CH 42

“… Oh…”

“Hmm”

“Uh…”

In the living room, Nina, Stella, and Ratz evaluate Ares.

Nina was staring at him intently from head to toe, while Stella put her index finger on her chin and made a difficult face. And Ratz brought his face closer and sniffed his scent. … dog-like (adorable)

And Ares, in fact, shrinks back and looks troubled. He occasionally looked at me for help, but I felt bad and pretended not to notice.

I just want to watch this scene for a little longer…sorry.

Fio greets him amiably, but is distant…or rather, she’s not interested but it feels like I have to deal with it because I brought him here.

Fio may be quite cold to those who are not her family.

And the problem is Iska.

When Ares and Iska first met, they turned their heads awkwardly away from each other. After that, they consciously avoided eye contact with each other.

Well, I can’t force them to get along, but these two are more than not getting along….

Moreover, in this state, I’m going to take Ares with me on requests and put him on training. It makes me sick to my stomach…but Ares will probably leave here once he finds his friends at the orphanage. I can neither hold him back nor go with him. Then all I can do is to help him gain as much strength as possible within a limited period of time.

You may wonder what he can do in such a short period of time, but it is said that Ares could not be defeated by a Storia knight in just three months after he first held a sword. Is it his power as a hero, his own potential, or both?

I decided to bet on it.

To do this, we must first…

“Oto-san!”

While I was thinking, Ares had finished setting up his things, and Nina called me while pulling my clothes.

“Hmm, what’s wrong?”

“You know, Nina.”

“yes”

“Areshu’s onee-chan!”

“Yes?”

What do you mean? I know that Areshu is Ares. I also know that onee-chan is an older sister.

But I don’t understand what Nina is saying.

“That is Nina’s brother!”

“Eh”

By the way, the “eh” just now is Ares’ remark.

I see. In other words, Nina is the older sister and Ares is the younger brother. …why?

Nina says that she is the older sister because she was in this house before Ares, and Ares is the younger brother because he came later….Nina said that with a triumphant look on her face.

Oh well, it’s the order in which we became a family….

“Alright”

“Eh”

As we welcomed Ares into our home, I learned a new side of the children.

Fio and Ariamel are surprisingly dry when it comes to people they haven’t opened their hearts to.

Iska doesn’t talk much by nature, but he talks even less in the presence of people he doesn’t know well.

Stella and Ratz don’t seem to be attached to anyone either, and both of them are sitting on my lap on either side of me, crunching their tea cakes, as if they had lost interest in Ares.

Nina is cooing and groaning with a serious look on her face if she should give Ares the candy in her hand. …… Oh, I ate it myself.

Why is it that everyone except Nina is a little cold toward Ares… is this just how it is when you first meet someone…?

After the face-to-face meeting is over, we decide on a room for Ares.

“The edge is very calm.”

“Well, okay…”

Ares said shyly when deciding on a room and chose a corner room two rooms away from Fio’s. For a moment I thought he was being reserved with Fio, but I was totally wrong. …The oracle’s hero….

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Huh? Ah, yes!”

After taking his luggage to his room, I take Ares out to the garden to catch his breath.

“Take it.”

Saying that, I toss over a wooden sword for practice.

Ares catches the thrown wooden sword in the air and looks this way.

“I’m going to give you a lesson. Get ready.”

“……yes”

Ares, probably anticipating this, took a straight stance without hesitation. His gaze was serious, and there is no trace of the frightened look he had earlier.

“Don’t be shy, come with all your might”

First of all, I will determine Ares’ current capabilities.

A demon king who may appear someday. What can I do for the hero Ares who is destined to fight such a thing?

It’s easy, I’ll just make sure he learns as many fighting techniques as possible. He can learn all the skills I’ve developed as an adventurer and take them with him.

But saint or no saint, I will never let you take Ariamel.