This Hero is Sleeping!
Chapter 4 3: Elric Wald Plays

Two weeks had passed since Elric was found to be awake.

Two weeks and four days had passed since everyone in class 2-1 died. In the time that had passed, the people of the Ephis Church continued to treat them all with great care. They educated the students on the ways of the world, taught them to use their skills, and helped them develop their stats.

From magic to swordsmanship, the church in Zarak was well equipped to teach the kids everything and anything that they could need. Unfortunately, though, the otherworldly heroes chosen by the gods were not just any kids. It didn't take long for them with their superior skills and innate talent to pick up on most practical skills.

Elric's hand rested on the sill of the window in his room. His hair swayed lightly in the breeze as he gazed down at one such group taking the practice of these skills to a different scale that he couldn't have imagined back at home.

Seven templars wearing black leather armor took low stances with wooden swords in their hands. They stood in a formation, circling one single red-haired boy in their center. A bulky man with a scar running down his face watched the sight from the side with some other faces that looked like those of the students from his world.

"Go!" One of the templars screamed.

The encirclement of seven jumped into action. They all raised their swords and charged at the boy in the center.

A glint of light blinded Elric.

When he opened his eyes again, all seven of them had fallen over.

The others standing down there clapped, but the culprit of the sight treated it as if it were natural.

Claude, the swordsman who had taken down seven others in a flash, walked back to the bulky man and stood quietly.

"Hey! Are you planning on skipping training, Micheal!" The bulky man called out to another student who was walking away and dragged him back to the field.

Elric's eyes met with the man's below, but he didn't receive even a nod. He put up the fluttering strands of hair on his ears and walked away from the window.

His face remained blase as his light weight fell on the feathery mattress with an oomph. Elric closed his eyes, but after sleeping for two weeks straight, he was feeling pretty awake.

For the two weeks, the child had simply slept his days away. Not a single member of the church came to bother Elric with his abnormally low stats, and not a single of his classmates had ever talked to him so they never mustered the courage to come and say hey.

Maybe if he had a roommate like the rest of the students, he would have been disturbed a bit and had still been sleepy, but a few sisters and his classmates took objection to let him sleep with another guy.

Turns out, the church was not very open with matters that required maturity, so they found it "preposterous" for him to sleep in the same room as a guy.

He was a guy too, though.

As he was lost in thought, two knocks rang on his door. It was a familiar sound that he had heard many times over the two weeks.

His favorite moment when he wasn't asleep was the knocking on the door.

Food had come.

Elric tried his best to suppress the childish grin on his face as he skipped over to the door and pulled it open. Like always, the lower-ranked sisters of the church had left him food outside the door, completely against bothering him. As he bent down to pick up the plate, the sound of some people chatting from the sides reached his ears.

"Head-Priest, I hope you understand that the matters regarding the heroes do not concern a single country."

"Y-yes, certainly, general. Do not worry, the church will ensure a small kingdom like Epheseal can't intervene in these matters. It is integral to the future that the heroes be nurtured well."

Elric picked up his food and turned around.

"The Hero Claude… I am looking forward to seeing him—Oh? Who is this?"

At that moment, the eyes of the armored man fell on the beautiful person walking into a room with a plate of food. The man with streaks of white hair flowing through his neatly trimmed hair walked closer to the retreating child, his mythrite armor glistened red as his imposing figure closed in.

Sweat dripped from the head priest's forehead. Worst timing.

"Hello, Otherworlder—"

A slam sounded out.

General Volfram of the Empire, one of the key military and political figures of the world, had a door shut to his face.

"Did that just…"

"… Yes."

***

Elric's days continued with relaxation and ease. He would sleep most of the day, and eat at other times, when he was up during the daytime, he would peek out the window and watch people train, and if he couldn't sleep at night, he would sneak out of his room.

Even though he was stuck inside at all times, curiosity got the better of him now and then, and he would hide behind the marble pillars or sneak into the library. His lifestyle of lazing around at the expense of some random religious folk of another world continued without any hiccups for two more weeks.

On a certain spring night, around one month after the death of the students of Class 2-1, Elric was yet again sneaking out of his room in the night.

The soft breeze came flooding in from the sides as he walked over the stone passageways on the ground floor of the church. The white paint of the walls on the left and the pillars on the right were tinted with a hue of blue under the glow of the full moon. His body barely weighed anything, and having left his boots back in the room, Elric's footsteps were barely as loud as the rustling of the leaves in the courtyard.

'Ninja… If it's a different world, I can be a real ninja and no one can object.'

Elric's thoughts were interrupted when he heard light footsteps and giggles creaking closer. Some of the sisters working in the night were approaching from the other end of the passage.

Still in the mood to play ninja, he rolled on the ground and stuck himself against the wall. Elric held his breath and tried his best to "remove his presence," whatever that was, and waited.

The footsteps grew louder.

It was tough to hold his breath, so Elric just ignored that part.

A shadow appeared on the path in front of him. Two sisters clad in their black gowns appeared in the corner of his vision.

"Sir Claude is very dashing, don't you think?"

"I hear he can already use Sword Arts and Fire Magic! In just a month!"

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom The two sisters giggled and talked about someone as they passed by. Elric stood on his toes and tried to stick as close to the wall as he could.

"The goddess truly favors him! Even General Volfram replaces Sir Claude to be the most talented reincarnator to have ever come here."

"Do you think he would be wed off to the Empire?"

"Isn't it settled? It might only not be an option if he insults the gods or something, hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

"What about Sir Devon and Eugene…"

Elric let out a sigh of relief as the two passed him by without noticing him. This had never worked back home! Was the place just wide, or had he truly become a ninja?

Then, Elric's eyes fell in front of him.

Out in the courtyard of the church, it stood there. On all fours. Its tongue lolling out and its ears drooping down. The eyes of the dog peered straight into Elric's own.

'Wha! This is no time to relax!!'

Elric froze in place as he thought of his next actions. It should be safe as long as he keeps hiding. The dog will stay quiet, and the ones that just passed by won't notice him.

Elric continued staring at the dog as he shook his head from side to side, staying as quiet as he could.

Unfortunately, the derpy creature in front of him only grew more excited with each shake of his head.

The dog opened its mouth.

'No, no, no, no! Stupid mutt!'

Its eyes, like black buttons, flickered as its breathing grew fast.

And then.

"WOOF!! WOOF!"

The two sisters turned around immediately at the sounds. Behind them, a furry dog with a cartoonish face was gnawing at the footboard of the passageway as it jumped and barked.

"Oh dear," one sister said as she saw the place the dog barked at. She walked up to the dog and shooed it away. "Go! Don't bark at the statue room!"

"Woo…f"

The two sisters sighed at the dog and went back on their way under the moonlit night.

***

For the first time in one month, the door in Elric Wald's room had visitors that stood in place after knocking on it.

The priests and templars standing outside expected they would have to cave the door in after hearing of Elric from the head priest, but to their surprise, the door opened up on its own.

Standing there with lustrous auburn hair and piercing silver eyes was an androgynous beauty. Elric's casual motion of covering his mouth while yawning and pushing his hair behind his ears made the ones outside stop and gulp in admiration. It was only after he titled his head to the side did the priest in front collect himself enough to speak.

"Reincarnator Elric Wald… We would like you to come with us to the church's courtyard,"

"W-why is that…?" Elric asked back, avoiding the priest's gaze.

"Someone… has smashed the statue of the Goddess."