Do You Believe In God? (1)

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We are truly grateful, Hero-sama.”

As we parted, the beastfolk—led by the resistance leader—offered their thanks.

They bowed deeply, their distinctive ears clearly visible.

There had been many twists and turns, but for now, their problem was resolved.

All that remained was to pray that the new lord Erika had arranged would get along well with them.

“As a Hero, I merely did what was expected of me.”

“You are truly generous of heart. Saint-sama, thank you as well.”

The leader expressed his gratitude to Semirena too.

I flinched ever so slightly.

She smiled gently.

“Thanks to you, everyone was able to see today safely. We can never thank you enough.”

“Blessings await righteous deeds. Please do not forget that.”

“Yes.”

“May the Lord’s protection be upon you as well.”

I watched their exchange with tension.

It ended without incident, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

And so, we departed the town.

Once again, heading for the Demon King’s castle.

About ten minutes after leaving the town.

For once, I was the one handling the carriage.

For some reason, memories of my old world surfaced.

“The eye level feels like a car, but the speed’s more like a bicycle.”

I had only recently gotten my driver’s license.

I had pushed myself to get it, thinking I’d need it for part-time work or employment.

And yet, I was disappointed that I never once got to use it.

Driving a car and driving a carriage were completely different.

If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve just gotten a carriage license from the start.

Not that such a thing existed…

“Fuu… ssu…”

I heard peaceful breathing.

This time especially had been hectic, with plenty of intense events.

Meeting the beastfolk.

The lord I thought was merely shady turned out to be genuinely evil, secretly connected to the Demon King’s army.

I also learned for the first time that Arka—the warrior—was a quarter beastfolk.

And that very Arka…

“Um, if you’re going to sleep, wouldn’t the back seat be better?”

“I like it here.”

“I see.”

“Yeah! You can pet me if you want, you know?”

Arka was lying sideways with her head on my lap, gazing up at me with sparkling eyes.

I didn’t need to look to know she was expecting something.

Fully aware of the risk, I let go of one rein and gently patted her head.

“Hehehe…”

“……”

A dreamy expression, a soft voice.

Let me be clear.

She’d grown attached to me.

It had started the day after we freed the beastfolk and punished the corrupt duke.

Around me, she didn’t hesitate to transform into her beastfolk form, wagging her tail vigorously as she circled me.

She was like a pet dog running up to its owner.

Even now, she was in beastfolk form, tail wagging.

“Soji-kun’s hand is big and warm. It feels really nice.”

“I-is that so? I’m glad.”

“You can pet me more if you want. If it’s you, Soji-kun, I don’t mind where you pet me.”

“W-where…?”

“My tail, for example!”

Oh. That kind of thing.

I almost misunderstood for a moment.

I took a deep breath.

“You’ve gotten quite close, haven’t you?”

“Ugh…”

Erika’s voice came from behind us.

I couldn’t turn around while driving, but I didn’t need to see her face.

She was definitely smiling.

But on the inside, she was surely warning me not to get any funny ideas.

I knew that without being told.

“You’re still in beastfolk form, you know? Is that really okay?”

“Yeah! Because Soji-kun doesn’t mind even when I’m a beastfolk. He even said I was cute! Right?”

“Y-yeah. That’s right.”

“I see. That’s good to hear.”

Stop it.

I could feel the meaning of her gaze without seeing it.

“Hm. That is the face of someone thinking, ‘Despite being a virgin, he sure knows how to flirt,’ I say.”

Don’t spell it out!

And why was it so specific?!

Has Kojiro started reading people’s minds now?

“I am quite adept at gauging others’ inner thoughts. It is necessary in duels, after all, I say.”

That’s a dangerous skill to have.

And I wasn’t flirting anyway.

At the time, I honestly thought that was the best thing to say.

“Hey, Soji-kun. What do you think happened to that lord?”

“Th-the lord?”

“Yeah. He was gone by morning.”

“R-right…”

The former lord was supposed to be transported to the royal capital.

By the next morning, he had vanished from his cell.

They searched, but found nothing—no signs of escape either.

“That place smelled strongly of blood.”

“Perhaps someone from the Demon King’s army executed him. He was connected to them, after all. He must have known too much.”

“I see… He was a bad person, but it’s still sad that he was killed.”

“Yes. Ideally, he should have been judged by the kingdom’s laws and paid for his crimes.”

Officially, the corrupt lord was considered to have escaped—or been eliminated by the Demon King’s forces.

That was the story.

No one knew the truth.

Only about two people here did.

“What do you think, Semirena?”

“It is a very sad thing. To receive the Goddess’s blessing and yet side with the Demon King… perhaps he was struck down by divine punishment.”

“That does sound like something a Saint would say.”

“Divine punishment, huh… If that’s what happened, maybe it couldn’t be helped? Right, Soji-kun?”

“……”

I was afraid to look back.

Knowing her, she was probably smiling as usual.

And yet, my imagination ran wild.

Her grieving, smiling madness—splattered in blood.

That image was pure horror.

“Soji-kun?”

“Y-yes?”

“Is something wrong? If you’re not feeling well, I can heal you.”

“I-I’m fine! Perfectly fine!”

Arka tilted her head, puzzled.

I couldn’t let on.

This secret… wasn’t something I could talk about with anyone here.

“Please don’t overdo it. You are the Hero, after all.”

“……”

Give me a break.