kscans

Chapter 121 - Epilogue: The Heroine's Independence and Departure

The sun rose, and Himeria village welcomed another quiet, peaceful morning. But the central plaza was filled with a different kind of buzz than usual.

"…Well then, I’m off!"

Waving with a bright smile was the red-haired hero, Ares Scarlet.

She was no longer the crybaby she once was.

She carried a well-maintained sword, wore a hand-sewn cape, and had a pouch filled with onigiri.

Her four masters, Tiris, Amy, Defray, and Koni-chan, watched her go with pride.

"Make sure you eat your vegetables!"

"Polish your sword as soon as you use it!"

"If you’re having trouble, come right back!"

"If the onigiri go bad on the way, just throw them out~!"

Words of encouragement and slightly clumsy concern flew about. Ares took them all in and nodded with a smile.

She was heading off on her journey to defeat the Demon Lord.

Eventually, Ares made her way to the village exit. And just beyond, in the shade of the trees in the forest, a single figure quietly saw her off.

"…Heh. She’s really become something, hasn’t she."

The one muttering to himself while trying to hide his exceptionally large body in the shade of a tree was the Hobgoblin Mamoru. Though he had given his all playing the part of the "jobber" in the throne room, he was now just another mob character in the shadows.

"Hey, why are you peeking from behind a tree?" Koni-chan asked quietly from behind him.

"You… why are you here!? Well, you see… it’s a common trope in anime, right? When the protagonist is leaving on a journey at the end, the mysterious master-like character sees them off from the shadows!"

"Huh, but isn’t that for the ‘secretly strong ally on the side’ position? Not the jobber boss?"

"Mghh…!"

Beside them, Amy and Defray were chuckling.

"Looks like… you completely missed your chance to come out of the shadows."

"Even if you came out now, it’d just make things awkward, so I think you’re fine right there."

"…Shut up!!"

By the time Mamoru shouted, Ares’s figure had already disappeared deep into the forest.

"…Heh. Go on, hero." Mamoru murmured in a small voice that no one could hear. On his face was a strange pride, a little like a master, a little like an older brother, and a little like a father.

And so, the crybaby hero Ares Scarlet, with the love of her many masters (and a goblin) at her back, set off on her journey to defeat the Demon Lord.

Until the day they meet again. She won’t cry, she won’t run, and she won’t forget her courage.

And Mamoru continues to watch from the shadows today. Because, you see, it was all part of his "Star of the Giants" act.