Chapter 71
Chapter 71: Well wishes for the Slow Life you wish for
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Translator: Tseirp
Tise only explained to me in words the location of the room where they had the Alchemist Godwin compound the medicine .
Finding it in the Ancient-Elf residential block made up of uniform rooms was a little arduous .
“Is it here?”
I ended up spending quite some time .
I figured that Lit and the others would have already started climbing the mountain .
I opened the oddly heavy sliding door that could be seen everywhere in the Ancient-Elf ruin .
“Oop . ”
A glass bottle flew out from behind the door .
I ducked forward and avoided the bottle .
The next instant, the bottle exploded with a blast .
It splattered a green adhesive solution but by that time, I had already charged into the room with a front roll, stood up and thrust my sword at the Alchemist’s neck .
“Yo- you’re that guy from the Apothecary! You’re here to arrest me!”
“Ah, I’m not here to fight . ”
“That’s ironic given you have a sword pointed at me!”
“Well, that’s because you threw that bomb . Moreover, if I intended to fight, this sword would have already penetrated your neck . ”
Godwin had another adhesive grenade in his hand .
After a brief glaring match, Godwin slowly lowered his hand .
Matching his movements, I slowly removed my sword from Godwin’s neck .
“Where is the girl that captured you?”
“What, Apothecary, you have business with that girl? I’d give up if I were you . Having been cut down by you, I know that you’re strong but you can’t win against that girl . ”
“Don’t misunderstand, I am acquainted with her . ”
Godwin showed a face of surprise .
“Following Hero Lit, you are acquainted with that girl too? Apothecary, just who are you exactly?”
“I’m just a regular apothecary . More importantly, where is she?”
“Like I’d know . Won’t she be somewhere in the ruin?”
Searching for Ruti in this ruin would be another bone-breaking task .
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Should I shout for Ruti?
I wished to avoid doing so if I had the option . Me being here was something Ruti would not imagine . Ruti would probably be sad if she realized that I knew about the Devil’s Divine Protection and her act of breaking Godwin out of prison .
If possible, I would prefer to be there to tell her that it didn’t matter to me .
“Oi, Godwin . ”
“What . ”
“Call out to her . ”
“M-me?”
“If you shout loudly, she should be able to hear it with her Extrasensory skill . ”
“Why don’t you call her? I don’t trust you . How are you going to take responsibility if you are actually that girl’s enemy and she comes to think that I have betrayed her . ”
“Then you can claim that I stabbed you with this sword and threatened to kill you . ”
“No . My fear toward that girl comes from the depths of my heart . ”
So troublesome .
“You won’t do it no matter what?”
“No matter what . ”
“There’s no helping it then . ”
I grabbed Godwin’s left hand which held the bomb .
The bomb was dangerous so I placed it on the floor .
“Whwhat are you doing …”
Godwin worriedly tried to break free but I grabbed hold of him firmly and did not let go .
“Don’t worry, I won’t wound you . ”
“Wo-wound … you bastard! Stop!”
Godwin seemed to have figured out what would happen as he panicked and struggled .
“There’s also that, my Lit faced danger because of you . ”
“W-we were even after you cut me!”
“That was for Al’s sake . ”
Previously, because of this guy’s adhesive grenade, Lit was almost killed by the Stalker Demons . This was a little payback for that time .
“Here . ”
I pulled Godwin’s left arm and twisted it just slightly in a direction where it wasn’t meant to bend in .
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“Gyaaaaaaaa!!!”
Unable to withstand the pain, the scream that erupted from Godwin’s throat reverberated throughout the ruin .
“You demon …”
Godwin rubbed his right arm while seated on the ground .
He glared at me with hate-filled eyes but I ignored him .
More importantly, I listened carefully for the presence that should be approaching .
Godwin was an Alchemist that was crucial for the production of the Devil’s Divine Protection . He was a person that Ruti needed .
So if she heard that scream …
At that moment, an impact caused the door to burst open .
Under the shadow of the door that was flying through the air was the shadow of a young girl that was sprinting like lightning .
From that crouching posture, her sword thrust toward my neck with pinpoint accuracy .
It was a little similar to my previous motion of thrusting my sword at Godwin but that speed and sharpness were incomparable .
However, that thrust stopped before it reached my neck .
“Onii-chan!?”
I realized when I saw it . The emotion that appeared on Ruti at that moment was 『fear』 which was something that would never appear on the Hero Ruti .
Ruti and I moved to a different room .
Godwin was fairly taken aback from disbelief after watching Ruti’s behavior but he still retained fear toward Ruti so he obediently followed Ruti’s instructions to rest for a while .
“Onii-chan … why are you here?”
It seemed that Ruti was using this room as the place to sleep in this ruin .
It was a slightly larger bedroom compared to the other rooms and was two passages away from Godwin’s room .
Although the Ancient-Elf technology was more advanced compared to the modern day, the furniture in the room were all old and weathered .
Ruti and Godwin both moved the junk in their rooms to other rooms and slept on the simple prefabricated beds .
In Godwin’s room, he also had cookware as well as storage for water and food so it was sufficiently equipped for living .
Also, by some principle unknown to me, the Ancient-Elf water supply facility was still functioning . I was reluctant to drink the water of unknown origin and nature but it could be used for daily use such as for bathing .
The laundry poles set up next to the rooms Godwin and Ruti were using formed a scene that broke away from the Ancient-Elf’s lifestyle .
“Onii-chan?”
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“Ah, sorry, it’s been a long time since I entered an Ancient-Elf ruin . I was a little surprised . ”
“I see . ”
Now for the main topic .
“Ruti, I heard about the situation from Tise . ”
Ruti’s shoulder trembled in shock . I looked down and thought about what I should say .
She was probably thinking that I was upset .
Taking the Devil’s Divine Protection and breaking a convict from prison were unthinkable acts for Ruti who had been living as a Hero until now .
Furthermore, it was an act that went squarely against the teachings of the Holy Church which preached to live life befitting of your Divine Protection .
“I’m sorry, for not being able to do anything all this time . ”
I said and lowered my head deeply .
“Eh?”
“I have always been searching for a way to suppress the impulses from Ruti’s Divine Protection . Although I have been keeping it a secret from everyone . ”
I said as I took a medicine from my belt pouch .
It was the Wild-Elf secret medicine that I had Ademi drink the other time .
“This is also a medicine that can suppress the impulses from Divine Protections . It has the effect of temporarily lowering your Divine Protection . But this uses poison . It won’t work on the Hero’s Divine Protection . ”
“Why?”
Ruti was puzzled .
“Hasn’t Onii-chan always been acting to save the world? Ever since you were young, you kept becoming stronger, entered the knight order, and saved a ton of people . Furthermore, you even came along on the journey to subjugate the Demon Lord . A hopeless journey to travel through various lands with just a few members to fight continuously with the Demon Lord army . Unlike me, Onii-chan was not forced to help people . But you still fought nonetheless . ”
” … I guess I never actually told Ruti properly . ”
The Demon Lord subjugation journey that Ruti chose .
I had been with her from the very beginning when the Demon Lord army’s marauding troops attacked our home village and Ruti fought against the Orcs on her own .
From that time on, there had been people who became Ruti’s companions temporarily and there had been members who pulled out of the party but I had continued to travel with her up until after the fight with Desmond of the Earth .
However, I was still worried if I should say those words . Because kindness can hurt people too .
“Why did Onii-chan want to defeat the Demon Lord?”
Ruti looked at me directly with anxiety floating within her beautiful eyes .
“I only wanted to protect you . ”
Ruti’s eyes opened just a fraction wider . Her gaze trembled slightly as if she was shaken .
“Even when you defeated monsters from when you were young?”
“And also when I joined the Bahamut knight order . Because I wished for enough strength to protect Ruti when you go on your journey . ”
“Why …? Because I am the Hero?”
“Stupid, isn’t it obvious … it is because Ruti is an important person to me . I knew that Ruti would go on a journey eventually so I was just preparing for that day . That is why if Ruti quits being a Hero, I will not mind it nor will I blame you for it . ”
To tell the truth … I would be lying if I said that I didn’t hesitate .
I was well aware from the time I journeyed with her when she was the Hero . If Ruti was not there, the damages caused by the Demon Lord army will expand enormously . It’s possible … that the Avalon continent might even perish .
That was why I did not compel Ruti to quit being the Hero .
However, I will still be Ruti’s ally . That was my decision .
“Is it really all right? I even abandoned my companions to come here . I broke Godwin out of prison … and quit being the Hero . Onii-chan will still forgive me after all that?”
“I will . ”
“Am I allowed to be selfish? Is it all right to do what I want to do rather than do it for the sake of the world or for the sake of my Divine Protection?”
Living a slow life . That was probably something considered as selfish and forbidden for the Hero .
Nevertheless, I will not deny Ruti’s wish .
“Just like how my life is mine to live, Ruti’s life belongs to Ruti . ”
Ruti slowly placed both her hands on my cheek .
After staring at me fixedly, Ruti placed her forehead on my chest .
“Onii-chan, I am really selfish . Selfish to the extent where I fail as a Hero . ”
From that position, I could not see Ruti’s expression .
But I could tell Ruti’s warm body temperature from her palms on my cheeks .
“Even so, I hope that you will not come to hate me . ”
I placed my hands over Ruti’s hands .
“Ruti will always be my beloved younger sister . ”
“Thank you, I love Onii-chan too . ”
Ruti said quietly .
I recalled the stormy day we clung to each other when we were young .