I Became the 101st Hero – Chapter 31

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
The restaurant had quieted down considerably after the lunch rush, with only a few patrons remaining.

I sat in a corner booth, observing the person across from me with side glances.

Munch, munch.

They devoured the food in front of them as if possessed.

Was it really that delicious?

I wouldn’t know.

‘It’s not so much delicious as it is…they must have been incredibly hungry.’

Something that, to any observer, wouldn’t even qualify as food just disappeared into their mouth.

But with a few blinks, they swallowed it down without a fuss.

And then, they returned to their ravenous feast.

‘This is definitely the one.’

Unsophisticated and clumsy, as to be expected given their age.

But their tenacity for survival was unmatched.

‘Then again, that means they’re that much harder to keep alive.’

If I had to choose the most challenging character I’d ever raised, it would undoubtedly be Allen.

But if I had to choose the second most difficult…after a moment of hesitation, it would be this one.

‘Especially on that route, the beginning stages, in terms of sheer survival, are even harder than Allen.’

It was remarkable they had even made it this far.

That’s why I never imagined I’d encounter them here.

‘This throws a bit of a wrench into my plans…’

I glanced at the food in front of them.

They were almost finished.

‘Well then…’

I needed to confirm something.

Whether they were actually utilizing the same route I was familiar with.

If they were indeed heading to Sak following that route, it could disrupt my plans.

Lost in thought, I suddenly heard a timid voice.

“Um…”

Turning my head, I saw them looking flustered.

“Th-that is…”

They stammered, then abruptly shifted their gaze upwards, as if seeking guidance.

Their patron must have intervened.

“Thank you. Thank you for the food. But…”

Their eyes welled up with tears.

“I…I really don’t have any money…”

I sighed.

“You don’t need money.”

“Huh?”

It’s not like I had bought the food expecting payment in the first place.

It was a little amusing to see them realize that only after polishing off three servings like it was nothing.

“Then…if not money, what…”

Their face flushed red.

This self-deprecating attitude was also perfectly in character.

Heaving another sigh, I simply said,

“I felt sorry for you.”

It was the truth.

Anyone who had attempted to raise this character even once would understand.

They were just…incredibly pitiful.

“…I’m sorry.”

They lowered their head.

“For misunderstanding and thinking you were a strange person.”

“It’s fine.”

I knew they’d think that anyway.

Well, I suppose I could come across as strange.

However, what they did next was something even I hadn’t anticipated.

“Th-then…thank you very much. I’ll be on my way!”

Jumping up from their seat, they nimbly slipped between the tables.

As expected of a character with a Stigma, even if they were still young.

But I couldn’t just sit idly by.

“Hold on!”

I quickly rose from my seat.

They were about to dash out into the rainy night.

I couldn’t lose them now. I needed to know their destination.

‘Power of the Wind.’

Instantly, the wind swirled around my feet, making me light.

I caught up to them in a flash.

Grab!

“Hieeek!”

They struggled as I caught them by the scruff of their neck.

“Let go!”

“Only if you promise not to run away.”

“I won’t run away!”

Though doubtful, I released my grip.

If they ran again, I could always catch them with the Power of the Wind.

“Why are you doing this? You said you didn’t want anything from me! So that meant we were going our separate ways, right?”

It was precisely those separate ways that were the problem.

But first things first.

“Do you even have a place to go?”

It was still early spring, and the air was chilly.

On top of that, it was pouring rain.

Being outside in this weather was a surefire way to catch a cold.

“That’s…”

“Come with me. I’ll give you a place to stay.”

They hugged themselves with their arms, as if putting up a wall.

“You said you didn’t need anything. Were you lying?”

I shook my head.

I needed to stop this conversation from escalating any further.

“You’re a boy, aren’t you.”

“Are…are you perhaps one of those…s-sodomites I’ve heard rumors about?”

That…I hadn’t expected that.

But it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Ignoring the absurd accusation, I wished they would just give in at this point.

‘How should I handle this…’

Getting separate rooms defeated the entire purpose.

If they ran away in the morning, that would be the end of it.

I needed an excuse to keep them around, a reason to talk.

That’s when it hit me.

“Achoo!”

They shivered.

“This is…”

I grabbed them by the scruff of their neck once more.

“Just come with me.”

As we were about to leave to find an inn…

A hand landed on my shoulder.

‘Huh?’

It was the restaurant owner.

“You need to pay for your meal.”

Ah, right.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Snore.”

Despite their earlier wariness, they fell into a deep sleep the moment they lay on the bed.

They must have been utterly exhausted.

‘Just how much running around did they do?’

Their clothes were torn, caked in dirt and grime.

Their hair, though cut short, was still tangled and messy.

And the smell, well, it went without saying.

I’d need to have them wash up and change clothes first thing in the morning.

In their current state, even without the rain, they would have collapsed from exhaustion soon enough.

‘I thought they were being controlled by a veteran…’

This wasn’t a route you’d find on strategy websites.

It was an “entertainment route,” something only those in the know were aware of.

That’s why I assumed their patron, the player controlling them, was a veteran player who had delved deep into Hundred Braves.

‘But their current state…’

If I hadn’t found them, they surely would have died.

There could be other factors, but dying from failing to manage stamina usually indicated inexperience on the player’s part.

It was hard to consider the player a veteran in that case.

‘Of course, the fact they made it this far on this route means I can’t completely rule out the possibility…’

I stared intently at them, then issued a mental command.

‘Status.’

The status window of the soundly sleeping figure unfolded before me.

Anyone who saw her stats would realize it instantly.

No, even without seeing her stats, it was fairly obvious.

At least, the fact that he was a she.

I had deliberately played along with her attempts to hide her gender, with her short hair and intentionally roughened voice. I needed to bring her back to the inn, after all.

Well, I suppose it was possible to mistake her gender if you were a complete stranger…but honestly, she was drenched from the rain earlier, and her physique was a dead giveaway.

However, the problem wasn’t just that she was actually a girl.

This was something I wouldn’t have known without seeing her stats.

‘The third princess of the Lodraim Kingdom, Erciara Lodraim.’

She might be in a sorry state, but this girl was a princess of a kingdom.

The reason she was in such a predicament, starving and drenched in the rain, was the current situation in her kingdom.

A coup d’état had taken place.

The Royal Knights had revolted, imprisoning the king.

They had shown mercy only to the king, whom they couldn’t bring themselves to kill, but all other members of the royal family who resisted were eliminated.

It was amidst this bloodshed that the third princess, Erciara, barely managed to escape the royal palace.

Evading the assassins dispatched by the knights, she headed for the capital city of Hailen, only to discover that it was also compromised. The knights had employed heroes, making it unsafe for her.

After a series of twists and turns, she managed to escape from Hailen as well, and it was during her continuous flight that she ended up in this very city of Basil.

‘Sounds simple enough. But evading assassins and heroes to make it all the way here is practically impossible.’

Therefore, the standard route for Princess Erciara was to surrender to the coup forces.

To temporarily yield and preserve her life, then quietly amass power and seek revenge.

However, that route had its limitations, as it focused on slowly accumulating strength. It wasn’t a route that could fully realize her potential.

‘That’s why players, desperate for alternatives, devised the Fugitive route.’

While it varied depending on the player’s skill, on average, out of twenty attempts at this route, only one or two resulted in survival.

Even after escaping, pursuers hired by the kingdom would relentlessly hunt her down.

It was a path with no easy answers, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.

The general consensus was that the risks far outweighed the potential rewards.

After all, she would still need to hide her identity to avoid the kingdom’s pursuit.

However, it was the ‘Sak Route’ that I discovered that turned that evaluation on its head.

While raising another character in Sak, I had stumbled upon a clue within the game’s script.

A clue about a training facility that only Princess Erciara could access.

However, the condition for utilizing this facility was that she had to successfully escape and survive. This made it an “entertainment route” in the end.

‘I wonder if she’ll actually follow that route?’

To be honest, the ‘training facility’ in Sak wasn’t strictly limited to her.

Through certain means, other characters could access it as well.

In fact, I was on my way to Sak to utilize that very facility.

However, if she was also heading to Sak, it could complicate matters for me.

That’s why I needed to ask her.

To see if she was planning to go to Sak.

If not, there was no need for concern.

But if she was indeed heading there…

‘In that case…’

I stared intently at her sleeping face.

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, she continued to sleep peacefully.

To be honest, I wanted to protect her.

Having raised her countless times, I had witnessed her death far too many times.

Now, with my perception of these characters changing after my experience with Gwen, I felt a personal desire to ensure her survival.

However, if that meant hindering my own growth…

‘…’

I couldn’t come to a decision.

So, I decided to ask her in the morning.

It wouldn’t be too late to decide after hearing her answer.

I sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall, and closed my eyes.

Then, I issued a mental command.

‘If she tries to leave the room, wake me up.’

It was a technique I often employed even when sleeping outdoors.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Let go!”

As expected of someone with a Stigma, she possessed greater strength than most girls her age, but she was ultimately no match for my physical advantage.

With a defeated sigh, she went limp in my grasp.

“This feels wrong on so many levels.”

“It’s your fault for following me after I offered you food and shelter.”

I knew it was a morally questionable statement, but I didn’t care.

After all, I wasn’t in the wrong, was I?

“Erc…”

On the verge of calling her by name, I caught myself, remembering I hadn’t heard her introduce herself yet.

“You, what’s your name?”

Startled by the unexpected question, she hesitated for a moment.

Then, she finally answered.

“Elsie.”

So she was going with a false name, even if it wasn’t that different from her real one.

I decided to postpone the discussion about aliases for another time.

‘First things first…’

I made a declaration.

“You need a bath.”

No offense, but…

She really, really smelled.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇