Volume 2 Chapter 30 The Unsung Hero
Swaying, swaying, swaying.
As the sharp wind brushed against my cheek, I was jostled on the back of a horse.
Clinging to the back of a reliable man, I waited anxiously for our arrival.
Eventually, I could see a large town in the distance, and the lively hustle and bustle reached my ears.
The royal capital, Chernozem.
When we finally reached the west gate, the man in front turned to me with a sleepy expression.
"We made it, dude."
"Oh, wow, we really got back before sunset..."
I let out a sigh of admiration as I got off the horse, gazing at the town with deep emotion.
I never thought I'd make it back to the royal capital before sundown.
As expected of a courier who makes a living delivering letters.
It was lucky that this guy happened to pass by and gave me a ride; I shudder to think what would've happened if I hadn't run into anyone.
If that were the case, I'd probably still be in the middle of the grasslands, dripping with sweat, running a hellish marathon.
"Well, I gotta take care of some paperwork at the gate, so you can head on in."
"Ah, um, just wait a second..."
Seeing the guy trying to lead the horse away, I hurriedly reached into my pocket.
As I tried to pull out my wallet, he opened his right hand as if he sensed what I was doing.
"Nah, I don't need any money. I told you I wouldn't take it, right?"
"B-but, I feel bad for making you bring me all the way here..."
"Anyway, you've got something important to do, right? So hurry up and go."
"...Ah, thank you!"
I bowed my head again to the courier and made my way toward the royal capital, Chernozem.
I was really glad that guy found me when I was in trouble on the roadside.
"Ms. Kikrys, I hope I'm not too late..."
Murmuring anxiously, I tried to enter the town.
Just then, a "girl" standing at the edge of the gate seemed to notice me and raised her right hand.
Waving it enthusiastically, she came running toward me with her "fiery red hair" flowing behind her.
"Mr. Roezé! Welcome back!"
"...Haha, you're way too energetic."
Unlike me, who feels all wilted like a withered flower, the red-haired girl is bursting with energy.
It would be strange if she wasn't way more tired than I am, yet she runs up to me with a lightness like she's got wings.
Looking up at me with her round red eyes, she clenches her fists and reports.
"I delivered Ms. Kikrys to the castle, just like I promised!"
It was as if a young child had succeeded in making a new toyshop for the first time...
Valkyrie Rose said confidently.
* * *
About an hour ago, I was fighting a group of criminals in the underground ruins of the western forest, carrying Ms. Kikrys on my back.
I had to get out of there fast and ensure Ms. Kikrys' safety.
But that didn't happen; I couldn't break through the encirclement at all.
My body was covered in wounds, and my stamina and magic were pushed to the limit.
Ms. Kikrys was using her dwindling magic to cast Holy Song Magic to heal me, but even that was running out, and we were in a tight spot.
That's when a girl descended into the underground ruins.
'Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Roezé.'
Valkyrie Rose appeared, mimicking the words I had said to Ms. Kikrys.
With her overwhelming power, she instilled fear in everyone present.
In an instant, she scattered dozens of enemies, and before I knew it, the criminal group was driven back.
Honestly, I wanted to capture all of them and give them the punishment they deserved, but there was no time for that, so I didn't chase after them.
Anyway, we made it out of their trap.
'I'm glad we made it in time.'
So why did Rose rush to the underground ruins? The reason is that this morning, I had asked Ms. Kikrys for a favor.
'If you have enough magic, could you ask Rose in Hyamars town for some backup?'
I had no idea who the kidnappers were or how big their operation was, and I didn't have the confidence to save Ms. Kikrys all on my own.
So, I decided to call Rose, the strongest person I can rely on, who wakes up early and can rush over in time.
I'm really glad I did that.
If Rose hadn't come, I would've definitely been killed by those guys by now.
But honestly, I didn't think she'd make it to those underground ruins in just a few hours.
She's still way too fast.
'We gotta let the lady know about this...!'
After all that, we managed to escape from the underground ruins and wanted to quickly inform Ms. Nemophila.
If Ms. Kikrys could use her Holy Song Magic, we could've sent the message in an instant, but she had exhausted her magic from using it repeatedly.
If she rested and got her strength back, her magic would recover, but by then, it would already be well past the time the inheritance battle was supposed to start.
If we waited for her magic to recover now, we wouldn't make it in time for the battle.
Heading directly to the capital would take even longer.
At this rate, Ms. Nemophila might end up getting taken down by Crocus while still wearing weakened magical gear...
'Then, should I run with her on my back?'
That's when Rose suggested carrying Ms. Kikrys on her back.
With her speed, she could definitely sprint to the capital even while carrying Ms. Kikrys.
Thinking that was our only option left, I decided to entrust Ms. Kikrys to Rose.
More than anything, I thought it'd be better to show my face and reassure them, so I watched the two of them go.
As a result, whether we made it in time for the inheritance battle or not, that's still unknown.
"I'm not sure if I can get into the royal castle, so I was waiting for Mr. Roezé here at the gate..."
"Yeah, sorry for being late. I'll explain the situation and ask if they can let Rose in too. Let's hurry to the castle."
Worried about how the inheritance battle turned out, I decided to head to the royal castle quickly with Rose.
I hope we made it in time...
On the way, I turned to Rose, who was running beside me, and said again.
"I know things were a bit chaotic earlier, and I didn't get to say it properly, but I really appreciate you coming to help. If it weren't for you, I might've been killed by now."
"Oh, no, no! I'm just glad I could help. Plus, I was actually thinking about checking out the capital city myself."
Rose said that with a considerate tone.
However, the guilt in my heart wouldn't go away.
It was pretty unreasonable to ask Rose, who was in Hyamars, to come all the way to the capital for support.
As I felt sorry for that, it was as if Rose sensed my feelings and continued.
"Just this morning, I got a message from Ms. Kikrys while I was on my way from Hyamars to Pailight. She asked me to come to the underground ruins west of the capital. It was just a slight change in direction, so it wasn't inconvenient at all."
"But still, the distance between Pailight and the capital is totally different, right? It takes about 4 days by carriage from Hyamars..."
After I said that, I realized how unreasonable my request was.
Even knowing Rose's abilities, asking her to suddenly come from Hyamars to the capital early in the morning was just out of line.
But Rose didn't seem to mind at all; in fact, she looked a bit apologetic.
"Well, it was indeed a bit far. Even at full speed, it took me about 8 hours."
"..."
Eight hours.
I was at a loss for words at that overwhelming speed.
She was definitely faster than before.
Since she was going back and forth between Hyamars and Pailight every day, she was getting used to the immense divine blessing in her body.
What surprised me the most was that even after all that back and forth, she didn't seem out of breath or even break a sweat──her stamina was endless.
Truly a monster of physical ability──she was a Valkyrie.
"...Please don't look so apologetic."
"Huh?"
"Mr. Roezé asked me, so even if I have to rush from Hyamars to the capital, it's no big deal. More than anything, this power of mine is also Mr. Roezé's."
"My...?"
Not quite understanding what that meant, I tilted my head.
Rose's power belongs to Rose, right?.
"The one who awakened this power is none other than Mr. Roezé. So, however you want to use this power, I don't mind at all. In fact, I'd be honored."
"...honored?"
"Not only that, but Mr. Roezé has also gone out of his way to help me in various ways. There's a debt I can never repay in a lifetime to Mr. Roezé. So if you ever find yourself in trouble again, please feel free to rely on me. I'll help as much as I can."
"..."
That declaration was so reassuring that I couldn't help but feel moved.
I couldn't quite grasp the feeling that Rose's power was also mine.
But being told that this was part of repaying a debt made my heart feel a little lighter.
...I think I'll do the same and repay Rose for this situation.
For now, maybe I'll accompany her on a tour of the capital and treat her to a lot of delicious food.
While we were talking about that, we had arrived in front of the castle.
From the royal castle, an oddly noisy atmosphere was coming through, and both Rose and I naturally felt a sense of tension.
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