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Maron was the chief of Teas Village. To be honest, he was quite young to be called a chief, but there was no other choice. Most of the population of Teas Village consisted of elderly people, and Maron was the only one suitable for the position. The only consolation was that Teas Village was the smallest village in Maritella, so he didn’t have many people to worry about. In this rural countryside, there wasn’t much to do. The village was so peaceful, almost to the point of being uneventful.

However, not long ago, an incident shook Teas Village. Maron’s youngest daughter, Lina, had been chosen by God as the Hero.

A Hero destined to defeat the Demon Lord—and that Hero was his own child. To others, it might seem like an honor, but that was only because they didn’t know Lina.

Lina was a mysterious child. From birth, she had the ability to communicate with animals. Her stunning appearance even drew young men from nearby villages to come and see her. To escape the attention, Lina spent much of her time in the forest. All the animals in the forest followed her, and the villagers said she was the reincarnation of a fairy.

Indeed, Lina had many pure, fairy-like qualities. Her unadorned smile and kind heart made her so innocent that she had never even killed a single bug.

And now, that Lina was the Hero.

She had to kill the Demon Lord.

Maron found it hard to accept this reality. But regardless of his feelings, reality was harsh.

“Are you the father of the Hero?”

“Yes… that’s right. My name is Maron.”

Maron bowed his head to the visitor who had arrived on a black horse.

“I am Isaac. I serve under Lord Strix.”

“Ah, you’ve been sent by the lord. But what brings you here…?”

“Before that… I have a question. Where is your family?”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Maron hesitated before answering.

“Well… my wife passed away a few years ago from an illness. I have three sons, but they’ve all gone far away to work in other regions.”

“…I see.”

“Don’t worry. As the lord commanded, I haven’t told anyone that we are the descendants of the Hero or that my youngest is the Hero. No matter what happens, I’ll keep it a secret.”

The appearance of the Hero had been so sudden that the lord, fearing chaos, didn’t want the news to spread that the Hero had appeared in his territory. For the time being, soldiers strictly controlled both leaving the village and outsiders entering.

Isaac seemed to be asking out of concern that the secret might leak, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“…You’ve had a hard time. Raising four children couldn’t have been easy.”

“Huh? Oh, no. Compared to farming, this is nothing…”

“It’s not easy. Normally, it wouldn’t be allowed, but if you wish, I can arrange for you to send letters to your sons in other regions.”

“Oh, no. That’s alright. Maybe later…”

“You might regret it.”

“Huh?”

“There’s not much time left. Soon, you…”

Isaac suddenly stopped speaking. He closed his eyes tightly, as if holding something back, then spoke again.

“……The appearance of the Hero means the Demon Lord will soon appear. If the Demon Lord appears, do you think you’ll have time to write letters to your children then?”

“Ah… you’re right.”

“Write a letter today and give it to me. I don’t know when you’ll be able to send another, so write everything you want to say. Understood?”

“Ah, yes… I’ll do that.”

Though he seemed cold and stern on the outside, Isaac appeared to be a kind and considerate person. Maron, who had initially been wary of Isaac, now felt reassured.

‘If he’s this considerate…’

Maron cautiously asked, “By any chance, have you come to meet my daughter?”

“That’s right.”

“Then… may I make a request, even if it’s presumptuous?”

“A request?”

“Well… you’ll understand when you meet her, but my daughter isn’t the type to fight anyone… Since God has chosen her as the Hero, I can’t change her fate, but as her father, it pains me to think she’ll have to fight the Demon Lord. If you take her to the lord, could you have her learn swordsmanship or martial arts?”

This was something Maron had been thinking about ever since Lina was chosen as the Hero. Even if it’s difficult now, if she gradually learns martial arts, maybe she could fight lesser monsters. Wouldn’t that increase her chances of survival, even just a little?

Maron pleaded with Isaac in desperation. After listening quietly, Isaac spoke heavily.

“……I’m sorry. ‘I’ can’t grant that request.”

“Oh, no. I’ve overstepped by asking something so difficult…”

“But.”

“?”

“I will take responsibility for your family. No matter what trials come, I will be there with you.”

It was an incomprehensible statement. Maron wondered if it was some kind of joke, but Isaac’s face was utterly serious, filled with an inexplicable sadness. Though Maron didn’t understand, he thought Isaac must have his own reasons for wanting to help.

“Th-thank you, Isaac. Could you wait a little? My daughter should be returning from the forest soon…”

“No. Just tell me roughly where she is. I’ll go find her myself.”

“Huh? Alone, without any guards? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“As I said earlier…”

Isaac mounted his horse again. The sadness and seriousness from earlier had already disappeared from his face.

“There’s not much time left. For me, or for you.”

*

“One last one…”

“Ugh…”

“You can do it!”

“M-my arms won’t move…”

Lina, who had been doing push-ups, finally collapsed to the side.

“Too much…”

“Ugh. You’re really weak. How are you going to be a Hero like this…”

Roti, the cuckoo, looked at Lina with disbelief.

Since being chosen as the Hero, Lina had been training her stamina whenever she could. She couldn’t just sit still. With the Demon Lord’s appearance uncertain, Lina had no choice but to prepare for battle. Even so, she was still an amateur when it came to combat. All she could do was swing branches and do basic exercises…

“But does this really work? Does this make you stronger? It just looks painful.”

“I guess that’s how humans are. Moving your body like this makes you stronger over time.”

“Interesting.”

“Ugh…”

Lina, panting, soon got back into position.

“I-I’ll try again…”

“You never give up, Lina.”

“W-well… I have to get stronger to save the world…”

Lina wiped her sweat and smiled brightly at Roti and Miki.

“When I get stronger, I’ll protect you and our family… don’t worry.”

“Hmm…”

Perhaps because she had been chosen as the Hero, Lina seemed to be feeling the weight of her responsibility. She had suddenly started exercising and was saying things to reassure them.

Seeing Lina change like this, Roti and Miki, who were like her childhood friends, felt a pang of sadness.

Maybe it was because Lina was human. Humans adapt to change faster than animals. Humans are an amazing species. No matter how harsh the environment, they build civilizations and create places to live. Perhaps Lina was changing to accept the harsh fate of being the Hero.

“But if you want to protect us, doing just three push-ups won’t be enough, right?”

“Ugh…”

“Today’s goal is 100.”

“Eek?! Even for me, 100 is too much! I can’t…!”

“Wait…”

Roti was the first to sense something.

“Someone’s coming this way.”

“Huh? Maybe Dad…?”

“No. They’re on a horse.”

“A horse? We don’t have horses in our village, so…”

“What are you doing? Hide!”

“H-huh?!”

“They might be after you. Hurry! Climb a tree!”

Under Roti’s urging, Lina scrambled up a tree. Meanwhile, Miki hid in a nearby bush.

Not long after, a man on a black horse appeared.

‘……!’

The moment Lina saw the man’s face, she instinctively covered her mouth. His eyes were chillingly cold. His refined attire and every gesture exuded nobility. He was clearly not from a nearby village—no, comparing him to the village youths would be an insult. His presence was overwhelming.

A heavy silence fell over the forest. Not even the chirping of birds could be heard, as if the entire forest was intimidated by his presence.

The man, seemingly unaware of Lina, looked around. But he kept lingering near the tree where Lina was hiding.

Then, the man spoke.

“I am Isaac. Sent by Lord Strix.”

“!”

Had she been discovered? But Isaac, who had introduced himself, showed no sign of having found Lina. Regardless, he began speaking as if addressing her directly.

“I’ve come to deliver bad news…”

Gulp…

The atmosphere was tense.

‘Lina. No matter what you hear, stay still. Got it?’

At Roti’s whisper, Lina nodded repeatedly. Right. Staying still was something anyone could do…

“The lord plans to marry his son to you.”

“Wh-what?! Huh?!”

“Lina!”

Too shocked, Lina lost her footing and fell from the tree. The result, of course, was a crash.

“……Huh?”

But the next moment, Lina wasn’t lying in the grass.

“Are you alright?”

“?!?!”

As if he had known where she would fall, Isaac naturally caught her in his arms. But Lina didn’t notice that.

Because Isaac’s face was so close.

Lina had never been this close to a man who wasn’t family. Falling on top of him and flustered, her voice came out in a stutter, and her face turned bright red.

It was strange. Surely this was the first time they had met, so why was her heart racing?

Oh, right! It’s embarrassment.

The man was probably sent by the lord. Showing such an unsightly appearance in front of him must be why her heart was racing.

“Are you alright?”

It wasn’t too late. She could still answer calmly, very politely… but the moment she met Isaac’s eyes, her mind went blank.

His onyx eyes stared straight at her. Lina felt like she was being drawn into that gaze.

“I-I’m… fine!”

“……Are you really alright?”

“Y-yes…! I’m totally fine!”

Her heart was pounding. Oblivious to Lina’s turmoil, Isaac tilted his head and examined her face.

 

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