Episode 184 Earthlings of Another World (1)
'…How is he here?'
Princess Riley stared blankly at Heinrich, dumbfounded by the unexpected encounter.
She had been through a lot today.
Starting with the conflict with Crown Prince Simon, Olivia's intervention and obstruction, the dramatic escape despite that, and the life-or-death crisis they faced outside afterward.
And the one who suddenly appeared and saved them in that desperate situation was the hero!
It was only natural for her to react like this.
"…Ah!"
But her confusion didn't last long…
Because she suddenly remembered what she had to do right now.
"Ah, thank you for saving us, Saint! But, first, this person…! Please!"
She had been momentarily flustered by the unexpected encounter, but meeting the Saint in this situation was truly a stroke of luck.
He was her lifesaver, and even though he was a hero who specialized in combat rather than healing, he was still a top-level priest.
He was the perfect person to treat Hesperon, who was in critical condition.
"Of course. Leave it to me."
Naturally, the righteous Saint had no intention of ignoring the injured person in front of him, even without her request.
"Hmm— He's in a serious condition, but his life isn't in danger, so you don't have to worry. He's quite sturdy."
"Really…? I'm so relieved…"
Riley sighed in relief, watching him nervously as he started to heal him with holy magic.
Finally realizing that the crisis was over, she relaxed her body.
It had been a truly tiring day in many ways.
"Thank you again for your help, Saint. Ah, come to think of it, how did you know we were here…?"
And as she regained her composure, she cautiously asked a question, realizing that not all her questions had been answered.
It was too dramatic to just dismiss it as a coincidence, wasn't it?
But before Heinrich could even answer…
Wooong—
Another change occurred.
An enormous amount of magic power instantly concentrated in the air nearby, accompanied by a vibrating sound.
An incredible amount of energy, which Riley, a low-ranking mage, couldn't even comprehend, instantly formed a specific structure, and then space distorted, and a group of people appeared.
A giant barbarian warrior who instantly captured everyone's attention with his menacing and overwhelming presence.
A spear knight with a gloomy aura, carrying a long spear on his shoulder.
…And even a small girl among those strangers.
"Saint! Teleportation magic isn't that simple! If you suddenly leave like that…"
A familiar face she had been longing to see was there.
"…Seah?"
"Huh?"
Isea, who had been grumbling at Heinrich, opened her eyes, which she had closed to focus, and slowly turned her head at the voice calling her name.
A brief silence passed as their gazes met.
She was a bit disheveled from the ordeal, but there was no way she wouldn't recognize him.
"…Riley?"
She had poured all her Karma points into joining the hero party to rescue the princess who had been kidnapped by the Immortal King!
She had been making a daily vow to rescue her, no matter how many years it took…
And the target was right here?
…Why was she here?
She couldn't help but be dumbfounded by this sudden encounter, as she had just followed the Saint, worried that something big had happened because he had left in a hurry, only to find that the situation was already over.
'Come to think of it, the Saint was a bit different today.'
He had said some meaningful things, like something good would happen to her soon, and that she would encounter a good connection.
Were those foreshadowing?
But she didn't stay frozen for long.
"Sister Seah—!"
Hug—
She finally realized that this was all real as Riley… no, as Riley hugged her.
The title 'sister' was a bit surreal, but…
More importantly, right now…
"You smell, Riley. Let go."
"Eek! How mean! That's all you have to say after two months?"
Well, it was a good thing, no matter what the reason was.
Isea chuckled and hugged her back, patting her on the back.
She decided to fully enjoy the joy of the moment, putting aside the complicated thoughts for later.
It was a bit sudden, but this was the moment she had been hoping for.
'…Ah, right. My points.'
Of course, she couldn't help but feel a little… just a little bit, sorry for the Karma she had spent.
____________________
After a brief moment of joyful reunion,
Isea teleported them all back to Rohan, the capital of the Rohan Duchy.
She had hurriedly followed Heinrich, worried that something big had happened, but now that the situation was over, there was no reason to stay here any longer.
"Hahaha! What a jackpot! These guys are so cautious that they only target the weak and avoid the strong. That's why they're so rare!"
Harley, the barbarian warrior, was dismantling the Griffin and collecting the byproducts in an instant, but it wasn't a big deal, as it was something that always happened.
Of course, it was still hard to get used to the sight of him pulling out its heart, chewing on the magic stone, and even grilling and eating the monster meat on the spot.
'He's manipulating mana to generate heat, even though he didn't use aura or magic. That green eye, I want to examine it sometime… Should I subtly bring it up when we're closer? …It's probably related to his past, so it would be rude.'
Actually, even without the eye, Harley himself was fascinating to Isea, a natural-born mage.
'Dragonborn' was a creature that was unfamiliar even to her, who had access to countless magic knowledge with the princess's help and even participated in academic exchanges with magic towers.
And what more could be said when he was even a product of some unknown procedure?
If he wasn't as strong as he was now, the mages who were obsessed with research wouldn't have left him alone.
But after safely arriving in Rohan,
Isea, who had informed the imperial family of Princess Riley's safe return through the imperial garrison and returned to the lodging with her, realized that there was someone even more interesting than Harley.
"…So you're saying that person is an otherworlder from Earth?"
The injured person Heinrich had taken away for more intensive treatment was him.
She hadn't paid much attention to him at first because she was preoccupied with Riley, but it was only natural that she was interested now that she heard he was from her hometown.
"Yes, his name is Heron… no, Hesperon. Strange name, isn't it? He said he chose it himself to commemorate a new beginning. Pfft!"
"Hmm—?"
"His real name is Ha Seu… ng? Something like that, I'm not sure. It was a difficult pronunciation."
Isea stared at Riley, who was chattering, with narrowed eyes.
She had been with her for eight years, but this was her first time seeing her talk about someone so excitedly.
This child, who subtly kept a distance from everyone except for her, was so comfortable with someone else.
She felt a strange mix of pride and bittersweetness, like seeing her child grow up.
"…Well, I thought of you, Sister Seah, and there was nothing to do there…"
Her words continued.
About the things that happened after she was imprisoned in the Immortal King's castle and met him.
Naturally, the story mainly revolved around magic training, as they had spent most of their time doing that.
She had started teaching him magic because she felt a connection, but she was surprised by his talent, which reminded her of Isea in the past.
"…He learned so fast that I had nothing more to teach him. I couldn't stop in the middle because of my pride, so I ended up desperately squeezing out everything I knew."
Riley was passionately talking about Hesperon's abilities.
And Isea could immediately tell why she was talking about it so enthusiastically.
"…So, can you teach him, Sister Seah~? It's nothing for Isea Pristine, the best mage in the Empire… no, the continent! Please?"
"Hmm?"
Isea subtly tilted her head, looking at the blonde beauty who was smiling faintly and flattering her.
It seemed like she had been planning to ask this from the beginning.
'…Right, it's been over eight years since I came to this world. I can't stay by her side forever, so she needs someone else to protect her… '
From what she heard, he seemed to be as talented as her, or perhaps even more so.
And if he received her teachings, he might really grow enough to protect Riley in a few years.
But the problem was that he was also an Earthling.
'He'll also have to leave Riley's side someday. I can buy some time, but…'
Of course, the situation would be very different by then.
Actually, the power struggle for the throne was practically over now that Riley had returned alone.
Her faction, which had been shaken, would solidify and quickly absorb the surrounding forces, and Isea's efforts, which had only been enough to keep them in check, would further accelerate that phenomenon.
The Crown Prince would probably be left with nowhere to go within a year.
'But the one she's become attached to after me is another otherworlder. She still keeps a distance from the people of this world.'
She thought things had gotten much better since she started building a faction and leading her subordinates, but it seemed like the underlying aversion was still there.
But there was still time left, so she would have to find a way to solve that problem later.
"Well, okay. It's true that he made a great contribution. But I won't be able to spend that much time because of what I'm currently doing."
But putting aside her complicated thoughts, Isea readily nodded at Riley's request.
It wasn't much of a reward to teach the one who saved Riley.
Of course, she was also planning to take care of him in other ways.
And if she was being honest…
She also wanted to observe the otherworlder who Riley had become attached to from up close.
After all, there was a higher probability of problems arising in a relationship between a man and a woman than between two women!
There was no guarantee that he wouldn't have ulterior motives towards Riley, who was a beautiful girl.
'Riley is still young. I should give him a subtle warning as a teacher so he doesn't get any funny ideas.'
The small girl, a little over 150 centimeters tall, nodded seriously, looking at the tall, beautiful woman who was well over 170 centimeters.
"Alright! As expected of Sister Seah!"
"Come to think of it, what made you change your mind and call me sister? You didn't like it when I told you to before."
"Hehehe, I just thought about it. It's not that difficult, and I was being too stubborn."
Riley smiled faintly and hugged Isea, acting cute.
Inwardly cheering that things had worked out.
'Done! I can repay my debt with this. I'm still lacking, but I can slowly repay it in the future! And both sister and Heron will be able to overcome their homesickness if they're with someone from their hometown.'
The fact that she had told Isea about Hesperon was already something they had agreed on.
They had many conversations while they were together in the Immortal Fortress, and Riley had even said that she would introduce him to the Earthling she knew.
Of course, Hesperon, who had been planning to contact Isea from the beginning, readily agreed and allowed her to reveal information about him.
After all, the information about him was all fabricated anyway.
And so, the eventful day ended with a heartwarming reunion.
And when the next day dawned,
"Um… thank you for saving me. Ah! My name is Hesperon. I thought I was going to die, but thanks to you, I'm alive."
"You're welcome. It must have been the Main God's will. I'm Heinrich."
"Hahaha! You look weak on the outside, but you're quite sturdy! Ah, just call me Harley!"
Hesperon, who had been unconscious from his injuries, finally woke up, and the group was able to formally introduce themselves.
With 'one person' who was actually three people.