Chapter 25: Hero, Arianrod Mona 5

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Aria was strong. Without a doubt, she was many times stronger than Finn.

If Vasily were rated at one hundred, Aria would be around ninety, while Finn would be about forty. It was incredulous to even suggest that they stood shoulder to shoulder. However, at that moment, there was one aspect in which Finn overwhelmingly surpassed Aria.

That was, mental fortitude. Aria had not yet shed the heart of a young girl. Even though her power and techniques had been polished to the point that she had already stepped into the realm of transcendence, she had not formed any resolve at all to take a life using that power. Hurting others, and being hurt herself, were still difficult for her.

But Finn… Finn Debyura was different. Despite being blown away and nearly killed, he spoke as if nothing had happened and tried to remain friendly. He endured daily sparring where his arms and legs were broken, and where the broken parts were relentlessly targeted. While spraying blood and bile, he still continued to train his body endlessly.

At this point, he no longer flinched at the thought of a fight to the death.

“────KIEEEEEEE!!”

With a shrill scream, the monster swung its twin scythes. Though it resembled a praying mantis, it possessed a body larger than Finn’s, and from its arms it launched multiple blade-like projectiles. Aria could clearly see how fast they were.

If she had been in perfect condition, she should have been able to dodge them without issue. The attacks Vasily had unleashed during their training were faster, so there should’ve been no problem here and yet… Aria couldn’t move. 

Ah— I have to dodge.

Blades closed in, but her legs wouldn’t move. She couldn’t switch gears from the conversation she’d just been having with Finn. She had never trained or practiced for this kind of transition, so in that sense, it was only natural for her to react like this.  Vasily knew that Aria’s mentality was still “normal.”

That was why she thought it was fine to take things slowly, letting her grow and gradually adapt. She wasn’t a child who had lived gripping a knife since before she could remember, there was no need to rush. But she didn’t move. Aria’s heart was confused, unsure what to do in an emergency. If she had been alone here, she would have been injured without being able to do anything. She might not have died, but the pain could have driven her mad and cornered her.

The blades of wind aimed at her… Finn, standing in front of her, blocked them all with his body.

—Splatter…!!

Blood overflowed from his silently sliced flesh. For a moment, Aria almost screamed when she saw it, but she held it in. Unlike Vasily, the enemy was a monster. This was the first time she had experienced an attack filled with killing intent. For Finn too, this was his first real fight to the death. Yet, he didn’t flinch.

“…Is that all?”

Muttering that, Finn stepped forward. The monster focused its blades on Finn and swung its scythes.

—HYUGO!!

The wind blades struck Finn again, and blood sprayed out. A wet, unpleasant splashing sound echoed. Even so, Finn paid it no mind and kept moving forward. One step, two steps, three, four. Without even trying to block the wind blades, Finn advanced, blood pouring from his entire body. Perhaps sensing something was wrong, the monster wildly swung its arms, but every attack merely tore flesh and caused bleeding. And when Finn finally closed the distance…

“K… KIEEEEE!!”

The monster swung its scythe. At such close range, it would have split his skull if it hit, but Finn narrowly avoided it by shifting his body slightly. The scythe grazed his cheek, carving the deepest wound yet, but because it had been swung with such force, it stabbed into the ground and got stuck.

“See ya’.”

Saying that, Finn grabbed the monster by the neck and slammed it into the ground.

Crack!! Thud!! Thud, crunch, thud, thud!!

He slammed it down over and over, stomped on it relentlessly, until the monster eventually twitched weakly and stopped moving. The one who had created that gruesome scene spoke without heavy breathing, without groaning in pain.

“…Hey, Aria.”

“W-w-what?”

“I’m weak, right?”

Finn turned around, covered in blood. Asked that, Aria tried to think of how to answer with her still-confused mind, but no good response came to her.

“If it were Master or you, this thing would’ve gone down in one hit. You wouldn’t end up looking this pathetic. You could beat it without taking a single blow. But me.. I have to get this injured and take this long just to kill it.”

That’s not true.

Even though all she had to do was say that, Aria couldn’t speak. Because he was right.

“I’m weak. All I can do is get close and punch it. And even then, I can’t beat Master or you.”

Like I said…

Aria didn’t want to hear what came next.

“I can’t go with you right now, Aria.”

Finn muttered that with a lonely expression. Seeing it, Aria could only lower her head and let out sobs. It seemed the monster attack had spread across the entire village, but since Vasily quickly took care of the other areas, it didn’t turn into a major disaster. If anything, the most seriously injured one was Finn.

Neither of them had ever seen Vasily heal someone while screaming in panic, so when she rushed over in a frenzy, they ended up exchanging glances and laughing, but nothing had been resolved. If anything, things got worse. Because their planned departure was moved up, and they would be leaving immediately.

“Based on the knowledge I possess, it seems it’d be bad if we don’t depart at this time. So I’m sorry, you two. We’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

“…?????????”

“…Got it.”

Unable to accept reality, Aria passed out, while Finn nodded reluctantly. Watching Finn pack in her place as she lay blankly on the bed without even gathering her things, Aria thought to herself. 

There’s no time left.

From here on, she wouldn’t be able to stay with her parents, let alone with Finn. Leaving the village to travel meant touring various countries, and she wouldn’t be able to meet Finn, who was headed to the royal capital. As long as they followed Vasily’s knowledge, she would never get that chance.

…What should I do? No—seriously, what should I do…?

From Aria’s perspective, Finn was a genuinely good man. There were things she could complain about after living together, but she had long since swallowed them. And since he would go through so much hardship for his childhood friend, there was no way she wouldn’t fall in love with him.

I-if he treated other girls like that… Wouldn’t he be insanely popular…?

Just yesterday, he had saved her when she couldn’t do anything. He protected her while covered in wounds, enduring pain. By Aria’s and Vasily’s standards, Finn certainly lacked power, but to an ordinary woman, he was more than dependable. Aria still retained normal sensibilities, so she understood that fact. They couldn’t go together. She knew that couldn’t be helped.

Even if she selfishly dragged him along, it probably wouldn’t lead to happiness. But was it really okay to part like this? What floated vaguely through her mind was the future.

If I become a Hero with Master and after several years I go to the royal capital to find Finn, and he’s already married to some girl I don’t know…!!

“Aah… abababah!”

“!?”

Groaning at the worst scenario she imagined, Aria didn’t even notice Finn turning around in surprise and tilting his head before returning to packing. She continued thinking.

Wait—come to think of it, Master never said anything about what happens to me in the future, right? She says there’s a path to happiness, but she never gives specifics, does she? What happens to Finn and me? Eh—ah—n-no way! If this keeps up, does that mean I can’t marry Finn!?

“…Aria.”

“Yes!”

“If you’re feeling better, that’s good… Here. I’m done packing.”

“Ah, thanks.”

He had nonchalantly packed even her underwear, but Aria didn’t notice.

“…Master really sprang this on us.”

“Yeah…”

“But, well, you’ll be fine, Aria. You can even become a Hero.”

“Maybe… But I keep getting saved by you, Finn.”

She set the luggage down and flopped onto the bed. She wouldn’t say she didn’t want to become one anymore. But she had always, always been saved by Finn.

Ever since that day. Ever since the day she struck Finn. And now the day of departure had arrived without her being able to repay him at all. What was she supposed to do from here? How could she meet Finn again? Those were the only things Aria thought about.

“Was I helping you at all?”

“Yeah. You’ve been saving me nonstop.”

“…I see. Then, that’s good.”

“…Huh?”

She looked at Finn without thinking. Finn met her gaze with gentle eyes and smiled.

“So I really was helping you, even just a little.”

Suddenly, she remembered the words from that day. The short words Finn said to Aria when she cried that she didn’t want to become special, words that made her happier than anything.

『It’d be tough for Aria if she were alone. I’ll become one too.』

…I see. Finn has been helping me all along.

“…That’s right. It’s always been thanks to you, Finn.”

Finn might not be able to go with her. Right now, Finn might be weaker than Aria. But so what? Finn had always helped Aria. He had helped a girl destined to become the special existence known as a Hero and save the world.

Ah—I knew it. I really do love him.

She loved Finn Debyura. The racing heart, the aching chest, the way her eyes followed him without thinking, everything was love. So…

She couldn’t keep relying on him forever.

“…Thank you, Finn. I’ll never forget you. You won’t forget me either, okay?”

“Yeah. I won’t forget. Even if you become a Hero, you’ll always be Aria to me.”

“Yeah… Yeah, yeah!”

To her, that was the happiest special of all. Arianrod Mona was in love. No matter how strong she became, how great she became, or how much time passed… Before Finn Debyura, she could remain just a girl. That was why she set out on her journey. So that someday, she could reunite with her childhood friend who would see her as a girl.

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“Okay, say ah~”

“Ah~…”

“Hehe, is it good?”

“It’s good.”

Eating sweets fed to me by my beautiful, busty childhood friend Hero was the best! Her beaming smile was dazzling.

Sure, indulging myself in my hardcore masochistic fetish was nice too, but savoring this kind of everyday happiness was wonderful as well. 

I’m really glad I turned out normal.

Still, Aria hadn’t changed. I thought she’d completely forgotten about me after becoming a Hero, but not at all. She was exactly the same as back then.

Those days were the best days indeed… Getting beaten to a pulp by Master, being overtaken by Aria in no time. Even with a body trained that much, I’d still end up torn to shreds fighting monsters. My head was constantly full of spiraling thoughts, crushed by the talent gap between Aria and me—and that felt good. I kept going because I wanted to feel good, even while being tormented by helplessness. I agonized over whether to follow Aria and Master on their journey.

Master absolutely refused, saying I’d definitely die, but part of me thought that if I could die in front of the two of them, that wouldn’t be so bad either. They were the first people besides my parents whom I didn’t want to see die. 

I mean, dying while protecting them would’ve been worth it too.

But I chose the path where I wouldn’t die. If I died, the two of them would grieve and my parents would too. If dying had been necessary, I would’ve accepted it, but it felt like it’d just be a pointless death. That was a bit much.

“Hey, Finn.”

“What is it?”

“Well, um… Actually, the reason we came back is because the battle with the Demon Lord’s army is more or less settled.”

Oh, really. As expected of Master and Aria. While I was getting beaten to a pulp by some creature I barely understood and barely winning, they were out there making a difference in a war. Way beyond the norm.

“And so, you know? We got quite a bit of money.”

“Oh. We can eat lots of food then.”

“Yeah~. No, not that! Um… Well… I was thinking of buying a house in the royal capital.”

A house!? Th-that’s amazing… Even I haven’t bought a private residence yet… Even when I save up steadily, my savings get wiped out every time my armor breaks. Can’t be helped though. After all, I’m just a leech living off three beautiful women.

That said, being rumored about like that by guys doesn’t make me happy at all. At least I’d like to be looked down on by a pretty receptionist or something.

While I was thinking that, Aria fiddled shyly with her fingers for a bit, then opened her mouth as if she’d made up her mind.

“So… Finn, if you’re okay with it, um… W-w-would you like to live together?”

“I can’t. I live with my party.”

“…………A party. …With Saint-chan?”

“And Carla and Astrea. I chipped in too. We bought a house together.”

“……………Bwoeeeeeeeh!!!”

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