Chapter 2:

Felra's Right. Nava's Left.

Rising? Of The Sloth Hero


It’s been five days since Felra was coerced—sorry, recruited—as a Hero.
In those five days, he accomplished absolutely nothing.
Not that he had any plans to do something in the first place, but even if he did—unlikely—the pope had told him to “get familiar with the place first.” So far, the only thing he’s gotten familiar with is the thick branch of a certain tree, which now serves as his personal napping throne.
In fact, he’s mastered several advanced sleeping positions up there, each more precarious than the last. It’s less “nap” and more “performance art.”
———
——

Before he got dragged to the royal palace as his new residence, everything had been taken care of on Felra's family's side.
His family couldn't be happier from the news they received.
"To think that...*sniff*... my indolent son is a Hero... Your father would be proud of you..." His mother sobbed.
Felra's father had long since left the mortal world.
"I just hope they aren't making a big mistake," his big sister, twenty-two, first of the three siblings, snorted.
Yeah! Yeah! Tell them! Felra thought.
"Don't be like that big sis! Maybe big brother is just hiding his talent all along," his little sister, twelve, backed him up. Clearly innocent and still having the wrong idea about her big brother.
Kuh...! No, my dear little sister. Don't say that! Felra is once again talking to himself.
"Yeah, no. His only talent is his unbelievable laziness and he's not hiding any of that," she retorted.
"No matter," his mother said. "Please take care of my son," she bowed.
Mother!?
He really should be saying these things out loud.
The priest, back to her gentle and serene self, answered, "Worry not, I'll make sure to "thoroughly" guide him to the right path and make sure that he would be able to live up to his title as a Hero," she smiled at her. It's the kind of smile that would put anyone at ease.
Except Felra, of course. He knew why she emphasized the word "thoroughly" and now he's already concocting plans on how he would escape his impending training.
And before they left for Diesda, capital of the Kingdom of Vulteria where the palace is located, the priest had left the twins, along with one female attendant, to guard Felra's family, this of course does not mean that their movements would watched. No, far from that. They can do whatever they've been doing everyday without worrying about the knights. The twins had a house built close Felra's family's home so that they could guard them without getting in the way of their lives. And outside, they could hide themselves enough to guard them from afar.
The female attendant would then help Felra's family with their house chores. She's polite and has a good manner befitting of someone who's working as a royal's maid—or so was her setting. The twins had no way of knowing this, but this "female attendant" is actually one of the kingdom's talented assassins. She's cold-blooded and ruthless—well, to her enemies. And she would not hesitate to kill anyone who has an intention of harming any of Felra's family.
Aside from them, they had also received a thousand large gold coins.
Actually, Felra's family was supposed to receive ten thousand large gold coins too. But Felra's mother felt that it was too much money for someone who's living in a small village to handle. So, the priest opted for the current arrangement they have now.
Felra's mother had accepted the trio, but wanted to refuse the money.
"T-Ten thousand large gold coins!?" Felra's big sister shouted. "That's more than enough for us to live lavishly for years! Mother, let's take—"
Before she could assert her greed. Her mother's reaction had cut her off. "T-This is too much, Lady Nava. Just having people to protect us and help us in our house is more than enough. I couldn't possibly accept such an amount."
But with the priest's "valid reasoning", she accepted all of her arrangements.
This is how the currency works in this world: Hundred copper coins are equivalent to one silver coin. Hundred silver coins are equivalent to one small gold coin, and ten small gold coins are equivalent to one large gold coin.
For reference, the knights are earning about ten silver coins per month. While a person who works as a royal maid makes about five silver coins a month. That of course includes their meals and a place to live.
A loaf of hard bread typically costs 3 coppers and the softer ones cost 10 coppers.
So, it's no surprise that when offered by a sudden huge amount of money, Felra's mother wouldn't know what to do.
With all of it taken care of, Nava, Felra, Yulya, Marco, and the coachman set out on a journey to the capital.
I really feel like I should have a say in this.
Such was Felra's thought before they left.

——
———
Back to the present scene.
Felra is now exercising Tree Nap Technique #12: Atop of three Branches and is now laying at the top of three thick branches serving as his bed.
With him is a soft pillow that came from his room. He found it so comfortable to use that he'd brought basically anywhere. Of course, the maids had no idea about this. If they had, Felra would be hearing any shouting from below, demanding him to return and take the pillow back to his room. Not that he listened to any of their wailings.
"Ahh~ Inner peace..." He said as he closed his eyes.
He can feel it. The cool breeze, the warm sun, and the cold gaze of someone.
Hmm!? he was sent into an alert, immediately opening his eyes.
Felra slowly took a glance below the tree and there, he saw Nava staring at him like he's some wild animal.
"What do you think you're doing?" Her voice was cold. And Felra can feel it.
For the past five days, Nava didn't show up. He thought that he might be busy or something. In fact, he had heard from one of the maids that Nava is attending some sort of summit in a neighboring country and won't be back for at least two weeks. So he had let his guard down, thinking that no one would admonish him.
Don't they tell me they set me up!?
They didn't.
"Get down there this instant." She's not asking. She said it in the tone that no one could defy her.
"The pope told me to get used to the place first and I'm doing just that."
He is not.
In fact, the only place he had been for the past five days was his room, the kitchen, and this tree.
"Hoh...?" Nava raised an eyebrow. "You do realize I can tell if you're lying, yes? Come down this instant. I'll personally give you a tour of the town."
A sweat ran down his cheek.
"Oh, stuff it. It is my god given right to take a nap whenever I please!"
The reply made a vein pop up on Nava's head. Wind gathered at her feet, slowly lifting her up until she's at the same level as Felra.
With a smile, Nava asked. "Would you like to get your god given left?" She clenched her left hand.
Felra did not fail to notice this. "Where are we going?" he asked, knowing that any other reply would be a bad decision.
With that, Felra was asked to return the pillow and change his clothes into a more appropriate one—because he's still wearing his pajamas.
*
Now, Felra is wearing a long-sleeved tunic of clean white cotton cloth, with the collar open until below his collarbone. A plain black vest—with a golden sword motif at the chest—sat over it. A simple brown leather belt runs around the waist of his dark, well-fitted pants tucked into calf-high boots made of worn but well-oiled leather.
Felra is fidgeting, clearly unused to this type of clothing. He normally wears baggy clothes so this is all new to him. Still, he was told by the maid that keeping appearance is important.
He's actually about to wear something much worse than this. One that would make him look like a high ranking noble that would no doubt make him stand out like a sore thumb so he tried his best negotiating with the maids who chose his clothes. And this was the result.
"Not too bad," said the maid. Clearly proud of her work.
Meanwhile, Nava's outfit is that of a casual one compared to her usual priest attire. Her light blue sleeveless dress that goes above her knee greatly accentuates the curves of her body. A white shawl rests on her shoulders as a protection against the sun. Her shoes were simple leather flats polished to a gentle shine. And to top it off, she's wearing a braided sun-shade to complete her casual looks.
It's not like Nava finds her usual outfit suffocating, it's just that since they won't be going into town out of business, she thought that she might as well dress casual. Even she likes to dress differently from time to time.
It's not showing on his face but he was captivated by her. Not that he'd ever admit that.
But Nava was oddly perceptive of this.
"What's wrong? Were you charmed by my beauty?" She asked, sending Felra a teasing smile.
The confidence was off the charts!
But then again, she really has the looks to back it up.
"Not really..." he answered, not looking at her face. "So, where are we going?"
His answer was more than enough for her to be in a good mood.
"We're going into the town's market. The news of you being the Hero has already been announced. Don't worry, I know you'd hate it if too many people gathered around you so we told them to just greet from where they are standing."
In fact, they celebrated the Hero's arrival five days ago. Of course, he didn't know about it, he was asleep the whole time. He only learned about it when they had already arrived at the palace.
"Oh, uh... Thanks."
He's not really excited about walking around the town, but it's also true that he's curious about what the capital looks like. After all, he had only seen houses made of wood and few villagers.
"Mmm. Well, then. Let's go," she held out her hand.
"Alright..." Felra took her hand with his and they started walking.
For some reason, this all felt natural for him, so he didn't really ask any questions why she wanted to walk hand in hand.
So, the Hero was taken by the priest to visit the town where the Hero would meet the townspeople and more.

Zeia
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