The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 83
EP.83 Suspicion (3)
Sometimes, I wondered if I was truly popular. After all, over a month had passed since enrollment, yet not a single noble had willingly gathered around me. Rumors about me, my unflinching expression, and my seemingly intimidating skillset—all these things kept most at a distance. Even that skill was firearm-based, something far from the swordsmanship or magic the nobility typically admired. While the appearance of “Sylvia Fangriffon” alone might’ve been enough to gain some favor, the rest of my “traits” created barriers few wanted to cross.
Yet, strangely enough, people continued to gather around me, one by one.
Alice? I understood her presence. She’d been by my side since we were young, and I’d made efforts to boost her confidence. Her father, the Emperor, may have loved her, but his ways were anything but conventional, and her mother had long since passed. So, it wasn’t unusual for us to share a close bond.
The same went for Claire. I’d been kind to her in difficult circumstances and later even helped her escape them. Although our time together was short, it made sense that it left a powerful impression on her life.
But the others who gathered around me were a mystery.
Mia Crowfield, in particular, was a former rival. Charlotte had little reason to favor me, given that I’d disregarded her father. Leo had been somewhat afraid of me, and I had barely any interaction with Jake.
So why were they all here?
Ah, maybe it was because of Leo. In the original storyline, Leo was the protagonist, and in the game, wherever Leo went, nearly every character followed suit.
“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”
When I glanced at him, Leo jumped, startled.
“It’s nothing.”
I couldn’t very well tell him he was the reason. After all, it wasn’t as if he’d done it on purpose.
Turning my gaze, I noticed Lena Meyer’s blank face.
Technically, I had brought her along to assess her skills. Not that I particularly cared to verify them. She didn’t seem like a threat right now, and her feelings toward me seemed favorable. If she had intended to spy on me, she wouldn’t have been in her room, face buried in a doll, taking a nap.
My real goal was just to ensure Mia Crowfield got to know Lena’s true personality, preventing any cracks in the façade.
Yet, somehow, rumors spread, and all the students I interacted with at school ended up gathering here. Leo and Claire had even joined us while we were out on an assignment, spotting us by chance and deciding to follow along.
“…I originally intended for this to be a training mission.”
However, thanks to Leo and Claire sweeping through all the assignments since morning, the only remaining tasks were trivial, hardly suitable for skill assessment. With nothing but minor assignments left, there was no point in accepting them.
Besides, even without an assignment, wild beasts occasionally appeared on the road.
“Completing minor tasks wouldn’t serve as a proper skills test anyway.”
Lena Meyer nodded confidently at my words, her face still expressionless.
I could feel the prickling stares from those around us. It seemed they were quite curious about the girl I had personally called out.
“Can I see the weapon you use?”
While I knew the weapons of the protagonist’s party, I was unfamiliar with Lena Meyer’s. Though I could see them now.
Runedarium, the capital city, was modeled after London’s weather, with even summer days rarely exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. The chill of May lingered, prompting me to leave my own coat behind. For Lena Meyer, who was used to even colder climates, this might have felt like the peak of summer. Still, she wore her school jacket properly, with her twin pistols visible under each arm. Just by looking at the distinctive grips, I could guess what kind of weapons they were.
“Understood.”
Lena promptly drew her two pistols at my request.
Visually, they resembled the semi-automatic pistols used by Nazi Germany in the Second World War back on Earth. The design was likely inspired by the Luger P08, a famous firearm. Within the setting of this world, it was mainly used by autonomous military forces. While no main characters wielded it, it had made a brief appearance in the storyline.
And frankly, I envied Lena Meyer’s pistols.
The Empire had its own standard-issue semi-automatic pistol. While its reliability was somewhat lower than a revolver, it offered the convenience of rapid fire and, most importantly, quicker reloading. But I had my reasons for sticking with my break-action revolver.
The Empire’s semi-automatic pistol, the Wexler Automatic, was based on the real-world Webley Automatic. It looked like a sawed-off plank with a grip duct-taped on and a metal tube for the barrel. When I’d first seen it, I was baffled, wondering how much the designers had cared, only to find out it was based on an actual historical firearm.
The real reason I refused to use it was simple—it was ugly.
On the other hand, Lena Meyer’s pistols closely resembled the Luger, the model that American GIs famously coveted as war trophies. To be honest, they were beautiful guns. The only downside was that the ammunition wasn’t compatible with the Empire’s standard.
“If you dual-wield those, wouldn’t the accuracy drop?”
She shook her head at my question.
“I train regularly to ensure precise control.”
If Lena were a character meant to be a ‘protagonist,’ it wouldn’t be strange for her to fight in such a unique way. Just as there were swordsmen who could unleash sword energy, there were those who could accurately hit targets while wielding a pistol in each hand.
“……I see.”
I nodded reluctantly.
*
“We’ve got a potential target in one of the pending requests. Think we could use that for the test?”
As I pondered what kind of prey would serve as a suitable test, Claire spoke up.
The fact that she offered her suggestion without me saying anything made me think she’d picked up on my indecision.
“…Is that so?”
I decided not to ignore Claire’s suggestion.
“Yes, this one…”
Claire pulled a piece of paper from her pocket in response to my answer. It looked like it had been torn from a notebook, with the name of a target scrawled across it.
“This is……”
“Yes. It’s an amorphous monster.”
Amorphous monster.
Most creatures roaming the roads are beasts. By the standards of this world, they are considered beasts, but by Earth’s standards, they might as well be monsters. Think of bears that breathe fire or wolves that carry winds.
However, there are also entities that could be called ‘monsters’ even by this world’s standards, distinct from regular beasts.
Amorphous monsters are like slimes. Some have long tentacles that whip as they attack, while others mimic the appearance of other beasts.
What Claire showed me was more akin to the former. However, the difference was that instead of whips, the tentacles were as thick as a golem’s fists, and instead of a melting form half-stuck to the ground, it stood firmly on two legs.
Physical attacks were almost useless. Such creatures could only be hurt by magic attacks from mage characters or by using sword energy-based skills of swordsmen characters—an annoying opponent if you hadn’t trained properly. But if you’d raised your character well, it wasn’t too much of a threat.
I could picture it easily even without a sketch, as it was a familiar enemy from the game.
Hmm… No matter how I thought about it, it seemed far too challenging to face with just two pistols—
“I’ll do it.”
—just as I was about to make that judgment, Lena, who had read the content alongside me, immediately responded that she would try.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’ve trained thoroughly for situations with such opponents.”
“…Really?”
After considering her words for a moment, I replied,
“Understood.”