Prologue
A Green Hill and the Girl Before She Became the Hero
Cloudless blue skies. A gentle breeze rustled across a verdant hill.
“Big Brother,” Ruti called out.
She did not have any armor or weapons equipped. At present, she was just a normal village girl. Atop her pretty blue hair sat a hat accented with a white ribbon.
She had a basket in her hand. Inside was some bread, cheese, a little bit of bacon, and some goat’s milk to go with it.
“Shall we go ahead and have lunch now?”
“Yes.” Ruti was smiling from her spot sitting next to me. “I’m glad we could spend a whole week together, Big Brother.”
I had been stationed at the border region between the Kingdom of Avalonia and the Kingdom of Veronia to the south. Relations had grown strained between the two nations as of late. After finishing my six-month deployment, I had been given a bit of a rest and had come back to see Ruti.
Spending peaceful moments with my little sister was enjoyable. Protecting that smiling little girl was the only reason I’d persevered through the many trials of being a knight.
Even this won’t last forever, though.
My Divine Blessing—Guide—had the initial skill of level +30. Other than starting strong, it provided no redeeming features.
When the time came for Ruti to begin her journey, I would protect her from anything, be it orcs, dragons, or something worse. But at some point, I would reach my limit. And when that time came…
Ruti squeezed my hand. Her red eyes were looking straight at me as I glanced back at her in surprise.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You said before that my holding your hand helped you to calm down.”
Maybe my worries had been showing on my face. This was a rare moment’s peace with Ruti, so I decided to set my consternations aside for now. There would be time for them later.
“Thank you. I feel better now.”
“I see. In that case, I’m glad.”
I ran a hand through Ruti’s hair, and her eyes narrowed a bit as she allowed it. Things were tranquil for a little while, but my mind was quickly beset upon by another concern.
If I worked even harder, would it be possible to spare Ruti from her responsibilities as the Hero? Was there some way to let her enjoy peaceful days like this one forever?
Even I understood that such a dream was far-fetched. There was no way the Hero could go their entire life without doing anything. Still, I wanted my adorable little sister never to know conflict or hardship.
Unsurprisingly, I failed to see that goal realized.
That very same day when I was spending time with Ruti, the demon lord, Taraxon the Wrathful, gave the order, and battleship after battleship carrying his forces from the dark continent landed on the southern beaches of Avalon.
The demon lord’s army sent messengers delivering the declaration of war, and the next day they began an all-out assault. In less than half a week, all the coastal cities had surrendered, and by the time the continent’s various rulers knew of the declaration of war, the demon lord’s army had already gained a strong foothold in Avalon.
Two years later, Taraxon’s forces had taken half of Avalon. That’s when Ruti’s village was attacked, and she rose up as the Hero who would someday crush the demon lord and all who served him. Naturally, I was fighting by her side.
However, by the time we took back our home, that verdant hill we’d visited that one day had long since been burned to a lifeless brown.
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