𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏)
━━Stella’s Perspective
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When did I start seeing him, Allan, as more than just a friend?
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At first, he was just a childhood friend.
Born in the same small village and the only ones our age, our parents were close neighbors, and being together was as natural as siblings.
So neither of us had any reservations, we’d speak our minds without holding back and often bickered and fought.
But, oddly enough, being with him felt really comfortable.
Back then, I never thought much of it, but now that I’ve become a hero and have been taken to the castle, where I’m expected to act the part, I realize how blessed I was to be next to Allan, where I didn’t have to put on airs.
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That sibling-like relationship, which had been so easy-going and free, started to change at some point.
Well, he hadn’t changed at all; it was my perception of him that had.
Being next to Allan made me slightly anxious, a bit uneasy, but still, the comfort was there.
I think it’s fair to say that I was definitely starting to notice him as a guy, even if the feelings were faint.
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Really, what triggered it?
I don’t think there was any dramatic moment.
But, how should I put it, he was naturally kind.
Normally he could be quite annoying, but when I was down, he’d notice and treat me gently; when I was injured, he’d genuinely panic. . . . . .
Perhaps it was an accumulation of such moments that made me start noticing him.
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Yet, there was an incident that tipped these subtle feelings over into love.
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One day, a wandering minstrel visited the village and sang songs of a so-called hero in the village square.
Hearing that got both of us excited, and on a whim, we started mock-fighting with branches we found nearby.
Then, surprisingly, I managed the makeshift sword well and ended up hitting Allan so hard on the head that he fainted.
Thankfully, he woke up. . . . . .but I was really worried when shaking him didn’t rouse him.
Had he not woken up just a little sooner, I would have run frantically to Allan’s home.
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In such a situation, Allan woke up, maybe safely(?), but right after that, he clung to me.
He clung to me.
Because it was an important matter, I said it twice.
For the first time, I felt Allan’s body temperature, the sensation of his skin, and the beating of his heart from such a close distance.
I thought my own heart might leap out of my mouth.
I didn’t dislike it, but the fact that I didn’t dislike it made me incredibly embarrassed. . . . . .
However, contrary to my brain momentarily turning pink, Allan’s body was trembling slightly.
Allan was frightened.
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Upon asking, it seemed that Allan had had a frightening dream due to the head injury.
Even when I tried to make light of it, the trembling didn’t stop.
When I asked him for more details, the dream he saw was of me becoming a hero and dying.
And it felt incredibly real.
It didn’t make sense back then, but it certainly isn’t funny now. . . . . .
But putting that aside for now.
What’s important are the words he said at that moment.
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『Even if that happens, I will definitely protect you. Absolutely. Absolutely.』
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What kind of pickup line is that?!
What makes it worse is that I could tell he meant it from the bottom of his heart, neither intending it as a pickup line nor as a joke.
On top of the bold physical touch from someone I was starting to have feelings for, this vow to absolutely protect me, whispered in my ear, was just too powerful for young me.
My face heated up, my heart pounded, and I couldn’t help but let out an awkward sound.
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Maybe at that moment, my feelings broke through their shallowness, and I think I fell in love.
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The next three years were quite happy for me.
Allan started training to get stronger, and it became a daily routine for me to join him, sparring with toy swords given to us by uncle.
I never really could beat him, which was frustrating. But knowing that his hard work was to protect me made me happier than resentful.
Watching Allan work hard was cool.
However, I won’t forgive him for the smug look on his face every time he beats me.
That self-satisfied expression of his ignited a fighting spirit in me, as if he were settling years of resentment.
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I also began to actively participate in Allan’s training, even practicing at home with swordsmanship lessons from father.
All to land a punch on that infuriating smug face!
Also, for when the future Allan spoke of actually comes to pass.
If I really do become a hero and lose to the Demon King, resulting in my death, at least if I’m strong I might avoid being killed.
Allan says he’ll protect me, but just sitting back and being protected isn’t my style.
While I do admire the position of being a princess who can be protected by a prince, I’m more inclined towards heroic tales.
If I were to have a romantic relationship with Allan, I’d like it to be on equal terms, like comrades, rather than just being someone to be protected like a princess.
As we overcome hardships together, our bond would gradually grow closer. . . . . . something like that.
Yeah, that sounds good.
I’m really into that kind of situation!
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As I went on with my training and daydreaming, three years passed, and that day arrived.
It was my 10th birthday, and normally, he and I would be fidgeting, waiting for the afternoon party to start. But that day, I didn’t see him at all in the morning.
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I found it strange.
In hindsight, Allan had been acting a bit differently for a few days.
Though he hid it well, once the anomaly of his absence occurred, I sensed something was terribly wrong from that slight oddity.
Something’s happening.
Feeling this baseless conviction, I immediately took action, and I’m proud of myself for it now.
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Something is wrong.
The first thing that came to mind was the dream Allan had talked about.
According to Allan, one day this village will be attacked by demons, and I will awaken as a hero to protect everyone.
However, he never told me the exact date.
I’m partly to blame for not probing into what I thought was just a dream, but now I think he was avoiding the subject.
The answer came to me in an instant as to why he would do that.
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He plans to fight alone to protect me.
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As I came to this conclusion, a loud noise echoed from outside the village.
It was a sound like a raging storm.
It took me a few seconds to realize it was the sound of battle, but the moment I did, I sprinted towards the source of the noise at full speed.
Hearing such an outrageous battle noise at this moment could only mean it’s related to Allan.
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I saw it at the place where I rushed to.
It was in the forest on the east side of the village.
However, all the surrounding trees were cut as if with sharp blades, and in the center of those fallen trees was Allan.
He was lying on the ground, together with a creature I had never seen before.
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That monster was radiating an overwhelmingly sinister aura.
Just one look and you could instinctively tell this thing was an enemy, a horrifying creature.
And there it lay, drenched in blood.
As much as I wanted to keep saying “Amazing!” thinking Allan had done it, this was not the time.
The monster was raising its scythe-like arm as if to muster its last bit of strength, aiming to bring it down on Allan who appeared to be spent.
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The moment I saw this, something inside me snapped.
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A strong desire to protect overwhelmed my heart, and a mysterious power surged up from within me.
Warm, forceful, mysterious power.
It took me a while to realize that this was the power of a hero Allan had mentioned, but one thing became instantly clear.
This power was meant to protect someone.
That much I understood instinctively.
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My desire and the purpose of this power were in harmony.
I had no doubts.
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“What are you doing to my Allan, you monster!”
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Following my heart, I channeled the surging power into the sword I had drawn and swung it at the monster.
The sword glowed, and in a flash, that light obliterated the monster.
And thus, I was able to protect Allan.
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Afterward, I cast Healing Magic on Allan, who was severely battered and even missing his left arm, my emotions in turmoil all the while.
Furious at him for rushing ahead alone.
Yet that idiot said. . . . . .
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“If you knew that, then you must understand. . . . . .The power you just used is likely the hero’s power. Once you can wield it, you’ll be sent to the battlefield. And you’ll die . . . . .”
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He spewed such nonsense.
I was so shocked I forgot he was gravely injured and headbutted him.
Because. . . . . .Because. . . . . .!
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“It’s pointless if you die, Allan! If you die, I… I…!”
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What good is being saved at the cost of the life of the one you love!
Why doesn’t he understand something so simple!
Frustrated and saddened, tears flowed and wouldn’t stop.
Seeing my condition, Allan finally seemed to understand.
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“I’m sorry. Next time I’ll rely on you. Let’s fight together.”
“. . . . . .It’s a promise!”
“Yeah.”
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And so he promised to fight alongside me.
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A few days later, just as Allan had said, important people visited the village.
To take me away as a hero.
I was prepared.
If I don’t fight, the Demon King cannot be defeated.
And if the Demon King isn’t defeated, tragedies like this will keep happening, and next time, the people I care about may get killed.
So I made the decision to fight.
I might die.
But it’s not scary if Allan is beside me.
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The ones who came to get me were Sword Saint Ruberto-san and the elite knights from the Sirius Kingdom.
I didn’t know who they were at first, but it was clear they were no ordinary people.
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Because all of them were enveloped in an aura of strength like nothing I’d ever felt before.
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Completely opposite to the aura I’d felt from demons.
Strong, sacred, similar to my hero’s power.
I instantly knew this was the divine protection I’d heard rumors of.
A power given only to special humans by the gods. A power said to be the hallmark of heroes. That’s divine protection.
It was the first time I had seen people with divine protection.
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The sheer power of those people was far beyond what I had heard in rumors.
If you were to compare these individuals to brawny macho men, then ordinary people would look like skinny children in comparison.
That’s how big the difference was.
Even among them, Ruberto-san in particular had an aura that made me wonder if he was even human.
. . . . . .By the way, I heard later that when they saw me, they were apparently astonished by the immense divine protection that I had.
Even compared to the extraordinary Ruberto-san, it was overwhelming.
I don’t really understand it myself.
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But what bothered me more was that I didn’t feel any such aura from Allan.
Allan often said he had no divine protection or talent, but I didn’t believe that.
If you have no talent, then what does that make me, who keeps losing to you?
For the record, even before I awakened my hero powers, I was aware that I was somewhat strong.
At the very least, I could easily take down my father, a seasoned soldier who has protected our village for many years.
Father said that I probably have some sort of divine protection.
So, I thought there was no way Allan, who is stronger than me, could lack divine protection.
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But I was wrong.
I only realized it after seeing someone with real divine protection.
Allan truly has no divine protection, and fought that demon with just the body of an ordinary child.
Upon realizing this, I actually felt admiration and affection for Allan.
He had gone that far for me.
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But the knights don’t understand that.
They actually said that Allan couldn’t come along because he was weak.
Allan is strong!
When I objected, Allan proved his strength by taking on knights who had divine protection.
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When he easily took down one of the knights with a swift kick to a vital area, I thought, “Impressive!” But then Sword Saint Ruberto-san appeared, a monster of a different league entirely.
Even if I had used the power of the awakened hero, I didn’t think I could beat him at the time.
Yet Allan faced him without hesitation, landed a scratch on Ruberto-san’s cheek, and even managed to elicit words of praise from the Sword Saint.
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But right after that, Allan lost due to a full-strength blow from Ruberto-san.
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However, that battle is not in vain.
Ruberto-san said.
Someday, show yourself surpassing.
And, he also said.
For Allan to become my comrade, it is a minimum requirement to demonstrate power greater than a Holy Warrior.
In other words, it’s like obtaining a promise that someday Allan will be allowed to accompany us once he becomes stronger than Ruberto-san.
I confirmed it with Allan himself inside the carriage to the capital city.
According to Ruberto-san, it seems he deliberately showed his true strength to make Allan recognize the clear line he must reach.
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Even in defeat, Allan hasn’t given up at all.
His eyes are not just alive; they’re blazing.
So, I thought comforting him now would be wrong.
Like the times I’ve occasionally bested Allan, I taunted and roused his fighting spirit.
I thought saying our goodbyes while setting up for the next battle was more like us.
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As we parted, Allan said the very thing I most wanted to hear.
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“I’ll become a man who can protect you and come for you. So wait for me.”
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Magnificent, manly words.
These are the words of a promise given to me by the person I know to be the strongest, the coolest, and the one I love most, regardless of any divine protection.
I was so happy, my heart pounding, I thought it might burst.
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“Sure! I’ll wait for you! So, come pick me up as soon as you can!”
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If I let my guard down, I might blush and look away.
But, because I wanted to part with Allan with a smile, I put on a brave face and chose my farewell words as I usually would.
I hope I managed to smile confidently as usual.
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And so, I parted ways with Allan and set out for the center of Sirius Kingdom as a hero.
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Five years have passed since then, and finally the day has come to set out on a journey to defeat the Demon King.
He still hasn’t arrived.
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