The incident, more of a divine assault than a hero’s attack.
It was a troublesome incident for me, and even more so for the entire organization of the company.
Several days have passed since that incident, which left painful scars on the company’s personnel and buildings.
I crawled my way to Suella and the others, but I was immediately taken to the infirmary by the doctor Keiri-san had arranged.
I wasn’t a magic body, but a living one, my insides as broken as my appearance. I was immediately hospitalized for examination.
It was natural to receive treatment and examinations after being taken there.
Furthermore, undergoing these examinations would reveal that I had updated my magic aptitude value again.
“Eh?”
The familiar-looking Lizardman doctor rubbed his eyes repeatedly and rechecked the magic aptitude value. Finally, he looked at me lying on the bed and asked, “What are you?” treating me like a monster.
The doctors thought their job was done with perfect treatment using magic and potions, and then just observing my recovery. However, every time I was battered, I came back with astonishing results.
The ensuing commotion was within their prediction.
The scene, which I had seen somewhere before, and the sight of the doctors starting to stir, brought a slight sense of nostalgia.
Incidentally, Valse-san had informed me, so I wasn’t particularly surprised.
However, I felt a cold sweat when some suggested conducting human experiments and dissections.
“So, that said, it looks like my hospital stay will continue for another two or three days.”
“Well, since it’s you, senpai, I figured something would happen if you were hospitalized, but I’m just like, ‘again?'”
“What a coincidence, me too.”
Hospital stays are basically boring.
The company also suffered damage, and its normal operations are disrupted, leaving limited options.
Even if I wanted to work, the administrative staff are too busy with other tasks to have time for dungeon testing for a while.
And if you ask me if I’ll train, after fighting a battle to the death with a hero, what else is there to say?
Both Suella and the others have been strictly ordered by the doctors to avoid excessive exercise for several days.
Because of that, all I can do is have conversations with visitors, read books, or watch TV.
It’s a much more relaxed pace than the work environment of my previous company.
Kaido, being a close friend and a man, allows for a comfortable conversation, which also contributes to my peace of mind.
When I affirmed his feeling that getting involved in trouble is a given, Kaido, while sitting on a chair, started to laugh heartily.
“What about you? You were in your room normally that night, weren’t you?”
Smiling at Kaido, I replied, “It’s about time I asked,” and after accepting that my own outcome was within comprehensible limits, I became curious about Kaido, who was in the same building on the same day, and asked him.
The man smiling in front of me, unlike me, showed no signs of any injuries.
Judging by his lack of mental shock, he was certainly unharmed.
“Well, I…”
It seemed he was in a situation that was difficult to explain.
Kaido stopped laughing at my question and subtly shifted his gaze to somewhere else.
“Reports have come in that Kitamiya, Minami, and Katsu were all fine. I won’t get angry just because you’re asking about it now.”
I figured he might be feeling guilty about being unharmed while I was seriously injured, and urged him to continue.
In fact, what I said was not a lie.
I was concerned about whether employees and part-time workers who didn’t live within the company, like Minami and the others, had been attacked, and urgent confirmation procedures were carried out.
The result was no problem; the members outside the company were virtually unharmed.
Was it because their addresses weren’t identified? Or did they not want to make an enemy of the countries in this world? Or was there another reason?
It seems the Demon Lord’s Army finds this unnatural behavior questionable and is currently investigating.
They are also reportedly coordinating with Kirie-san using the recently established Japan line.
But all that aside, let’s get back to my conversation with Kaido.
“Well, actually, I was also overwhelmed by the developments.”
Kaido stammered, clearly unsure how to explain.
“No, I mean, it’s not like I don’t remember or anything.”
“Just talk.”
Getting impatient, I raised my voice slightly and demanded a full explanation.
Finally, Kaido reluctantly began to speak.
“I was apparently taken to the deepest part of Amili-chan’s dungeon while I was half asleep.”
“Huh?”
Kaido admitted that he didn’t understand, not out of a sense of shame, but out of genuine confusion.
“I’d had a bit to drink that day and slept very deeply. When the commotion started, I was groggy, and Amili-chan came with a butler-like golem. Along with Shiik-chan and Miik-chan, we suddenly found ourselves in the deepest part of Amili-chan’s dungeon, along with other testers who had been rescued.”
What could I say? Kaido’s story was one of realizing what had happened after it was all over.
“I never thought I’d end up in the deepest part of a dungeon like this.”
“Your thoughts?”
While he seemed to be a bit hurt, feeling somewhat pathetic as a man, I saw it as a valuable experience to gain information about the dungeon.
Sorry, Kaido, but I’ll listen to get information for future reference.
“I thought it looked like the command center of some secret base. I asked the butler golem who was waiting nearby, half-jokingly, and it showed me images of the area around the command center.”
As I listened to his talk with rapt attention, he described it with a distant look, saying, “It was incredible.”
“There were numerous giant golems lined up, enough to make me think they were preparing to go to war with some country. I think that’s probably Amili-chan’s ultimate military strength. At first glance, it looked like a scene from a robot anime.”
“That sounds like a legion packed with masculine romance.”
“It is! I even asked if I could ride one!”
“Could you?”
“There was no cockpit.”
“What are you talking about?”
In the end, it was concluded that Kaido had been excited during Amili-san’s ordeal.
I chuckled at his remark and made small talk, but then there was a sudden pause.
It was a common occurrence during conversations, so I didn’t pay it much mind.
“…Why can’t I be useful at times like these?”
While we were laughing and talking like two men, Kaido’s tone lowered.
His demeanor was not his usual self.
“It’s always like this. When senpai or Amili-chan are working hard, I can barely do anything. Even though I feel useful in my regular job, I always feel inadequate when it really matters.”
This was likely Kaido’s accumulated dissatisfaction from continuing this job. This incident had brought those emotions to the surface. The usual cheerful junior was replaced by a timid one.
“…Let me see.”
Looking at Kaido, who offered a timid smile, I pondered for a moment what words could possibly convey.
It was easy to say words of affirmation or denial.
However, whether Kaido himself could accept them was another matter. In this case, he probably wasn’t seeking agreement but a starting point.
Kaido’s magic aptitude was, to put it mildly, not high. It was at the very bottom of the company’s standard. Many individuals with more talent than Kaido would likely emerge from here on out. Nevertheless, the fact that he had persevered this far was entirely due to his effort.
“I think for you, the important thing isn’t ‘how’ you can do it, but ‘what’ you want to do.”
There were few words I could offer to my junior.
“It may be a facile remark, but what you need right now, Amili, might be a goal.”
Scratching the back of my head, I looked at Kaido’s reaction with a wry smile, trying not to sound preachy.
“A goal?”
Smiling wryly at Kaido’s bewildered expression, I continued.
“It might be in vain. You might not need it.”
“Ah, not a goal of strength, but a goal of what you want to do in this company. When you first joined, I seem to remember you saying you wanted to be popular with girls.”
“Did I say that?”
But still, I had to convey those few words properly.
“You did. Well, in a sense, that wish has come true.”
“…I feel like it’s quite different from what I imagined.”
“Is it your appearance?”
“No comment.”
“It’s good, isn’t it? It’s full of beautiful girls?”
“No comment!!”
Even those few words could lightly push a man’s back. I could imagine Kaido’s envisioned harem consisted of more mature women, but the reality was that promising young girls were gathering around him.
Teasing Kaido with a chuckle, I sent him the words I wanted to convey.
“To be honest, Kaido, the fact that I survived even though I was battered like this is probably due to luck. One wrong step, and you might have seen a white sheet draped over this face.”
“Don’t say such unlucky things.”
“It means I’ve been walking a tightrope where it wouldn’t be strange if that happened. If you asked me if my abilities were always sufficient, I would say that the times they were sufficient were fewer.”
Diverging slightly, I received a skeptical gaze from Kaido, asking what I was trying to say. I conveyed my true feelings to Kaido. Whether it was during the Evol Eater incident, the competition, saving Amelia, or fighting the hero.
“The reason I was able to try my best to survive is something mundane. I didn’t become stronger with some noble sentiment like blindly pursuing the path of martial arts. My abilities were more of an afterthought. I want the women I like to tell me I’m cool. I want to survive because the woman I like gave birth to my child. That’s the kind of reason I push myself now. It’s just that talent happened to emerge, not some ‘cool’ motto.”
“How should I put it, it’s quite ordinary.”
“Yeah, ordinary is fine. Surprisingly, more familiar reasons are more realistic and better. Vague or overly grand goals can sap your motivation and spirit, making them impossible to achieve.”
“And you’ve stopped being human for that, which is quite something.”
“You can say that again.”
“Also, I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”
“Don’t think, feel.”
“That sounds like something my old boss told me. It was when he dumped work on me that I wasn’t prepared for.”
“Seriously? Then never mind the last line.”
In the end, it’s all about one’s mindset. Whether to be satisfied with what you can do, or to aim for the future with dissatisfaction with the current situation, like Kaido. Kaido was simply standing at that crossroads. Kaido, who had been downcast by my joke, gave a slight chuckle.
“Ultimately, it’s about what you want to do, not what I say.”
“Isn’t that basically telling me to think for myself, after saying all that?”
“You could say that, but it’s a little different. If you don’t decide what you want to do, I don’t know how I can advise you.”
Then, with a wry smile, I responded to Kaido’s words, which followed with an exasperated opening.
“Worry, worry. If you’re allowed to, you’re better off worrying.”
Being able to worry for oneself is a kind of luxury. Many people in the world don’t even have the time to worry.
“There are genres for becoming stronger, too. There are already two options: mental or physical. Think about which method can resolve the frustration you felt.”
So, in a sense, both Kaido and I are in fortunate circumstances. We are given time to worry, and we have friends who will help us find ways to solve those worries. I believe that is a very happy thing.
“Understood.”
I don’t know if he understood, but Kaido’s expression seemed to brighten.
“By the way, Kaido.”
I offered one more unsolicited piece of advice to Kaido.
“What is it, senpai?”
In a way, this might be superfluous, but it’s better to convey this.
“The stronger you get in our company, the higher the possibility of getting involved in trouble.”
Being able to deal with trouble means being more likely to get involved in it.
“Ah.”
Kaido, who had forgotten that fact, realized it with a stunned expression and buried his face in his hands, contemplating what to do next. I opened my mouth wide at his sight and burst out laughing.
Today’s Word:
While it’s always good to improve your abilities, whether you can utilize them is up to the individual.
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*The first volume of the paperback edition is 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.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the original serialization on Shosetsuka ni Naro, with the addition of unpublished interchapters.
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