Episode 22
The intention had obviously been good, yes, so why did it have to all turn out like this?
I was worried about how hurt Elisa would’ve been by these words.
Feeling perplexed at the situation, I leaned my body on the desk.
Thud.
The recoil caused a piece of paper to fall to the floor.
I absentmindedly picked it up and checked it.
「I’ll leave the item in its usual place. It is a high-quality product with very smooth magic-flow.
P.S. I received the shark bone you sent me as a gift. It’s great quality. I will decorate with it in gratitude.」
“Shark bone…?”
Someone seemed to have left a note for Karl.
It appeared to be written by the acquaintance who was supposed to deliver the monster core.
Decorate your home with a shark bone? Were they serious?
There were definitely people out there who had unique tastes, including Karl.
I clicked my tongue and picked up the flimsy paper that had fallen again.
Then, with a complicated feeling, I opened the diary again.
‘I’m kinda afraid to read more.’
What kind of weird stuff awaits me next?
「Xth of X Month, Strong Winds.
A swarm of Hydras appeared, disrupting the fishing and causing a tsunami.
They were more agile and fierce than other monsters, making them particularly difficult to handle.
As the battle dragged on, I increasingly became desperate to return home.
Elisa must be waiting for me a lot.
In that moment where I lost in my thoughts, I suddenly felt a strange sensation.
I had thought it was just a glint of murderous intent in the monster’s eyes, but I felt a certain ’emotion’ from them.
Although their pupils were of a completely different shape from humans, the emotion inside them felt somehow familiar. As I watched the twinkling magic emanating from their cores, I couldn’t help but be soaked in a strange sadness.
For several days, that glimmer lingered in my mind.
It felt as if the monsters were speaking to me.
Unable to ignore this, I asked Count Orle, a junior I was close to, to get me the cores of the monsters. Those around me said I was doing something useless under a foolish delusion.
They said monsters had no emotions and desired only to slaughter.
I couldn’t come up with a rebuttal.
I just stared at the core with a complicated heart.」
“Emotions in monsters? Can that exist?”
In a typical fantasy worldview, monsters were just enemies to be defeated.
It was hard to imagine that such creatures would have emotions other than malice.
But Karl said that he began collecting the monsters’ cores after sensing something from them.
If his hunch had been right, what could the monsters possibly be trying to say?
‘This is the last diary entry… I wonder if there’s a hint?’
「Xth of X Month, Rain All Day.
Today was the day of the thanksgiving ceremony held to celebrate our safe return.
While visiting the temple, I borrowed myths and history books about the underwater monster dungeon. It is said that the monster dungeon has been opening and closing for a long time.
Due to the appearance of monsters, the western coast of the empire has always been suffering.
Whenever the people of the empire were in trouble, the goddess repeatedly prophesied the emergence of a new ‘hero.’
It is said that those appointed as heroes ranged from young boys to old fishermen.
And they became brave warriors from the moment they received the prophecy, fighting monsters until their bodies broke down.
The lineage of prophecies was cut off 100 years ago, but…
How wonderful would it be if a hero appeared in these difficult times?
No, rather, if I could become the empire’s hero and fight.
If that could bring peace to the empire…
Then maybe I could build an ordinary family with Elisa.
Wouldn’t it be possible for us to have meals together, take walks together, and raise a child together, enjoying a life filled with these simple acts of happiness?
Such dreams came to me and went like waves..」
The diary ended here.
The rest were just anecdotes from daily life or brief scribbles depicting a battle scene.
After returning the diary to its original place, I pondered for a moment.
‘A prophecy that appoints a hero…’
The title of the original novel was also <How to Become the Hero’s Spouse.>
From the content of the diary, it seems that the ‘hero’ mentioned here referred directly to a being created or made by the goddess’s prophecy, not just a title of praise.
It seemed necessary to investigate this further.
Found 300 cash in the ‘Prayer for the Hero’s Rest’.
Found 300 cash in the ‘Coin Made to Commemorate The Hero’s sacrifice’.
Found 300 cash in the ‘Painting Depicting the Prophecy’.
Since heroes and prophecies were important themes, quite a lot of cash was found in related clues.
‘By the way, were there many heroes who died in combat? There are frequent mentions of death.’
It wasn’t particularly surprising considering that they must have fought on dangerous battlefields…
“Hmm…”
With a reluctant feeling, I examined the ‘Painting depicting the prophecy’ in detail.
In the painting, there was a person whom I could not tell was a man or woman floating alone above the sea with hands clasped together.
With hands neatly folded and a halo shining behind the head, they looked more like…
“More like a saint than a warrior.”
Lerint Mansion’s Study Cleared!
After feeling that something was odd about the monsters, Karl began collecting their cores to find out the cause. At the same time, he seems to have a strong interest in heroes and prophecies.
He hopes that a new hero would appear to end the tedious war.
He dreamed of enjoying ordinary happiness with Elisa after peace was restored.
-Your Job Experience has increased.
Congratulations! Your Job rank has been raised.
Current rank: C-
A new system has been added according to the increase in rank.
The testimony collection system has been updated.
A notification window for my new job rank promotion appeared along with the clear window.
The newly added system this time was ‘testimony collection’.
As usual, there was no detailed explanation, but I could roughly guess what it meant.
It means that not only clues but also testimonies could be collected, right?
“Sigh…”
I slumped my dropping body on the chair.
Judging from the clues gathered so far, Karl loved Elisa, even if his way of expressing it was messy.
Worrying about Elisa and dreaming of having a peaceful family with her…
He didn’t seem to have any intention of breaking off the engagement.
Then, what reason could he have had to suddenly decide to break off the engagement?
‘It seems I’ve searched all the places worth investigating in the mansion…’
I had collected a total of 5000 cash so far.
It seemed unlikely to be able to get to the bottom of this case with just this amount.
The library system only allows you to press the next episode button.
To read the second half, I would need to collect at least 3000~4000 more cash.
‘But all the other cash charging stations are locked.’
How could I open a new cash charging station?
I laid out the clues I had gathered and pondered.
‘Myth, temple, goddess, prophecy, and hero.’
Wen I organized the keywords, I quickly found common ground.
All the clues pointed to a place…
‘The temple!’
My eyes lit up spontaneously.
The temple, a word that felt familiar yet eerie.
Of course it did. The temple guys were regular villains in Rofan that always did shady things!
‘Is it you guys again? Are you guys the masterminds again?’
Suspicious, very suspicious. I needed to investigate.
Achievement unlocked! ‘Infer Clues About The Temple’
A new cash charging station has been opened.
Currently unlocked cash charging stations: Relint Mansion, Northwest Temple
A timely lively sound effect popped up along with the system window.
What? I had to deduce it myself to open the charging station?
They sure made it troublesome. Fortunately, this wasn’t too hard.
Anyways, I’d figured out the next destination. Now I could leave the mansion.
“Wait, this wasn’t why I came to the study, was it?”
I had been so engrossed in the investigation that I forgot there was someone I needed to meet.
The man whom the maid was fussing about and praising for being handsome.
From what I read in Karl’s diary, he was probably that Count Orle, right?
Didn’t she say he would be here soon if I waited?
Shuffling footsteps.
Before I could even think, I heard unfamiliar footsteps from beyond the door.
It seems they arrived just in time.
To be polite, I quickly stood up from my seat and was about to straighten my clothes when—
Squeak.
Without giving me a chance to react, the door opened.
Cool, salty air flowed inside.
“I heard the detective arrived first.”
