Every time she tries to punch his right cheek, he slaps hers before she can, and the left side fares no better, either. Therefore, only Rosalie is getting slapped silly, causing her cheeks to swell like plump red apples. I audibly swallow my saliva in the midst of the dead silence.
At any rate, he has hit her way too much! Get with the times, you pig! This isn’t the fifties! Wait… What era is he from anyway?!
I shudder at the fact that the Hero doesn’t even have a speck of decency. That’s when, with tears rolling down her cheeks and a runny nose, Rosalie suddenly unsheathes her sword.
“I-I’m going to kill you! S-s-say your prayers…!”
“M-M-Madam Rosalie! You can’t…!”
“You…sniffle…are no…snort…Hero!”
“S-S-Seiya!! Apologize to her this instant! I mean, look at her! Can’t you see she’s crying!”
“I’m not…sniffle…crying! Mm…!”
“Seiya! Hurry up and apologize!”
“No. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I didn’t ask if you did! Just look at how much she’s crying!”
“I told you…I’m not…hic…crying…! I’m not…crying…sniffle…one bit…!”
“I’m not apologizing. I did nothing wrong.”
“You two are acting like children! I don’t care who’s wrong! Just say you’re sorry!”
But neither apologizes. Eventually, Rosalie breaks the silence while still sobbing.
“I’ve had…enough! I don’t…sniffle…need any Hero! I’m going…hic…to go to the enemy’s hideout…by myself!”
Seiya glares at Rosalie as she tries to hold back her tears. Wait… I don’t think he’s glaring at her. He’s using Scan.
I decide to use Scan as well to check Rosalie’s stats for future reference.
ROSALIE ROSEGUARD
LV: 23
HP: 6,780
MP: 0
ATK: 4,120
DEF: 3,655
SPD: 3,987
MAG: 0
GRW: 48
Resistance: Fire, Water, Dark, Poison, Paralysis
Special Abilities: Light’s Blessing (LV: 3)
Skills: Knocking Sword
Personality: Impulsive
She has very high stats for a human, but…they aren’t that impressive compared to those of the flies.
Seiya then says:
“You’re the so-called Warmaster’s daughter, so I thought you’d be at least halfway decent, but…sigh. Your attributes are painfully mediocre. You’d die a meaningless death if you attacked their base like this.”
Just then…
“Grrr…!”
Grunting, Rosalie’s face turns as red as a tomato. She shakes her disheveled azure hair as the mountainous tears fall ceaselessly to the floor. Rosalie then begins quivering as she tightly clenches her fists.
…Ack! I’ve never seen someone get this angry before!
From my side, Elulu shrieks:
“S-something isn’t right! Rosalie’s growling like a dog!”
“Just ignore her, Elulu. She’ll bite you if you get too close.”
“Grrrrrr…!”
As the captain of the guard growls even more after being insulted, Mash anxiously pokes Seiya’s arm.
“M-Master Seiya…! Maybe apologizing would be for the best…?”
“I’d rather die. More importantly, we should be going now. Rista, create the gate.”
“Ah… O-okay…”
I create a gate because it seems like things are only going to get worse here. But even then, I can still hear Rosalie behind me…
“Grrr…! Grrrrr! Grooowl!”
Sh-she won’t stop growling! She really is acting like a dog! I almost want to put a muzzle on her and give her belly rubs until she calms down.
“A-anyway, we’ll be back in an hour! So don’t go anywhere, okay?! That means you, too, Rosalie! Sit! Stay!”
And just like that, we turn around and return to the unified spirit world, despite the fact that Rosalie looks like she could bite us at any moment.
CHAPTER 32
The Goddess Who Lives in the Forest
“Listen, can you stop doing that? That’s no way for a Hero to act…or anyone for that matter. I mean, I get that it was her fault, but…”
I waste no time after getting back to the unified spirit world to lecture Seiya. Meanwhile, Seiya doesn’t look like he even cares what I have to say…
“Seiya, you were really scary back there…”
“Yeah…those were some insane slaps…”
Being reprimanded by Elulu and Mash, Seiya stares hard at his hand, then clenches his teeth with a bitter expression.
“Before I even realized it, I was hitting her. Just looking at her annoys me.”
“…Seiya?”
I’m kind of surprised. While he’s high-handed and has a filthy mouth, he never shows much emotion in front of others.
“Even the way she thinks pisses me off. She recklessly tries to move forward, despite having no chance of winning…and without even considering how many will die because of it.”
Rosalie’s reckless personality is the complete opposite of Seiya’s cautious nature. That’s probably why he’s so angry.
“At any rate, how about taking a short rest?”
I don’t think suddenly training with this much tension is ideal, so I offer Seiya some time to calm down, but…
“No, that won’t be necessary. I want to start training.”
His frown from moments ago is nowhere to be found. He’s absolutely calm, as if nothing happened.
How can he bounce back so quickly like that?!
“I knew it! Seiya, you’re such a good person!”
Seiya seems to be confused as to why Elulu is smiling at him.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re training to save Rosalie! That makes you a good person!”
“I’m not doing it for her. I’m doing it because I was apparently called to your world to save it.”
Hmm… Seiya isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but he’s really dedicated when it comes to things like this. He has a strong sense of justice…and he doesn’t let personal feelings get in the way.
Seiya pushes back his glossy, black hair.
“I already know which deity I need to train with to defeat the flies.”
“Oh, really? I can introduce you if it’s someone I know! Just tell me who it is!”
“Bring me the god of missiles.”
“The god of…? There is no missile god!”
“Fine. I’ll settle for the god of guns.”
“There…might be a god like that, but Gaeabrande isn’t that kind of world…”
“If it means defeating the enemy, then who cares?”
“Because it’s impossible! It doesn’t matter how skilled you become with a gun because they don’t exist in Gaeabrande! Even if you got a gun here, you wouldn’t be able to bring it there!”
“Tch.”
Seiya clicks his tongue. What does he want me to do about it, though?! This is a rule of the spirit world!
“Hey, Master Seiya…how about lightning magic? I think that geezer at the fortress said something about it being effective against flying enemies. Maybe you could get a god that’s good at lightning magic to teach you…?”
“When I checked Beel Bub’s stats, it was resistant to lightning. It might work against the generic flies, but it wouldn’t work against our main target.”
“Oh…”
After talking with Mash, Seiya’s eyes start wandering off into space.
“If I won’t be able to use guns or missiles…then my only options are bows and arrows. Rista, do you know anyone?”
“I know the Goddess of Archery. It’s a little walk from the sanctuary, but I have seen her a few times in the Divine Forest.”
“Then let’s meet her. Lead the way.”
After walking around ten to twenty minutes away from the sanctuary, the sc
enery starts to change until we find ourselves making our way down a narrow path between lush trees. The crisp air tickles my nose. Small animals resembling squirrels draw their heads back as if they noticed us coming. We journey into the depths of the Divine Forest—an untouched, primeval forest in the unified spirit world.
“You come to places like this often?”
“Yeah, I sometimes come here with Aria to have a picnic. We bring sandwiches and stuff.”
“A picnic, huh? How about doing a little work sometime, you bum?”
“Wh-who are you calling a bum?! What do you think I’m doing right now?! I’m working! So what’s wrong with having a little picnic every once in a while!”
Before long, the small path disappears until only trees stand before us.
Aria once said, “The Goddess of Archery, Mitis, trains alone in the open slightly up ahead, so let’s have the picnic here. We wouldn’t want to bother her, after all.” That’s why, whenever I hang out with Aria, we never go any farther than this. The only time I have seen Mitis was passing by her on the narrow trail.
“…Let’s go.”
Pushing through the trees and bushes, we make our own path and advance forward. After some time goes by, the dense trees gradually become sparser.
Aside from the largest tree, enshrined in the middle of the Divine Forest, there are few trunks around the open space. Like a beautiful work of art, Mitis is pulling back the arrow fitted on her bow. Her pure-white hair flows to her hips like silk, and her narrow eyes have a sophisticated air.
A goddess of refined beauty. That’s the impression I get when I see her.
The moment Mitis releases the arrow, it cuts through the wind before immediately disappearing among the trees. Feeling this is the perfect time to say something, I speak up.
“I apologize for interrupting your training, Lady Mitis.”
“Oh my… Ristarte, was it? How do you do?”
She speaks in a polite, unique manner.
I want to say Nice shot! and strike up a conversation with her by complimenting her archery skills, but all she does is shoot at a row of trees. As I stand there at a loss for words, Mitis smiles at me.
“There is a target between those trees in the distance.”
“O-oh…I had no idea…”
I squint in the direction she indicates, but all I can see is lush vegetation. Despite having good vision, I cannot see any target for the life of me.
“A-anyway, this Hero here was hoping you would teach him archery and—”
Seiya sticks his arm out and cuts me off midsentence.
“Seiya…?”
“Before that, I want to see if you’re really as good as they say. Look up.”
I gaze up at the sky to find three colossal firebirds soaring in circles. They’re Automatic Phoenixes that Seiya created with his magic.
“I see you can hit a nonmoving target from afar, but what about something that darts through the sky? If you can’t do that much, then you’re wasting my time.”
“S-Seiya! You’re being extremely rude!”
But Mitis simply smiles with kindness.
“You wish for me to hit those magical birds, yes? Very well.”
Thereupon, Mitis places the bow she was holding on the ground.
“This is merely a practice bow. I use a magic bow for battle.”
As she sticks her glowing left arm straight out, she says:
“Shining Arrow…”
Before I even realize, she’s holding a bow of light in her left hand. Simultaneously, in her drawn-back right hand is an arrow almost indistinguishable from a beam of sunshine—in addition to a thin, glowing bowstring between her fingers.
The arrow of light points to the sky, but the phoenixes are circling at an incredible speed. Just when I thought she was hesitating, her eyes, previously narrowed like threads, open wide.
Thereupon, she lets go of the arrow, which is instantly followed by an explosion in the sky so powerful that I can feel my eardrums shaking.
…I have no idea what just happened, but when the smoke clears, there isn’t a single phoenix in the air.
What the…?! I’m positive she only shot one arrow! So why are all three of them gone?!
As I stand there in blank astonishment, Seiya starts analyzing the situation.
“She waited until the phoenixes were lined up over one another before shooting…thus, destroying all three with one shot…”
N-no way! She was able to predict and see the moment they all overlapped?! I didn’t think such a feat was humanly possible! I mean, I guess she isn’t a human, but whatever!
Seiya nods with an air of satisfaction.
“Hmph. I should be able to kill Beel Bub with this… All right, I’ll let you train me.”
It’s as if Seiya were the one doing Mitis a favor. However…
“I have one condition if I am going to train you. Hero, what magic type is your forte?”
“Fire magic.”
“Then have you acquired the magical bow of flames? In other words, have you already learned Fire Arrow?”
“No, not yet.”
“I see. Then first, you must learn Fire Arrow before we train. I shall teach you my abilities after that.”
What Mitis is saying is perfectly reasonable. If you can’t create a magic bow with your specialty, you’re never going to be able to learn a divine archery ability.
Mitis’s eye creases even more deeply as she smiles.
“However, even if you are unable to acquire Fire Arrow, I am sure we can find something else in which to train you.”
A different kind of training…? What is she talking about…?
But Seiya shakes his head.
“No, I have to learn how to use a bow, or it’ll be meaningless.”
He then turns to Elulu, who is standing behind him.
“You know how to use Fire Arrow, right?”
“Y-yep!”
“Teach me. Right now.”
“N-now?! I know you’re talented, but I don’t think it’s something you can easily learn! It took me about a year!”
“Just teach me. We don’t have time.”
“O-okay. First, extend your left hand…then imagine that the fire magic coming out of it symbolizes a bow…”
Elulu lets out a dry chuckle as she gives instruction.
“Don’t worry about not being able to do it at first. It’s normal. But after practicing hundreds, thousands of times, I’m sure you’ll be able to—”
“Like this?”
However, a fiery bow is already materializing in Seiya’s left hand.
“…Huh?”
Elulu’s eyes open wide.
“B-but this is where things get difficult! Next, you need to materialize an arrow in your right— No way?!”
Seiya holds an arrow made out of fire in his right hand as he pulls back the fiery bowstring.
“B-b-but this is really, really where things get difficult! I’m sure you won’t be able to shoot the arrow even one meter, but don’t let that get you down. You just—”
Seiya aims the fire arrow into the sky and releases. It soars into the heavens before disappearing into the great blue yonder.
“H-h-hitting your target is really what’s difficult, though. Even I still can’t—”
The next arrow Seiya shoots hits a narrow tree, a few dozen meters ahead, right in the trunk, causing it to catch fire.
“I hit my target. This is easy.”
Following that, Seiya looks back at Mitis.
“Is this good enough?”
“Y-you are a quick learner, Hero—marvelously so.”
Mitis wears an astonished expression, but before long, her lips mirthfully curl upward.
“However, that is exactly why you were the chosen one. Very well. Let us begin training.”
Leaving Seiya behind in the forest, Mash, Elulu, and I return to the sanctuary. Of course, I don’t forget to cheer Elulu up on the way back.
�
��Aagh…! I’m sooo depressed!”
“Don’t let it get to you, Elulu! He’s an anomaly!”
Mash suddenly taps me on the shoulder.
“Hey, Rista, what should Elulu and I do while we’re here?”
“Hmm… Did Seiya say anything?”
“I asked him before leaving the forest, but he just said, ‘How about you go to the cafeteria and have a snack or something?’”
“W-wow… I don’t know why I expected anything different…”
“Yeah, there’s no way I’m just gonna sit around and eat snacks for the next three days. We wanna get stronger, too, you know? Anyway, is there any god you could introduce us to so we can train?”
“Hmm… Well, you trained with Cerceus last time, so how about training under Adenela? That would be the same order Seiya trained in as well.”
I recommend the Goddess of War, Adenela, who is a rank above Cerceus.
“Taking the same training path Master Seiya took…! Good idea! Let’s do it!”
“What about you, Elulu?”
“I don’t feel like training today… I’ll just eat snacks in the cafeteria…”
“O-okay! No need to rush! Let’s go get some macarons together!”
Setting aside Elulu’s training for tomorrow, I go out in search of Adenela, but when I arrive before her room underneath the sanctuary, the door is locked. Nobody answers when I knock, either. With no choice but to give up, I wander around the sanctuary with Mash until we run into the muscle-bound action figure, Cerceus.
“Yo, Cerceus!”
“Hey, Cerceus. Have you seen Adenela anywhere?”
His face changes color when he hears Mash and me cheerfully greet him.
“S-seeing that you two are here, does that mean the Hero is here, too?!”
“Yeah, but he’s training in the Divine Forest right now. Why do you ask?”
“Because Adenela is a mess! You know how she’s always been a little sick in the head, right? Well, now she’s even sicker thanks to that Hero of yours!”
…I completely forgot. Last time we came to the spirit world, Adenela cried tears of blood and made a scene at the courtyard because Seiya turned her down.
“S-so how is she right now?”
“Every day, she repeatedly mutters to herself: ‘S-S-S-Seiya. I-I-I’ll n-n-never forgive youuu. I’m going to k-k-k-kill you…’ The first time I heard her, I thought she was humming a hip-hop song or something.”
The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 2 Page 3