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“Whoa, is that girl our target, Hero Selian? This is the first time I’m seeing her properly.”

The opening ceremony announcing the start of the Celestial Festival.

With students, city citizens, and even tourists flocking to catch a glimpse of Hero Selian and Saint Mariel, the streets were bustling with excitement.

And I found myself taking a step back amidst the chaotic crowd, leaning against the wall of a nearby building.

Like everyone else, my gaze was on Selian, but the content of the ceremony wasn’t registering at all.

“Master gave you a deadline of the last day of the Celestial Festival, but honestly, I’m not feeling it at all.”

The voice of ‘No. 2’, who suddenly appeared from nowhere and was always ranting, sounded awful as ever.

“If you’re so upset, why didn’t you take on the mission yourself? Oh wait, with your skills, I suppose that’s impossible too. Let’s hope you don’t end up getting caught instead of assassinating anyone.”

“Well, I admit you’ve gotten closer to your original objective. Thanks to you, the assassination difficulty has gone down a notch. By the way, it looks like that Hero girl really trusts you; it’s quite sad. She’s prepared for self-sacrifice to save humanity, only to be killed by the Demon King, Demonic Race, or even her fellow humans. Heh….”

No. 2, who had been staring at Selian, paused for a moment, then turned to me and continued.

“Of all people, it’s the friend she trusts the most.”

Even without turning my head, I could still feel No. 2’s piercing gaze glaring at me.

Trying my best to ignore his gaze while remaining still, he lightly tapped my shoulder.

“Don’t forget. You’re just one sharp sword among many that see the light of day. That girl is definitely going to die before the closing ceremony.”

“Could you just shut up for once? With the stench coming from your filthy mouth, I’ll end up getting assassinated before I can even assassinate her.”

The only comeback I could muster was this petty insult, but he brushed it off, chuckling softly.

“Well then, make the most of the remaining time. I hope that by the next time we meet, that proud little ego of yours will be a bit more broken.”

Just like when he first spoke to me, No. 2 vanished silently into the crowd.

Thud thud.

Alone, I pounded my fist against the wall I was leaning on a few times.

A droplet of blood rolled down from biting my lip too hard, leaving a faint red mark on my knuckles without even a hint of pain despite not reinforcing my body with aura.

“Excuse me… passing through…!”

Contrary to where everyone was looking, someone was struggling to weave through the crowd.

“Ha! I finally found you! I was so surprised when you suddenly vanished. By the way, who was that person you were just with? Someone you know? You should have introduced us!”

The one who emerged from the crowd was Yuli, one of my friends.

She must have seen me talking to No. 2, as she questioned me about his identity.

“Oh, it’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Oh really? If Elysia says so… Wait! What’s that blood on your lip? What about that cut?”

I had been careless, and Yuli caught sight of the lip injury I had been trying to ignore.

In a rush to deflect her inquiries, I raised my hand to wipe off the blood from my lips, but rather, that only dug my grave deeper.

“Eek? What happened to your hand? It’s totally scraped up! What on earth happened?”

“It’s really nothing, so no need to worry. I just… tripped while mingling with the crowd. That’s why I stepped outside.”

My hastily made excuse sounded somewhat believable. If it were Anne, she likely wouldn’t have come up with such a story.

Yet despite my excuse, Yuli wasn’t letting up.

“How can you not care when Elysia is hurt?! You need to at least go to the infirmary. Come on, hurry up!”

Yuli grabbed my uninjured hand and tugged me along.

But I was really fine. A wound like this barely registered as a scratch for me.

No need to recall my days with the Assassin Guild; even in the Academy during sword training, I had gotten worse scrapes than this.

And above all…

“The opening ceremony isn’t over yet. Selian has been preparing hard, shouldn’t we watch the rest?”

I wanted to take in every last bit of Hero Selian’s appearance.

“But…!”

“Oh, it’s Elysia! Yuli found her first!”

Anne, who had been searching for me, spotted me and Yuli from a distance and rushed over, waving her hands.

“Heh heh. Finally, we’re all together. I almost wandered around until the end of the opening ceremony.”

“Ah, Anne! Come this way. It might be a bit far, but you can see well from here.”

I took the chance to chat with the suddenly appeared Anne, desperately steering the conversation away.

“Ugh… I don’t want to go back through that crowd… I can’t even see Selian’s face…”

For someone as petite as Anne, it would be quite tough to wriggle between the throngs of people to catch a glimpse of Hero Selian.

“I’m saying that because of your injury…!”

“Whoa, whoa. Don’t be like that. Come on, Yuli, join us. If Selian messes up, we can tease her later.”

I seized Yuli’s hand that was still gripping mine and pulled her to my side.

Fortunately, Yuli hesitated for a moment but eventually sighed and leaned against the wall with Anne and me.

“…We’re going to the infirmary right after the opening ceremony, got it?”

“Okay, okay. Seriously, Yuli, your nagging is worse than a mom’s.”

Of course, I had no memory of having a mother.

It seemed Yuli was aware of her overbearing nature, as she shot me a brief glare before turning her gaze forward once more.

“I never noticed this before, but standing there so dressed up, Selian really looks like the Hero she is.”

Hero Selian stood beside Saint Mariel, wearing an outfit that left no doubt she was a Hero, rather than her usual school uniform.

“Heh heh. That’s the armor I picked for her!”

“…We all went together to pick it out, so how could you not know?”

Though Selian insisted she didn’t need to spend money since her outfit was already prepared by her family, we wouldn’t listen to her at all.

In the end, unable to break our stubbornness, Selian surrendered.

As a result, the outfit Selian wore now was chosen through careful consideration of what would fit her image best.

For someone like me, whose access to the Guild budget was limited, it was an unexpected expense, but given that this money would be wasted after the Celestial Festival, there was no reason to hold back on spending it for Selian.

If it meant atoning in this small way and leaving a trace of myself with her, a few coins were certainly worth it.

“From tomorrow, both Anne and I will be busy with the tournament, so let’s go explore together once the opening ceremony ends, okay?”

“Of course! You’re not thinking of ditching us, are you, Elysia?”

Upon hearing my words, Anne stared at me with widened eyes.

“Like I would do that. It’s just… a sort of promise. I actually like being together this much, so I really hope we can do that.”

Sure, why not.

I will never forget the promise we made that day when Selian was chosen as the Hero, the day we all gathered together.

Even though it was built on lies to hide my true identity, the trust I received.

If my friends ever learned the truth behind my deception, what kind of expressions would they wear?

Would Yacha, filled with unbearable anger, glare at me?

Or would she wear a face of ridiculous surprise at my absurd identity?

Or perhaps… simply act as though I had never existed at all, brushing it aside stoically?

Imagining any of these scenarios tightens my chest and quickens my breath.

Yet if there’s a small wish I have, it’s that they don’t suffer because of me.

They can hurl curses my way if they want.

It’s fine if they forget someone like me entirely.

So if Goddess Serena is indeed listening to the words of a mere human, I humbly request.

This is my confession and prayer to you. May they find happiness.

This sinner merely hopes and wishes.

 

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