CH 16

After talking with Abne, I arrived at a field not far from the royal capital to carry out the quest with Erina.

I decided to deal with a horde of werewolves that were attacking me, and to observe her abilities, I decided to take a step away and watch her.

?! ?! ?!

Shiing!

“Keung-!”

“Grkk!”

I only watched her for a few moments, but if I’m going to judge by looking at her so far, honestly, she’s quite good.

Every time she swings her sword once, the Werewolves fall out one after another, turning into magic stones and pledge orbs.

Assuming that a raw beginner without any proper equipment entered the game and created a character, it was usually possible to defeat each Werewolf by hitting at least 4 to 5 times.

So, since this is her first time, she’s really skilled.

“Oh! Maybe it’s because I’m filled with excitement, knowing that this is the start of my adventure. I feel really energized!”

Erina, having finished slaying the werewolves and gathering the loot, turned to me and spoke these words.

“I’m glad, if I go on like this, I don’t think there will be any problems.”

The reason why Erina is doing quite good is probably because of her special abilities that Goddess Abne said.

Depending on her beliefs and will, Erina possessed the extraordinary ability to tap into countless powers.

In essence, her control over her mind and mental state determined the extent of this power, which could range from near-infinite strength to potential self-weakening.

For the time being, it appeared to manifest in a positive manner.

Erina’s ability appeared to grant her stronger powers, possibly due to her recent initiation into adventuring and her connection with the goddess she admired, the result from her positive mental state.

However, I couldn’t let my guard down just yet.

As Goddess Abne had said, Erina was prone to emotional vulnerability, and the risk of her mental state deteriorating is very high.

….If I didn’t provide her with psychological support or help her achieve inner growth, there was a possibility that her own abilities could become a double-edged sword, leading to her own downfall.

It was like dealing with a ticking time bomb, where her powers had the potential to harm her if not properly managed..

So what I can do is to encourage Erina as much as possible and help her grow both mentally and physically.

“This is the last one! Now, let’s go back to the guild hall, Harold-san!”

At the same time, as we are about to leave-

“Grrr…”

Drool-

An entity that was significantly larger than the Werewolf Erina had faced before was drooling, showing its teeth at us.

A special monster..?

It appeared to be significantly larger in size, indicating a stronger entity than a regular creature. It would be unreasonable for Erina to confront it alone at this point.

“An enemy! But don’t worry, this time, I’ll…!”

“Wait Erina!”

By the time I tried to stop her, it was already too late.

She propelled herself off the ground, leaping with great force, and charged directly at the Great Werewolf, swiftly swinging her sword at it.

Swiish!

“Grrhkkkk?!”

The Werewolf, upon being struck by Erina’s sword, let out a peculiar roar that seemed to convey both surprise and pain.

But-

“Greuhnghkkk!!!!!”

“What?!”

After all, it was still not enough for Erina to face the great werewolf.

Thanks to her special abilities, she may have gained confidence and power up until now, but since her basic stats are low, the Werewolf was fine even after receiving her attack.

Rather, the wounded and enraged Great Werewolf became even more ferocious, intensifying the situation.

“Graaah!!!”

“Eek!?! I can’t attack because It’s running so wildly…!”

Thud!

“Agh!”

thud!

In the end, Erina was thrown off the werewolf’s body and tumbled violently on the ground, her pristine outfit now dirtied and her skin marked with scars.

“Ugh… I thought I could’ve at least damage it…”

Saying that, as if she had not yet accepted reality, she drew her sword again and ran towards the werewolf.

However, the Werewolf, determined to avoid being struck again, raised its large claw and swung it at Erina.

Erine, with agility akin to soaring, she leaped, evading the attack, and swiftly unleashed another strike with her sword.

Swiiishh!

clang!

She thrust her blade with all her might into the same area on the opposite side as before, hoping to deliver a blow.

However, something unexpected happened…

“huh…? I used all my power, but why this time…”

She noticed something peculiar about the wounds, which appeared to be less severe than before.

“Ugh!”

The Werewolf, taken aback by the momentary opening, seized the opportunity and swiftly retaliated with its claws, slashing at Erina.

slash!

Witnessing the three deep gashes across her chest, visible through her armor, was a painful sight for me.

drip- drip-

“No… I can do it!”

Despite her exhaustion, she rose to her feet, gritting her teeth in pain, and wielded her sword once again. However, her attack lacked the strength and precision of her previous strikes, rendering it significantly weaker.

Compared to the initial blows, the power behind this attack was disappointingly feeble.

Shiing!

“I’m sure it worked well at first… w-why…”

Although I was vaguely aware of it, I was able to confirm it only after seeing her attack that was getting weaker and weaker along with the loss of her confidence.

She was now succumbing to despair as she realized that she couldn’t defeat the werewolf and that her powers were diminishing.

The strength she had gained from her abilities was slipping away, and it was taking a toll on her mental state.

So this is…

Tuk!

“Agh!!”

“ugh…uh…”

Thud!-

After being thrown to the ground once more and losing her confidence and strength, Erina seemed to have reached a point where she couldn’t get up on her own.

She made a feeble attempt to lift her body, but she had already reached her limit, causing her to collapse once again.

“GRRAAKHHH!!”

Recognizing that the prey has weakened, the werewolf pulls out its ferocious fangs and tries to bite Erina-

“Ugh!!”

Now that there was no other way, all she could do now was to close her eyes tightly, cover her face with her arms, and prepare her heart for the shock.

Unable to stand by any longer, I pulled out my sword and jumped to the Great Werewolf-

Swiish!!

Ssrrkk!

Splat!

“…!?”

“GHAARHKKKKㅡㅡㅡ!!!!!!!!!!”

With wounds all over its body, blood poured out like a painting, staining the sky crimson for a moment.

A rain of blood-red droplets fell around us.

Splat!

“Harold-san…?”

As Erina looked up, she seems to be shocked, causing her eyes to widen.

“Are you okay?”

“[Heal]”

shiiing!

I quickly cast a healing spell on her, causing all her wounds to instantly mend. The depletion of magical power makes me feel dizzy, but I’ve grown accustomed to it…

I’m capable of casting powerful magic in any field, thanks to Eleanor gifts-

However, I can only use them a few times in a day…

As of late, I’ve been trying on a secondary role as a vanguard.

Though I have consumed a considerable amount of the elixir I received, my strength remains average.

Nevertheless, my speed is quite exceptional, allowing me to face any opponent without feeling burdened too much.

However, my ultimate goal is to increase my maximum mana capacity and utilize it without feeling any burden.

To achieve this, it is clear that I need to continue practicing the method Eleanor taught me.

Anyway, I approached Erina once again, extended my hand to her, and helped her up from the ground. In an instant, she began to touch her body, seemingly amazed by the magic.

“T-thank you… Harold-san… And I’m sorry… I’m too weak…”

She lowers her head, her confidence seems shattered, and speaks to me in a weak voice tinged with a sense of vulnerability.

“No, I also made a mistake of just watching, so I should have helped you sooner. I’m sorry Erina.”

However, despite my attempts to comfort her, she slowly shakes her head and covers her face with her hands.

“No… Harold-san certainly tried to dissuade me, but this is the result of me going against your advice…. It can be considered karma in a way…haha…I’m so stupid…”

I noticed that her mood had shifted into a deeper state of depression compared to when she fought the regular werewolf earlier.

The atmosphere surrounding her seemed heavy.

Erina’s words were filled with sadness and self-doubt.

“Am I really cut out to be an adventurer…? Harold-san has already done so much to help me…., but I can’t even do anything… I’m just useless, aren’t I….? Haha…someone like me…”

Her laughter held a tinge of bitterness and disappointment, along with her eyes that seems to be losing their light

As Abne had mentioned, Erina’s constitution made her susceptible to getting hurt easily. The disappointment she felt had grown so deep that she even began to harbor feelings of self-hatred.

In the game, the overall atmosphere is usually cheerful, so I never imagined the main character to be in such a state…

“Ugh… I… I…someone like me…sob…”

note : noooooooooo my precious erina don’t cry!!!!!!!! 

Now that I see her emanating such a dark aura, I realize that she shouldn’t be left alone. I need to do something to comfort her.

T-this is bad…

But no matter how much I comfort her, I don’t know if it will work…

Should I say something a little bolder?

Suddenly, I had a novel and strange idea-

If parents simply try to comfort a crying child without addressing the underlying issue, the child may continue crying even louder.

In such situations, I have witnessed instances where it was more effective to show some firmness and stop the child from crying by addressing their behavior.

So, I think it’s a good idea… probably.

“Erina! Listen to me!”

Suddenly, I raised my voice and grabbed her by the shoulder.

“E-eh!?”

Fortunately, it seems to have worked, the melancholy mood is removed and her face begins to blush.

“H-harold-san?! Y-your hands-!”

“You did nothing wrong! So be confident! No matter how incompetent or weak you may be! You have me, right?! I’m here with you! You’re not alone!”

I expressed my thoughts strongly, but I didn’t have a well-formulated sentence in mind, so I ended up combining random keywords that came to my mind, resulting in a rather dumb statement.

What the fuck am I saying?!

“?!!”

At those words, her face flushed even deeper, her eyes sparkled with light, and her red hair stood on end as if charged with static electricity in her sudden surge of passion.

“T-that… that…that…!!”

She began to tremble, her lips quivering as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the words, overcome with nervousness.

“…I-if that’s w-what Harold-san said…”

Then, feeling embarrassed, she averted her gaze and kept her head lowered, avoiding eye contact with me.

“I mean… y-you have to take r-responsibility…?”

What?

What is she talking about?

Even though I wasn’t entirely sure what she was referring to, it would be more appropriate to respond by showing that I understand her words…right?

Nod nod

“Of course, whatever it is, leave it to me!”

When I responded in that manner, she momentarily had a surprised expression, but soon her cheeks turned red again, and she started muttering to herself in a voice too soft for me to hear clearly.

note : he’ll regret saying that looll