Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816927863045760906/episodes/16816927863071008121
“Hina-chan, you can open your eyes now.”
I urged the girl in a gentle tone of voice as I returned to normal after releasing my “Enhanced Biofunction Amplification”.
“——father!”
Hina opened her big eyes and ran to Io san, who was lying on the floor.
I followed her.
Io-san is patting Hina’s head with his trembling right hand.
“…..Hina, I’m glad you’re safe and sound. Thank you, Seti,…… but you’re too strong.”
“No, not so …… much, let’s see a doctor sooner than that! I don’t care if it’s in a church, as long as it heals the wounds…….”
“Seti, Seti, don’t make me feel better. …… you already know that, don’t you? I’m not going to make it.”
Io san, you knew that, didn’t you? These wounds have reached his lungs and heart, which are barely moving.
The reason he can barely speak is that he has control over his body to minimize the burden, and he was a very talented former assassin.
“I’m sorry, Master ……, I knew I should have went …… that time.”
“That’s not true. This is the cleanup I have to do, …… not you.”
“But ……”
“It’s okay, I already …… had a shitty life when I was an assassin, but after I left, I was able to live a full and happy life for nine years. …… I can pass away with good memories in my heart. …… Hina too. It’s all because of you. ……Thank you and I’m sorry.”
“Father,…… father, don’t die!”
“I-it’s fine. You have Seti and Shabazo,…… Seti, can I ask you to take care of Hina and the lunch wagon?”
“Yes,……, I’ll take care of it, Master!”
“Good……Seti,……Thanks,……”
Io-san closed his eyes and left for the distant world with a satisfied smile on his face.
Hina broke down crying loudly, and I had no choice but to watch in silence.
I was sad, lonely, and wistful …….
My heart, which I had regained, was filled with grief.
It was tight and painful.
The next day.
We asked the pastor of the church to bury Io san here with great respect.
Hina has not mentioned anything since then.
Why was Io san targeted by the assassin? Or her relationship with me.
I am sure that there must have been some part of her mind that had guessed this before.
But to Hina, her father was Io san.
Even though they are not related by blood, that is the truth.
And Hina and I prayed over Io san’s gravestone.
“……Well, let’s go. Hina-chan.”
I prepared everything and called out to her.
I thought it would be better to leave this country right away.
In the future, not only me, but also Hina will be targeted from now on.
–The “Dark Nine Dragons,” an assassination organization on the continent of Eurus.
I can see from the persistence of those black-robed men that Hina was one of their targets.
It is possible that they were more interested in Hina than in Io san.
It was the same when we first met.
Perhaps it was not convenient for someone to have Hina alive.
After all, she seems to be the royalty of Japan.
Hina and I are both being hunted by the same person,…….
“…… you know, Seti onii chan”
Hina wriggles her body and speaks to me with an upward glance.
“Hm? What is it?”
“From now on,……, I want you to call Hina ‘Hina’ instead of ‘Chan'”
“Yes, that’s fine, but …… why?”
“I want to become an adult as soon as possible. …… Hina, I want to become a chef like my father.”
“I see. I’ll be your mentor and big brother from now on.”
“Yes, onii chan!”
Hina shows a healthy smile. I thought she was a strong girl from the core, even though it must be still hard for her.
It seems she has found what she wants to do in her own way.
–Master Io.
I will protect your beloved daughter, whom you risked your life to protect.
Even if it’s at the cost of this life, …… so please rest in peace.
I clasped Hina’s small hand in mine and climbed into the lunch wagon.
We headed for the next country.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
“Damn ……, what the hell!”
Alta, a former hero, wandered from one country to another.
His father, King Arlos, had disowned him and banished him from his homeland, the Holy Land of Grateka, leaving him at a loss.
Fortunately, he received a retirement bonus as a hero, so he was able to spend three months without problems.
However, due to his selfishness and his bonkers nature, he had no plan, and he was spending his nights out and visiting brothels instead of working, so he quickly found himself short of money.
But that’s not the end of the story.
He was a former hero. He could get by if he worked as an adventurer.
However, Alta had one more obstacle waiting for him.
“Why am I being targeted by an assassin? What did I do? What have I done?!”
Yes, he was being targeted by the assassination organization “Hades.”
He had failed the request by forcibly and unfairly dismissing “Seti the Reaper,” and had damaged the face of the organization.
That was the reason.
But Alta had no way of knowing that.
He has spent his days on the run, fending off his pursuers, who appear out of the blue and come after him.
Thanks to them, he was unable to work properly.
Adventurers are easily traced and known.
In particular, registering with the Adventurers’ Guild makes one’s whereabouts known, as well as the kind of quests one undertakes.
In particular, it is easy to find out if you are a member of an organization of assassins that controls the underworld of the Grand Line continent.
After all, most assassins are adventurers by trade.
This was one of Seti’s initial concerns and reluctances.
But Alta’s anger was directed in another direction.
“This is their fault! They set me up! Damn those bastards!”
There were two targets.
The first one,
“—Onee chan! No, my sister Eliza! She’s the one who started all this!”
Eliza von Joucain, her own sister and the first princess of the Holy Land of Grateka.
As he said, everything started with Eliza.
It was shortly after Alta received the oracle as a hero.
He already had to go “defeat the demon king” with his fiancées tomorrow.
But he was in a very depressed mood.
It was not that he lacked talent. Unlike the queen, who spoiled him a lot, his father, King Arlos, was very enthusiastic about education, and Alta received his gifted education and always lived up to his expectations.
However, Alta was troublesome at that time.
He wanted to stay at the royal castle and flirt with the beautiful girls who were his fiancées.
He even has a mysterious mindset that if he works, he loses.
However, his fiancées and his parents have made it a condition of marriage that he must “defeat the Demon King”.
Therefore, if he does not leave on this trip, he will not be able to spend his wedding night with beautiful girls forever.
When Alta was in agony in various ways.
“–Alta, then, how about making a ‘substitute’?”
Suddenly, Princess Eliza entered the room and suggested.
“Sis,…… no, sis, what is ’substitute’? It looks very delicious.”
“It is not food. In short, it is a convenient shadow existence that takes your place and makes you “defeat the Demon King”.
“A shadow existence?”
“That’s right. For example, when you have to deal with strong demons in battle, you can switch places with a person dressed as you. …… If it is limited, the princesses will not notice, right?”
“I see. …… Indeed. But can any of the knights in the castle do such a dexterous job?”
“The knights can’t do it. It is easy to be discovered that they are amateurs. It would be preferable to have someone with the appropriate skills who specializes in such things.”
“Specialized? …… hire adventurers? But unlike me, they don’t seem to have the decency to do it, and I’m sure they’d be exposed immediately.”
“If you go to …… the black market, you might find someone who specializes in this field.”
“The black market?”
“Yes, my husband Rotacca told me that in every country there is an underworld and a black market. …… there are ‘handymen’ who will do anything for you as long as you pay them.”
“Oh, brother-in-law Rotakka? As expected, the pig prince of a barbarian country. Unlike us noble people, he is very knowledgeable about the inner workings of the world. Miracle the Pig”
Alta despises Eliza’s husband, Rotakka, terribly.
The reason is, as she said, that he is from a barbarian country. He is harmless, but petty and fat, and to Alta, who has good looks, he looks hideous.
He was a son-in-law in a political marriage for trade purposes, but he had joined the same royal family as them, but they did not approve of him and were not convinced of him.
Eliza was smiling and kindly smiling, but her eyelids were twitching slightly.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask Rotacca about the location of the place. Of course, you and I are the only ones who are not to talk about this. It will not be leaked anywhere else.”
Well, that’s not so bad.
My brother-in-law, Rotakka, would never disobey my sister’s words.
–That’s good!
“Sis! Tell me right away~!”
Alta accepted Eliza’s proposal in a very flirtatious and straightforward manner.
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I knew it! She is a devil!