Reborn as a hero's daughter, the hero aims to be a hero again.

Chapter 24: The morning of departure

　Monsters occasionally invade, but they are defeated by Lyell before they cause any serious damage.

　Outside the village, however, the story is different.

　The three northern countries, which have suffered serious damage to their security structures, have merged into one country.

　That also means that there is only one country's worth of human resources to build a country.

　Relatedly, the security apparatus is not spread throughout the country.

　Monsters are constantly attacking, and farmers and mercenaries have become bandits because they have lost their appetite.

　To ward off such threats, you have to be prepared to kill them before they kill you.

　Michelle, for example, had a lot of hesitation before killing even monsters.

　That hesitation becomes an opening. That is what Lyell advises.

　Of course, it's useless advice to me. Of the six heroes, I am the second most merciless.

　By the way, the top of the list is Cortina.

　She was a military strategist who, in the worst case scenario, would even cut down her own allies, and no one can match her for calmness in a tight situation.

　By the carriage, Michelle and her parents had finished loading their luggage.

　Finia has already finished loading my luggage.

'Well then, Finia. I've asked you to take care of Nicole, okay?

'Leave it to me, Maria. I will protect you even at the cost of my life!'

'I wouldn't go that far, but ...... Nicole seems solid and out of it, mainly in terms of living, you know?'

' 'Yes, I will make sure you become a lady in your own right!'

' 'No, no, no, no, no, that's okay.'

　I blurted out behind Finia. Of course, she didn't hear me.

　But being raised by a lady is indeed something I would prefer not to do. In that case, I'll make the most of my gift of secrecy and get the hell out of there.

'Don't forget what you learned from me and Lyell. Put yourself first, okay?"

Yes."

''And Finia, too?''

"'Oh, me too, miss?"

'You're my family too, okay?　So you must protect yourself."

"But ......"

　Finia is still tight-lipped.

　She is still stuck in the delusion that she has let me - Raid - die.

　That's why Maria advises her to protect herself as well.

　She was so driven by a sense of redemption that she was willing to lay down her life to protect me.

'I understand. If Maria says so.'

　She showed Maria her oath to do so, although she remained puzzled.

　Seeing this, Maria places her hand on Finia's shoulder.

'May I?　I've told you many times, Reid's death was not your fault. That was just that idiot dressing up."

'Oh no!　Master Reid is--"

"'Gghh!"

　I was sneakily coughing in the back when Maria treated me like a dressed-up person.

　But this is not the place to interrupt.

'That idiot gave up his life to protect you ...... and to protect Cortina. Raid himself made that decision. There is no room for you there."

'Yet, I still ..... ......' ......

'His death was the result of his decision. To deny it would be blasphemy and sacrilege against his judgement."

　As for this opinion, I agree with you.

　Finia has no reason to blame herself. She saw a shocking death when she was a child. She only blames herself because of the trauma of it.

　I can't help but feel that she has a bit of a beautification filter because of that. ...... Anyway, we have to teach her that it's wrong to blame herself.

'Do your best on this journey to learn to forgive yourself too.'

'Is that why you hired me ......?'

'That's part of it. But most of all, because you have the most sincere feelings for Nicole. Even if it was out of a sense of redemption for Raid.'

　She tells Finia this and hugs her gently.

　She responded to the embrace with tears and we set off on our journey.