Chapter 87
The hero was thrown into confusion!
“Wow! But your physique is really impressive! Even Uncle Jack, who’s famous for his strength in our village, doesn’t have muscles like that! To be honest, Uncle Jack is half muscle, half fat, so he just got stronger to bear that weight, but he’s still the strongest in our village! Oops, I shouldn’t be talking about that! Welcome to Saebong Village! It’s pretty small, and the population is low, and aside from being on the way to the temple dedicated to the Goddess of Life, there’s nothing special about it! But since it’s a path that pilgrims often tread, the safety here is guaranteed! Monsters have only shown up around this village once in the past few years! And it was just a tiny monster! That’s how safe this place is!”
Wow, I think my ears might bleed.
“Uh, well…”
“It’s a really small village that mainly has pilgrims from the Temple of Life wandering through or the occasional traveling merchant stopping by once a month, so visitors are really rare! Even back in the day, there were lots of people heading to the temple because of the hero’s sword, but suddenly a few years ago, that all stopped. It’s such a strange occurrence. I’ve heard rumors that the hero’s sword was pulled out, but if that’s true, then whoever pulled it out would be slicing all the monsters and making the world peaceful, so I wonder if someone just pulled out the sword and ran off. What do you think, sir?”
“Well, that’s…”
So this is what it’s like to be verbally battered… Looks like the hero took quite a mental beating.
I can’t let this go on, I should help out a bit. Let’s see… In a case like this…
I snapped my fingers and conjured a small rain cloud above Saebong Village.
And then, drops of rain started to fall.
“Oh no, it’s raining…”
“Oh my, it’s suddenly raining? It was clear just a second ago! We’ve got to move, sir! We don’t have any inns in this tiny village, but the chief’s house has a few spare rooms, so all the visitors usually stay there! Come on, this way!”
Oh… that kind of backfired, didn’t it? I thought just pouring some rain would make them split naturally…
No, maybe it’s good after all. This kid, who hasn’t really developed their social skills while being alone with me, can actually get some practice by meeting and interacting with other people.
However,
“Come on! If we stay here any longer, the rain could pour down and soak you completely! We’re not so stingy as to let a visitor get drenched in the rain!”
“Uh, um…”
I wonder if the hero’s mental strength can even handle this.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The girl who took the hero’s hand and guided him to what looked like the chief’s house rummaged through every corner as if it were her own place, and she prepared a really simple meal.
Hmm, is this actually her house? She seems really skilled at taking things out.
The hero seemed to think the same, as he cautiously spoke while watching her.
“You seem quite at home here.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Of course, it’s my house. Plus, as the chief’s daughter, it’s my job to welcome visitors. So I was just hanging around at the village entrance. But being the chief’s kid doesn’t come with any special privileges or anything! Honestly, it’s just annoying! There’s no advantage to it! My dad is super proud of being the chief, but to me, it feels like a burdensome hat. I wish I could hand off these annoying duties to someone else, but my dad is as stubborn as a mule. It’s a real hassle.”
A flood of information in response to a simple question. I should have been more careful about what I asked.
Oh, she’s the chief’s daughter, huh? Well, her talk about having visitors stay here gives her away as someone who knows a lot about it.
“By the way, seriously, doesn’t it feel weird? Just a moment ago it was perfectly sunny, and then suddenly it starts pouring. The rain itself isn’t bad, but such abruptness feels off. I’ve heard rumors of strange monsters popping up in other villages lately. Could that be the reason? Or maybe the sky just decided to mess with the guest and started raining? I’m not sure which it is. Not to mention, I feel awkward because I didn’t prepare much! As you can see, it’s a small village, so we aren’t very wealthy. We get by fine, but… Still, it’s not polite not to entertain guests! It’s just ordinary soup, kinda hard bread, and a little salad! If the hunters had a good day, we might have some meat, but it’s been a rough few days for hunting, so this is all I can offer.”
“Ah, well… I’ll eat gratefully.”
“Great! Enjoy!”
Oh, look at that. The hero has grown. He even responded!
To endure that verbal tsunami and still reply? The hero’s growth is really showing.
“So, where do you come from, guest? You were walking towards the temple of the Goddess of Life, but you don’t look like a pilgrim.”
“Ah… I lived at the temple for a few years.”
“Living at the temple? Hmm… Were you training to be a pilgrim?”
The hero hesitated for a moment at her question before replying.
“Something like that. I trained there for a few years… but then… I had to leave due to some issues.”
Hmm. Sharing personal stuff with a stranger, huh?
“Left? Was there a big problem?”
“Problem? Yeah, I guess it was. I didn’t live up to the expectations of someone who raised me. If I had been stronger… I wouldn’t have disappointed her.”
Expectations?
Wait, what’s this about expectations? I just wanted the hero to take it easy for a bit!
Ugh… Should I have talked more? I didn’t expect the hero to take my words that way.
Seems like he just ran off, jumping to conclusions based on my careless comment.
“Falling short of expectations… I don’t know the details, but how about you stay in this village for a while to clear your thoughts?”
“In this village?”
“Yeah! This village is small, so every person is important. Having a strong-looking guest like you, even temporarily, would be a huge help! Plus, judging by that big sword of yours, you look like you can fight monsters! Sure, it’s been a few years since any monsters showed up in this village, but we need to be prepared for anything, right?”
The hero thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
He probably figured that staying in a village where he could easily return to the Temple of Life would be better than wandering aimlessly.
“Ah, of course, it’s not something I can decide all by myself, so I need to talk to my dad and the other villagers about it later! But they’ll probably welcome you!”
The girl said with a bright smile.
The hero could only nod along, swept up in the girl’s enthusiasm.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The hero slowly began to blend into the small village of Saebong.
Well, I only taught him fighting, so it was expected he’d struggle with the day-to-day life in a rural village.
Watching him swing his sword down onto the fields like he was farming was pretty hilarious.
Still, he spent his time bumbling around and figuring things out in the countryside.
Looking at him like that, I can’t help but wonder what kind of life he would’ve had if he hadn’t pulled that sword, if he had met proper parents. Just a little curious.
If I could turn back time and save his parents, would I get to see that future? But then I’d have to let go of the hero I created.
Sounds a bit selfish, right? But I don’t want to do that. Turning back time means repeating everything again, and who wants to deal with that?
Let’s set aside those silly thoughts for now.
While I continued to watch the hero adapt to village life, a nagging worry creeped in.
Isn’t that kid starting to forget about being a hero?
No, that can’t be true. I’ve trained him for years. I’ve told him time and again that strong monsters need to be dealt with by people, even if it comes at a cost. That’s why the hero has to step up.
Hmm. I’ll just trust the hero. He’s not the irresponsible type to avoid his responsibilities.
So, let’s trust in the hero I’ve trained.
That little departure from hero duties didn’t last long.
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