Volume 4 Chapter 38-2 The Oath of the Hero
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Whoa, that was fast. I figured you’d need 2 days, easy.”
’I did my best for the kids, Milord! Gave it everything I had!’
Kéa ended up spending the night with the kids.
Now they’re thick as thieves.
Guess she really did bust her butt for their sake.
”Yeah? Good work, Kéa. You deserve another reward.”
’Ehehe… Thank you, Milord!’
Her voice is all loose and silly.
I can practically see her goofy grin.
Anyway, now Kéa’s ‘Love Hotel’ keycard has ‘Shadow Forest’ registered to it.
Which means we can jump straight to the spot where the stampede will hit.
”How are things looking over there?”
I ask, and Kéa sounds a little tense when she answers.
’It’s really intense, Milord. There are soldiers and adventurers everywhere. Everyone’s totally on edge.’
”So… the stampede hasn’t started yet?”
’Not yet, Milord. I took a quick look ── the forest’s quiet, barely any monsters around. But it feels off, Milord. Too quiet.’
”I see.”
So we still have some time?
It’s almost sundown.
Heading out into ‘Shadow Forest’ in the dark sounds like a great way to get killed.
We’ll rest here in Saoriba town for tonight.
* * *
Dinnertime.
Kéa uses the ‘Love Hotel’ warp to pop back to the church.
”Big Sis Kéa, where’d you go today?”
”Shadow Fore──mmmph!”
”Kéa was checking out the way to Shadow Forest for us.”
The kids ask, and right as Kéa’s about to blab, Lifia smacks her to shut her up.
”Oh, got it!”
The kids accept that answer easy enough.
But a few of them still look worried.
”Isn’t Shadow Forest where the monsters come out…?”
A tiny voice, barely above a whisper.
The room goes quiet.
”The lady at the shop said scary monsters are coming. Lots of them.”
”Are they coming all the way here?”
”That’s dangerous!”
”What if we get eaten?!”
One after another, the kids spill their fears.
So… they know.
They’re all aware.
Even the little ones get it.
This whole town is in danger.
And right then──
”It’ll be okay!”
Tifi jumps up and shouts, all bright and bouncy.
”Mr. Taro’s gonna protect us all!”
”Really?”
”Can uncle Taro even fight?”
”Goblins are way tougher than horned moles, y’know!”
Voices full of hope… and nerves.
They’ve only ever seen me hunting horned moles, not anything scarier.
”It’s true. Master can handle anything!”
”Milord is plenty strong! Kéa will vouch for it!”
Lifia and Kéa really do believe in me.
”Yeah. With Mr. Taro here, we’ll be just fine,”
Even Yomi, who’s usually sarcastic, goes soft for the kids. Yomi’s always got a sharp tongue, so it’s weird hearing her praise me just to calm the little ones.
With everyone vouching for me, the kids start to look at me like I might actually do something amazing.
It’s… kinda embarrassing.
Honestly, in a real fight, Lifia and the others could wipe the floor with me.
But right now, I’ve gotta stand tall.
The kids need to believe someone’s got their back.
”Yeah, you’re safe. No monster’s getting into this church, or this town. I promise you that.”
The kids’ eyes just light up.
”Whoa, uncle Taro’s actually tough!”
”We’re counting on you, uncle!”
”How strong are you, though? Are you, like… hero-level?”
That word──hero.
It makes me pause for a sec.
That’s what they call people who got summoned from another world.
But it’s not that simple.
The ones who just got dragged along instead of chosen?
They’re the ones who end up stronger.
And yeah──that’s me.
Wrong place, wrong time, monster power.
Lifia and the others say I’m the real hero.
But that’s just how they see it.
Out there? Nobody even knows I exist.
Honestly, I’d rather keep it that way.
But these kids don’t care about that stuff.
Not right now. I just want them to feel safe.
”That’s right! I’m hero-strong! So don’t worry──nothing’s getting past me. I’ve got you covered!”
I say it half-joking, but finally, the kids start to smile again.
”Yay!”
”It’s the hero! He’s a real hero!”
”Guess there’s nothing to be scared of now!”
”You rock, uncle!”
Their laughter fills the room, all big grins and honest joy.
Did I say I was hero-level by accident?
Eh, it worked out.
It’s no big deal if this story gets out, right?
Even if someone outside hears this, they’ll just think of us as “adventurers putting on a brave front for the kids.”
The priest watches the scene, then whispers softly…
”…Thank you, Sir Hero.”
His voice was so quiet, I doubt anyone else could hear it.
I’ll protect this town.
Watching his words and the kids’ smiles, I made up my mind.
There’s no more time to waste before the Stanpeed outbreak gets serious.
But tonight, I want to stay with these laughing children.
That’s what’ll make me fight.
For now, I’ll be the “hero” these kids need.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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