Final Extra: I, him

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

“Lena…… c-calm down, p-please, l-listen carefully!”

“Okay, Dad. You should calm down first.”

“How am I supposed to stay calm!?”

“Huh? Which one?”

“Because, Lena, your skill is…… ‘Saint!”

Lena's father, who had just presided over her coming-of-age ceremony, waited for her reaction.

However, Lena showed no particular response.

He waited for a while…… but when she still didn't say anything, her father spoke up.

“……You're not surprised.”

“Mm, well, I kind of had a feeling.”

“What!? Don't tell me you received some kind of revelation!?”

“No, not that. It's just that the skill that manifested felt kind of extraordinary—like something I'd never seen before……”

“Ah, well, that's true.”

“And I could already use healing magic before, right? But the skill that appeared was clearly different from a healer's, so I thought maybe it was that.”

“Yeah…… that's true.”

There were rumors—extremely rare ones—that some people could use magic even before receiving a “Heaven-bestowed Skill” at their coming-of-age ceremony.

Still, he had never imagined his own child would be one of them.

Since she was little, Lena had always been unable to ignore people in need in the village.

She often helped nurse the sick, and at some point, she tried imitating the spells chanted by a healer she had watched—and managed to use them effortlessly.

That was why he had assumed her Heaven-Given Skill would be that of a healer, but……

“But still, Lena, you know what this means—it's Saint! Saint……!”

“Dad.”

At Lena's slightly firm tone, he stopped speaking.

After confirming that her father had fallen silent, Lena continued.

“You're always the one who says, ‘You must not judge people by their skills. If there is any difference between people, it lies in their actions,' right?”

Though her expression remained calm, there was a hint of reproach in Lena's voice.

And she was right.

Seeing his daughter adhere to his ideals even more faithfully than he himself did made him happy.

“……Yeah. I'm sorry.”

“So I want you to treat me normally, too.”

Hearing his beloved daughter's words, he reflected on his own attitude.

“……Can I start over?”

“Yeah, that's fine.”

Straightening himself, he looked Lena directly in the eyes and said,

“Lena. Congratulations on becoming an adult.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

Lena smiled happily.

Even so, the ‘Saint' skill was special.

The rumors spread in no time, eventually reaching the royal capital.

A high-ranking official visited Lena's home, and it was decided that she would study in the capital.

They said an escort would be sent from the capital, but Lena said,

“Since I have the chance, I'd like to look around and see different places.”

and declined the offer.

They also suggested assigning soldiers as guards, but……

“If that's the case, I'd rather hire adventurers as escorts. Soldiers make me a bit nervous…… I'd prefer people around my age, ones I don't have to be so careful around.”

And so, adventurers were hired as her guards.

The one chosen to escort Lena was, just as she had requested, a young man not much older than herself.

He had probably only recently come of age.

“Hello, my name is Erius. I'm still a novice, but I have some confidence in my sword. I'll do my utmost to protect her, so please rest assured.”

Politely greeting her father, Erius extended his hand.

As he shook it, Lena's father appraised him with a question.

“You say you're confident in your sword…… do you have a skill related to that?”

“Yes. My skill is ‘Sword Saint.'”

“Hm. Sword Saint, huh…… s-s-sword saint!?”

“Yes. I learned swordsmanship from my father, who is also a Sword Saint.”

“Whaaaat!? Then you're the son of that Sword Saint, Galeas-sama……!?”

“Yes. I am.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. This is an official certificate issued by the guild.”

As the father took the certificate, Lena leaned over to look as well.

Written on the parchment was, unmistakably, “This individual is certified as possessing the skill ‘Sword Saint.'”

“It's genuine…… I perform ‘Oracles' myself, so I've seen many certificates. This one is real.”

“Thank you. I hope I can be of some help in easing your worries about sending your daughter on a journey.”

“Yes, please! I'd be very grateful!”

With matters settled between client and contractor, Erius then extended his hand toward Lena.

“Nice to meet you, Lena-san.”

As she took his hand, Lena said,

“Just call me Lena. I'll call you Erius too.”

“I'd appreciate that. I'm not good with stiff formalities.”

“Fufu, me neither.”

And so, Lena set off on a journey to the royal capital with him.

The journey itself was peaceful.

There were no incidents worth mentioning, and the two continued along the road to the capital.

Along the way, Lena asked Erius,

“Why did you become an adventurer?”

“Mm. With the Sword Saint skill, you could easily serve the royal family in the capital, right?”

“That's true. I was actually invited to become an officer.”

“Then why?”

“Well…… it's a long story……”

“That's fine. We're still traveling, after all.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

According to Erius……

The origin of the sword techniques he now wielded was a female swordswoman known as the ‘Divinely Sent Guardian Swordswoman.'

She was said to have saved more lives than anyone else.

He took great pride in having mastered her sword.

“That's why I believe the purpose of this sword and the Sword Saint skill isn't personal glory, but helping people.”

“I think that's a wonderful way of thinking.”

“Hearing that from a ‘Saint' gives me confidence.”

“Hey, don't tease me.”

“Hahaha.”

As they were chatting like that……

“Found you! Erius! Hey! Wait!”

Someone called out Erius's name from far behind them.

When Lena looked at Erius, he let out a deep sigh.

“Sorry, Lena. Just some trouble.”

As he stopped, Lena halted as well.

Turning around, they saw two people running toward them from behind.

One carried a spear, the other had a bow on his back.

It seemed the man with the spear had been shouting, and as soon as he caught up, he yelled,

“Today's the day I beat you! And when you lose, you're joining my party!”

“Oh come on, Phalan-san, let's give it up already. There's no way ‘Mighty Spear' can beat a ‘Sword Saint,' right?”

“Shut it, Nick! A man can't just give up on a duel and blame his skill—that'd be pathetic!”

Apparently, the man with the spear was named Phalan, and the archer was Nick.

While Phalan was arguing with Nick, Erius quietly explained the situation.

“That guy Phalan—I once took the same request as him. I ended up with more monster kills than him, and ever since then, he's been pestering me to join his party.”

“Why not just join?”

“No way. If I had more kills, then he should be the one joining my party, right?”

Doesn't it amount to the same thing?

Lena thought so, but maybe that was just how men were.

──Then.

Phalan looked at Lena and spoke to Erius.

“By the way, Erius.”

“What?”

“Don't tell me this girl joined your party. If that's the case, I can't force a woman, so I guess I'll just join yours inste—”

“No. She's someone I'm escorting.”

“Hmph, I see. Then you'll join my party after all.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

As Lena watched their pointless back-and-forth continue,

“Uh…… sorry about that.”

Nick apologized, so she replied,

“Why? It's kind of funny.”

to smooth things over.

Upon arriving in the royal capital, they headed to the Royal Academy where Lena was to study.

Naturally, everything had already been arranged, and after hearing the report from the gate guards, the headmaster himself came out to welcome them.

“Now then, please sign here to confirm the escort is complete.”

Erius handed over the request form. After receiving the headmaster's signature, he put it away with his belongings, then turned back to Lena and said,

“Well then, Lena. I had fun. If all jobs were like this, it'd be great… no, maybe not.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because it's too easy. Doesn't really count as sword training.”

“Well, isn't it fine once in a while? If you're always pushing yourself, you'll get tired, you know?”

“That's true. Then, if you don't mind, ask for me again when you go home.”

“Yeah, I will. Erius… thank you.”

“See you. Do your best with your studies.”

Perhaps because he was an adventurer, Erius showed no particular hesitation. He turned his back on Lena and began to walk away.

She watched his retreating figure for a while, but……

Suddenly, she felt an intense sense of urgency, as if her heart had been tightly grasped.

Why?

She couldn't stop feeling anxious.

It was nothing more than intuition, but──

So many people had moved things forward for the sake of this study abroad.

She might be tarnishing her parents' honor.

She might be embarrassing the high-ranking officials who arranged this, and by extension, the royal family and the nobility.

Even Lena, who knew she was still naïve about the world, understood that much.

But.

Even so.

She decided to follow this intuition.

“Headmaster. I'm sorry to say this so abruptly, but…”

“Hm?”

“Please consider this study abroad as never having happened.”

Erius formed a party.

Its name was “Dragon Fang Bite.”

Dragon fangs are said to be frighteningly numerous, but when they bite, they align beautifully. Because of that, the phrase “like dragon fangs biting” is used to represent unity… apparently.

Lena didn't know the saying or its origin, so when she first heard the party name, she thought,

“That's lame.”

…No, judging from Erius's expression, she might have accidentally said it out loud.

A few days after Lena joined Erius's party, Phalan showed up with Nick and said,

“Guess it can't be helped. I mean, with just you two, you know… yeah. I'll join you.”

And just like that, they joined the party.

She had no idea what exactly “can't be helped” meant, but there was probably no point in questioning it.

While eating together with Erius, he suddenly asked,

“By the way, Lena.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I've been wondering… why did you stop your studies back then and decide to become an adventurer?”

“Hm? I didn't really decide to become an adventurer, though.”

“What?”

“And as for why… I don't really know myself.”

“I see…”

“Well, it's fine, isn't it? We get to have lively meals like this, after all.”

“Yeah… I guess so.”

Lena's answer didn't seem to fully satisfy him, but Erius didn't press the matter any further.

As she watched him, she thought to herself.

That's right.

I understand it, yet I don't.

Why did I feel that way?

What exactly was that emotion that welled up when I saw Erius leaving after finishing his escort?

But back then, Lena had thought—

“I won't let him be alone.”

That was what she believed.