Chapter 100

“Haah…”

“Evan? What’s wrong?”

Uriel asked with a concerned voice as I let out a deep sigh. It seemed that I was the only one who felt uneasy in that burdensome situation, even though we were all standing there together.

More than anything, judging by Uriel’s voice just a moment ago, it was clear that I was the only one who felt an unexplained killing intent from the knights.

Perhaps that was to be expected…

Their gazes were directed not at anyone else, but clearly towards me.

Naturally, unless you are the person who directly feels the gaze, you wouldn’t think much of it, so it was impossible to understand the true intentions behind it.

Thinking back on that moment still feels a bit unjust to me.

I wanted to question why they looked at me like that, but I knew that I would be treated as a strange person if I dared to ask that in such a situation, so I decided to put it aside for now.

‘Maybe Aria knows…?’

No, how could Aria possibly know anything about that?

If this was some kind of trial, there might be a possibility that Aria had a hand in it, but…

‘Aria…?’

No way.

Even if I doubted everything, I found it hard to believe that Aria would make such a request.

Knowing who Aria was, it would be even more absurd to entertain such a notion.

‘It can’t be Aria.’

I could be certain of that.

While I couldn’t claim to fully understand Aria, I knew her nature well enough to understand that she wouldn’t be the type to order me to be an enemy, even if it were for a trial.

In the first place… the trial was something that took me directly to the dungeon that would give me the trial, so it’s hard to call this a trial at all.

Then what in the world could be the reason that the knights were looking at me like this?

As I tried to think about it, leaving Uriel calling me behind, no plausible reason came to mind.

‘What could it really be…?’

I didn’t know…

From the looks they were giving me, it felt as if I had committed a grave error, but no matter how much I thought about it, I had never done anything significant enough to earn hostility from the people of the Holy Kingdom.

To be honest, I felt very wronged by the current situation.

‘For now… I can’t just keep feeling anxious like this…’

I should come up with a way to show a good image in the Holy Kingdom to dispel those hostile gazes directed at me.

The unexplained hostility pushed me to develop a determination that I would earn their recognition.

Isn’t it unfair?

I hadn’t done anything since coming to the Holy Kingdom, yet the people here looked at me with such malice and hostility. It was even more strange that I wouldn’t feel wronged.

Now that it had come to this, I would undoubtedly change their minds.

I promised myself quietly.

*

How long had it been since I made that promise…

“Thank you in advance, Hero.”

I stared blankly at the knight in front of me.

Yet, the knight’s expression was exceedingly serious.

No, they were igniting an immense fighting spirit, considering this duel an opportunity and doing everything they could to defeat me.

Of course, from my perspective, it was a duel that happened out of the blue, a mock battle for mutual growth while everyone observed, but beneath the surface, it was no different from a life-or-d*ath duel.

How did it come to this?

It seemed to stem from what had happened just a few minutes prior.

No, that moment was merely a trigger; the knights who had originally wanted to duel with me might have been lurking around here all along.

Were they waiting for an opportunity to challenge me, or was this mock battle a disguised training brought on by the atmosphere?

I didn’t know which it was, but one thing was for sure.

“Haah…!”

I glared at the knight rushing towards me, gathering divine power to strengthen themselves.

Worrying that perhaps others also disliked me, I approached the nuns, but the looks they gave me were filled with reverence and affection, not a shred of hostility.

In fact, thinking about how they mistook me for being in a close relationship with Aria and happily chatting among themselves, something felt off.

Above all, taking into account that the strong hostility was primarily directed at me by the order of knights and male priests, it led me to one conclusion.

‘They dislike me being with Aria…!’

Most of the nuns were girls of that age, so they would be sensitive to and fond of noble love stories.

But the knights were different.

If I understood correctly, beyond being knights, the people of the Holy Kingdom considered Aria not just a treasure but the very embodiment of Valkran itself.

Since we would soon have to defeat the Demon King together, it was only natural for me to be close to Aria.

But even if I was the Hero and Aria was the Saint, we were still a man and a woman, so it wouldn’t be strange if something happened between us.

‘N-no way…’

It’s not that I wish for such a thing…

Initially, I had my doubts, but now that I clearly understood that I had developed feelings for Aria and wanted to protect her, there was no way I would let things pass by without action.

In the past, there were many stories of Heroes and Saints who loved each other.

Although the conclusion wasn’t always favorable due to the great enemy known as the Demon King, the fact that a Hero and a Saint could form a deep relationship was still a popular and intriguing tale even today.

If I were to claim that I had seen all of it…

‘I have to earn their recognition…!’

In other words, I would have to boldly declare to the knights and even to the leader of this country, the Pope, “Please give me your daughter.”

I will surely win…!

I shouted that inwardly as I raised my sword towards the knight charging at me.

.

.

.

“I never expected you to engage in a duel as soon as you arrived in the Holy Kingdom.”

True enough.

I hadn’t anticipated that either.

Seeing how odd the atmosphere among the knights was, I thought they might challenge me to a duel, but I never expected it to escalate like this.

Meanwhile, the nuns were busy gossiping among themselves about how far I had progressed with the Hero, or what I thought about the Hero, creating quite a commotion. I managed to respond appropriately and send them away.

The nuns had favorable reactions, but the knights’ reactions were unfavorable…

‘I really don’t get it.’

I doubt they are reacting like this because they think I might be dating the Hero…

If you asked me why I would assert that, it’s for an obvious reason.

What Hero and Saint would be focused on dating when they hadn’t even saved the world properly and were still in a crisis?

Even if they had affections for each other, the relationship should only be established once we have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the world.

If we became a couple before that, who would take care of defeating the Demon King?

As a couple, even a Hero and a Saint are still human, and the more they fall into temptation, the greater the risk of the world’s demise.

Even if I started to develop feelings for the Hero, that would be long after, when peace finally returned to the world.

Well… by that time, I would have already returned to my world, so it wouldn’t matter anyway.

Or rather, I would never come to like the Hero.

‘For now…’

Since the knights are providing me with opponents, I can expect my skills to improve through this experience.

After all… even if the Hero used skills transformed by divine power through the Sacred Sword, at its core, it was still swordsmanship.

If I continue to engage in these mock battles, my skills should significantly improve.

I would watch how they fight and plan my next steps accordingly.

Anyhow, for now, Evan is progressing smoothly, so I need to think about how I can grow as well.

Hmm.

‘Since I’ve returned to the capital, maybe I should also go on a tour.’

There must be injured knights among them.

After watching this match, I should head over to heal them.

With that thought in my mind, I focused on the match unfolding before my eyes.