizing it.

Did I misinterpret the narration? Did I miss something?

Or has there been a change in her feelings…?

“Ah… Anyway, that’s not important. What Milaia is doing now demands a sacrifice from me.”

“…..”

“I’m just a novice adventurer, and our worlds are different. If I start traveling with Milaia now, the people around us won’t look kindly upon it. Plus, I’ll miss out on opportunities for growth.”

I desperately squeezed my head and told Milaia.

“If it’s about the people around us, I can make sure they don’t bother you.”

No, I’m bothered.

And if she somehow casts a spell to block out the surrounding gazes, it’s scary.

If I didn’t come up with a compromise, it would be dangerous.

Both she and I needed to find a way that we could both be somewhat satisfied with.

“Milaia. You said you wanted me as an advisor, right?”

“Yes.”

“But if I end up really disliking you, it’ll be a big problem, right?”

“…..”

I felt a chill for a moment.

“I… I can’t handle this one-sided approach. We need to step back and compromise.”

Milaia nodded expressionlessly at my words.

“Let’s do this. I’ll gladly be your advisor, Milaia. But I won’t accompany you.

I have my life as an adventurer, and you have yours.”

“…..”

“On our own paths, we work diligently, and when Milaea needs advice, she comes to me.

I promise to give her honest advice with sincerity when she seeks it.”

“But…”

“Please, don’t make Milaea dislike me.”

“….”

An uncomfortable silence lingered for a while.

“….Understood.”

Breaking the long silence, Milaea reluctantly agreed to my words.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“Instead of me giving advice whenever you need it….”

Since things had come to this, I also had something to ask of her.

Knowing that Milaea had a strange fondness for me, it was a request I could make.

Looking at Milaea, I spoke.

“Please teach me swordsmanship.”