Chapter 24: Hero, Arianrod Mona 4

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Five years had passed since the three of them—Vasily, Finn, and Aria—began living together. Finn continued to be beaten just as before, but Aria had grown capable of occasionally checking on him with bated breath and treating him afterward, so compared to the beginning, their relationship had improved.

And Aria was in love with Finn. Aria realized “Oh, I like him” when she was twelve years old. When her parents visited, she consulted her mother and was told that what she was feeling was indeed love. Of course, all the adults around them had noticed long ago, but they figured it wasn’t something for adults to point out and waited until the child asked herself. Even Vasily probably never imagined that Aria would spend several years without even realizing she was in love.

After becoming aware of her feelings, Aria’s physical contact with Finn increased oddly, and because she interacted with him at the same close distance as when they were children, both of their parents sometimes looked at them with expressions that were hard to describe when they came to visit. There may or may not have been a Vasily solemnly assuring them, “Rest assured. They’re having a wholesome relationship.”

Aria had vaguely thought they would just keep living together like this, but one day, a single remark Vasily made during a meal shocked her.

“Finn. What will you do after we leave?”

“I’m planning to become an adventurer in the royal capital.”

──Huh?

Her fork froze in midair. The salad, having lost its destination, swayed limply.

“An adventurer, huh. If I recommend you, you should receive fairly good treatment.”

“No thanks. I’m aware that I’m just Aria’s extra.”

“By my estimate, I think you could reach silver rank.”

“A silver-rank adventurer calling himself your disciple would just be a fake.”

In the end, Finn’s training regimen did not improve. There were lectures, and he often learned forms to acquire techniques, but Finn did not have talent like Aria’s. If Aria learned ten things from hearing one, Finn learned one thing from hearing ten. After five years of watching Aria effortlessly surpass the places where he himself struggled, Finn had begun speaking like this.

That said, it never caused their relationship to sour. It was merely an objective assessment, and Vasily also taught that such self-awareness was important, so from Finn’s perspective, it was nothing more than thinking, “There’s a gap between Aria and me as wide as heaven and earth.” He wasn’t putting himself down. He was simply accepting it as reality, but the problem lay with Aria.

Finn made remarks that seemed to belittle himself. Every time he did, Aria’s chest tightened. Aria had never once thought of Finn as an extra. Unlike the other kids their age who now kept their distance, Finn was the only boy who never feared her and stayed by her side. On top of that, he never neglected his efforts to catch up, and despite literally vomiting blood, he never uttered a word of complaint.

Who else could do that? No one could. To Aria, Finn was one of a kind. She wouldn’t let anyone call him an extra. Finn Debyura was Arianrod Mona’s special someone. Aria understood that Finn’s words weren’t complaints or grumbling. She understood, but she still didn’t want him to say them. Because Aria liked Finn.

There was no way she’d be happy hearing the boy she loved say, “I’m just Aria’s extra.” From a purely ability-based perspective, extra might even be accurate but Aria was a maiden in love, and she threw that kind of logic straight out the window.

No, Finn isn’t an extra at all. No, why are you even going to the royal capital? No, Finn is coming with us, right?

“I don’t mind at all. Finn is undeniably an important disciple of mine.”

“I do. I don’t want to become your weakness, Master.”

“…Hmmm. You’ve gotten mouthy, haven’t you, you little brat.”

“Fghghgh.”

Vasily reached out happily and pinched Finn’s cheek. Finn showed little change in expression, but somehow—just somehow—he seemed pleased.

Aren’t they kind of close?

A vein popped on Aria’s forehead as she shoved the salad she’d been holding into her mouth and roughly stabbed her fork into the meat.

Thud!

“…Why isn’t Finn coming with us?”

“I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re not a burden! Finn, you’re the same as me!”

“No. We’re different. You and I are completely different.”

“…We’re not different!! It won’t work unless Finn comes too! Thanks for the meal!”

She forcefully stuffed the meat she’d speared into her mouth, and feeling embarrassed to keep glaring at Finn, Aria chose to flee. She finished eating in no time, quickly cleared the dishes, and ran off with Vasily’s words—“Make sure you come back when it’s time to sleep”—hitting her back.

Her escape destination was outside. When she wanted to be alone, Aria ran into the forest. In terms of strength, she wouldn’t lose to ordinary monsters, and since she never spent the entire night outside (she only went outside for a short time until she cooled off) Vasily didn’t worry. And the place Aria headed for was always the same.

“…Haah. I did it again.”

After running to Finn’s training grounds, Aria sat down on a tree stump.

“…Finn isn’t a burden.”

It was true that in terms of strength, Aria was many times stronger. By adventurer standards, Vasily had already given her stamp of approval that she could become a gold-rank adventurer. In contrast, her estimate for Finn was only, “I think he could reach silver rank.” The gap was obvious at that point, but whether it was love being blind or something else, Finn occupied the highest place in Aria’s heart, and she couldn’t accept that reality. There was no way Finn would become a burden.

Besides, I’m here, so we just have to work so that doesn’t happen. Master is here, I’m here, and Finn is here. That should be enough, so what’s wrong with that?

She didn’t want a future without Finn. She couldn’t even imagine Finn not being there. A life from here on without Finn was impossible.

“…I don’t want to go unless Finn comes too.”

“Found you. I figured it’d be here.”

“Pi!”

Aria, hugging her knees, flinched and her body jerked. She cautiously turned around and there he was: the person she loved, and also the source of her worries, Finn.

“Mind if I sit next to you?”

“P-please do.”

Eh, did he hear that? He heard it? Really? He heard it?

Her heart pounded noisily. Without noticing Aria’s flushed face from embarrassment, Finn sat down beside her.

“I’d like to come with you too… If I’m allowed.”

“Wha—y-you heard that?”

“Yes. The part about wanting to be together.”

“So you did hear it…”

She clenched her arms tighter and buried her face in her knees. Being alone together wasn’t unusual for them. Each time, Aria would timidly push her feelings forward just a little, but none of it ever got through to Finn. He heard it, but didn’t really hear it. That was how he responded, and Aria didn’t know what she should say.

“Aria. Do you really think I’m the same as you?”

“Well… Yeah. I mean, isn’t Finn the only one doing training that harsh? There’s no one else like you.”

“…I know I’m doing something different from others. But that doesn’t make it special.”

“…That’s not true. Finn, you’re amazing.”

“But I can’t beat you… Or Master.”

Not just unable to beat them, he couldn’t even compete. Considering his age, Finn had grown more than enough. For the efforts of an ordinary person, he was beyond exceptional. That was precisely why Vasily told him to call himself a disciple and said she didn’t mind recommending him. Aria believed this blindly, but Vasily, in her own way, truly—yes, truly—held Finn in high regard.

But reality was cruel. Finn couldn’t even make Aria use the Holy Sword, nor could he inflict a single wound on Vasily.

“That’s… Besides, you’ll get stronger from now on.”

“From now on? Well, you’ll get stronger faster than I ever could. It’s impossible.”

Impossible? Finn couldn’t catch up to me?

“…I can’t go on your journey. Master said so too. She said that even if I came along, I’d just die for nothing.”

“That’s not—! That can’t be…!”

『Finn can’t catch up to me.』

Aria couldn’t deny it. Every time she watched Finn train, she thought: if he dodged there and countered, if he avoided there, if he extended his right arm there… Aria had enough strength and talent to spar properly even with Vasily. And because of that, she understood.

Finn was growing. Without a doubt, he was growing. But he would never reach her. Even so, she didn’t want to understand that.

“…I don’t want that. Come with us.”

“No. I don’t want to get in your way.”

“You’re not in the way… If you don’t come, I’ll cry.”

“Ehh…”

With Aria completely hiding her face and falling silent, Finn looked up at the sky with a troubled expression…. When something came flying down from the sky. Aria didn’t notice its presence. Finn saw it. And his body moved instantly. Finn had no talent. All he had was the practical combat experience he had accumulated stubbornly, abnormally so, and it was enough to inspire fear. A surprise attack or ambush was no obstacle to him. Unless the opponent came to kill with the very first strike, it was no different from any other attack to him.

“Aria!”

“Huh—”

At the same moment Finn leapt in front of Aria, the incoming something swung down at tremendous speed from above.

HYUGAH!!

The wind screamed. The thing that was released flew at near the speed of sound, easily slashing toward Finn as he shielded Aria. Taking a defensive stance to protect his head and heart, Finn received the strike.

SPLASH!!

Blood sprayed. Sensing something was wrong from the sound of the wind, Aria’s vision filled with Finn’s back.

“…Aria, are you hurt?”

“I’m not—eh, what, Finn, are you okay? What just—”

“Probably a monster. Wait here, Aria.”

He clenched his bleeding arm tightly. As the thing that had been flying landed in front of them, Finn took his stance.

“I can’t beat you, but I haven’t given up on catching up.”

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