Chapter 14: Building Trust, One Conversation at a Time

She wondered if she should have practiced horse riding more. But her worries were unfounded; Lux moved smoothly, ensuring her comfort. The hero led the way, followed diagonally by Raphilia and Aria, and finally, Serin and Rui brought up the rear.

Serin Kint. The blue-haired knight. A future Sword Master and the hero’s first teacher. She had been stationed at a fortress in the east when the hero began his journey and joined the party a month later at the request of the hero and Aria.

She had the overall demeanor of a strong, capable woman. While Serin also had a cheerful side, her familiarity with the battlefield made her more composed than the other two.

In a way, she was perhaps the most aloof member of the hero’s party.

‘And the one I’m most awkward with.’

She had quickly become close with Raphilia through recent events, and as the hero, Aswell, she naturally had many opportunities to talk to him. And Saintess Aria was so friendly and approachable that there was no room for awkwardness.

But with Serin, conversations would quickly dwindle when they were alone. They talked easily when others were present, but when it was just the two of them, the awkwardness was palpable. It was like being left alone with a friend of a friend, without the friend.

It was a consequence of neither of them being particularly proactive in conversations.

“Aswell, speaking of Tras…”

The hero and Raphilia started talking, and Aria watched them with a warm smile. Serin and Rui, trailing slightly behind, became acutely aware of each other’s presence.

Fortunately, Rui had a topic to discuss with Serin.

“Serin.”

“Yes?”

“Are the gloves alright?”

The gloves were a safe topic.

“Ah, they’re great. The formulas you added were very helpful in battle.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m currently designing some shoes. Do you have any preferred styles or functions?”

If she wanted to, she could have already given them shoes. No, she could have decked them out in her magic tools and equipment from head to toe. But she held back because of “story progression” and “enemy power scaling.”

Some games had such systems. The enemies’ levels scaled with the player’s level. This world wasn’t a game, but there were beings capable of similar adjustments.

The demons in the Demon Realm.

‘If the hero’s party’s power increases too quickly, I don’t know what might happen.’

Instead of Demon B appearing at Location A, a much stronger demon might appear. Even though her presence had created variables like the magic watermill village, she couldn’t allow for such drastic changes.

That’s why she planned to provide them with upgrades gradually.

“Shoes? Hmm… Sorry, I’ve never really thought about it, so nothing comes to mind right now.”

“I see.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Then please do. You and the hero are our reliable vanguard, so I want to be especially mindful of your needs.”

“Aha…”

Of course, that wasn’t her only reason. She would ask the other heroines and the hero for their input as well. But the reason she was talking to Serin now, showing her special consideration, was because she had chosen Serin as the second heroine to help.

This blue-haired airhead—no, this knight.

Serin was strong. That’s why she could be the vanguard alongside the hero. But because of that, she couldn’t approach the hero romantically. So far, Serin had only talked to Aswell about three topics:

Quests, battles, and training.

How incredibly dull.

Of the three current heroines, Serin was the least successful at appealing to Aswell. She had tried, in her own way.

But her attempts were limited to moving slightly closer to him during quest briefings or subtly hinting at their relationship to the other heroines.

The reason she couldn’t express her feelings was their teacher-student relationship. Even though it had only been a year, they were still teacher and student. Under normal circumstances, she might have been able to approach him romantically… but unfortunately, their training focused on subjugating demons and monsters. To harbor romantic feelings while dealing with such a serious matter? Serin, as a knight, couldn’t even fathom it.

But after seeing Aria by the hero’s side, and then Raphilia and other heroines approaching him, she finally decided to take action.

‘Even then, she was still overshadowed by the heroines who joined later.’

It was only near the end of the story that the hero finally realized her feelings, and she became a full-fledged heroine. Even then, her ending was simply being “discovered,” without ever properly confessing her feelings.

That’s why Rui decided to help Serin. She had to help Serin make progress before the witch heroine, the new heroine, arrived, so she wouldn’t be left behind in the ensuing competition.

Then why didn’t she help Serin first? Because of trust.

“Rui.”

“Yes, Serin.”

“You… seem to have gotten close to Aswell.”

Ah.

She understood immediately. Serin was wary, just like Raphilia had been. Wary of what?

Of Rui becoming a heroine, of course. That’s why she tried to hide it by saying “seem to have gotten close.” This was the same thing she said to the assassin heroine who joined later in the novel.

“He’s been very considerate, perhaps because I’m new.”

She couldn’t deny it outright; that would only raise suspicion. In situations like this, she had to slowly dismantle their preconceived notions while building a new image.

“I see…”

“And he’s told me a lot about everyone. Like how Raphilia shoots her arrows.”

Flinch.

She could see Serin’s reaction. Seizing the opportunity, she continued in a casual tone,

“He also told me a few things on the day I joined. That helped me choose the right formulas for the gloves.”

Knowing about them was a great help to her. Serin fell silent for a moment.

“…Did he…”

“Yes?”

“Did Aswell say anything about… me? I’m a little curious…”

“About you?”

“Yes…”

She wouldn’t tell Serin her own impressions. She would convey the hero’s impressions. And the source of those words was the hero, and the hero in the novel.

“He said you’re the most trustworthy person in the party.”

“Huh?!”

“He said you support him flawlessly on the front lines, and sometimes even guide him in battle, like a true teacher.”

“Oh…”

“He said you’re the person he relies on the most.”

“Ah, um, I, is that so…? Aha…”

Serin was usually the epitome of composure. But now, that composure had completely crumbled. Unlike Raphilia, who blushed when flustered, Serin started talking rapidly.

‘That’s enough for now.’

She just needed to let Serin know what the hero thought of her. She could slowly reveal that she wasn’t a heroine and explain her plans later.

‘There’s still time before we reach the fortress.’

She just needed to approach Serin gradually, like befriending a wild wolf. Then, at some point, Serin would completely let down her guard and approach her willingly.

“Everyone, let’s take a break before we reach the end of the grasslands!”

At the hero’s words, everyone dismounted to rest.

“Oof.”

With Lux’s help, she dismounted and sat down on a portable chair she had set up.

Nicker.

Lux walked over to the four horses watching cautiously and, surprisingly, took the lead over even Tempest, galloping across the grasslands with the other horses.

‘Does Lux have royal blood?’

Perhaps it possessed the genes to be a leader, or something. Otherwise, it couldn’t have led the emperor’s horses so confidently.

“Rui.”

“Yes, Hero.”

“Is there anything you want to eat? I was thinking of making some snacks.”

“Hmm…”

“I was thinking of stir-fried peppers and meat in bread…”

“Hmm…”

“Uh, huh?”

She didn’t like bell peppers. She unconsciously shook her head at the mention of the word. The hero, who hadn’t expected her to refuse outright, looked visibly flustered.

“Please leave out the peppers for mine.”

“Ah, oh! I see. You don’t like bell peppers. Hmm, phew.”

“It’s not that I dislike them, I just don’t eat them.”

“Ah, okay.”

Yes. He seemed to accept her subtle correction.

Since transmigrating into this body, her taste buds had changed, and she couldn’t eat bell peppers. Her whole being rejected their crunchy texture and subtle aroma.

She didn’t care if they thought she was childish for not eating bell peppers. Well, she did care, but…

No, it was more than just caring… it was infuriating… but there was nothing she could do.

It was a fact that she couldn’t stand bell peppers.

“Hero.”

But she had a weapon.

“Yes?”

“I can’t… no, I don’t eat bell peppers, but I do like carrots.”

The fact that she liked carrots.

“So please don’t misunderstand.”

She looked directly at the hero and stated this firmly.

Hehehe.

The image of “childish Rui” that had been forming in the hero’s mind must have been completely shattered. She hurriedly covered her mouth and smiled proudly as the hero walked away.