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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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White stars twinkled against the dark night sky.
Luna and Estia gazed upwards, mesmerized.
“Stars. They’re twinkling.”
“They are shining brightly like Estia.”
Giggle
It was their first time seeing the stars so close, from the mountaintop. They looked close enough to touch, but despite appearances, they were much further away than they seemed.
Luna reached out towards a star, murmuring,
“When I’m stronger, I’ll be able to pick those faraway stars, right?”
Mister had said she would become incredibly strong because she was the Hero.
He also said the process would be difficult…
“But it won’t be that hard with Mister! He trains with me!”
It would have been much harder alone! With Mister, it was only a little hard!
Luna’s thoughts drifted towards Mister as she gazed at the stars.
Suddenly, one of the stationary stars moved and shone brightly.
Estia gasped and shouted,
“L-Luna! Clasp your hands! It’s the Goddess’s voice!”
“Huh? The Goddess’s voice?!”
“The sky belongs to the Goddess! When she shines like that, she’s speaking to us! She wants us to make a wish! Hurry and clasp your hands!”
“O-Okay!”
Clap!
Luna and Estia clasped their hands and began to pray.
“Goddess…! Give me holy water…! Lots and lots of holy water…!”
“W-What?! You can make wishes like that?”
“Tsk, Luna, you’re so naive! The Goddess loves money! She loves it a lot!”
“R-Really…?”
I came to the capital for money too… so maybe the Goddess liked money as well…
Luna tried to rationalize Estia’s wish and made her own. It was a different kind of wish.
‘Um, I want to be strong, Goddess! Strong enough to defeat Mister and escape this kidnapping!’
And after escaping…
Escaping…?
“…I don’t know what comes after that. Anyway, please make me strong! I want to be strong!”
I don’t want to see anyone get hurt!
Luna squeezed her hands tightly. She wasn’t a devout believer, but she prayed with all her might.
‘I want to be strong!’
‘Give me holy water!’
Two people, looking at the same star, making different wishes.
Perhaps their heartfelt prayers were answered because the nearby grass rustled, as if watching over them with a smile.
“Growl”
“Huh?”
Why was there a monster here?
Three unfamiliar eyes stared at them. Red eyes, a ferocious expression, three heads.
A Cerberus.
Luna and Estia exchanged grim looks.
Nod
They made up their minds.
“R-Run!”
“Run away!”
Stampede
Running was their only option!
Their wishes might have been different, but their reaction to the monster was identical.
Big things in life often happen unexpectedly. Like now.
…A Cerberus.
Not the strongest monster, but its speed and tracking abilities made it a threat to ordinary citizens.
Luna could probably outrun it with her physical abilities, but with the walking corpse that was Estia, it would be difficult.
‘I didn’t sense any monsters nearby…’
Even the monster droppings were old.
This was strange. It was as if someone had deliberately concealed the Cerberus’s presence.
I shouldn’t have missed it…
“Unless someone performed a miracle, there’s no explanation.”
“M-Mister, this isn’t the time…! I-If a monster appeared…! L-Luna and Estia are in danger…!”
Hare’s words were urgent, but her actions weren’t. She seemed to be a poor actress.
“Calm down, Hare. Luna won’t die with her physical abilities.”
“N-Not die…? T-Then…?”
“She’ll get hurt.”
Not die, but get hurt.
Of course, I would intervene before things got that far… but I needed to choose an option soon.
‘Checking option 1. Option 2 is too soft.’
The Hero’s party had to defeat the Demon Lord without me. That was the predetermined future.
If I always helped them, they would eventually hit a wall. My help would become a hindrance.
With that in mind, I read the answer for option 1. Observe Luna and Estia.
“Mister, why aren’t we going to Luna and Estia?”
“Because there’s no need.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to observe them.”
“I-Is that so…? I trust your judgment, Mister…! Hehe…!”
The Hero and the Saintess could handle this. I would watch over them as their guardian.
‘This is something they can overcome without me.’
Luna and Estia, running for their lives, might feel despair, but the answer sheet indicated their victory.
Luna and Estia ran through the forest as if their lives depended on it. And they did.
If the Cerberus caught them, they were dead.
Estia, clinging to Luna’s back, shouted,
“Eek…! Help me! A doggy is chasing us!”
“Hey! I’m the one running! Why are you making such a fuss?!”
They had been running for the same amount of time, but Estia collapsed after only 30 seconds.
Her stamina was abysmal.
‘The Cerberus is coming…! I-I can’t leave my friend behind!!’
A rogue might have abandoned Estia, but Luna couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“She’s my friend, even if she’s a bit… lacking!”
“…Wait, were you talking about me?”
“T-That’s not important! We need to run!”
Luna quickly changed the subject and their direction.
The Cerberus’s sharp teeth snapped at the spot where they had just been. Luna knew they only had one chance.
“One mistake and we’re dead…!! If it bites us, we’re dead…!! If it bites us 100 times, we’ll die 1,000 times…!!”
But they couldn’t keep running. Carrying Estia doubled her energy consumption.
Luna had to make a choice.
“Estia.”
“Huh?”
“Get down.”
“W-What…?”
Are you abandoning me?
Seriously?
“A-Are you really abandoning Saintess Estia!? How could you, you vile Hero!!”
“No! We’re going to stop running and fight!”
“Oh, okay.”
Estia agreed readily.
“Get off my back when I give the signal!”
“Got it. Then what?”
“Then I’ll fight with my wooden sword!! I don’t know if I can win… but I’ll try…!!”
I’m the Hero.
Like Mister said, I have to save the world.
I can’t die here.
“Oh, right, I won’t die…”
Luna, her eyes filled with determination, gave Estia the signal.
A loud shout.
“Estia, get down!!”
“Okay! I’m getting down! Whoa!”
Thud
Estia’s landing was less than graceful. She tumbled onto the grass.
Luna turned to face the Cerberus, drawing her wooden sword from her waist.
“I-I’m Hero Luna! I won’t lose to a filthy monster!”
“Growl!!”
The three-headed Cerberus charged towards Luna.
One of its heads opened its jaws wide, ready to swallow her whole. But it never got the chance.
“That speed is… slow compared to Mister!”
Swish
Luna dodged, gripping her wooden sword tightly. As the Cerberus’s head came close, she swung upwards, striking the dog’s head.
Crack!!
“Yelp!”
A clear cracking sound echoed through the air, followed by a pained whimper from the Cerberus’s other heads.
The head Luna had struck couldn’t open its eyes, dazed. The other heads seemed taken aback by the unexpected force.
“Wow, Luna! You’re stronger than I thought! You’re worthy of being the Saintess’s paladin!”
“S-Shut up!”
Focus.
‘I took down one head, but I can’t let my guard down. Mister said never to underestimate your opponent until you’ve confirmed their defeat.’
“I won’t get careless…!”
“You too, Holy Sword! You’re distracting me!”
Luna took a deep breath, preparing for the Cerberus’s next attack.
“Grrr…”
The Cerberus drooled, anticipating its next move.
Tension hung heavy in the air.
“Come at me, doggy! I’ll only lose to Mister!! N-No! I won’t lose to anyone but Mister!”
Luna declared resolutely.
And Estia…
“Fighting, Luna! Protect Saintess Estia! I’ll give you some holy water if you win!”
…cheered her on.
[T/N: Fighting! is like the Korean version of you can do it!]
It wasn’t a bad fight.
Luna, wielding her wooden sword, was pressing the Cerberus, a relatively dangerous monster. It was a brutal but effective tactic, reminiscent of the dog-eating days in the countryside.
Hare, hiding in the bushes with me, asked,
“…Mister, why aren’t you helping Luna?”
“I can’t always help you. You’ll have to leave me eventually, so you need to learn to be independent.”
“…Why do we have to leave you?”
“You’ll understand in time.”
“…”
Hare pouted, but didn’t respond.
As we talked, the fight was nearing its end.
‘Now’s the time.’
As the answer sheet indicated, I stepped into the fray. It was the moment Luna made a critical mistake.
Estia shouted a warning,
“L-Luna! The f-first head is back…!!”
“…!!”
Monsters generally had strong regenerative abilities.
Luna, skilled but lacking knowledge, was about to be bitten.
But the attack never landed. The Cerberus met its end.
“M-Mister!? W-Why did you take so long?! I almost died!”
“…I was observing.”
“W-Why were you observing?! You should have helped!”
“I wanted to see how strong you’ve become. You’ve improved a lot.”
“Hmph, I’m not happy about it!”
Luna’s reaction was surprisingly shy, considering she had just pummeled a three-headed dog.
Seeing it with my own eyes, rather than just reading the answer sheet, allowed me to assess the situation properly.
“Luna.”
“Y-Yes?”
“You’ve become much stronger. You did well, facing it without fear.”
I patted Luna’s head in praise.
She pouted, but didn’t stop me.
“E-Even if you say that, I’m not happy about it…”
She seemed secretly pleased.
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