“Who are you?” Disco asked as she glared at me.

  I needed to answer carefully. If she figured me out, then we would most likely be reprimanded for deceiving her.

  “I am a former hero who just happened to pass by. I found and rescued Sieg drowning in the lake.”


  “… A former hero?”


  Disco still looked at me dubiously.

  Green Cake immediately rushed to provide the maximum possible support.

  “Miss Distoria, he’s the Hero whom I have helped on adventures in the past. If he didn’t retire due to his marriage, he would have defeated Demon Lord Parmamon.”


  “I see.”


  Only then did Disco set her doubts aside and look at Sieg.

  Her gaze alone told me she didn’t know what to do with this young male and his eagerness to mate.

  Well, I had ideas.

  “He very persistently insisted that I accompany him, so now I will travel with you, Miss Dis… Dis…”


  “My name is Distoria.”


  “Ah, yes. I look forward to your cooperation.”


  That was dangerous.

  I almost accidentally called her Disco.

  Distoria, Distoria, Distoria, Distoria…


  Her name was too long.

  I needed to come up with a short nickname for her.

  “Let me call you Diya.”


  “Diya?”


  “A friendly nickname.”


  “… There’s only one person in this universe who can call me by my nickname.”


  “Well, it can’t be helped, then.”


  Since she didn’t like that either, I decided not to call her by her first name at all instead.

  Sieg was pleased with the announcement that I would accompany him.

  “Oh! Thank you, sir!”


  “Senior is enough.”


  “Yes, senior!”


  I fit perfectly into his party.

  All that remained was to turn him into a decent guy in the shortest possible time.

  First and foremost, I began his training with a psychological test.

  “Sieg, before I teach you how to meet girls, I want to ask you a question.”


  “I’m listening!”


  “First question. You find a fragile beauty in a luxurious outfit, most likely a princess, lying alone on the ground in a deep forest. What do you do?”


  “She must be in danger, so I’ll rush to her aid.”


  “Wrong! Normal princesses will never go anywhere unaccompanied. She’s most likely involved in political problems, or she just has trouble with her head. If you lend a helping hand to her, then know that you will not have a normal relationship. She will only use you as a tool.”


  “Well, if she’s pretty… Hehe!”


  He wasn’t just stupid. He also had no self-esteem at all.

  As I surveyed the SSS-rank camp set up by Green Cake, I continued, “Second question. You enter the men’s locker room and find a naked woman there. Screaming, she grabs her sword and lunges at you. What do you do?”


  “Is she beautiful?”


  “… Yes. Very much so.”


  “I will capture her naked body in my memory, like a photo, and run away. Every night, I will reminisce about it.”


  “Wrong! You should scold the lustful woman who invaded the holy land of men! After all, a woman who attacks others because of her own mistake has huge personality problems. Leave the locker room immediately afterward. Our goal is a normal woman.”


  “But in life, everyone can make mistakes…”


  “If you make a mistake, you must apologize. The perpetrator and victim should never switch places.”


  “I can forgive her if she’s beautiful… Hehe!”


  This was difficult.

  His way of thinking left a lot to be desired, considering he would forgive everything if a woman were beautiful!

  He wouldn’t be able to have a relationship based on the harmony and balance of Yin and Yang.

  “And if she’s ugly?”


  “Then she’s none of my business. Why would I save her?”


  Disco’s expression, listening quietly from the sidelines, didn’t look the best.

  She decided to observe a randomly selected hero, “luckily” choosing Sieg.

  The situation needed to be corrected.

  “Sieg.”


  “Yes, senior.”


  “Listen carefully. I asked you those two questions so I can create a more personalized approach to teaching you.”


  “Got it!”


  “… But your answers weren’t great. Oh, but you don’t need to despair. I have a solution for it.”


  “Really?”


  “Become stronger than everyone else.”


  “… Huh?”


  “Regardless of the past of the beauty in the forest, you need strength to convince her to live a new life. And you need strength to subdue the crazy bitch who attacked you in the men’s locker room without killing her. Overwhelming power is the answer!”


  “Is that really a good way to build relationships?”


  What?

  Did he not understand my words?

  The stronger one became, the easier everything was.

  It would become much easier to persuade others, emerge as the victor, make money, and travel…


  Of course, getting to know others as well.

  “Foolish Hero Sieg, it’s time for you to stop doubting my words. Why can’t you calm down?”


  “But, senior, helping those who are beautiful and closing my eyes to her mistakes is just the normal thing to do…”


  “That’s why you can’t have a normal relationship.”


  “Ah…”


  “Inner beauty is more important than external beauty in a woman.”


  First, one had to check if her spine and pelvis were beautiful before even considering how her face looked.

  Sieg immediately asked, “Did you marry your wife based on her inner beauty?”


  “Of course.”


  “… Is she beautiful?”


  “Obviously. A woman with inner beauty will naturally be beautiful on the outside.”


  “That’s the decisive factor?”


  “That’s what I learned from my own experience. I do not operate based on theories picked up from others like you. You have nothing to say to that, do you?”


  “Tsk!”


  “You’re stubborn, Sieg, so much so that I find it funny. Remember this, however. Through weakness, you’ll become no better than a pervert, and with strength, you’ll be hailed as a hero who knows the rules of the game.”


  “Oh!”


  “To be called a hero, not a pervert, you have to be strong.”


  I had a plan.

  I was good at relationships, but I also knew how to get stronger quickly.

  To protect the Fantasy Institution that my wife loved so much, I would willingly reveal my secrets.

  “Trust me and follow me, Sieg. In doing so, I will show and give you true power.”


  From being worthless and useless, he would become a resolute and decisive hero.

  ***

  The dungeon suitable for Sieg could be located through the mollanphone, but he needed to clear dungeons with high difficulty to become stronger as quickly as possible.

  The one I recommended…


  “Hmm. I don’t remember its name, but I’ve been to this dungeon. It has so many traps that it is almost impossible to find a safe path, and the monsters infesting it have been strengthened by absorbing the energy that flows from the dragon vein located underground. It’s about ten times harder than others of its kind.”


  “… Someone posted information about that.”


  “What did they say?”


  “He said it’s an impregnable dungeon that no one should enter. He came to this conclusion after five regressions.”


  “What an idiot.”


  It was a great place filled with experience and good loot waiting to be taken.

  “Are we still going inside?”


  “Of course.”


  It was located at the southern tip of the Southern Continent.

  Despite its difficulty being set at the maximum, since we were in the primary education course, it was perfect for Sieg, who hid his true strength.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I visited this place every morning as my warm-up. And you’re not alone. You have Green Cake.”


  “What about me?”


  “Me too.”


  Disco and the elf protested.

  “Do you want to take the lead and clear the dungeon instead of Sieg?”


  “…”


  “…”


  “Respect Hero Sieg. The worst companion is the one who acts as if they prepared a whole feast despite only contributing a spoon to the table.”


  I experienced it myself!

  I was the one who cleared dungeons, but my companions celebrated my victory as if it was their own, even though, in reality, all they did was interfere.

  Lanuvel, of course, deliberately stepped on the traps, but the others weren’t that much help either.

  During combat, they liked to bet on who would kill more enemies.

  Regardless, once Sieg cleared this dungeon, he’d be taking a step towards becoming a decent person.

  “Well, off I go!”


  He entered a dungeon that resembled the tangled tunnels of an anthill.

  We followed a little later, tracking his footsteps and never interfering.

  “Mullan Mullan!”


  “Mullan!”


  “Mullaaan!”


  Slimes were the first to block Sieg’s path.

  But they didn’t pose a threat to him.

  If Master Mollan had been here, however, the situation would’ve been far different …


  Goblins came right after them.

  “Go-oh-oh-oh!”


  “Gob! Gob!”


  “Gob!”


  Sieg also easily dealt with them.

  Goblins were a weak race, so they often used cunning techniques. However, those dwelling within this dungeon had given up their dirty tricks and opted for a more direct approach since the influence of the dragon’s vein empowered them.

  “Like this!”


  Thanks to them, his confidence grew.

  However…


  “Booboo!”


  “Kuku!”


  “Heeeee!”


  He began to experience hardships upon facing the reinforced orcs.

  ? Race: Dragon Orc

  ? Level: 912

  ? Job: Warrior (Difficult Situation → Combat ↑)

  ? Skills: Insanity SSS, Communication SS, Combat SS, Determination SS, Strength S…


  ? Status: Link, Dragon Vein

  Although these orcs were highly skilled, they weren’t a match for Sieg, who could use strength worthy of secondary education in his primary education course.

  However, the terrain disrupted his combat style.

  Regardless of whether it was Eastern, Western, or Fantasy culture, everyone loved dragons. On Earth, the energy lines passing between places where energy accumulated were called dragon veins, and in the world of Fantasy, such places were actually associated with a dragon.

  It was where one was killed, after all.

  The spilled dragon’s blood, containing their resentment, spoiled the ground below and drove the monsters and animals living on it to insanity.

  “Kh! Tsk! I can’t fight alone anymore.”


  “Use the traps around you.”


  “They’re the ones making it difficult for me to fight in the first place, senior.”


  “Think of the traps as a companion. They’re not here to stab you in the back. They are fair to everyone.”


  I learned this from Lanuvel.

  “How?”


  “Your stupidity makes me uncomfortable. Watch attentively.”


  “Huh? Oh, okay…”


  Overall, Hero V’s skills looked even worse than mine in the 1st round. Moreover, I couldn’t use divine powers.

  But I didn’t hesitate. After all…


  “That’s what it means to be a hero!”


  I had heroic determination. No other reasons were needed.