Ascendance of a Scummy Hero V1 (2 of 5)

Chapter 2: Burglar

Translator: Skythewood

Editor: Hiiro

Holly and I picked a deserted time and place, and met up several times to discuss the details near the Chapel.

In order to deliver the Holy Sword to the hero, we have to accomplish three objectives.

Secure the funds to travel from the Capital to the east.

Get hold of the Holy Sword Excalibur kept in the dungeon beneath the Chapel.

Then escape the Royal Military Academy, and leave the Capital without being seen.

「There are many roads around the Capital that leads all over the country. They are like an artery where resources, manpower and money could flow easily. If we want to travel, we should take those roads instead of trails that undulates greatly.If we move towards the eastern cities, we should be able to grasp the hero’s location.」

I laid out a map on a table inside the library near the Chapel.

Holly floated to my side and stared at the map.

〈What kind of cities are there to the east?〉

「The region there are hilly, so the main mode of transport is on horseback. The top dog there is Goyatantel. He doesn't have independent ideas, and would submit the adequate amount of tax to the Capital. However, he has the trait of an outlaw.」

〈Outlaw?〉

「The largest city in the east is Labengild, which tacitly consents to all forms of gambling. Gambling is illegal in this country, but is tacitly permitted in Labengild as part of the earnings would be submitted as tax revenue. And the slums are huge there, so that place is the largest suppliers of slaves to the neighbouring regions.」

〈I think it’s getting less and less likely that the hero born there won’t enrol in the Military Academy.〉

「In any case, we will travel on the roads with that city as our goal. The closer you are to the hero, the better you can grasp his location, correct?」

〈That’s right.〉

I shift my gaze from the map to Holly.

「Next would be getting your main body. It is under tight guard beneath the Chapel, correct?」

〈Not true, no one is guarding it. It is just kept in the vault underground, and of course, the door is locked.〉

「Is that key kept by the royal family?」

〈No, it’s in the hands of an instructor from the Military Academy.〉

「Huh? Who?」

〈That baby faced redhead girl.〉

「Huh? It just has to be Instructor Cattlea……!」

〈There are probably others with back up keys, but the keys will be safest in her hands. After all, she is a wielder of the Saintly Sword.〉

「If the instructor keeps the key on her, then I can’t steal it…」

〈No, there is a way.〉

「A way?」

〈I might be a spirit, but I can still pick up items of a certain weight.〉

「What? Then you can just move the Saintly Sword yourself…」

〈Moving something requires a lot of strength. I can handle a key, but something as heavy as a sword will be difficult. If the hero is around, I can toss a boulder around easily.〉

「You can lift a key…? That means you will be stealing the key from Instructor Cattlea?」

〈That’s right. We have to make full use of the fact that no one else but you can see me. But the problem is, after I steal her key, I can’t make it disappear.〉

「Oh, so it will look like the key is floating in the air by itself?」

〈Yes, and the places I can steal the key is limited. Like I said, I can only move freely around the Chapel, so that will be the best place for the heist.〉

「That part is easy, I can just bring the instructor here.」

〈A moron like you can ask a girl out? I find that hard to believe.〉

Holly slanders me quite frequently.

And I’m getting used to it.

「Do you know where Instructor Cattlea keeps the key on her?」

After I asked that, Holly pointed to her chest with her thumb.

〈I have seen her take it out several times. She keeps it near her chest.〉

「Alright, then I will bring Instructor Cattlea, talk to her about something, and you can use the chance to steal the key.」

〈What about the moment I take the key? That instant will be the most obvious.〉

「If it’s just an instant, I will block Instructor Cattlea’s view.」

〈I see… I don’t feel confident about this, but you can give it a try.〉

When I heard Holly’s answer, I asked something that had been on my mind.

「Speaking of which, Instructor Cattlea and Iris both have a Saintly Sword……」

〈The Sword of Flame and the Sword of Frost, right?〉

「Yes, those are Saintly Swords, correct? Do the other Saintly Swords have a Sprite of the Sword that no one but the wielder can see too?」

〈… Please don’t put the Holy Sword on the same level as the other Saintly Swords. Other then the Holy Sword, no other Saintly Sword possesses a high functioning will like me. They do have a will to choose its wielder and permitting the use of its power, but they can’t speak and act by themselves.〉

「In other words, even those Saintly Sword wielders will never imagine that a sprite resides within the Holy Sword?」

〈That’s right. After all, the other Saintly Swords are made to support the Holy Sword which had a limited active time. I am superior to the other Saintly Swords in all facets.〉

「I see, it will work since Instructor Cattlea can’t perceive you. Let’s get started.」

With that, we decided to carry out the plan to steal the key from one of the Saintly Sword wielder── Instructor Cattlea.

It was a holiday with no class or training.

As discussed with Holly, I asked Instructor Cattlea out to the Chapel.

I will bring Instructor Cattlea to a certain spot, then chat with her for a while.

After that, I will divert Instructor Cattlea’s attention, and signal Holly.

Holly will then steal the key while Instructor Cattlea can’t see the surroundings── that was the gist of our plan.

「… Really now, I thought you have been acting weird, what’s the occasion? You actually want to discuss something in private with me…」

「Come on, it’s only once in a while.」

I successfully called out Instructor Cattlea.

「If you think it’s a pain, you can just turn me down, instructor…」

「I-I didn’t say it’s a pain… Damn it…」

Unlike the other teachers, Instructor Cattlea will frequently chat with a terrible student like me.

When she sees me dining alone in the cafeteria, she will even join me for a meal.

I was glad that we are on such good terms that she would follow me if I just asked, but in a sense, she was as unfathomable as Iris who would admonish everyone who didn’t take their studies seriously.

I looked up at the ceiling of the Chapel, and confirmed that Holly was standing by there.

I had to block the vision of the powerful Saintly Sword wielder.

It was difficult, but I had to think of a way.

Instructor Cattlea and I sat side by side on a bench in the Chapel.

Because of our height difference, others wouldn’t think of us as a student and a teacher.

Holly stood behind us, waiting for the chance to steal the key from Instructor Cattlea.

I described her as standing, but she was a spirit floating in the air.

「So, what do you need from me?」

「Just idle chatter. I will be graduating in a few months, right? So I want to tell you something clearly.」

「T-Tell me what?」

Instructor Cattlea was fidgety for some reason.

「Instructor, as you can tell, I’m not a good student. I’m not good in my studies or in training, and didn’t put in too much effort. I’m the worst student in your class.」

「T-That’s not true… Your results aren’t good, but you don’t cause any trouble in the Academy, or show any haughty attitude to the instructors. There are many students that are more problematic than you.」

Instructor Cattlea averted her eyes from me, and started twirling her hair.

「Or rather, there isn’t any students that is less of a headache than you. Everyone else will complain or resist to some extent during training or in class.」

「I just skip the lessons though.」

At this moment, I looked at Instructor Cattlea with a serious face.

Instructor Cattlea who had averted her gaze looked at me puzzledly.

「W-What is it?」

「As a school is an enclosed space, it is like a prison. Even more so for this Academy where it is mandatory to stay in the dormitory.」

「Y-Yeah.」

「And of course, bullying and fights between students are the norm. I had seen a few guys who couldn’t stand life on campus and went back home.」

「That’s right. More than half of those who enrolled have dropped out. This is the first time I have seen a student like you who lacks endurance, results, or drive, lasted so close to graduation.」

「This is all thanks to you, instructor.」

「Huh? W-Why are you saying that all of a sudden…」

「Because someone as strong and kind as you is around, a weakling like me didn’t get bullied. Not just me, many students managed to avoid getting beaten up because you stepped in to mediate fights. I’m so glad that you are here, instructor.」

「… Don’t… say that to my face… Damn it…」

Instructor Cattlea started tearing up, and shift her gaze away from me.

It worked.

Despite how she looked, the kind Instructor Cattlea cared more about the students than others, and if a student thanked her, she would cry on the spot.

Whenever she sees off a graduating batch, she would always be sobbing.

At turned to Holly behind me and waved her over.

〈… Huh!? You want me to steal the key at such a timing?〉

Holly narrowed her eyes as she watches us, and seemed reluctant to use this chance to act.

I didn’t answer Holly, and offered a handkerchief to Instructor Cattlea.

「Almost everyone thinks so, so please continue caring for your students from now on too.」

「Yes… Thank you… You are the first student to tell me that.」

The sniveling Instructor Cattlea took my handkerchief to dry her tears, and I gestured strongly at Holly to hurry her up.

〈Uwah～ this guy is the worst～〉

Shut up, just hurry up.

It will be too late if you wait for the instructor to stop crying.

Holly pilfered the key to the Chapel underground vault from Instructor Cattlea’s tailcoat chest pocket.

Holly wanted to hand the key over to me, but I stopped her with a strong gesture.

〈……? Oh right, I just need to go back to the ceiling, and she won’t see the key.〉

Realizing my intention, Holly held on to the key and floated up to the ceiling of the Chapel.

Anyone aside from me would see the key flying out of Instructor Cattlea’s breast by itself, and float up to the ceiling.

Although there wasn’t anyone around to see it.

A few minutes later, after Instructor Cattlea left, I kept tossing the key into the air inside the Chapel.

「We got the key without getting found out.」

〈You are an absolute scum. You made a girl cry, stole what you want from her breast, then chased her out when you are done with her.〉

「Don’t put it in such a terrible way, I sent her off after consoling her properly. Forget about that, let’s get the Holy Sword.」

〈Ohh～ you are so impatient. You want to head off to the east now?〉

「No, I’m not ready to travel yet, so I can’t go yet. Anyway, let’s get the Holy Sword from the vault, and hide it in a place where no one can find it.」

〈But why? Why not get the sword from the vault when you are ready to go?〉

「It will be a problem if Instructor Cattlea realize her key is missing and start searching for it. She might discuss it with the other key holders, and shift the sword away from the vault.」

〈I see, so you want to steal the Holy Sword before Cattlea realize it? What do you plan to do with the key?〉

「I will return it to Instructor Cattlea by today. I just need to tell her 『I found this in the Chapel, is this yours, Instructor?』 and she won’t suspect anything.」

〈… You really are a scum…〉

We got into the dungeon beneath the Chapel with the Instructor Cattlea’s key, and found an exceptionally large maze. But with Holly leading the way, we reached the vault easily and stole the Holy Sword.

〈Be grateful. The maze is really complicated and has plenty of traps too.〉

「Tell me that before we head in…」

I then wrapped the Holy Sword with a cloth, then buried it in the dorm’s courtyard.

I returned the key to Instructor Cattlea on the same day.

「Uwah! That key is...!」

「I found it in the Chapel.」

「Is that so!? Thank you for returning it to me! It’s really important.」

I felt a stabbing pain in my heart when Instructor Cattlea looked at me with all smiles.

I will explain the entire thing to her one day and apologize.

If not, I would definitely receive divine retribution and die.

「Okay, next would be the money.」

〈What’s your plan? Are you going to make me steal?〉

「I will never do that. It should be fine to steal as much as I want from the aristocrats, but I won’t do something as despicable as stealing money.」

〈Then what?〉

「I will borrow from Iris.」

〈… I just realize something, you are actually really popular with the ladies, right? That instructor didn’t seem opposed to being alone with you either.〉

「You are really rude. I’m the student with the worst results in this Academy, and I’m not a noble, so there’s no way I will be popular with the girls.」

〈That’s true…〉

---

「… Huh? What do you mean by that?」

Inside the Academy’s library, Iris frowned.

「Please lend me some money!」

「And the reason you need money?」

「I can’t say.」

「You want me to lend you money for unknown reasons?」

「Yes. I will explain to you in the future, but for now, please lend me money without asking more questions!」

「Don’t be stupid. If you want others to help you, then you need to be sincere. Depending on your reasons, I might lend you the money.」

「… I can’t say.」

「And why is that!?」

Iris closed the book she was reading and slammed it on the table.

「You have been sneaking around by yourself a lot recently! And talking to yourself in deserted places! What the hell have you been doing?」

「… I didn’t do nothing.」

I calmly pretended to be retarded.

I will be going on a journey to find the hero with the talking Saintly Sword── I couldn’t say it.

「I don’t think it’s possible, but did some weird girl seduced you? Are you going to use the money on that girl?」

「……」

Iris’ words were somehow close to the truth, so I kept my mouth shut.

Using the money on the girl aside, I had been targeted by a weird girl.

By the way, that weird girl── the Sprite of the Sword Holly was standing silently behind me.

I did tell Holly to avoid talking to me when other students were around, but from what Iris said, the other students all seem to notice when I was talking to Holly.

It seemed that I had been labelled as a dangerous person who talks to himself.

「Crow, we are going to graduate soon.」

「Yes, right, you have a point…」

It seemed that Iris was going to lecture, but I suppressed the urge to sigh.

「Borrowing money from a classmate before graduation, and not explaining the reason── don’t you think it’s strange?」

「Like I said, I will explain to you in the future…」

「Crow, it’s not that I don’t want to lend you the money, I’m saying this because I’m worried about your future.」

She was the type who would say such things seriously, which was why I thought it was troublesome to talk with Iris.

Normally, I would cover my ears and run away, and end up getting hit hard on the back of my head. But not this time.

Because I had to get money from this girl.

「So, what are your plans after graduating from this Academy? Become a provincial soldier like me? Or work as a royal guard?」

Neither choice sounded appealing to me.

If possible, I didn’t want to work forever.

I would get beaten off if I said that, so I held my peace.

「The graduates from this Academy would get assigned to outstanding post at the borders, the capital, and in the army.」

「……」

As I was thinking about how annoying this was, Iris continued:

「Do you know why the Academy is nurturing such talents? Right now, the lord of each territory has their own taxation system, and after the royal family takes a share of the tribute, the rest would go into their pockets. In a sense, these territories are like their own independent kingdoms. Which means, if the influence of the royal family fades, those lords might attack other territories to expand their own land. Even the royal capital Pendragon might get assaulted.」

「……」

This girl was as talkative as usual, I couldn’t stand her.

Just shut up and give me the money── It would be bad to say that though.

When I first heard Holly’s voice during the previous Holy Sword selection, Iris didn’t doubt for a moment that I wasn’t right in the head, and chopped my neck to knock me out. A normal girl couldn’t knock a male classmate out in one hit.

One misstep and I would have died instead.

「…… I’m saying that it wouldn’t be strange for civil war to erupt. The graduates from the Royal Military Academy are meant to stop that from happening in the first place by taking up posts in these territories. You don’t want a war to break out suddenly right? So I hope you can be more wary.」

「……」

I couldn’t wipe the awkward smile from my face.

I was living my life with a great peril in my mind.

After all, I knew that the Demon King would revive in five years, and the Holy Sword wouldn’t reach the hero.

All that talk about preventing civil war would be moot when the Demon King revives.

After all, the Demon King was an existence that kept pushing humanity to the brink. When it comes to that, we wouldn’t be able to start any wars.

However, telling Iris all that now would just make me look like a lunatic.

How should I explain this to her?

I could make something up, but there was a good chance that this girl could see through my lies.

If I lied that I want to visit my ill mother, or that my father died and I needed money for the funeral, the kind Iris would give me more money than I would need. But when she learns that was a lie, she would skin me alive.

In other words, I had to be thorough about borrowing the money and telling her about it in the future.

This was different from Instructor Cattlea who cares about the students.

The clean freak Iris wouldn’t forgive lies.

「… Hey, Iris. What you said is the secondary reasons, right? The Academy was founded to hand the Holy Sword to its wielder, the hero, correct?」

「Crow… You…」

Iris looked at me in awe for some reason.

「I thought you were just living your life without anything in mind, but you do have a sense of urgency after all?」

No matter what, that was too mean.

Never mind, I don’t plan to deny her point.

「That’s right. Right now, no one will think about the Demon King reviving as they live their lives, but history has proven that the Demon King will revive one day.」

「This Academy is founded by the previous hero, correct? In order to prepare for the appearance of the next hero.」

「… You are always skipping lessons, but you know quite a lot. That’s right, the founding King who was also the previous hero established this Academy.」

The Holy Sword told me that though── but I couldn’t tell her that.

「Anyway, since you knew that much about the world, then I don’t have to say anything more. I don’t know what your plans after graduation are, but let’s both work hard from now on.」

Iris smiled brilliantly as she said that, and wanted to shake my hand.

I mumbled 「Yeah…」 and at the same time, reached out for her hand on reflex──

「… Wrong! I don’t want to talk about that! I want to borrow money from you!」

「If you don’t tell me the purpose, then I won’t lend to you.」

「… True, trying to borrow money without making the purpose clear seems unreasonable.」

「Of course.」

「Then I give up.」

「Huh! But why? I don’t mind lending you the money if you tell me the reason.」

「Because I can’t say… So I can only ask you. But if you don't’ want to lend me the money, I won’t force you…」

I started to leave the library as I said that.

Seeing me act like that, Iris chased after me and grabbed my shoulder.

「Wait! It’s not that I don’t want to lend to you or can’t lend to you!」

「It’s fine… It’s my fault.」

「No, like I said… Ahhh! Really now! I get it! I will lend you the money!」

「……」

I knew very well.

Iris didn’t need anything, but the wielder of the Saintly Sword would be given a special allowance, so her income was rather high.

And she would either send that money back home or save it.

So she was very generous in providing funds to aid others.

Iris couldn’t leave anyone who was troubled alone, so instead of being forceful, being more passive would be more effective.

I shouldn’t have talked with her for so long, and did this right from the start.

「Alright! I got the travel funds and Holy Sword! Let’s set off for the east!」

〈You… Really are the worst.〉

Chapter 3: Meeting the Hero

Kept deep within the Royal Military Academy, the sentient Holy Sword──  Excalibur.

After meeting with the will of that sword── the sprite Holly, I sneaked out of the Military Academy, and finally reached the town where the hero was supposed to be.

〈There’s no mistake, I can sense the hero very strongly in this town.〉

「……」

However, despite the town where the hero was right before me, I didn’t respond to Holly.

Or rather, I was too exhausted to do so.

I set off in dark colored casual clothes, a cloak to keep myself warm, and carried bread, jerky, a sleeping bag, and the Holy Sword wrapped in a cloth on my back. Leaning on the staff I cut off from a tree, I was completely worn out.

The reason was simple.

I had not eaten anything for three days.

It had been a month since I set off.

The provisions I brought had long depleted. Holly ignored my plans to make detours to villages and towns to replenish my supplies, and made a beeline for the destination. I was forced to climb up slopes and move along cliffs, and almost died out there.

I even ran into attacks by bandits, bears and wolves.

After a month of a literal death march, I finally reached the eastern city that I planned to go to via the main roads in the first place── Labengild.

Unlike the capital that had gates on all four walls and roads leading everywhere, there was only one gate that leads to the castle town.

The walls here were much shorter than the capital Pendragon too.

The people in the city worked hard in the fields around here, but the city was famous for gambling.

── And I know for a fact that if I took the main road here, it would just take me ten days by foot.

I trusted Holly who could sense the hero to lead the way, and she chose the most arduous trails for me.

〈Hey Crow, don’t just stand there with that dumb face, hurry up and go into the city.〉

「……」

I didn’t even have the strength to yell at her.

Holly didn’t have a physical body, and couldn’t understand my exhaustion and malnutrition.

「…… Sigh…… Sorry, but after going in, can you let me rest at an inn?」

〈Huh? You are tired despite not doing any work? It’s just walking.〉

What Holly said filled me with rage, and I forgot about my fatigue and hunger.

「Just walking? Humans will accumulate fatigue just by being alive! And for the past month, I had been walking 20km a day on average! For modern humans, that’s a really far distance!」

〈Sigh…… That’s why I hate traveling with garbage.〉

Holly looked at me who was on the verge of passing out, and spread her arms out in a shrug, as if to say 「What a pain」.

「The reason we didn’t move faster is you! We could have taken a much easier route!」

〈Don’t fret the small stuff. If it’s the hero, he would have covered this distance in a sprint. He could just fly through the mountains and cliffs.〉

「Don’t compare me to the genius that only appear once every few centuries!」

〈Okay, I get it. After we enter the city, you can rest in the inn. I will search for the hero.〉

「Huh? But you can’t go too far from the Saintly Sword, right?」

〈The closer I’m to the hero, the more power I recover, so I can move a few hundred metres away now. If possible, pick an inn close to the center of the city, so I can cover the entire city and the surrounding areas.〉

「Alright, I will rest in an inn…」

After wolfing down the food in the Labengild inn after fasting for several days, I slept like a log.

It had been so long since I had a proper meal, and dozed off once I laid down on my bed.

By the way, it had been a while since I was away from Holly.

After all, I had been stuck with Holly for the past month, and kept quarreling with her during our journey.

Holly ignored my request to keep to the safety of the main routes and avoiding dangerous routes.

She just wants to charge straight in the direction where she could sense the hero.

Holly could only talk to heroes.

She would wake when the hero was born, and sleep when the hero passes on.

In other words, she had only interacted with the heroes that defeated the Demon King and saved the world.

So her decision was made with the pinnacle of humanity in mind.

Holly who had only spoken to the genius of all genuieses couldn’t accept me physiologically.

Whenever she saw me get into a crisis or tough fight, she would compare me to the ridiculous physical capability of past heroes, which was dumbfounding.

We had been together for a month, but she didn’t seem to like me one bit.

Even so, she still kept talking to me. Whenever we camped outside, even if I didn’t ask, she would tell me the exploits of past heroes.

「……」

As I stirred from my deep slumber, I started thinking on the bed in my half asleep state.

I wonder what was happening in the Military Academy.

If they realized that the Holy Sword had been stolen, then not just the Academy, the entire nation would be in an uproar, and Instructor Cattlea who held the key would be under suspicion.

And as the one who returned the key to Instructor Cattlea, I would be a suspect too.

After all, I went missing for a month after borrowing money from a classmate.

Stealing the national treasure, the Holy Sword, and selling it off for a quick buck── if they misunderstood my intentions as such, then I would get executed.

The longer this journey dragged on, the more likely this would happen.

Anyway, after handing the Holy Sword to the hero, I had to bring him to the capital as soon as possible.

Holly wouldn’t object about me handing a ten year old boy to the higher ups in the capital.

And so, I wouldn’t be executed as a criminal, and would get revered as the man who brought the Holy Sword to the hero.

By the way, it would be troubling if things didn’t turn out that way.

I wasn’t interested in competing with my classmates and the nobles in the capital for a great career.

That would be a pain.

Hence, I want to achieve something great, so i can get a job somewhere and live a carefree life.

The man who helped the hero should be entitled to at least that much, right?

As I was imagining that slow life──

〈Croooooooow!〉

Holly shouted as she phased through the inn’s wall.

「Kyaaaaa!」

The sudden appearance of Holly on top of me made me scream.

I looked out the window.

It was noon when I laid down on my bed after eating, but it was already evening now.

It seemed that Holly had been searching for the hero all this while.

〈Crow, get up! This is bad!〉

「W-What is it?」

〈I found the hero! But…〉

「Butt?」

〈Anyway, get up! I will bring you to the hero!〉

「Oh, okay.」

I quickly changed my clothes and left the inn.

「… What?」

I stood there stiffly with my jaw slack.

Led by Holly, I stood on the roof of a building and looked down at the house that the hero── the wielder of the Holy Sword, was residing in.

That family seemed rather well off, and the house was big.

I looked at the person Holly was pointing at.

I met a talking sword who told me the Demon King would revive in five years.

So nothing would faze me now.

I was confident that I wouldn’t be surprised no matter how the hero looked like or where he lived.

However, the person Holly pointed at──

Was a girl in blonde hair wearing a tattered one piece dress.

That girl in a tattered one piece dress was walking on the street with a bucket in her arms. She was filling the flasks in front of the building.

The grey dress was filthy and full of holes.

Her blonde hair lacked any luster, and she grew them out without grooming it.

If this girl was the hero, then she should be about ten. But she seemed malnourished, looking really petite and her limbs were really thin.

Her face was gloomy, not like a young girl at all, and she kept her head low.

I peeked at her, and said quietly to Holly beside me:

「… Wait, huh? That girl? That girl is the hero?」

〈That’s right!〉

「Huh? B-But… that’s a girl?」

〈That’s right! A girl!〉

「All the heroes had been men, correct? Or there are female heroes, just not recorded in history?」

〈No no! This is a historical first! I had never partnered with a girl to subjugate the Demon King before!〉

「What did you just say!?」

Holly was more surprised than I was.

〈This is strange… My awakening this time is too weird. Someone who isn’t a hero like you is talking to me, and a female hero that had never happened before.〉

「Have you ever identified the wrong wielder by mistake?」

〈No. That child definitely has the qualities to wield me, and you are definitely not the hero. If you are 1, then that child right now is about 2000. She will continue to grow beyond the 10,000 mark.〉

「Shut up! Don’t express our difference in prowess with numbers!」

Anyway, I took the Holy Sword Excalibur that was wrapped in a cloth, and approached the girl in a tattered dress.

「Hi, little girl.」

I tried talking to her with as inconspicuous a smile I could manage:

「I need your help with something…」

「……」

The girl glanced my way, then walk past me without a word/

She then tried to get water from the well.

「No, erm, I’m not trying to get in the way of your work, I just want to confirm something.」

「……」

「Excuse me, can you hold this sword?」

「……」

「I won’t do anything to you, just grip the hilt for a moment.」

「……」

「If you don’t want to hold it, you can just touch it.」

「……」

「Come on, just the tip.」

In the end, the girl avoided the Holy Sword I proffered to her fearfully, and ran to her house.

〈……Crow…  the way you are asking a young girl to hold and touch your rod, makes you look like a pervert……〉

「Shut up! Then you talk to her! You just need to check if she can see you, and it’s all settled!」

〈Don’t wanna. I have never talked to girls before.〉

「…… Oh no…… I’m feeling more uneasy about the future of the hero than I expected to be.」

〈Well, I think that child can see me. I have locked gaze with her several times now.〉

「Is that so? So it is definitely that kid?」

〈If she touches the Holy Sword, then it will definitely shine.〉

「… Hmm? Thinking about it calmly, how do I take that kid with me? Even if I explain to that kid’s parents, I will just be treated like a pervert trying to abduct their daughter…」

〈Don’t explain anything, just abduct her and go.〉

「Don’t be retarded! Aside from the theft of the Holy Sword, I will get the additional charge of abducting a little girl! I will get persecuted!」

〈Hey, Crow. This involves the survival of humanity. You might be executed because of those crimes… but that’s a trivial matter.〉

「It’s not trivial!」

〈Sigh, really now… what a pain. Why can I only talk to you? I was looking forward to my partner being a hunk, so how did I end up with this garbage and that little girl?〉

「Hey! Never mind me, at least treat your partner properly! How well you work with that kid will decide the survival of humanity!」

〈Even if you say that, my only joy is to watch a cute boy becomes a handsome teen, then into a cool man, and finally into a dandy old gentleman. What’s the point in watching a girl become a wench and then into an annoying grandma?〉

「You are not serious about this at all! Even though you are a sword that has saved humanity from the Demon King several times! I don’t believe this!」

〈I’m tired of saving the world. Maybe I should try destroying it instead?〉

「Don’t get tired of it!」

At this moment, I realized something.

The conversation I was having with Holly looked like me talking to myself, so the residents all looked at me as if I was crazy when they walked past me, and was wary of me.

This was something all wielders of the Holy Sword experienced in the past.

At this moment, I heard a 「smack!」

I looked towards the source, and the girl who was supposed to be the hero was standing before the building that should be her house, and was slapped by a man.

「Stop slacking off, brat! Can’t you even fetch the water!?」

「……」

「What’s with your rebellious eyes!?」

The man slapped the girl again.

The slap was strong enough to send the petite girl falling to the ground.

「Fill the flask with water, you useless trash! And fix up dinner after doing that!」

After hitting the girl, the man left his house and walked onto the streets.

Holly beside me watched the back of that man as he walked away, and placed her hand on my shoulder.

〈Crow, I give you special permission to use me to cleave that man in half.〉

「It’s troubling for me even if you permit that! I know, that old man pisses me off too.」

〈He is just a mob that isn’t enough to have a name in the story, how dare he slap the hero, the gem of humanity… Cutting him to pieces won’t be enough! I will slowly burn him to ashes…!〉

「Is that old man her father?」

I said as I jogged up to the man who hit the girl hero.

〈Oh? You want to cut him down right now? Go for it!〉

Ignoring Holly, I caught up to that man and asked him:

「Erm, sorry, I was watching the entire time.」

「What!?」

「I think it’s not right to hit that girl.」

「It’s none of your business!」

「It’s not my business, but that is your daughter…」

「There’s no way she’s my daughter, moron! That brat is a slave I bought!」

「Slave?」

「Don’t talk for me for nothing, retard!」

The man who hit the girl didn’t have any patience, and raised his fist against me.

「……」

I defended immediately──

「Uwah!」

But was sent flying easily.

「Hmmp! You talk big for a brat.」

---

That night, after I returned to the inn I was lodging in.

〈Crow… Aren’t you too weak?〉

「Whatever! I’m not the hero anyway!」

I pressed a wet towel onto my swollen face and yelled at Holly.

〈You might not be a hero, but you are still a cadet from the Military Academy, right? But you lost in a fight with a normal civilian. Or you are the brains over brawn type?〉

「Not at all, my results are the last in my year. I’m equally bad in both brains and brawn.」

〈You are really useless…〉

「My horsemanship is passable though. And my night vision is great too, so I can complete night field exercises.」

Instead of that── I added.

「What do we do now? That girl is a slave bought by that family.」

〈Well, slaves are used by nobles and the rich to take care of trivial tasks, correct? That girl’s family doesn’t seem that wealthy.〉

「Even normal citizens will buy a slave. There are a lot of impoverished people, and orphans are often sold as slaves.」

Holly listened to me with a frown.

「Children who had lost their parents would be taken in by relatives, but will get treated like slaves anyway. I had a friend who lived with his cousins after his parents passed away, but he couldn’t go to school, and was forced to work in the farm and do house chores every day.」

〈……〉

「That’s probably the same for that girl.」

〈……〉

For some reason, Holly was just listening to me silently.

「Holly? What’s wrong?」

〈Why… am I protecting humanity?〉

「Huh?」

〈Did the previous hero risk his life to create such a world filled with discrimination…〉

「… Sigh, Holly. There are good and bad things in this world, what you just saw is just one part of the whole picture.」

It was rare for Holly to show such a sad expression. She looked at me with her head tilted.

「Don’t just look at one small part of the world, and refute the entire thing.」

〈I’m not refuting it all, it’s just disapponting to see a world of discrimination after spending so much effort to protect humanity.〉

「What kind of world do you want to see then, Holly?」

〈What kind of world? Well… A world where all people can be equals and live happily. If I can protect the happiness of most people, then there is value to fight the Demon King to the death.〉

「You said partnering with a hunk is your only joy, and now you are saying this…」

Holly who looked deeply troubled suddenly turned beet red.

〈Shut up! You are just trash!〉

「Then, why don’t you and that kid create such a world?」

〈Huh?〉

「You can defeat the Demon King with that girl, make her the hero, and change the world. And of course, that kid can’t solve all the problems by herself, but this world will revere the hero who defeats the Demon King. That kid will become the new ruler, and work on the world’s problems?」

〈……〉

「You have a world you want to see, right? Then forge it with your own hands.」

〈……〉

Holly didn’t answer, and just stood there stiffly.

She seemed to be staring at me blankly.

Did I say something strange?

〈… Yes, but that’s after we take the girl with us. Crow, what should we do now?〉

「That girl being a slave might be a good thing.」

〈What do you mean?〉

「It means we don’t have to convince her parents or relatives if we want to take her. If we pay an amount higher than what she cost them, they will happily give her to us.」

〈Huh? You want to buy that kid with money?〉

「Do you think it’s a violation of human rights?」

〈Don’t bother with such annoying things, just use me to cleave that man in half will do, right?〉

「As if!」

〈How are you going to raise the money? You spent most of your money on the way here.〉

「I said this is a city known for gambling, right? Why don’t we work together to earn some cash?」

〈How?〉

「No one but me can see you, correct? If we play poker, you can just peek at my opponent’s card and relay that to me. Then I can raise or fold my cards at the right moments.」

〈But we can’t do anything about cheating though. As you know, I can’t help you cheat since everyone will see the card flying around by themselves.〉

「… A way for you to help me cheat…」

I rest my chin on my palm and fell into deep thought.

All this time, I had been thinking of ways to give me the upper hand in gambling with Holly’s help.

This was my only edge a normal person like me had over others.

I could see Holly and hear what she was saying. That was all.

My physical ability and intelligence were average, and my luck was probably the same too.

In other words, I didn’t have the qualities to win against the veteran gamblers in Labengild where gambling was legal.

In gambling, there was a factor necessary for absolute victory.

And that would be unbelievable good luck.

Or a cheat that would never be discovered.

And right now, no one aside from me could perceive the Sprite of the Sword Holly, who was working together with me.

I had obtained the factors needed to win in gambling.

「……Holly, you can pick up items of a certain weight, right? Just like how you stole that key from Instructor Cattlea.」

〈That’s right. I’m near the hero, so I can move something even heavier.〉

「Then let me ask you something. You can move an item, and also pass through walls, correct?」

〈I don’t have a physical body, so just think of me as a spirit.〉

「Which means… you can go through solid objects and move them…」

〈Crow, what are you planning?〉

「Do you know about dice?」

〈Huh?〉

「It have six sides, with one to six engraved on it, normally used for gambling…」

〈Yes, of course I know.〉

「So, if we gamble with dice, and you can manipulate the outcome, we will definitely win.」

〈Huh? Are you seriously thinking about using me to gamble?〉

「You don’t want to?」

〈No, I’m just surprised. None of the hero ever ask me to do something like that.〉

Holly was saying that with a happy smile for some reason.

〈The idea of using me to gamble is interesting…! There should be a limit to your insolence, but I’m impressed by your idea at the same time.〉

「It’s weird for you to praise me for something like this… So how about it? Can you manipulate the numbers on the dice freely?」

〈Piece of cake.〉

Holly smiled brightly from the bottom of her heart.

She seemed to be in a great mood.

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