Reincarnated as an Instructor in an Adult Game

The Holy Kingdom of Kail was formed when four tribes who worshipped Lady Riera gathered, she said. The one who brought them together into one was the first Pope, Grize Kail. She built a city, built a great cathedral, and made the rules that governed people. Hiero lent her strength to all of that and supported Grize while protecting her.

“But when people gather, ones with wicked thoughts inevitably appear. The number of times Grize was actually attacked increased too~”

“…So that’s why you left the book and the ’curse’?”

“The book was that, but… the ’curse’ I put on the room after Grize was killed.”

I used too much power and couldn’t exist anymore, Hiero said with a slightly sad laugh. Hiero had said the first Pope was killed, but if she was killed, wouldn’t the skill be unable to be inherited? …Was what Mirishu had inherited now the skill of the one who killed her? I glanced sideways at Hiero and she shook her head small. Meaning that was correct. Mirishu and Kuna had faces that could not hide the shock. Hiero had probably thought information about the skill was too much. Kind Hiero, for all she said. I was impressed and let out a small breath of relief.

“The ’curse’ I placed was making it so Lady Riera could not be expressed in statues or pictures. If they didn’t use magic power in the ritual room it should have been a ’curse’ that naturally fell apart, but… looking at Mirishu and Kuna, they foolishly kept going~”

“I’ve heard from Maya and the others that one of the scriptures records Lady Riera’s form?”

“That’s a scripture Grize wrote, so…”

“…Sorry.”

I immediately apologized to Hiero, who was smiling sadly, and gently stroked her head. Hiero looked a little surprised at being stroked, then narrowed her eyes like it felt good and let it happen. How touching. She had resented and she had been angry, but she had not been able to erase Grize’s traces. Combined with what I had heard from Maya and the others, I told her that those few scriptures of Grize’s were the most popular. She smiled happily, muttered “I see…,” and leaned against me a little. To Mirishu and Kuna, who still looked like they had not sorted their words, Hiero continued in a sad voice.

“I couldn’t protect the first Pope… I’m sorry.”

“Th-that’s not true at all!”

Mirishu stood hard at Hiero’s words, walked quickly to Hiero’s side, and put both knees on the floor. Then she gently wrapped the hand Hiero had on her knee from the right with both hands, looked up, and shook her head. Seeing that Kuna did not stop Mirishu’s action, she had various thoughts but did not seem to think of Hiero as an enemy.

“Because Lady Hiero protected us, we can exist. Because you protected us the era changed, but we were able to meet Raide-sama. Please. Don’t blame yourself… I, we, pay respect to Lady Hiero.”

“…Un. See, Grize’s eye for people really was amazing. I’m glad Mirishu was chosen as the second Pope.”

Hiero gently stroked the head of Mirishu, who was appealing desperately, like soothing a child. Hiero’s profile was smiling happily, but somewhere it looked fleeting. The atmosphere was as if she might vanish again at any moment. I turned my face toward Hiero and asked,

“You won’t… vanish, right?”

“…You really are a handful, Raide. Right~, Elysia~?”

“Fufufu. Yes. Truly.”

…Strange. I should have been worrying and I got exasperated at? Hiero stayed sitting in the chair, gently hugged Mirishu, and sought Elysia’s agreement with an exasperated face. Elysia also hid her mouth elegantly with her fingertips, smiled in a troubled way, and nodded in reply. Lately my nickname being “handful” was definitely Hiero’s fault, right? I might be causing that much trouble… but well, it was a cute nickname so it was fine. When Mirishu had settled down Erika peeked in from the upper floor to check on us. The moment Hiero saw Erika she vanished like teleporting and hugged Erika from the front.

“Hyan!? Wh-who are you!?”

“Ehhrika~~! Great reactions! I get why Minty is crazy about you~~~!”

“Yan! Please stop! Raide-san? An explanation, please give an explanation!”

Hiero hugged Erika, buried her face in her chest, and rubbed her cheek hard. Erika tried to stop Hiero’s movements, but unlike her appearance she seemed strong and could not stop her at all. If anything, because the reactions were good the cheek-rubbing seemed to be getting fiercer. I looked away from the chest shaking along with the rubbing. Mirishu, Kuna, and Elysia were laughing happily at the two of them. I thought she had appeared at a good time.

After that I took Mirishu and Kuna back to the tavern and went around asking the adventurers about skills together. Even drunk they were strongly wary about skill matters, but after Hiero came into the tavern later and said “Raide’s good people!” everyone’s mouths got light, light. “If they’re the instructor’s good people say so first!” “I wasted being wary!” “Duuumb!” I received those welcome words from the adventurers and slapped their shoulders cheerfully with all I had. I slapped the one who said dumb a bit harder. He insulted me now and then~. More than that, what was “good people”… they were the Pope and her close escort, you know? It was not a dead-eyed look, but when I looked at Hiero she was hugging Pafa and laughing like a mischievous child. I let out a small breath.

The two of them had looked surprised hearing about skills from the adventurers, but gradually only female adventurers were left around them. I peeked while helping at the tavern and they seemed to be talking about something happily. …Come to think of it I could not see Hiero. Where did she go?

[Hiero]

Hiero went outside the tavern alone and smiled happily while watching the tavern from outside. Hiero recognized this scene. Back when they had been running around trying to unite the tribes together, it was a scene she had often seen with Grize. Grize had stood where Raide stood, and the tribes had stood where the lovers and adventurers stood.

In the talk just now she had held back because of how gruesome it was, but every person of the Grize faction had been killed. That was why she had placed the “curse.” Because she could not forgive, from anger, from the worthlessness of not being able to protect them to the end… What Grize had wanted was so that fellow believers who worshipped the same Lady Riera would not fight. Hiero had empathized with that and lent her strength, and people had gathered around that Grize too. She had not been able to forgive the ones who killed that so easily, driven by selfish desire. She thought that at that time she had been so stained with anger and hatred that she believed it was fine to stake her own existence.

The truth was… the truth was she had not intended to materialize anymore. She had been summoned with Pafa and intended to watch the world at leisure from inside Pafa. But… Hiero smiled happily as if remembering and laughing. Even if the era changed there were similar people, huh? The goal was different, but you look just like her… like Grize. Grize never tried to woo me, though. That’s the only difference, maybe? Probably, the book, the one Grize first chose as second Pope was…

Hiero thought that far, smiled wryly, and shook her head as if denying it. Then she looked over the surrounding rooftops, used her “power,” and moved in front of one of the fairies, Sharle. Sharle and the others were surprised at Hiero suddenly appearing in front of them and immediately tried to take a combat stance. Hiero smiled in a troubled way, flapped both hands as if denying it, and said,

“Sorry for the suddenness? I have something I want to tell Sharle and the others.”

“…To us?”

“Un. I don’t think you can trust me right away. But as a ’person of Rieralia,’ I swear I will not harm Raide.”

“’That’… was it all right to tell us?”

“Ahaha~. I actually want to hide it, but… you know. Looking at Raide, you get it, right?”

“Getting it is a little sad…”

Sharle smiled in an exasperated way. That look was cute so Hiero ended up hugging her. I like cute things, and Raide’s lovers are all cute! How could this not be love!? And a beautiful fairy-tribe girl was right in front of her. There was no way she would not hug! She hugged the good-smelling Sharle and rubbed her cheek against her soft chest. Sharle had been surprised at first, then hugged her back. Yes. Here! This capacity to hold! Aaaaah, Raide is a lucky man!! For the record, after this Hiero got to hug all of Sharle and the others and they became close right away.