The Fraudulent Protagonist Begins the Cleanup (1)
"Nnngh... My head... Where am I...?"
The supporting character who had knocked himself out by slamming his head into his own armor was finally starting to regain consciousness. Rubbing the small bump on the back of his head, he slowly pushed himself upright. Arty, who had been lending him her thigh as a pillow, tried to slip away in that moment, but—
Squeeze!
"S-Saintess?!"
"I told you not to do anything stupid. I warned you just moments ago, yet you were really about to run off?"
Sosia pressed firmly against Arty's back, refusing to let her separate from Joyeon. Arty flailed in panic and whispered sharply, loud enough only for Sosia to hear.
"I wasn't running away!"
"From where I'm standing, it looked exactly like running away."
"No, it wasn't! Joyeon just woke up—if I stayed that close, he'd be startled! I-I was only thinking of him..."
"Enough. Save your excuses. Just stay put. I'll help you."
"You told me to handle it myself earlier!"
"That was before I saw how hopeless you are."
After finishing her brief exchange with Arty, Sosia slipped back into her usual persona—the Neutral Saint and Ju Joyeon's mother—and spoke to her son in a gentle tone.
"I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt, Joyeon."
"Huh? Mom... I definitely came up to the third floor looking for you..."
"You tripped over your own feet and knocked yourself out. Honestly, you've always been this clumsy."
"Uhh... Why did I fall backward again...?"
"If Arty hadn't thrown herself to catch you, that bump would've been the least of your worries. She even lent you her lap until you woke up. You should thank her."
"What? Arty did?"
"Eh? I when— Mmph!"
Arty reflexively tried to protest Sosia's smooth lie, but Sosia's hand quickly covered her mouth. Sosia shot her a sharp look.
I told you to stay quiet. Why are you doing something foolish when I'm trying to help?
Help? This isn't helping at all!
It is helping. I'm not telling you to seduce him with your body. I'm just making sure he owes you a small debt.
Watch your words! How can someone called the Saintess have nothing but that in her head?!
I'm not a saintess.
While Arty and Sosia continued their silent argument through glances, Joyeon offered his thanks.
"Uh, thanks, Arty."
"Heh, ah... Yeah. It was nothing... O-of course I'd do that."
Joyeon accepted Sosia's words at face value and thanked Arty sincerely. Arty, unable to correct him now, could only mumble an awkward reply. She couldn't meet his eyes—especially not after the conversation she'd just had with Sosia about bearing his child.
Noticing Arty deliberately avoiding his gaze, Joyeon thought back and recalled what she had done right before he lost consciousness.
Right... She mentioned something about a command right.
The memory of that impossibly soft sensation returned, and a smile crept onto his face. He quickly turned away so neither Sosia nor Arty would notice.
What on earth did Mom make Arty do...? Given her personality, she's probably never done anything like that before. Since I'm the one who forced her into that humiliating situation, of course she wouldn't want to look at me.
He reached his own conclusion.
A command right, huh... So I can order anything. But there's no way it actually works for anything, right? If I gave her something too outrageous, she'd probably despise me. At most it'd be something like asking for a favor or a bit of cuteness at best. Rather than wasting it like that...
Finishing his thoughts, Joyeon spoke up as if he'd only just remembered.
"Ah, right~ There was that command right. Since Arty saved me from getting seriously hurt, how about we call it even and just forget about it?"
He was trying to discard the "command right" before it could make things awkward between them. Arty's face lit up.
"Eh? Ah, th-that might— Mmph?!"
Once again, Sosia stopped her.
"Joyeon, that won't do."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Your command right was granted because she saved your life. This time she only prevented you from getting a little hurt. There's no need to use it."
"I-is that okay?"
Joyeon looked to Arty for confirmation. Flustered, she turned to Sosia instead. Sosia gave her another silent command with her eyes.
Absolutely. Not. Don't even think about throwing away the command right like that.
B-but Joyeon said it's fine...
Do. Not. Even. Think. About. It.
Uuu...
Overwhelmed by Sosia's fierce glare, Arty could only shrink back and nod weakly. Sosia spoke in her place.
"Save the command right for when you really need it. We've already wasted too much time. Let's head back and finish cleaning up. We need to repair the broken front gate before the day ends."
"Ah, yes. Lara's probably handling it well. Don't worry."
Deciding there was nothing more to discuss about Arty or the command right, Joyeon turned and walked toward his followers and the others.
Once he was out of earshot, Sosia grabbed Arty's hand and started following.
"If we leave things as they are, you'll end up just like those other women."
"Uuu~ Aren't you meddling too much? I can handle it myself."
"That's exactly why I'm stepping in—because watching you is frustrating. Even when someone tries to feed you, you refuse to eat... Same as just now. What were you thinking, trying to discard the command right so pointlessly?"
"W-why not? He said he'd erase the debt."
"That's precisely why you must never let that 'debt' disappear. To repay a debt, you have to stay together. The command right is also a safety measure to keep you and Joyeon from drifting apart. Understand?"
"...Is that what it is?"
"Yes. Though if you just spent one night with Joyeon, you wouldn't need to resort to these pointless schemes."
"S-Saintess! Please watch your words!"
"So make sure he can't use the command right. No matter what he does or what he orders, don't let him use it."
"B-but what if Joyeon tries to ask for something with the command right?"
"...What does it matter?"
"It matters! Men are all beasts, you know! I understand that much!"
"...Wouldn't that be convenient? Simple-minded men are the easiest to control."
"Saintess!"
"I don't get it. He's a man you already like. If he asks for something a little lewd, just treat it as an opportunity and show off your charm. Anyway, you don't need to worry. The kid's kind-hearted and knows how to separate personal matters from duty. He might never use it until the day he dies."
"Haa... Fine..."
Sosia and Arty finished their secret conversation.
Descending to the lobby, Joyeon and the others were greeted by Tiasia. The half-destroyed front gate had been surrounded by people with some construction knowledge, debating how best to repair it. The rubble from the wall shattered by the Wartroll's charge had been gathered outside to be repurposed as a barricade.
"Lara, is the cleanup mostly done?"
"Yes, Master. I believe this is the best we can manage as a temporary measure."
"Good. It doesn't look like it'll collapse, but we can't risk making it worse by messing with it. Thanks for your hard work. What about Karl and Ron?"
"They're still being punished where you ordered."
"Tell them that's enough. Have them stand watch together tonight. The sentries deserve a break too."
"Understood. You needn't worry about the watch. Not only Karl and Ron, but House and Pon will be there as well."
"Ah, about that. House is fine, but don't give Pon any work today if you can help it."
"May I ask why?"
"Mmm~ I want to check his combat strength. Anyway, I've got something I want him to do later. Got it?"
"Yes. If that is your wish, Master."
After entrusting the remaining tasks to Tiasia, Joyeon looked around and nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright. The outside seems mostly cleaned up~ Time to handle the inside."
He called out to Sosia and Arty, who had followed him down.
"Mom, could you look after Arty for a bit? I need to stop by the cafeteria."
"The cafeteria? To deal with the corpses?"
"Yeah. They probably haven't been cleaned up yet. It'll be simplest if I handle it myself."
"Very well. I'll stay with Arty, so go ahead. I have things I want to discuss with her anyway."
Sosia accepted the request with a pleased expression. Realizing she was about to be left alone with Sosia again, Arty shot Joyeon a pleading look, but he failed to notice and headed off to the cafeteria alone.
"Huh? What's this?"
Contrary to his expectations, several men with grim expressions had gathered in the cafeteria where the corpses should have kept everyone away.
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah, u-um... Lord Deathbringer..."
Deathbringer? What the hell. Are they talking about me?
Grimacing at the cringeworthy nickname he'd never heard before, Joyeon noticed the men were standing in a circle around something and moved closer to see what it was.
"What? Don't tell me he was still alive?"
"Kgh... Urgh..."
The reason the men had gathered was to keep watch over Delpiari—the sole survivor and mastermind behind the recent incident. Everyone had assumed Tiasia's kick had crushed him against the wall, but Delpiari's body had proven sturdier than Joyeon expected. Still, he was barely clinging to life. If left alone, death was certain.
Recognizing the newcomer as Joyeon, Delpiari desperately stretched out his hand and grabbed onto his pant leg.
"P-please... save me... I beg you...!"
Is this guy insane? Just remembering what happened earlier is stressing me out, and now the culprit is begging me for his life?
Irritated, Joyeon briefly considered crushing Delpiari's head with his iron ball. Before he could act, one of the men spoke up on their behalf.
"W-we thought we should keep him alive to ask why he did this... But at this rate, he won't even be able to speak. Shouldn't we treat him...?"
"You want to hear why he did it, is that it?"
"Y-yes... And this is a hospital, after all. We can't just let someone die..."
...People can be this kind-hearted, huh. This bastard nearly got everyone here killed.
"...You're right. This is a hospital. If he's not dead yet, we should save him—no matter who he is."
"R-right..."
"Field of Pain — Bone Spear"
Thwock!
The instant-cast spell from the Invisible Spear pierced straight through Delpiari's chest. He died without any resistance, eyes still open.
"Now he's not alive anymore, is he?"
"Ah... U-urgh..."
"Would you mind stepping outside? I've got some business here, and I'd like to be alone."
The title 'Mass Slayer of Kin' has activated its threat effect.
The title, which instinctively terrified modern humans, combined with the blood-stained Bone Spear floating around Joyeon, caused several people to collapse on the spot as their legs gave out.
Was that a bit much? I just wanted to get them out quickly because it was annoying.
While he debated whether to help them up, a few mages among the group pulled their fallen companions to their feet, muttered apologies, and fled the cafeteria as if escaping. Joyeon watched them leave, then quietly murmured while looking at Delpiari. The Book of the Dead appeared, and a black pit began to spread outward from his body.