The World After Leaving the Hero’s Party

Chapter 30: This is Cute Enough

A few days had passed since I returned to the palace. Just as I was thinking Veronica should be arriving soon, a maid came to the garden where I was preparing for class.

“Sage, Cardinal Veronica of the Church has arrived.”

“Understood. Princess, shall we go?”

I had already made the necessary preparations for Veronica’s arrival and received approval from the Queen to head to Frost Howl Dungeon. While there had been offers to provide knights and soldiers for support, I had declined.

“Are you certain you don’t need the knight order’s assistance?”

“Yes.”

For additional support, I’d already requested help from the Adventurer’s Guild. Specifically, I reached out to Galik’s party, the three-horned lizardmen, and Baltin’s party, the leonine beastfolk, who I had previously teamed up with to take down a demon in the Rovento Mountains.

“Why did you choose them instead of the knights? Wouldn’t it be better to use the royal knights?”

“Oh, I’ve got some errands to run after this.”

Once I sent Lucille back to the palace, I planned to team up with those adventurers to continue working on my achievements.

The demon near the Rovento Mountains by the Elf Forest was strong, but since it was in the field, there weren’t party size restrictions.

With Galik’s and Baltin’s parties, plus me, it should be a quick fight.

“Anyway, are you ready?”

“Y-yes.”

Lucille was dressed in the typical gear of a mage.

As a princess of the kingdom, her equipment was of excellent quality—items worthy of royal lineage.

I examined her closely and nodded.

“It seems Sir Lukal paid a lot of attention to your setup.”

“Yes. He said it was gear he used in his younger days.”

If the royal court mage Lukal had used it in his prime, it had to be good. Satisfied with her preparations, I grabbed my bag.

“Master, your equipment seems… quite modest.”

“This is all I need.”

Light armor and a robe I always wore were enough for defense. As for weapons, everything was already registered in Moonlight.

I just needed to pack some potions. Since I brewed them myself through alchemy, their quality was guaranteed.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Lucille responded energetically as we left the palace. Passing through the grand gates, we stepped outside to see a silver-haired beauty in a black clerical robe waiting for us.

“…!!”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing. Hoooo…”

This wasn’t Veronica’s first time visiting the palace, so Lucille should recognize her face. 

Watching her hesitate, I patted her lightly on the shoulder.

“Veronica is ruthless toward heretics but kind to those who aren’t. There’s no need to be afraid.”

“I suppose… that’s true.”

“Besides, she’s my friend. Trust me.”

I know most of the people in this world well enough to judge whether they’re good or bad. With my Jester’s Insight skill, I can even assess their inclinations.

In other words, I only associate with people I’m sure are worth it.

“It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment, Master. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“…Nothing. I’ll do my best.”

Lucille clenched her fists tightly, and I gave her a reassuring smile. Noticing us, Veronica began walking toward us with her usual calm demeanor.

…Though something felt a little off.

***

“Been well?”

“I’m fine, but…”

“What?”

“Why are you wearing makeup?”

Veronica, already a natural beauty, almost never wore makeup. When I’d asked her about it before, she’d said it wasn’t appropriate for a cleric.

And yet, here she was, dolled up.

“Well, look at that! You clean up nicely!”

“It’s a matter of courtesy. Princess, it’s been a while. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“Ah… yes.”

Lucille bit her lip and nodded slightly, her body language betraying a sense of awkwardness.

Veronica smiled faintly.

Lucille stared at her, unblinking.

“I didn’t expect you to wear makeup for such a long trip, Cardinal Veronica.”

“There’s no rule against clerics dressing up… And isn’t makeup a form of courtesy?”

“Courtesy? Is this the kind of situation that requires it?”

“Huhu. Yes, I believe so.”

Veronica glanced at me briefly.

Why is she looking at me?

“It’s that kind of occasion.”

“…I see.”

Lucille, visibly tense, stiffened like a statue. I patted her on the shoulder lightly to help her relax.

Finally, she took a deep breath, adjusted her robe, and bowed politely.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself again. As the princess of this kingdom—”

Pausing deliberately, Lucille locked eyes with Veronica.

Considering how far she’d come from her days of being unable to look anyone in the eye, this was impressive progress.

As I felt a swell of pride bubbling up inside me, Lucille smiled brightly.

“I am Lucille Ermeyer, the ‘one and only’ disciple of Sage Hyun woo.”

“Is that so… I am Veronica, Inquisitor and Cardinal of the Church. I’ve shared life-and-death struggles with Hyun woo, and you could even say we’re more than just friends—partners, really.”

That’s a bit much.

“Partners… you say?”

“Yes. We’ve fought back-to-back multiple times and saved each other’s lives during battles with dangerous heretics… unlike the Hero’s Party.”

While not untrue, why bring that up now? As the tension thickened, I scrambled to change the subject.

“I see. A friend like that… Master, you really are incredible.”

“Hyun woo is indeed remarkable.”

“A mentor to be proud of. Unlike me, Master has so many friends…”

“…Oh my. Huhu.”

“…Ahaha. Hoho.”

Hmm. They’re both smiling.

I guess the atmosphere is… fine?

This is Cute Enough

While the two stared each other down with unblinking smiles, other members of the party finally arrived.

“Yo, Sage!”

“You’re all here already?”

It was Galik and Baltin. When their respective parties joined them, Veronica and Lucille finally broke their staring contest and turned away.

“…What’s going on? What’s with the atmosphere?”

“Something happened?”

Baltin approached with a curious expression. I considered his question for a moment before replying.

“Nothing much.”

Just a normal meeting and a normal exchange of pleasantries.

The journey to the Frost Howl Dungeon required about two days of travel north from the capital.

Although there were some monsters along the way, they weren’t particularly strong, so no major battles occurred.

By the end of the first day, we safely reached a campsite. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I prepared to fulfill a certain promise.

“Sage, you’re sticking to the deal, right?”

Baltin clapped his large hand against my back, catching Veronica’s curiosity.

“What deal?”

“I’m handling all the support work until we reach the dungeon.”

This included setting up the campsite, preparing meals, and arranging tents and sleeping spaces. Naturally, I agreed to it—it was part of achieving an achievement goal.

“Let’s see the Sage’s cooking skills in action!”

“You brought ingredients, right?”

“Of course.”

Baltin pulled out bacon, bread, and a few vegetables. Galik added spices and dried fish to the pile. Adventurers with experience like them might rely on rations, but with these ingredients, we could prepare a hearty meal.

“Alright, I’ll scout the area.”

Galik and Baltin left with their party members to patrol the surroundings. As they departed, Lucille tilted her head while watching me prepare to cook.

“Master, you know how to cook?”

“There’s nothing Hyun woo can’t do. As his disciple, you still don’t seem to fully grasp his capabilities.”

“Huhu, that’s fine. I’ll take my time getting to know him better. I have plenty of time to spend with my Master, after all.”

As the two began exchanging words that gave rise to yet another tense atmosphere, I picked up a ladle.

“Instead of competing over weird things, wouldn’t it be better to coordinate with each other?”

Since Lucille and Veronica had never worked together before, they needed proper preparation.

While Frosthowl Dungeon wasn’t particularly difficult, even easy dungeons could become deadly if things went wrong. It was best to be cautious.

“Still, with you around, Hyun woo, you can make almost any combination work, right?”

“Even so. Princess, this is a good chance to coordinate with Veronica. Priests as skilled as her are rare.”

“…Understood.”

Finally, the strange tension between them dissipated. As the two began testing their magic and divine arts near the campsite, I quickly got to work preparing the meal.

“Oho, it smells great!”

“You could smell it from far away. But, uh, are you sure it’s okay to cook like this?”

“Why not?”

“Well, won’t the smell attract monsters…”

“That’s the idea.”

While the beef stew I was making maximized stamina recovery and satiety, cooking it outdoors significantly increased the chances of attracting monsters.

As the stew neared completion, my detection skill began picking up movement nearby. Some of the adventurers also noticed and subtly reached for their weapons, but I stopped them.

“Leave it to those two.”

“Huh? Why?”

“They’re going into the dungeon with us. It’s better for them to get used to working together now. There’s nothing better than real combat for that.”

“Uh, okay, but… I mean, it’s the princess and the cardinal. What if they get hurt?”

“With their skills, they’ll be fine. And if something goes wrong, I can heal them.”

To reassure them, I transformed Moonlight into its staff form. The adventurers visibly relaxed at that.

Just as the stew was almost ready, the first threat emerged.

Krrrk!

Kreeek!

A two-headed wolf appeared, baring its fangs.

“Master! It’s an enemy!”

“I know. Take it down with Veronica.”

Lucille wasn’t completely inexperienced, so I wasn’t worried.

As soon as I gave her the command, she raised her staff and fired a mana bolt. The wolf growled as it was struck and charged at her.

“Eek—!”

Thwack!

The wolf didn’t make it. Before it could reach Lucille, Veronica’s mace smashed into its side, sending it tumbling.

As the wolf struggled to regain its footing, Lucille gritted her teeth and prepared a second spell.

“Fire Strike!”

The fire-based beginner spell hit the wolf squarely, engulfing it in flames. Writhing in pain, it thrashed about, only to be finished off by Veronica’s decisive strike.

Crunch!

The wolf’s head shattered under her mace, and its body dissolved into black mist.

“Alright, here comes the next one,” I said, pointing to the other side.

“How long are we supposed to keep doing this?!”

Lucille shouted as she raised her staff to prepare another spell. Stirring the stew with a ladle, I replied,

“Until I say so. What, I can’t handle it?”

“…I can! I’ll do it!”

Determined, Lucille conjured an ice spear and hurled it at a hulking green-skinned monster.

“Because I’m Master’s only disciple!”

Wow. Impressive.

The timid girl from before was fading away, replaced by someone visibly growing stronger.

“…Tch.”

Veronica’s expression didn’t look great, but I could deal with that later.

Supporting the team like this was part of my job.

Compared to babysitting the Hero’s Party, this was practically adorable.