CHAPTER 36 – ESTEEMED SWORD SAINT INN

“There exists a being characterized as a great disaster. It reappears every few decades, wreaking havoc over the globe and satisfying its lust for tyranny. The Falgaro, a Magic Beast akin to a Gai, is the name given to this being. It is stated that in the past, all of the major nations’ knights would band together, and if not, all of a country’s armies would be dispatched to battle it. It is also believed that with the help of the gods, powerful chosen ones from other worlds were summoned to defeat it. All of those triumphs, however, would come at the cost of numerous sacrifices.”

“Gust of Wind, a four-man party, brought down the Falgaro that appeared about 15 years ago. The party consisted of the Hero Foldia, the Saintess Iriem, the Great Sage Astard, and the man known as the strongest swordsman, the Sword Saint Estert. It is stated that without those four, the world would not have gained peace. They are known as the Four Heroes because of their accomplishment in protecting the humans and the other races from disaster with minor casualties.”

“Due to his self-sacrifice, the Sword Saint Estert is the most popular of the four heroes. Sword Saint Estert’s dedication to sacrificing his life in order to defeat the Falgaro, in addition to doing so for the sake of the people of this world, as well as the testimonies of the returned hero, Foldia, which state that they wouldn’t have been able to win without him, have made his name well-known throughout the continent. Nowadays, there are many songs and poems glorifying Estert, even more than those praising the Hero Foldia, who killed the Falgaro personally. That’s why there are also a number of adventurers that admire him and strive to be just like him.”

After telling Estert’s narrative, Jonahim cut his speech short.

I want to hide somewhere…

That was Merc’s genuine reaction to Jonahim’s narrative. Merc had just lived and died, nothing more. It hadn’t been something noble like doing it for the sake of the world or the people. Merc had merely acted rashly in order to protect her companions.

She had simply done it, believing she was better qualified to die than Foldia. Merc was definitely not the type of person that the people were making her out to be. And she was fully aware of that.

“Jonahim, is the hero still doing well?”

“My Master? Sure is. He’s quite gung-ho. He appears almost as young as me, despite the fact that he is approaching his forties.”

“I see…”

Merc was surprised to learn that Foldia appeared to be so young, but she was relieved to learn that he was doing well. She swore that she would definitely let him have a piece of her mind if she ever met him. True, Merc had urged him to praise her, but she hadn’t anticipated it to get this bad.

“It’s still hard for me to believe that you haven’t heard of Mr. Estert. I suppose elves are just a bunch of country bumpkins.” Elea stated, blaming Merc for her lack of knowledge.

“I got it, I got it. So could you please stop talking about him…” Merc didn’t mind it, but every time she heard Elea utter ‘Mr. Estert,’ her entire body began to itch uncontrollably.

It made Merc wonder how Elea would react once she found out that Merc was in fact her esteemed Sword Saint Estert.

I can’t let anyone know about my past.

As Merc followed Jonahim, she made the decision that she would never expose her past in order to protect Elea, who admired Estert.

Human houses began to appear one after another as the group moved further away from the Forest of Illusion, and shortly a familiar landscape appeared before Merc’s eyes.

They finally reached the City of Ende.

Whoa. This weapon shop is still here! Oh! Wasn’t that restaurant quite good?!

Merc finally arrived at a familiar inn after admiring the surroundings and familiar buildings that she hadn’t seen in 15 years. It was the inn she had frequented while she was still known as Estert. However, upon laying eyes on the inn known as the Esteemed Sword Saint Inn. She immediately thought…

I want to hide somewhere…

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The Esteemed Sword Saint Inn was a typical inn, with an old-fashioned ambiance and a modest size. It was just like Merc remembered it, and the inn itself hadn’t changed all that much in the past 15 years.

However, there was a problem. The name Esteemed Sword Saint Inn was grandiosely engraved at the entrance, and a gorgeous statue stood directly next to it. The statue depicted a man with a majestic expression, his two swords boldly pointing to the sky1.

The fact that Merc had never been able to produce such a face throughout her time as Estert proved that the statue had been exaggerated. However, based on the statue’s various distinguishing qualities, it was evident that it was a statue of Estert.

I want to hide somewhere. Are they seriously expecting me to go inside there?

Estert’s soul inside Merc reacted negatively to the sudden shock it had experienced. Merc began to wonder if seeing the statue every time she entered the inn was some form of punishment. What in the world had she done to deserve this?

“What are you doing? Hurry up and come inside.”

“I-I’m coming…”

Jonahim, unaware of Merc’s feelings, beckoned her inside. Merc had no choice but to step inside after failing to avoid the party’s suspicious gazes.

That b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲… He won’t get away with just a piece of my mind. I’ll let him have one for sure!

Merc swore to herself as she passed by the statue of Estert.

“Oh my, it’s nice to see you Jonahim. Did you finish your mission?”

As soon as the group walked into the inn, a woman at the reception desk called out to them. Merc recognized the woman’s voice and dug through her memories to discover that she had worked as a waitress at the inn. She had just recently become an adult and appeared naive at the time, but she now exuded a strong presence.

The way she spoke to Jonahim and the other suggested that she was used to such circumstances.

Well, it’s been 15 years… It’s no surprise that she’s grown into a beautiful lady.

The waitress, who had been 14 at the time and resembled an adorable animal, had matured into a beautiful woman. If only her breasts had been bigger, she would have been Merc’s perfect type.

The waitress turned to look at Merc with interest as Merc approached the counter while examining the waitress’ breasts.

“Oh my, quite an unusual face we have here… He’s brought in another beauty.”

The waitress mistook Merc for yet another beautiful girl since her pointed ears, which were a trait of the elves, were hidden under her blond hair.

Merc bowed slightly and responded after hearing the waitress address her.

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“Hello, my name is Merc. I’m currently accompanying this group due to some circumstances.”

“Is that so? It makes me wonder how Jonahim manages to be surrounded by only pretty women… Jonahim, do you have a peculiar scent about you or something?”

“What? I smell?”

Jonahim said this before sniffing his arms. His innocence was being exposed in all its glory.

“Well, let’s just leave it at that. Merc was it? I’m this inn’s landlady. My name is Luzei.”

“Oh…”

Now I remember.

Merc managed to swallow the words just as they were about to exit her mouth.

“Hm? Did something happen?”

“I-It’s nothing. By the way, what happened to the landlord? Where is Binard?”

“Huh? You know Binard? He is currently out buying groceries.”

“I see.”

By attempting to change the subject, Merc had unwittingly dug her own grave. Luzei, on the other hand, hadn’t questioned it because she wasn’t aware that Merc was an elf. Which was why she had continued as well.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t know you knew Mr. Binard, Merc.”

On the other hand, Jonahim and the others thought it was unusual. All three of them cast dubious glances towards Merc.

“I-I found out about Mr. Binard because a friend of mine who has visited this inn stated he owed him a favor.”

It was a truly lame excuse. If you poked it, you’d find a slew of holes. Jonahim, on the other hand, merely nodded at Merc’s explanation due to his inability to doubt people.

“I see. Mr. Binard is truly a nice husband, isn’t he?”

“You won’t get anything out of praising him.”

Luzei stated, a big smile on her face.

Wait… Pops Binard was in his thirties at the time. Or was it his late thirties?

“M-Miss Luzei, could you perhaps be married to…”

“Hm? That’s right. Binard is my husband.”

“I see…”

Age is just a number I guess.

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