"I see you're still training."
I meet the hero in the castle's training grounds. The knights were already gone, so he's alone. And evidently, he was exhausted. His breathing was ragged and he was practically drowning in his own sweat.
Luciel—he's the predecessor of the hero I partied with more than a decade ago.
"Miss Sophia..." he quietly said. "Welcome back," and then he greeted with a bow.
"You're always so eager. It's not healthy for anyone to train so hard. You should take it easy sometimes and do something else," I suggested.
"I do take a rest and spend time on my interests from time to time," he answered back, his eyes avoiding mine as an obvious sign of guilt.
Of course, I'm aware of his secret activities in the city. Because he's the hero, there are many restrictions on him put on by the church and the prime minister. One of those restrictions, is that he cannot go out of the castle without a guard.
That guard will not be there to protect Luciel, as no one would be stronger than the hero. They will be there to simply monitor him. He doesn't seem to be fond of that, so he's been sneaking out.
"I see. So other than randomly walking around the city, can you tell me any other things you're interested in?"
"So you're aware?"
"Of course."
"I'm not surprised," he frowned and requested, "Please don't tell the king."
"Don't worry. As long as you're not going in any suspicious places, I won't tell."
For a man of his age, it would not be unusual for him to visit a brothel or an adult bar, but he never does. He simply randomly walks around the city. And then he would eat on random food stalls.
"Thank you very much," he deeply bowed once again. "As for your question: no, I don't have any other hobbies or interests."
"Heh...?"
I heard that he had lived a secluded life in the church before he became a hero. And even before that, he was an orphan who lived in a poor orphanage. It seems he was never really exposed to anything other than swordsmanship.
"Then, how about women?" I said as I leaned closer to him, making sure he would be able to take a good look at my chest.
"Entirely inappropriate."
"Hmph!"
A bit annoyed, I decided to step in even closer and put a hand on his chest. I then lifted my chin up to stare directly into his eyes. Our lips were one inch away from touching.
Any ordinary man would blush being so close to me. And then the inexperienced would step away in embarrassment, while those a little more aware and confident would choose to hug my waist and seal my lips. Luciel was doing neither of that. Even the expression on his face was unchanging.
He's clearly unaffected by my charm.
"You're no fun," I sighed and then whispered in his ear.
He's the complete opposite of the previous hero.
That guy would have probably taken off his pants by now.
"I'll start to train you in magic tomorrow," turning away, I said.
"But aren't you supposed to..."
"Swordsmanship is not exactly my forte, so I'm giving up."
"But..."
"Don't worry, I'm going to introduce you to my master. She's an actual sword master, so you'll be better off with her as your teacher."
"Miss Sophia's master? Isn't she the elf heroine? You've told many stories of her."
"Of course, I did," I tiredly admit.
Eria-nee would probably only need to train him for a few weeks. Once he masters how to use the hero sword, she'll stop. And then he'll have to form his own party.
Still, I won't be introducing him to Eria-nee any time soon. After all, I still want to spend more time with her and Log. I don't want to abruptly disrupt my fun by giving her my job.
"You said that she's capable of healing anyone... And possibly even bring back the dead..." in the first time he has showed any kind of emotion, Luciel bitterly said.
"With the right condition, she certainly can," raising a suspicious brow, I added.
Does he want her to heal someone? But as far as I'm aware, he's a loner who doesn't even have any relatives left. I doubt he has any friends who need to be save either.
"I see," he said as he sheathed his sword in its scabbard. "Please, let me meet her whenever it's possible."
"Hmph! I will introduce you to her sooner if you do good in my magic lessons," I indifferently shrugged.
I'm already annoyed that he rejected my charm, but now I'm mad that he's showing more interest in someone who he had never even met. But since that someone was Eria-nee... It's understandable...
The elf heroine...
Said to be even more powerful than the mighty heroes, and rumored to be as beautiful as the goddess of love, there's no other mortal in this world who is more interesting. And I personally haven't met anyone who's more charming.