Heroine Netori

Beautiful. She really had the classic heroine vibe. With "Heroine" written above her head, it seemed she could become a sub-heroine or maybe even join our party.

Her hair wasn't blonde, but the sky-blue locks flowing down to her waist were stunning, especially as they fluttered in the wind. Like Sophia, she had blue eyes, but hers were sharper, more intense. If Sophia was a rabbit, this knight seemed more like a cat. Maybe that's where her charisma came from? Cool and beautiful, yet the armor that boldly displayed her cleavage added a touch of sexiness. Was this really high-defense armor? It seemed too tempting to attack.

"I never thought there would be an adventurer capable of handling this creature alone in such a remote place!"

Her voice was unexpectedly delicate. She might be younger than she seemed. The gap between her cute voice and her serious demeanor was charming; it reminded me of Yena from 'Heroine Netori', who often pretended to be an adult. She was adorable.@@novelbin@@

"Brother..."

Did I stare too openly? Sophia, with a worried voice, grabbed my arm. It wasn't that she was conscious of the knight as a woman, more likely, she was intimidated by the skill of someone who could sever a goblin's neck with such ease. But there was no need to be afraid; this must be a punitive force sent from Marta.

"Excuse me, but may I ask who you are?"

"Hm? Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Louise Klein! I'm the deputy captain of the Marta Guard! Pleased to meet you!"

I almost laughed. Her voice and demeanor didn't match at all. Trying to suppress my laughter, I made a weird face, causing Louise to look at me strangely. Deep breaths, calm down. So, she's from the Marta Guard? I thought they were just a simple militia, but if they have someone as capable as her as their deputy captain, I need to rethink.

"Pleased to meet you. We are apprentice adventurers heading to Marta from Minamo Village."

"Hm? Apprentices? Someone with your skills is just an apprentice? Ha!"

Louise looked at Siu and laughed in disbelief. It seemed she genuinely admired Siu's skills. Perhaps she sensed something only a true expert could appreciate, knowing he was stronger...

As I watched them, Louise's subordinates appeared.

"Woah! We trusted you, Captain! To slice that monster in one go!" "The Blue Flash! The Goddess of Marta!" "Blue Light! Louise!"

Her subordinates casually brought a cart to clean up the scene and praised Louise as they wrapped things up. Wait, isn't this just teasing? Or is this part of the culture in the Marta Guard?

"Enough! What I did was just a surprise attack."

Louise seemed to dislike it… Upon closer inspection, every time her subordinates flattered her, Louise's ears twitched, and her lips curled slightly. She seemed to enjoy the situation despite her words. What a character... Contrary to the first impression, she's pretty cute.

Her subordinates continued praising her until the work was done, and Louise, though she told them to stop, didn't really insist.

====

"So, you were originally going to apply to the guard?"

"Yes. It was my dream to become a guard, but I've changed my mind."

"What a pity! You would have been quite useful as one of my subordinates."

We decided to enter Marta with the guard. I was going to ask to accompany them to make connections, but Louise suggested it first. It seems she's quite interested in Siu. Louise is a sub-heroine, then... maybe it's fated?

Glancing at Sophia, she seemed to think the same, smiling joyfully at the two of them. When I pointed at them, Sophia nodded vigorously. We shared a grin.

Until we arrived in Marta, Sophia and I did our best to ensure that the conversation between the two never faltered. Louise seemed satisfied to keep talking to Siu, and Siu didn't seem to mind her company. Probably more interested in her skills than her as a woman, but that's still something.

Their conversation mainly revolved around the goblins they had caught, which were apparently modified by demons. Each had different monsters' abilities; the goblin leader that Siu fought was merged with a troll, explaining the instant healing.

Originally, goblins are considered a lowly 7th-grade monster, but these were upgraded to 5th-grade due to their unique abilities. The leader was nearly 4th-grade, which explains Louise's surprise.

"Woah! As expected of our captain! You took that thing down!" "Amazing, Captain! You're making our jobs obsolete!" "Enough! Just open the gate!"

Arriving in the city, the guards teased Louise. Not just a guard culture, it seemed, as Marta's citizens and other adventurers joined in.

"The Blue Flash! I could fall for you!" "Ah... with this, I can leave in peace..." "Hmm!"

It looked like this wasn't a one-time thing. Others knew praising Louise would please her.

"If you take this letter of recommendation, you'll be adventurers without any trouble! I guarantee it!"

Unfortunately, Louise and Siu didn't make plans to dine together or train together. Louise was either naive or didn't yet see Siu as a man, so they didn't progress as hoped.

Instead, I got a letter of recommendation from Louise, who had grown somewhat fond of us. Having a guarantor was important, and we gained a valuable connection.

"Thank you, Louise! Truly a goddess of Marta!"

"Hmm! Even though you flatter me, there's nothing special I'd do for adventurers who aren't my subordinates! But if there's another chance, we'll meet again."

She really is cute. Louise twitched her ears and left with a satisfied smile along with her subordinates.

====

There were three gains from this unexpected quest.

First was the letter of recommendation I had just received. Being vouched for by the deputy captain of the Marta Guard, becoming an adventurer should be no trouble.

Next was the green dagger. Before the guard arrived, I had managed to secure it. It was a poisoned blade. I should've realized it at first sight—it was obviously the color of poison... To confirm, I cut my arm, and the pain that seared to the bone returned. It seemed like a good auxiliary weapon, so Sophia and I each kept one, and I placed one in the inventory to potentially sell in the real world.

Lastly, the level up. Usually, to enhance stats, one must slay monsters, obtain magic stones, absorb them, and then integrate them—a complicated but effective process, hence the high price of magic stones. Here, however, no magic stones dropped from monsters; instead, killing them awarded experience points, allowing for stat upgrades through level ups, almost like in a game. I hadn't expected to enhance stats in 'Heroine Netori,' but I was lucky.

Unfortunately, we didn't receive a reward for the goblins. My bomb had blocked the passageway by collapsing the cliff, and we agreed not to take any compensation in exchange for the guards clearing it. But gaining the letter of recommendation and the guard's favor wasn't a bad deal.

"Brother! This must be the adventurer's guild."

"Yeah, it does feel like it right from the entrance."

Lost in thought, we had arrived at the adventurer's guild. Just as Louise said, following the main road led us to a large building. Inside, the sounds of drinking, arguing, singing—it was unmistakably the adventurer's guild.

"Sophia, Deokbae! Shall we go in?"

"Yes!"

"Let's go!"