The Fraudulent Protagonist Begins the Cleanup (3) Neutral Saintess's Hospital

The late-night hospital was far quieter than usual. Most people had been pushed to the brink of exhaustion after their lives had hung in the balance against the colossal terror known as the Wartroll, so aside from the bare minimum of medical staff, everyone had retreated to their assigned rooms to rest. Arty had also given in to drowsiness early in the evening and gone to bed, and Joyeon, unable to leave ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her alone, was resting in his own room.

Click.

One of House's baby roaches appeared in front of the resting Joyeon.

"Report. Confirmed Pon's return."

"Yeah. Guess it's about time he showed up."

Joyeon, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed without sleeping, immediately stood up upon receiving the report and left the room. Tiasia was waiting in front of the door. Seeing Joyeon stepping out at such a late hour, she approached him, wondering if something was wrong.

"Master, do you need anything?"

"No, I'm just going out for a walk."

"A walk, you say. In that case, allow me to accompany you..."

"No, don't follow me. Stay here and watch over Arty. I'll go alone."

"Then perhaps May or Jack..."

"House is coming with me, so don't worry. I'll be back soon."

Joyeon brushed off Tiasia's concern and headed down to the first floor.

When he reached the broken main gate after passing through the lobby, Karl and Ron were standing guard as per Joyeon's orders. Upon spotting him, they saluted like soldiers meeting a superior officer.

Smack!

'Master! Welcome!'

"Hey, hello."

The two, who had been properly scolded by Joyeon earlier that day, showed none of their usual playful demeanor. Joyeon gave them a casual wave and walked past them into the forest.

Click.

'Master? May I ask where you're headed...'

"Just a walk. A nighttime stroll. I'll be wandering nearby, so don't worry and keep an eye on the hospital."

Click!

'Yes, sir! This time, I swear not even an ant will get through!'

"Good."

Joyeon strolled leisurely near the hospital, seeing Karl and Ron off. The space where forest and cityscape alternated in a regular pattern had an oddly charming atmosphere.

Rustle.

The grass near where Joyeon was walking shook. He already knew who was approaching, so he looked toward the grass without any sign of surprise. Emerging from the undergrowth were Delpiari and the bandits who had completely dismantled Kelts Pitra, along with Pon, who had commanded the Wartroll.

Delpiari knelt before Joyeon and offered a respectful greeting, and Pon awkwardly followed suit upon seeing it.

"I have returned, O Great One."

"Kuwo."

"...How did it go?"

"Yes. I repaid Kelts Pitra with the exact same deeds they had committed until now. Additionally, their leader, Kunt, met his end amidst overwhelming despair and burning agony."

Delpiari answered with a bright smile, even though he had annihilated Kelts Pitra—his former comrades with whom he had shared both joys and sorrows—under Joyeon's command. Finding Delpiari's sly smile unpleasant, Joyeon mocked him without mercy.

"You look pleased. You led the Wartroll to where your comrades were hiding and wiped them all out."

"Indeed. I killed comrades I had been with for nearly ten years under your command. However, what does that matter? To me now, no one is more important ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than you. I killed them because it was your order. Fulfilling your commands is both my joy and the very reason for my existence. Kuhuhuhu."

Delpiari's reaction was, at best, that of a loyal subordinate or creation—at worst, no different from a deranged fan stalking an idol. Even as an undead zombie who had denied death and returned to life, his face was filled with the ecstasy of unwavering faith, and his words carried absolute resolve. Joyeon had thought Tiasia was the loudest in her loyalty, but Delpiari's actions easily surpassed that, leaving Joyeon's expression oscillating between discomfort and contempt.

"...This is fanatical. Lara and the others were much better in comparison."

"Any command of yours brings me joy to carry out. Hehehe."

"I killed you too, you know? I'm your enemy."

"But you brought me back to life. I was reborn. My past life is meaningless. There is only you, who gave me new life. And serving you is my everything. Huhuhuhu."

Delpiari's words were almost like a love confession. He sincerely pledged his loyalty to Joyeon, the one who had killed and resurrected him.

...But Joyeon's eyes, as he looked at Delpiari, held no life.

"Who decided you get to serve me? You haven't even finished cleaning up the bandits like I ordered."

"That can't be. I completely surrounded the temporary encampment so not a single one could escape. There shouldn't be a single bandit left..."

"There are twelve standing right in front of me."

"In front of me..."

At Joyeon's words, Delpiari quickly realized that the "bandits" included his own followers. After a moment's thought, Delpiari prostrated himself, pressing his head to the ground.

"...O Great One. It is true that we were once the ignorant fools of Kelts Pitra who sought to put you in danger. However, through your merciful hand, we have sworn to serve only you. There is not a shred of falsehood in this. We are no longer the bandits of the past. We are followers devoted solely to you. We will surely be of use. We will do anything to be useful. Even if you command us to throw away our lives, we will gladly obey without refusal. Therefore, please, just once more—bestow your mercy upon us."

Delpiari, the vice-leader of Kelts Pitra and the schemer who had proposed using the Wartroll for banditry to Kunt the moment the world changed, was intelligent. He knew these were the last words he could offer Joyeon. That was why he prayed sincerely, pleading to sway Joyeon's heart even slightly.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Yet Joyeon didn't budge an inch despite Delpiari's desperate plea.

"The only reason I resurrected you lot was to easily capture the remnants of Kelts Pitra. Now that you've killed them all, I don't need you anymore. And—"

He looked down at the prostrated Delpiari with eyes as if gazing at an inanimate object.

"I'm not kind enough to forgive someone who tried to kill me. Delpiari, your life ends here."

"......I see."

After a moment of silence following Joyeon's death sentence, Delpiari rose, dusted off his body, and slowly straightened his clothes. Then he offered his master a beautiful and formal final greeting.

"My great and wondrous one. Though our ill-fated meeting has incurred your wrath and brought me to this end, even this is your mercy, your grace... As one who exists solely to follow you, I shall revere you until the very end. My king, my god. May endless glory accompany your path..."

Words utterly unfitting for an undead. A blessing, a prayer. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠With that, Delpiari's body began to crumble away in an instant.

"...If we'd met differently, there might have been a much better path. Like with the boss."

Joyeon muttered quietly, stared for a moment at the spot where the twelve bandits had completely vanished, then sent Pon back to his grave before returning to the hospital.

Hospital, fifth floor. Arty's door slowly opened. The one who entered was Ju Joyeon. Tiasia, who had been watching over the sleeping Arty as ordered, bowed her head upon seeing him.

"I'm back. I'm going to sleep now, so you rest too, Lara."

"Yes, understood. You worked incredibly hard today, Master."

"Yeah, you did well too."

Joyeon, whose fatigue had piled up just as much as Arty's, could no longer hold on. With a face etched with exhaustion, he yawned and left Arty's room, heading straight to his own next door. The moment he returned to his room, he dove straight onto the bed, intending to sleep without doing anything else. However, Tiasia, who had followed him in, carefully removed his outer clothes and shoes, then tucked him in with a blanket to help him rest more comfortably.

"You don't have to. I just want to sleep."

"I can't allow that. If you sleep uncomfortably like this, your fatigue won't properly dissipate. Please stay still, Master. I'll take care of it."

Knowing Tiasia's reasonable stubbornness was ultimately for his sake, Joyeon let her do as she wished. A short while later, deciding that helping him wash up would be too much, Tiasia checked on Joyeon's condition one last time before reaching for the doorknob to leave.

"Good night, Lara."

Joyeon, now comfortably tucked under the blanket thanks to Tiasia, poked his face out and offered a final greeting. Tiasia gave him a gentle smile.

"Sleep well, Master."

Tiasia closed the door as quietly as possible. Then, as if she had something to do, she headed to the lobby instead of the emergency room she usually went to.

"House, are you there?"

Click!

"Gather everyone."

Click!

Tiasia's expression as she gave the order to House was considerably darker than when she looked at Joyeon.

Late dawn. In front of the Neutral Saintess's Hospital main gate. The atmosphere was dark, illuminated only by the moonlight in the sky, the faint light from the hospital's emergency room, and the eerie glow emanating from Joyeon's followers. Moreover, the sight of a half-destroyed building with zombies, skeletons, dullahans, and mutants gathered together was bizarre, like something out of an uncommon apocalypse story.

Tiasia, who had gathered all of Joyeon's core followers, looked around at the others before speaking.

"I believe you all already know why I called everyone here."

No one answered Tiasia's words. They simply nodded slightly, indicating they understood the reason as she said. The only one who didn't know was Pon, who had just become a follower. He tilted his head this way and that, holding his own head in his left hand, nodding as he tried to assess the situation.

Assuming everyone knew the reason, Tiasia continued.

"...Master went out without giving us a clear explanation. And he only gave a mission to Pon. Pon, why do you think he did that?"

"Kuwo...?"

"It's fine. Speak comfortably."

"...Kuwo."

"Yes. To confirm your capabilities. That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something Master mentioned to us as well. But that's not all."

Tiasia looked at Jack with a darkly pale face. Understanding the meaning behind her gaze, Jack answered very cautiously with his thoughts.

Clack.

'As expected, it's because he was greatly disappointed in us... so he didn't give us any orders.'

"Huu... That's... correct. It's because we... we were far too incompetent."

Tiasia let out a deep sigh, as if the ground might cave in. Hearing that sound, Karl and Ron slightly lowered their heads, while May and Pon trembled, realizing she was angry. However, as if that alone wasn't enough to vent her frustration, Tiasia clenched her fists and even began to shake.

"Today, while Master single-handedly saved everyone in this hospital from a danger that could have killed them all and completely eliminated the root cause of this incident... we were of no help whatsoever. Quite the opposite. We became obstacles to Master, and even defied his orders under the self-justification that it was for his sake...!"

Tiasia's voice grew louder.

"We should have carried out Master's orders even if it meant throwing our lives away! What kind of... contradictory behavior is this!"

She had never been this angry since being resurrected. She had never been consumed by such violent impulses. That was how disappointed she was in everyone—and in herself.

"After everything was over, did you see Master's eyes?"

Clack...

'It seemed like... he was tired and just wanted to rest...'

"Exactly. He looked tired. But was that really all? Could it not have been Master's mercy, pretending nothing was wrong after experiencing our incompetence?"p>

...

Click.

'...Master is a merciful person... so perhaps he did it for our sake.'

"That's exactly it!!"

At Karl's words, Tiasia cried out with a look of utter despair.

"We, Master's first followers, couldn't do anything during his greatest crisis...! This incompetence... I can't even imagine how disappointed Master must have been...! I'm so angry at myself for only being able to say he worked hard and tuck him in with a blanket!!"

At Tiasia's words, the followers' mood completely plummeted.