kscans

Chapter 118 - Disciple and Master, Sword, Tears, and Onigiri

The morning village was shrouded in mist, and a cold air flowed through the stone-paved plaza. At its center, a small shadow stood alone, a dagger in hand.

"Hmph…! Hah…!"

Though she grunted, her legs were unsteady. Hero Ares Scarlet. A "provisional hero" who still lacked both confidence and power.

"Your footing there is weak. Your body isn’t riding the wind rhythmically."

The one approaching as she spoke was Tiris, the Elf swordswoman. With beautiful movements that seemed to cut the wind, she corrected Ares’s grip on the sword.

"You’re putting too much of your fear into the sword. You don’t ‘cut’, you ‘flow’."

"Master,,,, it, it’s so difficult…"

Ares hung her head.

Just then, Koni-chan appeared, her round body swaying. The Troll girl looked just like a chubby fairy. She was wearing an apron and holding a parcel in her hands.

"Tiris~, you’re overdoing the master thing~! Time for an onigiri break!"

"Eh, but it’s only been ten minutes since we started…?"

"We have to fix your spirit with onigiri before it breaks~!"

A hefty, triangular onigiri was placed in Ares’s hand. One bite, and the gentle flavor of salmon spread through her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes without her realizing it.

"…It’s delicious… Somehow… I feel like I can keep going…"

"That’s right~! Koni-chan is the onigiri fairy, after all~!"

"Eh, so… you really were a fairy…!"

Two shadows were watching this scene from the edge of the plaza.

"Well now, she’s got more guts than I thought."

The one who appeared speaking was Defray, an Orc warrior clad in thick muscles and leather armor.

"Yo. I’m Defray, Orc Captain of the Demon Lord’s Army, Outer Combat Division. Might is power, but I’ll be a delicate instructor. Nice to meet ya, Hero-chan."

Appearing from behind him, as if carried on a cold wind, was Amy of the Lizardman Tribe. She was a mage who exuded a calm, intellectual air.

"Your breathing for spells, the use of your body, and how you maintain your spirit. They are all worth retraining. I too will become your ‘master’. In the Demon Lord’s army style, that is."

"Eh!? The, the Demon Lord’s army!? A-are you all… monsters…"

Ares’s eyes went wide.

"Yup! We’re a~ll active members of the Demon Lord’s army~!"

Koni-chan declared with a grin.

Tiris continued.

"Ares. That Hobgoblin you first met, the one you begged for your life and ran from, he is both the ‘first entrance’ and the ‘first gate’ to becoming this world’s hero."

"The first entrance… gate…?"

Amy continued quietly.

"As you are now, you’d just run away again. But…"

Defray clenched his fist.

"This time is different. We are your masters. You’re not alone."

Tiris placed a hand on Ares’s shoulder.

"That is why we have gathered here. To train you, to nurture you, to guide you."

"So that the crybaby hero can become the ‘real thing’!"

Ares felt a warmth spread through her chest. They were not mocking her or pushing her away. They were standing here now as her "masters."

"I… I’ll do it. I’ll show you I can become strong!"

Koni-chan shouted.

"Alright! Let’s all work together and defeat Mamoru the Hobgoblin in the first cave~!"

"""Yeah—!"""

The voices of her comrades echoed through the village sky. The girl who had been a crybaby now took her "first step" toward changing the world, together with her four masters plus Mamoru.

The Hobgoblin Mamoru watched them quietly from the shadow of a tree.