“Senpai, are you alright?”
“…Do I look alright?”
“No, you don’t.”
Three days had passed since combat training began.
I was suffering from headaches and looking pale.
The reason was obvious: overuse of scrolls.
While it was good to learn magic through scrolls, my brain was taking a significant toll trying to process it all.
My head felt heavy, even though there was no physical change in weight.
Honestly, I thought I was going to lose my mind, but my body was able to absorb the spell formulas better than I expected, so I didn’t go completely insane. However, I felt like I was constantly hungover, making it difficult to move.
Kaido and the others seemed to be progressing smoothly with their combat training, but I, who was cramming magic rather than learning it, hadn’t moved my body at all except for the first day.
Other than eating and bathing, my routine was simply to learn magic to my limit and then rest.
I wasn’t stumbling or anything, but the headache made it impossible for me to concentrate fully.
As a result, I felt bad when I spoke a little too harshly to Kaido, who had expressed his concern.
I apologized briefly, and Kaido cheerfully replied, “It’s alright,” which made me feel a little better.
However, it only eased my mood; the headache persisted.
I’d been enduring because the supervisor and Instructor Fushio had told me that today was the crucial day.
But today, the thought of having to learn more magic made me feel utterly depressed.
“You’ve all gathered.”
And then, right on time, the supervisor and the others arrived, and I thought the training would begin again.
“Alright, let’s get going, everyone.”
Instructor Kio took Kaido and the others to start their training as usual, and I braced myself to be pushed hard by the supervisor and Instructor Fushio again today, but—
“Kekeke, then I shall join you today as well.”
Today was a little different.
My party members, who had been looking at me with concern, flinched at Instructor Fushio’s words and turned to look at him.
“What? Jiro moved things along faster than expected, so I have some free time for a while. Is that alright with you, Oni King?”
“Oh! Sure! I was just thinking of doing some anti-magic combat. It’s perfect if you’re here!!”
My training, which had seemed suspect, was now overshadowed by the training content for Kaido and the others.
The faces of those who had been worried about me moments ago turned pale, their blood draining.
However, the two who were aware of this fact were cheerfully discussing today’s training content, pretending not to notice.
Seeing their reaction, I let out a sigh of relief, thinking that the burden on myself had decreased slightly.
Honestly, it would have been tough to face those two in my current condition, so a reduction in the burden was a great help.
I thought I could somehow get through today as well.
“Jiro, you are to rest today.”
Just as I was mustering my resolve to push through, my vision blurred for a moment, and I found myself in a different place.
“Welcome, Jiro-sama.”
And there, in front of me, was Tatte, whom I had been seeing more often recently, bowing politely.
“Tatte, is everything ready?”
“Yes.”
Then, the supervisor’s voice, which had been behind me moments ago, came from behind me.
It took me a few seconds to realize I had been teleported.
Another few seconds passed before I realized I hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything.
Before I could even wonder where I was, maids, other than Tatte, were already stripping me of my equipment.
I wasn’t completely undressed, but even my Ore Tree was taken from me.
If I were to describe my current state, it would be filled with words like complacency and carelessness.
Should I blame myself for not concentrating, or be impressed by the maids’ speed in disarming me so easily?
It was a dilemma, but my aching head couldn’t quite come to a decision.
“Jiro-sama, please change into these.”
“H-Haa.”
As if to leave me to my own devices, Tatte handed me a piece of thin, yukata-like fabric.
“Please change in there.”
She pointed to a place that looked like a fitting room and instructed me to change there.
Confused by the sudden whirlwind of events and not understanding what I was about to be made to do, I hesitated for a moment.
“Should I help you change?”
“No, I’m alright.”
I almost ended up needing help to change.
For a brief moment, my thoughts became sharp, and I quickly changed and emerged from the fitting room.
“Then, this way.”
Following Tatte’s lead in the streamlined process, I was guided deeper into the room to—
“A bath?”
“Yes, please soak in there.”
Steam rose, and beyond the door was a bathtub large enough for me to sprawl out in.
At this sight, I was too tired to be surprised anymore, so I did as I was told and got into the bath.
It felt strange to get into a bath with clothes on, but since the garment was made for this purpose, there was no discomfort.
Too lazy to even wonder if it was okay to take a bath when I had a headache and felt unwell, I let myself drift along, soaking in the pleasantly fragrant bath, into which some kind of light green bath additive had been added.
“Ahhh, this feels good.”
The water temperature was exquisite, not too hot and not too cold. It might have been slightly cooler for a long soak, but to me, it was just right.
A sigh of pleasure escaped my lips, and although I felt a little embarrassed, I enjoyed the bath for about ten seconds.
“Why a bath?”
My headache inexplicably subsided, and as I calmed down, I finally questioned the routine.
“Finally. We were aware that we had pushed you too hard, but perhaps we should have eased up a bit.”
With a sigh, a voice could be heard from beside me. Following the sound, I saw the supervisor sitting at a table next to the bathtub, checking a tablet PC with a look of exasperation.
“…Is this a co-ed bath?”
“If you can make jokes like that, then I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”
Now that I was calm, it was a strange sight: a man (me) in a bath, with a supervisor in her usual suit standing beside it, not in armor.
It was because of this scene that I considered the reason for a woman, the supervisor, to be by a man’s bath, leading to my previous remark, which only earned me more exasperation from the supervisor.
“Was I really that bad?”
From her reaction, it seemed my condition was so bad that even the usually strict supervisor showed a little leniency.
“Yes, even I thought I had gone too far.”
The supervisor, who always scolded me for being pathetic, admitted she had gone too far and showed a hint of concern, making me realize, belatedly, just how dire my situation might have been.
I understood that it was proof of my habit of pushing myself too hard and knew I needed to restrain myself, but I could only manage a hollow laugh.
After all, I had crammed as much magic as possible into myself over these three days.
I had pushed myself to the limit.
“Let me ask again, Supervisor, why the bath?”
“It’s for rest, and to help the magic you’ve learned settle into your magic crest.”
Changing the subject, or rather, after I asked for an explanation, the supervisor pointed to the bath and explained.
“This water is a special blend of medicinal herbs. It activates your magic crest and enhances your healing abilities. Your headache should subside if you soak in it for a while.”
So, the pleasant scent was from medicinal herbs? My gaze turned to the water, and I could see it faintly glowing.
“I certainly feel much better.”
If it was this effective, I wished I had been given it from the beginning.
“By the way, a single bath like this could build a house.”
“…How much does my company expect from me?”
“How much… do you want to know?”
“If I can.”
My inner complaint was silenced by the supervisor’s words.
What kind of water could build a house?
They had me learn magic from valuable scrolls, and then they used this special medicinal bath to heal the aftereffects.
At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder how much the company expected of me.
Even if it were just a hobby, they were spending too much money on an employee like me.
I couldn’t afford not to ask. Although I might not look dignified in a bath, I met her gaze with a serious expression. The supervisor met my gaze without looking away for a moment and then, without a word, signaled for everyone else to leave.
It was clear that whatever she was about to say was sensitive.
“…Jiro, I heard from the Demon Lord that you will eventually be put in charge of a dungeon.”
“…”
“Will you understand if I say this is an investment for that?”
The words that came from the supervisor’s mouth surprised me, not with a feeling of shock, but with a natural acceptance.
I didn’t think it was because of the water’s effects.
Or rather, I didn’t have the leeway to think about such trivial matters.
I had expected to be promoted.
But to be put in charge of a dungeon.
That meant making me a general in the Demon Lord’s Army.
And me, a human who had been an enemy of the Demon Lord’s Army for years.
I was about to call it absurd, but—
“Is it true?”
“Yes, at least that’s what I heard.”
I couldn’t say that.
Unlike the supervisor, whose expression would normally be teasing, there was no hint of it in her eyes. This person specifically wouldn’t play a prank. She exuded an aura that made her words seem truthful.
Therefore, the supervisor’s words carried more weight.
“And as your backing… what would you do if you heard that I was going to marry you?”
“Eh?”
Just when I was seriously contemplating how much the Demon Lord’s Army expected of me, the supervisor dropped another bombshell that shattered all my thoughts about expectations.
“What? Huh? Me?”
“Yes, you.”
Unlike me, who was panicking, the supervisor calmly stated the facts.
“The Demon Lord is serious about bringing you into the fold. That’s how much they expect from your talent.”
She seemed to accept it, as if she didn’t mind her own marriage being used to benefit the organization.
Unlike me, who was flustered by the word “marriage” and pointing to myself for confirmation, she simply accepted the fact.
“No, I’m still not ready…”
Bewildered by the atmosphere and unable to grasp it all, I used modesty to buy time.
“Raising your magic aptitude to nine, contracting with a High-ranking Spirit, contributing to the resolution of numerous incidents such as quelling a rebellion, and growing to the point where you can fight against executives in less than a year— I’ve explained before that these achievements alone make you a rare existence.”
However, the supervisor cut off my modesty by listing my accomplishments on her fingers, as if not allowing me to escape.
“…”
I had nothing to say to the supervisor.
Certainly, I understood that what I had done was not ordinary.
But it was also true that I hadn’t expected to be evaluated so highly.
Normally, I should be happy about a promotion, but—
“…”
Looking at the supervisor, who was presented to me like a prize, I didn’t feel that way.
“Supervisor, were you… alright with it?”
“With what?”
Perhaps that was why.
I wanted to ask the supervisor a question that was cliché, one that anyone would likely ask. Perhaps it was a “Template” question.
“Meaning, marrying me.”
It was good that I could say it directly without mincing words.
I wondered how the supervisor, facing a man who was about to marry Suella, Memoria, and Himik, would answer, but the moment I thought that, I realized it was futile. I had a feeling I knew what her answer would be.
“If it serves the country, then yes.”
The supervisor answered my question without hesitation, showing no sign of loneliness or sadness, simply accepting the facts.
I hadn’t really expected anything from my question. It just popped into my head, and I felt I had to say it.
Perhaps it was because I, with my naive belief in a love marriage as the ideal, understood the necessity and meaning of a political marriage but could not accept it.
If I were younger and acted purely on emotion, unburdened by social norms, could I have emotionally rejected it and said, “That’s too cruel to you!”? Could I have empathized with the supervisor’s feelings like some handsome protagonist?
Thinking of Suella and the others, I could only give a self-deprecating laugh. And I realized that, at least for now, I couldn’t. After all, I had a vague understanding of the supervisor’s position and could dimly grasp that she was in a situation where she couldn’t freely choose her own romance.
I didn’t say “I see,” but I probably conveyed that sentiment through the atmosphere.
A political marriage. I had always thought it was something that had nothing to do with me. If I were to be asked if this made such a matter feel closer, my only response would be that it lacked reality.
“So, Jiro,”
“Yes?”
“What will you do?”
The supervisor’s question was a verb asking what I would do. She wasn’t asking what I would think, but what I wanted to do. Trying to consider her words—
“I want to be the kind of man who can say that having as many beautiful wives as you want is never a problem.”
Looking at the supervisor’s almost expressionless face before me, I gave up on deep thought and simply said—
“What is that?”
I didn’t mind being exasperated. I just wanted to see a supervisor who smiled, not just an expressionless face, so I revealed my true feelings.
“It’s about what I want to do.”
Today’s word:
I never expected things to turn out this way.
That concludes this section.
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*The first volume of the novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume was released on December 19, and the third volume on February 20, 2019. The content includes revisions and additions to the story posted on “Shōsetsuka ni Narō,” along with an unpublished interlude. We hope you’ll enjoy the new books as well!*
*The manga adaptation of this work is scheduled to be serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third” starting in issue 9. We hope you enjoy that as well.*
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