Chapter 49: Aria’s Teacher

Morning finally came, ending the night of turmoil.

Shion and the others decided to have breakfast and then leave the church. Horst and the other five people who tried to kill them are currently restrained. Considering how many of them are there, it would be difficult to take them all with them.

So, they agreed that Haku would stay behind and watch to make sure they didn’t escape.

All of the weapons and other items in the basement were stored by Shion in the . All of them will be given to the king for further investigations.

Outside the inn, the three of us discussed the situation.

‘Now, please leave this one to me. But I’ll miss you guys, so please come back as soon as you can~’

“I’m sorry, you’ve always got a tough role to do”

‘No, no, it’s rather safe and easy this time’

“I’ll talk to the king and get some soldiers on their way right away!”

‘Aria-san, please don’t be late because of flirting, okay?’

“W…w…w… who’s flirting with who?! Not going to happen! Right, Shion?”

Aria turns her face to him, her face turning red, but Shion was not there. She wondered where he was, but he seemed to have gone to the stables.

‘…Don’t worry…’

“It’s okay. I don’t mind at all. I’m just happy us traveling together…”

As Aria and Haku were whispering to each other, Shion brought a horse and they both rode off.

Since the horses were well accustomed to humans, the trip went smoothly, and they crossed the border into the Kingdom of Valenciu without difficulty.

In the swamp, they were attacked by some monsters, but they just acted like it’s nothing.

They went inside and walked down the street lined with orange-roofed houses. As it was the royal capital, there were many people, and the streets were crowded, but only around Shion and the other was there a much larger crowd.

The reason is Aria.

Her light blue hair makes her stand out in this city, and she is easily spotted.

“Aria-sama, please shake hands!”

“Yes, yes, but I’m in a hurry right now so, please make way~”

“Please, please hold my child”

“Hmm, it can’t be helped then”

Aria, too, seemed to be used to dealing with the residents. People of all ages and both sexes gathered here, which showed how famous Aria was.

She was such a popular girl, but she had a man with her, so attention was inevitably drawn to her.

“Did you have a party? But only one person ……?”

“Maybe… he’s your boyfriend?”

“Waaaa~, no, no, no! Don’t make any weird assumptions, okay? He helped me out a little bit on the road. He saved my life, you know?”

What did the residents do when they were told that?

One after another, they thanked Shion.

Thank you for saving our Lady Aria - that kind of gratitude. Shion waded forward through the crowd with a smile on his face.

It was like this the whole time until they reached the royal castle. It was so bad that they can’t feel anything but body heat in front of the castle.

“Water Heroes sure are incredibly popular”

“Ehh~, Shion’s even more popular.”

“In my case, I wasn’t that close to it. Maybe it was the mask”

“That mask was a little scary, wasn’t it? Come on, let’s go in. Haku-chama[1] eagerly waiting for you!”

“Hahaha, right. I’d better report back quickly for Haku-chama’s sake!”

One minute after entering the castle confirming their arrival, Shion and the others were in the presence of King Valenciu.

Shion is acquainted with this king, known as the Wise King, and is very nervous inside.

If possible, I don’t want my identity as Axe to be revealed. It’s not a good image to be working with a dark hero, after all.

Turns out, there was no need to worry.

Aria skillfully explained things to them, and the king immediately dispatched soldiers to the church. When Shion handed over the weapons and other items he had recovered, the king’s eyes became wide-open.

He was impressed with the way they had contained it, as well as the large number of weapons.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. If you don’t mind, I’d like to know”

“Shio…”

That’s when it hit him. He had accidentally forgotten to use an alias. Aria hurried to follow up.

“He’s Shioranma Chocolips, who agreed to help me on this incident”

It was an awful follow-up.

“It’s a very, very unusual name. ……”

“A… anyway, my king, I’d like to revisit you tomorrow for another matter!”

After saying this quickly, Aria left the castle with Shion. Since you need a successor before quitting from being a Hero, she didn’t ask for that now. So, she and Shion goes to her master’s house, the former Water Hero.

“Hey, Aria, that was a terrible name”

“I think so myself. …… Maybe I have no naming sense”

“Well, it’s my fault for not thinking of it. So, your master, I’ve met her a long time ago too, right? I know her name is Lineria, but what was she like?”

When he asked that question, Aria held up two fingers and gave a warning.

“A little weird, maybe. Just don’t ask about age and marital status, okay? She’s twenty-nine now, and she’s desperate to find a husband before she reaches thirty. You don’t want to stimulate her”

“Stimulate…?”

“Here it is. We’re here”

Aria knocks on the door of a house that feels too big for one person to live in. It’s still new, with an orange roof.

However, no matter how many times she called through the door, no one came out.

“Is she not home?”

“She’s probably been drinking. She has a habit of ignoring visitors when she’s drunk. It can’t be helped………… Master! If you don’t come out, I’ll tell everyone about how your first love dumped you in three days!”

The door immediately opens and a young woman with blush on her cheeks emerges from inside. She is wearing a black pointy hat and a robe of the same color. She’s dressed like a traditional wizard. However, she’s holding what looks like a drink in her hand instead of a wand.

Even when she was drunk, she had a mature and sexy vibe, and she also looked so pretty, like she’s in full makeup.

“…… Ariaaaa …… I told you it’s forbidden to talk about it……”

“It’s because you didn’t come out, Master. Can I come in and talk to you?”

“You’ll go in even if I said no, though… Who’s that guy?”

At the same time as she asked, Lineria touched Shion’s face with both hands as if she was being sucked into a daze. She gazed at him with wet eyes and suddenly kissed him on the cheek. Chu~

“Oh, there you are, my husband…”

SPLASH———!!!

“Kya! It’s cold!?”

Lineria, who was magically sprayed with water from her back, protested to her apprentice.

“What are you doing so suddenly!?”

“Master ……, if you don’t want to get killed, let’s sober up, okay?”

As Aria intimidated her while drawing her sword, Lineria sobered up immediately.

[1]”-Chama” suffix is usually used to be polite or respectful to someone who is otherwise your equal. Further explanations