I am back – Chapter 162

“Is that how it is?”

That was my sister’s first remark after entering the guest room.

“How is it?”

“The treatment given to someone who saved the world. Looking back, I think I underestimated it.”

“Ah….”

I began to understand what my sister meant. She must have been expressing the surprise at receiving such treatment as a guest of the nation. Indeed, ordinary people rarely meet someone of such high status, like a head of state.

Well, to say nothing of heads of state, it’s not common to encounter even a district mayor or a local legislator.

But me… well, calling this a national reception is a bit of a stretch, but at least the highest-ranking person in the country came out to welcome me personally.

In fact, this is a somewhat complicated issue. Although I have never directly engaged in politics, I have some understanding of it. The title of “Hero” I held was by no means a low position in the kingdom. In fact, I was elevated to a rank that even the King and the Saintess could not treat lightly.

After all, I was sent by the goddess worshiped by the national church. That fact was guaranteed by the Saintess, who could converse directly with the goddess, and confirmed by the holy sword that resonates with the Hero’s power. Even the devout priests felt the goddess’s will, albeit faintly.

During my time on the battlefield, there were limitations on supplies, but they always did their best to accommodate me.

When I went out to the battlefield, the more people from that unit would survive. The reason they insisted on helping me, even if I kept refusing, was that they understood their lives depended on my every action.

Nobles, too, struggled to eat, but occasionally they could manage to get spiced meat, as they knew just how crucial my position was to the kingdom. Probably, even among commoners, there wouldn’t be too many who would feel disgruntled watching the treatment I received.

“Because you were such an important person.”

It felt a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but it was indeed true that I was the most important individual.

“And in fact, this has been simplified in many ways.”

Originally, whenever I returned to the capital, I would announce to the people, “The Hero has won and returned!” even if I had failed in my mission. In the royal palace, everyone breathed a sigh of relief that I was alive, but they also knew that revealing such a fact as it was would lower the morale of the entire nation. Therefore, whenever I returned, there was always a welcome ceremony for those who had “won.”

Moreover, I was likely to keep my past retreat hidden for as long as possible until it inevitably came to light in the future.

Because of this, I was quite popular among the people. I was a symbol of invincibility. And my party members and I made every effort to maintain this image.

As the war drew to a close, our popularity grew, and some nobles became jealous of us. No matter how much, those nobles personally acquainted with royalty understood that their positions wouldn’t waver, but those nobility I hardly ever met were different.

Moreover, while it was nearly impossible to become a king unless you were born into royalty, becoming a noble was not out of reach. If a very small number of individuals could turn the tide of war, then it was indeed possible.

Anyway, while there were so many perspectives mixed in, if I could just use the fact that I was here, the morale of the people would rise. Just by staying in the royal palace, some nobles would come flocking to see my face, and the authority of the royal family, which acted as a mediator between me and the nobility, would elevate.

…But right now, that was impossible.

“Is it because your appearance has changed?”

My sister spoke while sitting on the bed.

The bed in the room… well, it was just one large bed. When I used it alone, I thought the personal bed was extraordinarily luxurious, but now it seemed this room was made for two people from the very beginning.

Considering the average marrying age in this world, there’s a high possibility that someone of a “national guest” level would be married.

The reason I asked my sister, who came along with me, if she was my lover might have been because I thought she was my girlfriend all along rather than I had just started dating her. It would seem natural to think that, even if it’s hard to imagine a woman dating another woman in Irrelaysia, it wouldn’t be unusual if I had been dating her since before.

“That’s probably it.”

In other words, there are many ways to prove that I am the Hero. But the only way to prove that I was ‘Cha Si-hyun’ before was through my mannerisms. Even by the standards of Irrelaysia, my appearance and behavior were significantly different from before.

“Um….”

My sister, hearing my words, had a slightly contemplative expression.

“Why? Do you have something on your mind?”

When I asked, she shook her head with a bitter smile.

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

Then, after pondering for a moment, she let out a small sigh and said.

“Honestly, I’m still struggling to keep up with this situation… I thought maybe it would be better to ease into it at this level right now. It might be a bit awkward for you?”

“Ah, no.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

To be honest, I felt the same way as my sister.

Even though five years had passed, the attitude of the Irrelaysians treating me like such an important person was still hard to adapt to.

How should I put it? It felt surreal.

I understood that the King and the Princess were high-status individuals, but when they talk to me so casually and bow so politely, it feels like I’m slipping into delusion.

Not that I thought I was higher than the King—no, not quite that—but it made me forget that high-status individuals are indeed high-status individuals.

There were times when I had a small argument with someone at a party, only to find out later that the person belonged to a Duke’s family, or I casually dropped speech because they looked younger than me and turned out to be the son of a Count… There were several occasions that gave me a shock.

“Honestly, I’m still having trouble with how people treat me. It’s been five years already. It’s not weird for you to still be struggling to fit in since you just came.”

Hearing this, my sister slightly smiled, although she still could not shake off the anxiety on her face.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

For the first time since coming here, I felt a sense of comfort.

Was it just because it was just me and my sister in this large room?

My own house was quiet when the door was closed, but it couldn’t compare to the thick stone walls of the kingdom.

Moreover, in Irrelaysia, everyone sleeps when night falls. There aren’t many lights bright enough to stay up comfortably at night. Usually, such lights use magic, and they are somewhat expensive for ordinary households.

Thus, ordinary people tend to go to bed when the sky darkens. There wasn’t much they could do while awake.

Although there’s plenty of such lighting here. Even if the hallway lights were mostly sold off, the room lighting couldn’t be wasted. After all, guests need to be accommodated.

“…….”

“…….”

As my sister and I remained silent, the room was enveloped in absolute stillness.

“You really did something amazing.”

My sister was the first to break the silence.

At some point, she sat right next to me and held my hand.

“To think I’m in a relationship with such a hero, I’m truly honored.”

“Please don’t say things like that….”

It was immensely embarrassing to hear such words from someone close to me. My fingers and toes felt tingly.

“I mean it.”

Her quiet affirmation momentarily made me stop thinking that way.

“Really, I feel fortunate that the person I have come to like is so kind and wonderful.”

I couldn’t look directly at my sister’s face.

These days, our relationship had often been like this.

Whenever one side moved nearer, the other shrank away in embarrassment. Both my sister and I became strangely proactive when it came to expressing affection.

And the embarrassment fell upon the person receiving that affection.

Of course, it felt good.

When my sister had moved very close to me—

Knock, knock.

I heard someone knocking at the door.

My sister jolted back to reality at that moment and quickly distanced herself from me.

…It was a bit disappointing.

I allowed some time for both of us to calm down. After my face, which had turned red, settled down a little, I spoke toward the door where the knock had come from.

“Yes, come in.”