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Chapter 40

【Heroes Party Side】 Jannet: Even Though it’s Easy To Defend Against Malicious Intentions, No One Can Protect Themselves From Good Intentions.

 

People who aren’t used to talking a lot tend to get sore throats more easily than those who do.

The same thing goes for me, who usually doesn’t talk at all. Because I only use my mouth to cast magic.

 

I never let out a sound from my stomach, much less shouting from the top of my lungs, so I was surprised by how painful my throat felt after just one shout.

And because I never liked to go out in public in the first place, the strange looks I received from the passersby felt like they were piercing me.

——But right now, I can’t afford to be bothered by it.

 

I was coughing up as I ran to avoid the crowds in frustration at the fact that my voice had no power to make my childhood friend turn around.

 

I wasn’t able to buy the magic potion. But that doesn’t matter now.

 

……Ahh, that’s not it.

It’s not that, it’s not like that.

I can’t burst into tears at a time like this

 

「……Haa, Haa……」

 

I’m not the type of person with a lot of stamina and I can’t help but feel pathetic about it.

I rushed to the corner of an abandoned house and slid down as I leaned against the wall before sitting down on the ground.

 

I tried catching my breath.

Calm down, I need to calm down…

Running out of breath like this… is it because of my exhaustion or the mental strain? I can’t really tell…

 

——After some time, I braced myself and opened the letter in my hand.

 

The way the content of the letter was written wasn’t like Emmy at all.

The writing style was calm and in a matter-of-fact manner.

 

But still, this letter…

 

「Emmy…」

 

Without hesitation, I burn the paper I would likely decide to keep as a keepsake from my childhood friend if I hold it for another second.

And then, to make sure that it wouldn’t leave any traces, I blew away the ashes with wind magic.

 

I can’t let anyone else see this letter.

Especially that woman.

 

When Emmy became a 【Holy Knight】, I truly felt that it suited her… I can even say that I kind of expected her to be one.

She was quite a tomboyish princess, but she was so kind that she would cry when she saw someone else get hurt… Really, she’s such a cute princess that as a girl of the same age as her, I can’t help but feel a little depressed.

She has a lot of things that I don’t.

 

Maybe that’s why.

That day, at that moment… When Emmy destroyed the very thing she wanted to protect with her own hands. Just imagining the mental burden she carries from this alone makes me want to vomit.

 

……Katie.

The most terrifying woman in my opinion right now.

 

I have always loved reading books ever since I was a kid.

Gaining knowledge is my greatest pleasure, and I think——while I know it’s a bad trait of mine——that having a sense of superiority was, as I thought, one of the reasons for my love of knowledge.

 

Stories about the Heroes, Saintess, and also… Dungeons.

The more difficult it is, the more valuable the information and knowledge it holds. That’s why the senior and high-ranking adventurers don’t carelessly leak information, not to mention the past Hero’s Parties that left practically nothing.

The only things they left behind are those you can find in the 『Heroic Tales』 for the Heroes and the 『The Legend of The Saintess』 for the Saintess, which told nothing but their achievements in an exaggerated way.

They didn’t leave behind any information regarding their strategy to achieve what they did.

 

Considering all of those things, I can confidently say this.

What Katie-san has been telling us is information that didn’t exist in those books.

 

Where has that person been all this time?

How come that no one has ever talked about that person before?

How come that lecherous Vince is walking around town and has never met her all this time?

 

Above all, how did a woman who looks like a high-class prostitute walking out in the daytime with her golden locks shining so brightly under the sunlight, approach us without attracting anyone’s attention?

And…… just for what reason did she approach us?

 

I just don’t understand.

 

I have always loved reading books ever since I was a kid.

It always makes me uneasy to come into an unknown situation in which I have no knowledge of and——while I know it’s bad to say this——as I thought, the fear of inferiority must be also a part of my desire for knowledge.

 

Katie-san is definitely more knowledgeable than I am.

She has knowledge that can’t be found in books.

 

As someone who admits to having the worst personality, let me say my true feelings.

That person’s undying golden eyes, filled with unclouded compassion… it felt like they were looking down on me and it scared me.

 

For now, I should think about what I should do next.

First, I decided to go see Vince. At first, I thought he might have gone to go see weapons, but then a thought occurred to me and I decided to go to food stalls.

As expected, I found him hanging out in front of a skewer stall.

 

「Vince.」

 

「Hm? Oh, Jannet, huh. What’s up?」

 

The fact that he can eat without a care in the world about what his comrade is going through is quite astounding. In a bad way, of course.

 

「I’m going to see Katie-san after this. You come too, Vince.」

 

「Did something happen?」

 

「Yeah, something did happen. There’s just one thing… do you believe in my intelligence, Vince?」

 

「’Course I am! Our party would’ve been in disaster if it weren’t for your brain, Jannet.」

 

Nn, being trusted isn’t a bad feeling at all.

After all, being able to use the knowledge in my head to be useful for the party is a nice feeling. It really comes in handy in situations like this.

 

「That’s relieving to hear. Listen, you just have to keep your mouth shut and trust me, okay? As long as you trust me, everything will be fine.」

 

「O-Okay… got it.」

 

Vince was looking at me with an impatient look on his face and nodded, albeit it was as if he felt forced to do it, then we headed to see Katie-san.

 

「Oh my, welcome back~」

 

「Ou, we’re back.」

 

After exchanging a small greeting with her, I ask Vince to stand behind me.

 

「We’re back. Also, we need to talk.」

 

「Yes? What do you want to talk about?」

 

I then told her about what happened with Emmy.

 

「Emmy had a male friend who 『had nothing special in particular』 about him」

 

Vince who’s behind me clears his throat. I swear this guy… just shut up, please.

Hearing this, Katie-san’s eyes were filled with astonishment.

There’s no doubt about it, she already got it all figured only with that one sentence. This big-breasted natural beauty is very smart after all.

 

「And then, that Emmy…… she’s saying that it’s her fault that that childhood friend got injured, and she ran to return to him to apologize……」

 

「……Oh no…… what have I done…」

 

Then, Katie-san who seemed to have pieced everything together with just that information started crying.

There’s no doubt that she’s crying for real. I’ve seen a Thief girl from a party somewhere fake her cry before, so I can tell that the one in front of me is a real one.

 

She was telling her with good intentions, I’m sure.

But that’s what makes Katie-san even more scary, to me at least.

 

When it comes to a hostile opponent, you can put your guard up against them.

You can wear some armor and put up your shield to take their attack. This way, you can mitigate even a strong attack to a certain extent.

 

However, if——.

——There’s an opponent who can insert a knife directly into your organs? How are you supposed to defend against that?

……Katie is exactly that kind of woman.

She would stab her opponent with one hundred percent good intentions, not knowing that it would hurt them.

 

I’m sure this is what Emmy thought of Katie-san, but even I thought of her as 『a party crasher who seduces men』. That’s the only impression I got from her.

……My knowledge, intelligence, and insight were insufficient. I was too careless.

 

She’s a real party crasher who isn’t even aware of what she’s doing.

 

You might say I’m reading too much into things, but there’s the 『murmur』 that Emmy told me.

That’s exactly what 『fear of the unknown』 is.

 

I don’t know what’s going to happen to our 『Hero’s Party』 in the future.

But…

With what Emmy told me and what it had done to her mind and body.

I sorted all of these things out in my mind and finally understood the duty I must fulfill.

 

For my childhood friend, for Emmy’s sake——

 

——I must never let this person meet Russell.