Book 20 Chapter 25
Episode 191
“So… the Great Archmage is still hovering between life and death? It’s already been three days…”
Cecil Duren asked.
Kies, who was leaning against the door to Rin’s hospital room, nodded with a yawn.
[(o-o)…]
Cecil, who had some acquaintance with the hero’s party, simply became their representative.
During these three days, countless people came to visit, not including mages.
Kies’ superhuman hearing caught all those whispers.
There were pure-hearted people, but also quite a few who sought to advance their careers using this opportunity.
“Now is the chance to earn points with Sir Rin…!”
“That person will soon become the leader of the Mage Alliance, replacing the deceased Ulan Page; we absolutely must establish a connection with them starting now…!”
“Rin’s heroic tales are already almost legendary. Don’t give up, please come again next time….”
Kies had experienced this phenomenon when he became a palace master, but Rin seemed to dislike it.
“Tell them I’m still sick. Got it? You got it?”
In the meantime, Rin was practically holed up in the Grand Library of the Holy City, and Sval and Tureina were with him, of course.
“Hoo-hoo, I smell something! You smell it, Horu? You can smell where Rin is, can’t you?”
“Roar (Of course)!”
“Good, quickly take me there, cool and chic! I haven’t seen Rin’s face, so I can barely sleep these days!”
Of course, you could deceive people, but not animals.
Leonia, the princess of Hosen, was able to find Rin’s true location by relying on the lionesses’ sense of smell.
There was someone who blocked Leonia as she tried to enter the library coolly and chicly, oh, none other than the Last Hero, Lista Alter Sherpain!
“Excuse me, but pets are not allowed in the library.”
“No, these are pet lions. It’s perfectly fine for them to enter.”
“That sign saying ‘No pets allowed’ is meant to include all of them! Are you really a princess? How uncultured!”
“Uh~ I’m not a princess right now, I’m Leonia, a cool and chic mercenary. And Rin prefers it when I act cool and chic like this.”
“R-really? Rin?”
“I told you, didn’t I? Rin is already totally smitten with me. Last time at <Langbard>, when I said I liked him, he even gave me a thumbs up.”
“L-lies! Don’t lie! There’s no way Rin would have done that!”
“Hee-hee~ Jealous, aren’t you? But the truth cannot be hidden, so it is the truth.”
“Don’t lie! Truth Punch!”
“Aargh, my nose! Are you crazy?”
At that time, Rin was reading a book inside the Holy City Library.
“It’s been a long time since I was here.”
Fride pulled out the chair in front of it and sat facing Rin, saying.
“Shuan said he has something important to talk about.”
The books were piled not just like a tower, but like an entire castle, so several books had to be moved to see Rin’s face.
“It’s probably about his identity. You come too.”
Rin’s fingertips, which had been transcribing key passages from the book onto hanji paper, stopped for a moment.
Shuan’s identity?
Do you mean the [Strongest Shepherd] who wishes to be mistaken for the <Ones Who Came>?
“There’s no need to talk about anything important. I already know everything.”
“…!”
“I’m busy, so you two go and listen. It’s just pathetic that you only know something when it’s explicitly told to you.”
Fride raised an eyebrow in bewilderment.
‘This guy, sometimes he has sharper instincts than any of us. And he also seems to have matured somehow.’
The reason for this was that Rin had rapidly lost interest in ‘the strongest’ after fighting Zulak Keppel.
The [Strongest Mage Bucket List] was turning into a blank slate in Rin’s mind.
As a result, the [Strongest Mage Actions] and [Strongest Mage Lines] were also gradually disappearing from the boy’s words and deeds.
“I’m really going, okay?”
“Go. I’m busy.”
“What are you busy with?”
“I have something to do for Link. I can’t get the materials anywhere else.”
“Really?”
“Tureina, bring all these book series and stack them over there.”
“Yes!”
Tureina nodded a greeting to Fride, then disappeared between the library shelves.
“Hmm~ They’ve become master and disciple somehow.”
Fride laced her fingers behind her head and smiled contentedly.
“Yes, that Rin is a master… truly surprising.”
Rin was not only being assisted by Tureina, but also by Pomas, the senior apprentice from the magic tower.
“Children naturally grow fast.”
“Yes, Priestess. Still, seeing him changed like this, the Dean would surely be very surprised.”
Fride exchanged a glance with Pomas, then stood up and left the library.
“Rin is strange, strange, strange. His way of speaking is normal.”
Pipi barked as they exited the Holy City Library. Fride looked up at Pipi and chuckled.
“He hasn’t become strange, he’s matured. It’s probably thanks to Tureina. After taking on an apprentice, he decided to try playing the role of a master.”
In reality, seeing Tureina imitate his way of speaking, he realized his tone seemed quite pathetic to others, so he simply stopped. It was, so to speak, ‘mirror therapy’.
“F-Fride! Lend me some strength!”
“Huh?”
“I broke the Princess’s nose! She kept telling so many lies that I couldn’t resist the urge to deliver justice!”
“M-me, when did I! I came dressed my prettiest to meet Rin, what am I going to do if you make me like this!”
Fride imbued the smoke from her pipe with a healing chant and exhaled it long, like a sigh, onto Leonia’s face.
“Aargh, cough, cough, smell, but what is this, this medicine smell? Huh? H-huh? What! My nose bridge is rising even higher than before!”
“You owe me, Princess of Hosen. When I visit later, treat me with utmost hospitality.”
“O-of course! No, of course, Priestess!”
“Why is the treatment different for Fride and me?!”
“You’re a fox!”
“Look who’s talking!”
“I’m a lion!”
“I’m a dragon mountain?”
Fride glanced at Leonia, who was bickering with Lista.
‘Rin, that guy has a princess who follows him wholeheartedly because she likes him, so his future will be quite prosperous.’
But… would that truly be enough?
‘If it turns out that way, will he be happy?’
Fride’s gaze returned to Lista, who was beside them.
‘As for you, [In a world where the hero achieved peace and died, the mage found a spouse, formed a family, and became happy]… is such an ending truly okay?’