LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 9
A more tired morning than usual.
It wasn’t just me feeling this way.
“Ugh, I told you to take it easy.”
“Haha, sorry…”
The Hero had dark circles under his eyes but managed an awkward smile.
Serelin playfully poked the Hero in the side, affirming her affection.
The other two chimed in too, casting envious glances at Serelin, who seemed to have such a comfortable relationship with the Hero.
And I… was swaying on the verge of dozing off, my eyes barely open.
“Rui, are you okay?”
“Ugh.”
“What, you didn’t sleep well either? We’re leaving soon, just hold on until then.”
“Me too?” It felt like I was being treated like the Hero, clumsily trying to gain trust while staying up all night!
I’m not like that fool! And he wasn’t even looking in my direction for some reason.
But well, the fact that I was sleepy was undeniable.
Eventually, I swayed, unable to fight off the overwhelming drowsiness and heavy eyelids.
“Rui.”
The Hero’s voice, which had been distant, now suddenly came from right next to me, but I couldn’t focus.
I craved sleep more than anything at the moment.
…
“….?”
“Are you awake?”
The ceiling was unfamiliar… no, it was the familiar sky.
And the familiar face, familiar pose, familiar position.
Yes, I was somehow riding along wrapped in the Hero’s arms.
“Ugh… my head…”
I reached out and grabbed some water from the Space of Space.
The icy cold water swiftly cooled down my rising body temperature and woke me up.
“How long have we been on the road?”
“About an hour.”
That’s not much sleep, but considering we were traveling, it felt like I’d caught a good nap.
Fortunately, we still had quite a distance to go to reach the Flower Field to help Rapirie.
Last time, we had to move quickly due to the urgent situation in the village, but there was no such need now.
Maybe that’s why the white horse was walking leisurely.
“Everyone worked hard yesterday, so we’ll take it slow today.”
“Then you should’ve just left tomorrow.”
“We’re taking it easy, but if we leave tomorrow, we’ll be late to the next stop.”
“I see.”
After that, the conversation between the two of us came to a halt.
I typically didn’t say much, but the Hero was different.
If I did anything slightly different, it would always be the Hero asking questions.
But now, he was only avoiding my gaze, not responding.
As I pondered why he was acting this way, I suddenly recalled what had happened yesterday.
He had insisted on training all night after I told him I fought an Orc.
“Hero.”
“Y-yeah?”
“Do you perhaps feel guilty about me or something?”
“…..”
He really did.
I was quite shocked by that realization.
No, no matter how much I introduced myself as the support Mage, was I being treated like I needed to prepare for a life-and-death battle against an Orc?!
The condition they saw and were surprised by was just from tripping in a ditch; I hadn’t even gotten a scratch from fighting a Demon Race.
The robe I wore detects the malice of opponents and defends against it, but it doesn’t work against things like ditches.
“Hero.”
“…..yeah.”
“I’m really fine. The mess you saw yesterday was just from falling into a ditch.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Rui.”
What do you mean worry?
“Hero, did you like the gloves I made you?”
“Of course. They were so convenient in yesterday’s battle.”
“The magic formulas in them exceed ten. Do you really think I didn’t include any for my own defense?”
“…..”
“The main purpose of my magic is support and creation. But I can also use it offensively if I want.”
Just like how a sickle used for cutting grass becomes a potent weapon in human hands.
I had intended it for digging tunnels but ended up using it to slay Demons, didn’t I?
“So don’t feel down about missing one Orc; that’s an insult to me.”
“…..!”
Imagine if this conversation got around.
The Mage of the Hero’s party battled an Orc and returned in tatters.
As a result, the Hero trains tirelessly for days to become perfect…
People who don’t know the details would think:
– How did he even make it into the Hero’s party if he struggles against an Orc?
– The Hero is at fault for letting that Mage into his team.
– What if he can’t rest and ends up losing in an important fight?
“I… didn’t think about it that way.”
See, that’s why a person can’t just be overly emotional and focused on their comrades. It can lead to unexpected challenges.
Plus, the Hero is acting with the trust of many, so the fallout would be even bigger.
‘Let’s not bring up the Demon Race for now.’
Proving my strength right now might just summon the other companions and lead to a new inquiry.
Better to focus on gaining trust with just the facts at hand.
“Hero, take my hand.”
To gain his clear trust, I decided to show him my mana reserve.
‘Technically it isn’t just my mana, though.’
But in the end, if I use it, can’t it be considered mine?
Imagining the Hero’s surprised face, I boldly reached out.
“…..uh, huh?”
But the Hero reacted strangely and averted his eyes.
What’s wrong with him now? I thought, then I finally grabbed the reins of his hand and intertwined our fingers.
This was the best way to show my mana directly.
‘The other heroines can’t see this.’
They were each dozing off in their own way on their horses or checking their gear, lost in their own business.
For me, it was a small action just to build trust, but I had to be careful since the other heroines might misinterpret it.
“Uh, um.”
“What is it?”
“N-nothing. But why your hand?”
“I want to earn your trust.”
With that, I quietly closed my eyes and started moving the mana circulating in my body through our clasped hands.
It might not be enough with just the mana inside me, so I pulled more mana from the device linked to my mana circle.
The Hero’s expression changed to one of surprise, different from before.
“…..this is…”
“It’s mana. I can use it anytime.”
“I don’t know much about magic, but I can tell the amount of mana you just showed me is impressive.”
“Then can you trust me now?”
I shrugged and puffed my chest out, finally seeing the worry leave the Hero’s face.
“Okay, I believe you. I’m sorry I didn’t until now.”
“You’ve got it.”
Hehe.
I smiled lightly and released my grip on the Hero’s hand.
His hand felt so large compared to mine that it took a bit of effort to pull away.
‘He’s a bit rough, huh.’
I guess holding a holy sword and training every day would make hands tough.
Unfortunately, neither the holy sword nor gloves had any feature to soften hands.
“I’ll make it up to you later with a wish.”
‘Oh yeah.’
A wish from the Hero, no less.
‘Maybe asking for the Demon King’s heart as a material will work?’
He’d likely happily hand it over after the subjugation.
Magic and magical tools made with the Demon King’s heart! Just imagining such a glorious future made my heart race.
“Everyone, we should be arriving at the next outpost soon. Just a little more effort!”
Next outpost?
At the Hero’s words, I took out a map to check our current location.
While talking to the Hero, I finally realized that it was nearly time to execute our plan.
I peered back at Rapirie, who had been following closely behind.
She was staring vacantly at the sky, smiling, but then noticed my gaze and looked at me.
I winked.
Without saying a word, I nodded confidently.
Just then, Rapirie’s face turned bright red as if confused by my gesture.
‘As long as we stick to the plan, we’ll be fine.’
Not far from the next outpost, there was a small den of Magical Creatures.
The Hero and Rapirie had to take them down.
To do that, I was sorry to say, I’d need to hold Aria and Serelin back.
‘I’ll keep an eye on both of them too.’
A little later, we arrived at the outpost.
The spot where the Hero’s party was temporarily staying was in the heart of a forest full of towering coniferous trees.
It was flat terrain with a road nearby and a stream running close by.
“I-I-I’ll scout the surroundings…!”
Rapirie shouted, trying to hide her flushed face as she hurried off. Here we go.
First up, Rapirie would sneak away.
Next, I’d keep the other two heroines occupied.
“Aria, Serelin, do you need help with your gear?”
“Gear? If you’re talking about gloves, I’m still okay.”
“I’m fine too! I’m all good after moving around so much yesterday!”
“No, I meant your actual gear. For example, your armor.”
I pointed out their grim-looking equipment, and the two, looking embarrassed, exchanged glances at the Hero before speaking softly.
“Then, um, I’d appreciate it…”
“I’d like that too… I’ve been feeling a bit stifled lately…”
And finally.
“I’ll prepare for camping…”
“No, Hero, I have something to ask of you.”
“Huh? What is it?”
Immediately chaining the Hero to Rapirie.
“There are flowers nearby according to the map. I need you to fetch them; they’re rare and only bloom before sunset.”
“Oh, once I finish preparing, I’ll go right away…”
“No, I need you to go now. I’ll handle the camping preparations.”
Preparing for camping is as simple as handing over the key.
But for some reason, the Hero seemed hesitant.
So, I sighed internally and whispered in his ear.
“…..You’ve seen me in less than what I’m wearing now.”
“!!!”
Well, it’s true because unless I remove my shoulders and belly, parts he can’t see are still covered.
Plus, he had said after that incident to ask him for anything, so I had quite the leverage.
“Okay, okay. I’m really sorry about that.”
“If you’re sorry, go get them. You’ll know it when you see it.”
With that, the Hero dashed into the forest, leaving me with the two who were now equipped and stepping out of my room.
Now all that was left was to adjust the sizes of their gear and wait for the results.