Chapter 247
- Ah, is that so? (3)
#2 Their circumstances: The circumstances of a new hero.
I was the child of a farmer.
My father was a farmer well known for his business in the village, and my mother was a beauty renowned in the village.
But his business prowess was only to the standard of an ordinary rural village. My mother’s beauty was also only renowned in a small rural village.
If I went to the village next door I could find beauties of a similar level, and when I went with my father to the city just once, there were people much more beautiful than my mother crowded on the streets.
They were special people in a rural village, but the moment they left the village they were ordinary people. That’s who my parents were.
But I didn’t have any complaints about parents like that. No, I was just full of gratitude.
My parents were people who boasted the best relationship in the village, to the extent that they gave birth to three boys and two girls.
The problem was myself.
I was special.
When I turned 10, I could beat my father who was the best businessman in the village at arm wrestling.
My appearance was also more beautiful than my mother who was the greatest beauty in the village.
It wasn’t just beautiful. There was no one more beautiful than me even in the neighboring village I sometimes went to play in.
There was no one more beautiful than me of a similar age, not even in the city I went to that one time.
There were times I thought it was just a child’s perception.
But as time passed, I grew to be stronger and more beautiful than others.
In strength, I had no rivals in the village, and people from faraway villages personally came to see me.
I was special. I realized that, and the people around me thought so as well.
However,
“The God of Rivers has chosen you as a hero.”
I hadn’t even imagined becoming a hero.
“Huh?”
I blankly stared at the shining blue sword.
“This is…”
“The holy sword of the River God’s Order.”
Our village was a peaceful village where even goblins, which sometimes appeared in other villages, did not show up.
The only blades I had held were kitchen knives when helping in the kitchen or fruit knives when peeling fruit.
And now I was being told to hold a holy sword.
And the reason was,
“I hope you will become a hero of our Order and save those who suffer under the Demon King.”
“Ah…”
Sure enough, it was the Demon King. The evil messenger who goes around the world with his demon army to bring about its destruction!
For me, the child of an ordinary farmer, to fight the Demon King!
“I’ve never held a sword before…”
I replied without looking at the sword on purpose. It was an indirect way to express my dislike.
But the priest who came to find me ignored my expression.
“It’s alright. The god of rivers will watch over you.”
It was a lie. I could instinctively tell that the priest’s words were lies.
I wonder why they were suddenly choosing a hero?
Did the previous hero quit?
That was likely it.
Heroes are people too. No matter how much they follow the will of God and save people as heroes, they are bound to get tired someday.
Or they could fall in love with someone and become a married couple and start a family.
They are heroes who have risked their lives fighting for God their whole life. If such a hero says they want to rest, God would allow it.
They would then select a suitable successor, have them build up their skills to a certain degree after taking over, and when the time comes the previous hero would pass on the holy sword and leave.
Passing on their knowledge and experience to future generations, it was one of the most famous ceremonies known even to me living in this rural village.
So why was there a holy sword in front of me now?
Originally it should be an item held by the hero chosen by the god of rivers.
The reason was obvious without even thinking about it. It was death.
Right now on the continent the evil messenger, the Demon King, leads the demon army of the evil god.
Many countries have already been destroyed, including the Ruvella City Alliance which existed to fight the demons.
Compared to the country I live in now, the Ruvella City Alliance had several times the national power, yet it was destroyed in less than a month.
That’s how strong the Demon King was, and how powerful the army of the evil god.
And the heroes… they were fighting the Demon King and army of the evil god at the risk of their lives. To save the world.
The heroes must be strong.
It’s said that one of the most famous heroes, Hero Swin of the Nature Order, defeated an evil dragon alone at the age I am now.
The power to defeat a dragon, a member of the strongest race on the planet! That was the power of a hero.
But the evil god must have power even greater than those heroes.
Why else could he destroy the world so easily?
Not only the continent we live on, but the Demon King was so fearsome and powerful he could even destroy the demon continent where the demons lived. Even the strongest heroes must have died from it.
And the hero serving the god of rivers has probably already died. And I have to take their place.
“Is it… possible?”
I barely opened my tightly shut mouth.
To be honest, I wanted to refuse.
It was a task too dangerous for me, an ordinary village girl like me, to take on.
“Yes.”
But this priest did not seem like he would let me go at all.
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes. The god of rivers said no one is more suitable than you.”
Ah…
Seeing the confidence in his eyes, it felt like the last bits of hope I had were disappearing.
“Is that so…”
Just what did the god of rivers see in me? There aren’t even any rivers around here!
I could understand if it was the God of the Mountain or God of Flora!
And so I left my village with my parents’ and villagers’ encouragement, heading to the River God’s temple.
I still can’t forget it. My parents squeezing my hand tightly, trying to smile as they saw me off. My younger siblings’ voices telling me to make sure to come back.
I have to survive. I will definitely return alive to where my family lives.
With that oath, I arrived at the River God’s temple and immediately received the baptism.
“You are now the representative of the River God’s temple, and the agent of the River God, a hero.”
“As a follower of the River God, I will do my best.”
The baptism was simpler than I expected.
The saint of the River God’s temple started the conversation, and I just had to say the prepared response.
Was it originally like this? Or was it made simple because it was an emergency situation?
“Then I will start training right away.”
The latter was probably more likely. They were dragging me here and there immediately after I became an official hero.
And so I learned various battle techniques at the River God’s temple for about 2 months.
Starting from basic swordsmanship, simple magic, and how to invoke aura.
“You’re quite amazing.”
“You think so?”
After hearing how to invoke aura, a weak but golden aura started gathering around my sword after just 3 days.
“As expected of the hero chosen by the River God.”
It didn’t seem like just a saying. The instructor who had been teaching me swordsmanship was gaping as he stared at the aura.
To shock the instructor who looked like he would stay expressionless even if stabbed with a needle. I really was special.
It seems I was barely able to survive with this much.
“Gulp…”
…is what I thought just a month ago, but now I felt like I was going to die.
“Hero, are you alright?”
“The knight looks worse off than me.”
I was vomiting black blood, clearly gravely injured. But I was better off than the holy knight next to me.
“I cannot stop my faith with just one arm lost.”
His right arm was gone. His body drenched in blood. It looks like his right eye is gone too.
A gravely wounded hero, and a half-dead holy knight.
Compared to that,
“While your faith cannot be stopped, it looks like you’ll be able to keep going down this road?”
The Demon army before our eyes numbered over a hundred.
“This road must be protected at all costs.”
At the knight’s words, I nodded and raised my sword.
“I know, that’s why we’re getting slaughtered like this.”
“You speak too bluntly, hero.”
“Think of it as the charm of a country girl.”
With a deep sigh, I focused my magic on the sword.
This place had to be protected. Following this road behind me leads to the granary that provides most of the provisions for the Hurel Kingdom.
The Hurel Kingdom is currently one of the frontlines fighting the army of the Evil god.
If the granary providing most of the provisions for such a place disappears, the Hurel Kingdom will have to fight the army of the Evil god without food.
Barely holding out through sieges, if supplies cannot flow smoothly?
Obviously they would be defeated by the army of the Evil god.
If that happens, it’ll be very troublesome for me. Because the next kingdom after Hurel is the Shelea Kingdom where my family lives!
I can’t have these monsters running around where my family lives!
“Haaap!”
Pouring all the magic in my body, the golden aura starts condensing more and more tightly.
“Am I a monster?”
“Isn’t that too cruel to say to a maiden who hasn’t even married yet?”
As the sword aura condenses more and more, the holy knight lets out a deep sigh.
“To be called a Swordmaster in less than a year…”
“I’m not a Swordmaster.”
I’m forcibly compressing the magic. I have to do this much to take down ogres and trolls.
Ogres and trolls are famous for being tough and hard to kill, so when they become part of the army of the Evil god their vitality rises by at least 3 times.
“It’s still amazing.”
“Don’t be surprised, try your best too! You said you’ve been training your sword for over 20 years!”
“I’m already feeling self-conscious, and you’re rubbing salt in the wound!”
As the holy knight grumbles, he raises his sword and pours magic into it.
“This is the best I can do.”
“Tsk! Useless.”
The blue magic shining radiated the holy knight’s honesty.
“You’re too harsh, hero. I could end up being the last man in your life.”
“Don’t say ominous things. I’ve never even dated.”
“As expected…”
“What do you mean as expected!? Let me tell you, I’ve had tons of guys interested in me but I rejected them all!”
I couldn’t help but flare up at his sighing words.
“It’s not what you think, hero. It just reminded me of a legend.”
“Legend?”
“Yes. A legend passed down in the Karan Empire, I hear.”
“What legend?”
“That a female swordmaster of genius talent cannot get married…”
“What kind of legend is that!?”
Thwack!
The moment I yelled, a breaking sound was heard.
“Scary legend, isn’t it?”
“More like stupid bullcrap!”
“Hahaha! If you die here, hero, the legend will continue, won’t it?”
“I have to survive, for all the female swordmasters in the world.”
I let out a sigh and steadied my breathing.
“Please become a beacon of hope for all the female swordmasters on the continent.”
The holy knight also steadied his breathing as he condensed his blue sword aura.
Cracks were starting to appear right before our eyes.
A barrier of transparent ice. It was a barrier made by a holy knight who had survived before us, pouring all of his magic into it.
Just to make that barrier, 20 holy knights had died.
It was a barrier made to buy just a little more time, but it had reached its limit.
“Well then… for the River God.”
“For the River God.”
We briefly prayed to God.
It probably won’t help, but maybe we can still pray for salvation?
“Oh god of rivers who embraces all, please send a hero on a white horse to this delicate maiden.”
“You’re the hero though.”
“Can’t a hero get some saving from another hero?”
“I’d like to live too.”
Crash!
The moment the barrier shattered, the monsters tainted by evil started flooding in.
“No more chit chat.”
The monster was running towards me like crazy, as if resolving its resentment that I could not touch even though it was right in front of me. And looking at those monsters, we pray for death…
“Charge!”
“Right.”
“Right.”
Just as we were ready to fight to the death, a very bright voice called out.
And at the same time, an icy bombardment from the sky.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Some very handsome men appeared next to us as we blankly watched the bombardment falling from the sky.
“Who are you?”
“The heroes’ Coalition.”
“Ah!”
It was a name I had heard before.
The organization started by Hero Swin of the Nature Order, said to be the strongest hero to combine the power of heroes!
In that case!
“Are you Hero Swin!?”
“Yes. You are Hero Mirea of the River God’s Order, correct?”
At his smiling face, I couldn’t help but blush.
“Y-Yes!”
“Who is it? Huh!?”
Seeing the shy girl’s smile, the holy knight gaped.
Who is it? How rude!
“Hero of Nature, please take them to the Instructor.”
“Understood.”
With a faint smile at our state, Sir Swin left it to the hero next to him and moved forward.
“D-Do you not need help?”
“It’s fine. Sir Swin can handle that number alone. Treating you two takes priority.”
“I see…”
I was a little uneasy, but I decided to trust Sir Swin, the strongest hero, and went with the Nature hero to get treated.
“Then… I hope you make it back alive.”
“Huh?”
After the incomprehensible words from the Nature Hero,
“Gah!?”
I lost consciousness along with tremendous pain.
