“I did it! The fight is over today!”
Lishe put down the Holy Sword and stretched her arms wide.
All around her, the remains of fallen wyverns were scattered endlessly.
“Lark, great job! Your muscles are looking strong again today. Thank you for the Blessing, Neria!”
It was a battle that continued right in the heart of the Demon Realm. The hardest hit was the Hero herself, but Lishe encouraged her tired party members one by one.
“Lars.”
Lastly, she approached me with her head bowed, showing her bright white teeth in a smile.
I didn’t even have the strength to respond and just sat down on the floor, exhaling in exhaustion.
“Here.”
She took out a canteen from her waist pouch and handed it to me. When I drank it, a refreshing lemon scent wafted up.
She gulped it down in an instant and squinted her eyes.
“Ah, it feels good. A drink after working hard! This is what I live for.”
“This is a familiar scent. It’s brandy from the Empire, right?”
It was a type of beverage used for feasts and had almost no alcohol content.
“Is it a secret from the party members?”
“Oh come on, can’t the savior of the continent have a little fun?”
“Well, it’s not like you wouldn’t heal me if something happened.”
“That’s true. If you have more, give me some.”
Lishe and I took another gulp, feeling pleasantly high. It helped a little to forget the fatigue from the battle.
Since everyone was exhausted, I decided it would be hard to move any further, so we set up camp right there.
“Look here, this wyvern’s nest is cozier than I thought.”
Lishe squeezed herself into the wooden nest like a stray cat.
The other party members quickly fell asleep from exhaustion. I stood guard, ready for an ambush.
“Lars, what do you want to do after you defeat the Demon King and return home?”
Lishe asked me, perhaps because she couldn’t fall asleep.
“Well, I haven’t thought about it in a long time. I don’t even know if defeating the Demon King will be the end.”
How things would turn out on the continent depended on Acella’s actions at that time.
“Um… don’t you have a betrothed person waiting for you?”
“Haha, betrothed? That’s such an annoying word.”
“Really?”
“Then do you have any plans, Hero?”
“Hmm… thinking about it, I guess I’m similar to you, Lars. I have no plans.”
Realizing she had asked the wrong question, Lishe bit her tongue.
“Ah, but I don’t want to go back to my hometown. I’m tired of dairy farming now.”
“Ironically, the Hero who worked on a farm is lactose intolerant.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what it is, but there it is! Whenever I drink milk, my stomach feels ugh… Ah, I wonder if Demons can’t drink milk either. What if I use milk as an attack? It tastes good, so they’d definitely fall into a trap…”
As usual, I spent the night chatting with Lishe about silly things. It was one of the few times I could feel some normalcy amid the life-threatening tension from Demons.
At some point, I found a sword lying around carelessly in the middle of the campsite.
It had a sleek, white blade.
It was the Holy Sword.
“Hey, hey! You forgot again after the battle. At this rate, you’ll really lose it.”
“Ah, I spaced out. Can you remember it for me tomorrow?”
“It’s an important item! I see you dropping it often.”
Lishe squinted her eyes and pouted her lips.
“Um… I just don’t feel strongly about it.”
“About the Holy Sword?”
“Yeah. I don’t clearly remember, but whenever I fight with it, I feel really bad afterward.”
Now that I think about it, when Lishe fought resonating with the Holy Sword, she tended to become composed as if she were a completely different person.
“Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous… Lars, rub my belly.”
“I’ll cover you with a towel, so just sleep. Keeping warm and resting is better for digestion.”
“Really? Okay. I should listen to the Healer.”
Lishe curled her wrist like a cat, purring.
“You’re like an older brother, Lars. No one knows, but you always look after the party members. You know a lot when fighting Demons, too.”
That was just because I gained knowledge from regressing.
“I do feel a certain familiarity.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. All our party members feel that way, but… um, how do I explain this…”
Lishe began mumbling as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
“…It feels like I’ve seen you in my dreams often…”
“Teacher?”
“Yeah.”
Chloe’s face appeared.
“Did you just fall asleep?”
“I was meditating and planning.”
“Oooh… as expected, Teacher.”
“Anyone could tell you were asleep.”
Tanya couldn’t help but interject.
I had certainly dozed off for a moment. I was just using the waiting time efficiently.
It seemed like I recalled something from long ago, happening in the hero party.
We were using an office on the first floor of the Moonlight Palace.
“Weight, height, mana attributes… the basic measurements for the hero have been completed. The figures are impeccable standards.”
Chloe reported to me while flipping through charts.
Since the morning, Lishe’s health check-up had been carried out. Doctors from my faction had hurriedly gathered.
“The healing power response is good as well. The Hero will be able to accept high-level healing spells without any problems.”
Falkenhayn reported. This check-up was also aided by Alberich’s faction from Mokhwi Palace.
“There are no traces of exposure to curses. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone this healthy.”
Hugo also chimed in.
“All that’s left is the tests that the Teacher will conduct.”
“X-rays, MRIs, and above all, blood tests. Since it’s a comprehensive examination, I want to do everything.”
“The problem is whether the Hero will accept the medicine.”
“Aside from that, she might feel uneasy about blood sampling.”
Hugo and Chloe’s concerns were valid.
Anyone who had recently visited the Inner Palace would have experienced blood sampling.
But she had lived in the countryside without receiving the benefits of civilization.
“Perhaps she doesn’t know healing spells well either. I’ll talk to her first.”
I headed to the reception room to meet Lishe.
“Ah, Doctor!”
Amidst the solemn atmosphere of the knights, an excited Lishe spotted me and ran over.
Dressed in everyday clothes provided by the Moonlight Palace, she looked better than before.
“Thank you for your hard work with the exams. It must have been boring, but thanks to your cooperation, it went quickly.”
“You said you needed to see me. Is everything finished now?”
“You just need a few more things from me. Well, so far, the results show that you’re very healthy, so I think there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, really? I’ve heard since long ago that I’m only healthy, anyway… heh.”
Lishe scratched her head awkwardly.
‘First, the diagnosis.’
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
· Name : Lishe
· Health : 42 / 42
· Condition : Very Healthy
· Injury : None
· Mood : ■■■
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
‘Why isn’t the mood displaying?’
I decided to proceed with the testing first.
“Now, please come over here for a moment. I’ll take some shots to see if there are any issues.”
First, I took a CT and MRI, which would have less discomfort for her.
Lishe was tense and held her breath as I reassured her it was fine to breathe.
I reviewed the images on the status window.
‘No abnormalities at all.’
Being chosen as a Hero seemed to be classified under a different talent than general abilities.
Even in the future, there was no sign that she had made any sacrifices.
Well, if she was indeed this healthy, there wouldn’t be anything for me to do unless she got hurt.
‘Blood tests might reveal something.’
Maybe specific cholesterol or vitamin deficiencies, or immunity status against epidemics.
As the doctor in charge, I wanted to be thorough.
I definitely wanted to proceed with blood sampling.
I sat down at the table across from her and said,
“Your health status is excellent. Can I ask you a few questions, Hero?”
“You can call me Lishe! I’m younger than you, after all.”
“Even so, you’re the one saving the continent, so I should keep the formality.”
“No way. I don’t understand anything yet… ah, you can speak informally with me!”
It seemed the Hero had a strangely high level of trust in me.
“You mentioned you knew about me.”
“Ah, yes. Actually, I’ve heard stories for years. I heard there’s a great person who cured an epidemic in the city.”
“Information travels fast for a countryside dweller.”
“Well, the epidemic did spread to our town. I thought it would be nice if such a wonderful person was here too, and remembered your name.”
“I see. I’m sorry to hear that.”
On my response, Lishe waved her hands in a panic.
“Oh, it’s not a sad story! Then another time, the disease spread again, and guess what? The medical society came!”
That must have been last year’s incident.
“That person said they were sent by Teacher Gothberg. Everyone in the castle was sick, and within ten days, they were all up and about. I was shocked!”
It appeared someone from my faction had left for Jajang Province before.
I knew it was her hometown, but I didn’t expect to be connected like this.
“Oh, I’ve been very curious since then. What kind of person is Teacher Gothberg? I wish I could help people in need like you, I imagined. My idol, I suppose.”
Lishe blushed and shrugged her shoulders.
“But no one really knew what kind of person you were. Some said you were a really old and grumpy man, and some said you wore a terrifying mask.”
“It’s an absolute honor that the Hero remembers my name.”
“Oh come on, it’s not that big of a deal. Uh, but for some reason, that name sounds familiar, and it stuck in my mind. It even came up in my dreams. Although I didn’t know your face, it looked blurry.”
“Haha, now you can see my face.”
Lishe bit her tongue, then licked her lips and grinned.
“True…”
Lishe has a naive side.
Hearing her story, it seemed there wasn’t really anything about me that would leave such a significant impression, yet she idolized me.
Maybe there weren’t many gossip topics in her small town, and the small population made my name stand out as something unique.
I’ve heard before that there were no peers to play with in her hometown.
‘That’s good.’
If she holds trust in my name, then she’ll probably have less resistance toward medicine, and I could persuade her about blood sampling without much issue.
“Lishe, I have a suggestion.”
I cautiously brought up blood sampling.
Since it can help accurately assess her health, it’s beneficial, and there’s no way it would be used for black magic, so I reassured her.
However, upon hearing my proposal, Lishe showed a worried expression.
“Blood? My blood…?”
“There’s a lot of information contained in blood. You can find even the smallest details. For example…”
I presented some previously known information.
“Like identifying if you have allergies to certain foods, which makes it difficult to eat. Like peanuts, beef, peaches, or milk…”
“Ah, really? I get uneasy whenever I drink milk. I’ve told others, but they shrug it off as just mental… We happen to live in a dairy farming region.”
“You could have that kind of condition.”
“I can find out… then I’ll give it a shot.”
Lishe clenched her fists, showing interest.
“Do I have to slice my arm with a knife or something?”
“Not at all. We use this instrument.”
When I showed her the syringe, Lishe gulped.
Hmm, maybe the syringe looks scarier than a knife.
It’s probably because she’s unfamiliar with it.
Thud.
Just then, the door opened, and the sound of tap tap footsteps echoed.
With golden hair flowing elegantly, Acella entered.
“Oh dear, I must have interrupted you at a festive moment.”
Acella grinned devilishly when she saw the syringe I was holding.
“That must hurt quite a bit.”
“Does it hurt…?”
Lishe flinched and shrank her shoulders even more at Acella’s words.
Such a tease.
“What brings you here, Your Majesty?”
Acella placed a document down with her left hand. In that moment, her left hand was next to mine.
‘Acella is right-handed.’
It looked a bit awkward for her to use her left hand while being next to me.
She then lightly moved her hand on the table.
One picture was created.
The engagement rings adorning our hands.
I confirmed that Lishe’s gaze shifted toward that spot, and Acella slyly raised the corners of her mouth.
I asked her, “What’s this document?”
“It’s a report from an informant. The Kingdom’s forces have moved.”
If they’ve come to see me in person, it must be urgent. I immediately checked the contents.
“They found the Holy Sword.”
