"Huh? Lady Sherria?"
He had never expected to run into someone he knew in a place like this. The unexpected encounter only made him more confused about the situation.
"This looks like it’s turning into quite a troublesome affair."
"Huh?"
"The gentleman accompanying the Saintess is Prince Dorian, the second prince."
The second prince? So he was Prince Lucien’s younger brother? But why was someone like that here, arguing with Warren? Qiu Nuoya simply could not make sense of it.
"For now, it would probably be best to hear what happened."
"I’m not particularly enthusiastic about getting involved, but since doing nothing is clearly not an option for you, Nuoya, I suppose we have no choice."
Yeah, you know me pretty well. That’s exactly right.
The young man looked thoroughly irritated, and Qiu Nuoya thought it would be best not to provoke him any further. He carefully waited for the right moment to approach, then cautiously poked his head out from behind the hedge.
Xiao Tao was the first to notice him.
"Ah..."
Although Xiao Tao had spotted him, his gaze wandered uncertainly as if he had no idea what to do.
The Saintess seemed to notice Xiao Tao’s reaction and turned to look in the same direction. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Qiu Nuoya!"
At once, everyone’s attention shifted toward Qiu Nuoya, making him feel a little tense.
"Good afternoon, Lady Sherria. Um... has something happened?"
"Well, you see..."
Before Lady Sherria could explain, the second prince, who appeared to be her companion, turned a suspicious gaze toward Qiu Nuoya.
"Who are you?"
"They’re my companions. Have they done something wrong?"
"They trespassed in the garden."
"Huh?"
"They unlawfully entered my garden, and so have you. You appear to know the Saintess, but who exactly are you?"
Huh? Wait a minute. Hadn’t Viktor just said that any area we weren’t allowed to enter was protected by defensive barriers? Did that mean this was a restricted area after all? But Qiu Nuoya was certain they had not encountered anything resembling a barrier on the way here.
"I’m an adventurer and a companion of theirs. My name is Qiu Nuoya."
"Why would a mere adventurer be acquainted with the Saintess?"
"Prince Dorian, actually, they once saved us when we were attacked by monsters in a place we visited during one of our charitable trips."
"Monsters?"
"Yes. I know what kind of people they are. They are not suspicious individuals. They most likely entered the royal garden simply because they lost their way."
Huh? Lady Sherria didn’t call Qiu Nuoya a Saint or a Divine Child this time.
Well, that was fine with him. Being called either of those things would only cause him trouble.
"But you didn’t seem to know these two men."
"That’s..."
"We’re the lowest-ranking members of our party, so the Saintess simply didn’t remember us."
Warren answered with a slightly sulky expression.
It was true that Warren had met Lady Sherria several times before. The fact that she did not remember him probably meant that, just as he said, she had never paid him much attention in the first place.
"As I’ve explained several times already, we’re just ordinary adventurers who came here to return the Divine Sword Velikorya, which the royal family had lost. We entered the royal garden by accident. If we missed a sign and wandered into a restricted area, that was careless of us, and we apologize."
Warren reluctantly bowed his head to the prince, though he clearly did not seem convinced that he had done anything wrong.
This world had a strict class system. The other party was a member of the royal family, while they were commoners. No matter how unreasonable the situation seemed, sometimes bowing one’s head was the only option.
The prince gave Warren a contemptuous snort as he bowed.
What an unpleasant man.
Prince Lucien had been exceptionally friendly and approachable, so Dorian’s arrogant attitude grated on Qiu Nuoya even more by comparison.
"Um... Has the Divine Sword Velikorya really been found? And was it Qiu Nuoya who found it?"
The Saintess asked hesitantly.
Qiu Nuoya replied, "It’s true that the Divine Sword has been found, and we did come here to return it. But I had nothing to do with finding it."
He was telling the truth. Qiu Nuoya had played absolutely no part in the matter of the Divine Sword.
"Then, the Hero is...?"
"He’s right there."
"Huh?"
"He’s Xiao Tao, the Hero summoned from another world."
Qiu Nuoya introduced Xiao Tao, who was cowering behind Warren, to Lady Sherria. Xiao Tao probably wasn’t happy about being introduced this way, but Qiu Nuoya hoped he would let it slide just this once. Otherwise, the situation would only become more complicated, so Qiu Nuoya felt it was best to tell her the truth.
"This person is... the Hero?"
Lady Sherria looked back and forth between Qiu Nuoya and Xiao Tao. Apparently unable to bear her scrutiny, Xiao Tao shrank back even further.
"In the sense that he was summoned through the Hero Summoning ritual, yes."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Two people were summoned through the Hero Summoning ritual. We don’t know which of them was actually meant to be the Hero. In fact, I suspect that the person who was supposed to be summoned as the Hero might have been Shangguan Wan’er, not him."
"...W-What? But she’s the Saintess..."
"Is there any reason a Saintess can’t also be the Hero?"
Lady Sherria stared at Qiu Nuoya with a dumbfounded expression.
Well, Qiu Nuoya knew he was saying something rather outrageous, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make. He couldn’t help but bring it up.
"Then, does Lady Shangguan Wan’er have the Divine Sword now...?"
"No, the Divine Sword..."
Come to think of it, the Divine Sword, which was supposed to belong to the Hero, hadn’t chosen Shangguan Wan’er.
Did that mean Xiao Tao really was the Hero after all? But in the end, the Divine Sword Velikorya had chosen Warren as its Hero.
Ugh, I just don’t get it!