------------------
[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
------------------
Chapter - 22: The Protagonist of a Fairy Tale
‘Did she do it on purpose? But if that were the case, it would be strange for the power to be lost.’
The first suspicion was that Zara had pulled some trick.
It was possible she had deliberately induced apostasy.
However, apostasy is not something that occurs so easily.
The divine authority is not so foolish as to be deceived by a staged injury.
If Zara had intended to be cut by the sword, the apostasy would not have occurred.
She was defeated in battle and struck by the blade.
‘...No, the god passed judgment fairly. It was I who was swayed by emotion.’
Justice is strict and harsh, but it possesses a degree of flexibility.
In the end, if there had been no true intent to harm the girl, it would not have come to apostasy.
From the beginning, she had hated the girl.
The moment she saw her, she wanted to swing her sword and torment her. She had envied that innocent, untainted kindness.
Even so, the reason she had tried to subdue the girl without injury was simply because the hero prioritized justice above her own emotions.
However, the last sword strike was clearly too powerful.
The girl no longer had the strength to even swing a sword.
Even if she had misjudged the distance, had she controlled her strength properly, the girl would not have been so gravely injured.
The sword was imbued with emotion. That was all.
‘I tried to crush her with power.’
In the end, it was a simple matter.
She was less virtuous than the girl. She was not righteous.
She had tried to crush the weak with strength, to wield violence according to her emotions.
And as a result, she had wounded the girl.
On the other hand, how noble that girl was.
She forgave even the one who had harmed her, and she raised her sword to protect others.
‘…It is a shameful thing.’
The hero still believed that sinners deserved punishment.
Even if she had lost the divine authority granted by the god, she had not lost the morality that dwelt within her.
She still wanted to kill that bald man.
However, the girl's actions were so dignified that even such a hero felt shame.
The hero bowed her head to Zara.
“…I am sorry, child.”
The hero bent at a 90-degree angle toward the fallen Zara.
It was an apology delivered with perfect decorum.
In truth, even at this very moment, she felt no remorse whatsoever.
On the contrary, only fury and anguish boiled up from the depths of her chest at having lost her power and fallen into apostasy because of this girl.
She wanted to swing her fist at the girl's face right this instant.
The hero was poor at acting, and she assumed those emotions were surely showing on her face.
Surprisingly, the girl accepted the apology with a disarming cheerfulness.
"You're the first person who's ever apologized to me...! I must be lucky today. So, I’ll forgive you—just this once. But don’t do it again."
"……."
The hero took a powdered medicine from her bag and sprinkled it over Zara’s wound.
It would serve as a basic form of first aid.
Zara giggled as she received the hero’s treatment.
The wound hurt, but she was used to pain anyway.
-"Zappy, make sure you get plenty of rest so the wound doesn’t get worse. Work Hard, Rest Hard. Resting intensely is just as important as working intensely."
‘Hehe. Got it.’
-"Good job. Today’s Zappy was like a Fucking Lion."
‘Ehehe.’
.
.
.
The hero continued to stay close to Zara.
"Why are you following me?"
"To apologize to you."
"You already did, didn’t you?"
"A mere apology in words conveys nothing. And expressing it through action is the only way I can truly seek your forgiveness."
"You’re a weird lady!"
"Also, I’m not a lady. I’m your older sister."
"Okay! Lady!"
"……."
With the hero nearby, the other people in the city could no longer harass Zara as they usually did.
Of course, the hero had already lost her power…
But even just the armor she wore and the sword she held were intimidating enough to the ordinary townsfolk.
"…It’s strange. Misfortune seems to follow you wherever you go. The ground caves in, signs fall—it's like the whole world is out to torment you."
“In my opinion, the lady is a stranger!”
"……."
"Heheh."
Zara wandered the city as usual, working alongside the hero.
She cleaned chimneys, got hit by rocks thrown by local kids, and heard whispers and curses from a few people.
The one thing that changed was that whenever someone tried to harass Zara, the hero would step in to protect her.
She chased away the children who threw stones and scolded the people who cursed.
"Thank you! Today was a really lucky day."
"…Have you ever thought about leaving this city?"
"It’s the same wherever I go. I can run away from the city, but I can’t run away from myself."
"……."
"As long as I exist as myself, people will hate me anyway. So what matters is facing my misfortune head-on at this moment. That’s what it means to live with pride in oneself…"
"…No. It’s not the same everywhere."
"Come on, how would you know? You’ve only just met me."
"Come to the Temple of Justice. There, we act not from feelings but from duty and morality. In that place, you could live like an ordinary child."
"Ehehe. That’s a very tempting offer…"
Zara giggled like a fool as she looked into the eyes of the hero, Dandelion.
Hatred, envy, anger, disillusionment…
Many dark emotions swirled within the hero.
But there was also a powerful will suppressing all those feelings with unwavering strength.
If everyone living in the Temple of Justice were like Dandelion…
Then Zara might be able to live an ordinary life.
A life where she wouldn’t be hit for no reason, or suddenly cursed at.
For someone like Zara, who had lived her whole life under a cruel fate, it was an incredibly alluring idea.
But Zara shook her head.
"Wouldn’t that be too much of a burden on others?"
"A burden?"
"Yes. If others have to force themselves to smile and endure discomfort just because of my misfortune, then that’s not justice at all! I don’t want to push my suffering onto anyone else.
That’s the kind of thing only pussies do."
"Aren’t you overthinking it a little?"
"If misfortune is my fate, then I’ll do my best to find happiness within that misfortune. But if I run from fate and cause trouble for others just to chase my own happiness, I won’t be able to hold my head high."
Zara’s gaze turned toward Gigachad.
If it had been the Zara from before she met Gigachad, she might have accepted this lucky offer with a smile.
She would’ve nodded eagerly, swept away by the unexpected stroke of fortune.
And that was why Zara was truly an unfortunate child.
Only after long hardship did she finally decide to face her misfortune properly.
And now that she had received such a sweet and tempting offer.
If a demon were to tempt the suffering in the wilderness, it should’ve done so before the 40 days passed.
After enduring 40 days of hardship, even the thought of wasting that effort would make the sufferer reject the temptation.
"I want to be someone I can be proud of."
"How… how can you be so strong?"
"Because inside me, there is ■■■■."
"Huh?"
For a moment, the hero heard Zara’s voice as though it were noise.
It sounded like she had said something, but the words hadn’t come through clearly.
The hero asked once more.
"What did you just say?"
"There’s a strong will inside me. It’s a powerful, immense voice within me… and it always gives me courage. It tells me to become a better person. It tells me to become the master of my own fate."
"Ah…"
"I know I can affirm who I am."
Zara’s voice, as she spoke while looking proudly into the air, was incredibly steadfast.
The hero could do nothing but nod.
And then another thought occurred, and she spoke.
"Then… how about coming with me to the temple, and becoming a Hero of Justice?"
"Huh?"
"You are more righteous than I am… so surely, you would become an even greater hero. Being able to act on your own will, unshaken by emotion—that’s the most essential virtue of a Hero of Justice. From what I’ve seen, I believe you have the talent to be a hero."
"Uh… eheh. Do you think so?"
"After you’ve become a hero, you can always return to the city and live your life as usual."
"Hmm…"
Zara looked toward Gigachad.
He simply watched her, as if to say he would respect whatever decision she made.
After a moment of contemplation, Zara finally nodded slowly.
"I think I like it. Becoming a hero… it sounds amazing, like becoming the protagonist of a fairy tale."
"Do you like fairy tales?"
"I hate them. More than anything in this world."
"Hm?"
"Fufu."
------------------
[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
------------------
