Frustrated, I Jump In
"Couldn't be helped. To me, she's... more important than anything, someone I must protect."
Tavi blinked at me, as if asking what I meant.
"Is she that important? She's not even from around here—just some adventurer who happened to pass through."
"Well, there's the situation."
Important? That's an understatement. From now on, just thinking about her makes her essential—not just to me, but to this entire world.
She's the heroine. I have to make sure the story progresses properly.
Even with gates appearing, the main storyline was still intact. At the bottom of this territory lurked all sorts of criminals and shadowy organizations. And deeper still, forces of profound darkness were involved. Overwhelming them all with her talent was Iana's role.
I can't even imagine this novel without Iana. If she got hurt or killed and it derailed the story? It wouldn't just snag—it'd unravel completely. A butterfly's wingbeat can cause a storm somewhere else, right? Iana wasn't a butterfly; she was the storm itself.
"Think of it this way: her getting hurt or dying would be the same as me going down."
"Th-that serious? You're essential to our territory right now, my lord."
"I'm just acting lord. Leave a will behind, and you could handle it just fine, Tavi."
Once I resolved this gate crisis, I planned to find an angle and bail. Being a lord sounded like nothing but headaches and responsibility. No thanks.
Maybe Tavi would be better at it? Watching her work, she seemed more than capable of managing a territory. If push came to shove, maybe I really would leave a will and vanish.
"Anyway, that's why I had to be harsh. She's stubborn—won't listen unless you lay it out straight."
"Hmm. If she's that important to you, my lord, I'll keep an eye out."
"Appreciate it. But don't go overboard, Tavi."
"...That's a bit unfair. I'm the one by your side, supporting you."
"Pardon?"
As I turned back, Tavi's eyes went wide, like she'd realized her slip.
"N-nothing! Just blurted something weird!"
"No, I get it."
"Wh-what? Th-that's not... I didn't mean...!"
"You really care about this territory, Tavi. It bugs you that I'm prioritizing some random individual over it, right?"
"……."
Even I had to admit, leaving the gate unchecked for Iana's sake was an emotional call. I knew better options because I knew the future, but others wouldn't.
"Yeah, well. Let's leave it at that for now."
She's a great secretary, I was thinking, when I suddenly felt eyes on me—and footsteps.
"Hold up."
A spy? Remnants of the baron? If so, I couldn't just let them go.
Got to catch 'em and squeeze out some info. Who else would move at a time like this? No one I know of.
I drew my sword and dashed into the alley. I'd prepared to chase if they bolted—but
"...Nothing?"
The alley was empty. No one in sight. Just a cat staring at me blankly, startled.
Mistook the cat for footsteps?
"Wh-what's wrong, my lord?"
"Nah, just my imagination."
I scratched my head and sheathed my sword.
This body's reflexes are off—Ian's body, after all. Needed tougher training. No way to survive this harsh world in a weak frame like this.
****
Iana returned to the inn in a daze. Her face was utterly vacant, like her soul had fled to another world.
"Iana! You okay? You didn't kill the lord or anything, right? If you did, we gotta run now!"
"Y-yeah. I'm fine, Luna."
Iana brushed off Luna, who rushed over to check her. That odd reaction had Luna tilting her head.
Normally, she'd snap something like, "Don't make a fuss—do I look like a human scum murderer to you?"
"Pr-precious person? Me? But Luna's never wrong... wait, no."
She was even mumbling nonsense. To her friends, she looked straight-up foolish.
"...Hey, what's up with her? Something really happen?"
"Who knows. Maybe the lord logically dismantled her argument?"
"She lost a word-fight and turned into this?"
"Iana's got that side to her."
If you had to sum up Iana, it'd be "righteous adventurer." She couldn't stand injustice, bulldozed ahead with what she believed was right. Her friends loved that about her... but
Her heart often outran her head, leaving cold logic to shatter her arguments.
"Ahem! Hey, girls."
Iana, who'd been spacing out, suddenly called them over. Face slightly flushed, eyes averted, twisting her hair around her finger.
That bizarre vibe had her two friends exchanging glances.
"Th-this is something I heard from a friend of mine, not me personally..."
Iana, your only friends are us two. What friend?
"If a guy calls a girl 'the most important person in his world' or 'as precious as his own life'... what would that mean?"
...What now? No clue why she'd ask that, but they had to answer.
And it was obvious anyway.
"Duh, only one thing."
Luna's words had Jenis nodding vigorously.
"He loves her. More than anything in the world."
"L-l-love?!"
Iana's face turned beet red. Steam practically rose from her head.
"N-no way, that can't be...?"
"Hmm... Not sure why you're asking all sudden, Iana, but calling someone the most important? That's huge."
"R-really?"
"Obviously! Risking your whole life for one girl? That's true love or straight-up insanity!"
Luna—well-read in romance novels (zero dating XP)—nodded firmly.
"Especially if he says it to her face? Basically dating... no, practically a proposal."
"M-marriage?!"
Iana's face went nuclear. Tomato before? Now she looked ready to burst.
"N-no, impossible. I haven't even thought that far. We're barely more than strangers..."
...Yeah, her reaction was off.
"You've been weird since earlier. What happened?"
"N-nothing! What do you mean? Absolutely nothing! I swear on the heavens!"
"Whoa, no need to go that far."
Rare sight: Luna flustered by Iana's outburst.
"S-sorry! My head's hot—gonna wash my face!"
Iana bolted outside. Face-washing was an excuse. She just needed to escape.
Alone in the room, Luna and Jenis whispered.
"What happened to make her act so dumb?"
"Iana was always kinda dumb."
"Dumb, sure—but hot-blooded dumb. Not this girly dumb."
Iana was always passionate, action-first. Seeing her this flustered? Even her longtime travel buddies were stunned.
"And talking love and dating out of nowhere."
"She'd pulverize any guy hitting on her with her fists."
"Gasp! No way!"
Luna's eyes flashed with realization.
"The lord didn't fall for her and propose, did he?!"
Silence. Then both burst out laughing.
"No way~"
"No couple goes from murder vibes to love."
And the guy was a lord. Iana was cute, sure, but status mattered.
"Lord risking the territory on first sight? That's romance novel stuff~"
"Probably just got verbally owned by him. We should request better inn breakfast tomorrow."
"Lamb stew too~ That was yummy."
And so they wrote off Iana's weirdness.
Meanwhile, Iana was splashing cold water on her burning face nonstop.
****
No suitable adventurers showed up to tackle it, huh.
I'd upped the bounty, re-interviewed rejected parties—same result.
Time ticked on. One day left till gate surge.
"Guess it's down to the last resort."
Last resort: me becoming the hunter.
"Hoo! Never thought frustration would make me jump in."
Didn't want to, but safest bet—highest odds. My gut said I could clear a gate that size easy.
Adventurers from this romance-fantasy world? My experience level was worlds apart.
"Hey~ Any issues?"
"Ah, my lord! Hard at work!"
Sword at my side, I headed to the biggest gate. Two knights stood 24/7 guard.
Insurance against curious idiots wandering in.
"Patrolling again?"
"Yeah. No problems?"
"None so far! But with time running out, folks are worried we need to do something."
"Yeah, makes sense."
Romance-fantasy folks weren't total idiots. They could guess what zero time meant.
"Heard there's a suspicious guy lurking. Mind checking that alley?"
"Knights and soldiers on duty could..."
"Too slow. Just a quick look—hate dragging you all the way here."
"But then this post's empty..."
"I'll watch it."
"You, my lord?"
"Just precaution—no one's coming anyway. Keep loose watch."
"Understood."
I was the one who'd ordered the guard in the first place.
"Our lord's sense of duty is unmatched. Worrying about citizens late at night."
"We totally misjudged him."
Some weird misunderstanding. I just wanted them gone to enter the gate.
"Alright. Let's go."
Knights gone, I stepped into the gate.
To eliminate the source of my headaches.
****
Around the same time.
Iana wandered the night streets alone. Her head still wouldn't sort itself out.
"No way that lord actually likes me... Ridiculous."
Unthinkable plot twist. But thinking it over, everything clicked.
Why wouldn't a lord with a gate headache deploy his strongest adventurer? If it was fear of his beloved getting hurt—perfect fit.
"Hah, but what do I do? I don't feel that way at all."
The lord didn't attract her rationally. Sure, decent face, lordly background, even fought well... but
"N-no! No! A person's heart matters most!"
Right! Heart over all. Especially responsibility in a man.
How could she trust a future to a guy ignoring a dangerous gate for selfish desire(?)?
...Not that it'd be fine otherwise!
"Hoo! With unknown dangers like gates, love's the last thing."
Maybe because she'd mulled lord and gate together. She'd ended up at their fight spot—the empty lot with the gate.
"Hm? Isn't that... the lord?"
And Iana saw it clearly.
The lord walking alone into the gate!
"Wh-what? Why's he going in there?"
She'd blocked the gate for potential dangers. Yet he plunged in solo, no knight escort?
"What the...?"
Iana approached slowly. Knights had blocked close inspection before—curiosity piqued.
"Monsters burst from here, right? How does it...?"
Unthinkingly, she touched the gate.
Swoosh! Her body got sucked right in.
"Wha—wait... Kyaaaaack!"
Her scream barely echoed before Iana vanished inside the gate.