SWNOVELXO Chapter 13
**Chapter 13**
Even upon reflection, it truly was a long time.
It had been a full five years.
The time spent with the Hero training and learning under the pretense of eradicating evil, shuttling between the Imperial Palace and the Temple.
And finally, we were about to leap forth outside the Empire in what was called a departure ceremony.
“Y, y, y, y, Hero. Are, are, are you, ready…?”
“…, You’ve really started to get into the rhythm. Was the departure ceremony that exciting for you? Or is your neck sore from a lack of exercise?”
Bad words.
Those are bad words.
“Y, y, y, y, profanity is a, a, a bad… thing.”
“You’re making a huge fuss if you can’t even talk properly. If you can’t manage it, just keep your mouth shut and try to be funny. People will love it anyway since the Holy Girl smiled at them.”
“….”
You bastard.
No, that’s not it.
So, um…
Right.
To be honest, I was really nervous.
For five years, I had diligently trained and studied, being called the Holy Girl, but before that, I was no different from the youngest nun in the convent.
My faith didn’t even compare to the other bishops and the Pope.
The fact that I had been chosen, and that I had to move forward as a representative of God, was quite frightening.
However, the Hero didn’t let me settle my heart in such a manner.
“Rua, don’t tremble. If you keep shaking, I’ll consider it a sign of weak muscles.”
“Phew…, h, ha! Okay.”
“Good. I’ll take the lead, so follow.”
He stepped forward toward the realm where countless citizens of the Empire awaited.
The curtain that had been concealed by his hand opened, and I was met with a sight.
Wowwwww—
The cheers and fervor of the crowd echoed around us.
Dudududududu—
The sound of the military band, welcoming us.
While I could have shrunk back a bit at all the sights,
“Face forward. Walk with confidence.”
The Hero muttered just for me, amidst it all.
Words from someone completely unfazed by the grand spectacle.
He walked by unbothered, even ignoring the kids enthusiastically waving their hands, and the gestures of beautiful women, continuing to lead the way.
So I clenched my fists tightly and muttered back.
“…, Of course.”
Indeed, it was a confident stride.
With a smile, I waved my hand gently.
Following that figure ahead, I too stepped forth with pride.
I aimed to show the crowd that the charming and beautiful Holy Girl accompanied the quiet and indifferent Hero.
…
So.
After the long parade ended, and eventually, when the heat of the crowd began to subside, I felt my heart racing in the midst of it all.
Being aware that it had finally begun exhilarated me.
Coupled with worrying if I could do well, anticipation for the journey ahead surged within me.
That was probably because I had someone by my side who, despite looking like a lunatic, was undoubtedly reliable.
“Well done. Now, let’s truly set off.”
“Yes, Hero.”
Nodding at the brief words from the Hero, I climbed into the carriage.
Fireworks soared into the sky, bursting magnificently.
The enthusiastic crowd, smiling children.
The lively sounds of singing and the beauty of cheering.
Colorful flower petals were scattered, forming our path.
I will never forget the memory of this day for the rest of my life.
—Excerpt from **Episode □□: Their Departure Ceremony**
********
A little over a year has passed.
I turned ten years old.
“Mom, I’ll be back!”
“Uh-huh… Mom will sleep a little longer…”
“Hm, you used to get up early, yet now Mom is someone whose words and actions don’t match.”
“Ugh… Don’t tease me and just hurry to work already…!”
Now accustomed to the morning routine, I greeted my still-sleepy mom and left the house.
Even though spring was almost over, the morning air at the end of April was still chilly.
“…, It’s cold.”
So, I shivered for no reason and took my steps forward.
It had already been over two years since I started working at Uncle Rendo’s grocery store.
As a side note, I first asked for his name this year, and his reaction back then, looking dumbfounded, is still vivid in my memory.
Not that it mattered.
“…”
I had done perfectly well without knowing his name.
S, sorry about that.
Anyway, with those thoughts in mind, I entered the market street.
Unlike usual, I wasn’t heading straight to the grocery store; I was looking around for something.
I had set out a bit early today because I had something to do.
In other words.
This afternoon, the long-awaited departure ceremony of the Hero and the Holy Girl is about to start.
To put it simply, I was preparing to witness that event.
I had decided not to watch the ceremony after Hero’s last tantrum, but it seemed that it wasn’t a resolve strong enough to pass up the opportunity to see the unfolding developments.
Moreover, last month, she expressed a desire to see the departure ceremony herself.
If I were to take her with me to see the ceremony, it would require at least a bit of advance preparation.
Eventually, I arrived at the store I had been searching for.
The place I was looking for was a shop that sold clothes.
However, it wasn’t a place that sold the usual clothes I wore or the ones I had bought for her; it could be described as a rather rough shop that adventurers would visit.
In other words, it was an adventurer’s store.
Creeeak—
As I opened the door and entered, a musty smell wafted through.
“Welcome. What can I help you with, oh… what’s with this little kid.”
The man who stood up to greet customers wore a bored expression upon seeing a small child.
However, I wouldn’t let such a reaction put me down.
Even as a child, I was a customer, and the man before me was about to sell me a robe.
“Hello, I came to buy a robe suitable for a child.”
“Sorry, kid, but we don’t sell robes that a kid your age could wear here. You can find a shop over there that sells clothes suitable for you.”
While that was true, other clothing stores didn’t have robes made of this material.
“I’ve already been there, but the quality wasn’t good. So, I want to buy a robe from here.”
“Wow, you speak well for a kid.”
The owner of this shop had a rough appearance, so it didn’t seem like a child’s charm would work on him.
A person who only accepted rough folks wandering as adventurers wouldn’t care if a child was cute.
“…”
“However, there are no items for children here. Since this is a store for adventurers, come back when you’re older and may want to be an adventurer, little kid.”
Yet, he was a character from a novel.
Jansen.
The owner of the shop that the Hero, Pris, frequently visited before he became a Hero, catering to the adventurers of the Empire.
Though he may not have had a significant role, the fact that he appeared at least once in the novel confirmed he was a merchant with a conscience.
Thus, I decided to believe in the novel’s setting and smiled.
“I came to buy a robe imbued with the magic of reduced recognition. I would like to buy one size for an adult female and one for an adult male, and I want them altered to be ready to wear right away.”
“What do you think you heard me say, kid? And a robe with reduced recognition magic? Do you have the money to buy that?”
In the novel, despite appearing somewhat cantankerous, he was depicted as someone who would give you what you want if you paid.
Jansen, a former adventurer and now a merchant.
Time flowed quickly, and I was already ten, the day of the Hero’s departure ceremony had arrived.
In six years, I would also be off on my journeys, so I thought it was wise to establish relations with someone like him early on.
So.
Gritting my teeth a little, although it was a painful expense, I laid out a part of my saved travel funds in my pocket on the counter.
“I’ll take two robes imbued with reduced recognition magic, please have them tailored well enough to wear even after I become an adult.”
“…, Alright. Just wait a moment, customer.”
He was a merchant who accepted even a little kid as a customer as long as I had the money.
A merchant who would hand out goods without asking why, as long as they weren’t illegal.
I’ve already mentioned it several times, but today was the day of the Hero and Holy Girl’s departure ceremony.
Because of that, the grocery store would close early after lunch.
“Ain, remember that you can’t push through the crowd to see closely, right?”
“Uncle, you’ve already said that thirty times. I told you I’d watch from a safe distance, why are you so worried?”
“You’re quite good at that, aren’t you, you brat? If you get trampled and die, we’re going to have to hire a new employee.”
“….”
Such cruel words right in front of me!
With those thoughts, I stuck my tongue out at Uncle and exited the grocery store.
Even after I slammed the door shut, I could still hear his yelling from inside, but since that too was a shout of concern, all I had to do was nod appropriately.
Maybe it’s because we have been working together for over two years.
Uncle seemed to think of me as a son.
Yeah.
I think about it every time; he truly is a good person.
Anyway.
I exited the grocery store and entered the familiar alley.
In the past year.
The Witch has continued to grow, albeit in a less-than-ideal environment, but unlike before, she was truly growing up quickly.
Although I couldn’t pinpoint her exact age, I thought she was definitely younger than me. But thanks to easily getting enough to eat and sleep, she was already taller than me.
Nowadays, she looks down on me just a bit.
Her emotions also began to enrich gradually, just a little bit.
Perhaps it was a pleasant feeling that I was getting looked down upon, as she subtly raised her lips when we faced each other.
Whenever I approached to check if she was properly cleaned, intending to sniff her, she would coyly pull away, slightly narrowing her blank eyes.
Frankly speaking, that was not a good response.
The slow blooming of her previously faint emotions indicated that the germination of the seed she held was drawing near.
After awakening her powers, the difficulty in controlling her emotions was a recurrent theme in the tales of the gray.
So perhaps I had become a villain in the story, hastening the germination of disaster.
However.
“…Ain, come here.”
There was a girl waiting for me to step into the alley.
“Hey, it’s been a while.”
“It has been a while, hasn’t it.”
A girl who spends each day waiting for our monthly meeting.
“Make sure to keep wearing this while we watch; you must not take it off, okay?”
“Okay, thank you.”
She clutched the things I handed over to her tightly.
“Let’s go. Follow carefully.”
“…, Yes.”
A girl slowly raising her smile.
That’s why.
I couldn’t turn her away and ended up visiting her again and again.
Out of compassion.
With ulterior motives.
The illusion that I was fulfilling a role I had given myself.
Perhaps the arrogant thought that I might change a character from the novel.
I was unable to shake off such things and found myself continuing to hold onto them as I moved forward.
The departure ceremony begins with the grand music of the military band.
I had never even thought that I could get close to the site of the ceremony with the Witch.
Just like the day I was five years old, I watched from afar, from a place where I could still see their steps.
Even though it was still afternoon, the sky was gloriously decorated with fireworks.
Boom—
Every time a big explosion rang out, the girl next to me would flinch and tug at my clothing.
That was the scene.
The protagonists from that novel I had read were advancing forward, and the Witch who had threatened the Empire was by my side in this mysterious landscape.
However, I felt it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as the wave of emotions I felt at five.
Perhaps it was because I had grown accustomed to this world and my expectations had diminished, or maybe I was constantly aware of how I was now in the unfolding story.
So.
I just wanted to face all the complexities I could only feel in this moment.
A scenery crafted through written words that I could only see once.
The multitude of waves of the crowd that I hadn’t seen in the novel.
The slightly misaligned cogs of the existing developments.
And the Hero’s gaze that had been directed at me and the Witch without notice.
I took in each of those simply and stared back at the Hero’s eyes with a will.
The Hero’s steps continued to lead him onward.
And for a moment, even the Holy Girl’s gaze, which followed behind, lingered on me.
Before long, she flashed a smile at me, and I kept looking until their figure disappeared completely in the distance.
Feeling the warmth of gray, I continued to observe everything captured in the gaze.
********
“There’s the one who stood in my way.”
“Eh? Where, where is it?”
I followed the Hero’s words, turning my head to look around.
No strong figures were visible.
Just ordinary men, ordinary women, elderly people, and children.
And the girls and boys wearing robes….
Ah, I found it.
I could faintly recognize the ominous gray swirling around one of them, even from a distance.
“The man standing next to the gray is the one I met back then.”
“…, but that’s just a child.”
Not even capable of stopping you, he seemed weak enough to fall from just a shove from me.
However, it seems the Hero’s thoughts were still different.
After watching intently for a while, he grinned at that boy.
Ignoring the gestures of beautiful women and the cheers of children, the man passed by while casting a pure smile at a single direction.
Thus, once again.
He offered that mismatched smile, one he usually never wore.
“It’s not a child, it’s a man. He’s been doing well so far, just like last time.”
“…, Yes.”
Indeed, you are a strange person.
Nonetheless, if, like you said, the will of God exists, both the gray and that boy should survive as well.
I can only hope for that.
I gradually put such thoughts behind and smiled.
I sweetly smiled and waved my hand at the crowd.
Until the path leading the crowd came to an end.
The fireworks soared into the sky, bursting grandly.
The enthusiastic crowd, smiling children.
The loud sounds of songs and beautifully resonating cheers.
Colorful flower petals were scattered, creating the path.
While all of that would remain long in my memory, I thought I would probably remember the other things a bit longer.
The stoic Hero’s smile, the two children firmly holding onto him.
The gray girl and the fair-skinned boy.
Such things.