episode_0070

‘I’ve never seen this person before….’

Lucy Wenreterra.

At least in “The Success Story of the Incompetent Hero,” the original work I played, a nun with that name never appeared.

Of course, my current progress is so different from the original that it’s funny to compare it to the original at this point….

‘…A nun I’ve never seen before.’

Come to think of it, now that I think about a nun I’ve never seen before, something came to mind.

“I didn’t get a good look at your face back then because you were covering it…, but now that I see you, I think I know. This isn’t our first time meeting, is it?”

“Oh my, do you remember?”

“I remember you were a member of the hero Abel’s party, but why are you here? Did the hero Abel come here?”

To my question, she tilted her head, then smiled and said.

“Didn’t you hear from Queen Jo? I came here alone.”

“…What business does a member of the hero’s party have coming alone to such a remote place?”

“That’s…, well, it’s because of you.”

“…Me?”

Because of me here? As I frowned and looked at her, she smiled softly as if she found it amusing and said.

“Really…, what business did the hero have coming to such a remote place…. Do you know what’s happening in the central continent right now?”

“I don’t think it’s my business.”

“Well, you’re the hero. The whole world is hoping you’ll pay more attention.”

A gentle voice that creates a strange feeling that is hard to describe.

I feel strangely attracted to it, but at the same time, I feel repulsed.

Something…, something is something.

There’s something I haven’t noticed….

“…So, you came all the way here to find me after I suddenly disappeared?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why are you doing that? You’re in the hero Abel’s party. My party also had a priestess, so if anyone should be looking, it should be them, right?”

Of course, they would have gone over to Abel’s party, but anyway, their original party is me.

So, if I disappeared, it should be the ones who were originally with me who are looking, not a member of another party.

“…Well, there’s no point in hiding it. Actually, the Saintess made a prophecy.”

“The Saintess…, a prophecy?”

I know the Saintess.

Of course, she doesn’t appear directly in the game “The Success Story of the Incompetent Hero,” but she is a Saintess that exists in the setting….

That Saintess made a prophecy?

“Yes. Our…, the Saintess’ prophecy is as follows. According to the guidance of the Goddess, a new hero’s soul will appear from another world, so my children, welcome the new hero.”

“!”

Sreung!

“!”

“Oh my…, how dangerous.”

Without realizing it, I drew my sword and pointed it at her.

But she wasn’t surprised at all, and after glancing at the tip of the sword that had reached her neck, she let out an exclamation without emotion.

“What are you?”

“Judging by your reaction, I guess this was the right answer after all. How long have you been in this world? Did you come here before hiding in the central continent?”

“Didn’t I ask you? What are you? And what the hell are you guys? Do you know why I came here?”

“The Goddess’ guidance, I suppose.”

I frowned involuntarily as I watched Lucy, who was clasping her hands together and speaking as if praying.

“Do you think that makes sense now?”

“Even if you say that, we don’t know? We were just trying to find the soul of the new hero according to the prophecy that the Saintess received from the Goddess…, I hope you think of it that way. For that, we replaced all the priests who were dispatched to hero Roman and hero Abel with us.”

“We?….”

“Yes. Priestess Noren was also originally scheduled to be replaced…, but before that, you disappeared, so we worked hard to find you.”

‘Look, my skin has become so rough thanks to you,’ she said, stroking her white skin. As I was looking at her in disbelief, she pouted and grumbled.

“No fun. I shouldn’t have come to find you.”

“….”

“You can look at me like that, but there’s nothing I can say. I was going to take you to the Holy Kingdom once I found you…, but looking at the situation, it will be difficult to take you to the Holy Kingdom.”

As I watched Lucy, who was speaking playfully and smiling, I sighed and put away my sword for now.

At that sight, she said with a bright expression on her face.

“Oh my, are you finally dropping your suspicions?”

“Like hell I am.”

However, according to her words, I might be able to find out why I came here if I go to the Holy Kingdom.

If things in the Crimson Empire are settled and I return to the central continent, I should go to the Holy Kingdom right away.

“So? I heard you’re protecting one of the Four Guardian Deities in the eastern continent, how is the condition?”

“I don’t know. I heard the vessel was broken. Whether the White Tiger can live or not depends on whether the vessel can be repaired.”

“Hmm, the vessel of a divine creature is broken……. That’s a pretty dangerous situation.”

“You’re also a priestess, aren’t you? Can’t you heal it? I heard you saved Queen Jo when she was assassinated.”

To my words, she said proudly, like an old man talking about his military experience.

“Of course, if I hadn’t been there, Queen Jo would have gone to heaven as she was. Thanks to that, Queen Jo said she would positively consider our Holy Kingdom’s doctrines. Shouldn’t I get a 100-year vacation for this?”

“You’ll be old and dead in 100 years, you old geezer.”

I decided to stop the fruitless conversation and started walking back to the palace, and she followed me.

“Why are you following me?”

“Well, I’m the benefactor of this country who saved Queen Jo’s life, and a VIP who came as an envoy of the Holy Kingdom.”

“Ah….”

That’s right.

In the end, we were going to the same place.

* * *

The next day.

I felt refreshed because I slept on a bed with soft bedding after a long time, instead of the hard floor.

And it seemed that it wasn’t just me who felt that way, Seolrin also looked refreshed.

“The bath was good too.”

“Really? Did you end up going in with the Queen?”

“T, there’s no way! I went with Baekryeon. I did it separately.”

Seolrin shouted, blushing at my question.

Why didn’t you strengthen your relationship? If you had, I think the Crimson Emperor would have liked it too.

“Speaking of which, where’s Baekryeon? Didn’t you sleep together?”

“Baekryeon woke up early in the morning and went to the royal infirmary where White Tiger is. As expected, she’s still very worried.”

“There’s no guarantee that he can be completely cured yet.”

Now that it’s like this, we headed to the royal infirmary to meet Baekryeon.

If you ask for directions, they’ll tell you right away, so it wasn’t too difficult to find. It took a while to get there because the palace was so big.

“Oh my, Hero. I’m seeing you in a place like this.”

But unfortunately, I ran into Lucy at this time.

I looked at her with a look that I shouldn’t have seen, but she didn’t care at all and greeted us with a smile.

Seolrin tilted her head and looked at me at the sight.

“…Who is she?”

“The VIP that the Queen said was here besides us yesterday.”

“Did you know her?”

“I’m a hero. Everyone in that neighborhood knows me.”

Of course, they may not know me in a good way.

I swallowed the rest of the words because there was no need to say them, and instead looked at Lucy.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, does the Goddess’s nun need a reason to see the Hero, the Goddess’s sword?”

“….”

If only you couldn’t talk.

Since what I had to do didn’t change whether Lucy was there or not, we headed to the royal infirmary with an uncomfortable companion.

And there were more people than I thought,

“What the hell are you talking about!!!”

I heard Baekryeon’s voice shouting from the morning.

Seolrin and I looked at each other at Baekryeon’s very emotional voice.

Then, as I headed to the royal infirmary, I saw Baekryeon and Queen Jo there. And a doctor was sweating and explaining.

“You can’t treat him! What the hell are you talking about!!”

“Calm down, Baekryeon.”

“But!….”

“I said calm down.”

The Queen, who calmed Baekryeon, who was very excited, turned her gaze to the doctor.

“Physician, explain calmly.”

“Yes, yes. Your Majesty. First of all, White Tiger’s condition is not very good. The vessel is broken, so no matter how much you treat him, the energy of his life is all escaping towards the broken place. And in order to repair the vessel, you need good elixirs and the like.”

“I know that far from last night’s report. Tell me the conclusion. I told you to heal him even if you had to open my royal treasury, but why are you saying it’s impossible?”

“Yes, yes…. I looked at the Crimson Empire’s elixirs that Baekryeon had prescribed so far. They were definitely…, the best elixirs. They are comparable to the various elixirs in the royal treasury.”

The doctor wiped his cold sweat after saying that far.

At the same time, the Queen and I could understand what the royal physician wanted to say.

“In the end, even if you use all the elixirs here, it’s just a temporary measure like before…, it means you’re just pouring water into a broken vessel.”

“That’s right. Your Majesty.”

“T, that’s….”

Baekryeon trembled as if she was shocked.

And Lucy, who saw the sight, blurted out a word.

“I knew it.”

“Did you expect this situation?”

“Roughly.”

Lucy said with a playful smile.

After staring at Lucy for a while, she blushed slightly and shook her head.

“….”

“Don’t make that face. It makes my heart flutter.”

“…That woman is strange.”

I think so too.

“There is a way to save White Tiger.”

“!”

“What?!”

Seolrin and I were both surprised and looked at Lucy.

“How can you save him?!”

“Well, our Holy Kingdom is specialized in spiritual healing. Of course…, that’s not what I’m going to do.”

“…Then what are you going to do?”

“Actually, I’m a vampire.”

……What?

Looking at her with the same expression as if she was joking, she smiled instead and said.

“If I take White Tiger’s blood and make her a blood relative, she can survive. I’m sure of it.”

Thus, she said.

“Hero. Please choose. I’ll do whatever you want. Are you going to save White Tiger by making her a vampire’s blood relative? Or are you going to let her die as she is?”