How To Leave The Hero Party- Chapter 10

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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“Alright, I’ll visit within a few days.”

I couldn’t go immediately. I still had duties at the palace, and preparations for Lucille’s lessons.

“Thank you. And also…”

As I looked at her expectantly, the knight sighed heavily and spoke hesitantly.

“I served as Lady Leventia’s squire four months ago… on the battlefield.”

“And?”

“…She… Lady Leventia… she asks for you every day. It’s heartbreaking… to see her suffering so much…”

She continued her explanation, describing Leventia’s condition in detail, as if she had witnessed it firsthand. Apparently, Leventia had changed completely.

The knight pleaded with me to see her, emphasizing Leventia’s distress.

It’s easy to give advice about other people’s problems.

It was ironic, really.

Very few people knew the truth about my relationship with the Hero’s Party.

The reason was simple.

Both I and the kingdom had refused to disclose it to anyone but a select few.

The kingdom feared that revealing the internal conflict within the Hero’s Party would tarnish their image and demoralize the troops on the battlefield.

And I feared that the resulting surge in monster activity and chaos would make achieving my goals more difficult.

There was no benefit to revealing the truth.

So, it remained hidden.

Unaware of this, people often spoke to me like this, defending the Hero’s Party after seeing them suffer or hearing them call for me.

“Couldn’t you… at least meet her once?”

The knight had mustered considerable courage to say that.

I admired her bravery, but it didn’t change my decision.

“What’s your name?”

“Roxie Blakemanheart.”

I chuckled and said casually,

“Why don’t you focus on your own duties instead of worrying about others?”

“M- My apologies.”

Startled by my sharp response, Roxie quickly apologized and hurried away.

At least she was quick-witted.

If she hadn’t understood my indirect refusal and continued her pleas, I would have resorted to my second method—physical persuasion.

I watched her go, then slipped the staff I had been holding back into its place at my waist and returned to my room.

“So, Leventia has changed that much, huh…”

I couldn’t help but recall my recent encounter with Claire.

The way she had rambled, confessing her mistakes.

Hmm…

When I go to the battlefield, I might encounter not only Leventia, but Evangeline as well…

I needed to prepare myself.

The next day, during our regular lesson time, I went to see Lucille.

As usual, the lesson was more like a casual conversation. I instructed her to use magic, as I always did.

After observing her basic magic skills, I tapped the table and said,

“I’ve assessed your aptitude and skills over the past few days. You have a good foundation.”

“…Yes. I… I used to practice a little.”

“That’s good. And I asked Master Rucal to introduce you to intermediate magic. Have you tried learning it?”

“I tried… but…”

Her shoulders slumped. A certain level was required to use intermediate magic. But how could she level up when she barely left her room?

There were three main ways to level up in the game:

Hunting monsters.

Participating in events.

Completing quests.

None of these were activities Lucille, a shut-in, had much experience with.

“I’m sorry…”

As I pondered, arms crossed, Lucille lowered her head, sinking back into her usual gloom. The maids fussed around her, but that wasn’t important right now.

Although she had improved somewhat, Lucille’s self-deprecating tendencies were still severe.

I needed to break her out of this habit.

Of course, I had already made preparations for this.

“Your Highness, if you’re not busy, could you spare me some time?”

“Yes? W- What for?”

“Let’s go out together.”

After finishing the day’s lesson, I went to see the Queen. She granted my request for an audience. As soon as I entered her office, I got straight to the point.

“I need to take the Princess on a small outing.”

“…That sounds suspiciously like kidnapping royalty.”

“What would I do with a kidnapped princess?”

“One never knows. Perhaps you plan to elope with her, defying the difference in social status.”

Her attempt at humor fell flat. Seeing my expression, the Queen chuckled and shook her head.

“I can’t grant permission without a clear explanation of your purpose.”

“It seems Her Highness lacks practical experience and social interaction. I intend to address that.”

“…Hmm. Is that also a part of ‘knowing how to live in this world’?”

“Yes.”

The Queen seemed to consider my request carefully. She tapped her fingers on her desk, then, after a moment of thought, nodded.

“I can hardly refuse if it’s for the Princess’s benefit. So?”

“Yes?”

“You can at least tell me what kind of education you plan to provide, can’t you?”

“It’s a group project.”

The Queen stared at me blankly.

The heart of the palace was a restricted area, even within the palace itself.

Traditionally, only those with special permission could enter the royal living quarters.

Patrolled by the Lily Knights at all hours and protected by Rucal’s magic,

With dozens of traps lining the corridors, it was arguably the most secure location in the kingdom.

I walked through the corridors, the sharp aura of the numerous traps and defense mechanisms prickling my skin.

The royal living quarters, a place many longed to see but few ever did.

Walking through the corridors of what was commonly known as the White Rock Fortress, I arrived at the Princess’s room.

“What is it?”

As usual, maids stood guard outside the Princess’s room. Dressed in white frills and black fabric, they appeared to be polite and well-trained servants, but the reality was different.

They were trained assassins, secretly protecting the Princess.

Individuals willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the royal family.

I smiled at them, knowing they might attack me after hearing my plan.

“Please inform Her Highness that I have something to discuss regarding tomorrow’s lesson.”

Regardless of their true identities, officially, I was the Princess’s tutor, and they were her maids.

Due to the clear difference in social standing, I could speak casually. They accepted my request without question and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door flew open.

“Tutor?! What brings you here at this hour?!”

She looked surprised, her eyes wide, a blush coloring her cheeks. I averted my gaze from her sparkling eyes and took off my robe, offering it to her.

“Huh?”

Was she about to go to bed? Lucille wasn’t wearing her usual elaborate dress. Instead, she wore a thin, light nightgown, almost translucent, like a butterfly’s wings.

“Oh…”

Lucille’s blush deepened, spreading down her neck like her long, flowing hair. Her lips moved soundlessly. Then, she sank to the floor, trying to cover herself with her hands, unable to accept the robe I offered.

I couldn’t just leave her like that.

I draped the robe over her shoulders.

Compared to my relatively large frame, she was quite petite, and the robe was more than enough to cover her.

“Th- Th- Thank… you…”

She mumbled, her voice barely audible, and lowered her head.

She seemed embarrassed by her state of undress. Not wanting to make her feel more uncomfortable, I pretended not to notice and continued,

“We’ll be going out for a while tomorrow morning. It’s an outdoor lesson, so please be prepared.”

“…Huh? Huh?”

Still flustered, Lucille seemed unable to process my words. As she tilted her head in confusion, one of the maids, who had understood my meaning, spoke politely, but with a distinct chill in her voice,

“Outdoor lesson, sir? That’s…”

“I have the Queen’s permission.”

At those words, the maids silently retreated. The Queen’s permission meant their surveillance was implicitly authorized.

“And I would appreciate it if you refrained from any unnecessary actions.”

“…Understood.”

Surveillance was permitted, but interference was not.

The maids, for now, accepted my thinly veiled threat. Whether they would comply tomorrow remained to be seen.

“Outside…? Am I… allowed to go outside…?”

“I’ll be accompanying you.”

“O- Oh… I see. A royal inspection of the kingdom, as a princess…”

“No.”

I handed her the bag I had brought. I had bought it during my brief outing earlier.

Inside were a mage’s robe and staff.

Lucille looked back and forth between the items and me, tilting her head again.

“Why…?”

“I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Have a good night.”

I waved at Lucille, who, still looking confused, finally managed to return my greeting.

The next morning,

Lucille, dressed in a basic mage’s robe, fidgeted nervously as she entered the garden. I was waiting for her. We immediately left the palace. There were some attempts to obstruct our departure, and the maids followed us in disguise, but it wasn’t a problem.

“Where are we going?”

“Let’s keep that a surprise.”

It seemed this was her first time leaving the palace so early. Lucille looked around curiously. But she was also clearly afraid, her hand gripping my robe tightly.

I took her to the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Welcome, Mr. Sage.”

“What outstanding quests are currently available?”

“Well… about that…”

“And I’d like to register this person as an adventurer. Her name is Lucille, and I’ll vouch for her.”

“Your guarantee is more than sufficient, Mr. Sage. And here are the outstanding quests.”

As I perused the quest list, selecting those with the appropriate difficulty, Lucille, who had been staring at me blankly, finally seemed to snap out of her daze and asked,

“T- Tutor? What is… going on…?”

Just then,

“Ah! Mr. Sage! Mr. Sage, is that you?! Wow~ Fancy meeting you here again! I’m so glad! I knew today was going to be a good day! Oh? What’s that you’re holding…? Oh! That’s it! The mushroom gathering quest! I signed up for that one too, but no one else joined, so I was wondering if I’d have to go alone! Perfect! Let’s do it together! Together! Huh? Who’s this? Is she your student, Mr. Sage? Wow~ She looks like a good fighter, just like you!”

The relentlessly cheerful voice of the werewolf shaman boy I’d partied with before assaulted my ears, his words a torrent of optimistic chatter.

Lucille gaped at him. I quickly accepted the quest.

“U- Um… T- Tutor… Is this… are we… taking on an adventurer’s quest…?”

“Yes.”

“I… I don’t know if… I can do it…”

Looking at Lucille’s worried expression, I smiled.

“I think you’re more capable than him.”

Lucille beamed, fidgeting happily.

Praise was essential for someone with low self-esteem.

And our eternally optimistic werewolf boy, his head perpetually filled with sunshine and rainbows, started chattering again.

“Mr. Sage, that’s so mean! But I guess you have the right to say that. Oh, by the way, have you heard the news? They say strange monsters are appearing on the battlefield where the Hero is stationed. I wonder what kind of reward they’re offering? I’d love to hunt one. Oh, and speaking of which, last time, the priestess and I…”

Lucille, who had been staring at him with a bewildered expression as he chattered non-stop, finally covered her ears and looked at me.

See?

I told you.

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