Chapter: 122
“Huh?”
Just a moment ago, the girl who had been speaking like a storm suddenly stops.
With a blank expression as if she can’t grasp what I said, the girl just repeats herself.
“I’m asking if you would be the hero’s companion.”
“Huh?”
The girl continues to blurt out, as if in a daze. You could practically hear the bewilderment in her voice.
Hmm. I thought she would know that the hero had some feelings for her since they spent time together. Oh! Right! She lost her memories when she was revived! How could I forget that?
“Sister.”
The hero, looking at the girl, grabs my shoulder as if to say, “Don’t say unnecessary things.”
Well… If I told the girl that there was a good vibe between her and the hero, it would be hard to believe since she has no memory.
But how can I link her to the hero without telling that story? It wouldn’t hurt to remind her about those forgotten memories, right?
And really, how could I connect them without explaining this?
So,
“Just leave it to me.”
“But…”
“It’s necessary.”
If I don’t talk about such things, it will get incredibly awkward later when it all comes out.
The hero still looks a bit dissatisfied, but…
“Understood. Do as you see fit.”
He let out a small sigh and nodded.
“Um, you two? What are you discussing?”
“Nothing important. Just a small tale about how you lost some of your memories when you died and came back.”
The girl took a moment, pondering my words, then slapped her palm lightly as if realizing something. “Oh, right! That happened!”
“I didn’t really care about those forgotten memories, so I completely forgot. But what’s this about the memories?”
“Among what you’ve forgotten, there’s some stuff about the hero.”
“Huh? The hero?”
“Yeah.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Me and the hero??”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
I said that mildly annoyed. I mean, if I’m saying it, there’s gotta be some truth to it! Even if you can’t quite believe it yourself!
“Me and the hero? But my memories… Hmm… It definitely starts with the hero waking me up…”
“The resurrection must have blurred your memories, so don’t force yourself to think too hard; it won’t help. Anyway, let me summarize things for you.”
I slowly recounted the events between the girl and the hero.
About the hero who had run away to this village for a time and the moments they shared.
How the hero had recovered from the harsh training as a hero in this village, welcomed by the girl.
And the strange atmosphere that hung between those two…
“No, sister. How do you know all those details?!”
“Um, no, that’s…”
“Wait, did you seriously see everything that happened?”
I slightly diverted my gaze.
“Sister…?”
“But listen! If I hadn’t been watching, would I have managed to save the villagers in time? And since the hero took off with the sword, there was no way I wouldn’t know where he was!”
If he was gonna run away secretly, he should’ve just left without the sword! Sure, I could still have tracked him down after that, but still!
“Anyway, let’s move beyond that. Didn’t you benefit from my watching over you?”
“Well, I guess that’s true, but…”
“See? So let’s say it was a necessary intervention.”
The hero still wore a face full of dissatisfaction. Well, I had to keep an eye on things because I was really needed!
“Sure… I definitely did get help, so let’s move on.”
Great! Problem solved! It’s not like the hero’s continued grumpiness would change anything much, but at least my conscience is clear!
As the discussion with the hero wrapped up…
“Wow…”
For some reason, the girl was looking at me and the hero with sparkling eyes.
“So, I really had that kind of relationship with the hero? For real?”
“Yeah, it’s about the level of vibe you two had.”
Even with the hero’s life being low-key about women, this girl is one of the few he might have liked!
Typically, women who show interest in the hero are often just drawn to his abilities as a hero.
Of course, I’m not one of those.
“But, but how can I… when there’s the Dragon’s Priestess?”
Hmm…? Wait a minute.
Could it be that the hero had poor luck with women because… maybe it’s me?
Was it because I’ve been sticking around him all this time?
Ugh… I have no clue. It could be true or not.
But it seems pretty likely!
“When you two were getting close, this guy was hiding his identity and living in this village. For someone training to be a hero, enjoying life in a rural area must have been a blast.”
In reality, during his time in this village, the hero often looked really cheerful.
He had the kind of might to chop down entire trees and had reflexes to whack monsters and catch critters.
While he was there, the village’s food situation must have improved drastically.
“Anyway, since you were the one closest to the hero, you’re the most viable candidate. I know you don’t remember, though.”
If only some of those memories were still there… Things would have been smoother.
“M-me and the hero… the hero I admire…”
“But, can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes?”
I turned to the girl and asked.
“You’re not exactly a kid either. Why are you still unmarried?”
At my comment, the hero in the back nodded slightly. Even in this era, she’d be considered an old maid, although she looks young.
“W-well… why is that?”
The girl tilted her head, pondering.
“I’ve met many folks, but somehow with each one, I just think… ‘This isn’t the one,’ you know?”
Hmm?
“It’s not like they were particularly bad people, but I just had this weird feeling that ‘this isn’t the one,’ so I kept saying no. I can’t quite explain it…”
Hmm… ‘This isn’t the one?’
Hmm… Could it be that some faint memories of the hero were stuck in her mind?
But it’s certain that those memories vanished when she was revived; I’ve verified that!
Perhaps her memories faded, but the hero’s essence is somehow etched into her soul?
Like a soulmate thing, maybe?
Well, I can’t fully grasp everything about souls, so I can’t be definitive.
“Anyway, it’s fortunate. Neither you nor the hero have gotten married yet, and you’re in similar age brackets. Physically, yeah, the hero looks a bit older, but he’s in great shape.”
Is there a more fitting companion for the hero than this girl? It feels almost like it was planned!
“If you like, why don’t you give dating the hero a shot?”
“M-me? With the hero? The hero I admire…?!”
The girl mumbled in shock, and then…
Thud!
She fell back like a tree getting axed.
“Hmm… Was she that excited?”
The girl’s eyes spun as if her brain couldn’t handle what just happened.
Ah, classic slapstick reaction right there.
“I’m gonna have to wait for her to come back to answer.”
First things first—let’s make sure she’s not hurt.
“Really, telling someone to date the hero out of the blue? Do you think there would be anyone who’d accept that?”
“You still don’t get your own worth.”
I looked at the hero with pity.
It’s like if a big-screen hero or a dream idol suddenly showed up and said, “Let’s date!”—wouldn’t that provoke a bit of disbelief?
“So, what do you think of this girl?”
I asked the hero while healing the bump on the girl’s head.
“Huh?”
“Building a family isn’t just one person’s goodwill. You need to consider this girl’s feelings toward you, and yours toward her. So, what do you think?”
Well, I can sort of guess without wanting an answer, really.
Otherwise, there’s no way she’d have cried like that when she died!
But seeing a grown man sobbing like that… it’s a bit awkward.
“I…”
The hero hesitated and then muttered softly,
“I don’t dislike it.”
“Oh really.”
“But someone like me, who only knows how to wield a sword and fight, can I really start a family? Can I have kids and raise them?”
“Why not? Do you think all parents were just born as parents? They all learned through trial and error. Just like how you learned to be a hero! You can learn little by little, so don’t worry about it.”
The hero nodded a bit at that.
“I’m not confident, but I’ll try.”
“Great. That’s enough.”
In a time where marriages are often just for increasing workforce, they seem like a perfect match since they both like each other.
So,
“Let’s stick around here for a bit.”
The romantic escapades of an old bachelor and an old maid are beginning right here.
Nothing beats witnessing this from up close!
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