Chapter 31: Nothing Special Part 4

As my sister said, volunteer work wasn’t an easy task.

The place we were volunteering at was a free meal service run by the church.

My sister came once a month to volunteer, but it seemed the church opened it every day. Usually, church members would come out to help.

“Are you really okay?”

She asked me this several times while I worked, just like she did on the bus earlier. It was mostly when I carried heavy food supplies.

To be honest, I didn’t look that strong on the outside. I wasn’t particularly weak, but it didn’t seem like I could carry heavy bags or boxes weighing several kilograms either.

However, when I lifted bags or boxes full of potatoes several times and moved them, my sister’s jaw dropped.

I guess it’s true. Even I find it amazing. 

I’ve been working out, but I haven’t built a lot of muscle.

Still, being able to exert strength like this, as I did back in the days when I was a warrior…..having strength far beyond the average adult male….must mean the goddess’s blessing is still with me, even in this world where magic is limited.

“You don’t have to worry so much. I may look like this, but I’m strong.”

When I said that and showed her a few more times that I could lift heavy things, my sister stopped asking me the same question.

Even the pastor was staring at me in surprise, so I could easily imagine how unusual I must have looked.

The main meal was curry. The side dishes were rolled omelet, kimchi, quail egg stew, and small pudding for dessert.

The amount of food I ate was similar to what I ate when I was a warrior. It was like a side effect of gaining this kind of strength.

Of course, it was bearable. In this world, I didn’t have to worry about starving, and on the other hand, I often had to use my strength, so it was fine.

But when the smell of curry wafted, I couldn’t help but get hungry.

Fortunately, I had eaten a hearty breakfast, so there was no disaster of my stomach growling in front of my sister. That kind of thing only happened once, and that was enough.

“Can I have more, please?”

Not everyone who came during the volunteer work was kind. Just like there are good and bad people among the wealthy, there are good and bad people among the less fortunate as well.

“I’m sorry, but if you take too much, there won’t be enough for the people behind you.”

But luckily, I was used to such people. 

I’ve never worked a paid part-time job, but I’ve done this kind of work several times over the last five years.

– Of course, back then, things were much worse. The reactions of the people who complained were even harder to bear.

At a free meal service, I wasn’t handing out food….I was rescuing civilians swept away by the Demon King’s army.

Naturally, by the time I arrived, it was always too late. The difference between arriving early or late was only a matter of saving a few more or fewer people.

Even if I did save people, they would shout at me, “If only you had come a little earlier…!”

They’d lost their children or their loved ones.

Not just their lives, but right in front of their eyes…

It took me a long time to endure those voices.

They weren’t bad people—they were just pitiful people who had lost something and were searching for the reason why. I couldn’t turn them away lightly.

A warrior is hope itself. A person like me, who rescues others, could not show tears or anger in front of those people. That’s why, after such incidents, I would quietly enter my tent. I’d curl up and pray to the goddess, and that would calm me a little.

There were my companions as well. Kalia would pretend not to notice when I was struggling, and if I couldn’t take it, she would deal with people herself. As the second daughter of a noble family and the leader of a knight order, she was far better at dealing with these situations than I was.

Fia would pat my back, and Dana would try to distract me by drawing my attention elsewhere.

Arna… well, when I was struggling mentally, Arna would be struggling too. I realized then how heavy the position of a warrior really was.

So, when I had to face someone who was demanding something, it felt easier. Some arrogant barons and viscounts who thought that just because I was a warrior, I had to sacrifice everything for them. Common thieves who were after supplies.

Even regular people who thought that, because I was a warrior, I had to take their anger for them.

In fact, the best way to deal with these people was to talk them down, persuade them, and try to calm them. 

…..But, even though I look like this now, I was once a warrior.

“If it’s lacking, it’s your fault for not preparing enough! If you don’t want to run and get more supplies, what was the point of me coming early? I don’t care if the people behind you don’t get enough.”

“…..”

I silently stared at the person who had just spoken like that.

There’s such a thing as aura.

It’s something you don’t feel from ordinary people, but knights who’ve undergone systematic training, or warriors from distant mountains, can send a kind of killing intent with their gaze.

Of course, it’s not like they literally shoot something…..it’s about evoking a deep sense of fear in the other person’s instincts. It can stir up not just fear, but other subtle emotions as well. 

You might show a ridiculous side of yourself or display the dignity of a hero.

With such an aura, it’s possible to move people’s hearts or, in some ways, ‘persuade’ them.

It’s not magical power…..it’s just expressing what you want to through your expression, posture, slight movements, and the situation around you.

“What’s with the look…?”

The person who was speaking froze.

At that moment, their pupils contracted, and their face turned a little pale. The hand holding the tray started shaking.

Clearly, I was shorter than them in terms of height. I was younger, and I was even a woman while they were a man.

But instinctively, they must have felt something was off.

They must have realized why they were scared of me.

But people never fight alone with just their bodies. Whatever you’re holding in your hand can be used as a weapon.

Especially in a world like this, it’s not common to fight for your life. Just showing that you’re prepared to kill your opponent can be enough to intimidate them.

“Sir.”

As I showed my aura, my focus was briefly distracted by a voice from the side.

It was my sister.

“We always prepare enough materials. This is your first time, right?”

“Ah, uh, yeah, but…?”

The man, still confused, opened his mouth a few times but eventually turned away and hurriedly left.

“Are you alright?”

My sister whispered as she gently approached me.

“People like that show up from time to time. But, that guy was a bit more subdued than usual…”

…Probably because I had intimidated him first.

“……”

Had I gone too far?

I didn’t want to hurt anyone. The reason I came to this world was to save people, not to kill them.

But the reality was much more complicated and harsh. No matter how much I thought that way, if the other person didn’t think the same, that’s how it ended.

So, whenever that kind of situation arose, I would first use my aura to scare them. If they didn’t surrender after that, I’d neutralize them without killing them and hand them over to the kingdom’s soldiers.

Because they had been captured by the ‘hero,’ it was nearly impossible for anyone to cover for them. They had already been judged once by the goddess’s chosen one.

That habit almost came out again this time.

“But there are plenty of people who thank you. Not everyone is like that… I just want you to think that way.”

My sister said with a smile and returned to her spot.

“…..”

….Yes.

Even when I was in that other world, there were people who were grateful to me.

And that’s why I could continue forgiving them.

I suppose the people here are the same.