Shinka no Mi

Chapter 50 – Hero

There a picture of me sitting astride a dignified Rurune in donkey form, in a pose similar to Napoleon’s.

…………The heck is this.

Furthermore, I don’t even have a hood on.

Black eyes and hair are casually drawn in. Ever since I came to the capital, I have yet to see anyone else with black hair and eyes, so no matter how I think about it, that’s me in the picture. Rurune’s drawn exactly the way she looks too.

…… Is there a chance that the hood came off without me noticing? That’s impossible ……

Or so I thought, but thinking back again it took all I had just to keep both my hands on Rurune’s leash, given how wildly she was moving, I realised it was possible that I couldn’t keep my hood on.

…… If so then what was all my struggle till now for……?

Well, having black hair and eyes is rare, but I’ve confirmed that it’s not impossible to have, so that’s not really the problem.

That’s right, the biggest problem is ――――

“Wha-what a gallant figure……”

“Aah……This is indeed the figure of a hero in a fairy tale……”

“He’s so gallant that I’m falling I’m love, so cool……”

――――The figure of me riding on Rurune, is glorified to an abnormal degree.

The drawing was so ridiculously good looking and dignified that it looked like it would give out a sound effect like “Kiri !!” (TLC : Kinda like shing, or something)

………

Who the heck are you?!

I mean I know I got a little thinner, but?! The heck? That uselessly excessive beautification! I was drawn as an insanely good looking guy!

…… Ah, is it possible that it wasn’t me, but some other dude who was the model?

If I think about it carefully, there’s no way I would be chosen as a model right? By coincidence, there might have been a good looking guy who has black hair and black eyes who just happened to be riding a donkey that looks like Rurune.

I see, if I think like that, I can accept it.

But a good looking dude riding a donkey …… man, there sure are some strange people out there!

『Well then May-san, please go ahead and explain your piece.』

『Ye-yes……This picture is a drawing of a particular person, who was the one to give me the courage to enter this competition. This person is an amazing person who entered the Royal Cup last month with a donkey and won first place. That moment when he won, was a view unforgettable to me even now.』

It really is me after aalllllllllllllllllllll?!

I collapsed on the spot.

She even said last month’s Royal Capital Cup! There’s no one else other than me who won riding a donkey! There’s no way to escape this!

First of all, there aren’t any hot guys who’d pose coolly riding on donkeys anyway!

To me who has already suffered great damage, May carried on with her merciless assault.

『I see……So, what is the name of this piece of art?』

『Its name is 【Hero】!』

STAAHHP! I’ll die of embarrassment you know?!

It wasn’t just the embarrassment, but also the crushing sense of guilt! I’m sorry! That I am this kind of hero!

As I pulled my hood on further, twisting my body in shame, Saria called out.

“Seiichi’s cool isn’t he!”

“Yeah…. He’s cool.”

Go see an eye doctor! Or rather, you guys have already seen my true face, haven’t you?!

“As expected of Master. Heroic enough to make people fall in love.”

“What kind of comment is that!”

I unintentionally retorted to Rurune’s comment、but I immediately felt embarrassed afterwards.

What kind of embarrassment play is this ……!

But, leaving aside the matter of my face, I think that May’s drawing is really great.

In this world, there’s no one that should know of the iconic painting of Napoleon, so May’s painting is probably made from painting what she’s seen and felt.

But the thing that’s different from Napoleon’s painting is that it’s not of climbing mountains, but rather of kicking wolves around!

As I was half falling into despair, Leon, the judge, calmly opened his mouth.

『――――Splendid.』

Please spare me already.

Hearing Leon-san’s spoken word, I thought so from the bottom of my heart.

『The placement of the person, pose, and the surrounding environment……Taking everything into consideration, absolutely perfect. With this alone, I can tell that you are overflowing with talent.』

『Su-such……』

『However, your rough use of colours stands out. But, that just means there is still room for growth. May-san, I hope you continue to make such wonderful art from now on.』

『! Ye-yes!』

May, who received a high evaluation from Leon-san, had a huge smile on her face.

『――――With this, the art showcase has ended. From here on, Leon-sama will choose the winner. He’ll take some time for consideration so the announcement will be in 30 minutes.』

Upon hearing the announcement, the people gathered in the hall began to scatter off for breaks.

And so, Clay and May ended the art showcase without any problems.

The result was, May was selected as the winner, and Clay took the runner-up.

At that time, May was so overjoyed that she cried, and Clay gave honest praise to her work.

After all, that’s said and done, Clay is a good guy in the end. He’s good looking, too.

While thinking that, I headed over to where May and Clay were.

Saria and the others have already returned to the inn, so it’s just me.

While avoiding the crowd, I managed to somehow make it over to Clay and May, and it seems like they also noticed me.

“Hn? Ah, it’s Seiichi.”

“Ah, Seiichi-san!”

“Good work. You both had some amazing art.”

Hearing my honest opinion, May smiled bashfully, and Clay puffed up his chest as though to say it was natural.

“Isn’t that par for the course? I’m the one who drew it after all!”

“You still have your usual confidence, huh. I’d thought you’d be a little more frustrated ……”

When I said so with a wry grin, Clay turned to me with a serious expression and replied,

“I’m frustrated, of course. But, above that, what she……what May drew was amazing. That’s why, in a sense, I’m satisfied.”

“Hmmm……Well, if you’re satisfied by it, then I think that’s fine. Except that, this time’s art contest really made it clear to me, I really can’t understand the thoughts of an artist.”

I mean, I can’t follow what they’re talking about at all.

Even if I think an art piece is good, an artist will examine it from all sorts of different angles …… Really, it makes me feel like a normal person like me is a completely different existence

But, Clay responded to my comment with a shake of his head.

“That’s not right, Seiichi.”

“In the first place, music and art are unnecessary things for us to continue living, and so we, artists, who pursue these are certainly existences that can’t be understood.”

“…..”

“But, when these unnecessary things move people and are understood, that is when our work first becomes 【Art】. Art that cannot be understood by people, no matter how outstanding a piece of work it is, it’s just junk in the end.”

“…..”

“If put that way, my art is just that. After my grandfather told me, I finally realised it. What first hooked me onto drawing was also because my grandfather praised my painting. To be honest, no one else has praised me for my art since. There were people who bought my art only because they were interested in my art as the grandson of my grandfather. There was no one who saw value in my art for itself.”

Clay’s expression as he said those words seemed, for the first time, a little sad.

But in the next instant, it swapped back to the usual expression overflowing with confidence.

“Even if I say that, though, it does not mean I’ll stop drawing, and I’m also proud of what I’ve done so far. After all, the first person to appreciate my work and thereby make it into 【Art】was none other than myself, the one who drew it. Not other people, if I cannot understand it, then it will not be able to become 【Art】, after all.”

I felt a sense of respect toward Clay, as his rational thoughts reached me.

This guy is strong. And him being called a genius, I think that isn’t a mistake.

Then May, who had been standing beside us listening in to the conversation, also seemed to have the same thoughts, and softly murmured under her breath.

“Clay-san……really is amazing.”

“That’s true……”

Not noticing what we were thinking, Clay enthusiastically said,

“Well then, I’m going to have to ask you to excuse me! Now that I know my points needing improvement, I have the urge to pour this feeling onto a canvas right this moment! Then……until next time!”

Saying so, Clay quickly left the area. What an energetic fellow he is……

As the two of us see him off, May turns to face me.

“Um……Seiichi-san. Really, thank you for everything you’ve done!”

“No, I didn’t really do anything, though……”

“That’s not the case at all! Because of you, I was able to gain the courage to appear during this time’s competition, and above all, it is because of what you did, that my painting was completed!”

“……If I was able to be of help to you then that’s great……”

Remembering that picture, my heart sunk back into a state of depression. I’m sorry that your hero is someone like me.

“In any case, thankfully it ended without issue. You were so nervous when you appeared on that stage, that just looking made me feel nervous too.”

“Th-that’s……I’m ashamed.”

As Mei said that, her dog ears shyly flopped down, and her head hung down. Yup, she’s just like a little puppy.

As I was thinking such thoughts, May raised her head to face me, and this time she had a look of determination, much like that of Clay who had left earlier.

“Seiichi-san. I think I’m going to go to the Capital of Art ……【Amuria】to learn about paintings.”

“Amuria?”

“Yes! It is the town where famous artists, like Leon-sama who was the judge for this event, gather. Earlier, Leon-sama asked me if I wanted to go there to further my skills……”

“Ooh! Isn’t that amazing?”

I wonder if this is similar to getting scouted?

Like Clay had said, this seems to be a major art event, so I guess it wouldn’t be strange for such invitations to occur.

“Because of that, I’ll soon be saying my farewells to this town……”

“Ah, is that so……That’ll be kind of lonely.”

“Yes……um, I really cannot thank you enough. In that square, the very first person to buy one of my paintings, and the person who gave me the courage to stand here, all of it was thanks to you. That’s why……”

“That’s wrong. All of it was because of your ability. The reason I bought the painting, the reason for receiving the highest award in the Arts competition, was because your art was amazing. That’s why I think it’s fine to stick your chest out with pride.”

Hearing me say that, May smiled joyfully.

“Then, Seiichi-kun. Could you do me the honour of being the first person I draw after I’ve properly learned how to draw and return from Amuria?”

“Eh? A picture of me?”

……. That wasn’t a double entendre, right?

“Yes! Seiichi-san’s picture!”

“……I feel that a drawing of me would be rather dull, but……but, the thought makes me happy. Then, shall I ask that of you?”

“Yes! Please look forward to it!”

In the end, May had a brilliant smile on her face.

――――That was the beginning of the tale of the two called the【Genius of the Abstract】and the 【Hero of Art】, and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that this piece of art, 【Hero】, would become world famous.