I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

98. Fragment of the Mirror

The joy of your first journey will be unforgettable even after a lifetime.

I could see green hills and clear skies.

And then a cool wind filled with the scent of the world blew.

The moment Arcel took the first step on her journey, enjoying all of those things, she felt the sense that she was alive.

Until now, it didn’t feel like anything was alive.

Just because he was a chosen warrior, he had to hold a sword in his hand and swing it every day, and even had to cut down a living human being as soon as he held the sword for the first time.

The feeling felt when cutting through life with a sword.

Red blood splashing on the skin.

The sound of life ending in my ears.

All of those things were not something a girl who was less than 10 years old could ever get used to.

But what about now?

Although the mission to defeat the Demon King has been given, what is given in the process is freedom.

Journey is a form of training to become strong enough to defeat the Demon King.

At the same time, the role of the hero is to spread the word of the hero’s mission to the world, increase the number of people fighting against demons, and make everyone’s hearts become one.

As long as I fulfilled that role, I was free to do whatever the process was.

Moreover, she was not going on this long journey alone and lonely; she had reliable colleagues by her side.

Trust strengthens relationships.

As the relationship improves, the power of trust becomes stronger.

The bond created through trust strengthened our determination to protect our comrades, and through our determination, we were able to make ourselves stronger.

But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing…

When I finally turned around, there was no one there except Arcel.

The people who walked together suddenly disappeared.

And as usual, all that was left behind was a trace of blood.

†††

“Are you asking me to release that person now?”

Clen asked Arcel as if he was sane.

“Well… I think that’s how it happened for now.”

Honestly, even I thought it was an absurd statement, so I couldn’t really explain it.

“This is absurd. No matter how you look at it, why are you asking us to release this guy who is bound to be hostile to you, including me?”

“From my perspective, I have no choice but to be hostile, but personally, I will not be hostile.”

Still, I know that Morian is doing it out of pure kindness, so I don’t think we’ll ever end up pointing our swords at each other.

Furthermore, even if the situation worsened, Arcel had nothing to be afraid of in his current state.

“You’re arrogant. “I can’t believe I’m having peace of mind.”

“Sometimes you have to raise your head up to see the sky, and it doesn’t matter what happens to Grandma Clen, right?”

“If I release him arbitrarily, how can I guarantee that he won’t point his sword into my territory?”

“You already know that that kid is no threat to Grandma Clen, right?”

“I guess the Demon King was caught off guard like that.”

Alfred and Clen continued their brief battle of wits.

“Can you at least run backwards?”

“All you have to do is not let your guard down.”

“Well, I guess so. Anyway, even the strong Demon King had his throat cut by the hero and fell to the ground just because he was careless. “I will understand if Grandma Clen is scared of her.”

“Hoo… Are you saying I’m scared now?”

“Isn’t that right? In short, I’m saying to be on guard for when that kid grows up and points his sword at Grandma Clen. That also means that you are very scared. “The Demon King didn’t even blink when a hero appeared.”

“Yes, that means I am more cowardly and less powerful than the Demon King…”

Clen’s eyebrows twitched.

As I gently scratched my pride by using the Demon King as an example, even Clen began to fall for Alfred’s words.

Arsel frowned as he looked at Alfred, and Stella was chuckling to herself, trying hard to hold back laughter.

It’s so mischievous that I don’t even think I need to explain it.

“Don’t be mistaken, the Demon King was going to fall by my hands if the hero didn’t do it.”

Clen smiled awkwardly and lifted her chin.

I know this is Alfred’s trick, but the composure that comes from the strong allows them to overlook such obvious things.

“There is no need to push yourself too hard.”

“Where on earth do you think this is unreasonable?”

“Even so, the opponent is just like a hero with that holy sword, right? Besides, if you’re as big and heavy as Grandma Clen, you have to beat on a stone bridge before you can cross it.”

That was the final blow.

It is safe to say that Alfred’s tongue was given to us by the devil, and he seems to be born with a natural ability to get on someone’s nerves.

“Good. Yes, I will release you.”

“You said there’s no need to overdo it?”

“That’s funny, I’ll just fall for your words now. So take that thing with you and get out of my territory.”

“…I am grateful for the lord’s mercy.”

In the end, Clen told him to take Morian out.

Arcel smiled bitterly and lowered her head slightly.

“There is no need to be thankful. Anyway, things like that aren’t enough of a threat that I need to be on guard. “If you really appreciate it, cut off its tongue and offer it to me later.”

“I will try my best.”

“Wait, what?”

Alfred, who was next to him, had a crumpled expression, but Arcel just ignored it.

“I’ll go and free you so I can leave right away.”

Stella said she had enjoyed the sights and headed to Morian to hurry.

†††

I tried to free Morian with Clen’s permission, but he himself had already fallen asleep.

Anyway, I decided to release it, so I will release it.

Arsel took Morian to the place Alfred said was his villa, and there was a small, clean and well-maintained mansion.

“Why didn’t you go straight to your castle?”

Arsel said as he laid the sleeping Morian down on the bed.

“I just don’t have the hobby of picking up a rat from the roadside and taking it home.”

Alfred shrugged his shoulders as he came out and closed the door.

“I think the metaphor of a rat is a bit harsh…”

“That’s right, I have to apologize to all the rats across the country.”

Arsel felt a little strange at Alfred’s reaction.

“Alfred, is there any other reason why you dislike that child?”

Of course, he wasn’t very good, but Alfred showed a particularly strong dislike for Morrían.

Normally, other than elves, Alfred showed this level of disgust.

Alfred usually calls elves ears and dark elves good ears.

But Morrian is not an elf and her skin is white, so one might wonder why she was like that.

“He just resembles a guy I hate so much.”

“Who is that?”

“Secret, if you think about it, you’ll know it right away, right?”

This is a guy that Alfred hates very much.

There are so many that it is difficult to pinpoint someone.

Alfred replaced the existing Orc captain with the cleanest one, saying that he smelled because he did not wash well, and also made the dark elves who had surrendered to the Demon King’s army into slaves.

Thanks to this, he rescued the dark elves who were enslaved in the salt mines and fields on several occasions.

In particular, I remembered how all of his colleagues were shocked when they saw that they were wearing leashes with their names written on them.

In the midst of all that, I heard they provided good food to me.

“…You can find out right away?”

Of course, those are not even the tip of the iceberg.

Alfred, who hated the church, stole the world’s oldest cross and turned it into a toilet for monsters, and according to rumors, he committed countless worse acts.

“Isn’t that right? “I am very tolerant and do not discriminate against people based on skin color, gender, or race.”

When I think about it again, it seems like that happens to everyone.

Alfred consistently did whatever he wanted, whether it was a human, an elf, or even a demon.

Did Alfred call him Satan for no reason?

In the first place, Arcel himself suffered a lot from Alfred.

“Alfred, won’t you stick out your tongue for a moment?”

“…Aren’t you satisfied with just dusting it off at the auction house last time?”

Alfred stepped back, looking at the holy sword emitting light.

“I was just thinking about old times, and various things came to mind.”

Arcel cleared her throat a few times and put away her holy sword.

Maybe it was because I thought it was okay to cut it because it would regenerate anyway, but I almost cut it without even realizing it.

But when I think about what happened to me, I really want to cut it down.

Perhaps because the curse was lifted, forgotten memories began to be released.

I thought about attacking Alfred later when he was asleep, but that was difficult because Alfred did not sleep.

“I’m here.”

As Arcel was lost in her thoughts for a moment, Stella, who had been looking around her mansion for a while, returned.

“I brought some good herbs nearby, but I think he fell asleep due to the aftereffects of the poison… So what is that demon doing?”

“He feels his life is in danger and is protecting himself.”

After hearing Stella’s words, I turned around and saw that Alfred was now heavily armed with very thick and heavy armor.

He even holds a shield the size of a human body.

I was wondering where he got it from and when he put it on, but I didn’t really ask Alfred.

“Anyway, as soon as that child wakes up again, let’s go to the Kingdom of Hermod or not. “It will probably happen within a few hours.”

“That’s right. So, if you’re going to enter the Kingdom of Hermod, don’t you think you should definitely go in your current form?”

Alfred’s eyes sparkled when he heard the words Hermod Kingdom.

Alfred didn’t really like going to the Kingdom of Hermod, but surprisingly, he liked it when they changed his clothes and disguised him.

Alfred clapped once and the skeletons started bringing hundreds of clothes.

Of course, the entire elf race is currently being excluded by humans, and Arcel has nothing more to say.

If you look at his face, you will immediately recognize that he is a hero.

“But Alfred, I have no intention of entering Hermod’s capital directly. “I am willing to watch from nearby.”

“Why?”

“Stella may not know, but there is a high risk of me being caught. Especially when it comes to knights who have been with me in the past.”

In particular, even in disguise, there are knights in the Kingdom of Hermod who have been with Arcel for a long time.

Of course, you can’t tell that they are wearing a disguise just by looking at their appearance, but if you talk to them even a little, you will be able to notice something strange.

It is much better than something like Clen where you can detect its existence simply by smell.

For this reason, I planned to leave Alfred and Stella to enter the Kingdom of Hermod, while Arcel would observe from afar.

“So this time, I plan to make you a man instead of just a disguise.”

“…Making you a man?”

“Of course, I’m not saying they actually make it that way, it’s cross-dressing. “I don’t have the same preference for people of the same gender as others.”

“Why are you talking while looking at me?”

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Stella frowned and said, “Don’t make any strange misunderstandings.”

“Because I’m a man, I’m sure even the knights who were with me wouldn’t think of me when they see a man.”

“And that guy sleeping over there is right. It is a festival held to commemorate the world you saved. Even if you can’t, shouldn’t you see it in person at least once?”

Although Alfred suddenly brought up the topic of cross-dressing, it seems surprisingly effective.

Usually, cases of turning a man into a woman using magic are found quite often, but the opposite is rare even if you wash your eyes and look for it, so it won’t be easy to recall.

“Shall we try something simple as an experiment? “Starting from the head first…”

With those words, Alfred sat Arcel down on his chair and began to tinker with this and that.

I wrapped his chest with a magic bandage and made his hair briefly shorter.

“Oh, it suits you quite well, doesn’t it? Now, if I put an insole here and increase my height…”

“There is no need to force yourself.”

Still, I couldn’t hide my femininity due to my basic body shape, but I somehow managed to finish it with a pretty good feel.

“…A hero?”

“Why are you doing that, Stella?”

But Stella, who was quietly watching, shook her head and said.

Of course, Arcel is a warrior, so it’s not too awkward.

However, Stella usually called Arcel by his first name and rarely called him a hero.

“Ah… It’s nothing. “I think it’s just my mood.”

There was a separate reason why Stella saw Arcel and said that her dragon was gone.

‘It looks strangely similar to the warrior in the portrait.’

That is Arcel’s squadron hero.

This was because the portrait of the 17th warrior with blonde hair and blue eyes that Stella had seen in the past when she was young looked strangely similar to Arcel, who is now dressed as a man.

However, since it is a portrait, it cannot be said to be completely identical to the real thing.