Chapter 13: Hey, Let's Get Along, Fellow Protagonists (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13: Hey, Let's Get Along, Fellow Protagonists (3)
To get revenge on a friend who borrowed a hefty three million won and never paid it back, I decided to recommend an NTR game to him.
Naturally, to recommend a game, I had to play it first.
And A Knight's Affair was the first NTR game I ever played.
As with all first experiences, A Knight's Affair left the most intense impression on me.
It starts out normally.
Mars, an orphan whose parents were killed by monsters.
After seeing a knight save his village, he dreams of becoming one himself and never slacks off in his training.
By his side was always his childhood friend, Isabelle, who took good care of him.
Honestly, for the first few hours, I played with a relaxed heart.
The fresh, budding romance between Mars and Isabelle, their whole will-they-won't-they story, was quite fun. I forgot it was an NTR game and just enjoyed playing.
Yeah. Forgetting it was an NTR game.
When the NTR part began, it was as if the preceding pure love section was just a setup to make the NTR stand out more. The NTR started pouring down like a storm.
Thanks to that, having let my guard down, I couldn't come to my senses, like someone who'd been hit with a jab, jab, straight, hook!
By the time I snapped out of it, the ending credits were already rolling.
Afterward, I tried my best to get the pure love ending. I wanted to give this poor Mars a happy future. Even though he was just a game character, he was a comrade-in-arms who had laughed and cried with me!
But there wasn't one.
There was no pure love ending.
The true ending is that he dies after saving the city, and the NTR guy who stole the protagonist's fame is hailed as the city's hero.
Holy fucking shit...
Betrayed by a companion...
My past PTSD suddenly flared up, and I almost went to find the game developers. If Leah hadn't stopped me by beating me with a bat, I really would have gone.
Back then, I eventually gave up, holding back tears...
But now it's different. Because now we live on the same continent.
‘Mars, I'll show you what happiness is.’
You have to live happily.
You deserve it, damn it!
I watched Mars, who was still diligently swinging his wooden sword.
Alright, it's great that I found him, but how should I approach him?
It was extremely simple.
“Your form is a mess.”
All I had to do was provoke him.
At my words, Mars stopped swinging his wooden sword and turned to look at me. Naturally, he didn't look pleased.
“Who are you? I don't think I've seen you in the village before.”
“Just a passing adventurer. I was planning to stay in this village for a bit, but I felt sorry for you, struggling in vain, so I thought I'd say something.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You want to be a knight, right?”
“...Who told you that?”
“I just asked, and a villager told me. Why? Was it a secret?”
“It wasn't anything like that...”
“Anyway, you'll never become a knight like that.”
This time, my words seemed to have really gotten to him, as Mars frowned.
“If you're just trying to pick a fight, why don't you just leave?”
“I'm not picking a fight, I'm telling you the reality of it. What? Want me to prove it?”
“...If you can, then do it.”
I could see Mars's eyes burning with fighting spirit.
The NPCs praised him for having eyes full of fighting spirit. So this is what they looked like.
“Alright. Got a spare wooden sword?”
Mars went into his shabby house, brought out a wooden sword, and threw it to me.
It was a crude wooden sword, probably hand-carved because he didn't have the money to buy one.
“Alright then, show me.”
“Come at me. I'll show you why you can't become a knight.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Mars rushed forward and swung his wooden sword diagonally. Seeing it packed with so much force, it seemed my provocation had worked perfectly.
I smirked and moved my own wooden sword.
*
Right now, Mars was in a very bad mood.
Ever since he started dreaming of becoming a knight, he hadn't slacked off for a single day.
He'd wake up in the morning and swing his wooden sword.
After helping the village elders, he'd get a meal and then swing his sword in his spare time.
In the afternoon, he'd help the elders again, get dinner, and then swing his sword until he went to bed.
He didn't stop even when his calluses peeled off and his hands bled.
That's how desperate his desire to become a knight was. But now, some stranger who appeared out of nowhere was belittling all that effort.
Saying he'd never become a knight in his entire life if he kept on like that.
He was angry.
That's why he fell for the obvious provocation and ended up in a duel.
‘He's just an adventurer at best... What I'm dreaming of is so much higher than that!’
To smash that arrogant face, he rushed in and swung his wooden sword. The adventurer reacted, bringing his own sword to meet Mars's.
Then, something strange happened.
Mars's wooden sword, which had clearly been aimed at the adventurer's head, was suddenly hitting the ground.
Thwack!
Before Mars even had a chance to be confused, he felt a heavy pain on the back of his head.
“That's one death. Wanna go again?”
“...I was just careless.”
Mars gripped his wooden sword tightly and charged at the adventurer again. But no matter how many times he charged, the result was the same.
Mars's strikes were deflected and twisted away. He couldn't even graze the adventurer's skin.
So, Mars decided to change his approach.
‘Charging in is pointless. In that case, I'll defend instead.’
Mars took a stance, aiming his wooden sword at the adventurer.
“So that's how you're gonna play it?”
As if he knew exactly what Mars was thinking, the adventurer smirked and approached him.
Unlike Mars, who had rushed in, he walked slowly. His steps were full of leisure. Nevertheless, Mars didn't let his guard down.
Finally, he was within the sword's range. The adventurer moved his wooden sword.
‘Upper right!’
Clack!
The wooden swords collided with a dull sound.
Good, I blocked it. Now, if I counterattack right away...
‘Huh...?’
Mars's eyes widened.
He couldn't help it. The wooden sword that had just attacked his right side was now touching his left jaw.
“How...?”
“It's not a very amazing technique. It's a skill that uses wrist rotation to attack twice. It's called ‘Double Strike,’ a technique you can learn at any local swordsmanship guild for just 300 gold.”
Anyone can learn it for 300 gold...?
‘I lost to a technique like that...?’
Mars stared at the ground with a gloomy expression.
300 gold wasn't a small amount of money. Mars had never even held 100 gold, let alone 300.
But the realization that all his effort so far was worth less than 300 gold was a huge shock.
“Hey, hey! How can a man get all bent out of shape over something like this? You can't survive in this harsh world like that.”
“...”
“Sigh... Hey, get into your stance.”
“Huh...?”
“I said, get into your sword-swinging stance. I'll give you some pointers.”
He's suddenly going to give me pointers?
Mars was bewildered, but he still assumed the stance he usually used to swing his wooden sword.
The adventurer tapped Mars's legs and waist with his wooden sword, giving him advice.
Mars swung the sword according to his advice. And then, something amazing happened. He could put more power into his swing than usual.
When he looked at the adventurer with a surprised expression, the man just smirked.
“How is it?”
“It's amazing. I just changed my stance a little, but I can put so much more power into it.”
“That's because you're not wasting strength in the wrong places. Your stance feels more stable too, right?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Now try another stance.”
“Yes!”
Mars immediately got into a side-swinging stance. The adventurer, just like before, tapped him here and there with the wooden sword, correcting his form.
*
Three days passed after that.
Every morning, as if by appointment, Cloud would leave the inn and come to Mars's house.
After some light stretching and strength training, Cloud's coaching would begin.
“Not like that. Rotate your wrist a little more.”
“What if my wrist breaks from twisting it any more?”
“If it could break from just that, I'd have been a handless cripple long ago. Stop complaining and twist it more.”
The coaching on his swinging stance was already over; now he was being taught ‘Double Strike.’ Unlike Cloud, who had succeeded on his first try, it was taking Mars quite a long time.
After practicing for several hours, the two of them took out their lunch. It was just simple rice balls, nothing special. But hunger is the best sauce, and Mars scarfed them down.
Cloud watched him with a pathetic look.
“Is someone gonna steal it from you? Eat slowly.”
“It's because you train me without any breaks. A guy's gotta have time to drink some water, you know?”
“That's part of the training too, you punk. What if a fight drags on and you get thirsty? Are you going to pull out your canteen and drink water then?”
“Ah, there you go again. I'm not stupid enough to drink water in a situation like that, you know?”
“Well, look at this guy. I help you out for a few days and now you've got a big head, talking back to me?”
“That's because you're nagging me even while I'm eating... Ack! Why'd you hit me?!”
“It seems you lack respect for your big bro. I'll personally carve that respect into your body.”
“Ah! It hurts! It hurts! Shit, I said it hurts!”
“Oh? Now you're even swearing at your big bro?”
“Aaaah! Bro! Big bro! I was wrong! I'm sorry!”
Unlike their unpleasant first meeting, the two had grown quite close.
Cloud teaching him swordsmanship was part of it, but the decisive factor was the way he treated Mars.
Mars was an orphan who had lost his parents at a young age and had to grow up fast just to survive.
On top of that, to achieve his dream of becoming a knight, he spent all his time outside of working and eating just swinging his wooden sword.
Naturally, he didn't have anyone he could call a proper friend.
So it was only natural that he came to see Cloud, who teased him with a lighthearted attitude, as both a friend his age and a reliable older brother.
“Aaargh! My bone! You hit my bone! I think it's broken!!”
Of course, that was that. Pain was still pain.
It was while Mars was getting the crap beaten out of him.
“Mars! Aah?! What, why are you getting hit?! You! Who are you, and why are you hitting Mars?!”
A pretty girl with long pink hair came up the hill, saw Mars and Cloud, and freaked out.
She was Mars's only childhood friend, Isabelle.
Mars was about to wave happily but stopped, a sudden thought occurring to him.
‘What if Isabelle falls for Cloud?’
Or what if Cloud falls for Isabelle?
Mars trembled with anxiety as he studied Cloud's face.
And he was shocked.
Because Cloud was looking at Isabelle with an expression like he was looking at a piece of filthy trash.
“Pink-haired Slut...”
He muttered, muttering an incomprehensible word.