Chapter 92

The day after I conveyed Arnold's response to Mr. Reinhardt, another meeting was held in the reception room after school.

Mr. Reinhardt and Arnold sat facing each other across the table, with me sitting next to Mr. Reinhardt. Another participant in this meeting was Mr. Casper, who stood a few steps behind Arnold.

"I want to be fully prepared for any eventuality."

Arnold's words were met with a firm nod from Mr. Reinhardt. The people of Rustu would also want to be fully prepared.

Mr. Reinhardt took out a map from his pocket and spread it on the table. He pointed to a spot on the map and murmured, "Here."

"The location is currently set to be the temple in our town. Do you have any preferences?"

It seemed that the place Mr. Reinhardt pointed to was the town of the people of Rustu. Squinting at the map, I could see that the town was located near the sea, to the east of the capital, Shvaleria. It was probably closer to the capital than Eme's village.

"About the guards?"

"We will station the people of Rustu both inside and outside the temple. The strongest among them will surround Elvira, ready to respond immediately if anything unusual happens."

Based on Mr. Reinhardt's words, an image formed in my mind. Elvira would be at the center of the temple, surrounded by the people of Rustu in a circular formation. For some reason, my mind had also added a magic circle at Elvira's feet, but that image might not be entirely wrong.

Suddenly, Mr. Reinhardt turned his gaze to me.

"I'm having Laura contact the hero, Lucash, and he is scheduled to stand by close to Elvira."

I was taken aback by the title "hero" preceding my childhood friend's name. He would likely have to bear that title more often from now on.

Incidentally, I had already written to Lucash about the matter, but I hadn't received a reply yet. However, I was confident he would lend us his strength.

Arnold glanced at me before turning back to Mr. Reinhardt.

"The location is fine with us, as you suggested. However, I have one condition. I would like the Shvaleria Knights to also provide security."

"Of course."

Arnold's condition was met without hesitation by Mr. Reinhardt. With both the people of Rustu and the Shvaleria Knights involved, this would be quite a large operation.

The location was decided, and both sides' requests were accepted without issue. The next step was—

"Date of execution?"

"Elvira's health comes first. If we can have about five days for preparation—"

My gaze naturally turned to Arnold, waiting for his response. He pondered for a few seconds, resting his chin in his hand, but then answered without much delay.

"Then please allow us to get back to you. We haven't made any preparations yet."

"Understood. ...On the day, the people of Rustu will use their power on Elvira. We want to observe how she changes as a result."

Arnold nodded silently, and Mr. Reinhardt stood up, his profile looking somewhat relieved.

Arnold also stood up, and I naturally followed suit, standing a few steps behind them. —At that moment, I noticed Mr. Casper's gaze.

He was looking at Mr. Reinhardt with a serious expression. The term "cold" didn't quite fit; rather, it seemed as if he was sizing up Mr. Reinhardt.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Arnold."

"Likewise, Mr. Reinhardt."

Arnold and Mr. Reinhardt shook hands in front of me. I felt a sense of relief that we were finally taking the first real step—yet I also knew that the real challenge was just beginning.

The pre-resurrection demon king was lurking inside Elvira, causing her self-destructive illness. If all went well, we might be able to seal the demon king. Whether we succeeded or failed, this would be a significant step. We had to take this first step.

***

After Mr. Reinhardt left, Mr. Casper also followed him out of the reception room. They might be discussing something now.

Meanwhile, Arnold and I remained in the reception room. We didn't engage in much conversation, but the tension from earlier had eased, and the silence was comfortable.

"---...Even if we aim for full preparation, I don't know what we need to prepare for."

Sitting deeply in his chair, Arnold looked up at the sky. His earnest words made the atmosphere feel heavy again.

Arnold's concern was valid. Even with the Shvaleria Knights providing security, what else could we do?

"Replenishing the spirits' drinking water, preparing healing potions, and relying on Lucash for the hero's power... and then—..."

"Whether the magic of ordinary mages can affect the demon king."

I thought to myself that it shouldn't be a problem, but I nodded in agreement. Our party had a mage, but he was an ordinary one. Elvira's magic had been the main firepower in the battle against the demon king. Even if there was a hidden setting in the game that all party members had special bloodlines, Arnold was Elvira's brother, so it shouldn't be an issue, right? But maybe I was being too optimistic.

(Apart from magic, something to counter the demon king... an item that can damage monsters...)

I thought, recalling my past life's memories—suddenly, an image of the battle screen from "Last Brave" came to mind.

In the battle screen, I had called up the item menu and selected a certain item. The character then threw the item at the monster during the battle, dealing damage and ending the fight.

This had happened because we were lost in a dungeon, and the party mage's MP had run out. Not only that, but we were almost out of healing potions. In a last-ditch effort, I opened the item menu and found "it." I remembered that it could only be obtained in dungeons and couldn't be bought from shops.

Hesitating for a moment due to the limited number of items, I decided to use it. The damage dealt was more than expected, and I remembered it clearly because I was so surprised. The name of that item was—

"—Ah, Holy Water."

The word slipped out, and Arnold didn't miss it. His black eyes turned to me.

The memory of the Holy Water was still hazy, and I wasn't sure if it existed in this world. I didn't recall being able to create it through alchemy in the game. In this life, there were no dungeon treasure chests, so if it existed, it would either be found in nature or created through alchemy.

Deciding that I didn't have enough information to report, I tried to cover it up.

"N-no, it's nothing—"

I chuckled as he glared at me. His expression clearly said he wouldn't allow me to hide anything.

I sighed and spoke.

"I read somewhere, though I can't remember where, about a holy water that evil monsters hate."

I couldn't say I learned it in my past life, so I added a lie to make it sound plausible. Arnold, intrigued, sat up straight in his chair.

"Is it different from the spirits' drinking water?"

"I think so... I'll try to recall my memories later. If I remember anything, I'll let you know."

Arnold nodded at my words, and the conversation ended. I would have to delve into my real memories to see how much I could recall about the Holy Water.

I looked at the entrance to the reception room. Once I opened that door and left this room, I would be busy again.

I lightly slapped my cheeks to encourage myself and took a step forward.

[Announcement: Book Volume 2 Release and Comic Adaptation]

Thank you for reading my work.

Here is an announcement regarding the book and comic adaptation of "My Childhood Friend, the Hero."

As I mentioned in my activity report earlier this week, "My Childhood Friend, the Hero" Volume 2 will be released on March 10th by Kadokawa BOOKS! The release of Volume 2 is thanks to all of you who have supported it. Thank you so much!

I hope you will enjoy Volume 2 along with the ongoing Volume 1.

Additionally, the comic adaptation will begin on March 6th (Friday) on FLOS COMIC. I have provided a little assistance, and I believe it will offer a slightly different take on "My Childhood Friend, the Hero."

I am also very excited to read it as a reader!

For more details about Volume 2 and the comic adaptation, please check my activity report.

Thank you for your continued support of "My Childhood Friend, the Hero"!