Chapter 21
“First, I didn’t bring any orphans here.”
“I can’t believe that.”
Facing Gilbert’s distrustful gaze, I began to retort sharply.
“The circle I was part of was destroyed, and my reputation was ruined like this. Do you think I have the ability to do something like that? You, as a cadet, should know better than anyone how I, Martin, was socially buried.”
“….”
My words were laced with thorns. Even though I tried to speak as calmly as possible, the lingering anger embedded in Martin’s body inevitably seeped out.
Regardless of my tone, my words made sense, and Gilbert fell silent.
I pressed on without giving him a moment’s respite.
“Second, I didn’t come here for some deal. I was waiting for someone due to a prior appointment, and I was simply at the best vantage point. If that wasn’t the case, why would I bother looking at you all? I would’ve gone to handle that deal already.”
I sealed my argument decisively.
“Therefore, I wasn’t spying on you either.”
“…Uh, um….”
Thrown off by how things weren’t going as he expected, the protagonist let out a groan. Then, a noticeably softer voice followed.
“So, who… did you have an appointment with, Cadet?”
“Cadet Matthew von Yulha Animas. I entrusted him with my hunting dog’s checkup.”
The Petrak Kingdom is renowned for its animal services, enough to attract visitors from other nations.
Since they were wary of Martin’s return to the academy, they probably knew Sebastian had accompanied me as well.
“If you doubt me, ask Cadet Matthew later, Cadet Gilbert.”
“Ah….”
A meaningful change flickered across Gilbert’s face. It was the kind of shift born from the self-reproach of realizing he had misjudged something terribly.
“…I’m sorry, Cadet. I… misunderstood.”
A straightforward apology. Fitting for a protagonist, I suppose.
To be fair, it was understandable to misunderstand. Martin had caused plenty of trouble in the past. A perpetrator of school violence, a core member of the trash heap known as the Violence Circle, and connected to illegal cartels. If I were Gilbert, I’d suspect Martin first too.
In the end, wasn’t Martin the root cause of this whole mess? I get it. I’m generous.
…If I don’t think this way, I won’t be able to suppress the rage Martin’s screaming inside me.
This was the first time I’d confronted Gilbert head-on like this, and Martin’s emotions were surging wildly. Holding them back was proving far more difficult than I’d expected.
“Lord Gilbert!”
“Martin! You!”
“Hey, Gilbert! Sorry! I’m a bit late!”
“We… we’re here…!”
At that moment, the scattered members of the protagonist’s party rushed onto the rooftop. The moment they saw me, they drew their weapons and aimed them at me.
‘Ugh!’
They were chosen geniuses with an average main combat skill level of 7. The overwhelming killing intent and hostility made it hard to breathe.
“Wait, hold on! Just a second! Everyone, listen to me!”
Gilbert hurriedly began to calm his party down.
I could guess what he was saying without hearing it.
‘What a relief….’
My back was drenched with sweat. Cold sweat coated the nape of my neck. It was the result of facing the fleeting sensation that ‘I might die.’
The only reason I managed to keep my expression hidden was because I’d once endured the killing intent of Hectia, a Platinum Knight, head-on during the disciplinary committee.
Know-It-All (Lv 2) signals the situation’s resolution.
‘Know-It-All was my best move.’
Every excuse I’d spouted to Gilbert was a miracle improvised on the spot.
It was all thanks to Know-It-All, which actively supported my mental gymnastics.
‘I owe Sebastian too….’
Sebastian’s accompaniment wasn’t for any special reason either.
He’d seen me bustling about preparing for the field trip, and for some reason, he clung to my uniform, insisting on coming along, so I had no choice but to bring him.
Who would’ve thought things would turn out like this?
The protagonist party’s perception of you has been positively influenced. However, due to the deep-rooted distrust, the impact is minimal. Nevertheless, today marks a turning point, allowing you to build a new relationship that didn’t exist before.
1,000 points have been awarded.
While I was calming myself, it seemed the misunderstanding on their side had been cleared up, as they collectively looked at me awkwardly.
Ahem, ahem. The way they exchanged glances was almost comical.
“Ugh… I’m really sorry about this. I swear, I didn’t mean for things to turn out this way.”
Bord, who’d spent the most time with me, scratched his head and stepped forward as their representative. Then, he extended his hand.
“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, Cadet Martin. I hope you’ll accept my apology.”
Gilbert, Lina, Elisha, and Mary were all looking at me. They probably felt the same. Even if their wariness and suspicion hadn’t fully dissipated, they must feel bad for jumping to conclusions.
It felt like a warm spring breeze was blowing.
If I took this hand, I’d be on a smooth path against the apocalypse. Using my knowledge of the original story, I could guide Gilbert and secure a safe future.
A possibility that didn’t exist for the original Martin.
Perhaps the best turning point Martin von Targon Ulvhadin could reach.
….
Yes, these kind-hearted, flower-brained characters must all be thinking the same thing.
“There’s no need to apologize to me, Cadets.”
I lightly brushed off the offered handshake.
“To begin with, we’re not close enough to apologize and shake hands over a misunderstanding, are we?”
“….”
“….”
“….”
I lament my lack of talent.
I envy Recola’s talent.
I despise them, the creations of Recola, who gave me false glory.
Recola! It seems you wanted me, through Martin, to build a new relationship with the protagonist party… Why? Why did you think I’d do that? Dragging someone into a novel’s world at your whim?!
That’s why I’ll betray that expectation spectacularly.
I don’t want to get close to the protagonist party. This is the one thing Martin and I have in common—our stubbornness.
A cold wind blew across the dormitory rooftop. But I didn’t feel the chill. The air in the room was colder than the breeze.
Warning! The protagonist party’s perception of the user is about to shift negatively!
As if resisting the system’s frantic red warning lights asking why I was doing this, I declared:
“Let’s just pretend the other doesn’t exist, like we’ve always done.”
Apology? An apology? Ha, what a ridiculous notion. Do they have no brains?
How could they smile and offer a handshake?
How could they casually extend a hand to Martin, whom they socially obliterated, and suggest getting along?
Right now, an eternal, unquenchable rage was still burning fiercely within Martin.
The protagonist party’s expressions, clearly displeased, reflected the weight of that emotion.
Elisha, who had conquered a dungeon with me, in particular, looked at me with eyes filled with disappointment.
As I turned to leave, Bord’s rough hand grabbed me.
“Whatever happened in the past, I’m saying let’s try to get along from now on! You don’t have to say it like that, Cadet Martin!”
My seized shoulder ached as if it might break. I forced my expression to remain neutral and shook off his hand with effort.
“Why shouldn’t I say it, Cadet Bord?!”
Restrained anger seeped heavily into my tone. I couldn’t help it. No matter how much I tried to suppress it, Martin’s bitter hatred leaked out. It was an emotion etched into this body, like a demon feeling inferior before an angel.
“I committed wrongs, and you punished me for them. I accepted it, and you were satisfied. Isn’t that the end of our relationship? If we leave each other alone, that’s that. Why talk about getting along? Are you suggesting we play house together?”
I continued speaking with a blank expression, but inside, I was beginning to understand where this emotion stemmed from. It was my first time facing Martin’s feelings so intensely, and it was disorienting yet enlightening.
Why. That’s what it was. Childish tantrums even a five-year-old wouldn’t throw.
I did wrong and was punished for it. But Martin hated that. He hated his own shortcomings and the protagonist party for trampling them so thoroughly.
Was that how grudges were settled? Martin was screaming. Could they casually laugh and apologize? When his heart was still burning with this hatred!
And Kim An-hyun resonated with that. The reasons might differ, but the conclusion was the same. I, too, couldn’t bring myself to like Recola’s creations. Hate them? I’m not sure. But I wanted to keep my distance.
I stepped back slowly and declared clearly:
“That’s all our relationship is. I have no intention of getting involved with you, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t approach me pretending to be friendly again.”
Without lingering, I turned and leapt off the dormitory roof. It was a five-story drop, but I descended by stepping on structural protrusions along the wall, landing safely on the ground.
***
At the edge of the vast orphanage grounds, by a lakeside that no one visited except lost children who stumbled upon it, I sat blankly.
“….”
I didn’t want to do anything.
After pouring everything out without thinking, the emptiness was filled with a creeping sense of powerlessness.
It was quiet now, but I’d merely allowed Martin’s hatred and inferiority to surface briefly… and the backlash was no small thing.
It felt as if a fire had ignited inside me, making it hard to control my emotions. After venting, the overwhelming powerlessness was why I was resting here now.
At any rate, this incident made it clear. I’d keep my distance from the protagonist party, but Martin… this guy wasn’t normal either. If Martin tried to express his emotions again, I’d have to stop him at all costs.
Damn bastard.
I looked at the sky. The sunset was beginning to fade. As the sun set and darkness cloaked the world, the protagonist party would raise their heads to face the chaos.
‘Move, you worthless piece of trash.’
Berating myself finally got my body moving.
I’d resolved to survive here. No matter what, I couldn’t die in Recola’s novel.
To do that, I had to stick to my original goal: prevent Lina from becoming one-eyed.
‘Joining the protagonist party is out of the question.’
I wasn’t shameless enough to approach them after saying those things. Nor did I want to.
‘I’ll have to go with Plan B.’
There was an incident that had been lower on my priority list. In the original story, it appeared in a short side story.
I’d planned to ignore it, but now that things had soured with the protagonist party, this was my best option.
‘…Someone dies here.’
At this unkempt, natural lakeside, a caretaker visited once a year. And that happened to be today.
A nature mage caretaker was about to purify the lake when a chaos beast emerged from the lakebed, devouring them—a plot device hinting at a monster in the national orphanage.
‘There’s no scene in Recola’s novel that appears without meaning. It wasn’t shown in the original, but there’s definitely something at this lakeside.’
If monsters could pop up anywhere, why hadn’t people noticed sooner? There had to be a reason for a monster to appear.
From a distance away from the lake, I loaded a piercing round into my rifle. It was just a makeshift sniper shot, but it would suffice.
The 1,000 points I’d earned from talking with the protagonist party—I’d poured most of them into Firearm Comprehension.