Only the Party Members Returned, Not the Hero

37. The Apostate’s Prayer (1)

37.

After breakfast, lunch came.

Tania had to leave for Ergenuke’s castle after exchanging simple greetings with Ellen.

I wasn’t complaining.

No, to be honest, I did have some complaints.

Because she didn’t get to spend much time with Ellen.

She chewed her mouth full of complaints that she couldn’t tell others, and only wiggled her fingers.

Dol-dol-dol.

Only the sound of the wagon wheels rolling was full.

“Tanya.”

The silence is broken and Elise’s voice is heard.

Tania looked at her sister.

“Yes, sister.”

“As you said, it seems that heroes are not only bad people.”

“…… Huh?”

One of Tania’s eyebrows went up.

It was good for the expedition team that Elise looked good on Ellen, but the figure of Elise saying that while gazing out the window of her carriage with one hand on her chin.

She just felt like she had a personal connection with him.

It was a bit unfamiliar.

“Ugh, yes, that’s right. I told you But why all of a sudden… ?”

“Ah, I sparred with the hero for a while this morning.”

“Dalian?! Did you do it after all?!”

Surprised by the word Dalian, Tania raises her voice for a moment.

“… By the way, Ellen looked very fine in the morning, didn’t she?”

According to Tania’s calculation, Ellen, who fought with Elise, should have had a scar anywhere.

Right before her return, Ellen was stronger than anyone else, but Ellen at this point wouldn’t be that strong.

But rather, the scar was only on Elise’s forehead.

It was at the level of an ambiguous scratch that could even be considered a wound.

Elise finally turned her head and met Tania’s eyes.

“The hero was strong. To the point where I can’t understand why you stopped sparring.”

Elise said it honestly, and Tania accepted it to the extent that she was ‘stronger than I thought’.

“Well, since he’s a hero, of course he must have done the basics…. By the way, did you see it then? Did you adjust your power? You got hurt trying to do something you didn’t want to do.”

Force control.

Elise was about to say no, but the scene of not blocking his last blow flashed by.

If you say you watched it, can you say that you watched it?

In fact, even if she had parried that blow, it was certain that her magical sword would have been shattered.

Even if she dared to fight back, she wouldn’t have been able to create a meaningful reversal.

It’s really something I wouldn’t normally do, so it wasn’t wrong to say that I got hurt while doing something I wouldn’t normally do.

That’s why it felt ambiguous to Elise, who was so naive.

“… Could it be or not?”

For that reason, Elise gave her ambiguous answer.

Tania thought that Elise looked after Ellen, but she answered like that to save face as a hero.

“What, what happened…. Her older sister looks after her in Dalian.”

“Because it wasn’t a situation where we had to win. She even gave me a sword….”

“Did you tell me? To Ellen?”

“Yeah, I think I’m worried.”

Elyse was still honest.

Tania felt her anger rising.

Is this jealousy, or is it the competitive spirit that has taken away her lead?

She was the first to teach Ellen about her swordsmanship, but it felt like her sister had taken the order from her.

After her subjugation was over, she wanted to tell Ellen all of her secrets and swordsmanship that she had brought back from the future, so that he, who had become stronger in an instant, would look at her with more determined eyes than before.

I don’t know how far her sister told Ellen.

She

Even if she did, she wouldn’t have been able to tell me much due to time constraints.

“I am.”

“Huh?”

Still, the fact that her first place was taken away came to me quite resentful.

“… I-I was going to tell you first.”

“… ….”

Tania’s voice subsided as if crying, and Elise panicked.

“Ah, no, who told me first, what’s important…” . Anyway, I won’t have many chances to see the hero anymore, but from now on, you just have to let me know.”

Even though you say so.

I wondered if Tania’s current level of swordsmanship would be able to teach Ellen.

I don’t know if it’s the other way around.

However, Elise decided to appease Tania, who seemed upset for some reason.

“Even a hero would prefer what you tell me, rather than me, a stranger….”

“Ugh, that’s right… I guess? Um, no, it sounds like I’m just complaining, but I’m not….”

What’s wrong with complaining?

I wanted to say that, but.

Elise hadn’t heard Tania complain once or twice, so she decided to ignore it.

“In that sense, there are only a few days left, but go and practice hard.”

“That’s it, that’s why I’m going.”

“Even if you don’t directly participate in the subjugation, there will be something to be gained just by watching.”

Tania felt her conscience pricked.

Her sister didn’t know.

Three Moonlight Colcasus will appear before this subjugation, and when the Royal Knights and Ergenuke Knights are in charge of one fake Caulcasus each.

That the expedition plans to monopolize the rewards by dealing with the real Caucasus.

However, it can’t be helped.

Because I needed the hide to deal with the next executioner.

“… Yes. Yes.”

“When do you say the Legion of Magic Priests and the Knights of Erantel are coming?”

“That, soon…. Won’t it come soon? I couldn’t ask Elish and EL….”

“Well, they aren’t the ones who break the time.”

Lies and lame excuses.

It is unavoidable for the sake of the future.

***

The evening before the subjugation.

According to the original plan, I had to rest well for the next day after training.

Because they said that the Colcasus appears around dawn the next day.

But I’m sitting in a soft but uncomfortable chair, facing a completely unwelcome face.

The name of the man in front of me with a fierce and sharp face is Flavor Heartpone.

Immediately after graduating from the hero school, I was chosen by the goddess,

When she was rejected by the goddess in her conversation with the promised goddess.

He was the one who was in charge of the whole situation.

I was one of the few people who knew what was written on the letter the goddess had left behind for me.

Now, he came to see me as the head of the Royal Knights.

“Nice to meet you, Champion Ellen.”

He said that with a completely unwelcome expression.

Does he not know how to hide his true feelings, or does he think there is no need to hide them?

I didn’t need to look good to this person anyway.

I was in an influential position as the commander of the Royal Knights, but I was not on good terms with me from the beginning.

I sat comfortably with my legs crossed moderately, and I replied in an indifferent way.

“I am not very happy. Flavor.”

“Is that so? It’s been a while, but I’m sorry.”

“Just because it’s been a while doesn’t mean we’re all happy.”

“I am usually happy to see you after a long time. Especially children. I’m curious how much you’ve grown up in the meantime.”

Unknowingly, I tightened my chin.

As someone who knows what Flavor’s emphasis on adulthood means, his words felt repulsive.

“Have you not prayed to the goddess yet?”

“There will be nothing to post forever.”

“… Huh.”

Goddess’ Prayer.

When all warriors are chosen by the Goddess for the first time, it refers to one prayer phrase received from the Goddess.

The phrase given was different for each warrior’s characteristics.

A song of courage to those who lack courage.

A human hymn to those who question justice.

Breath of anger for those who cannot control their anger.

“You are stubborn even though it is strange. Ellen, did she not want to be a warrior?”

“I’ve already been marked as a warrior and I’m living a good life.”

“Ellen, I told you.”

Flavor’s eyes are stained with confidence.

I hated those eyes.

“If you don’t pray, you will forever be half a hero.”

I didn’t say that because Flavor was simply a fanatic.

If you pray to the goddess after receiving a phrase that fits the hero’s characteristics, the goddess grants the hero a blessing using the earnestness of the prayer as a measure.

Blessing is an amplification of abilities more than doubled.

Even if you don’t, when a powerful warrior uses the Goddess’ prayer, heaven and earth literally change.

Make every impossible possible, turn every defeat into victory.

It has an unapproachable appearance that turns all misfortune and sorrow into joy.

That is what a true “Hero” Is.

All history books and fairy tales were telling.

“I came to see if there was a change of heart because you officially applied for a subjugation, but it seems that I went in vain.”

“You usually walk around well.”

I am not an asshole either.

It was true that I didn’t like the appearance of the goddess, but I wanted to hold her hair with my own hands someday.

If I could become stronger right away, it was nothing to pray for that a few times.

If it was a human anthem, if it was a song of courage, if it was a breath of anger.

I must have said a prayer.

However, on the day the goddess refused to appear, the phrase was written on a piece of stationery left with me.

The verses given with the blessing of the warrior Ellen.

It was ‘Prayer of the Apostate’.

“Let’s talk differently.”

Flevor said, looking at me with his legs crossed and a puzzled look in his eyes.

“I heard that the Legion of Magic Priests and the Knights of Erantel are not coming.”

He put one hand on the empty table and began tapping, tapping, tapping the floor with his index finger as if calculating something.

“Why did you do that? If it’s just for the sake of an official move, the more allies, the better it is in subjugation. Maybe there’s a reason. For example, aiming for a reward.”

If there are more allies, the stability goes up.

The more allies, the smaller the reward.

I just looked at him without saying anything.

Perhaps even if I didn’t give a hint, he was damn quick-witted and was going to turn my insides upside down.

“But even if you think of it as just a reward, there is something strange about it. I don’t think you’ll ever need so much Caulcasian hide to rule out two Templars. If so, do you want a reward that is burdensome to show to others and that is not easily obtained?”

Tak, tak.

Flevor tapped the table with his fingers a few more times before exclaiming a small ah.

Then, he raised one corner of his mouth and showed a fishy smile.

“You can buy Ergenuke’s favor, you can make Tania subordinate, and even if you sell it, the value is incalculable…. Like the essence of the moon.”

In his mouth, I naturally become a bastard who exploits Tania.

It was familiar.

Because he was the one who considered the direction he was thinking best and didn’t care about the other person’s feelings.

“By the way, champion.”

Flavor Hearts Pone.

He was truly a man fit for a goddess.

“If Ellen does not pray the goddess, will she ever get the essence of the moon?”

The essence of the moon that can be obtained by defeating Caulcasus without any damage.

“It will take a lot of ‘cooperation’ to subdue the Caulcasus without a single wound.”

It wasn’t easy to get the integers.

It was easy to injure Caulcasus so that he couldn’t get the essence.

Especially if it’s the skill of the leader of the royal knights.

Flevor was threatening with prayer and essence.

I looked at him without saying anything.

“I hope you don’t think of me as a bad person, Champion Ellen. I know why you don’t offer your prayers. I also think that the goddess who dared to give you that phrase that could only insult her father did it too much.”

Flavor, as if he thought I was troubled, began to repeat his phrases.

“But Ellen.”

But the reason I didn’t bother to say it was,

It’s not because he acknowledges his words.

“If you are a hero, you must sacrifice for the sake of the world.”

It was to strengthen my resolution that I had forgotten about.

On the contrary, he was more than happy to awaken his anger toward the goddess.

“Flavor.”

“Yes?”

“Did you say everything?”

There was nothing to worry about.

The decision was made from the moment I was born.

The warrior’s sword, pulled out like a flash, split the table in half and was cut up.