The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 3 Page 12

  “Nemesiel, don’t you think that’s a little too much?”

  I hear a goddess’s voice coming from the sanctuary.

  “As the parents of the gods, it’s our duty to protect our children. While we cannot change the destination, we need to make a little compromise if the enemies have weapons that can kill gods.”

  “Goddess of Time, Chronoa, are you contesting the judgment that I, the God of Logic and Reason, have made?”

  “I’ll answer your question with a question, Nemesiel. Do you not care if our children die?”

  “I never said that.”

  “Your words were no different—”

  A neutral voice suddenly interjects moments before an argument breaks out.

  “That’s enough, you two.”

  Both Nemesiel and Chronoa fall completely silent. Ishtar then whispers in my ear:

  “That’s the ruler of the heart of the spirit world, Brahma, the God of Creation.”

  Th-that’s the voice of the highest-ranking god—Brahma?!

  Hearing the voice of the Father of all Deities turns me into a nervous wreck!

  Wh-what is He going to say?! Is He going to take my side?! Or is He going to agree with Nemesiel?!

  Brahma’s voice echoes throughout the heart of the spirit world.

  “Nemesiel, Chronoa, listen well. Without the use of Order, Ristarte’s healing abilities are actually rather miserable and no better than healing herbs.”

  …?! Brahmaaaaaa?!

  The supreme deity’s words almost make me cry, and Chronoa and Nemesiel begin whispering to each other.

  “Did you hear that? ‘No better than healing herbs’?”

  “Even though she’s a goddess?”

  Nemesiel asks Brahma, “Are her powers truly that insignificant?”

  “Indeed, they are most pathetic.”

  …?! Did the supreme being just call my powers pathetic?!

  After a few moments go by, Nemesiel says:

  “Very well. We will allow Ristarte to use her pathetic—ahem—her healing powers, but she is not allowed to use Order.”

  After returning from the heart of the spirit world, Ishtar places a hand on my shoulder and quietly nods. There are so many things I want to say, but I manage to suppress my feelings. I just need to be thankful that I can use my healing abilities.

  CHAPTER 14

  The Woes of a Mermaid

  I thank Ishtar and begin to leave the Chamber of Eternal Stasis when…

  “Ristarte, take this with you.”

  I suddenly hear a voice in my head.

  “This data from the past may help you.”

  I recognize that it’s the voice of the Goddess of Time, Chronoa, the moment a sheet of paper softly flutters down from above.

  “Chronoa…?”

  I mutter her name after picking up the paper, but there is no response. Nevertheless, when I lower my gaze to see what’s written, I’m stunned.

  DEMON LORD ULTIMAEUS

  LV: 99 (MAX)

  HP: 1,092,174

  MP: 354,788

  ATK: 817,772

  DEF: 806,584

  SPD: 789,834

  MAG: 265,473

  GRW: 999 (MAX)

  “I-it’s Demon Lord Ultimaeus’s status!!”

  Ishtar nods back at me after I scream.

  “The Goddess of Time prepared that just for you.”

  “But is this even okay?! Should I even be looking at the last boss’s status?!”

  “I believe that data is from one year ago when Ultimaeus defeated Seiya’s party and received the Dark God’s Blessing. She must have thought that showing you past data wouldn’t be an issue.”

  I run my eyes over the data once more. The Demon Lord’s special abilities and skills aren’t listed, but his stats are extraordinary. I’m at a loss for words, having never seen attributes as terrifying as these. Ishtar is staring at me seriously as well.

  “While the battle against the Demon Lord is still a long way off, I have a hard time believing a human Hero can defeat an enemy with attributes like this. Saving Ixphoria is going to be harder than I imagined.”

  Noticing the tension in my expression, Ishtar grins from ear to ear just like she always does.

  “A dangerous force is approaching, yes? Please tell Seiya Ryuuguuin to return to the spirit world at once after taking care of it. I wish to make another proposal to the deities of the heart of the spirit world…”

  After saying good-bye to Ishtar, I put together some rice balls and simple snacks in a lunch box and head for the hut in the secluded celestial mountains. But when I open the door, I almost drop the lunch I made…because standing before me is none other than Bunogeos! While I’m sure it’s nothing more than shape-shifting, the overpowering, frightening aura from his body sends a shiver down my spine.

  “Um…Seiya? That’s you…isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  H-his voice sounds just like Bunogeos’s, too! I can’t tell them apart! That’s when I finally realize: Seiya’s planning on disguising himself as Bunogeos! No wonder he spied on Bunogeos for three days in a row, despite being confident that he could beat him! That explains why he was oinking, too! He wasn’t going mad. He was practicing!

  There’s a radiant light, and Bunogeos transforms back into Seiya.

  “Seiya?! You mastered shape-shifting already?!”

  “Yeah. It looks like I finished earlier than expected.”

  “Wait… Where’s Rasti?”

  “She’s sitting over there.”

  Rasti, who isn’t a big person to begin with, is curled up in a ball in the corner of the room.

  “R-Rasti?!”

  “…Leave me alone.”

  I don’t even need to ask what happened. Her confidence must have taken a hit after Seiya learned the shape-shifting technique so quickly. I’d rather not have her take her anger out on me, so I ignore her.

  “Oh yeah! Seiya! I can use my healing magic again! Ishtar asked the deities in the heart of the spirit world to lighten our sentence!”

  “Hmph.”

  Seiya grunts as if he couldn’t care less.

  Y-yeah, yeah! You can stop pretending because I know you’re ecstatic deep down inside!

  I decide to bring out Appraise for the first time in a while.

  RISTA’S LOVE APPRAISAL

  -Your love rating with Seiya:

  5 points

  -Seiya thinks you’re:

  a walking healing herb.

  -A tidbit of advice:

  He views you as a walking healing herb; that’s only slightly better than nothing!

  …Yes!! I’ve been promoted from parasitic weed to walking healing herb! He thinks I’m better than nothing, and our love rating has gone up four whole points! Yaaay…

  I limply fall to my knees at Rasti’s side.

  “…What’s up with you?”

  “I’m just…extremely depressed… That’s all…”

  But I can’t let myself mope around all day. I have something I need to give to Seiya.

  “Hey, Seiya! The Goddess of Time, Chronoa, gave this to me! It’s past data on Demon Lord Ultimaeus!”

  “Information on the Demon Lord? Is it reliable?”

  “Of course! She’s a goddess from the heart of the spirit world!”

  Seiya swipes the paper out of my hands and lowers his gaze. After a few moments pass, he mutters with a straight face:

  “His attack and defense are higher than the Demon Lord of Gaeabrande’s.”

  Ahhh! He’s even stronger than Gaeabrande’s final boss—the Demon Lord Seiya had to risk his life and use Valkyrie’s ultimate attack, Gate of Valhalla, twice against in order to defeat!

  It’s not like I’m surprised, but actually putting it into words is devastating. Do we really even stand a chance in the face of such a powerful foe?

  Rasti, who had been just as depressed, suddenly stands back up and takes a peek at the paper as well. She shudders.

  “U-unbelie
vable… That thing’s even more powerful than your run-of-the-mill deity. Are you two going to be okay?”

  “I—I don’t know…”

  Seiya then further adds fuel to the flames of despair.

  “You said this was past data, correct? It’s highly likely that the Demon Lord has become even more powerful by now.”

  “But, Seiya…! The Demon Lord’s already at max level. How could he—?”

  “I’m already at the maximum level, too, and I’m still trying to find a way to surpass those limits. In other words, the enemy is probably thinking the same thing.”

  “N-now that you mention it, Great Goddess Ishtar said she couldn’t sense the Demon Lord’s presence! Do you think that means…?!”

  “It’s reasonable to assume he’s accumulating power to break the level cap barrier.”

  I can see only darkness in our future. I feel listless. The room is dead silent. As if to change the mood, Seiya speaks up in a loud voice.

  “At any rate, we need to focus on getting past Grandleon’s inspection for now. I’d prefer to go alone under normal circumstances, but as saving Ixphoria is also part of your punishment, I have no choice but to bring you with me. Therefore…”

  Seiya turns his penetrating gaze on me.

  “You’re going to need to turn into a monster.”

  “M-me?! But I can’t even shape-shift!”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. He even mastered my ultimate move: Transform Target. With that, he can turn whoever he wants into whatever he wants.”

  “I’m turning you into a mermaid.”

  …Huh? A m-mermaid…? Seriously?! I’m a little fired up now! B-but I feel like just turning me into a mermaid isn’t going to be enough…

  The bright light enveloping my body eventually fades. I quickly examine myself in the full-length mirror Rasti brought over…and my jaw drops.

  …A head like a tuna.

  …Rugged scales covering my body.

  …A putrid, fishy smell flowing from every pore.

  I was turned into a bipedal, upright fish-person.

  “…?! What the hell?! This isn’t a mermaid! I’m supposed to be human on top and fish on the bottom!”

  “The fish-type beastkin I saw in Ixphoria looked like this, so we have no other choice.”

  “What’s the point of even making me a fish-person in the first place?!”

  “According to my research, fish-type beastkin have lower IQs than other beastkin and essentially only flap their lips, since they can’t talk. You’re less likely to have your cover blown when you can’t say anything stupid. That’s what makes the fish perfect for you.”

  “Seiyaaaaaa! Turn me back right now!”

  “This isn’t a game. You need to take your role seriously.”

  “No! I am a goddess! I’d rather die than—”

  “…Rista.”

  Seiya heaves a sigh as I throw a tantrum in my fish body.

  “Could you make yourself useful just this once?”

  “…?!”

  It’s not like Seiya to ask for favors. He must be getting frustrated with me.

  “F-fine… I’ll do it…”

  “Great. Then let’s start training.”

  Seiya then begins lecturing me on how to act more fish-person-like. Despite my completely resembling one thanks to his shape-shifting ability, the enemy might get suspicious if I behave strangely.

  “Listen carefully. I don’t want you speaking in human tongue in Ixphoria unless I give you permission. Whenever you talk, just flap your lips and make fish noises like uwoh uwoh.

  “Now I’m going to tell you how we’re going to communicate. You’re going to flap your lips twice for ‘yes’ and three times for ‘no.’ Now, if the enemy starts catching on, I want you to flap your gills instead.

  “No. You need to bob more like a fish-person.

  “Do not even get near other fish-type beastkin. If any of them happens to talk to you, do not say a word.

  “You still don’t pass for a fish-type beastkin. Throw away the old you. You’re a fish.”

  I pour my heart and soul into the role as Seiya guides me along. Rasti rolls on the floor, roaring in laughter as I bob around the hut like a fish-person. She even says “it smells like fish in here” to make fun of me. Regardless, I keep my chin up and dedicate myself to practicing.

  Meanwhile, Seiya seems to be making use of his downtime by raising the ground outside the hut and refining his earth magic. When I ask him about it, he replies:

  “I’m preparing for the remote chance that Grandleon sees through our disguises. If I had more time, I would have liked to talk to the earth deity to train, but there’s no time for that now. It will just have to wait until next time.”

  After my conversation with Seiya, I go back inside the hut and return to practicing walking like a fish-person. I make sure not to forget to smack my lips like a fish and say uwoh uwoh, either.

  Around an hour has gone by. Halfway through practice, Rasti’s laughter turned into genuine praise.

  “Wow, Rista! No one will be able to tell you apart from a real fish-person now! There isn’t even a hint of goddess in you left!”

  “Uwoh, uwoh, uwoh!”

  “…?! Rista?! What’s wrong?!”

  “Oh…sorry. I forgot how to speak for a second there.”

  That’s when Seiya comes walking back into the hut.

  “Hmm… It looks like you’ve gotten the hang of it. All right, it’s about time we head back.”

  Still disguised as a fish-type beastkin, I create a gate to Ixphoria. Seiya shape-shifts back into Bunogeos as well.

  “Our objective is to convince Grandleon that Bunogeos defeated the Hero. However…”

  The orc Hero’s gaze sharpens.

  “If the opportunity arises, I will kill Grandleon and take his form. Be prepared.”

  “O-okay!”

  Before walking through the gate, I ask Seiya:

  “Seiya… Are you perfectly prepared?”

  “That all depends on you.”

  …Fair enough.

  CHAPTER 15

  A Hero’s Miscalculation

  I connect the gate to the inside of a hut nearby Bunogeos’s mansion just as Seiya requested. Disguised as Bunogeos, Seiya promptly opens the portal, but instead of going inside, he pulls something slender out of his breast pocket. It falls from his hand, then slithers through the gate.

  “Was that an earth serpent?”

  “Yeah. It’s an Automatic Naga dedicated to scouting. Our eyes are linked.”

  Seiya closes his eyes and doesn’t say a word for a few moments until…

  “Okay. There aren’t any beastkin in or around the hut. Let’s go.”

  Only after ensuring the coast is clear do we finally make the passage. After the gate disappears, Seiya peeks out the window of the dim hut, then reminds me:

  “Rista, do not speak in human tongue without my permission. Got it?”

  I smack my lips, making a fishlike sound, and nod. Seiya then does something completely unlike his usual cautious self. He boldly opens the door, then begins leisurely striding down the streets of Galvano. His heavy gait is just like Bunogeos. I bob after him, mimicking a fish-person as best as I can. Before long, two dog-type beastkin notice Seiya and approach us.

  “Lord Bunogeos! There you are!”

  W-we’re gonna be okay, right?! They can’t see through our disguises, right?!

  My heart hammers against my chest, but Seiya doesn’t seem to be even slightly startled.

  “Yep. I killed the Hero, but he wounded meee, so I was takin’ care of iiit.”

  He drawls just like Bunogeos while rubbing his stomach. Taking a closer look, I notice scars and cuts all over Seiyageos’s body. There’s even blood coming out of his left eye where the spell stone was. Seiya, being as cautious as he is, must have thought it would have been bizarre for Bunogeos to win the fight unscathed. The dog-type beastkin continue talking to him as if nothing
is different about him at all.

  “So is Lord Grandleon not heeere yet?”

  “Seems that way.”

  “Okaaay. Well, I guess I’ll get things prepared to welcome hiiim. Hey, if you see Lord Grandleon, then tell him to meet me at my mansiooon.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Seiya begins to walk away, leaving the dog-type beastkin behind as they bow. I bob after him, acting like I’m helping.

  …Phew. They had no idea. Shape-shifting is amazing!

  Even after encountering a few more beastkin, nobody suspects us, and we make it to Bunogeos’s mansion. After searching every inch of the building, Seiya closes his eyes in the middle of the room. He’s probably using his scout earth serpent to remotely search the area. Before long, he approaches me and whispers in my ear:

  “Okay, you can speak in a whisper.”

  He places his hands on my shoulders and pulls me in. It’s the perfect romantic situation, aside from the fact that he’s an orc and I’m a walking tuna. On second thought, there’s nothing romantic about this at all.

  “It looks like we still have some time before Grandleon arrives. I’m going to place some earth serpents around the mansion while we can. That way, we can attack whenever necessary… Rista, I want you to clean up the room a little. Cleaning up the place too much would seem suspicious, so make sure it still looks like there was a battle here.”

  I start tidying up as Seiya heads outside. A good bit of time goes by until he returns with a young man and woman in shackles. Seiyageos tethers the frightened slaves in the corner of the room like pets.

  H-he even brought human slaves! I can’t believe how thoroughly he’s preparing for this!

  “Rista, these slaves— Wait.”

  Seiya suddenly freezes before looking at me and nodding.

  Huh?! I-is he coming?! Is Grandleon…?!

  We’ve already proven that our disguises are flawless, but even then, my racing heart won’t slow down. My intuition as a goddess is ringing the alarm bell. A few seconds go by until…stomp, stomp, stomp! The room shakes. It’s even louder than horses’ hooves clattering against the ground. When I look out the shattered window, I see a carriage being led by two dragons with a colossal goatlike beastkin sitting in the front, steering it. Resting his chin on his palm, a lion ensconces himself in a chair with a backrest as his golden mane flutters in the wind. He wears jet-black armor over his muscular body. While not equipped with a sword, he has knifelike black claws on both hands. In one, he holds what appears to be a burned human arm, which he brings toward his mouth.