This Hero is Too Curious! - 98 This Hero Is Safe!

“Bita-san.” I slowly placed my feet on the floor, feeling the cold stone underneath me. “I’m not trying to leave the place just yet. I can tell that I’m a wreck right now.” Slowly, I placed my body weight upon my legs. I could feel my muscles wobbling, but thanks to my superhuman strength, I’m still strong enough to lift myself. “I just need to tell my friends I’m alright. Knowing them, they’ll probably stay there until I’m fully recovered if I don’t say something to them. Hell, Kany is liable to break in just to make sure I’m actually here.”

Bita backed away and looked around quickly, as if he was searching for a way to stop me. “W-W-Well Kenji-san you’re still in barely a position to move around, much less walk!” He ran behind a curtain to my right which blocked my vision. I could tell that he was still scurrying around as I could hear the pitter patter of his feet continue.

After more effort than I would have expected, I finally managed to stand up. I examined my clothing which seems to have been changed while I was sleeping.

“A… Hospital gown? Seriously? Does this mean that they know about germs and the like here?” I softly laughed. I suppose after as traumatic an experience as the one I just went through something so benign would be funny to me after all.

I took a step. I nearly fell over simply doing that much. It really is true that I’m in no condition to be going anywhere.

“Hey, where are my normal clothes? Also where’s my sword?” I took more wobbly steps, eventually arriving at the white curtain. I grabbed onto it and pulled it aside, revealing more empty beds and Bita standing at a desk as he held a glowing stone up to his face.

Bita put the stone away quickly when his gaze matched mine. “Bed!” He pointed behind me insistently.

“Well…” I smirked. My legs wobbled beneath me as I tried my hardest to be smug. “I’m a sleep walker so you need to relax a bit.”

Bita became positively irate at this. He ran towards me and stood as close as he could to my feet while placing his hands on his hips.

“I won’t let you leave.” He shook his head violently, his hair swinging around while he did so. “Bed.” He pointed. “Now.”

“Come on! I’m fine! Ability Boost: Regeneration!” I began to feel my body shift slightly before it immediately stopped. “Uh…”

“Out of juice?” Bita was tapping at his hip while he questioned me. “Now, go to BED!”

The dwarf that stood behind me looked towards me for a moment, looked at Bita behind me as he raised an eyebrow, and walked towards us. “If you can bicker with him then he’s nowhere near as incapable as you acted like he was.” He declared in a gruff tone.

I stood upright as the dwarf approached me. He is rather tall for a dwarf now that I think about it. Most of them have been around a meter tall, but this one is well over a meter and a half in height. Actually, is this a dwarf or a human?

“So… you’re Kenji-dono.” He looked me up and down as he spoke, assessing me. “I’ve been told quite a bit about you, but I’m a man that wants to hear it from the horse’s mouth.” He stopped speaking here, leaving the room in an awkward silence as I looked at him.

“I-I’m sorry but, what are you talking about?” I let out. I’m so confused.

“Well, as I was told by your muscular friend…” He turned his head to the side and whispered to himself. “Jon? Jack? No, no it was Jaq.” He turned his head back to me. “Jaq-dono, you’re a ‘hero’ that fought with a hell guardian. Is this true?” He stared directly into my eyes as he asked me this, as if he was daring me to lie.

“Well I don’t know about HERO…” I scratched the back of my head. Being called a hero, heh, that’s awesome. “…But yeah. I fought someone that Jaq claimed was a Hell Guardian.” I returned to my normal composure. “I didn’t ask them what they were since… you know… fight to the death and all, but they were pretty damn strong.”

“Hm…” The dwarf stroked his beard as he stared at the ground. “I see. Then that explains the contents of the letter…” He murmured.

“Oh! What was in the letter?” I stumbled as I stepped forward. I completely forgot how tired I was when I heard him bring up the letter.

“Hmph. That’s confidential.” He scoffed at me.

I thought for a moment before I had an idea.

“Well then I’ll just ask my friend that stole it! She read it so she can tell me!” I looked away. I can’t let them see my face because they’ll know that I’m obviously lying.

The dwarf took a sharp breath. I can tell that I got him. He took a moment before he bared his teeth in a rage.

“Fine!” He shouted. “Bita, you can’t be in here when I tell him. Get out!” He roared as he pointed towards the doorway.

“Y-Yes sir!” Bita squeaked. He ran out of the room with a speed that was unbecoming of his small stature.

“This stays between you, me, and your friend that doesn’t know how to keep their eyes to themselves. Got it?” He stepped up to me, as if trying to intimidate me with his presence. Unfortunately for him, he’s nowhere near as horrifying as the Hell Guardian was.

“Yep.” I said casually. The dwarf eyed me with disdain for a moment before he sighed and eased himself.

“The letter just said ‘Tuesday at 8 P.M. we attack. He is here.’ That’s all.” He recited. His face had a mean scowl upon it as he spoke.

I raised my eyebrows. “Uh-oh.”

“Yes. If what you said is true and a Hell Guardian is here then this must mean that they plan to attack with their help…” He walked away and paced around the room, stroking his magnificent beard as he did so. It seemed he was at a loss for what to say.

“Well… Are we screwed?” I couldn’t help it anymore. I’m tired of beating around the bush.

“No. The walls of this city have stood since before the age of men. They’re layered with theoretical ores and adamantite. Even if it’s a hell guardian, there’s no way they’ll be able to break through.” He stopped pacing around and looked directly at me. His eyes were fierce with determination.

“I should tell my friends…” I began. I started to take wobbly step after wobbly step towards the exit of the room. “What’s your name by the way?” I stopped myself to ask.

“Hey, what did I say about it being confidential?” He walked towards me. He caught me as I arrived at the doorway of the room.

“Relax. It was a joke. Maybe it’s the blood loss but I feel pretty aloof right now, so just let me say I’m alive to my friends then I’ll go back to bed like a good boy, okay no name?” I shook my arm around in an attempt to prevent him from grabbing me.

The dwarf scowled once more before he sighed. “Fine, but ONLY that. I’m Biru Meduso by the way.” He made a shooing motion at me as he finished.

I stepped through the doorway. My vision shifted from the pristine white hospital to that of a flattened stone hallway.

I looked to my right and left. In the distance I saw Tael and Kany as they gently snored on a stone bench. I could see that they were leaning on each other for support.

Before I could approach them, a girl with light brown skin, long black hair, and casual clothes that I had never seen before stepped out of a side room as she was inspecting her hands. Once she finished examining her herself, she looked right and then left where her gaze stopped upon me. Her dark eyes, which seemed darkened and bloodshot by a lack of sleep, widened in surprise before she quickly walked towards me.

“H-Hey Era- OOF!” I began, but I was interrupted as she hugged me tightly, pressing her face into my chest as she did so. I looked at her as she took quick, deep breaths before finally taking a long exhale while she closed her eyes. She held me close for a moment like this. It felt as if she just released all of her stress at once when she did this. She then grabbed my shoulders and pushed me away as she kept me at arms length, looking me in the eyes. I’m not exactly sure what to do in this situation.

“Never, and I mean… NEVER. Do something that stupid ever again. Okay dummy? Promise it to me.” Her piercing gaze made me shake a bit.

“I-I promise.” I meekly muttered. She released me and grinned from ear to ear. Her face gave the impression that she was finally able to be happy again.

“Good!”