Chapter 4: A Story of Three
Divine Envoy Arlo found something very wrong.
In his many years as a Divine Envoy, this was the first time he’d been summoned without a hero present.
He blinked carefully, took off his gold-rimmed glasses and wiped them meticulously to ensure his eyesight wasn’t playing tricks on him, then asked hesitantly, “Ginises?”
Goddess of Light Ginises: “Mm…”
Arlo: “Where’s the Savior Hero?”
Ginises: “He left.”
Arlo: “Left?”
He heard a crisp snap in the ethereal voice from the Heavens, followed by a hissing sound as something ignited. Goddess of Light Ginises wearily exhaled a puff of smoke and said painfully, “He left with the Demon Lord.”
Arlo: “…Ah?”
Based on Arlo’s years of experience, the probability of this happening should be 0.
He found it strange and instinctively wanted to check the hero’s adventure log to see if something went wrong. But before he could access the system, Ginises interrupted him.
“Don’t bother, there are no problems,” Ginises sighed heavily. “He took three years to reach the divine tower and interrupted me countless times.”
Arlo frowned, “Interrupted the Goddess?”
Should such a hero even exist?
“But all the records are correct, so I think…” Ginises was feeling conflicted and dejected. “He’s just a hero with an inherently bad personality.”
Arlo: “…”
“Arlo, go and reform him,” Ginises exhaled another puff of smoke, feeling she could only place her hope on the Heavens’ only envoy in the human world. “Please, you must guide the hero back to the right path.”
Misa was bewildered.
He had been forcibly pulled into the teleportation formation by the hero and dragged away from the divine tower, directly onto the road to Celestial City.
Misa had never heard of a hero without a Divine Envoy, and the hero clearly… didn’t intend to wait for the Divine Envoy to catch up.
Thankfully, after these few days of interaction, Misa had a certain understanding of the hero’s outrageous behavior. He couldn’t figure out what was going on in the hero’s mind and didn’t intend to.
Since the Divine Envoy wasn’t here today, he would temporarily take the Divine Envoy’s place in guiding the hero’s direction. Once it got dark tonight and the hero fell asleep, he would fly back to the divine tower and bring the Divine Envoy over.
Misa made up his mind, coughed forcefully, trying to get Lance’s attention.
Misa: “You’re really not waiting for the Divine Envoy?”
Lance stopped, looked back at Misa strangely, but didn’t answer his question.
Misa, unsurprisingly, cleared his throat and said, “If you don’t know what to do next, we should go to the Celestial City church first.”
Lance actually nodded, indicating he was listening carefully to Misa.
“And the Adventurer’s Guild,” Misa continued to maintain his amicable smile reserved for guiding heroes, “It’s best to register your identity. You might occasionally receive other requests and get decent rewards.”
Lance: “Okay.”
Misa: “…”
No, this hero is too well-behaved. He’s not like the hero he knows.
Misa tentatively said, “The Goddess said that to defeat the Demon Lord, you must collect the sacred objects of various races.”
Lance: “Mm.”
Misa: “…It’s best to make friends with like-minded companions.”
Lance: “Mm.”
Misa: “…”
Lance: “…”
Misa shivered.
What’s going on? Why did the hero suddenly change his personality? Is this really the same hero!
While the two were talking, Divine Envoy Arlo finally arrived, his robes billowing behind him.
He looked like he’d never run so fast in his life, panting as he called out to them, “Mr. Lance, wait for me!”
Seeing Arlo appear, Misa breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and said, “Ah, the Divine Envoy is here.”
Lance: “…Divine Envoy?”
Lance frowned, looking back and forth between Misa and Arlo—
The cute boy who had guided him into the divine tower with a kind attitude, and…
…a man in his twenties, sweating profusely, his golden hair disheveled, his glasses fogged up, his bangs stuck to his forehead.
Lance: “…”
“Lan… Mr. Lance…” Arlo said in a broken voice, “I… I am your… your Divine Envoy…”
Lance: “…”
Arlo wiped the sweat from his forehead: “I… I will guide you on your journey…”
Lance: “…”
Arlo finally managed to catch his breath: “We should go to—”
Lance: “It’s unnecessary.”
Arlo: “…”
Arlo: “Ah?”
Lance took Misa’s hand, without hesitation, and was about to leave with him.
Arlo was completely dumbfounded. Thinking back to what Goddess Ginises had said… this hero’s personality is bad, and he doesn’t seem very pious; he’s definitely an anomaly among heroes.
Talking to this hero shouldn’t follow his usual experience; Arlo felt he needed a different approach.
However, he wasn’t familiar with this hero yet and couldn’t prescribe the right medicine based on his personality; he needed to spend time with the hero and decide on a suitable strategy after understanding his way of life.
So Arlo showed the hero his signature smile, perfectly revealing his eight teeth at just the right angle. He sincerely offered his advice to the hero, saying, “You must need companions right now.”
Lance: “…”
Arlo: “I am very—”
Lance: “No.”
Arlo: “…”
Arlo’s smile froze on his face.
Not only did the hero refuse him, but his eyes looked like he was looking at a pervert.
Arlo was a little panicked.
He could only take a deep breath and try his best to explain to the hero that his intentions were pure and he had absolutely no strange motives.
“I am your Divine Envoy,” Arlo said, “I can’t possibly hurt you.”
Lance: “…”
Arlo: “I swear in the name of the Goddess!”
Lance: “…”
Arlo: “I really just want to help you.”
Lance: “…”
Lance silently took a step back, then another step back, trying his best to distance himself from this strange man.
Misa hastily spoke, trying to help Arlo persuade the hero.
“Mr. Lance, he is the Divine Envoy appointed by the Goddess,” Misa tried to make his words sound less impoverished, “The Goddess said, he is your guiding light!”
Lance looked at Misa again with that strange expression; he seemed a little confused. Misa took this as a sign of the hero’s wavering and quickly added, “The Divine Envoy must be very skilled… uh…”
Misa looked at Arlo.
Arlo: “A healer!”
Misa: “He can heal wounds!”
Arlo: “I can treat your injuries!”
Misa: “It’s always good to have one with you!”
Lance: “…”
Lance looked at Misa. Seeing Misa nodding vigorously, seemingly confirming Arlo’s role on their journey, he reluctantly nodded and said, “Fine.”
Arlo breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, successfully infiltrated the hero’s ranks.
Next, he should try to reform the hero.
Arlo put on his signature smile again.
“Hero, you must still be confused about the path ahead,” Arlo said, “I will guide—”
Lance: “Let’s go to the church first.”
Arlo: “…”
Lance: “Let’s go.”
After saying this, he again grabbed Misa’s arm, turned without hesitation, and walked towards Celestial City. Arlo stood there, looking at their backs, and for the first time felt—
That he, as a Divine Envoy,
Was somewhat superfluous
In a hero’s adventure.
Thanks to the road Misa had painstakingly repaired with his demonic creatures overnight, the journey to Celestial City was shortened several times. According to Misa’s calculations, they should reach Celestial City by tomorrow afternoon.
As for tonight, they would have to spend the night outdoors.
Lance took the bread given to him by the villagers and silently handed a piece to Misa, then turned around, as if wanting to move to a tree further away, completely forgetting that Arlo was also in their makeshift group.
Arlo was naturally a little puzzled.
He hadn’t eaten anything when he left the Heavens. He had been asleep in the divine tower for three years and had just woken up today, so he couldn’t possibly have any food on him. He was starving, but the hero completely ignored him.
Arlo coughed lightly, trying to hint that there was another person present.
Arlo: “Um… I…”
Lance stopped.
Arlo breathed a sigh of relief.
The hero had simply forg—
Lance handed another piece of bread to Misa.
Lance: “Eat more.”
Misa: “Ah…”
Arlo: “…”
This hero! He just doesn’t care about him, right!
Arlo finally couldn’t help but speak directly.
“Is there any more bread?” Arlo asked, “I’m also hungry.”
Lance: “…”
Lance quickened his pace.
Misa patted Arlo on the shoulder to comfort him.
“I know,” Misa whispered, “This hero is just strange.”
Arlo covered his face, feeling that his career had suffered the greatest blow in history.
“He used to be like this to me too,” Misa said seriously, “I think he’s just a little shy.”
Arlo: “…”
Misa: “Look, after I got to know him for a few days, his attitude towards me changed.”
Arlo: “…”
Misa: “In a few more days, he’ll definitely treat you as a good friend.”
Arlo seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
Holding the bread Misa gave him, he ate it aggrievedly, habitually opening his work diary and recording his observations of this job.
«April 7th, Sunny
Apparently, in a story of three,
Only I don’t even get a name»