I Am Not the Heroine

“Umm… ”

The first day in Lakr dawned.

With the demon race’s invasion confirmed like Alphares, I couldn’t afford to be lazy.

First on my agenda was to head into the city and quickly come up with a way to strengthen the hero party’s capabilities.

The most important task among them was raising Nia.

So, I casually threw on some clothes and was about to head out when I was caught.

“Ugh.”

“Rui! Eat breakfast before you go.”

“I’m fine, really…”

“It’s Lakr’s special carrot soup!”

“……”

If it’s carrot soup, then it’s definitely worth my time.

The citizens of Lakr seemed more active than elsewhere, and maybe that’s why the ingredients added to the carrot soup were high in fat and protein.

“It’s delicious, but I don’t think I can eat it multiple times.”

“Well, Lakr’s carrot soup is developed to be eaten in the morning to keep you satisfied until dinner. It really differs in ingredients and cooking methods from soups in other regions.”

“Ah, right. Rui… you really know your carrot soup…”

“Isn’t it a bit like how Serelin loves her sword?”

“Wait, Aria. Did you just say I’m this level?”

To say ‘this level’ about someone feels a bit subtle in a hurtful way, but since I had the Lakr carrot soup, I let it slide.

If it weren’t for Serelin, I would have completely missed out on tasting this carrot soup.

After finishing our meal, we gathered in the hero’s room.

It was to share our plans for the day.

“Actually, since Marquis Lakr hasn’t given us any special requests… I don’t think we have anything to solve as a group.”

That may happen soon, but not right now.

“So, I’m planning to head to the Adventurers Guild. What about you guys?”

The next to speak was Aria.

“I’m thinking of stopping by Lakr’s church as usual.”

“I’m going to visit the district guards.”

“I’m… going to stick around here because the air feels bad.”

Everyone was voicing their plans, even Rapirie, who wanted to remain in the mansion.

Then Nia shot me a cautious glance and raised her hand shyly to speak.

“Um, I want to repeat training with big sis Rui…”

“I’m planning to visit a few smithies with Nia today.”

“Eh?”

Nia stared at me wide-eyed.

Since I hadn’t mentioned the schedule to her before, it was natural for her to be surprised.

“Nia, the smithy is the closest place to fire. Observing the blacksmiths’ actions and habits there will be helpful for you.”

“Ahh…! Yes! I will go to the smithy with big sis Rui!”

Naturally, I wasn’t just taking Nia for that reason.

I also wanted to find certain minerals that resonate well with fire among the various ores sold in the smithy.

‘If I have that, I can compensate even if Nia can’t demonstrate her full strength.’

If Nia could start doing one person’s worth of work, I could boost it to two, so it was ultimately all upsides.

‘Let’s buy as many useful materials as we can.’

In essence, you can think of them like vegetables or fish.

The fresher and higher quality they are, the better when purchased directly from the source.

‘Minerals, on the other hand, can be described better as aged.’

Anyway, that was the plan for the first day.

*

“Nia, don’t touch that.”

“Oops! Sorry…!”

It felt like I was bringing a child instead of a mage.

But since Nia’s past was what it was, I couldn’t really scold her.

Nia seemed to have picked up on that too, as she at least didn’t repeat the same mistakes.

“I don’t recognize that face!”

“I’m from outside. I wanted to show this kid how you all work. And I also want to buy some useful minerals.”

At my words, the middle-aged blacksmith looked between Nia and me.

“Ah, so your younger sister is…?”

“……No, I’m the older sister, and Nia is the younger one.”

“Hmm… well, it seems fine. Use this! Just be careful and follow me!”

“Nia, wear this.”

“Big sis… did you get mad?”

“Me? Why?”

“……Never mind.”

What reason do I have to be mad?

I’m shorter than Nia, so it’s only natural that such misunderstandings could arise.

The blacksmith must have seen us for the first time, so his reaction was rather natural.

But still, it’s been ages since the hypothesis that people grow taller as they age was discarded. I couldn’t help but wonder how much more knowledgeable the blacksmith might have been if he were more well-informed.

If that were the case, he wouldn’t have mistaken me for Nia’s younger sister, and then warmth would boil up inside me…

“Uh, big sis?”

“……Let’s follow him.”

Clank! Clank!

The place where the middle-aged blacksmith led us was filled with the sounds and heat of a large furnace.

Various blacksmiths and apprentices were busy smelting metals and minerals from large and small furnaces.

“Nia, do you think you can interact with that heat?”

“Uh, I’ll try…”

Interaction just meant feeling deeper about the flame and learning about it differently than before.

Still, compared to just lighting a bonfire and exploring her power before, this would be on a whole new level.

“Ahh…!”

Nia gasped, and her reddish-brown pupils expanded.

The sounds of hammers striking metal, the crackle of the flames, the glowing hot metals, and the glistening sweat reflected in the blazing fire.

Everything related to fire came alive in the smithy and began to resonate with Nia.

She wanted to embrace it all and make it her own.

I quietly waited for her.

After a short while, I helped Nia, who looked like she might slump down, and checked on her state.

She was sweating profusely, so she seemed mentally exhausted. But in contrast, her eyes were brilliantly lit up.

“Big sis…!”

“That’s the path you must take. One day, you’ll unleash that heat and battle enemies alongside the hero party.”

“Honestly, even with your good teaching, I didn’t really understand until now. But… seeing this, I feel like I get it.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now, let’s move. We can’t disturb these folks any longer.”

“Yeah…”

I led Nia, who seemed lost in thought, towards a relatively quiet vendor area.

There, they were selling ores packed in bundles or jars, and the variety was impressive.

‘Still, I need to visit other smithies, so let’s be efficient…’

“White mana stone? Is this real? Huh? No, this is dark stone…”

But soon, my eyes spun as I looked at the various minerals laid out.

Honestly, I expected a certain level since it was a mine city, but I didn’t think the lineup would be this extravagant.

“Ooo, you know your stuff?”

“I’m a mage, after all.”

“Oh, a great mage you are! If you buy this now, I can throw in this as a bonus…”

“……Grevaite! This only changes under specific pressure…!”

“How about it? Interested? Hehe, I can give you a special price of 2 gold per ore right now…”

“……I can’t let this slip by.”

I rummaged through my robe’s inner pocket and pulled out a round coin purse.

“……Rui big sis?”

Originally, I planned to use Nia to select only those minerals that react well to fire, but at this rate, I might buy everything.

Each piece was considered a high-quality item among mages.

Honestly, I couldn’t understand why mages would go all the way to Lakr for a field trip to buy, but now I got it.

‘Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?’

This is definitely something worth sharing.

Just as I was about to hand over my purse full of gold coins to the merchant, suddenly…

“Rui.”

“……Hero?!”

The hero suddenly appeared, gently grabbing my wrist to stop me.

“Y-You’re the hero?”

“Yes, I’m the hero. But more importantly, I took a rough look at the prices while coming here. They seem to be in silver units… should I just tell you?”

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry! I’ll close the shop right away and leave the city!!”

“No, don’t leave the city…”

“I’ll leave the minerals behind, so please take good care of them! Just please don’t report me!!”

The hero hastily raised his hand, but the merchant had already bolted with his goods.

For a moment, I wondered if I could take home the minerals spread out on the stall for free, but I had a more pressing question.

Thump.

“Hero, why are you here…? Didn’t you say you were going to the Adventurers Guild?”

“I was on my way back after visiting.”

“But then why…?”

“I remembered how you acted in Alphares. I thought you might be about to make an impulse buy again, so I hurried over… and I was right.”

Saying this, he placed the coin purse I almost handed over to the merchant back into my two hands.

“Our party’s mage seems to need to study more about prudent spending.”

“No…”

“Nia Bella, I’m sorry for putting this on you since you just joined, but Rui is going to try and make impulsive purchases like this, so please stop her, okay?”

“Y-Yes! I’ll do whatever it takes to stop her!”

Whatever it takes, what in the world is that going to be?

“……Why are you stopping me when I’m going to buy it with my own money, hero?”

I looked up at him, complaining with a pout.

The hero chuckled and slowly removed his hand that was holding mine.

“Well, who knows? Maybe it’s for the best.”

“……?”

Thump.

“Still, thanks to you, you saved some money and got the minerals you wanted, right?”

He had a point.

Thanks to the hero, I had saved money and obtained the minerals I desired.

So this fluttering heart… is surely stemming from the joy of that.

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