Adoel knelt on a desk within a small bedroom. Her eyes were closed, her hands were crossed in front of her face. Her halo began to glow faintly.

 

“Oh blessed Ione, I beseech thee to grant ear to your most humble servant. Please lend me thy aid. Deliver me from the midst of great and terrible darkness. Though I am surrounded by enemies, I will fear no evil, for I know you are with me.”

 

The door swung open and Bob walked in.

 

“There you are. Let’s go, we have a mission. Londibni says I need to gain some more levels or something.”

 

Adoel remained in her prayer pose.

 

“Please hurry! Please, blessed Ione!”

 

---

 

Up in Ione’s realm, Miniel was just finishing her report to Ione. Who was ignoring her to check social media.

 

“Um, Most Holy Ione?”

 

“Ugh, what is it, Miniel? Aren’t you done yet?”

 

“That concludes our normal reports but, um, shouldn’t you check on the hero?”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“It’s just that…I’m hearing some most disturbing reports. Like that he started a civil war…and joined the Dark Lord’s army.”

 

“Did he get honey trapped?”

 

“Um, sorry?”

 

“Did he get honey trapped this time?”

 

“Um, not that I’m aware of?”

 

“Then it’s all good! See, he’s way better than the last one! Now go away Miniel, it’s time for my shows.”

 

---

 

Bob strolled into the bandit camp, knife at the ready. He cast a shadow spell to travel through the shadows and appear behind the lookout, stabbing the man in the back. He had his Silent Steps skill active, which through the power of his ‘Unseen One’ title also hid the man’s dying cries.

You have slain: Roger Sardou (Level 17 Human) Gained 11 XP!

 

Meanwhile Adoel hung her head and arms limply as she followed after Bob, unfocused eyes staring forward.

 

“I’m helping the Dark Lord’s Army…murder a bunch of people…”

 

Bob shrugged as he cleaned his knife.

 

“It’s a bunch of bandits, you know? Weren’t you the one who wanted me to kill bandits on-sight?”

 

“That was totally different and you know it!”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because they were attacking the princess!”

 

“And these ones don’t attack people?”

 

Adoel clenched her teeth as she tried to hold back her scream, a high pitched whine escaping from her mouth instead.

 

“I swear…I’m going to stop you, you evil hero! If it’s the last thing I do!”

 

Bob shrugged again.

 

“What does your goddess say?”

 

“...”

 

“What does your goddess say?”

 

“...I hate you. I hate you so much, you evil hero! Just you wait! Justice is coming for you, you’ll see!”

 

Bob shrugged once more.

 

“If justice is coming, then why are you summoning heroes?”

 

“...I hate you.”

 

“So I’ve been told.”

 

Bob continued to move through the camp, assassinating the bandits one by one. Yet, thanks to his stealth skills, not a single one noticed anything was wrong. One nearly caught him stabbing the man sitting right next to him, but ultimately assumed it was the wind and went back to his final meal.

And then Bob started on the tents.

 

In the first tent was something entirely different.

 

Up until now, all the bandits had been human men with…liberal views on grooming and personal hygiene. But the person sleeping in the tent…was a beautiful elf. An unblemished face, clear skin, silky green hair, and a gorgeous figure. She was neither bound nor wounded, sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. Albeit, with a golden sword in her hand.

Bob walked over to her.

 

“...I don’t suppose you’re going to try talking with her or something?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Bob stabbed the elf in the heart.

You have slain: Tanila Kelcyne (Level 52 Elf) Gained 73 XP! Level up!

 

You are now level 42! +2 HP +1 MP +1 Magic +1 Skill +1 Speed +1 Luck

 

“...you didn’t question at all why an elf girl like her might be among the bandits? You didn’t think you might have been able to establish common ground?”

 

“Do we need to have another talk about judging by appearances?”

 

“...no.”

 

“Well I’m going to do just that. Beautiful elf girl like her, sleeping carefree and unbound in the midst of a group of bandits like this? She is perhaps in one of the most dangerous situations she could possibly be in and yet seems to be here entirely of her own free will and with few visible precautions. What does that imply? That none of the people here are able or willing to touch her and given that she's armed she's definitely not a high-value hostage. That means she’s extremely dangerous. And that’s before I checked her status. Which I did and oh boy. Not going to try talking things out with a ‘Hero Slayer’, you know?”

 

“...stop saying things that make sense. I hate it.”

 

Bob shrugged and picked up the blade.

Name	Holy Sword Faithkeeper
Requirements	Swordsmanship level 30, Good aligned (All requirements waived if blessed by a good or neutral god)
Might	18
Crit	10%
Special Abilities	Pledge of Hope (Grants HP Regen, Grants MP Regen, All Stats x1.5 when below 50% HP, Damage x1.5 against Evil alignment)

 

“Huh, neat.”

 

“...the Dark Lord’s Army has the holy sword now. I’m helping the Dark Lord’s Army steal the holy sword.”

 

Bob put the holy sword into his inventory.

 

“A bunch of bandits had it, so I’d venture it was already stolen. And it’s not going to the Dark Lord’s Army you know?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“From what I can see the blade is anathema to many of the Dark Lord’s servants. It would be useless, maybe actively harmful in their possession.”

 

"So then...what are you going to do with it? Maybe...use it yourself? Become a little more heroic?"

 

“Give it to someone who can use it.”

 

Adoel followed limply, heaving a sigh. Great, he’s probably going to give it to some black market dealer or something. Just great.

 

---

 

Adoel blinked. She rubbed her eyes. She blinked again.

They were standing in an alleyway, Bob’s face hidden by a hooded cloak. In front of them, the Princess led a band of knights. The Princess herself now wore a suit of pink armor. She looked over reports as she walked, giving clear and confident orders in response to each. The knights saluted and walked off. It was then that Bob made his move.

 

"Hey angel, call her over."

 

Adoel raised her hand in a daze, creating a tiny flash of holy light. Just enough to attract the attention of a good-aligned being.

The Princess looked over at the two.

Bob waved at the Princess from the alleyway. She raised an eyebrow but strode over to him.

 

“Can I help you, citizen?”

 

“No, but I can help you.”

 

He pulled out the holy sword, wrapped in cloth. He held it out sideways across his hands and presented it to the Princess.

 

“You face a dangerous path, and I fear you cannot do it alone. Here, take this. It will help you on your quest.”

 

The Princess stared at him and at the wrapped sword. She sighed and took it. She looked down at the package within her hands.

When she looked up, the hooded figure was gone.

Adoel continued to stare blankly as Bob turned to leave the alley.

 

“Our work here is done, come on.”

 

Slowly, Adoel’s face curled into a grin. She could use this.

 

---

 

Later that night, the Princess stood in her room. The sword laid on a table. She crossed her arms and frowned at it.

Of course, she was not so foolish as to just take a blade from some suspicious figure. She used her trump card, the Analyze skill. A notoriously difficult skill to learn and master but as the Princess she had managed to reach level five in it.

...it still had failed on both the sword and the giver, but she didn’t detect any mana or spells.

And something in her gut told her…everything would be all right.

She, of course, then had the wrapped blade checked by mages and alchemists, for any sort of substance or spell she might have missed. None of them found anything. She took a deep breath.

Her knights strongly advised her to get rid of the package. And that would be the smart thing to do. But her adventurer instructor always said while you can’t believe blindly in your gut, you should never ignore it. And her gut told her…she needed to see what this was. Herself.

 

She unwrapped the cloth…

She froze, and her jaw dropped.

It was the Holy Sword.

Just then there was a flash of light. The Princess shielded her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them. Her eyes went wide, before she came to her senses and knelt on one knee.

An angel had appeared before her.

 

“Princess Aurélie Laffitte de Atrein”

 

“Yes, holy one? I am here to serve.”

 

“I come before you in a time of great need.”

 

“What would you ask of me?”

 

“To take up the Holy Sword, to defeat the Dark Lord's Army, and to save all the free people of the world.”

 

Princess Aurélie smiled as her heart pounded. Her arm trembled as she wished to grab the Holy Sword.

Every dream she had had come true.

But she stopped herself.

 

“Holy one, may I ask a question?”

 

The angel smiled softly at her and nodded.

 

“What do you wish to know, brave one?”

 

“...is this blade not for…the prophesied hero? The one called by the Goddess herself from lands beyond mortal reach? How can I, a mere noble of this world, be worthy of such a thing?”

 

The angel frowned.

 

“It is a tale, most unfortunate.”

 

Princess Aurélie felt her stomach drop as ice gripped her heart.

 

“What has happened?”

 

“The hero…was seduced. He has turned to evil. It now falls upon you to stop him, as well as the Dark Lord.”

 

“Seduced? Evil? W-What do you mean, holy one?”

 

“He has joined the Dark Lord’s Army, and has spread evil since the day he arrived. You have personally been a victim of his plots.”

 

“Me? How so?”

 

“He has stalked you, following you since the day you arrived. He saw you under attack by bandits…and wished to leave you. He worked with Duke Thierry…and kidnapped you in the night. He ensured Duke Thierry escaped. Even now, he seeks to confuse and manipulate you. You must defeat him, for the Kingdom's sake...as well as your own.”

 

Princess Aurélie gripped her sides and fell to her knees.

 

“No way…”

 

“I am most sorry to tell you this, brave one. But now, with the holy sword, you do not need to fear him…”

 

Adoel made a sad smile and moved to comfort the girl. Learning you had an evil hero stalking you couldn't be easy. Just as she reached for Princess Aurélie's shoulder, the princess whispered to herself.

 

“I finally found him.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“My guardian angel…I finally found you!”

 

Adoel froze.

 

“Um, what?”

 

“When we were ambushed by bandits…after the battle we found some of the bandits had already been slain. My knights thought they had turned on each other but in my heart, I liked to believe I had a guardian angel watching over me. I see…he didn’t want to intervene and take away from our growth. He wanted us to overcome it on our own, so he held himself back.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Then…the night I was kidnapped…I wondered how my knights knew to find me so quickly, how it was I came to no harm. They told me they had found a letter under my bed, detailing my exact location and the culprit. That’s when I knew for sure…I had a guardian in the shadows. ”

 

“Princess?”

 

“So it was the hero all along…he must have taken the kidnapping job to watch over me himself, so that no harm would come to me.”

 

“Um, what are you saying?”

 

Princess Aurélie’s cheeks flushed slightly.

 

“And then…this war…it was all for me, wasn’t it?”

 

“Um, what?!”

 

“I was due to be married to the Sheik of Jedria, in exchange for an alliance should the Dark Lord invade our lands. Though I would do my duty as a princess, I could not help but shudder at the rumors of the Sheik and how he treats his wives. But then…Duke Thierry began his rebellion. And I was allowed to participate, as a victim of his schemes. It was then I discovered my talent for command and military organization, becoming the overall commander of the army. Now my engagement is canceled, because I am more useful as a leader than as a diplomatic tool.”

 

“...that’s not…”

 

“And now…this holy sword…I see, that was the hero who handed it to me, wasn’t it? Something like this would more than make up for the lost alliance with Jedria. ”

 

“That’s…”

 

Princess Aurélie looked up at Adoel, stars in her eyes. Adoel averted her gaze. To preserve her dignity as an angel, she could not bring herself to lie directly to this mortal.

Princess Aurélie interpreted her silence correctly and broke out into a wide grin.

 

“I knew it…he entrusted his blade to me…to secure my position once and for all while he infiltrates the Dark Lord’s Army all on his own…I see now. He doesn’t just want me to settle for fighting alongside the hero. He’s giving me a chance to become the hero, like I always dreamed of, the dream I thought was impossible. And he’s going to be there…watching over me every step of the way…preparing the path for me.”

 

Her eyes began to water.

 

“He’s saved me from death, from a terrible marriage, from the cage of being a mere princess. And now he is giving to me all that should belong to him while he works behind the scenes to protect me. He truly is…my hero.”

 

Her face was fully flushed at this point. Adoel was dripping sweat. She increased her light aura so that Princess Aurélie wouldn’t notice.

Not that the princess was paying any attention to her at this point anyways.

Princess Aurélie picked up the Holy Sword. She held it in front of her face, pointing up into the sky, and knelt on the ground on both her knees.

 

“I, Aurélie Laffitte de Atrein, Princess of the Kingdom, Command of the Royal Army, hereby swear. I will fulfill the hero’s trust in me, and lead the forces of good in his stead. I will be his loyal servant, his trusty blade. Whatever he wishes of me, I will see it done.”

 

The holy sword flashed once, briefly surrounding Princess Aurélie with a golden glow. Adoel trembled as she opened the princess’s status.

There was a new title.

‘The Hero’s Retainer.’

Adoel swallowed down her feelings. She had to at least maintain her dignity as one of Ione’s servants.

 

“R-Right…ahem, I see your resolve, brave one. G-Go now, and battle against those who threaten the peace of this world. All of them. No matter who they are. You got that? No matter who.”

 

“Yes! I will go and do battle in the name of Ione and the hero! Please, if you see the hero, let him know that this Aurélie Laffitte de Atrein will always be on his side! Always!”

 

With that, Adoel closed her eyes and made a serene smile, floating up and away before concealing herself in a flash of light.

She promptly flew up into the night sky, gripping her hair.

And then she screamed with all her heart and soul.

 

“WHYYYYYYYYY?!!!”

 

Bob's Current Status: