Ore wa Mada, Honki o Dashite Inai - CH 31

Absolute Protection

Translated by Mlzkzr

Edited by Mlzkzr

As I was strolling around the city, the conversation I was interested in jumped into my ears, and I involuntarily stopped and listened.

“Hey, did you hear, about the aforementioned prostitute’s partner?”

“Oh? It was finally known what’s his true identity is”

“I don’t know it for sure, but…… they said that it’s the lord of this place, Canoe-sama.”

……Gegeh.

“Lord-sama? Is that true?”

“I don’t know, but isn’t the Canoe family getting rich in the silver mine these days?”

“Ah. What was it, that merchant …… Tadias? It’s rumored that the money he borrowed from him has been paid off.”

“Don’t you agree? That famous prostitute, the reason why she came here and didn’t want to leave, it was rumored that it’s for the Lord-sama’s money.”

“I see”

Hearing the story, I was a little relieved.

It doesn’t seem like I was exposed with this.

The influence of the Canoe family is good, that’s why Hestia bit at it.

In common terms. it’s just an association game that can’t be called erratic.

If it’s such a rumor, I have no problem with it, and it’s very welcome.

I listened a little more just in case.

“By the way, recently, the disappearance of travelers has been increasing.”

“If it’s that, then I know it. It’s on the road to the city.”

“It’s the story about being kidnapped by something. Like a bandit.”

Their story went to a completely unrelated area. I left the place because it had nothing to do with me.

Rumors with Hestia huh.

If it’s a rumor of a pattern like the two people said earlier, I can leave it alone, but there are rumors which isn’t good to leave alone.

I want to do something about it.

As I was walking while thinking about it.

“Is it Lord-sama who is there?”

“Eh?”

A unique wording peculiar to prostitutes.

As I turned to the voice, Hestia was there.

When Hestia clearly recognized that it’s me, she walked gracefully towards me.

“I’m glad I deliberately meet Lord-sama.”

“You were looking for me?”

“I’m about to go back soon, so I wanted to thank you before I left.”

“Go back? Depart?”

I was surprised.

“That rumor?”

Muh.

It looks like it was on my face.

Yes, I was surprised.

Rumor has it that Hestia would stay in this city, but I was surprised that the person herself was already leaving.

Hestia who saw through me, held down her mouth and laughed amusedly.

“There was an accident, so I just stayed a little longer.”

“Accident?”

“Yes”

Hestia nodded.

Her expression becomes a little serious.

“The one who is supposed to escort me is missing. I’ve been waiting for that.”

“I see, it was so huh. Has that guy came back?”

“No, he hasn’t”

Hestia slowly shakes her head.

“He’s still missing, but it’s time for me to go back over there.”

“I see”

“After this, I’m going to take a new escort and go over there. That’s why, I thought I would greet Lord-sama.”

“……I’ll escort you.”

“Eh?”

Hestia was surprised.

“Lord-sama?”

“Ah”

“For Lord-sama to do this far is……”

“Don’t worry”

Rather, I want to do it, I have to do it.

If something happened with her, strange rumors will rise again.

Besides, the new escort may be a no-good guy, and they may turn back en route.

They will turn back on the way ―― as far as I can think of, that’s a pattern where rumors go towards the worst.

I’ll be her escort, and deliver her firmly.

That should be the very best.

“Let me do it.”

“……Understood”

Hestia stared at me for a while, and bowed down quietly.

“Then I’ll take advantage of it, Lord-sama”

☆

The next day, I left the city of Pindos with Hestia.

It’s only Hestia and I, the two of us are traveling alone.

Not knowing if there’ll be anything along the way, we’re on a two-person trip to reduce witnesses and the odds of getting rumors.

“Isn’t Lord-sama good at swords?”

As we were walking side by side on the road, Hestia asked.

Her gaze was on my waist, to the longsword I brought to be my weapon.

It’s a decent sword. I brought it in the sense that I would make her feel safe with a proper weapon because I’m going to escort her.

“With it as it is―― it’s okay, no matter what, I’ll escort you safely.”

“I understand.”

Is she convinced or not?

I haven’t heard anything from Hestia since then.

While walking together, we have a chat with each other which isn’t particularly interesting.

Same as a few days ago, it’s similar to the appropriate conversation we had every day when I was her defensive wall.

While chatting like that, we proceeded along the road.

Suddenly, right next to the main road, I saw clouds of smoke coming from someone who wasn’t on the rough road, and approaching this way.

Oy oy, no way ―― like that, I thought it was right on the mark.

There are five people, all of them are on horses.

They came straight towards us, and surrounded me and Hestia in the blink of an eye.

“Heh, isn’t this a pretty woman”

“If we abduct her, it looks like she will sell at a good price.”

“Aniki, the thing in that guy’s waist seems to be expensive, too.”

Apparently, it seems that they’re bandits.

They are saying whatever they want, and they are pricing me and Hestia.

I roughly checked everyone, and they are just small fries who don’t matter.

Suddenly, I remembered something.

“Are you guys, doing this all the time?”

“Hmm? So what?”

One of the men had a grinning face.

It’s the rumor I heard in the city; about the travelers disappearing.

The ones responsible for that are these fellows huh.

Apparently, it can be seen that these guys are habitual criminals, I don’t even need to ask these fellows.

My guess is right.

“Kill the man, take the woman.”

The men soon decided on their plan, and I had to do something about it.

I pulled out my sword, and the men also pulled out theirs with a grin.

All of them are small fries, and if I want to, I can kill them in less than a second.

――But, Hestia is watching.

I want to avoid killing them instantly, and it becoming “awesome”.

In the last-minute game, of course, I won’t let Hestia be hurt.

I decided on a plan, so I jumped in first.

Crossing swords with the men, I suppress my strength and do a good match.

On the way, I purposely let my arm be scratched, and then I repel these five people.

“Fuh……”

Finally, I produced a close fight, and took a big breath.

I glance at Hestia, and she was frowning.

Alright, it looks like I successfully deceived her.

☆

That night, I set up a bonfire near the highway, and erected a camp.

With a large stone in the back, I built a bonfire and let the night came up. It’s an ordinary outdoor sleeping.

I faced Hestia across the bonfire, made a soup with the dried meat I packed, and I served it along with Hestia’s.

“……”

“What’s up”

“……”

Hestia didn’t receive the soup I offered.

With her eyebrows frowning, is it due to the aforementioned bandits from the daytime?

――No, it’s different.

Looking at her closely, it’s different, Hestia is trembling just a little bit.

It’s not from the cold air, it’s a human’s frightened way of shaking.

“What’s wrong, Hestia, what happened?”

“……”

Hestia shook her head, but her complexion became increasingly pale.

There’s nothing ―― Hestia can’t even say that.

There was something, and that something is definitely about those bandits.

I made it seem like a hard fight, but I didn’t let them harm Hestia.

Rather, I guided the battle to be away from Hestia.

Then why?

Suddenly, I remembered something.

Rumors in the city, the guys during the daytime.

And ―― a prostitute.

“Are you, one of those who was kidnapped and made into a prostitute?”

Hestia, while being pale, nodded slightly.

That’s really ―― a common story.

Until then, she was a normal young girl, but one day, she was suddenly kidnapped, and her daily life and fate completely changed.

Hestia was thereupon, kidnapped in the past, and seems to have been traumatized by it.

I approached her, and hugged her gently.

“Rest assured. I won’t let you go, and I’ll definitely protect you.”

“Nu, Lord-sama……”

“Nn?”

“I was injured…… I was struggling.”

“……Ah”

Hence, she was scared huh.

She has struggled with that standard of people, and if anything, her own destiny ―― Yes, Hestia was frightened.

That was bad of me.

I’m totally bad.

That’s why ――.

I slowly pulled out my sword.

I swung my sword at the big stone, which was on my back.

It was an unstoppable slash; the boulder was instantly shattered into small pieces.

That’s not all.

That object, which turned into extremely small pieces, burns as it was further made into a finer powder than the so-called dust.

Even if it’s a stone, it burns ―― it burned.

The big stone shattered, and its debris ignited.

The boulder that can be used as a backrest by an adult human, has disappeared without a trace.

The fear disappeared from Hestia’s face when she saw that, and instead, a surprise emerged.

“I fought like that because of some circumstances, but it’s different.”

“Different?”

“Ah”

I nod, stare straight back at her, and say:

“I’m still, not serious yet.”

Hestia became more and more surprised, but just only a little bit.

As her tide of surprise subsided, a relieve face instead came up on her.

It was a sense of security.

Hestia released her strength, and left her body into my arms.

“Lord-sama……”

“Nn?”

“Thank you, very, much……”

Saying that, she closed her eyes and kissed me.

Perhaps the thread of her tension broke there, she fell asleep in my arms.

Though hesitantly, as an apology for scaring her, I hugged her.

With the meaning of protecting her no matter what, I caught her in my arms.

And I also fall asleep.

Of course, with a part of my head awake on alert, I fell asleep with Hestia in my arms.

However, in the middle of the night, I suddenly wake up.

With peace of mind, Hestia was sleeping soundly.

Hestia is clinging tightly to me.

I gently touched my lips which was kissed by her.

The lie which turned into truth.

Hestia having a loved one ―― that rumor, I’m holding my head that I really did that with my own hands.