Volume 1 - CH 4.3

Many heroes were greedy, and when they lent their mighty power, they would ask for exorbitant compensation in the form of treasure, beautiful women, or some other privileges.

Naturally, they would only accept requests from royalty, nobility, and wealthy merchants.

There was even a story about how a winter village gathered up all its wealth to ask for the help of a Brave. But in doing so, it went bankrupt and died off.

However, it was said that the ‘Red Hero’ never asked for any payment.

He takes the initiative to reach out to the poor who cannot ask for help and those remote villages abandoned by their own country. If any scary monsters were coming from the west, he would kill them. If a village were to be attacked by bandits from the east, he would protect it. He made sure to get the most out of his trips.

Even if he is despised and disliked by other Braves, even if he is laughed at or even pranked on by other Braves, he stuck to his own justice without minding anything done to him.

“Oh… Even among Braves, there is such a noble person…”

“Yeah. If it is that ‘Red hero,’ Ares, he would surely fight for humankind. He will definitely understand that if the humans are unable to immediately kill Kengo, who is much more dangerous and powerful than the previous Demon Kings, there will be no future left for humans in this world.”

“I see… I see, Little Rattle-sama.”

The Archbishop perhaps thought himself to be incredibly lucky as he nodded in affirmation.

“It would be a good idea to take immediate action to locate and invite the Red Hero then.”

“I have already done so,” replied Vannessia, keeping a poker face until the end.

In front of her, the Archbishop was so dumbfounded that he was about to tilt his teacup.

The return journey from Fort Krall to Maikaichta took about two weeks, and only a week had passed since she returned to the Royal Capital.

Vannessia’s determination and effectiveness were second to none. In addition, compared to when she was younger, she now had more subordinates she could trust and organizations that believed in her.

With that much time and resources on her hands, it would not take her much effort to look for Ares and invite him to the capital.

In fact, Vannessia herself had already made contact with the Red Hero the day before. Thus, since she was relieved from one of the loads on her shoulders, she was able to visit the holy church to see the children.

However, Ares, as reports said, was a first-rate hero true to his stature, but also not just any goody-two-shoes. Thus, the discussion didn’t go as smoothly as they thought it’d be.

So, there was this one incident…

Vannessia’s residence is a detached palace located at the corner of the royal castle.

It’s a historic mansion that was used by not just any members of Royalty, but the important figures amongst them.

The interior and exterior of the house is very ornate and extravagant, which goes against the Heavenly Emperor’s teachings of purity and poverty. But Vannessia is willing to put up with it because it would cost an enormous amount of money to rebuild the mansion more simply.

It was just the same as today, in the afternoon in the Oval Office, where she was reading through the condolence requests gathered from all over the country.

“The hero has arrived at the Royal City, Princess-sama.”

The maid attendant, with a brusque tone, stated so with a whimsical attitude.

If someone who didn’t know the situation were to hear it, they would ask, “Is that really how a maid should conduct herself before a princess?” However, Vannessia was one who forgave such rudeness from his maid, who was a year older than her.

“Thank you for welcoming him, Chloe. So, when did Ares-sama say he would be visiting us?”

“Well, he refused our invitation.”

The ill-mannered maidservant, called Chloe, brazenly waved her upraised hand in the air.

“But did Ares-sama accept your invitation?”

“Well. That’s— When listening to our story, it seems that there was a discrepancy in our understanding.”

Chloe proceeded to explain in a simple and clear manner while scratching her head. According to her, the hero had three companions (all of them being women). Even though he still wanted to continue to help the vulnerable, he wanted to give his companions some time off because of their continuous hard work recently. Therefore, he came to the Capital of Maikaichta with the intention of sightseeing and enjoying.

He didn’t intend to accept Vannessia’s invitation from the beginning. Moreover, he didn’t want to see or even get close to the castle even in his wildest dreams.

“’Why? If the princess wishes to ask something from me, she should come forth herself,’ he said. He was incredibly disrespectful. We should consider beheading him as soon as possible.”

“I see. I understand the situation.”

In the end, Vannessia ignored the maid’s crude joke and nodded.

She had complete confidence in this Chloe girl.

She indeed had no manners or etiquette while speaking. However, it would be difficult to say that she was entirely responsible for the way she spoke since Chloe had been poorly brought up.

Chloe was an orphan. Her parents had died when she was still very young. She was taken in by the church, where she became the new plaything for a group of priests and entertainment for their guests.

When Vannessia wiped out the corrupt clergy, she found a home for each of these orphans. But only Chloe insisted on returning the favour of saving her by serving her. It seems that she had fallen in love with Vannessia, who was seen as a fierce saintess.

Vannessia, too, took pity on the orphan Chloe and decided to keep her by her side, and what an amazing find she turned out to be.

First of all, she had an uncanny memory, and after being taught arithmetic, she developed a monstrous capability with numbers. And more than anything, she was very resourceful. She was also a member of the same s*x, so she quickly became Vannessia’s right hand.

That same Chloe went to invite the hero and came back saying it was impossible. She did not think that anyone had a better capability than her to convince the hero in order to visit.

“In that case, I will meet Ares-sama myself.”

“As expected Princess-san, you have a great ‘footwork,’ don’t you? If it had been any ordinary aristocrat sama, it would have been ‘It’s impossible!’ or ‘To defeat a Demon King as dangerous as that is impossible no matter how you look at it.’ But for you, ‘I don’t care about my body, my looks or even my face.’ Ah! Princess-sama, I love this part about you—.”

[EN: Footwork refers to planning everything ahead of time.]

To Chloe, who got over the desk and would wag her tail like a faithful dog, Vannessia wryly smiled in response. In any case, Vannessia took Chloe and walked towards the castle town.

She hid her true face deliberately, dressing with a dirty hooded coat.

Apparently, Ares and his party had taken a room at an inn in the middle of the field. The Red Hero was known for travelling around helping people without receiving any compensation whatsoever, so he didn’t have much money with him. But Vannessia actually liked this part of him, who accepted his poverty.

When she visited the inn’s first floor, which doubled as a tavern, she immediately found the young man she was looking for, sitting with his three companions around a round table.

He was an unreliable man of medium stature.

He had a baby face rather than a sweet mask. Even though she was told that he was twenty-two years old, he looked much younger.

However, Vannessia could not make a mistake in distinguishing him. There was a certain air of ‘genuine nobility’ about him that one couldn’t have from just having a good birth or undergoing imperial studies.

Vannessia had a discerning eye, and thus, she understood immediately.

“Excuse me, Red Hero, Ares-sama.” Without hesitation, Vannessia approached him after making her way to his table.

The shop serving people was just three minutes away. Thus taking into consideration the other customers around her, she lowered her voice and spoke up to him.

His friends were puzzled as to who the heck she was.

“I didn’t think you’d actually come by yourself over here.”

Ares remained mildly surprised.

In other words, he too understood that this hooded, unnamed girl was none other than Vannessia herself, the Third Princess of the kingdom of Maikaichta, without a doubt.

“I am amazed that you knew it was my real self. What if I just sent a double to meet up with you?”

“I have met many people in my travels, both rich and poor. Good and bad. Really, so many.”

That’s why Ares’ eye for discerning a person was cut above the rest.