Chapter 121 - Tina's Memories

Three weeks had passed since we came to the Kingdom of the Beastkin.

Only one week remained before we would return to Ifrus Academy of Magic.

It was decided that we would explore one of the historical ruins.

There was a dungeon inside those ruins, and apparently, it was related to the heroes who defeated the demon king a century ago. To prevent adventurers from wrecking the place, entry was forbidden.

Maybe some of the equipment and items left by the heroes were still there.

In fact, some of their weapons had been discovered in a different dungeon that the heroes supposedly visited.

They thought it would be best if these items were handed on to the next generation of heroes, so some of the dungeons where the heroes had gone were blocked at present.

We were going to explore one of those ruins. I was the owner of this kingdom, and Tina was a descendant of the hero, so nobody complained.

Nevertheless, Leo, the Beastkin King, pleaded that we avoid rashly destroying the ruins.

The reason I wanted to enter the dungeon was to follow the traces of the hero Tina had loved before.

I was curious about what kind of person he was.

Particularly his name—I wanted to know what he was called.

A century ago, five heroes managed to defeat the demon king and save the world. Of course, this information was written and recorded in various documents.

However, for some reason, nothing was written about the hero Tina loved, and it was only him. The people called him the [Guardian Hero] and said that he would become stronger if he had people he must protect.

No other information about him was recorded.

There were records of the kinds of monsters he slayed, but his name, his appearance, and combat style remained a mystery.

Even though he was part of the heroes who saved the world, he was the only one without portraits or statues.

Did he have some kind of special circumstances?

A few years ago, I thought I’d try asking Tina about that hero’s name.

──＊＊＊──

“Tina, are you free?”

“What is it?”

“Tina, it’s about the hero who went on an adventure with you. His name isn’t written in any book... Do you know why?”

“Ah, that’s because he didn’t reveal his name to anyone no matter how many people he saved.”

“Didn’t reveal? Why would he do that?”

“He didn’t have the powers of a true hero. He had to fight alongside me, and he was shy about that fact—well, that’s what he said.”

The Guardian Hero didn’t get the skills and status that should have been his before he was transferred into this world. It was to save Tina.

He managed to save Tina, but his powers were too weak compared to normal heroes. Nevertheless, he continued saving people.

—while borrowing Tina’s power, that is.

Tina had the protection of the [Descendant of the Heroes]. Apparently, this blessing was bestowed upon those who were blood relatives of heroes from previous eras.

Tina and the Guardian Hero uplifted each other and saved many countries and cities from the threat of monsters.

“So that happened... But, Tina, of course you remember his name, right?”

“But of course! He was—”

Tina’s expression crumbled.

“He was, Hero-sama’s name was—wh-why... why?”

“O-oy, Tina, are you alright?”

Blood drained from Tina’s face.

She couldn’t say the name of the hero.

And it wasn’t simply forgetting.

It was as if somebody had erased all her memories related to the hero’s name.

And then—

“Tina!!”

Tina fainted.

She was soaked in sweat.

Afterward, Tina regained consciousness, but she had forgotten our conversation. I checked Tina’s status board, but nothing was abnormal.

But Tina’s situation earlier was...

It was as if something had forcefully sealed all her memories related to the Guardian Hero—that was how it felt.

──＊＊＊──

From then on, I never asked Tina about the Guardian Hero again.

Maybe today I’d discover the hero’s name or get information regarding Tina’s memory in this ruin.

This ruin was the first place Tina and that Guardian Hero had traveled together, after all.

I was a bit hesitant to bring Tina here, since she had already fainted just by trying to recall that person’s name, but there was also a possibility of getting her memories that had been erased or sealed back.

“Everyone, are you ready?”

“Of course!!”

I held Tina as the entire class went inside the ruins.

With our members, this dungeon that took Tina and the Guardian Hero one month to clear would probably be done in just a week.

After traveling all over the dungeon, Tina and the hero’s level increased to 100, apparently, and since some of our members had already surpassed 100, this should be an easy trip for us—that was my prediction.

In case we didn’t finish within a week, we could return to Ifrus Academy of Magic temporarily and come back to continue when we had the time.

And so, we set foot in the dungeon ruins.