Chapter 11

Daily Update Commemoration!

In the midst of a dense, lush forest.

I headed towards the Helrich that Liricia had found, drawing my black sword as I went.

While running, I infused my sword with holy energy.

I zigzagged, using large trees as shields, as if cutting through the magical beams.

Then, beyond the trees, a small cabin made of logs came into view.

A black skeleton in a bright red robe had come out of the house.

—Perfect!

“Haaaaa—!”

I shouted with all my might and charged forward, raising my sword.

The skeleton raised its staff to intercept me.

—But slowly.

Indeed, Helrich moves slowly!

“Guh… This is—Tch! [Dark Fireball]”

A larger mass of darkness formed at the tip of the staff than before.

It flew towards me.

Without slowing down, I charged headfirst into the dark sphere.

Boom!

“Baka me, did I—hit it properly?”

With my vision obscured by the dark flames, I targeted the voice and charged.

Then I swung my sword down.

“Haaaaa—!”

Zaang!

“Gyaah!”

The impact was shallow.

When the flames cleared, I had only severed its right shoulder.

But since it was the arm holding the staff, it couldn’t cast another spell.

“It’s over, Helrich! —Haa!”

I raised my sword and swung it down again with all my might.

The skeleton turned to run, but its movements were slow.

I brought the sword down on the back of its head, shattering the red hood.

“Gyaah”

Another strike. Another strike.

“Gya—Gi—”

I shattered the slow-moving skeleton into pieces.

I completely destroyed the bones of its head, body, and limbs.

But the black bone fragments were still twitching.

The fragments were reattaching and regenerating.

—Huh? What did I do when I was the hero?

I remember a high-ranking cleric destroying something around Helrich’s chest…

I smashed the ribs, collarbone, and spine that were trying to regenerate.

Then, I found a fist-sized red orb where a human heart would be.

“Is this it?”

When I tried to take it, it wouldn’t move from inside the body.

“Hmm, why? —Haa!”

I pulled with all my might, and it finally came out with a crunching sound.

The black bones shattered into pieces and disappeared.

When Helrich was defeated, Liricia, who had been hiding, spread her white wings and instantly came to my side.

She hugged me with teary eyes.

“Master! What a reckless thing to do! I’ll heal you right away! —High Healing!”

Liricia quickly applied a slimy herbal juice to my face and cast a spell.

A warm, strong light enveloped me.

Burns and singed black hair were healed.

Then my injuries were completely healed.

I sheathed my sword and stroked Liricia’s head. Her abundant silver hair felt pleasant against my fingertips.

“Thank you. I guess a healer is essential after all.”

Then Liricia, with her violet eyes brimming with tears, grabbed my cheeks with both hands and pleaded.

“That’s not the level of it! Charging straight into that spell! I thought my heart would stop!”

“No, on the contrary, if you take one hit, the rest is easy to beat. Didn’t you see?”

“Eee… That’s one of the ultimate dark spells. My spell—Angel’s Advanced Defense Magic—was destroyed in one hit…?”

For some reason, Liricia was recoiling, shaking her white habit.

“Is that so? Then Helrich wasn’t very strong, I guess.”

I responded casually. That’s what I thought.

However, Liricia flapped her white wings and pondered.

Her violet eyes shimmered with intelligence.

“…I feel there’s a big mistake somewhere.”

“Mistake?”

“Master’s constant failures as the hero Alec. Thinking Helrich is weak. Not encountering weak monsters like goblins. Not even seeing them. All these might have the same cause.”

“What?”

“The cause is Master’s overwhelming holy energy. It far exceeds human perception and common sense.”

“I don’t really understand…?”

Liricia placed her hand on her chin, looked around, and then at me.

“When Master attacks, you put a lot of energy into it, right?”

“Of course. You can’t attack without putting energy into it. If you’re weak, it won’t do any damage.”

“Yes, that’s the first reason why you can survive that ultimate spell.”

“What do you mean?”

“With the energy, a massive amount of holy energy is released from your body. It acts as a barrier, reducing the spell’s power.”

“So, if I hadn’t released it, I would have been in trouble?”

“You would have been reduced to splinters.”

“…I’ll be more careful from now on.”

I finally understood the recklessness of my actions. A chill ran down my spine.

Liricia raised her slender finger and continued.

“And second, the massive amount of holy energy leaking out is the reason monsters can escape.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Monsters sense the leaking holy energy and flee before being attacked.”

“Helrich didn’t run.”

“This monster is particularly strong. It can withstand holy energy. But due to the effect of the holy energy, its movements are very slow. It felt like walking in water. When it attacked me, it was incredibly fast. Even with the distance, I could barely defend myself.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true…”

Even Liricia, who can move as quickly as teleportation in her angel form, was blown back.

“Not encountering weak monsters is also due to the holy energy?”

“Probably. It’s always leaking. Considering the amount and range, weak monsters would be eliminated within a 500-meter radius.”

“So that’s why I never saw goblins, kobolds, ghosts, or skeletons?”

“No, it’s more than that. Probably C-rank or lower dark or undead monsters are eliminated.”

“……”

I was speechless. I couldn’t find the words.

The overwhelming holy energy as a hero was actually hindering me.

I hadn’t noticed. Probably, the others around me hadn’t noticed either.

Failing missions because I couldn’t find enemies was actually because I was eliminating them before I could find them.

Indeed, in the areas I visited, the damage from monsters seemed to decrease over time.

It was due to the overwhelming amount of holy energy.

But it’s good to know the cause.

“Thanks, Liricia. I appreciate you telling me. I hope you’ll stay by my side and keep teaching me.”

Liricia nodded with a slight blush.

“Yes, of course! It’s my mission! …And, unlike monsters, being by Master’s side makes me feel energized and joyful.”

“Do you often hug my arm to absorb the leaking holy energy?”

“That’s—! Not just that!”

Liricia bit her lip and looked up at me.

Despite being a majestic angel with white wings, her cute gestures made me want to hug her.

I wrapped my arms around Liricia’s slender waist and pulled her close.

“Then, let’s head back.”

“A—Ah, shouldn’t we search Helrich’s house for treasure?”

“Ah, right. We should do that too.”

As a hero, such chores were the job of the followers.

—Being an adventurer is indeed troublesome.

But then I had an idea.

“Right. Using Liricia’s monocle, we can quickly find items that might sell.”

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

Liricia and I, side by side, tried to enter Helrich’s house, but her wings got caught at the entrance, so she turned back into human form.

Following the genre ranking (60th place), we’ve also ranked in the daily overall (259th place)!

Thank you for the bookmarks and ☆ ratings! It’s all thanks to you all!

So, I’ve done a commemorative update.

The next chapter will be updated around noon.