Haid, having completed Belita’s mind control, returned to Pelmia with the obedient red-haired warrior.
With the heart of the Jotun destroyed, there was no longer a reason to seek out Vespians.
The claim that they wanted to recruit the one who defeated the Corpse Giant and restore the horrors of Vespians was just a made-up pretext to step naturally into this backwater.
“Welcome back, hero!”
“Hervor for the win! Long live the prince!”
The citizens of Pelmia, filling the streets, showered Haid with petals and unreserved cheers as he returned from battle.
It was praise well-deserved.
The hero who repelled two Abyss Priests near Pelmia without taking any damage.
Haid’s exploits, cutting down the hundreds of monsters summoned by the Abyss Priests with ease, must have appeared as unmatched heroic feats to their eyes.
“No need to bow your heads. It truly pleases me to see you so lively.”
Haid raised one arm, graciously smiling as he expressed his gratitude for their warm welcome.
The cheers grew even louder.
“Rest easy and in peace. The cultists that threatened you have been completely eliminated.”
There was no need for further worry.
Trust me, and enjoy your peaceful lives again.
The encouraging words meant to instill relief sounded drastically different from when he had pressured Belita.
‘…Hypocrite.’
Diarin, watching this from behind Haid, turned her head, unable to voice her unshareable thoughts.
Towards the silent woman walking alongside her.
“…….”
The red-haired warrior, wearing a helmet and cloak that hid her face and left arm.
Silenced by Haid’s command, Belita, who had been told not to speak, lifted her gaze slightly at Diarin.
“……?”
Those innocent eyes held no malice, rather, they seemed to convey a hint of goodwill. That gaze sent chills down Diarin’s spine, making her fingertips tremble.
The power of Tirbings that could completely crush a person’s personality and turn them into loyal subordinates.
Experiencing the effects of that power right before her eyes was always a terrifyingly grotesque ordeal.
======[Hilde]======
“Haaa….”
After Belita took off like a human rocket, shouting as though she would fight to the end, we slumped down to rest and tend to our wounds.
“I’m really tired….”
“Yeah, I’m starting to feel drained too.”
I shrugged off my cloak, taking in the northern chill while letting out a long sigh. I was exhausted. Very much so.
My mind sharp from dodging Belita’s acceleration had been pushed to the limits. The stamina depleted from three or four tough encounters.
The fatigue on both my mind and body, unnoticed during the confrontations, washed over me like a wave now that the fighting had ceased.
As I sat there for a while, Bardu, who had stepped back to observe the situation, approached us and cleared his throat to express his gratitude.
“Thanks for your help. Thanks to you both, Jane and I have managed to survive.”
He recognized who kept him alive and promptly expressed his thanks. For an adventurer, he had a decent character.
Though he didn’t seem likely to offer a hefty pouch of coins as a token of his gratitude, it seemed adventurers couldn’t entirely shake their inherent flaws.
Adventurers. True gratitude should come hand in hand with heavy rewards. They didn’t even know the basic courtesy.
“Don’t mention it. We just did what we had to do.”
However, I couldn’t very well tell him, “If you’re thankful, why not show it with a proper reward?”
That would be way too petty. Also, pretty embarrassing.
So instead of referencing any rewards, I casually waved my left hand and replied that it was no issue at all.
“Doing what needs doing… as easy as it sounds, isn’t that the hardest part of it all?”
Bardu broke into a hearty laugh.
“Rumors are hardly trustworthy. Who would say such horrible things? That’s a ridiculous slander!”
Jane, leaning casually against Bardu, also smiled gently and added her praises.
Looks like compliments might come free as long as no coins were involved.
He was somewhat painting a rosy picture on my face without handing over even a single silver coin.
“Well… I do have metal plating on my face.”
I chuckled, making a jest.
“Ahaha….”
Maybe it wasn’t the most entertaining joke. Jane averting her gaze with a slightly awkward smile told me as much.
“Haha, that’s true!”
On the other hand, Bardu bellowed in laughter as if my joke tickled his fancy.
His genuine guffaws suggested he truly enjoyed such wordplay.
Is that a trait of a guy over thirty?
◆◆
A little while later, Bardu cleared his throat and stopped laughing, getting back to the point.
“Ahem, so what are you two planning to do now?”
A question about our future plans.
“First, Jane and I plan to return to Vespians. There’s no point in heading to Pelmia now.”
“We need to report to the Guild. Those scoundrels from the Rivilla caravan were absolute fraudsters.”
Bardu and Jane revealed their intention to return.
With the escort mission turning out to be a failure, there was no reason to continue to Pelmia.
Makes sense, really.
In a situation where we wouldn’t earn a single penny, reporting back to the Guild to collect the retained reward would surely be a better investment of our time.
“I think that’s for the best. That girl we saw earlier should’ve caught up with the wagon by now. No need to court any danger, right?”
Amy also expressed her agreement.
If we kept moving forward and that girl healed her wounds with potions, she could attack us again, posing a risk.
“That’s true…?”
It was hard to argue with that concern.
I might have the skills to deal with Amina, but with Amy and Kikel’s abilities, they wouldn’t be able to react to Belita’s ambush, who could take her out with a single strike.
Kikel might react due to his high body temperature, but having cooled down post-battle, it would be hopeless.
So considering the safety of everyone in the group and time efficiency, it made sense to turn back.
“Hmm….”
The question was, I had my own personal reasons to head to Pelmia, even if this mission wasn’t a factor.
‘What a predicament…’
I closed my eyes and tilted my head, exhaling a light sigh.
The internal conflict was severe.
While returning was a fairly reasonable suggestion, continuing on to Pelmia would only invite unnecessary and pointless risks.
At least for everyone else aside from me.
But… I was an exception.
More like the contrary? For me, heading to Vespians was significantly more dangerous.
Why, you ask?
Aren’t you clever for asking?
If I turned back, I’d meet that brainwashed hero!
If I returned to Vespians, there was a chance I’d run smack into Haid himself.
The receptionist girl had mentioned he’d be coming to Vespians personally soon due to the Corpse Giant issue.
…Maybe he’s already arrived.
Because of that, I couldn’t dare bring up the idea of going back.
Think about it. The whole reason I took on this long mission was to avoid him, right?
But now, I’d just suggest turning back?
…Ugh, damn it. If so, I shouldn’t have left the city at all.
Then at least I could’ve avoided all this suffering until now.
“Haaa….”
I let out another sigh, deep from my chest.
To go or not to go, that was the question. A real Hamlet situation here.
Honestly, how could things get so tangled up?
I felt like I might need to find a church and receive a purifying prayer or something.
“H- Hilde, which side do you prefer?”
Lost in thought for a moment, Friede came closer, cautiously asking.
Was she implying she wanted my thigh to rest her head on? She was lightly swaying her face near my leg with her eyes half-closed.
…Was she too shy to vocalize such a request?
She cracked me up, quietly peeking at my expression.
Can you believe she’s my age?
It’s hard to believe she’s not several years older than me!
“Hilde?”
…Ah, fine.
This time, since she fought just as hard as I did, if she wanted that kind of praise, I could undoubtedly accommodate her.
For a dark-skinned guy, I wouldn’t budge, but Friede was surprisingly cute in her looks and behavior, endearing her to me.
…Of course, I meant that affectionately, like a younger sister or a pet.
Not romantically, nor driven by any sinister breeding instincts.
That’s obvious, right?
Unless I was thoroughly deranged, I wouldn’t view a girl who looked like she’s only sixteen as a romantic interest.
Though such preferences aren’t rare, and to be frank, they’re pretty commonplace, I had no tastes in that direction.
– Thud.
That’s why, without a qualm, I placed my hand on Friede’s head and laid it on my thigh.
“Wh- Huh?! H- Hilde?!”
Startled that I would actually let her lay down, Friede jumped and flinched.
“Stay still. You’re tired, right?”
I lightly brushed Friede’s hair while maintaining a calm tone.
“What was it you asked… should we go either way?”
“Y-Yeah…!”
“Well… honestly, I wanted to see Pelmia at least once. Think about it. We’ve come this far; we should at least see the city, shouldn’t we?”
I threw out a reasonable excuse to justify heading to Pelmia.
I figured if I wanted to check out the city, Friede would happily agree.
Even I thought it was a thin excuse, but still.
“Ah, um… that sounds fair, then… yes, let’s do it.”
After hearing my comments, Friede rambled on in a disjointed manner before finally nodding vigorously and shouting out.
“I’ve decided! Let’s go back!”
Contrary to my expectations that she would agree, she cleared stated her disapproval in no uncertain terms.
“…Back?”
“Yeah….”
With a slightly bashful expression, Friede began to avoid my gaze as she answered.
“U-Um, I’m sorry, but honestly, Hilde, you’re rather unlucky, aren’t you? So it seems we should go against your choice…!”
“…….”
That left me speechless.
Caught off guard by her sharp fact attack, I was at a loss for words.
“…You’re right.”
Eventually, I had no option but to hang my head in agreement. There was no counterargument left to muster.
“Yeah, that was an unexpectedly smart thing to say.”
“You’ve got a sharp mind! Such a genius!”
Amy and Kikel quickly nodded along too, and even if I had something to say in response, the atmosphere was such that it was impossible to voice it.
