After making my decision, my actions were swift.
After deciding to take Evan with me, I immediately went to the room where he was and asked him to come with me for a moment.
In response, Esther was taken aback, saying that finally, spring had come for our Evan, and that he needed to stay strong in times like this, babbling some strange things that I decided to ignore.
She probably thought I wouldn’t hear her, but sorry, I can hear everything…
Of course, if Esther was deliberately trying to keep her thoughts only for Evan, I wouldn’t be able to hear them, but the situation is a bit different now.
She must know that I can’t see or hear, so I wonder why she’s so loud, as if she wanted everyone around to hear her…
Well, since someone like me is an unusual case, maybe even if she realizes I can’t hear, she doesn’t want to think about Evan hearing her all day.
Or maybe she’s intentionally saying those things for me to hear.
I get the feeling it’s the latter.
If she’s talking about things for me to hear, it really shows a lack of consideration for someone bearing the Sacred Sword.
I mean, there are plenty of better women around; why would she want to stick with me of all people?
There’s someone perfect in every way compared to me, so I can’t understand why she would choose me.
Besides, I used to be a man, so it makes even less sense.
‘Well… I guess I look a bit cool these days.’
But that’s just me feeling like I’m watching a son grow up… Whether that brings a sense of coolness or not when asking if it’s a man-to-woman feeling, I really don’t know.
Of course, Evan wouldn’t know that I used to be a man, but even so, I believe he would prefer Stella or Uriel over me.
He would probably choose them without a doubt.
Anyway… I have no idea what her true intentions are in saying things so everyone can hear.
Maybe she forgot that I can pick up on her thoughts, so there was no need to mention that I can hear everything.
Therefore, I hadn’t mentioned that I could hear anything during this time we’ve spent together.
“Um…”
At first, he seemed a bit tense, but the moment he saw Argen and Valencia’s faces, the tension he held seemed to vanish completely.
Well, if it were just the two of them moving in a place they haven’t been to before, it’s understandable that they would be tense… but given how safe the situation is, I wonder if there was really a reason to be tense.
After all, the two people who will be moving together are the strongest here, and that would have eased the tension even more.
‘Still, we’re heading to one of the most dangerous places, yet it feels really peaceful…’
This peace is probably thanks to those two monsters right in front of us.
Both wield the utmost power in swords and magic, and there are few like them in the world.
No matter what monsters come out, we wouldn’t be in danger.
Unless the creature below awakens, that is.
‘Just the fact that we can provide such a safe and good experience is comforting…’
Every time I see Evan following along well, a smile forms on my lips.
Merely confirming with my own eyes what these monsters are like will make it much easier to respond should anything happen in the Realm.
But it seems Evan didn’t think that way.
“Um… where are we going?”
“To the cliff below.”
Evan’s complexion turned pale.
Argen’s explanation didn’t last long.
He briefly mentioned it as if that was enough and then stopped.
However, that alone made Esther realize why we were going down to the cliff.
– I guess we’re going down to check if there are any issues with the seal?
“The seal?”
Evan expressed his confusion at that remark.
Now that I think about it, he probably hasn’t heard anything about what lives below.
I contemplated giving him a brief explanation, but it seemed that no one else wanted to explain the monsters living below to Evan, so I decided to remain silent.
It would be strange to suddenly explain the creatures living below here.
For now, I’ll assume that I don’t know much about the monsters down there either.
Of course, I had heard about what lives below just the other moment, but Esther would surely explain things to him.
Anyway, as Evan expressed his confusion, Argen responded as if to make it clear to both Evan and Esther.
“Well, yeah. If it wakes up, it would be a big deal.”
– But why are you bringing Evan along?
She paused for a moment at Esther’s question before turning to look at me.
“The Saint over there said it would be better to bring the Hero along as well.”
– … Oh~
“Uh, huh?!”
Evan, why are you surprised?
Is it that strange for me to take you along?
In the meantime, Argen and Esther moved closer together and started whispering to each other.
From the way they conversed, it seemed like they had been talking loudly on purpose until now, just to make sure everyone heard them.
Still, having lived long enough, what a ridiculously small-minded Sacred Sword it is.
Just as they seemed to be discussing something, they suddenly turned back towards me.
“Indeed… you’re smiling…”
– Right? I’m pretty sure that’s there.
“Haah… was it somehow fated from the beginning for the Hero to be tied to the Saint…?”
– Not necessarily, but they do match well.
“They match well, but isn’t Aria a bit small?”
What are they talking about?
They must have been together as a Hero party for a long time, so it makes sense they’re close, but it feels a bit too serious for just a little trip…
Crash!
“Huh?”
– Kyaaaa!!
That sound is from a monster…
Thud!
Boom!
As soon as Argen snapped his fingers, a monster appeared and immediately exploded on the spot, leaving no corpse behind. As I stared in disbelief at the vanishing monster, I couldn’t help but laugh.
I didn’t expect there to be no pieces left behind either.
“…”
What a pointless worry it was.
Now that I think about it, the two people here are the strongest humans alive.
Of course, if the Grand Duke fought against Argen, he would lose due to the gap in their ages, but it doesn’t mean that the Swordmaster’s might just disappears.
If anything were to happen with us, our lives would be at stake, but for Argen, this place was just a casual stroll.
Of course, I wouldn’t die either; in fact, if I was hit, I would only feel pleasure, making it a rather delightful little walk.
But for Evan, this place might truly be hell.
Rustle!
“We need to be careful; there are monsters waiting above us too.”
The Frozen Bat gets taken out in one go…
In the game, it was a nuisance because it could freeze anything unless it was overpowered.
That Frozen Bat was split in half by a single strike from the sword.
I didn’t even see any sign of movement.
Everything seemed so still, yet that Frozen Bat just split itself in half and died…
“Wow…”
Meanwhile, it seems Evan has succeeded in somewhat following the Grand Duke’s movements as he gazes at him with admiration.
“Hmm? Is something going on?”
“What an incredible quick sword…! Amazing!”
“…”
Feeling a bit embarrassed by Evan’s pure praise, I swiftly turned my head away.
Valencia appears to be a very cold Grand Duke on the outside, but in reality, he has such a cute side too.
So he was one of my favorite characters among the male characters in the game.
Given Valencia’s personality, he would definitely tell Evan that he should teach him swordsmanship here.
In the game, there were some conditions that needed to be met, like having a certain level of affinity and a deep understanding of swords, making it somewhat strict.
The latter condition isn’t a problem, but the former is a hassle.
However, now…
“It’s going to be a challenging journey, so… when we have the time, I’ll teach you the sword for a little while.”
Oh!
“R-really?!”
“Yes, our swords have slightly different directions, but… I can allow the basics.”
“Thank you!”
It seems he has no reservations about teaching swordsmanship.
This situation isn’t bad either.
In fact, if Evan can become stronger through this opportunity, that would be the best thing ever.
Since Valencia has basically reached the pinnacle in swordsmanship, even if he doesn’t dramatically improve, I can expect him to gain some solid growth.
Since we’ll need to defeat the Demon King in the future, it’s only a good thing for him to grow a bit stronger.
As I looked on at Evan with a pleased expression, I heard Esther’s voice.
– Look at that. You’re smiling at Evan again.
“Indeed… at this point, I can almost be certain.”
– I’m in favor.
“…”
They’ve started again.
