Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: An Unimaginable Identity
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"Adela~ I brought you an ogre~"
Dangling, dangling.
The few strands of hair on the ogre's head, clutched in my hand, swayed, causing the attached head to swing from side to side.
"Do you really have to show off like that to feel satisfied...?"
"Isn't there something else you should be saying?"
"...I'm glad you're safe."
Right. That's it.
As a professional, you have to do your duty.
"This way, I can make them feel the difference in our power, can't I?"
I heard the morons who can't make it to C-rank get frustrated because they can't even catch one of these, right?
The request was rated for a party of two, but honestly, I think I could have handled it alone.
And while it might have been different before, the Luna of today could probably solo an ogre too.
I'm sure of it, judging by the power of the hit I took earlier.
Not all the adventurers in the guild right now are D-rank or lower, but considering the number of people decreases as the rank goes up, most of them are probably C-rank or below.
Among them, there must be some who are D-rank or lower.
So, by carrying this ogre's head around, dangling like this, I can make them feel the difference in our power.
"Here, the head. We're D-rank now, right?"
"...Yes. Here are your D-rank adventurer tags."
Adela took out two copper tags from a drawer under the counter and placed them on top.
The insignia of two crossed swords, symbolizing the Adventurer's Guild.
A round tag, about the size of a large coin, engraved with the design.
On the back, the date of issue and our names were faintly engraved.
"Hoh. You're quite efficient."
Seeing as our names and the issue date are on here, it looks like a custom order.
You must be busy. Can this really be done in a single day?
"I knew you'd succeed, Luke, so I had them made in advance."
"Always so prickly with your words, but you actually believed in me."
"Personality and skill are two different things."
What's that supposed to mean? It makes me sound like I have a bad personality.
To not recognize a good person like me... Adela's going to have a hard time when she gets a boyfriend later.
They say a kind heart is more important than looks, but she has no eye for people.
"More importantly, it seems even you had a tough time with this request, Luke."
"?"
Tough time? What tough time?
Or was it? I guess it was a tough time, in a way. I was just cleaning up the protagonist's mess, after all.
But there's no way Adela would know that.
As I was lost in thought for a moment, Adela continued.
"You're the type who never came back from a request with even a speck of dust on you, but your shirt is torn and there are even scorch marks on it."
"Ah~"
So that's what you meant. I was wondering.
Indeed, if I looked in a mirror right now, I'd be a mess. My shirt must be torn in a straight line as if cut by a sword, and my whole body is covered in what look like scorch marks.
But surprisingly, neither of these marks came from the hunt. One is from friendly fire, and the other is from self-harm.
When I looked at her, Luna lowered her head, looking ashamed.
"The torn clothes are from Luna hitting me, and the scorch marks are from me setting myself on fire."
"So you finally got hit by Luna..."
Why does she say that like she knew it was bound to happen eventually?
"I guess me setting myself on fire isn't surprising to you?"
"Compared to your behavior so far, that's pretty mild."
Wow... she's the type who wouldn't just watch someone commit suicide, but would probably ask when they're going to start.
She doesn't even know that being a bystander is the worst sin of all.
When I first met Adela, she seemed so diligent and hardworking. I wonder when she changed. As someone who's watched her from the side, it's so sad.
"Still, I'm glad you didn't come in naked."
"That's a bit of a shame."
If I'd come in naked, I could have shown my Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon to all the lesser men here and made them feel the true difference in power.
I wonder if the elemental resistance skill applies to clothing too, because after the fire went out, I looked pretty much the same as before it started.
Just as Adela said, I was only slightly singed.
It's a shame I couldn't show everyone my second greatsword, but if my clothes burned off every time I set myself on fire, I'd have to pay for new ones, and changing all the time would be a pain. So this is actually for the best.
"...I don't find it a shame at all."
"Is that really so?"
Adela, if you saw my greatsword, you'd be gushing like a woman charmed by an incubus just from the sight of it.
She can only react like that because she hasn't seen it.
After possessing him, I've seen Luke's 'thing' a few times while washing up, and it's a real monster.
As befitting a character whose combat abilities were set to be utterly pathetic, God gifted Luke with the most important thing for a man.
Considering the term 'sex-fueled affection' existed in my past life, there's probably no woman Luke couldn't seduce with his greatsword alone.
'Should I take it out and show her right now?'
As I placed my hand on my hip, Adela's eyes sharpened, and a wave of killing intent shot toward me.
It seems like projecting killing intent at a receptionist is a basic skill these days.
I can't even do that. I'm jealous.
Suddenly, Adela's expression returned to normal as she took out the reward money and placed it on the counter.
"Haa... Here is your reward."
"Whoo-hoo! Got the reward!"
After only hunting things like dire wolves and goblins, the reward for suddenly jumping to an ogre was bigger than I expected.
If my pockets usually only jingled with copper, today I'd received a fat purse and some silver coins.
"Adela, how much longer until our next promotion?"
"Umm... If you complete two more requests, or one major request like this ogre, you should be able to rank up right away."
I see. At this rate, I'll reach S-rank in no time.
An S-rank adventurer, a one-man army capable of destroying a nation single-handedly. Judging by my current growth and promotion speed, it didn't seem like it would take as long as I thought.
"Well then, we'll be going now."
"Yes. Take care."
I've gotten everything I needed.
Now it was time for dinner. I said goodbye to Adela and turned, heading for the entrance I'd come through.
On the way, Luna, who had fallen in step beside me, asked a question.
"Luke. What request do you plan on taking tomorrow?"
"Dunno."
I'll leave tomorrow to tomorrow's me!
Just as I thought that and was leaving the Adventurer's Guild.
"Found you."
***
A man awoke in the academy's infirmary.
"...A ceiling I don't recognize."
Muttering the classic line of a transmigrator, he extended his arms to push himself up from the bed.
*Throb!*
"Ugh...!"
He grimaced, clutching his throbbing abdomen.
The pain brought back memories he had forgotten.
Arthur.
The protagonist of the novel Luke had possessed.
He clutched his abdomen with one hand and his pounding head with the other.
The memory of being attacked by a demonic human during the practical exercise. The memory of confidently charging that demonic human, only to be miserably defeated.
For an ordinary academy student, it would have been the perfect trigger to fall into a sense of powerlessness after defeat and give up on everything, just as Liche had at the time.
But in this situation, he thought differently.
'Why did I lose...? According to the original story, I should have won here.'
Was I still lacking some fated encounter?
No. It's because I was just transmigrated, and I lost due to the disconnect with my past life.
"That's right! It's common sense that the protagonist can't lose! After all, I'm the protagonist of this novel!"
I've never even killed anyone. I was just an ordinary person living in a safe country. It's not like I can just start slaughtering people nonchalantly right after being transmigrated.
That's why I lost.
Thus, Arthur rationalized it to himself.
'But how am I still alive? As the loser, there's no reason I should have survived.'
Maybe in the latter half of the story, or at least the middle, but there was no way the Liche of the early stages could have defeated that demonic human.
Therefore, if I was defeated, I should have died.
Why was he alive?
'Could it be!?'
Did my transmigration cause something different from the original story to happen!?
A story progressing in a different direction from the original because someone possessed a character is a common cliché.
In transmigration stories, the original plot changing just by the protagonist's mere existence is a daily occurrence.
'My, my, to think I'm already influencing the original story. How terrifying! I am!'
The truth was that Luke had intervened and handled it, but that was all the unconscious Arthur could come up with.
"That's right! Liche!"
He'd remembered her late, but she was the most important thing right now.
Arthur quickly looked around.
This was supposed to be the classic event where the heroine nurses the fallen protagonist back to health.
But strangely, there was no one around him.
"......?"
Why isn't she here?
After a moment of thought, Arthur's brain arbitrarily came to a conclusion.
'Aha! Liche must have been injured too, so she's probably in another cubicle!'
The beds were structured in cubicles, separated by cloth curtains.
Since Liche was also hurt, she must be lying in the cubicle next to mine!
'Hehehe... Liche. I'll take care of you first!'
Still clutching his throbbing abdomen, Arthur shot up and hurried to the next cubicle.
However, aside from the two male extra students who were in his group, there was no one else in the infirmary.
"What. Why isn't she here."
No, the world revolves around the protagonist.
Liche and I are destined to meet.
Arthur left the infirmary and walked through the academy.
Then, he came across a female student with unique two-toned hair.
It was Liche Winchester, the very person he had been looking for.
"Oh? Liche! You're safe!"
I knew we were fated to meet like this!
Because I'm the protagonist!
Arthur, in high spirits, scurried over to Liche.
It was almost evening. Liche was coming out of the dormitory, seemingly on her way out.
This didn't happen in the original story, but he thought it was a good chance to be alone with her and decided to follow.
"Liche, where are you going? I'll come with you!"
"Move."
But what came back was a cold voice and a sharp glare.
Right now, the most important thing for Liche was to find Luke, who had run away again, and get information from him.
'I have to find him quickly.'