I Was Kicked out of the Hero's Party Because I Wasn't a True Companion so I Decided to Have a Slow Life at the Frontier

I am Tise‧Garland.

Possessing the Divine Protection of Assassin, Hero-sama’s companion.

It was currently night time.

After I had given food to the Alchemist Codwin which we had confined in the warehouse.

Our original plan was to leave Zoltan during the night but we found Hero-sama’s Onii-chan which she has been searching for in this town so the plans had changed.

Hero-sama’s wish seemed to be pointing toward staying in this town.

However, we also needed Codwin to make the medicine.

(Too many people know Codwin’s face in this town ...)

We would have to prepare a workshop for the Alchemist at a distance where Hero-sama could reach from Zoltan and be able to monitor him such that he would not escape.

(Difficult.)

Those were my thoughts.

If there were more of us here, we might have been able to come up with a couple other plans but only Hero-sama and I were there.

This was the first time we have been to Zoltan so there was not anybody we could trust. There wasn’t a branch of the Assassin’s Guild either.

If I had to choose, I would say that Hero-sama’s brother, Gideon-san, should be trustworthy ...

“Hero-sama, it’s still difficult.”

“Yes.”

Hero-sama silently nodded.

“Shouldn’t we move to another town and stay there until we prepare enough of the medicine? We can return to Zoltan after that.”

“I know.”

“Heeee!?”

I involuntarily flinched when I sensed the bad mood coming from Hero-sama.

Even though she has only been pondering while seated in a chair, her intent was terrifying.

I thought her mood would soften a little after meeting Gideon-san but that was not the case.

“Tomorrow, I have something I wish to investigate. Until then, I want you to find a hideout, it’s all right as long as it can stay hidden for a week.”

“I-if it’s something like that, I think I can manage but ... what is it that you wish to investigate?”

“There is apparently an Ancient-Elf ruin in the mountain next to where we stopped the flying ship. If the facilities are functional, I was thinking of using that as a hideout.”

When did she acquire such information?

“Wood-Elves apparently live somewhere near that mountain too so I heard that useful plants grow gregariously there.”

“Ancient-Elf ruins and Wood-Elf existing in the same place?”

Unusual. That was the first time I heard of an Ancient-Elf ruin and Wood-Elf territory in the same region.

Although it might just be because we currently have no knowledge of it.

After all, Wood-Elves seem to believe in recycling nature.

The instructor in the Assassin’s Guild mentioned when he was teaching me history that Wood-Elf buildings are one with nature so once the Wood-Elves disappear, the trees would grow and the Wood-Elf ruins would disappear without a trace.

It was possible ... that Wood-Elf ruins were atop other Ancient-Elf ruins but just that the traces had disappeared.

“If the Ancient-Elf ruin was functional, it would certainly function as a hideout ... but, why?”

Why must we go to such lengths to stay in Zoltan?

However, after seeing Hero-sama’s serious expression, I could no longer articulate the remainder of the question.

Terrifying ...

*Tap tap* Small feet tapped my shoulder.

Ugeuge-san tilted its head.

Ugeuge-san was asking what was the matter.

Don’t think too deeply? No, maybe it meant don’t think too hard? And to look properly?

Ugeuge-san was unusually talkative as it communicated with me.

Even now it was continuously moving its two front legs to convey its thoughts to me.

“What’s wrong?”

I was a little uneasy.

Ugeuge-san was trying to tell me something but I could not understand.

I replied with a question to somehow understand but Ugeuge-san repeated the same image.

What does it mean? It has been a long time since I had this feeling.

... That was why my attention was drawn to Ugeuge-san and not Hero-sama.

“Tise.”

“Eh?”

Before I knew it, Hero-sama was in front of me.

However, Hero-sama’s gaze was not directed at the shocked and frozen me.

She was staring at my shoulder.

At Ugeuge-san who tilted its head with a blank look.

Hero-sama stretched her hand toward my shoulder.

My thoughts froze. Fear and confusion pierced my head.

Perhaps I did something to anger Hero-sama.

Even so!

Without realizing, I leaped back and drew my sword in a stance.

My teeth made sounds as I gnashed them.

The fear from drawing my sword against an opponent that I had no chance of winning against burned within my head.

Hero-sama stopped moving while expressionlessly remaining in her position with a stretched out arm.

She stared straight at me.

I believe it was only a short moment but ... to me, it was an extremely long duration.

” ... You’re wrong.”

Hero-sama said as she looked at me.

“I know that child is your pet. I was not trying to pat your shoulder without noticing it.”

What was she saying?

I listened to her as I breathed out roughly. But I could not understand the contents.

“I have seen it move its arms and feet a lot while next to Tise. I have also seen Tise feed it some insects that you caught ...”

Hero-sama talked continuously.

I trembled as I held my sword at the ready.

A small shadow leaped past me.

“Ugeuge-san!?”

Ugeuge-san leaped onto the floor, raised both its arms and tried its best to make itself look large with its small body as it stood in front of me.

“Wh-what ... eh? ‘Look properly’?”

What should I be looking at ...

Ugeuge-san desperately moved its small body and repeatedly told me to ‘look properly’.

That was when I ... finally ‘looked properly’.

“You’re wrong, I absolutely did not have such intentions.”

Who was in front of me?

Hero-sama. The owner of humanity’s strongest Divine Protection, burdened with the fate to save the world, living for the sake of justice and a person all her companions feared.

However, I saw ... a young girl who angered her good friend but could not understand why she angered her and was at a loss.

I was off.

Even though I drew my sword out of dear and showed a combat posture, but to Hero-sama, she couldn’t understand and it just seemed to her that she had somehow angered me.

Hero-sama was too overwhelmingly strong and at a place too distant from us ... that she could no longer empathize with the common person’s killing intent and hostile intentions.

That might be similar to how adults just laugh wryly even though a young child was seriously angry.

That mistake finally made me understand, to ‘look properly’ at Hero-sama, that Hero-sama had always been alone.

That was right, I could now see my past memories properly.

When we were discussing on the flying ship, Hero-sama’s occasional change in expression when she looked at me was similar to how I smiled when I looked at Ugeuge-san and she also smiled when she looked at Ugeuge-san.

That night, when she was looking for something, she was also looking for a small bed for Ugeuge-san. That was all there was to it. (TLN: Chapter 48 last part)

In the end, Hero-sama could not think of what best to say ...

“Sorry, I don’t know why I angered you. But I hope you can forgive me ... sorry.”

She just apologized.

The clang of metal resounded as I let the sword fall to the ground.

I was asking myself why I had never realized it.

And I succumbed to the feeling of guilt.

When I crouched down, Ugeuge-san jumped to the back of my hand.

(Apologize?)

Ugeuge-san told me.

Yup, that’s right.

I stepped toward Hero-sama, toward Ruti-san.

Ruti-san was surprised ... and her shoulders shuddered a little.

I took a breath to say the words.

“I should be the one apologizing. I misunderstood you. I am really sorry.”

“Really? ... You’re not angry?”

“No, I am not angry. Is Ruti-san not angry?”

She seemed to be a little surprised that I called her Ruti-san but I felt that her lips loosened a little. I believe she didn’t hate it.

“I’m not angry.”

“That’s great. But ... I would prefer if you told me that you would like to touch my pet before you touch it.”

“All right.”

I extended the back of my hand where Ugeuge-san was standing toward Ruti-san.

Ruti-san also extended her left hand.

*Pyon*

Ugeuge-san lightly leaped from my hand onto Ruti-san’s hand.

Then, it waved to Ruti-san with its right arm.

” ... Name.”

“Ugeuge-san.”

“Ugeuge?”

“Ugeuge-san, its name is until the ‘san’”

Ruti-san gave a blank look and then looked toward Ugeuge-san.

“Ugeuge-san, I am Ruti. Pleasure working with you.”

Ruti-san narrowed her eyes and smiled gently.

I am Tise‧Garland.

Possessing the Divine Protection of Assassin, currently Hero Ruti-san’s friend.