OMS Chapter 30

Even though I was simply slaughtering monsters, the fame of the Hero kept rising on its own.

It must have been because, on the first day of the monster stampede, I gave orders to the frozen soldiers and headed into the forest alone.

The fact that fewer monsters appeared than expected, along with the overwhelming power of the “sacred arrows” we brought, led people to credit the Hero for defending the fortress without a single casualty.

Rumors spread that it was thanks to the Hero, rather than the distant Saintess in the royal capital who wouldn’t fight on the frontlines, that we were saved. And every time I heard those words, I was filled with a deep, dark anger.

—You don’t know anything.

The only reason I’m strong is because of Zeph’s kago.

It’s because I wield the holy sword that Zeph created, sacrificing a part of himself.

The reason we survived the first wave, and why we’ve managed to hold on since, is because Zeph narrowed the monsters’ advance by purifying the forest.

The “sacred arrows” that slay the monsters, the holy water we pour over ourselves to repel the beasts, and the healing elixirs—all of it was made by Zeph.

In this country, the Saintess is Emilia, and Zeph is just a knight.

… A knight who entered the forest with the Hero and was struck down while protecting him.

Zeph prepared everything, spent so much time fighting, and dedicated himself entirely to protecting the people. Yet, so few know about it.

As a result, I, a mere man who can only swing a sword—who couldn’t even protect the one person I wanted to keep safe—am being praised as a Hero.

—And yet, you’d still smile, wouldn’t you?

You never cared about your own fame in the slightest.

Even though there’s no reward, you’d give everything you have without a second thought.

And when people praised me or Saintess Emilia, you’d smile happily, your lips curving gently.

I placed my hand over Zeph’s lifeless hand, staring at his unchanged form, even after more than a month had passed.

The next Saintess we’d been waiting for would arrive soon.

The new Saintess, who was only twelve years old, arrived at the room hiding behind Kahim.

Despite the borderline kidnapping, she seemed strangely attached to him.

As I wondered whether Kahim had somehow persuaded her or deceived her, he simply shrugged.

Apparently, all he had done was tell her that “the person who gave you the herbs needs your help,” and described what Zeph and I looked like. She had followed without resistance.

It turned out that the herbs Zeph had given her had miraculously cured her father of what was thought to be an incurable disease, and she felt deeply indebted.

Whether Zeph had unconsciously imbued the herbs with seiryoku (holy power), or if the herbs were just that effective… it was probably the former.

“! Oji-san!” (Uncle!)

The girl, who had been anxiously glancing around the room, darted toward Zeph the moment she saw him.

For a second, I almost held her back to prevent her from touching the arrow, but it seemed that wasn’t necessary.

She stopped by the bed, gripping her skirt tightly and glaring at the arrow.

Her gaze, though youthful, was unmistakably that of a Saintess, and I realized the rainbow-colored crystal Zeph had prepared had successfully passed on the knowledge.

Holding my breath, I waited, not wanting to disturb her thoughts.

Would Zeph return to us?

She was the only remaining hope for that.

“…That’s terrible… it’s so awful…”

“Terrible? What do you mean?”

“This arrow… it’s cursed with four powerful spells: corrosion, poison, body destruction, and soul destruction…”

“…Corrosion? Poison? Soul destruction?”

“Yeah. The corrosion eats away at everything, the poison rots the body, and just touching it can kill you. Worse, the soul destruction curse means it destroys your soul, so you can never reincarnate… It’s an awful curse,” the girl said, as if reading from a book in her mind.

Hearing her calm explanation, I clenched my teeth.

The corrosion eats away at everything, which is why even Zeph’s seiryoku couldn’t block it.

And since even touching the arrow is deadly, Zeph had thrown himself in front of me to shield me and told me not to touch it.

… Everything adds up. Horribly so.

Did Zeph know all of this when he protected me?

Did he know that just touching the arrow was fatal, yet still chose to shield me?

And now, with his heart pierced by it—will he die, just like that?

With his soul destroyed, unable to ascend to the gods or reincarnate… will he simply disappear?

“Then why… why is he still alive?” Dirk asked, his voice unusually calm, causing me to lift my head.

Indeed. Even though it’s supposed to be a fatal curse, Zeph is still alive. He’s still breathing.

“Um, give me a moment.”

The girl nonchalantly touched Zeph’s body and stared at the wound.

She couldn’t touch the arrow, and his clothes were still stained with blood, but she seemed to be examining something beyond the surface.

She tilted her head, frozen in place, seemingly comparing what she saw with the knowledge inside her head.

“…Wow, Oji-san really is the strongest Saint in history, huh.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it seems like, at the moment the arrow pierced his body, he wrapped it in his seiryoku. The arrow tried to corrode even that, but by continuously pouring more holy power into it, he’s countering the curse. He’s also trying to break the other three curses at the same time. It’s amazing.”

Hearing her simple admiration, my heart began to pound loudly in my chest.

Zeph was still fighting.

He was resisting the corrosion of the arrow while trying to lift the curses.

Which meant…

“… Can he… can he be saved? Can he be healed?” I asked, my voice trembling with hope.

But the girl tightly pressed her lips together and shook her head.

… What does that mean?

What does that shake of her head mean?

I wanted to ask immediately, but stopped myself just in time.

Without her, Zeph had no chance of survival. I had to treat her with care.

“I’m sorry… I only have the same amount of power as the previous Saintess. Compared to Oji-san, I’m really weak. Even if I wanted to help, I’d just be in the way. I’m so sorry. Oji-san saved my father, but I…”

“This isn’t your fault, Rena. None of us can do anything either,” Kahim said.

“But… if things stay like this, Oji-san won’t be able to keep up with the holy power recovery and he’ll die…”

The girl’s words, spoken through her tears, drained the strength from my body.

My vision darkened, and it became hard to even stay on my feet.

––Zeph is going to die?

The persistent anxiety that had always lived inside me, the dark thoughts that wouldn’t leave my mind, now became a harsh reality pressing down on me.

As my body swayed, I suddenly felt a lightness on my left side.

I heard a dull thud immediately after—the sword strap holding my holy sword had snapped.

Even something as simple as that seemed like a grim omen, piercing my heart with pain.

Zeph was still alive.

And yet…

“Is that sword… a holy sword?”

“You can tell?” Kahim asked.

“Are you a Hero?”

––What meaning is there in being a Hero now?

I couldn’t even protect the person I love.

I could only stand here, watching as Zeph’s life slips away.

Even so, because Zeph had called me a Hero, I gave her a small nod.

I recalled the bright smile on his face when he teased me about being “Hero-sama” and shut my eyes tightly.

The girl gazed intently at my chest, as if trying to sense something. Her eyes reminded me of Zeph’s.

––She’s probably checking my blessing.

“…Wow… Even though you haven’t received his blessing for over a month, it’s still this strong? Your capacity is huge…”

“Zeph said it would last for years.”

“Yeah, yeah! Oji-san really loved you!”

Hearing the girl’s cheerful words, my brows furrowed tightly.

She must have said that because she knows what needs to be done to transfer the kago.

She’s still an innocent, pure child.

She probably can’t even imagine that it’s possible to connect with someone physically without having feelings for them.

The words that sounded so cruel to me now made me scowl and look away.

But the girl, as cheerful as ever, grabbed my chest and shook me with an innocent grin.

Reluctantly, I looked down at her, and there it was—a bright, beaming smile.

Despite crying just moments ago, what could have happened to make her this happy?

“Oji-san… I think I can save him!”

Her voice cracked with excitement, and my mind went completely blank.