Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer? - Chapter 71: From the Very Beginning (6)

Although I failed to get that one last ship, I’d killed the Kraken, so the port was safe.

Furthermore, I also got back to land thanks to Windhand coming for me by boat.

This was good enough. Even though I couldn’t get everything done, we overcame the immediate crisis without suffering damage and were safe for now.

“Can you come up on your own?”

“Does it look like I can’t to you, you bastard?”

“…I came here to rescue you, so can’t you cut me some slack?”

As I tightened my grip on the rope he’d handed me. Windhand slowly retreated. It was very similar to Deb, like they were testing the waters and backing off right before things became bloody.

However, that kind of bothered me because I didn’t really feel angry at all. Putting the frightened Windhand aside, I climbed aboard the boat blocking the bay.

Since the three ships couldn’t be removed immediately, the people needed to use ropes to get over them for a while. We actually had to pull up the small boat and lower it behind the ships again.

“Wow, color me impressed.”

However, as I climbed over the railing, someone approached me with a rather relaxed demeanor. It was Outlaw or whatever her name was.

“Not only did you single-handedly sink all those ships, but you also annihilated a huge sea monster… Are you perhaps interested in becoming a pirate?”

“Chima.”

“Oh my, did our brother already mark you? What a pity.”

“That’s right, so give up.”

“Hmmm. However, my dear brother, don’t you know that the words ‘giving up’ can’t be found in a pirate’s vocabulary? Besides, isn’t his opinion the most deciding factor here?”

Outlaw, while discussing various things with Windhand, suddenly winked at me.

My face cramped up as that hit me directly.

That was only cute if done by a lover or a fluffy, lively girl under 25, not some dark-hearted pirate, no matter how pretty they were…

“If you ever change your mind, please let me know. We’ll always welcome a strong man like you.”

“Anyway, what about the boat? There should be one we can return on, right?”

“Haha, that’s the one.”

“Get ready, you punks.”

Fortunately, Windhand pushed away Outlaw’s head. She only chuckled and motioned for us to follow her.

“How does it feel like conquering such a sea monster right after defeating a sea dragon?”

At that time, Windhand came closer and whispered to me. I had no idea why he was asking that… nor did I know how to answer.

Saying I never wanted to do something like that again or similar would be somewhat difficult, as well as a major character break, so that was out. I’d at least gotten the Sea Dragon’s head as spoils, but I didn’t get anything from the octopus. Despite being disappointed, I couldn’t talk about that, either, as that would also be out of character. I naturally leveled up again, but I didn’t know how to feel about it since I didn’t really need to get skills anymore, so that was that.

In the end, I had nothing to say anymore. I looked away from him and placed a foot on the boat Outlaw had prepared.

“…Demon Knight?”

Just as I was wondering where she had gone, I saw a red-haired passenger already on the boat.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you would come here…”

She didn’t look too good. Where did our dumpling’s straightforward bluntness go? Her face looked so tired, like an office worker with twenty years of experience.

Well, she did faint during the Dragon Slaying due to excessive use of Divine Power, so I’d understand if she did something similar this time, too.

“Then let us leave.”

Before the Inquisitor could properly apologize to me—she didn’t even have to, to begin with—Outlaw and Windhand each grabbed an oar and started rowing.

While the number of people who could board this small boat was heavily limited, it still required two captains to row. This seemed rather excessive, somehow.

Of course, if one weighed the pros and cons, this was overwhelmingly advantageous!

“Wow, so my brother and I are on rowing duty? Not even the Lord can enjoy such luxury!”

“It’s not like she can’t. She doesn’t want to.”

“Right, right!”

They casually raised that point as if they were also aware of this matter. The Inquisitor, whose eyes were moving about, quietly asked if she should also help with the rowing.

“…Do you know how to row? You obviously don’t. I would never leave an oar to a landlubber.”

While I was looking at our little idiot, Windhand spoke as if he found her proposal ridiculous. It was so absurd that Outlaw burst into laughter.

“Yet you still treat her well, huh? Wahahaha. Well, if I’d known that, I wouldn’t have brought her along.”

“Want me to stab you in the lungs?”

“Calm down, I’m done already.”

That person lived such an unfettered life. I wished I could, as well.

With such meaningless envy in my heart, I reached the dock. Was it because my fatigue level had fallen to nearly 20 after that battle? I momentarily lost the strength in my legs when stepping onto the docks. It wasn’t to the point of losing my balance and falling, but everyone around could see me wince for a second. The area around my eyes also felt a little sore.

“Hey, Demon Knight. Are you oka— urgh.”

However, the Inquisitor was even worse off than me after leaving the boat.

Did she lose her balance or miscalculate the dock’s height while stepping on it and trip? Anyway, she almost fell.

“Woah, what the hell are you doing?!”

Nice catch, Deb. He’s still her colleague, so he would support her like this whenever this sort of thing happened, huh?

“Are you stupid? Don’t lift me like that!”

“Sh-Shut up.”

Oh my, how cutely they play together.

I tried walking along the dock, barely refraining from smiling lukewarmly. That would have been quite an easy feat if not for the crowds of people gathered at the end of the dock, effectively blocking the way.

“You…”

“I thought I was strong, but that guy…”

“Huh, I have no words.”

What was going on? Weren’t all those people in front rather high-ranking? Some even wore medals on their chest.

“…From the left: Redbeard Ahmes, Limping Willan, and Westwind Kato. All three are pirates. The bald guy is Ayu Hin’s guard captain, the mustached one in the back is his deputy, and the one in front is Ayu Hin’s treasurer. Next to them are more pirates, and the old woman is Boss Rahong…”

Fortunately, Deb came over to whisper the relevant information about these people into my ear.

He spoke too quickly for me to memorize everything, so all I thought was, ‘Oh, I see’. However… It was better knowing some things than nothing at all. At least now, I knew who had which occupation and belonged to which camp to some extent.

“First, let me thank you.”

It was especially helpful knowing the man who’d just stepped forward wasn’t a pirate, but someone related to the city. However, just because I knew didn’t mean I would react any differently.

“Thanks to you…”

“Let’s stop these useless niceties. I came here to find out the island’s current situation, information about the enemy forces, and Vipurit’s location.”

I immersed myself in roleplaying but simultaneously got distracted by weird thoughts again. Was the sea warmer here than further away? It hadn’t felt all that cold in there, but I was still craving some warm soup for some reason.

“R-Right. But still, thank you…”

“If you want to show your gratitude, give me information.”

For example, maybe something like Sundaeguk? You know, soup with thinly sliced pieces of meat in it.

The more I thought of that, the more I felt regret and disappointment. Why did this place only have stew and no soups?

“Now, get out of my way.”

Ah, I wanted to eat soup.

* * *

Deathbringer held his aching head when he saw her, which had become a habit.

If she went into a city, he was sure a bounty would be placed on her for being an annoyance. He was sure of it.

“Wahahaha!!”

Meanwhile, Outlaw, laughing excitedly, seemed even more disgusting to him. After some research, he discovered she was precisely the type of person he disliked.

Although he also broke some laws and committed many crimes, he wasn’t a villain who caused harm to civilians like Outlaw did.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and follow after him.”

However, they were currently allies. He also had to take care of that air-headed priest and Mister.

“Huh? Is that really fine?”

“The only way you’ll be fine is by being at Mister’s side, right? So, stick close to him.”

Deathbringer took advantage of this moment when everyone was still overwhelmed by what had just happened and quickly sent the iron wall away. As time passed and people returned to their senses, the first thing they’d notice and focus on was this woman’s affiliation.

He wondered whether they would still try to kill them after witnessing the Demon Knight’s overwhelming power and receiving so much help. However, he couldn’t be sure.

That bullheaded priest brat was just too good at starting fights. So, sticking her next to a strong knight like Mister was perfect.

“Th-That guy!”

“Uwahah, uwahahaha! You’re in trouble, trouble!”

“What a temperamental lad. Well, every hero needs to have at least that much pride.”

“That green kid sure is talking big.”

“Wow, he didn’t even let me properly speak with him. Hey, Windhand, tell me something!”

At that moment, he focused on the expressions of the people around him.

He tried to differentiate those who harbored dissatisfaction with the Demon Knight’s attitude (which they couldn’t express to him directly) from those who prioritized their gratitude toward him.

The information he gained from observing those two groups led to the words that left his mouth one by one.

“Don’t feel too offended. While it’s true that Mister Demon Knight is strong, it took a lot of effort to kill a monster that big. Also, the environment was very unfavorable. That’s why he’s slightly on edge.”

How did he end up cleaning after those two all the time? Of course, they didn’t recruit him for his strength in a fight.

Still, wasn’t this much different from gathering information and the like? He waved his hands a bit to dissipate the dejection in his heart. The eyes previously glued to the Demon Knight were now focused on him.

From the high-ranking officials of the city he disliked to the criminals who purposelessly plundered civilians for nothing but their own satisfaction, they were all looking at him.

“He’s going to be like that for a while, so you’ll have to talk to him through me for the time being, okay?”

He wondered when Mister Archmage would come. At that very moment, he really, really missed the old Archmage who usually took care of these things.

“Then, let’s start with who you are…”

“No, there’s a more important question, right?”

After seeing those pirates glaring at him with murderous intent despite not having done anything yet, he felt like that even more.

“Why are bastards from the Temple here?”

Ah, why couldn’t they just move on? How many more times did he have to explain this?

Unknown to anyone, Deathbringer’s blood was about to boil over.

* * *

* * *

A little later, I noticed the kimchi dumpling following me. Deb seemed to have stayed behind and showed no signs of pursuing us. The same went for Windhand and the others.

“Where are you going?”

Well, I wasn’t so sure, actually. I didn’t want to stay there, so I just left. So, where should I go?

While mentally answering the Inquisitor’s question, I looked around the port quickly. The entire area I couldn’t take in properly earlier came into view.

It reminded me of Sorrento, a port city built on a cliff, if it were surrounded by cliffs.

Growl.

Then, a strange sound reached my ears from somewhere.

“I-I’m sorry.”

However, I didn’t have to look far as the culprit soon revealed herself.

It really wasn’t something to be sorry about. Quite some time had passed since we last ate something, hadn’t it?

Actually, my satiety was also at an all-time low. In other words, it was time to eat.

The question was, where could we grab a meal in this secret place?

I dragged around the stunned Inquisitor and looked for places where reasonable amounts of people gathered. Although this was a hidden bay, I was sure there had to be at least one restaurant here.

“Ah, Demon Knight. There’s a tavern over there.”

And I hadn’t been wrong. We were able to find a building labeled as a tavern.

It seemed to be currently used as some sort of canteen… They wouldn’t immediately know that we were outsiders, right? We should be fine then, right?

“It’s not time for meals yet. Go away.”

It seemed it wasn’t fine…

“Are you not open?”

“What are you babbling about? It’s not yet time for food distribution.”

The Inquisitor immediately became disappointed. I felt somewhat sorry for her as she seemed like a stiff, dehydrated dumpling.

“I want to buy some food.”

“Oh. Looks like you’re new. Food isn’t tradable here. We distribute a set number of rations to each person, so even if you’re hungry now, you should just wait until dinner—”

“Uwaaaargh!!”

I tried to buy some food from him just in case, but as I had thought, it didn’t work. Had someone not rushed out of the kitchen and silenced the guy talking to us, that would have been the end of this.

“Yes, of course you can!”

“Are you crazy, you–hmph!”

“Is there anything you would like to eat? I’ll bring it to you at once!”

Hey buddy, the face of the guy you grabbed was turning red.

“Didn’t he say buying food isn’t possible?”

“Oh, it’s fine if it’s you two! Order whatever you’d like!”

“…Anything is fine, as long as it tastes good.”

The Inquisitor ordered in a serious tone. The person still covering the chef’s mouth then looked at me.

“Something that doesn’t contain meat.”

No, rather than the food, that person’s face reddened even more. Shouldn’t he let the guy go already?

“Puhah! You crazy bastard!”

Fortunately, the person managed to free himself. The red-faced guy slapped his thick hand across the back of the person who’d taken our order.

“How could you just take those people’s orders?!”

“A-Ah! I’ll explain it to you, so, Ah! Stop hitting me!”

“Says the guy who almost choked me to death?!”

“Not on purpose. Ah, please sit down over there and wait a moment. I’ll get the food. Hey, stop hitting me already!”

We somehow managed to get some food… without anyone dying.

“…Is this really okay?”

…to answer our clueless Inquisitor…

Thud.

I didn’t know. I put the table overturned in that little scuffle to its original state with my foot and brought a chair back to its correct position. Slump. I then dropped my salt-covered body onto it.

The Inquisitor, her eyes moving about restlessly, also sat beside me. Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, the store was rather quiet.

“It’s them…”

“Wait, is that the Temple’s crest?”

“That guy killed a huge monster…”

It seemed I’d have to correct myself. While it was indeed quiet inside the shop, the area just outside immediately became rather noisy.

How did those people know we were the ones who played an active role during that emergency? It almost seemed like they’d gathered here to look at us. Anyway, there was quite a crowd outside.

“…!”

Suddenly, the Inquisitor jumped up and looked in a specific direction. My heart was pounding intensely. It also felt as if the tingling sensation in my arm overlapped with my heartbeat.

“A Demon…”

We had just ordered food, yet more work came my way again.

An incredibly deep sigh stuck in my throat.

“Demon Knight, that’s…”

“Where is it?”

While I felt like I was about to cry, I grabbed my weapon and stood up. The sound of the people breathing outside seemed to have stopped.

“It doesn’t feel like a complete Demon.”

A Demon was a Demon. So what if it wasn’t a complete one yet?

“As far as I can remember… Just-infected Zombies give off the same sensation. To make a more exact judgment, I would have to observe them up close first.”

…If the infection hadn’t progressed yet, that was good, right? Right?

“However, is this something we should interfere with?”

I quickly shook my head. There were still those among these people who vividly remembered the massacre committed by the people of the Temple forty years ago. To stop the Zombie infection, the priests burned down everything, no matter whether they were Zombies or normal people.

After something like that happened, what would happen if she, a priest, said something akin to, ‘Hey, a person among you is turning into a Zombie. Could I check you guys over for a second?’

Although she had played an active part in the defense of the bay earlier, if she were to say something like that, they would only see it as her picking a fight.

“Location.”

“You mean where the Demon is? Somewhere in the crowd outside.”

However, did you know what was even more problematic? The moment I learned where the Demon was, I had to act, or else I would break character!

“The food’s here… Wh-Where are you going?”

Couldn’t I just drop my character setting? However, if I did that, wouldn’t I get struck down by that mace over there? Yeah, I knew all too well…

“Get out of the way.”

I burst out of the store, wrapped my fingers tightly around the hilt of my sword, and scowled at the people. They got extremely scared and immediately rushed to get out of my way.

“Location.”

“You can’t just carelessly harm these people.”

“I won’t let a single Demon escape.”

“I agree with that.”

The Inquisitor groaned as she mumbled things like, ‘Is it really okay to do this?’ and, ‘No, but this is a Demon we’re talking about!’ If her mind were a bit more flexible, she’d have managed to reach a compromise somehow, but she wasn’t capable of that, hence why she was acting this way.

“Promise me you won’t resort to force right away.”

Eventually, our dumpling seemed to have made up her mind. Her green eyes sparkled as she looked at me.

“I came to this land vowing not to harm its people, and I only received this opportunity because I made this vow.”

My character might not like that conviction of hers, but her words weren’t that bad.

“Even if they are a Demon, I cannot yield on this.”

Phew. Even before we went to slay that dragon, she had been a kid who obediently listened to what others told her. Now, not only did she not just go along with what I did, but she was stubborn about it, as well.

How well she grew up.

“Promise me.”

“…You.”

She grew so much as a person, so when would my character be able to get some growth? I couldn’t just suddenly change my character under the pretext of growth because I was scared that my head would be bashed in if I did. Could I cry now?

Was holding the hilt of my sword while scrunching up my face the correct action for my character to take in this situation?

“Hey, why are you two fighting?!”

Fortunately, Deb appeared in time to mediate for us. For a moment there, I felt like I could see a halo around his head.