Chapter 2147: Ruby

After meeting with Ruby and her father and learning that he seemed to be working on himself and had already begun to change quite a lot, we moved on. I kind of wanted to have a few more words with him, but it seemed that Ruby preferred to leave him be for now. Honestly, she was being way too nice with her father.

Despite having a rough exterior and a rather sharp first impression, Ruby had a really big heart. She seemed rather forgiving once you looked past the rude surface we had initially assumed she possessed.

At the end of the day she was a big softie more than anything else. Perhaps her mother had been the same, and that gentle nature had simply stuck with her, because I could not imagine marrying a grumpy dwarf man without possessing the patience of a saint.

"Ruby, don't you think you're being too nice with your old man?" Aquarina asked, stealing the exact words from my mouth. I had been about to say the same thing.

"Y-Yeah, I mean, what else can I do? He's my dad. It's not like I'll ever have another one, right?" she sighed quietly. "And if I just fight with him again and tell him to get lost, he might end up killing himself…"

"Ah…" Aquarina fell silent for a moment. "I-I guess I don't have any experience with this kind of situation… sorry… maybe I overspoke."

"No, it's fine," Ruby replied. "It just means you're worried about me, and I appreciate that. Life has changed a whole lot since you girls came here. I still feel bad for treating you so badly back then, though…" She glanced back at me with a slightly guilty expression.

"Ah, yeah, hahaha," I giggled softly.

"What? How did she treat you?" Aquarina asked, looking confused.

"She was very rude and… well, let's just forget about that," I shrugged. "It's not like I hold any grudges against her or anything. She wasn't in the best space mentally at the time, and that's… well, that's that."

Ruby nodded, letting out another sigh as a small, happier look crossed her face. "I'm wondering what to do now… I guess there's a lot left to handle here, but after that…? Should I continue my shop? Or… no, maybe… maybe I should really move out?"

"Well, why wouldn't you come with us?" Aquarina asked her with an encouraging tone. "From what I've learned, you've been living in this mountain your whole damn life. Isn't that a little too much isolation?"

"I'm a dwarf, so I don't feel claustrophobia the way some people would. Dwarves feel at home inside caves and dark places," Ruby laughed lightly, the sound carrying a mix of pride and mild self-consciousness. "But I am also part Oni… and we love to climb, explore new places, and hunt. So maybe… maybe I should go for my other half this time, even though the dwarf side of me might still be a little afraid of the outside world."

"Well, are you afraid?" Aquarina asked her with a kind smile.

"A little bit," Ruby admitted nervously. "But not that much! I'm already kind of ready for anything. I've been training, hunting, leveling up, and growing. I've become more than what I once was. And I feel… more like myself somehow. It's thanks to everyone else. I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere on my own. I kind of want to make the people here proud, though. If they know that a Hero was born in their town, wouldn't they feel happier and prouder of this place?"

"Maybe," I sighed. "Though heroes are just…" I muttered under my breath before stopping myself.

Should I really ruin her moment by getting technical about it?

Yeah, "Heroes" were chosen by the Gods above, which should not be seen as an honor but closer to a curse.

But at the same time there was another meaning. A bearer of hope and justice. Someone that people could always count on when things grew dark.

Even when you removed the whole "getting blessed by gods" part, heroes could not simply be born. They were made through their actions and choices.

At the same time, no matter how many blessings someone might carry, if they were not truly a hero in their heart then they were not one at all.

I sometimes felt like the meaning of that word had changed a lot over the years, but the more I thought about it, the more I believed that was wrong.

The meaning of that word remained ever present in our lives. It was us who gave it a proper meaning, right? Not the gods, nor the spirits, nor anybody else other than the people themselves.

Yeah, it was the people who gave it meaning.

"What?" Ruby asked, noticing my silence.

"No, nothing," I smiled. "You would make the town proud if you became a hero!"

"Yeah, but heroes need feats," Aquarina pointed out. "Are you going to slay a big bad monster or something?"

"I guess that's the only real way I could prove myself, but… well, I'm more of a crafter," Ruby said. "I'll keep your equipment in top condition. Though I feel like Sylphy might be better at that kind of work…"

""Nah," I shook my head firmly, meeting her eyes with all my honesty. "You're better than me, Ruby. I mostly just hurry things up a lot. I have little patience when it comes to careful crafting. I'm sure whatever you make will always turn out better and nicer to look at!"

"Don't undersell yourself like that…" Aquarina sighed, giving me look of disapproval.

"Hahaha, I'm just speaking the truth," I said. "I'm sure she'll do a better job at polishing or even improving my divine weapon and shield, right?"

Ruby's cheeks turned a soft shade of red at my praise, and she quickly looked away while rubbing the back of her neck. "Y-You really think so?

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