An Awkward Morning and a New Companion

I am Hero Emily.

After a night of commotion, a tranquil morning finally dawned.

“Ah—” I stretched languidly, yawning.

Then, I saw the hulking figure of Helter snoring, completely crushing Aironi beneath him…

‘He couldn’t have suffocated, could he…’ I thought, a bead of sweat forming as I assessed the Guard’s state.

Indeed, he slept peacefully… almost as if he had already passed on.

“Good morning, Hero.”

At that moment, Key suddenly emerged from my chest.

“Woah… don’t be so startling!”

“Was it startling?”

“Of course! A little creature suddenly popping out is always startling… Is there something you need now that you’re out?” I asked her.

“Yes.” Key wiggled, finally emerging completely. She hovered before me for a moment before saying, “Hero, the snake horde that appeared last night was quite peculiar.”

“Indeed, it was very peculiar, appearing so abruptly. I’ve hunted in this forest for years, yet this is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation. It must have been a coincidence, perhaps we just happened upon a migrating snake horde.”

“I don’t think it was that coincidental. You should never dismiss events encountered by a Hero as mere chance; there’s always a reason for such occurrences.”

“Is that so… a reason… Could it truly be as Aironi said, that we’ve angered the Forest Lord?”

“The Forest Lord…” Key murmured, stroking her chin as she fell into contemplation.

“You used to follow Heroes, didn’t you? You should know who the master of Twilight Forest is.”

“The master of Twilight Forest? I wouldn’t know… Although I’ve followed Heroes for many years, you see, accompanying a Hero to defeat the Demon King was merely a task given to me by God Sein. After the Demon King was vanquished in the last era, I was recalled. I have no idea when Hero Emily placed the Holy Sword in Twilight Forest… Therefore, I’m even more clueless about any masters within the forest.”

‘So what good are you as a spirit guide…’

“Alright, if you don’t know, then so be it. I suppose we’ll find out why once we enter the forest…”

‘I only hope nothing stranger awaits us in the forest…’

“Hey! Helter, wake up!” I patted his head.

Helter’s eyes snapped open.

“Who! Are there enemies?!”

“Enemies, enemies, all day long! Are you so desperate for a fight you’ve gone mad?!”

Helter groggily scrambled up, then plopped down heavily on Aironi’s head. “Who are you!”

“Me! Are you still half-asleep or deeply poisoned? You don’t even recognize Lu Ren!”

“Oh… heh…” Helter scoffed, then added, “I forgot Lu Ren, that you’re now the Hero…”

‘Hero… Master… this address, it always feels so distant… Although he called me that before, my identity as Lu Ren wasn’t revealed then. Now, I feel as though I’m seeing a Runtu addressing someone as ‘Master,’ no longer the one who called me ‘Brother Xun’… Wait, who’s Runtu?’

“Just call me as you always have. ‘Hero’ sounds so awkward!”

“Oh, well… ‘Hero,’ then? Is that alright?”

‘Still not right…’

“Fine, fine, ‘Hero,’ just call me that!”

“Why do you seem a little unhappy?” Helter asked me.

“I’m not unhappy! Get up quickly, let’s go! Our adventure only truly begins once we retrieve the Holy Sword! We can’t delay any longer!”

Helter stood up and dusted himself off.

“I still feel like you’re very unhappy…”

“I’m not!”

‘You’re the reason I’m unhappy! You big oaf! Why don’t you call me by my name like before?! I truly find this awkward!’

“Hey, what’s wrong with you, really?”

“Nothing! Just get ready to go!”

“Oh, so what exactly…”

“Don’t speak! We’re about to enter a ‘dead loop’ again! Do you still want this adventure to continue?! Argh!”

Key, expressing her helplessness, watched the unfolding drama from the sidelines.

“This, I, did I say something wrong?”

“I told you not to speak! Say one more word and I, I…” I instinctively gripped my sword hilt.

Just then, Helter slung his greatsword onto his back.

“What are you going to do?” Helter asked with his characteristic blank stare…

‘That move, slinging your sword, makes me so nervous…’

“I, I…” My hand, gripping the sword, trembled slightly. “I’ll cry for you to see!”

“Pfft.” Key burst out laughing.

‘Go ahead and mock me! A girl’s tears are worth something, aren’t they!’

“Aha? So what exactly are you trying to express?” Helter scratched his head, completely bewildered by my theatrics.

‘Honestly, I didn’t even know what I was doing… Ever since I heard him call me “Hero” when he woke up, I’d felt a bit disoriented…’

“It means you’re an idiot!” A sudden figure sprang before Helter…

Aironi????

“Why aren’t you dead yet?” Helter said mercilessly.

“As long as you’re alive, I won’t stop breathing! If the enemy doesn’t die, I won’t perish! Now, you wooden-headed oaf, you’ve made the Hero cry. I truly doubt your ability to protect her!”

‘I didn’t cry!’

“What does the Hero crying have to do with you? Go stand quietly to the side! We’re entering the forest, and I don’t want to argue with you!”

‘I didn’t cry!’

“Oh, it has nothing to do with me? But your performance is truly terrible! How can a man make a maiden cry tearfully? Didn’t your heart stir when her tears fell? Don’t you feel remorse? Have you not envisioned her in the near future, on her wedding day, shedding tears in her wedding gown? If you don’t give her a complete answer now, in the end, it won’t just be you who regrets it! It will be her too! Do you understand?!”

‘I didn’t cry… Wait, how did this turn into a discussion about marriage?’

“Her marriage… huh? What do you mean?”

“When she marries, you’ll merely be a guest, not the man who stands by her side until the very end, I ask you! Won’t your heart ache?!”

‘A guest? The man?’

“Ache?”

Both Helter and I were utterly dumbfounded… What was this Guard rambling on about?

“Yes, that feeling of ‘we didn’t end up together, even if I still love you years later’—you wouldn’t understand it!”

‘Why do I feel like that middle sentence could be sung…’

“So what exactly are you trying to say?!” Helter was driven mad by his outrageous words. “What is your actual goal?!”

“I’m going to make you regret what you’re doing right now!” Aironi declared, striding towards me with an incredibly swaggering demeanor.

He knelt on one knee directly before me, gently taking my hand…

Huh? What’s happening?

“The moment I was rescued, I knew our fates were irrevocably intertwined. My so-called profession cannot restrict my yearning for freedom and ideals. Although I am incredibly handsome and no one truly deserves me, I shall reluctantly walk this path with you! Miss Hero, please, you must accept me!”

‘Walk this path together… Oh! I understand!’

“You want to join our adventure, right?! Wow! I didn’t expect to gain a new companion so soon!”

“Huh? I meant to say…”

“Yes! That’s fine! I’m delighted! An extra person means extra strength!”

I smiled at him naturally.

He frowned slightly… “Ah, yes, I greatly desire adventure. It’s wonderful that you’ve accepted me!”

“We absolutely do not agree to him joining!” Helter and Key vehemently protested!

“Although he’s terribly verbose and annoying… didn’t he sacrifice himself to save us earlier? Let’s forgive him.”

“No forgiveness,” Helter flatly refused.

“No room for discussion!” Key made an ‘X’ gesture with her hands.

“Oh-ho, are you two just extremely jealous of my joining? You big oaf and you little orb of light.”

‘Ah, he’s mocking them again.’

“Hmph.” Helter lowered his head and drew his greatsword.

Key, seething with indignation, chanted an unknown spell, and the greatsword instantly gleamed with golden light.

“Let’s just slaughter him to prevent future trouble!” Helter actually uttered words a villain would say!

“Wait! Wait! Wait! We are a team of justice!”

“Exactly, a team of justice! The Swordsman and I are merely eliminating an evil scoundrel!” ‘Key, why have you turned so dark!’

Then came a chaotic flurry of slashes! Sword light scattered everywhere!

A minute later.

“Forget it, let him join the team,” Helter said, stylishly retracting his sword’s gleam as the greatsword slid back into its sheath.

“Hmm, Swordsman, a great man overlooks the transgressions of a lesser one; how magnanimous of you,” Key nodded.

‘From my perspective, wow, it was ghastly… I tore open his clothes to examine the wounds… seventeen cuts on his chest…’

‘I also discovered numerous old scars, likely from previous instances of his sharp tongue getting him into trouble…’

“Hey, big brother, if you’re alive, make a sound,” I asked, patting his chest.

“Squeak…”

[New companion – Crimson Aironi, the Peerless Spearman, has joined the party!]

And so, the Hero and her companions set off once more. Although the new companion, carried on the Swordsman’s back, was a little… incomplete, their journey was still filled with laughter and cheer.

“Oh, right, Helter, where’s the luggage?” I asked him.

“Damn it…” Helter exclaimed, startled, as he heavily tossed Aironi onto the ground. “When we rushed to the plains to save Aironi earlier, I left it at the forest entrance!”

Consequently, the Hero and her companions decided to retrieve their luggage first…