What should I do if the hero is resurrected in the Monster Girl Encyclopedia?

Chapter 186 Ryan
In the orphanage's main hall, the group managed to find a few corners where they could still talk. The elderly priest leaned against the mottled wall, his withered hands trembling slightly on his cane, reflecting his exhaustion and difficulty in supporting himself. The way he left with his cane was terrifying, as if he might fall to the ground at any moment and never get up again.

Distracted for a moment, Mirad used rock-shaping magic to watch the old priest's steps, then looked at Ryan, whose gaze was just turning away from the aged priest's back.

How long have you been in the capital?

Mirad looked out through the remaining shards of glass in the window frame. The guards seemed to have finally given up. After exchanging a few words in hushed tones, they picked up the halberds stuck in the ground and left in a group... But judging from their posture, today would definitely not be the last time.

"Not long. You came all the way here by carriage, right? Chloe and I arrived about ten days earlier than you. This place is indeed worse than the rumors say... but the hooligans and gangs that are common in the lower districts are rare, almost extinct. I'm saving the trouble of dealing with them one by one."

Ryan's gaze paused slightly as it swept over Siolitta. The little nun, who was fiddling with the folds of her skirt with her head bowed, raised her eyes upon sensing his gaze and returned a kind and innocent smile.

She thought to herself, "What use am I to the gangs that my fourth sister had the sisters clean up?" She'd heard that those reformed gang leaders and underlings were now maintaining the gang structure on the surface, but they all had legitimate jobs behind the scenes.

Hiolitta skillfully feigned fear of strangers and was about to hide behind Mirad when she turned around and found that the spot had already been taken over by the little girl Mana.

Hiolitta stared at the child, who was half a head shorter than her, for a moment, and Mana silently moved a few inches to the side to make room for him.

"Haven't you had a chance to go and check out the upper district yet?"

Four small hands tugged at the hem of his clothes from different angles behind him. Mirad felt no different from a mother hen protecting her chicks. "The situation there... isn't very optimistic either."

"Did not go."

Ryan twitched the corner of his mouth.
"I don't have your patience; I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to resist seeing too much filth. Besides, isn't Reskateye known for having the most Heroes of the Primal Gods? If all the Heroes of the Primal Gods are people like you, then I suppose no one else needs to worry about us."

"Um. Well, Ryan. Actually..."

Luo Gen scratched his face, thinking about how to subtly tell the other party the fact that even heroes don't live comfortably in this wretched place.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Actually what? You can't exactly say that those mighty warriors of the main gods live even more miserable lives than the common people, suppressed by those nobles and priests and unable to utter a sound, can you?"

The air suddenly felt thick. Mirad lowered his eyes and sighed softly. Loran chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to respond. The cawing of crows faded into the distance outside the window.

"…Ah."

Ryan gleaned the answer from their silence. The knuckles of the war god were embedded in his red hair... and the veins on the back of his hand were visibly prominent.

"To what extent?"

"A single step later... and it would have completely spiraled out of control."

Mirad stepped aside, took Mana's hand, and gently nudged her in the direction the old priest had staggered away, urging her to check if he had reached his bedroom and was getting some rest.

The girl looked up at him, her clear eyes blinking. She clearly understood the unspoken meaning in his request, turned and ran into the depths of the corridor, her footsteps echoing through the empty space.

Only after the footsteps stopped did Mirad speak again, "You should have seen the icicles in the upper city yesterday, right?"

"...Did you do this?" Ryan asked.

“Wilmarina…the strongest warrior of Rescade, she lives like a puppet. I couldn’t stand it, so I gave her a little pointers.”

"Is it strong?"

"not bad."

"With such strength, you're willing to be slaughtered... do you have a weakness?"

“The priest of Northculim is her father.”

"Oh, I see... no wonder."

Mirad looked at Ryan. "What were your original thoughts?"

Ryan didn't answer, his arms still crossed in front of his chest, staring at Mirard's back... Now only Siolitta's slender figure remained here, although Mirard could completely block her view, the hem of her nun's dress still occasionally peeked out.

"I...I am, after all, Lord Mirad's rightful fiancée...!"

Siolitta protested quietly, "Look, even Lord Mirad didn't object!"

"...I'm sorry. Mirad may trust you, but I won't give my trust so easily."

Mirad gently stroked the girl's silver-white hair, his palm finally resting on her cheek. Lilim's rising body temperature made his hand burn. "Siolitta... give us some space."

Mirad's additional promise immediately came through the communication channel.

—I'll grant you one request that's not too unreasonable, and I can fulfill it along with the previous one.

"Okay~"

Her tone suddenly brightened as she placed her hand on Mirad's hand. The change in attitude was so swift that, to the bewildered Ryan, it was as sudden as the transition between sunshine and rain in summer.

"Since you've said so, Lord Mirad, I'll go find little Mana to play with, and see if there's anything I can do to help!"

Siolitta emerged slowly from Mirard's shadow, her heels tapping out a light, rhythmic sound. As she passed Mirard, she suddenly tiptoed, tugged at his sleeve, and bent him down, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. Before Ryan could even frown, she gracefully turned and followed Mana into the corridor.

“Brother Ryan, then I…” Luo Gen tentatively pointed to the door.

"You can stay."

"Holy crap, this double standard is just too much, Ryan! I'm a monster too, I request to stand with Xiaoxi!"

—Loran. If you treat me this way, I will not offer the same conditions as I did to Hyolita.

The gray-haired girl immediately stopped joking and stood obediently with her hands behind her back. "Then I'll stay. I can't let down Ryan and Mirad's trust in me, hehe. Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped."

"If the situation isn't too urgent, I plan to proceed gradually. I'll open a martial arts school in the lower city to improve physical fitness and teach a few self-defense techniques. If possible, I'll also spread the faith of Boss War God... so that the poor and weak can also have the power to protect others."

“How will we solve the food problem?” Milad asked.

"Chloe can summon schools of fish from the river... although, what's this about nutritional structure? Is it this? Chloe has been studying this all the time lately... Anyway, eating only fish isn't very healthy, but I think it's better than what they're eating now."

Mirad's expression was solemn. "...All of this is based on the premise that the heroes are in good condition and will not obstruct the residents leaving the lower city."

"...Yes. And there are those nobles' private soldiers...that's why I said we should take it into consideration."

"Earlier today... I went to see the King of Rescue."

Ryan looked slightly surprised. "The residents of the lower city have a good impression of him, but isn't he seriously ill and bedridden?"

"The actual situation is much more complicated, Ryan. King Castor is under house arrest in the palace, basically a figurehead, and he's listless and lacks any fighting spirit. But after talking to Xiao Xi, it seems like he's got a little fire in his eyes."

Luo Gen spread his hands. "Brother Ryan, are you really not going to consider joining us on this path?"

The red-haired hero shook his head. He had already spoken to Mirad during the exhibition match of the Games, and they were not yet able to walk side by side. "...I still hope that this path can be walked by humans themselves, without relying on monsters."

He paused slightly, "Of course, as for those monsters cleaning up the gangs that were causing trouble at the bottom... please thank the mastermind for me."

“You noticed?” Mirad looked up.

"A little bit."

Ryan said, “Before I came here, I prepared for the worst. But the reality was much better than I expected. Even though the relief from the upper town often stopped or didn’t come at all, some orphanages and small monasteries always had extra food…and no one starved to death…It’s rare to find a place like this where there are no arguments over food. Of course, my faith in God has made me so blinded by faith that I’ve become like a block of wood, but that’s definitely not the only reason.”

"...Yes. Besides, the higher-ups are using the dead. In the king's palace, I met the hero who founded the kingdom... Rescateyer. Moreover, he retained his sanity for a period of time."

"Is it strong?"

"not bad."

Ryan frowned. "To be resurrected and manipulated with such power... You also know necromancy, so you know the difficulties involved. I'll ask Chloe later to see if she has any clues."

"Yes, thank you for your help. Please be careful as well."

Silence fell over the room again. Luo Geng dangled her long legs, her gaze shifting between the two of them, clearly racking her brains to find a topic to ease the awkward atmosphere.

After a long silence, Ryan spoke first.
“…Milad, I’m asking you. Do you really like that little monster girl? And you’re willing to share Loran with her?”

"Huh? Is there something I need to do?"

Luo Gen grinned.
“Brother Ryan, you’re talking about Xiao Xi… I don’t care. I did think about this before, like having my best friend all to myself… but after what happened with Orpheus, now, just being by his side is enough for me.”

She slowly swayed to Mirard's side, about to say something, when Mirard suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. Lorenzo felt as if an electric current had passed through her; she trembled slightly and let him pull her forward half a step, instantly closing the distance between them.

"As for Siolitta..."

Her voice unconsciously lowered, and her other hand twirled a strand of hair. "She's helped me a lot. Although she's always a bit of a troublemaker, she's really quite likable. It's nice to be around her."

The gray-haired girl couldn't help but chuckle, "It's like suddenly having a little sister who understands you well and loves to compete with you."

After listening to Loran's account, Ryan looked at Mirad and asked, "And you?"

"...I once signed a contract with her to travel the world with her."

"Oh. So what approach are you thinking of now?"

Mirad was about to explain when his expression suddenly changed.

He heard the noisy hoofbeats outside the orphanage, and the soft clatter of wooden wheels rolling over the stone road.

Then, they stopped in front of the orphanage.

(End of this chapter)