Chapter 149

Chapter 149

As we returned to the Temple, I felt a strong sense of foreboding come over me. It was a relief Deb hadn’t run away and stayed with me.

Actually, I didn’t feel relieved at all.

“You came back early.”

Sir Archmage, please, instead of trying to train me or whatever, take care of him first. Low self-esteem was supposed to be part of my setting, so why was Deb like that?!

“You!”

“Is your cheek... alright?”

“Huh?”

Fortunately, the party members didn’t miss the bruise on Deb’s cheek. The Inquisitor’s reaction was especially strong.

“Did you, uhm, get caught stealing?!”

Hey.

“...”

Meat dumpling, why are you just staying silent? Usually, he’d say something like, ‘Are you joking, you iron wall?!’ or, ‘What do you take me for?!’

“Inquisitor.”

“Ah, erm. I didn’t mean it like that...”

“Inquisitor.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“Young hunter, who hit you?”

“...This is nothing.”

“Ah, did you hit them back?”

The Archmage scolded the Inquisitor, and Bers casually asked Deb some questions. Deb neither confirmed nor denied anything.

“Just what happened...? First, let’s treat your wound. Inquisitor, please take care of him. And Demon Knight, do you know what happened?”

The Archmage turned to me, his face filled with worry. It was the question I wanted them to ask the most but also found the hardest to answer.

I had no idea how to balance not breaking character and giving a detailed explanation.

“Why are you asking me instead of him?”

But I had to answer somehow! In a way that wouldn’t negatively impact Deb!

I was desperately wracking my brain.

“Because it doesn’t seem like he’ll say anything.”

Ah, right! The important thing here was to clarify that it wasn’t Deb’s fault, right? Then...!

“Then go ask the guilty ones why they hit him.”

That should at least clear up the Inquisitor’s misunderstanding. He was already getting treated.

“The guilty ones...”

“What? You didn't kill them?”

“What exactly happened? It doesn't seem like it was your fault.”

“...I told you, it was nothing. I just... got caught up in something. Anyway, I'm tired. Can I go rest?”

“Aah, of course. If you’re tired, you should rest.”

“I'm done with the treatment. The swelling will go down soon, so there's nothing to worry about.”

As soon as the Inquisitor finished her sentence, the meat dumpling headed to the inner part of our lodging.

“Is this my room?”

“Yes, it is.”

With that, he disappeared into his room. Those who remained in the living room all fell silent.

Only Bers seemingly had a question mark floating over her head, while the others broke into a sweat.

Me? Of course, I was also sweating bullets. Internally.

“Erm, what should I do? I said something bad.”

“Inquisitor...”

“I really didn't mean it like that...”

“Apologize to him later.”

“Yes...”

“But more importantly, I have no idea how this happened. Really. Just what did he get caught up in?”

“Didn’t he just get into a fight with some thugs?”

“Hmm. Maybe. He was holding a cloak... We did hear that the people here didn’t like those with green hair, but for them to randomly assault travelers?”

The Archmage quickly regained his composure.

Despite feeling slightly regretful, he seemed to realize there wasn’t much he could do and concluded he’d have to go to the guards for answers.

That was the most realistic action he could take.

“If I catch those guys, I’ll break their spines.”

“Don’t do that. Turn them over to the guards. What good will personal revenge do?”

“Berserk doesn't care.”

Bers, on the other hand, had resolved to take physical revenge. I felt like I should somehow prevent her from doing that.

As the Archmage said, personal revenge wouldn’t do any good. Besides, Deb probably didn't get beaten up because he lacked strength but because his past had come back to haunt him somehow.

“Uhm...”

“What is it, Inquisitor?”

“Aren't we supposed to meet the young lord after preparing...?”

“Ah.”

“B-But can we just leave him alone like that...?”

The Archmage glanced at everyone, his eyes trembling slightly. He seemed rather reluctant to leave Deb alone.

“Hmm.”

However, who in our party could stay behind to look after Deb?

Given my character setting, I was likelier to isolate myself and brood over my own worries than comfort others. The Inquisitor was inexperienced with personal relationships, as seen earlier when she scolded him instead of expressing concern.

Then what about Bers? She seemed surprisingly considerate, but... Well, hmm...

“Hmmm...”

Having also reached that realization, the Archmage put his hand against his forehead.

He let out the sigh of someone who knew that sending just us three to meet the young lord would spell disaster. For that reason, he couldn’t bring himself to volunteer to stay behind.

“It’s just one person missing, and our group’s social skills...”

I-I’m sorry. If I hadn’t decided to play this kind of character, maybe things wouldn’t be like this... B-But this wasn’t just my fault; it was the others’, too.

“Berserk, could you... Erm, stay behind and take care of...”

“Hm? Ah! You want me to help the young hunter regain his strength??”

“...Please, just call Weapon Master.”

“Haha! There’s no need to call my sister! Don’t worry! I’ll handle it!”

So, she tidied up the table, prepared some cutlery and bowls for the food that would arrive soon, and even brought out some snacks the young hunter seemed to like.

And just as the food arrived.

Knock, knock.

She knocked on the door.

“Are you sleeping?”

If he was still asleep, this could be a bit troublesome. Just letting him sleep might be better than waking him up, though.

“Pardon me.”

But there was also the possibility that he was simply ignoring her. She gently opened the door.

As someone who specialized in stealth, his breathing while asleep and while awake were perfectly even, making this necessary.

It was hard to tell just by his presence whether he was asleep.

“...This.”

When she opened the door, the sight before her was anything but good.

“Urgh!”

What did it mean when someone was strangling themselves in their sleep?

“Wake up, young hunter!”

At the very least, it was definitely nothing good.

“Young hunter!!”

The calm amber hue of her eyes instantly changed to one of desperation.

* * *

“They think people are slowly forgetting! So they came here to deal with us this time?! Do they think I wouldn’t have figured it out?!”

When we finally arrived at the manor, a group of people was gathered in front of it. At the center was the one who—presumably—punched Deb in the face earlier.

“I saw it clearly! Clearly!”

If I told anyone that this was the guy who’d hit our tender meat dumpling, I would break character. I knew that, but...

Ah, I just wanted to hit him once.

“They seem to be protesting.”

“So it would appear. I’m not sure of the reason, though...”

I stared intently at the person yelling loudly. Maybe because I put some force into my gaze, he turned his head toward us and then froze.

When the loudest person stopped, the others grew confused and turned to look at us. They all kindly shut their mouths.

“Um, Sir Archmage, those people suddenly went quiet after looking at us. Is something wrong?”

“...Perhaps they are just being considerate, not wanting to be too noisy?”

The Archmage seemed to have a rough idea that I was the cause but decided not to explain it fully.

After all, ‘They went quiet because they were intimidated by the Demon Knight behind us’ wasn’t really something he should say, especially in front of this group.

“What brings you here...?”

“Didn’t you hear about the Temple sending envoys?”

“Ah! You must be them! Please wait a moment. I will inform those inside.”

In any case, if we could just enter the manor quietly, that would be enough.

As the butler came out to greet us, I took one last look at the protesters—this was an entirely personal threat, but what was I supposed to do? Our meat dumpling got hurt, after all—and followed the group into the castle.

Despite the current drought, a lush garden full of flowers and trees unfolded before us.

Compared to the withered grass outside the manor, this garden was almost bizarrely vibrant.

“Is it magic?”

“It doesn’t seem like it...”

Recalling what we heard at the restaurant, this might be the work of the young lord. We’d been told the fields would flourish after just a single visit from the young lord.

“The young lord personally tends to these plants.”

The butler who’d come out to greet us quietly explained this phenomenon.

Apparently, the young lord had a hobby of growing various plants, and anything his hand touched would grow beautifully and vibrantly. This corroborated what the restaurant owner had said.

“Is it a talent...?”

“I don’t think this can be explained by just talent...”

Amazing. With such an ability, he could get a landscaping license, start a farm, and easily create a successful business.

I couldn’t keep anything green, even a succulent, alive in my room!

Reflecting on my own condition, for which my colleagues had dubbed me the ‘Hand of Death’, I recalled how one of them kept a cherry tomato plant on one side of his room and would eat its fruit fresh.

The young lord of Ednium could probably also do something like that. Haah. I felt so envious, envious, I tell you!!

“Isn’t that gilding my name a bit too much?”

“Young Lord.”

I couldn’t congratulate others on their wonderful talent without feeling envious and jealous.

Just as my heart started turning black with jealousy, someone approached us. It was someone so stunningly beautiful that it made my jaw drop.

I had thought Outlaw of the Montata Islands was this world’s pinnacle of beauty, but it appeared that someone had surpassed her.

“Welcome to Ednium. I am Leon of Ednium.”

Wow, some people really were just born with everything. I decided to cease my petty jealousy—I was only joking, after all—and accepted his greeting.

I ignored the sudden itch in my right arm.

“Greetings, Young Lord.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Leon.”

Ah, by the way, when I said I accepted his greeting, I didn’t mean I did it. The Inquisitor and the Archmage did.

“The honor is mine, meeting the chosen Hero and the esteemed Sage of the Magic Tower. And...”

As always, I simply remained silent in the background, not even bothering to acknowledge his existence with a nod.

I had never done so before, and no one ever complained, so it didn’t particularly matter.

“He is the Demon Knight.”

“Ah, I have heard of you. You are the renowned Demon slayer, yes? It is an honor.”

However...

“Smells fishy...”

“What?”

“Never mind. Welcome.”

I tried to mentally trace the shape of his lips as he muttered those words—it had been so soft, almost like a wind’s whisper.

A fishy smell...?

A fishy smell?

Did I still smell?!?!?

____