Chapter 5: Deals That Never Work (3)

The dawn light arrives, and when it becomes time to wait for morning, my eyes naturally open.

Even if it’s only a short amount of sleep, waking up around 5 AM has become a habit etched into my body.

Sometimes, it’s even more precise than a machine.

“Ugh, Hero…”

“Hero… more, please…”

Looking around, the disheveled bed sheets and the exhausted, collapsed Natalia and Laura serve as evidence of last night’s activities.

I couldn’t bring myself to refuse the requests of these girls… but I can’t help but feel unsure whether this is the right thing to do.

Still, I can’t just leave their desires unchecked with the uncontrollable hypnotic ability.

If the effects of the hypnosis ever completely disappear someday, I’ll make sure to beg for forgiveness then.

“Ah, Sera! You’re already awake?”

Even though it’s summer, the mornings are still quite chilly.

Covering the bare bodies of Laura and Natalia with a blanket, I come downstairs to prepare various things, only to find Sera, the saint, already awake and descending the stairs.

Before being summoned to this world, it was thanks to my phone’s alarm function that waking up at 5 AM every day became a habit.

But seeing Sera wake up so early without such tools made me think she was truly incredible.

Lately, I’ve noticed her often dozing off during our travels and showing signs of fatigue, which makes me worry if she’s overexerting herself.

Well, that’s religion, no matter the world—helping those in need more than yourself.

Surely, there are many things she’s doing out of my sight.

“Let’s not lie to each other when asking questions. Taking a walk together like this should be fine, right?”

Thus, it naturally became a routine to walk the trail with Sera.

I had thought she was merely taciturn, but when we actually started talking, I realized she had an unexpectedly great interest in other worlds.

This led to various conversations.

Spending time with Sera, the only girl seemingly resisting the effects of hypnosis, brought a bit of relief to my guilty conscience and made my mind feel at ease.

Maybe that’s why I ended up sharing more about myself than I initially intended.

Stories of going to the beach with friends during summer break, having barbecues, visiting aquariums, or stargazing with a girlfriend, and even doing volunteer work for others or studying hard for grades.

These were just ordinary parts of my life, but Sera seemed astonished as if such a lifestyle were unimaginable to her.

Only then did I realize that Sera was a native of this world, and I scrambled to explain various terms.

I must have looked quite foolish doing so.

“Wow… that sounds like a story out of a dream. Your world is…”

“Haha, does it? Well, I guess… it can’t be helped…”

A story out of a dream… Yes, to this world, my world must seem like something from a dream.

The possibility of returning to my original world likely doesn’t exist.

The many friends, my parents, my younger sister—none of them can I meet again. That fact made me feel a little lonely.

But I am the Hero. Even if I can’t return… I must not betray the expectations of the people who believe in me.

And that resolve became even more certain with Sera’s question.

“Do you intend to kill the Demon King, Hero?”

“I will absolutely kill the Demon King, no matter what. I’ll do whatever it takes to save this world.”

With a smiling face, Sera declared her resolve to kill the Demon King and save this world. No matter how you look at it, such words shouldn’t come from a girl so young.

Even with divine blessings, what justification is there for young girls to be swept into the winds of war?

Three hundred years ago, it was the Hero who defeated the Demon King.

So this time, too, fighting the Demon King, risking one’s life, should be my responsibility alone.

That’s the conclusion I came to.

“… Are you troubled by something?”

“It’s just… I still can’t fully come to terms with this journey.”

How should I convey my thoughts? Early in the morning, in front of the inn door, Sera’s smile showed no hesitation.

The girl spoke as if there was no need for any thought other than killing the Demon King.

How could I persuade her without hurting her?

Even while having breakfast with Sera, that thought lingered in my mind.

Unlike my resolve, my mouth wouldn’t budge. As I kept pondering, I noticed that Sera’s expression was becoming strained, as if in pain.

Hypnosis again. But at that moment, I thought that by using this hypnotic power, I might be able to persuade her without hurting her. Maybe just a little bit.

Usually, the hypnotic power would only trigger for a brief moment, but in response to my thoughts, it didn’t stop, and Sera began to stagger.

“Sera, after all, your lives…”

Your lives are more precious. There’s no reason for you to be involved in defeating the Demon King.

If I say that, just then, Natalia opened the door and came down to the first floor.

Now that Natalia had come down, the events of last night resurfaced in my mind… I thought it would be inappropriate to have a serious conversation here, so the topic quickly fizzled out.

In the afternoon, once Laura woke up, we set off toward the capital.

It had already been three months since we began exploring dungeons in various regions under the king’s orders.

The travel expenses were nearly depleted, and I couldn’t keep making my companions stay in uncomfortable places.

So, we decided to return and report back.

“Sera, you never trust me… If Laura does it, the failure rate is less than 10%…”

“No… isn’t 10% still quite risky?”

The sun in the forest disappears quickly.

We need to prepare camp before the sun completely sets, so there’s no time to rest now.

As the only man in the party, it’s only natural that I take care of the physical work.

Looking back, I saw Laura, who hated camping, being gently scolded by Sera, and seeing them like that made me smile involuntarily.

In reality, Laura, who inherits the blood of a dragon, should be older.

But I’ve heard rumors that dragonkin grow at a much slower rate.

The problem is still with the night.

There are only two tents, and they’re both for two people.

Though it wasn’t intentional, thinking about Laura and Natalia, who clearly have feelings for me, I already felt a headache coming on.

“Sera, you’re jumping to conclusions too fast… I’m small, so it’s no problem to sleep with the Hero…”

“As a knight, it’s only natural to endure discomfort!”

Already full of thoughts of what to do, the girls were, after all, making things difficult.

Even though it was a daily occurrence, it was still a bit too much.

I hoped they’d cut me some slack. Also… this isn’t even a proper building but a campsite in the woods.

The guilt I felt for mixing my body with the girls under the influence of hypnosis every night was overwhelming.

But if I were to do such a thing in a place like this, it might not even be considered human anymore.

“… Indeed. With such a tent, it’s almost no different than being outside…”

Laura almost had some dangerous thoughts again…

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Laura and Natalia seemed to give up without protest this time.

After all, even with hypnosis, no one would continue to harbor such imaginations.

Moreover, after this morning, the hypnotic power hadn’t activated even once.

Perhaps, there are limits to this ability after all.

The only difference between today and the usual days… is that I spent a considerable amount of time with Sera today.

Maybe the saint’s power unintentionally weakened the effects of the hypnosis. Thinking this, I could see a glimmer of hope.

“Hehe, somehow, this looks really nice.”

Sera smiled from a distance. She truly is the only hope in my guilt-ridden life.

Author’s Note:

If there are simple changes in perspective with no story progression, I plan to post several chapters in a day.

For other content with story progression, I’ll try to update as often as possible.