I Told You I Went for Work
I Told You I Went for Work
007
Lahel—no, Leona had achieved her goal.
The bizarrely strong boy had nothing to do with her clan's affairs.
Of course, his true identity remained unknown.
The question of what reason brought him to this rural corner was also unresolved.
However, as long as they didn't end up entangled as a result, such curiosity was merely a trivial matter.
Therefore—
"Wow, seriously unbelievable."
Being dumped without a word right in the middle of that formal date was just the same.
After all, the most important matter to her was her clan's business.
"Is that crazy bastard for real...?"
Paying for two meals under the gazes of the crowd in the restaurant where she was dumped alone, since she had plenty of operational funds...
......was similarly not a very important matter.
This was, of course, strictly speaking from her perspective as Leona, a cadre of the Revolutionary Army.
Although it was an excuse for spying to figure out each other's identity and objective...
Regardless, it was the very first date of her life.
"......Son of a bitch."
A reasonably handsome face and polite manners.
The slight sliver of favorable impression created by his skillful speech and way of talking was dragged straight through the mud.
Leona was furious at David (alias).
It held a maiden's pure feelings and a resentment worth 1,120 crowns, tax included.
In truth, at the present moment, the continental system is solid.
Of course, Libert, where dark plots among royal siblings were rampant, and in the process cast out the Hero who was like the kingdom's symbol—
—its internal state couldn't possibly be normal.
The former Hero Party was the same.
It wasn't like a star team without its star player; there was no way a Hero Party without a Hero could function properly.
Usually, when internal political chaos strikes, a monarch turns their eyes outward.
That's why so-called newly crowned emperors and the like act reckless and abruptly declare wars of conquest.
It wasn't because they were bird-brained fools wanting to pour resources and supplies into a tight budget to ruin the country (though such people actually exist).
However, Libert couldn't even choose such an option.
As mentioned above, the former Hero Party must be fucked up by now.
To begin with, taking the Hero out of the Hero Party leaves only the 'Party', and the members of that party were all psychopathic or useless dumbasses.
The warning note written in small print under the halo of the name 'Hero' must have reared its head by now.
※ Caution) Except for the Hero, the rest are fucking useless.
Thus, with the kingdom's strongest force turned into a rabble of useless fools,
Libert couldn't even calm its internal shitshow through something like a war of conquest.
In many ways, it must be a considerable ordeal for them.
Of course, that had nothing to do with me.
"Oh, you're up?"
"I usually wake up around the same time as you, Hero-nim."
"True, you were the only one who showed up for dawn training."
Amelia wiped away the trickling beads of sweat and smiled refreshingly.
Naturally, it wasn't as intense as before, but the former Hero was continuing her training even now.
'......It really makes no sense.'
Since consistency is originally the most important virtue, it would be right to praise Amelia for not letting go of her sword even amidst despair.
However, I couldn't give her purely unadulterated praise.
Did I lack such consistency and desire for self-improvement?
For four years after becoming Deron, I had actually put in even more effort than the Hero.
At the same time, power-ups utilizing prior knowledge from the novel were added to the mix.
Right now, I'm probably more than twice as strong as the original Deron in the novel.
The original Deron was at a level where he couldn't even defeat the idiotic hard-trolling bastard of the former Hero Party.
However—
I cannot defeat Amelia.
That was why my contemplation on whether there was a way to change fate by getting stronger had stopped.
"Would you like to spar once?"
"Huh? What brought this on? You said you wouldn't do it since about two years ago."
Even as Amelia spoke with surprise, her face was willing, yet I still felt fear looking at her.
Of course, Amelia genuinely pursued a fair and honorable sparring match.
She was different from a bitch like Carmilla, who used sparring as an excuse to beat and crush my entire body into pulps.
Yet, I was far more terrified of Amelia than such pain and violence.
Because every time I sparred with her, a very famous maxim popped into my mind.
Know thyself.
Kuuuung─!
"Gkkhhhh...!!!"
A tide-like surge of mana engulfed my entire body.
Since I hadn't spent my time wielding a sword in vain, I was able to block the blade hidden within that flow.
Kuuuk-!
However, under the crushing pressure, my wrist naturally snapped back.
It was a heavy pressure like clashing against a giant's club.
No, having actually faced giants before, it couldn't even be compared to such things.
Gugugugu-!
The surrounding earth vibrated, groaning under the weight currently being applied.
Blood vessels shot through my eyes as internal pressure built up.
In Amelia's eyes as she watched this, a flicker of surprise and concern crossed.
Impressive, you've improved a lot.
Shall we stop here?
In short, that was what her gaze meant.
And my answer to that was delivered with my sword.
Gagagagak-!
Repulsion.
A bizarre screech burst forth as metal and mana ground against each other.
The overwhelming weight crushing down on the blade scattered into the air in a single instant, and the explosively discharged mana formed a shockwave that shattered the ground beneath our feet to pieces.
Kwaaang-!
Cracks stretched out dozens of meters like spiderwebs, and belatedly rising dirt shrouded our vision.
Yet I did not retreat.
My suppressed muscles contracted as if screaming, and the mana flowing through the blood vessels across my entire body swirled with explosive speed.
That all-out counterattack.
At this, Amelia's sword that was crushing down on my world was repelled.
"......Nice?"
Of course, what appeared on her face was merely surprise, not fluster.
Even against my incoming strike, there was only a cheerful laugh.
Amelia, pulling up the corners of her mouth in a wide grin, righted her repelled sword with just a flick of her wrist.
There wasn't even a motion of forcibly pulling back strength.
Naturally recovering its position, that Holy Sword slammed into my strike.
Kaang-!
Uuuuuung-!
With just that single block, I lost control of my sword.
The sword, having lost its master, flew far away and stuck straight into the ground.
Kyaaaaaak─!
......Perhaps a poor True Ancestor was nearby, as a high-pitched scream echoed out.
However, I couldn't care less about such a fact.
"You've gotten a lot stronger, Deron."
"......"
The fact that she uttered those words with absolute sincerity was the frightening part.
Of course, Amelia relied on me greatly on the battlefield.
However, that didn't mean she recognized me as a strong person standing at the same eye level as her.
"Honestly, I was really surprised just now. I can guarantee it. At this level, even based on the entire continent, you'll barely have any equals."
"Is that so?"
"I can guarantee it. Deron, your efforts deserve to be thoroughly rewarded."
"Haha."
All I could give her was human trust.
When it came to talent, the former Hero was a completely flawless human being.
Even if left alone, she would continue to get stronger on her own, so before long she would become the overwhelmingly strongest entity.
Even now, having already realized that fact, I felt a fresh wave of shock.
Overwhelming talent is such an absurdly unfair thing.
Perhaps envy and jealousy toward it were natural as well.
"The guarantee Hero-nim stands by is special though? Back then after causing a huge fuss with that once, you even swore never to write one for anyone—"
"......Don't bring up that story."
However, instead of envy and jealousy, I simply chose to stick to her side.
Second to only one, above tens of thousands.
Even if one were to be a servant, wouldn't it be wiser to be a servant in a nobleman's grand mansion?
".....?"
Therefore, my best course of action wasn't getting stronger myself or anything like that.
Escaping such a shitty ending from the original novel and facing the end of the era in the most right direction—
that is my role in this world that I have clung to.
Sarak-
Hair matted with sweat brushed back with a soft friction sound.
Amelia received that touch while standing completely frozen stiff.
It's necessary to remember once again, but the continent's system is solid.
Of course, that was a story limited to the present moment.
Meaning it would completely change in just a few short years.
The continent would face countless incidents and accidents.
This, of course, considering that this world was inside a novel, was merely a device to show the protagonist Amelia's hardships and growth.
Nothing more, nothing less, but at least from my perspective thrown into this world, it was a matter of survival.
Naturally, Amelia would be perfectly fine amidst those turbulent waves of the world.
Partly due to her strength, but above all because she's the protagonist.
There's no novel that suddenly kills off its protagonist way before reaching the final act (though a few exist, most of them get treated as trash tier kindling).
However, put another way, anyone other than the protagonist could drop dead at any given moment.
For my part, I still couldn't clearly know what form this world was created in.
If this world is still a novel being observed by someone...
Couldn't I end up being used as a sacrifice, acting as a ~device to awaken the protagonist~ like in those common clichés?
Hey, Deron.
Get off the novel.
Meaning I might receive such a death sentence at any given moment.
Therefore, even to dodge that fierce blade, I must prepare various measures.
Of course, the main focus wasn't my own growth.
'Deron' already possessed a talent where, aside from a few trick skills, no further remarkable growth could be expected.
"Oh my~ oppa. You're so handsome~?"
"Wanna come to our shop? Ooh-hoo-hoo. I'll treat you real nice. Mmm~?"
Thus, this place packed with all sorts of lewdness.
A red-light district where prostitutes showed off their respective charms to sell affection.
Velvet Street.
......The reason I came to such a place was also because of that.
"......If I get caught, I'm fucking dead."
I prayed Amelia would stay obediently at home.
If she found out that I, who left claiming to earn money, was in a place like this......
On that very day, Velvet Street might disappear into the back alleys of history.