“Woah! Guuuhh…” Focus, Iroha… If I fall, I die! I’m not going out like this…

  After our talk, Galene offered to give us a lift back to Ebrilyon. However, no one told me it’d be done through a high-risk flight!

  The four of us were currently soaring through the air on top of translucent blue gryphons summoned with magic whistles. Not a single one of us handled it well.

  “No way no way no way no way! I’m gonna fall… Oh no…” Ririna, for example, was trembling the entire time.

  “…” Carol wasn’t making any noise, but her thoughts were visible through her actions. The way she was desperately choking the gryphon was nothing short of remarkable. It’s a good thing it’s not a real animal. Otherwise, she’d be on her way down.

  “Nyahahahaha! Nyahahaha!” This one almost looked normal. She was laughing, almost like she was having fun, but I’m pretty sure she’s just broken. She got so scared that she broke. And the way she’s gripping the magical fur gives it away.

  After we defeated the headless knight armor, we introduced ourselves to Galene and Abby and talked a bit about what happened. Just like in the game, Galene was there for a quest. She was asked to repair a seal in the palace holding a dangerous monster in place.

  Needless to say, that didn’t happen. For some totally unknown reason, the seal apparently broke. And we don’t know why. We’re not gonna talk about it, especially since it doesn’t matter anymore. The dangerous monster was defeated, and the need for the seal is now gone. Problem solved.

  Galene accepted that story to a certain extent. We fought with her and helped her eliminate a threat that had been around for centuries, so she gave us the benefit of the doubt. She wasn’t going to try to arrest us but still wanted us to accompany her and explain our side to her employer.

  That’s how we found ourselves way too high in the air. Sharing the wonderful experience of a perilous enough flight to scare three battle-hardened warriors and an alchemist to death.

  As terrifying as the experience was, the gryphons were very fast. It didn’t take long until we got to Ebrilyon and stopped just outside the city. I’ve never loved the ground more.

  We needed some time to compose ourselves, so we went on a walk into the city and to the center of Ebrilyon together.

  “You’re looking a little better now. The first time flying is never easy. I don’t blame you.” We stood to the side of a wide street, still slightly hunched over. Galene nodded sympathetically. She and Abby were fine and standing perfectly fine.

  “Some people can handle it.” Abby corrected Galene. “Sorcerers have an easier time adjusting flights, so I never struggled.” She tapped her chest with a proud look.

  “Ahem.” I interrupted them before they got carried away on their own. “Thanks for giving us a ride. Saved a lot of time… Even if it was kinda rough… Either way, we’ll be fine in a while. What’s next?”

  “Hmmm… Abby and I are going to report what happened to our employer. I’d like at least one of you to come with me and give your side of the story. Everything turned out fine in the end, but she may want to know what happened.”

  “One of us…” None of us are in perfect shape right now, but I might be the one in the best state. Galene kinda pinned me as the leader of the group, and I can’t exactly push this onto one of my girls. “I guess I’ll go with you.”

  “By yourself?” Carol unsteadily stepped forward. She probably wanted to help in some way, but she was in no state to do so.

  “I’ll be fine. Just rest for a while, and I’ll be right back.”

  “Th- thanks, Iroha! I’ll make it up to you if you get into trouble… I gotta stay low…” Sarasa was also a bit wobbly. She held onto my shoulder while thanking me, showing a faint smile. She has to stay low? This chick’s getting more and more suspicious…

  …

  The three of them went off to find a place to sit down, while I joined Galene and Abby.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Taking everything into consideration, I think I wanna try to get on their good side. Like Miyuki said, it’d be easy to get to the demon territory with their help. Those magical gryphons can’t fly forever, but they’d make the trip south much easier. That’s how they get there in the game near the end of the story.

  If Galene were to give me one of the whistles she has, that would do. The people who supported her in Azcester apparently gave her more whistles than she could use before sending her off. But they’re still very rare artifacts. There’s no way she’d give one to someone she just met.

  Now that I know the hero is actually the heroine, my desire to distance myself from the story of the game isn’t as strong. Galene is a cutie. Abby is a cutie. Getting more opportunities to interact with them is obviously a plus. But things are not as simple.

  For one, Galene’s journey is not just sunshine and roses. And besides, we might not have the time to do things properly. The holes in the barrier between our worlds are getting bigger and bigger. We might need to skip some steps somewhere.

  At the same time, Galene may be the key to solving our problems. In the game, the Hero’s seen as a savior, someone destined to save the world from catastrophe. She may be the only one who can save us… If I could gain her trust and tell her what’s going on…

  “Your name’s Iroha, right?” We were walking side by side along a wide street when Abby asked me. “What were you doing with Feather Touch Sarasa? Are you an adventurer or something? I heard she doesn’t join parties.”

  “Well… I don’t really know either. We’re not exactly a party. We’re just friends. I was just giving her a hand.” Feather Touch Sarasa…. I didn’t think about it back then, but it’s pretty funny.

  “Why would someone like her need your help? Are you someone famous? Why would she be friends with you and let you be the leader?” Abby seemed a bit upset at me, but I think she’s just jealous. If she’s the same as in the game, she loves fangirling over famous and rich people.

  “Iroha’s actually great as a fighter. An experienced adventurer like Sarasa naturally recognized that and must have trusted her lead, no?” Galene explained to Abby, then shot me a suspicious glance. “A good fighter, just… a bit sketchy.”

  At this point, she may be saying this just to mess with me. “Again, we weren’t doing anything bad. We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. We helped solve the problem, didn’t we?” To that, she nodded with a small laugh. *Sigh…* It’s like she’s picking all the sassy dialogue choices with me…

  “Knowing one famous adventurer doesn’t make you a big shot. Galene is on a completely different level, and even being able to talk to her like this is a big privilege. You know that, right?”

  “Stop that, Abby… Just because I’ve received the title of Hero, that doesn’t make me better than anyone else. You can treat me like normal, Iroha. I don’t mind.”

  “Thanks, you too. I’m not really good with formalities and stuff. By the way, where exactly are we going? Is your employer this way?” This street… If I’m not mistaken, this leads to…

  “That’s right…” The question made Galene a bit uncomfortable. “This might sound ridiculous, but try to stay calm. The person who gave us this quest is…”

  “Is none other than the princess of Ebrilyon. Her Highness Princess Beatrize Elablyon!” Abby announced it loud enough to turn heads our way. Galene couldn’t do anything but sigh.

  “Bea?” That’s a relief… Bea’s the one who gave them the quest, huh? No need to worry, then. She’ll understand if I explain it to her. “Hmm? What’s wrong?” For some reason, the other two had stopped in place while looking at me.

  “Well… It’s just… Addressing the princess like that is…” Impressive… Takes a lot of guts. Is what Galene didn’t say.

  “*Gulp!* You didn’t tell us you were associated with the princess… A- are you actually someone important?” Abby felt like she lost somehow… She needed a comeback, and fast. “It doesn’t matter. Galene is the Hero of Humanity. The princess of a backwater kingdom is nothing when compared to tha- Mphmm!” Galene covered her mouth a little too late.

  “Geez… Why can’t you keep things like that to yourself? Sorry, Iroha. Abby is just really dedicated to her role. She didn’t mean any harm.”

  “It’s fine… I didn’t know that’s how people outside of Ebrilyon viewed it…”

  “Well… It’s not exactly like that.” After making sure Abby would stay quiet, Galene let go and stood up. “Ebrilyon’s role in the war a thousand years ago was a very important one. No one really denies that. Ebrilyon has continued to work hard to maintain its military might since then, and now they undoubtedly bolster the best defense of all human countries. The problem is that those defenses don’t mean much if we’re not attacked. Peace has made some people complacent and dismiss the strengths of Ebrilyon.”

  “Is that so? You know a lot about this.”

  Galene smiled with a small blush. “Ahaha… It’s nothing special. Knowing about the world is also one of my duties.”

  …

  Eventually we got to the castle. Galene briefly explained the situation to one of the guards, and they quickly set up a meeting with Bea for her. We were taken to some kind of guest room, and when the door opened, Bea was there waiting for us.

  “Welcome back, Heroine Galene. I heard you’ve finished our quest. I hope everything went we-” Bea bowed as part of her greeting but froze when she raised her head. “I- Iroha?!”

  “It’s real!!” Abby whispered to Galene. “She did actually know her!” They were both stunned too.

  “Ahem…” The princess had experience navigating hard situations and recovered incredibly quickly. “I hope everything went well during your quest. And Iroha, thank you very much for escorting our esteemed guests. If you don’t mind, I’d love for you to join us as well.”

  Bea was all smiles, but the way she looked at me was a bit scary. I think she’s mad. Flanne’s here too. Her eyes widened when she first saw me, but a bemused look quickly appeared on her face.

  Like Bea asked, we sat down across from her and explained what happened. To quickly sum it up, the seal broke, and we defeated the monster.

  “The only thing that stands out is Iroha and her friends. They were near the palace when the seal broke, so I suspected they were the ones who broke it. But then they helped in our fight and played a pivotal role in our victory. I’m not sure what to think anymore, so I brought her with me to hear your input, Princess Beatrize.”

  “I understand your worries, but I can assure you Iroha is not a bad person. She’s a collaborator of mine, and I sent her ahead to scout for you and help if the need arose. I apologize for any confusion. There must have been some miscommunications.”

  “No need to apologize, princess. I’m just glad we cleared things up.”

  Our meeting ended rather quickly. Bea was busy, so after a short exchange, we left.

  Personally, I think my appearance there threw a wrench into her plans. She was caught by surprise and lost her composure, so I don’t blame her for wanting to end things right away. But that worries me… I’m gonna be receiving angry letters soon, aren’t I?

  “Iroha, I’m sorry for treating you the way I did. In those circumstances, it seemed like the best course of action.” As we stepped outside the castle, Galene turned to me with an apologetic smile.

  “It’s all good… It’s not like anything happened.” She may have been close to attacking us, but she didn’t.

  “Once again, thanks for your help. I hope we see each other again.” She extended her hand for a handshake, and I shook her hand.

  “Yeah… Me too…”

  Misunderstandings aside, I met someone very important today. I don’t know how long she’s staying in Ebrilyon, so I need to earn her trust fast. I managed to fix the negative first impression, but that just puts me at the starting line. There’s a lot of work ahead of me…