As I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw — to my own surprise — was a familiar ceiling. Lacquered, wooden, polished. The kind you'd find in one of the rooms at the Pelgue estate. So they didn't let me die after all — that was a relief. Better alive than un-alive.
Feeling the bedsheet beneath me shift slightly to one side, I turned my head in the same direction. And almost immediately locked eyes with a pair of restless violet irises — their owner clutching the poor sheet with her little hands, pulling it toward her.
The silent scene lasted ten seconds. A mere ten seconds… but to me, it stretched into an eternity. Staring at her, images from a past I'd chosen to forget came rushing back to the surface.
"Why do you two look so much alike?"
"Hm?"
Cruel irony or something more — but Night looked absurdly similar to my sister. The only real difference was that the bird didn't smile… and wasn't exactly expressive in general. At least not outwardly.
"No, it's nothing," I said after watching her a bit longer. "You know, Night… I'm sorry."
Her eyes widened slightly, and she tilted her head, clearly confused. But I just smiled, offering no explanation.
Funny thing. Her appearance hadn't changed one bit — and yet she somehow looked different. Or maybe it was my perception that changed? Like I'd been walking around nearsighted without glasses this whole time… and suddenly decided to put them on. The world… felt sharper now.
"What happened after I passed out?" I touched my forehead — no strange horns or growths there.
And yet, deep inside, I felt it clearly: if I wanted to, I could summon that demonic trait again. Along with that came the unsettling certainty that this wasn't the end of it. That I still knew very little about myself — my nature, my potential, my flaws. And that all of it still lay ahead, waiting to be discovered… with the help of whatever was now my inner "self".
I never really managed to figure out what that thing was. Obviously, something was inside the Scythe — but had it always been there? Or did it appear only after the weapon came into my hands? Did it have its own goals? Was it on my side, or not?
Because its first emergence didn't match at all with what I'd seen recently.
"…After Master lost consciousness, Lord Remus arrived with armed men. All enemies had already been neutralized, so they… administered first aid to you and the Shield Hero, then brought you here. The unpleasant old man in white robes is dead."
There was a strange little hitch in Night's otherwise concise report — right at the mention of them "helping" me — and it set off an alarm in my mind.
As for the Archbishop being dead — I already knew that. I'd felt it in real time, how life drained from him with every drop of blood spilled. You don't survive long when you're bleeding out from lost limbs. And… in the end, just like the "Demon" said, I hadn't lost control. I remembered everything that happened up until the moment I blacked out. Some emotions became dominant, a few priorities shifted — but it was still me. Everything I did came from my own thoughts and desires. Nothing came out of thin air.
"I see. So how long was I out?"
"A full day."
"Hm… Acceptable." I nodded and started getting up from the bed.
The moment I stood and took a step, I immediately felt a small hand clutch the edge of my clothes. I didn't look down — I already knew exactly what that meant. So that's how we left the room — together, in search of someone alive and capable of giving me more information about what had happened afterward. In other words, we went looking for Remus.
"Ah!" The moment I stepped onto the first floor, one of the maids spotted me. "You're awake, Hero-sama! I'll notify the master right away!" Receiving no reaction from me, she indeed took off running.
The melancholy from that unintentional trip down memory lane still hadn't fully let me go. So, seeing no point in wasting energy, I simply settled into the sitting room to wait for Remus — since they were clearly about to inform him of my awakening any moment now.
Of that I had no doubt. And sure enough, within minutes, life in the estate began to stir, and three mugs of tea were soon placed on the table in front of me.
"I'm glad to see you're well, Hero-sama. What happened… caught everyone off guard." Not even a full minute later, the Pelgue representative himself arrived.
"I'm sure it did," I muttered with a smirk and took a sip of the rich, fragrant tea. Night, glancing between me and her own mug, did the same.
"I assume you'd like the full story, yes?"
"I wouldn't mind hearing exactly what went down. The Archbishop acted far too confidently for a so-called 'diplomat'. And frankly, even for a 'pilgrim'."
"I'll start from the point I found you — already unconscious. As was the Shield Hero. Naturally, our priority was to administer first aid, but…" His eyes drifted toward Night. And to my surprise, she looked away awkwardly. "Your companion was… hmm… let's say extremely distressed on your behalf. Until we were able to convince her — truly convince her — that we meant you no harm, we couldn't even get close. I was told the girl became even stronger than during the battle itself. We were completely powerless..."
Well now… I shifted my gaze to Night, but she was still staring off to the side. Very interesting.
But why did she suddenly become stronger? That was more than a little odd…
Oh. Realization hit me all at once. Now it made sense…
The Hero Enhancement Methods. There are four, aside from my own, right? I'd always assumed I was using all of them — but…
The Shield Hero's method. What exactly did it entail? Looking back now, I can say with certainty that up until recently, I'd only used three of the four — plus my own. And only after that last incident… did I finally begin using all five.
Faith.
Faith in one's allies — that was the core of the Shield Hero's enhancement method. But had I ever truly believed in Night? In Wyndia? In anyone?
Unlikely.
But after I remembered everything… after I made certain associations… the method started working. And clearly, Night had grown stronger — gaining yet another boost in her stats.
"I see," I said, smiling as I gently patted Night on the head. "Interesting, but not quite what I was hoping to hear."
"In that case…"
So, what was actually important in all this?
Well, the Archbishop was an idiot. A brilliant idiot.
Somehow, he managed to secure an agreement of non-interference from Zeltoble's upper ranks. Meaning, the government knew that a foreign church was amassing an army on their territory. They also knew a battle was coming — and chose not to intervene. They preferred to just sit back and see what they could fish out of the aftermath.
I get it — but I don't accept it.
Zeltoble chose their side, and it clearly wasn't mine. I don't see any point in turning into some vengeful avenger over it, but doing business with this country? Yeah, that's off the table now.
Honestly, I got very lucky that it was Remus who showed up first. Because of that, not only did I survive, but the Duplicate Sacred Weapon also ended up in our hands. If I remember right, in the original story, it was destroyed — but this time, we managed to preserve it.
Then there's the matter of Melromarc.
When the Queen heard what had happened, she snapped. Heads were rolling left and right. And Aultcray — unlucky enough to be among the audience at the worst possible moment — got slapped, kicked, and publicly humiliated to such an extent that now even the lowliest dog in the country mocks him. And that's just the beginning — the tip of the iceberg.
Since my enemy had been the Church itself, and not the king or Malty — the princess and first daughter of the Queen — their punishment wasn't really tied to me. Sadly, no surprises there: it all played out as stupidly and childishly as ever.
Look, I get why they weren't executed. The first was the Wise King — a hero of the last war and a national icon until very recently. You don't just kill people like that. The second was the Queen's daughter — not the heir, sure, but still a princess. And apparently already promised in marriage to a foreign ruler, as I'd heard in passing from Remus. Also not ideal to execute.
But the punishment they did choose…
Come on, Naofumi, really?
Renaming them to "Bitch" and "Trash" and calling it a day? You didn't even properly restrict Malty's movements, as far as I could tell!
"…So I got it right, didn't I?" My skeptical stare and raised eyebrow made Remus falter, eyes shifting to the side.
"Forgive me, Nott-sama, but even I don't fully understand how it ended up this way. The Shield Hero, if I may say so…"
"Is an idiot," I finished, closing my eyes with a sigh. "Kind-hearted and still hopelessly naïve. But whatever, it doesn't really con—"
I didn't finish. The words died in my throat, like my tongue had been scorched. Something inside me… refused to let them out.
"To hell with it. We'll deal with that later," I muttered. Especially since I already had a few ideas on that front. Particularly regarding the red-haired princess — if what she'd gotten so far wasn't enough. And it wouldn't be enough. I was sure of that. "Why is she" — I jabbed a finger to my left without even trying to be polite — "still here, instead of being with her mother?"
Melty, who had only just joined us and instantly become the subject of such rude treatment, went wide-eyed but said nothing. She simply puffed her cheeks and sulked. Her gaze, though… there was a flicker of fear in it. Her eyes kept darting — from my face, to the table, to the tea mug in front of her.
"Her Majesty deemed it safer for the crown princess to stay close to you, rather than at her side. Understandable, considering she still has to deal with internal threats to the kingdom. And there's also the matter of unresolved external tensions."
Can't argue with that. Thanks to the Archbishop, I'd reaped an absurd amount of experience — wiping out the entire force he brought and the man himself. From level 84, I jumped to 91, nearly hitting the human limit of this world. With Sadeena's help, I could probably surpass it in the next few days. And with the leader of the Church of the Three Heroes dead, I barely had any enemies left — at least none worth worrying about.
All things considered, there probably wasn't a safer place for Melty than by my side.
Still, what made the Queen think I'd be willing to babysit her daughter? No, really — where did that confidence come from? She'd originally asked me to deliver Melty to her — and now she's asking me to protect her?
I shifted a scowling look toward the girl, who was currently buried in her mug, sipping tea with quiet determination.
And I began to study her in silence.
Melty, noticing my gaze, visibly tensed up. A few more sips later, she actually started choking.
"Oh! Your Highness!" one of the maids rushed to her immediately.
"I-I'm fine! Everything's okay!"
"Mm-hm," I said grimly.
"W-what?!"
"Nothing."
Alright. Whatever. It wasn't that big a deal. Let her stay nearby for now. Still… the Queen's actions were raising a few too many questions.
I could understand her wanting to marry Melty off to Naofumi — a union with the Shield Hero would basically force Melromarc to move toward a formal alliance with the demi-human nations, where the Shield was treated as a literal god. But personally, I wouldn't put it past the long-eared types to simply eliminate the "filthy temptress who seduced a god" — and any potential child with her. Not really my call to make, though.
But what the hell did I have to do with it?
Trying to match Melty with me made no sense at all — unless the Queen simply wanted a Hero she could count on. Even then, a political marriage with the Shield Hero would be far more valuable to Melromarc. Or maybe I was just overthinking things and this really was just about safety. Nothing more, nothing less.
"This is all too complicated," I muttered, shaking my head. Then I decided to get one last thing cleared up. "There's one more thing I'd like to know…"
…
Stepping out into the estate's back garden, I was met with the familiar green expanse and neatly trimmed hedges, over which an elderly gardener was still diligently working. Upon seeing me, he smiled warmly and bowed at the waist before returning wordlessly to his task.
I turned away from him and continued walking. It hadn't been easy, but I'd left Night in the lounge. It had to be done.
Walking along the stone-paved path, I passed through the garden, then the gazebo, and finally, after rounding a corner, reached the area where Pelgue kept their mounts and other monsters. Among them were even a few riding dragons.
And there, in one of the stalls, I found the person I was looking for — a red-haired girl, intently rubbing down one of the dragons' snouts with a cloth.
"Looks like you've finally found something you enjoy doing."
"Kya!" Wyndia jumped in place with a startled squeak, spinning around in a flash, her eyes wide — and growing even wider when she realized who she was looking at.
"O-oh! I… You…"
"You're the same as always," I smirked and stepped closer to the creature — one that someone had clearly misidentified as a dragon. Not the kind of thing I should probably say out loud around Wyndia...
The little dragon, though, had already started wagging its tail excitedly before I even got close. But instead of charging at me, it obediently sat on its hind legs, trembling slightly as it stared up at me with something like awe.
"Very interesting…" I murmured, deep in thought. "But not the point." I then turned to Wyndia. "So? How are you?"
"Well… when you first left me here, Master, I… I was lost." The girl had calmed down a bit and sat back down in front of the dragon. "And then Sadeena-oneechan showed up, and…"
She suddenly started turning red, clearly recalling something very specific in her head.
"Then Lord Remus offered me work here at the estate. And eventually… well… I ended up here." Looking into the dragon's eyes, Wyndia smiled softly. "I think I like taking care of monsters."
"I see. That's good."
"Did something happen?" Wyndia glanced up at me curiously.
"You could say that. Why?"
"You… seem different."
"Who knows…"
My smirk… didn't provoke any visible reaction from Wyndia. Had she gotten used to it? A shame.
"Well then, since you're doing fine, I've got no more business here. In the next few days, I'll make time to get you to level 40, just like I promised," I said, getting to my feet.
"About that…"
"No, I will get you to level 40 and take you through a class upgrade," I cut off the girl's hesitant attempt to speak. "And after that, you'll decide for yourself how you want to live. I made a promise."
"…Alright."
"Good. That's that."
All that was left was the final touch. In light of the resolved conflict with the Church and the upcoming gathering of all five Heroes, the Queen decided to host something of a celebration — an event to which all five of us had been invited.
So, after discussing a few more matters with Remus and agreeing that the Duplicate Sacred Weapon would be handed over to me once I returned, I set off for Melromarc — with Night at my side.
It felt like I had finally cleared yet another major checkpoint in this new life of mine…