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

Chapter 202 The Rain Never Stops
The rain has continued for many days and shows no signs of stopping.

According to that stubborn little guy from the Magic Academy, this rain might last for another week.

Summers in Rescadeer are usually rainy, but usually only thunderstorms that last for an afternoon... He had never seen such a long and oppressive rainy season.

Arnoni looked up at the sky. Thick, leaden clouds piled up in layers, pressing the sky down so low it seemed he could reach out and touch the damp, cold clouds. It was daytime, yet the barracks were shrouded in a dim twilight… distant watchtowers were indistinct, and even the fluttering military flags had lost their color.

The heavy, humid air made it hard for him to breathe.

Rain became the entirety of life. All sounds in the Knights' barracks were absorbed by the endless sound of rain—conversations, drills, even footsteps… The world was left with only a monotonous and stubborn sound.

The guards on duty, clad in heavy oilcloth cloaks, stood like silent statues at their posts. Those remaining in the barracks weren't much better off. Arnoni's company, unable to go out for training, could only sit around on their bunk beds, wiping and maintaining their weapons and armor again and again, using soft cloths soaked in oil to combat the potential rust caused by moisture.

The movements were mechanical and slow, interspersed with a few complaints.

They complained about the damned weather, their aching muscles, and how Northrum and the King were holding a welcoming ceremony for the saint in this weather. They complained that the legendary strongest hero of the Ice Knights wasn't staying in Salvarishien and was instead coming to the capital to do something. As a result, their company, which should have been on rest, couldn't get a proper rest and had to pretend to maintain their weapons in the barracks, waiting for a possible but most likely nonexistent transfer order.

In a corner of the room, several soldiers sat around a flickering oil lamp, their maintenance tools long since put down, but their heads were still very close together.

A thin soldier lowered his voice, the rustling sound blending into the rain, almost imperceptible unless you listened carefully, "I heard that this welcoming ceremony... our leader here doesn't like the newcomers, and it seems like he's preparing to give them a hard time."

The burly soldier opposite him nearly knocked over the oil jug in front of him. He quickly steadied himself, glanced around, and lowered his voice even further, "Where did you hear this nonsense? That old geezer has such audacity; he's a saint!"

"Believe it or not," the thin soldier said, pursing his lips. "My fellow villager works under the royal court's etiquette officer, and he said the royal court is strangely strict about procedures... clearly they don't want that person to be too glamorous. Think about it, if they really wanted to welcome that person, why would they choose such a rainy day for the welcoming ceremony?"

The silent veteran beside him snorted coldly. He took a piece of cloth and vigorously rubbed a spot on the blade. "The big shots up there are arm wrestling, and it's us who are busy. Besides, let's not talk about this kind of thing. There was a guy in the next company who got drunk and praised the new guy in a tavern, and he was taken away and hasn't been heard from since."

The gaunt soldier chuckled. "I think it's more than just flattery."

"...Hmph." The old soldier said nothing more, only silently wiping his sword.

Arnoni sighed. He knew perfectly well who his colleagues were referring to in their veiled discussions.

These past few days, even a lowly soldier like him has keenly sensed that the deep waters of the capital are becoming increasingly murky. Invisible undercurrents are churning, stirring up even those of them, the mud at the very bottom, leaving them no peace.

That important figure had indeed made a name for himself in the lower city, and according to a letter from his god-sister who stayed at the orphanage, the few orphanages Arnoni had been secretly supporting had recently received a great deal of genuine care from him. This kindness made Arnoni feel a quiet sense of gratitude towards the important figure he had never met.

If given the chance, he really wanted to meet the other person in person and thank him personally. Unfortunately, the camp was filled with miscellaneous tasks, and the sudden increase in security during this sensitive period kept him firmly pinned to the spot, unable to move an inch. In the end, he could only ask Ryan, who was staying at his home, to look after the children in the neighborhood.

A clap of thunder boomed, and the candlelight in the camp flickered a few times before being completely extinguished by the cold wind carrying rain that seeped in through the window cracks.

Darkness, like a tidal wave, engulfed everything.

Arnoni's vision was plunged into absolute darkness, with only the pale white imprint of the lightning flash remaining on his retina.

A few seconds later, as his vision began to adjust to the sudden darkness, all he could see were the weapons in his colleagues' hands, gleaming with a cold, eerie light, moving slowly through the darkness.

In the darkness, someone spoke first, "...I, I'm a little homesick."

After a brief pause, as if to explain this sudden weakness, the soldier hurriedly added, his voice particularly clear amidst the rain.
"In the letter my mother sent me, she said that the new official personally brought a lot of food to the elderly people living in the old town and slums. I heard there were also incredibly expensive magical items... which he distributed to the neighbors as if they were free..."

The thunder rumbled away behind the clouds, leaving only his increasingly low sobs.

“...I...I don’t want such a good saint as him to suffer losses here.”

"What good is thinking about it?"

It was the old soldier's voice. Arnoni remembered that he had served longer than any of his colleagues present... and was even said to be a founding member of the Iceflower Knights.

"What can we do? Even if we tie up all the guards in the entire barracks, would that be enough for the Knights' hero to make three moves?"

Someone muttered under their breath, "They can't even beat Instructor Meluse, who only has one arm... What nonsense."

These words plunged the barracks into an even deeper silence.

Yes, they were just ordinary soldiers, so insignificant in the face of true power. A casual, forceful slash from the heroes was enough to split the entire training ground in two, leaving a bottomless ravine... and the strongest and most outstanding warrior among them could only cleave a rock as tall as a person with a two-handed greatsword.

In the suffocating silence, Arnoni blinked, his lips trembling involuntarily. Before he could react, the words had already slipped out.

"Really...you can't do anything?" Feeling the weight of the many gazes upon him, Aroni was momentarily speechless. He paused, then said hesitantly, "Do you...you still truly believe in the Supreme God?"

Click.

The moment those words were spoken, someone braced their body against the wooden door of the barracks, and almost simultaneously, another soldier grabbed a thick cotton quilt and quickly sealed the window that was constantly letting in the cold wind.

The howling wind stopped abruptly.

“These days, I met a believer in the God of War… He told me about another possibility, a new possibility that we can create with our own hands.”

"Ah!"

In an old house in the slums of the lower city, Ryan suddenly sneezed loudly. He rubbed his itchy nose, his short red hair swaying with the movement, and looked at the window that was barely sealed shut by damp wooden planks... Cold raindrops still stubbornly seeped in through the cracks.

A warm hand then gently covered his forehead.

It's Chloe.

Her short, sea-blue hair shone like a bay under the moonlight in the dim light. The Sea God Warrior tilted his head slightly, feeling the warmth of her forehead, and gently pressed his other hand against his own forehead to compare. He smiled faintly, "...How strange...Our invincible Crimson Lion of Creteia can also fall ill?"

"How can it be."

Ryan grasped her wrist, his grip firm yet skillfully controlled so as not to hurt her. "It must be that brat Arnoni complaining that I'm pushing him too hard."

"That's really ruthless,"

Chloe not only let him hold her, but also squeezed back, rubbing Ryan's rough palm. "Normally, there's no such thing as training like this. You and I didn't go through this process back then either."

"Times have changed. How could he possibly get Boss Ares's attention in such a short time without training like crazy?"

Ryan felt a little ticklish from being touched and let go of her hand, but she persisted and grabbed it again. "His indomitable tenacity and pure heart are definitely something that will catch Boss Ares's eye."

Chloe smiled gently, glancing at the leaking window cracks. "This rain... looks like it'll continue for a while. I've made special arrangements for areas prone to flooding, and Mirad and Lorenz have also gone to help repair the leaks in the roof... But are you sure you want to keep it from them?"

“Let’s continue for another week, overshadowing that brat Mirad’s welcoming ceremony. Since he wants to turn against the upper echelons there, the momentum we create for him needs to be big enough. With you here, the residents of the lower city will be safe, I trust you.”

"Mm." Chloe nodded gently.

Ryan turned his head and looked at his partner, who remained calm and gentle even in the dim light. The lines on his resolute face softened a little, and his voice became lower, "These past few days... you've had a hard time."

Chloe chuckled at his words, then clenched her fists and spun them around on Ryan's forehead. Ryan mimicked the pain with a contorted expression. "Heh... now you know how to say that? Who was it that stubbornly refused to bring me to Rescadeer back then?"

"It was me, it was me, it was my fault!"

Ryan immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, "I know I was wrong! Hero of the Sea God, please stop!"

"Forgive you."

Chloe rubbed Ryan's forehead, the spot she had just rubbed with her fist, and pouted childishly, breathing warm air into it a few times.

A brief silence spread amidst the sound of rain.

She raised her eyes, her gaze gentle. "Regarding the monsters... you still don't want to change your stance?"

Ryan's Adam's apple bobbed as he avoided the other's clear gaze. "...Hmm. Maybe things will change later...but for now, I just want to do things my way."

He paused, "I'm not like you, I can let go... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up."

Chloe's fingertips lingered for a moment, then softened into a caress before gently falling. "...It's alright. Just like we agreed, I'll always be there for you, support you, and stand behind you."

She turned her gaze to the window, where she seemed to see the endless rain outside through the dark, rain-soaked wooden planks.

Her response was so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the rain.

(End of this chapter)