Vol 1: Chapter 4: The Result of Raising The Favorability Level Too High

The Path to the Saint Legend

The Result of Raising The Favorability Level Too High

There is food prepared in front of us.

There is something like stir-fried meat and vegetables, as well as bread and soup.

The problem is, there's only enough space for five people.

Of course, there was nothing on Aleph's seat.

I know it's probably best to say something here, but when it's this obvious, no one can say anything.

(I love other people's misfortunes, but lately it's only Aleph who's been constantly feel miserable. Though, it's been a while since I've seen anything this sinister.)

Now then, I was told by that jerk (Aleph) that it's okay to just ignore him when those damn heroes are around, but in reality I can't do that.

My final goal is to become a legend as a saint, and in one of the episode of my story, I ignored the guy who didn't eat... What if something like that were to be published? At that point, it would probably tarnish my successful story and ruin it!

Well, it's probably pointless to say anything to these guys, but appearances matter.

I have to pretend to be protective.

“Um, Finne-san (I really don’t get along with this old hag, her thoughts are too incomprehensible).”

"Oh? It's rare for you to talk to me, Chris! Was there something in there you don't like?"

"No... the food looks very delicious. Thank you very much. (It's strange, isn't it? About how, even with all that consideration, she can so easily treat someone (Aleph) like this.)"

"It's fine, we're like comrades fighting together with the hero! By the way, do you think it's time for you to come to Hayato-sama's room soon?"

“I can’t do that… Ah, no! More importantly, I think there’s one meal missing… (Who the hell would go?! There, I said something that no one had even asked before! In a way, I’m the true hero.)”

The temperature in the room has dropped. Why am I the one who got the short end of the stick? The one who should actually got the short end of the stick is the guy carrying the luggage.

Ah, why is everyone trying to interfere with my legend as a saint? I was about to lose my temper. I casually looked over at Aleph, who was looking at me with a pale face. You should be the one to say it.

"Chris, what are you talking about?"

“Eh? Finne… (Huh? Why am I the one being blamed? Die.)”

"Hey, haven't you forgotten that there are five party members? The baggage carriers aren't your friends, you know? are you okay?"

"... (You said it was a party of six on our first trip, you old hag.)"

"Haha, Finne! Chris just misunderstood something. I, as her older sister, should have explained it to her properly. But I don't want to see the two of you fighting any more over that kind of trash."

"You're right. It wasn't anything Chris did wrong, so maybe I was a bit too harsh. I'm sorry!"

"No... (This is no good, this story doesn't make sense.)"

I'm at a loss for words...

We already had a party of five under our own rules; even I, as expected, couldn't compete with the stupidity of these guys.

In the first place, even if it was a party of five, they were together so they should at least feed him. What kind of thought process is that? Regardless of the charm, they're already crazy.

I was so shocked I even lost my appetite. No one wants to end up like that.

In fact, with things having come to this, it's nearly impossible to feed that Aleph bastard here.

Unless I'm misreading things, some kind of turning point will soon come for Aleph, so I'll have to take some kind of measure to deal with it.

Something is definitely going to happen in the cave tomorrow. There's no way something won't happen to a baggage carrier with no skills.

"It looks like there's no food, so I'm heading back to my room."

Aleph muttered this to no one in particular and trudged off to his room.

If I don't gain any favorability points, my legend as the Saint will come to an end. In that case, I'll get my hands on a secret weapon and do something about it.

My bad feeling turned out to be correct.

There was no food for me at all... On top of that, I even felt bad for Chris. I told her to ignore me, but I was glad that she confronted Finne for my sake.

I should have told her to stop, because it reminded me once again that I'm not alone... But the reasons they gave me were beyond imagination.

I greeted them when I accompanied them on their journey, and the demon lord subjugation was not unofficial or anything, but was carried out under the pretext of a six-person party from the kingdom.

But they just said it on their own, that it was just a party of five, and other such terrible excuses that even a child wouldn't come up with.

How much do they hate me? Ahh!?

What did I do to you, you damn bitch?!

Enough already.

You didn't give me any money for the journey, made me carry all your luggage, and on top of that you didn't even give me anything to eat? You're kidding me! You're kidding me!... I was feeling nauseous from hunger, frustration, and stress.

For a while I laid lazily in bed feeling irritated.

It had been about two hours since I returned to my room from the dining area.

I was carrying a lot of luggage and was on the move from morning until night, so my stomach was growling nonstop.

Since things have turned out like this, I might as well get to bed early... I closed my eyes and tried to lose consciousness.

---But.

"Aah! ... Ah, it feels so good! Hayato... I love you!"

From the next room came a creaking sound, along with a woman's moan that sounded familiar.

No matter what inn the hero stayed at, for some reason he never forgot to take the room next to me.

I was forced to wake up and felt hopelessly exhausted.

Usually I would have dismissed it with, "Not again...", but this time I had been walking all day and had skipped meals. And the owner of the voice next to me was ... my beloved, Aria.

Even though I was used to it, I had no desire to hear the sounds of my fiancée indulging in an affair.

I was now just sitting on the bed, staring blankly with dead eyes.

I felt like I wanted to die intensely.

"I might die in the cave tomorrow..."

If you keep saying negative things to yourself, your mood will become more and more depressed.

I want someone to help me. Anyone would be fine, just help me...

Then, a knock was heard on the door.

The only person who would knock and enter my room was the hero Hayato, but no matter how you look at it, it's obvious that Hayato is still having fun in the next room. Not being able to think of anyone else, I walked up to the door and quietly opened it.

"Thank you, Aleph-san. Sorry for calling so late! Is it okay if I come into your room...?"

"Oh, Chris? What are you doing here at this time of night?"

There I found Chris, who I thought was asleep. I was confused as I didn't know why she had come to visit me in my room.

"Ehehe, were you surprised? Actually, there's something I'd like to give to you, Aleph-san!"

"For me? What on earth is that?"

As I spoke, Chris took out several small, seemingly handmade containers from her pouch. Inside were small portions of the stir-fried meat and vegetables we had seen at dinner, as well as bread.

"You must be hungry! I happened to have a small container with me, so I put some in it and brought it over."

Saying this, Chris sticks out her tongue and winks like a mischievous child.

I won't tell you that I was a little surprised.

Forks and other tools were brought in to make it easier to eat.

"Chris,...um, are you okay? Those guys will never forgive you for doing something like this."

I was happy, but if this gets out and he comes after me again like before, that would be troublesome. I don't want to cause her any trouble, so I don't want her to push herself too hard.

From our previous conversation I knew that they weren't normal people, so it was only natural for me to be worried, but Chris looked me in the eye, smiled broadly, and said clearly:

"I don't know anything about that! It would be strange for Aleph-san to not be able to eat after working so hard and carrying such heavy loads! But it's fine, let's just eat now so no one notices!"

"......!"

Seeing Chris' kind words and smile, I finally couldn't hold back my tears.

Ever since he'd started traveling with them, Aria and the others had been so trustworthy and kind to him, but now they had forced him to do unreasonable things, and he felt like he was being treated like a less than human, and that everyone around him hated him.

That's why I couldn't stand Chris' kindness any longer.

Once you experience the warmth of not being alone, you'll never want to be alone again.

I knew it in my head, but there was nothing I could do as I had already reached my limits in many ways.

Or perhaps the limit had been exceeded long ago.

"It's okay... you can cry as much as you want. You've endured a lot up until now, Aleph-san, and you've done your best, so for someone who has endured a lot... it's best to cry a lot and clear your heart."

My tears wouldn't stop and Chris gently embraced me as I continued to cry.

I was on my knees, in a state of grief, so my face was exactly at Chris' chest. Normally I would have felt embarrassed, but my sadness limiter had broken, so I cried into Chris' chest without any shame or embarrassment.

Chris continued to stroke my head without a hint of displeasure, and continued doing so until I stopped crying and calmed down.

There was a saint. A saint filled with unmistakable kindness.

It was probably no coincidence that the relationship between Chris and I clearly changed from this point on.

To be precise, it wasn't Chris who changed, but rather I, myself, should say that my attitude towards Chris changed.

Just as she said, I cried like a child, but for some reason, along with the embarrassment, I also felt a sense of relief. After a long cry, my stomach started growling, and when I turned to face Chris, we both ended up laughing.

"You'll get hungry if you cry, so I've prepared some water for you so please eat slowly."

"Ah, well, I'm sorry. I know it's a little late to say this after I've shown you so many embarrassing things... Chris."

"Yes? What is it, Aleph?"

"Thank you so much."

When I said that, Chris smiled and said cheerfully, "You're welcome."

Chris looked so, so adorable when she spoke from the heart.

Before, I'd just thought she was cute, but now she's just hopelessly adorable...

Afterwards, I savored the happiness while enjoying the food she had brought me. Chris poured me a glass of water and offered it to me, devoting herself to me like a loving wife.

And when the meal was over and Chris had collected all the containers, she said goodbye to me and left, and I was suddenly overcome with a feeling of loneliness and sadness, as if Chris was no longer inside me.

We hadn't even parted ways, and I knew that Chris had simply gone back to her room, but still, this was how I felt.

I had come to ... like Chris.

Author Note: The result (favorability) is, far surpassing his fiancee, Aria