Siu had become the hero. The Aria Goddess appeared to him in a dream, giving him a holy sword and begging him to defeat the demon king and save humanity—a request that felt almost like blackmail due to its weight. However, Siu accepted her plea, comforted by the fact that he could undertake this quest with Sophia by his side.

    The holy sword given to Siu, called ''Aria Goddess''s Sword,'' was an EX-grade artifact that aided the hero''s growth, could change its appearance freely, and could be hidden at will. Additionally, the power embedded within the sword acted as a mentor for Siu, teaching him necessary skills and instincts for combat.

    When Siu practiced with the holy sword, slicing through the air felt different; his stance naturally corrected itself, and he instinctively knew how to apply strength.

    "This is... the holy sword."

    As Siu was getting accustomed to the power of the holy sword, Sophia and Deokbae came to find him.

    "So you are the hero, huh? Oh, is that the holy sword?" "Hehe... Siu! I''ve become a saint!"

    Siu felt a similar power emanating from them and realized it was the divine energy granted by the Aria Goddess.

    *****

    "Sorry, Sophia."

    Before they left to meet Sophia''s parents at the tavern, Siu hesitated and then apologized, bowing his head to her.

    "...a guard in Marta?"

    Siu confessed that he would soon be applying to be a guard in Marta and that he had been training for this because he knew that, coming from a rural village without any significant backing, he needed overwhelming skill to pass. He apologized for not paying enough attention to Sophia during this time.

    "Man, you should''ve at least mentioned it. I would have supported you or at least not gotten in your way."

    Deokbae was incredulous at Siu''s silence.

    Siu, feeling weak for not speaking up earlier because he feared Sophia''s disappointment, simply bowed his head in shame.

    "It''s okay... really!"

    Sophia still smiled brightly, but Siu felt constrained by guilt, knowing how much Sophia had struggled while he was engrossed in his training.

    "Actually, Sophia... there''s something I need to talk to you about..."

    Thinking it wouldn''t be right to leave it unsaid, Siu was about to reveal that he planned to propose to Sophia after passing the guard trials. However, Deokbae, sensing Siu''s intentions, sent Sophia ahead to the tavern and advised him.

    "Man, are you trying to confess right now? What, planning to get rejected?"

    "Sophia and I love each other!"

    "Who in this village doesn''t know that? But now''s not the time, Siu. She''s upset because of what? And you think confessing right now, without calming her down, is a good idea?"

    "..."

    "That''ll just drop whatever respect she had left for you."

    Siu couldn''t argue with that.

    Deokbae comforted him, "Look, I''ll help you during the journey, so now focus on making things right with Sophia."

    "Thanks, bro."

    "If you''re grateful, then do better from now on."

    As they walked to the tavern, they were greeted by Sophia''s parents, the village chief, and other village elders, all prepared to support their journey.

    *****

    The goddess hadn''t appeared only in the dreams of the three of them.

    She had visited the dreams of all the villagers, telling them that the trio was embarking on a journey for the sake of humanity and that they should support them to ensure they could travel without worries.

    The villagers had contributed money for their expenses and prepared various medicines and emergency rations to aid them.

    The village chief slapped Siu on the back, saying he believed in him, while Sophia''s parents hugged her tightly, crying and telling her to take care and not get hurt.@@@@

    Feeling awkward, Deokbae watched them and then sighed, finally speaking up.

    "We’re walking all day today."

    "And tomorrow?"

    "The same all day tomorrow."

    "Ugh... It’s tough!"

    "Sorry, Sophie, sorry Deokbae."

    Just an hour ago, we had been riding in a carriage.

    The village chief had given us a small carriage as a gift to travel comfortably to Marta, and Siu and I took turns driving.

    But when it was Siu’s turn, his poor driving led to an accident that wrecked the carriage.

    I was in the middle of kissing Sophia when I heard a thump, and the carriage tipped over.

    I quickly pulled my hand away from touching her private area and helped Sophia out of the overturned carriage, by which time the horses had already run off.

    Since then, we''ve been walking endlessly.

    "No choice then. Climb on."

    "Hee! Really? Hehe."

    Sophia kept whining, so I let her climb onto my back.

    I could feel Sophia’s soft breasts against my back. She deliberately pressed herself closer to me, rubbing her chest against me.

    "I caused the accident, so I’ll carry you instead."

    "No. What if a monster appears? I’m fine, so lead the way."

    "Right! Even if it’s Siu, he can’t fight while carrying me."

    "Okay."

    Rejected by Sophia, Siu walked ahead with slightly less energy, while I followed, massaging Sophia’s buttocks as she clung to me.

    Unseen by Siu, Sophia licked my ear and then kissed my neck.

    Very slowly, Quietly, so no sound would escape, Soft yet sticky, Stimulating enough to nearly arouse me.

    "Haah... slurp..."

    Sophia seemed aroused too, panting softly, but fortunately, Siu didn’t notice.

    After walking for another two hours, it was getting dark.

    We set up camp and had a simple meal.

    Sophia wanted to eat the packed lunch from the inventory, but it seemed too precious to use right now.

    Instead of the lunchbox, I took out a tent.

    The tent was set up with one button and was large enough for three to four people, so there was no issue with all of us fitting inside.

    Siu, still bothered by the carriage incident, was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as he entered the tent.

    ...Actually, I had slipped a sleeping pill into Siu''s food.

    Even a hero couldn’t beat modern chemical substances.

    After calling his name several times to no avail, Sophia began to undress sneakily.

    Then, naked, she lay down next to Siu and spread her legs.

    Sophia boldly lifted one leg over Siu.