Who's the Bastard?
Who’s the real bastard here?
“The tail…… is a weakness?”
“Yeah. I don’t think you’d normally do something like that, but if you ever want to take the lead, just grab her tail tight. The Demon King won’t be able to move an inch.”
“It sounds like it would hurt like hell.”
“It might sting a little if you squeeze too hard. But sometimes a bit of pain can actually make things better……”
Malkuth suddenly clamped her mouth shut mid-sentence. Dimitri had left Gebura—who was still dancing happily by himself—and was now walking toward me.
“Hyung-nim, it’s truly an honor to finally meet you today!”
“Nice to meet you too. But honor? I’m not sure I deserve that kind of—”
“Of course it’s an honor. How could I not know who you are? I’d only ever heard your name before, never imagined I’d get to see you with my own eyes…… Hup.”
I quickly covered Dimitri’s mouth and pulled him far away from Malcolm and Kana before asking in a low voice.
“Dimitri. Do you know who I really am?”
“How could I not? You’re the true core of the hero party that defeated the Demon King in the final battle—the Swordsman Who Cuts Magic, Roen! At first I wasn’t completely sure, but the more I look at you, the more obvious it becomes. Your entire presence is on another level.”
“I see. Since you came from outside the village, I guess that makes sense.”
He was now the only human in the village—aside from Ilena and the Legion Commanders—who knew my true identity. It might come out eventually, but it couldn’t happen right now. I’d come back here to live quietly without causing any commotion. Especially since there were already trackers searching for me. If even the smallest rumor spread, those pursuers would latch onto it immediately.
“I have one favor to ask.”
“Anything. Just say the word. Being able to serve you as my hyung-nim is the greatest honor of my life.”
“Don’t tell anyone that I was part of the hero party.”
“Uh……”
Dimitri looked a little disappointed, but he didn’t ask for a reason. He simply nodded quietly.
“You’re not going to ask why?”
“I’m not in any position to make demands of you, hyung-nim. What would be the point of asking? If you’re requesting this, there must be a good reason for it.”
“You……”
During my time as a mercenary, I’d developed an eye for judging people. In that regard, Dimitri was the most comfortable and trustworthy kind of person to have around. Without thinking, I extended my hand for a handshake. Dimitri grinned and took it firmly.
“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“Likewise. And with you here, hyung-nim, we don’t have to worry even if demons attack the village! Hahaha……!”
His words made me wince inwardly. It wasn’t that demons might attack—they’d already infiltrated deep into the village. I was curious what kind of face he’d make if he knew the people laughing and chatting with him right now were all demons, and not just any demons, but Legion Commanders.
When we returned to the table, Malkuth—who had been quietly sipping her drink alone—asked,
“What were you two talking about without me?”
“Nothing much. Roen hyung-nim asked me something. He said, ‘Don’t you think Malkuth noona is incredibly beautiful?’”
“D-did I say that?”
“Oh my, Roen. You already have someone, you shouldn’t be throwing compliments around like that.”
“S-someone?!”
Having someone. Well… she wasn’t exactly wrong……
“Oh dear, that’s right. You already have someone, don’t you?”
Malkuth, fully aware of the situation, slyly pointed it out. Dimitri jumped in surprise.
“Sorry! That was a lie. Roen hyung-nim didn’t say that. The part about Malkuth noona being beautiful actually came from me.”
“Dimitri, you’re always so honest. You made me feel good, so shall I give you some special attention tonight?”
“Haha, I’ll have to decline. There’s already someone I have feelings for.”
“Someone you have feelings for?”
When both Malkuth and I looked at him with intrigued eyes, Dimitri shook his head awkwardly.
“Please don’t look at me like that. She’s not from our village.”
“Aww……”
Too bad. Other people’s romance stories are always the most entertaining. But wait—did Dimitri just say something a moment ago? When Malkuth mentioned I already had someone, he agreed without hesitation?
“Hold on. What did you mean by saying I already have someone?”
“Why are you trying to hide it now? I already know everything, hyung-nim. If you had simply escorted Ilena noona here and left, it wouldn’t have taken this long.”
“Exactly. The way you two looked at each other was dripping with sweetness. And when you came back after dropping her off, your face was glowing.”
Damn…… I thought I was pretty good at hiding my emotions, but it seemed that was just my own delusion.
“Roen, why don’t you tell us? What happened while you were taking Ilena there?”
“Nothing……”
It was a lot.
“Nothing happened.”
“Hyung-nim, saying ‘nothing happened’ doesn’t match how long you were gone.”
“And your expression definitely doesn’t say ‘nothing happened.’”
Somehow the situation had completely flipped. Because Dimitri had built an iron wall, Malkuth and Dimitri had now turned their attention to me as their new drinking snack.
“Come on, tell us. What did you like about Ilena?”
“What did I like?”
I thought about it seriously for a moment, but there was nothing to think about.
“Everything.”
“Kyaaa……!”
“Whoaaa……!”
Malkuth and Dimitri grabbed each other’s hands and screamed in unison.
“What a romantic has arrived!”
“As expected of hyung-nim! Here, have a drink!”
Dimitri beamed as he forced a cup into my hand and filled it until it overflowed.
“Who confessed first?”
“Confession……”
I wasn’t really sure. Ilena had been the first to say she wanted me, but I was the one who said I liked her. Before I could answer, Malkuth grinned mischievously and came to her own conclusion.
“So it was mutual consent?”
“Of course! That’s the best way! It was obvious you both had feelings for each other anyway. Rather than one person having to swallow their embarrassment, mutual consent is definitely superior! Hahaha……”
Malkuth and Dimitri filled each other’s cups, then clinked them loudly against mine.
Come to think of it, Malkuth had said she found the sight of demons and humans getting along interesting, yet here she was, enjoying herself right alongside us.
Dimitri emptied his cup in one go and let out a satisfied breath.
“Whew. Anyway, I’m glad. Now I don’t have to worry about Ilena noona anymore.”
“You were worried about Ilena?”
“Malcolm hyung-nim can be really persistent. He kept trying to stick to Ilena noona every chance he got……”
Ah, I think I understand. Ever since we arrived, he’d been subtly trying to claim the seat next to her. He even used his own little sister to keep me in check. Since we’ve been close friends since childhood, I’ve just been watching quietly, but I really don’t like the way he’s acting.
Ilena knew exactly how Malcolm felt about her, yet she hadn’t outright rejected him.
“Still, what happened earlier was satisfying. You remember, right? When Ilena noona told Malcolm hyung-nim not to follow her, then came back and basically claimed Roen hyung-nim for herself.”
“Haha……”
“Honestly, I was surprised. That was the first time I’d seen Ilena noona so assertive.”
Malkuth nodded as if she understood perfectly.
“Hehe, that’s all thanks to the power of love. Dimitri, you have someone you like too, so you understand, right?”
“I do, I do! Still, to win a man like hyung-nim, she needs to have that kind of spirit. I’m a guy myself, but even I can see how desirable hyung-nim is!”
Ah, even so, that’s a bit much. Anyway, because we were having such a loud and fun conversation on our side, more and more eyes had turned toward us. Of course, one of those gazes belonged to Malcolm. He kept sending uncomfortable looks my way, which I tried my best to ignore……
“Hey, Roen!”
Malcolm suddenly shot up from his seat and shouted my name. The sharp edge in his voice instantly froze the entire atmosphere.
“You. Come outside with me!”
He pointed at me, then stormed out first.
“That bastard……”
“Hold on.”
Hesed looked furious and started to stand, but Gebura stopped him. He then gave me a small nod that seemed to say, Go handle it well.
Dimitri let out a sigh.
“Malcolm hyung-nim really……”
“Tsk tsk. Men and their egos.”
Malkuth clicked her tongue with a look of disdain.
“Actually, this is perfect. I was just thinking we needed to create a chance for the two of you to talk alone. He went and made the situation for us. I should go handle this.”
“Be careful, hyung-nim.”
“Careful? Me?”
When I gave him a meaningful glance, Dimitri grinned.
“Just saying. Go easy on him.”
“I’ll go easy if the situation calls for it. Ideally, nothing like that will happen at all. I’ll be back.”
When I stepped outside the village hall, Malcolm was waiting for me in the middle of the road not far away. He was staring at me with clear displeasure.
“I came out. Now what?”
“……”
Malcolm continued staring at me silently for a while before finally spitting out a short phrase.
“Fucking bastard.”
“What?”
“Do you have any idea how good I was to Ilena while you were gone? I took care of her in your place!”
“I’m grateful for that. But from what I heard, it wasn’t so much ‘taking care’ as it was ‘being a nuisance.’ I never asked you to bother her for me.”
“You’re the one who left her behind! You damn son of a bitch!!”
Malcolm shouted and swung his fist at me.
Well then……
Dimitri, you were right.
I guess I do need to go easy on him.