Evade The Hero and Flee!

29. Stories of Others (4)

#6 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Priest

“How about some warm soup, Your Holiness?”

An elf is handing me some warm soup.  

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

The soup the elf gave me is, as expected, a vegetable soup flavor.

It was a soup my former colleague Selena, who has now run off somewhere, used to make often.  

Selena’s soup, now just a memory.  

To try and recall that memory, I lightly sipped the soup with a spoon.

“In the past I had an elf colleague… it has a similar taste to the soup she used to make me. It’s really delicious.”

That’s not a lie.

For elves who live alongside nature, animals are a part of nature itself and their friends.  

Because of that, except in special cases, it’s characteristic of elves as a race not to eat meat.  

I’ve heard that even in those special occasions they only eat animals that have died of natural causes.

So elves are all experts in vegetable cuisine!

There were some humans who thought cooking was exclusively for humans, but that’s not actually true.  

All living things are beings that live by eating something, and when eating of course everyone wants to eat something delicious, right?

Elves too.  

Just because they eat vegetables doesn’t mean they rip up grass and eat it like animals.  

They didn’t just develop all kinds of cuisine with vegetables, they studied for generations how to bring out flavors through different combinations.

Of those, Selena must have been one of the better cooks.  

Thanks to having traveled with a hero who has an odd fixation on rice.

So whoever made this soup must be a really good cook, no, must be an elf!  

To be able to cook at a level similar to Selena’s cooking!

“Oh my! As expected, comrade! This soup was made by Selena!”

“What?”

I almost dropped the bowl and spoon holding the soup I had, but somehow managed to catch them.  

“Is Selena here?”

“Of course. She’s also a warrior elf. She gladly volunteered to participate in the killing of the evil bastard son of a demon.”  

For a moment blood rushed to my head.

The Demon King is called the proxy of the devil, even the seed of the devil of the ultimate devil.   

I’ve heard that because the goddess of benevolence and devotion, who was the elves’ god, is sealed and sleeping on earth because of the evil god, the elves angrily bare their teeth at anything associated with the evil god, but experiencing it in person it seems they detest the evil god even more than the rumor.  

“Shall I call Selena?”

Said the elf warrior still with a frigid smile, as if he hadn’t just spewed killing intent a moment ago. 

“If it doesn’t cause any inconvenience… … .” 

“If it’s the saint of the Nature Religion and not another denomination, then it’s not inconvenient.” 

“Thank you.” 

Among the denominations, the denomination of nature is the most familiar to elves. 

Thanks to this, everyone seems to be kind to me, a saint of the Nature Religion. 

Then! 

“I’m sorry, but I have some business to attend to at the church… Could you please drop me off at a nearby village?” 

“It’s not possible.”  

I was momentarily startled by the elf’s cold voice.

A voice freed from just the killing intent of a moment ago.  

A voice that didn’t reveal a shred of hostility towards me, but informed me refusal was absolutely impossible.   

“I, Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. Lady Raelria, a high elf and the one in charge of managing the World Tree, expressly ordered not to leave Your Holiness alone under any circumstances but to gu… no, protect you.”  

You were about to say guard me.  

Not protect me but detain me and keep watch over me!   

“Just why…”

“That’s…”

The frigid voice softened.  

“That… um…”  

It’s a rare sight to see a famed beauty elf blushing red with embarrassment like this, but I knew.  

e’s certainly feeling embarrassment,  

“Since Prince whoever asked me to do so…”

But the expression on his face is more shame than embarrassment.  

“Prince whoever…”  

Just who the hell is Naran!?  

Sir Warrior’s instructor, the Demon King’s instructor, an apostle bearing the evil god, and a high elf managing the World Tree calls him Prince!?  

I don’t know what exactly but it’s terrifying!  

God of Nature, please save your little lamb from the middle of this chaos!

-I’m sorry… I don’t have the strength…

“Cough!”  

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, I’m fine.”  

Upon suddenly hearing the God of Nature’s response, I coughed involuntarily.  

God?  

-I’m sorry. You’ll have to suffer a bit more.

“Ah…”

God, why are all your responses like that!  

What wrong have I done to make you treat me like this!

-For the sake of world peace… hang in there just a little longer…  

“Oh God…”

World peace, of course it must be protected.  

For that sake I thought I’d be willing to sacrifice my life.

-Yes, that’s the spirit! Hil, my servant Hil Shuttle, be patient and wait just a little longer. Once the Demon King, the apostle of the evil god, is struck down, I swear in the name of God I will repay you.  

A reward sworn by the name of God. It will surely be an enormous reward.

No, just having this vow alone is already the greatest honor I could achieve as a holy man.   

But God, while death is not scary, that continuing agony is frightening. Continuing to live is frightening.  

-I’m sorry…

God, I’m not asking for an apology! Please just let me escape from this pit of evil!   

-I’m sorry…  

Ah… there’s no hope.  

God just keeps repeating apologies.  

“Hil…”

At some point, Selena had come over and was looking at me with a strange expression.  

“Selena…”

“Where did the hero go?”

“I’ve heard he went north to fight the Demon King.”  

-That bastard ran off.  

I answered Selena’s question about the hero’s well-being with what I knew, but the God of Nature spit out words completely different from what I knew.  

What do you mean!?  

-That guy, the moment he heard his master died while fighting another Demon King, he bolted.  

-What happened in the battle?

-While a lot of the enemy’s troops were eliminated, quite a few heroes suffered damage from the new Demon King.  

Even though they were the hope of humankind, they suffered heavy damage!? Are they okay!?

It seems the hero gave an order to retreat in order to rationalize his own flight, allowing many to return alive. 

So you’re saying his desertion had a good impact on the battle.

-Yes. The problem now is that after that, the hero went missing so the chain of command is shaken, but.

That means,

-Yes. My holy man Hil, you have only one task. That damn…

“Shuttle.”

Before the God of Nature could finish speaking, Professor Naran suddenly cut in with a stern expression and said to me.

-You must capture that bastard hero.  

“Going to catch that hero bastard.”

God of Nature, you’re saying the exact same thing as the apostle of evil god… is this alright?

-I’m sorry…

#7 Their Circumstances: A Certain Hero’s Circumstances

“Gah…!”

I try to treat the wound by pouring potion over it but the effect isn’t great.  

Because of that new Demon King rampaging about as a dragon I took a lot of damage.  

I barely managed to flee but that tenacious Demon King left wounds all over my body as he clung to me.  

If only I could receive the temple’s support my recovery may be faster, 

“But that’s not possible.”

Because the instructor may be dead.  

Well, it’s someone I feel wouldn’t die even if you tried to kill him but the opponent is not only the instructor’s DISCIPLE but the Demon King, the apostle of the evil god!  

This time even for the instructor, surviving would be difficult.  

“I have to believe that.”

Otherwise the instructor would be chasing after me.  

Because as the leader of heroes sent to defeat the Demon King, he would know I fled.

“If that happens…”  

It would be the worst. I’d end up living forever.  

Feels like even when my lifespan ends the instructor would revive me so it’s even more frightening.

Goosebumps rose on my skin at the thought and I carefully rubbed the potion I applied into the wound.  

It’s heavily diluted low-grade potion but better than nothing.

“I’m in the central continent right now so it’ll take more time to go south.”  

I take out a map and confirm my location.  

The Karan Empire nearby is dangerous but isn’t there a saying about how it’s darkest under the lamp?  

I heard that the instructor fled into the imperial capital Yugrasia to hide from Her Highness the Princess.  

So I should follow the instructor’s example and dive into where the enemy would least expect.  

Yeah, think carefully.  

Guys like Mirea are probably fighting the evil god’s army on the frontline.  

Aside from Her Highness’s troops, in the empire the only ones who could oppose me are likely those like swordmasters or others in similar positions. 

Worth a shot.  

No, this is another opportunity.  

Even if the instructor is alive, he probably won’t come chasing me deep into the empire.  

It’d be safer to make one of the decent heroes the boss instead.  

“Alright, shall I set off then?”

I steady my mind and inspect my equipment.  

My holy sword always maintains top condition on its own, and nearby a city I purchased two short swords and an iron shield along with potions.  

I probably won’t be able to use the short swords for more than one strike but if it’s not imbued with magic, the shield should be able to block a few dozen attacks.  

Bang!  

“Huh?”

On instinct I defended with my shield against the sudden sound.  

As it’s an iron shield I succeed in guarding easily, but  

“Huh?”  

Seeing my shield shattered in two by a single arrow, I felt a drop of cold sweat run down my spine.  

“Who’s there!”

I wouldn’t have been so startled if it was an arrow filled with magic.  

Because it was a surprise attack.  

Because I would have blamed my lack of judgment for not filling my shield with magic.  

However if the opponent fired an arrow without magic either that changes things.  

To split an iron shield in two with a single arrow lacking magic!  

That points to preternatural archery as well as use of some special bow and arrows.   

And such a being is!  

“An elf!”  

“Fire!”

I shout while slashing away the dozens of arrows flying at me with my sword.  

“Don’t tell me I’ve entered an elven forest? I am Swin, a hero of the Nature Religion. There seems to be some misunderstanding so let’s talk…”  

The elven race was known to be exclusive of other races.  

If there was a village near here not marked on my map, attacking like that wouldn’t be strange.  

However, even after revealing myself as a hero the continued attack was very odd.  

No, even before that, intensifying aggression after hearing I’m a hero of nature is odd right?  

Doesn’t seem like just bad mood!

“Kuh!”  

While imbuing arrows to bounce them away, the wound I took in my flank reopened.  

I learned recovery magic but haven’t used it since meeting Hil so I’m out of practice unfortunately.  

“Gah…! Let’s talk!”

“We’ll talk if you obediently surrender!”  

When it comes to this, obediently surrendering may be the best method.  

Elves don’t lie.  

Once it’s revealed I’m a hero they’ll surely cease hostility.  

But why do I feel like I mustn’t be captured here?  

If I’m caught here something really bad is going to happen.  

So,

“Gotta flee first.”  

Blocking arrows with magic, at the same time without even a backwards glance I started running away.  

But did they set up an encirclement?  

Seeing the rain of arrows from all sides, there had to be at least hundreds of gathered elves.  

However! Do you know who I am! I learned escape methods from Instructor, the expert in fleeing!  

No matter how good elves are said to be at fleeing they can’t catch me!  

Just like that as I fled the elves,  

“I’ve found you, hero.”  

“So you found him, disciple.”

“Huh?”  

I encountered Shuttle and Instructor,  

“He’sss pretttty hurt!”  

And the metal bat happily looked at my wounds too.

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