Chapter 7 - The Price of Salvation
—I'm happy. To think that I would be chosen as the sacrifice. I truly was your most beloved woman, wasn't I?
Don't say things like that, Elsa.
Nothing has any meaning without you.
I became a Hero because I wanted to protect you.
Let's run away somewhere far away, just the two of us.
I don't care about the Demon Lord.
A world like this can just perish for all I care.
I don't want to save people who wish to live so badly that they would force such a painful role upon you.
—This is destiny. I'm sure it was decided from the moment we met that it would end like this.
Why does it have to be Elsa?
You're my everything.
Why couldn't it have been someone else?
What have those people ever done for you?
You should only think about your own happiness.
You should be more cunning, more selfish. That's the kind of life you should have been allowed to have.
—The Hero-sama is such a liar. If I were that kind of woman, you wouldn't have fallen in love with me, right? You were the one who told me that the way I worked hard for everyone's sake was wonderful, after all. ...It's okay, Keisuke. No matter what form I take, I will be by your side forever.
"Elsa..."
When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling.
A fluorescent light encrusted with the carcasses of gnats. A dangling pull-string. A wall clock pointing to six in the morning.
This was Japan, inside my apartment.
It wasn't another world.
Elsa, who had smiled so kindly at me, was nowhere to be found anymore.
That dream again.
A dead woman and my own unmoving body. It was a staple course of nightmares that was delivered even though I never asked for it.
Whenever I saw this, I always cried in my sleep, and when I woke up, my face would be a mess of tears and eye discharge.
I need to wash my face.
I crawled out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
With unsteady steps, I stood before the sink.
When I turned the faucet, water gushed out. I caught it in my palms and splashed it against my eyes.
I looked up.
Peering into the mirror, I saw a middle-aged man with bloodshot, swollen eyes reflected back at me.
I had a faint growth of stubble, looking pathetic as could be.
If Angelica saw me like this, she might be disillusioned.
Just kidding.
As I turned to the side with a dark, solitary chuckle, I locked eyes with Angelica herself.
With Angelica, who was perched on the toilet in the middle of doing her business.
"...You were here?"
The girl replied while blinking her green eyes at my mutter.
"...I was."
Suddenly, I was at a loss for words.
I blew it.
After lecturing her so arrogantly last night about the drawbacks of a unit bath, I was the one who messed up.
In the room I'm renting, the bathtub and toilet are crammed into the same bathroom.
Immediately to the right upon entering is the bathtub, and to the left is the toilet.
The sink is installed in the middle, sandwiched between the two.
If a man and a woman live together in such an environment, accidents are bound to happen constantly.
For example, I might barge in when I feel the urge to go while Angelica is taking a shower.
Or I might stumble in to wash my face while half-asleep even though Angelica is sitting on the toilet with her underwear pulled down.
You'd want to avoid that, right?
That's why, after dinner, I told her arrogantly:
"While one of us is in the bathroom, the other should try not to go near it as much as possible. That's a promise to your father."
And yet, here I was in this state. I was immediately putting a bad example into practice.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to peek."
Angelica's cheeks were faintly flushed, and she was covering her crotch with her hands.
Her bare thighs were dazzling. Her calves and ankles were slender, yet that area was properly plump.
This is bad.
Even though it wasn't the time to be observing her intently, my eyes followed them instinctively.
I moved my stiff neck with a creak and looked away. I thought it was common courtesy to remove her from my field of vision for the time being.
"...I don't mind if you look, but in exchange, please show me yours later, Hero-sama."
"I won't!"
I shouted and dashed out of the bathroom in a panic.
I could hear the sound of water, but I took off my pajamas while making sure not to pay any attention to it.
I wanted to use the toilet too, but I'll have to endure it for now.
It'll definitely take a while.
Because...
"Whoa... s-so this is the bidet...!"
Ever since I taught Angelica how to use the toilet last night, she's been like this the whole time.
Every time she sits on the toilet, she plays with the buttons for no reason. This morning, it seems she's finally challenging the bidet function, which I had been wary of.
At this rate, she won't be coming out for a while. Should I just go take care of it outside?
But it's only a few minutes of patience.
I decided to at least shave my beard, and while I was going at it with the electric shaver, I heard the sound of the toilet flushing. A moment later, the sound of thumping footsteps running toward me.
"As expected of the Hero-sama! That facility was made so that lovers can bathe while watching each other pee like we just did, right? I think the Hero-sama is a genius."
I didn't want that 'as expected.'
But her eyes were sparkling, so she's probably praising me from the bottom of her heart.
Were you really a Holy Maiden?
I wonder if those people from the other world didn't just send over some low-born woman. When I tried to use [Skill: Status Appraisal] out of a moment's suspicion, she was indeed a legitimate Holy Maiden.
Moreover, she was quite strong.
[Name] Angelica
[Level] 30
[Class] Holy Maiden
[HP] 600
[MP] 700
[Attack] 200
[Defense] 300
[Agility] 350
[Magic Attack] 700
[Magic Defense] 720
[Skills] Language Comprehension, Perception, Sorcery, Father Complex (Developing)
[Remarks] Strong curiosity and sexual desire, but no experience with men. Targeting Keisuke Nakamoto's body.
I'll just ignore the obvious points to nitpick because they're kind of scary.
The stats necessary for a back-row member were all over 700. It could be called a generally excellent stat distribution.
She was more than sufficient to be entrusted with the role of the party's healer.
Though it's a waste of talent in modern Japan.
There are rarely opportunities to get life-threatening injuries, and if you do, medical professionals will work hard to heal you.
Ah, but maybe I could use it for business, calling it spiritual healing or something.
I can use Sorcery too. If we cleanly treat injuries that would leave scars with modern medicine, we could make a fortune.
...That's a dangerous way of thinking.
In the first place, if we stand out like that, we'll just be put on a pedestal as heroes or saviors again. If that happens, trouble is bound to come flying in.
I've learned my lesson. In this world, I'll pretend to be an ordinary person and live in peace.
I stroked my chin, checking for any unshaven spots as I headed toward the toilet.
"Perception, huh?"
It was a good time, so I decided to ask.
After finishing my business and washing my hands, I asked Angelica.