I Became the 101st Hero – Chapter 35

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

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
I was reminded once again that the night air was still chilly.

Even in a bustling city like Basilium, night brought a hushed stillness, amplifying the eerie atmosphere.

After wandering the city for a while, I stopped.

‘This should be enough.’

I glanced over my shoulder.

All I had done was circle the city a few times, nothing more.

Yet, a considerable number of people had gathered behind me.

‘There are this many of them?’

I quickly counted the figures I could see.

‘At least eight, that I can see.’

There were probably more hiding in the shadows.

They were all individuals hired by the Kingdom to track down Princess Erciara.

I couldn’t even fathom how they had managed to follow her all the way here.

But why were they following me?

Well…

‘They don’t know what the princess looks like.’

Ever since I arrived in this city, I had been aware of eyes on me.

At first, I didn’t know who they were, these individuals who seemed to be testing the waters. But once I discovered Elsie’s presence, it all clicked.

‘They think I might be the princess.’

If they had received reports from Hailen, they would know that the princess was disguised as a boy.

And I, who had conveniently appeared around the same time, had similar blonde hair.

Although mine was a bit duller in color.

‘But they weren’t sure.’

That was why they hadn’t made a move during the day when there were witnesses, or when I was with Elsie.

They were simply observing, waiting for confirmation.

But now it was different. I was alone, and they had no reason to hesitate.

So there was only one thing left to do.

Convince them.

I spoke, projecting my voice with authority,

“What are you waiting for?”

In a secluded alleyway, a group of men moved stealthily.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Are you sure that’s the princess?”

“What did you hear? I told you, the princess is disguised as a boy. And that blonde hair isn’t something you see around here.”

They were following a blonde-haired boy.

“But isn’t his hair a bit…dull?”

“He must have put ashes in it.”

“He’s bigger than the reports said.”

“Kids grow fast. Those guys from the Kingdom are probably remembering how the princess looked years ago.”

“Then…”

The man being bombarded with questions finally snapped,

“Enough. There’s no one around anyway. Let’s just grab him and see what we can get out of him.”

He had his doubts, of course.

The boy had been aimlessly wandering around the city, doing nothing suspicious.

‘He thinks he can shake us off, but he’s got another thing coming.’

The longer the boy walked, the more pursuers joined their ranks.

One of them even claimed to be a hero candidate.

But the growing number of pursuers also fueled their anxiety.

The more people involved, the smaller their share of the reward.

That’s when it happened.

The boy finally stopped.

And then, he turned around.

‘What’s he doing?’

He had instinctively ducked into the shadows, but for a fleeting moment, he felt like he made eye contact with the boy.

The boy stood there in silence for a moment, then spoke,

“What are you waiting for?”

His voice echoed through the alleyway.

It was a simple taunt, but there was something more to it.

Presence, charisma, and a certain…regal bearing.

The man was convinced.

“That’s the princess!”

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

‘It worked.’

The hesitant pursuers were now charging at me with renewed fervor.

The second Stigma I inherited was the Royal Crest.

I had inherited it from Erciara, the princess I had raised countless times before.

And now, its Inherited Trait was proving to be quite useful.

Grants a degree of dignity and charisma befitting a member of the Lodraim royal lineage. However, it does not allow activation of the relic [Royal Sword].

In a way, it was a useless Trait, offering little to no combat advantage.

The original [Authority of the Lodraim Royal Family (High)] at least allowed the activation of the Royal Sword, but even that was beyond my reach.

Erciara had incredible potential for growth, but her Trait was, to put it mildly, underwhelming. Not to mention the useless Skills she possessed, like [Court Etiquette].

That was why the Royal Crest was once considered one of the least desirable Stigmas.

That is, until I discovered another way to utilize [Authority of the Lodraim Royal Family (Minor)].

There was a certain overpowered training facility in Sak.

It was originally only accessible to Princess Erciara, but with this Trait, any character could use it.

There were certain conditions, of course, like not being a hero.

But for now, that wasn’t my concern.

I had decided to use this Trait to protect Elsie.

From this moment on…

‘I am the Third Princess of the Lodraim Kingdom.’

The pursuers were charging at me, their weapons drawn.

They assumed I was unarmed and unprepared.

‘Just a little closer…’

I needed to wait until as many of them as possible were within range.

Maintaining my composure, I drew Gravitas Replicant from my inventory.

I willed the sword to be as light as a feather.

Then, I channeled the Power of the Wind into the now weightless blade.

It was a motion that had become second nature through countless hours of practice.

‘Now!’

Taking advantage of their surprise as the sword materialized out of thin air, I moved with blinding speed.

They probably didn’t even see it coming.

But in the wake of my blade, a crimson spray erupted.

“Gah!”

“R-run!”

The quicker ones among them had already started to flee.

But most were still frozen, caught between fight and flight.

‘That wasn’t enough.’

They would keep coming after me.

A few stragglers wouldn’t be a problem, but there were still too many.

‘I guess I have no choice.’

As I raised my sword, ready to strike down one of the fallen men, a voice rang out.

“Not bad for a princess.”

One of the men who had been observing stepped forward.

He was wielding a rather heavy-looking sword in one hand.

‘Can he even swing that thing?’

The sword emanated a faint glow.

It was a relic.

‘Should I evade?’

No, this was a golden opportunity.

The way the others parted for him, making way, indicated that this man held a certain authority among the pursuers.

There was no better way to establish dominance than by taking him down.

‘Besides, if I don’t recognize the relic…’

It was most likely a 1-star relic.

That meant there wouldn’t be any major surprises.

Most 1-star relics were nothing special, barely qualifying as relics in the first place.

But then, something he said made my skin crawl.

“Let’s have some fun, shall we? Big brother will play with you.”

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

But I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

He swung his sword at me.

‘You’re going down.’

I was going all out.

Twisting my blade, I deflected his attack.

It was a heavy blow, as expected from such a cumbersome weapon.

But I didn’t need to meet his strength head-on.

Capitalizing on the opening I had created, I thrust my sword forward in a swift counterattack.

But he nimbly leaned back, dodging my strike.

To think he avoided that, even with the Power of the Wind…

This guy was experienced in hand-to-hand combat.

“Heh, you’re pretty quick.”

He complimented me as he brought his knee up.

His knee slammed into my solar plexus.

“Ugh…”

My vision narrowed.

‘Breathe!’

My lungs felt like they were tearing.

But I forced myself to breathe, ignoring the searing pain.

I blocked his next attack with my sword.

He grinned at me.

“Be a good little princess and surrender. I don’t want to rough you up too badly.”

He seemed completely confident in his victory.

He swung his sword at me leisurely, as if toying with me.

‘Well then.’

I wasn’t planning on losing either.

His sword clashed against my Gravitas Replicant.

He was the one who staggered back.

Right before impact, I had released the weight restriction on my sword.

“Huh?”

He let out a surprised yelp.

My wrist throbbed with pain.

But I didn’t hesitate.

Releasing my grip on Gravitas Replicant, I summoned Dark Night from my inventory.

Then, I plunged it into his throat.

I felt it pierce through flesh and bone, sinking deep.

He was dead.

Satisfied, I withdrew Dark Night.

His eyes, wide with disbelief, stared blankly ahead.

The other pursuers looked equally stunned.

This was enough.

‘They won’t come after me so easily now.’

After casually wiping the blood off Dark Night and Gravitas Replicant onto his clothes, I returned both swords to my inventory.

Silence fell over the alleyway once more.

The remaining pursuers had vanished back into the shadows, keeping a wary eye on me.

‘Time to go.’

There would probably be a few who continued to follow me.

But that was fine. They would report back to the Kingdom.

That the princess was heading to Sak.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Hmm…”

A soft, comfortable bed.

Warm sunlight streaming in through the window.

It was too tempting to stay asleep.

But she had to get up.

‘Today’s the day Allen leaves.’

She sat up and grabbed the hand mirror she had bought yesterday.

Her reflection was a mess.

Sleep-crusted eyes, tangled hair.

‘I can’t let Allen see me like this.’

She couldn’t even remember what she looked like when she first met him.

She reached for the basin of water she had left by the bed to wash her face.

That’s when she noticed something she hadn’t seen before, something placed on her bedside table.

‘What’s this?’

It was a letter.

A sudden wave of unease washed over her.

‘No…’

She dashed out of the room.

She rushed over to the inn employee.

“Excuse me, do you know when the blonde-haired man I was with checked out?”

“Ah, you mean your older brother? He hasn’t checked out yet.”

“Really? Do you happen to know his room number?”

If he hadn’t checked out, there was still a chance…

Hope bloomed in her chest, only to be crushed by the employee’s next words.

“Of course. It’s Room 201.”

He looked at her strangely.

201…that was the room she had just come from.

Allen hadn’t gotten a separate room at all.

‘He…he left.’

After thanking the employee, she returned to her room, her heart sinking.

All that was left was the letter.

With trembling hands, she carefully unfolded it.

He was a liar, even till the very end.

But she couldn’t bring herself to blame him.

As far as she knew, he had never lied to her with malicious intent.

“Allen…”

She had done nothing for him.

Yet, he had pulled her out of the abyss, given her hope when she had none.

So she made a vow.

One day, she would see him again.

And when that day came, she would repay him for his kindness.

She would gain the strength she needed to stand on her own two feet, to face the world without fear.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇