I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 24

24. not very pleasant (3)

I felt a chill for a moment. I reflexively took two steps away from Daphne. However, Marianne, receiving Daphne’s gaze, stood there with a completely unconcerned expression. Daphne took a step forward and gazed intently into Marianne’s eyes.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Daphne Epiphone.”

In response to Daphne’s greeting, Marianne nodded and greeted her face to face. It was amazing that I hadn’t cracked that expression until now. I think Daphne will break down if I leave it as it is, so I quickly started explaining it as if it were an excuse. It’s strange. Why is the cold sweat dripping like this?

“He was sent by the Cheong Church. My name is Marianne. You are new to the warrior party, and of course you will accompany us on our expedition.”

“If it’s the Puritan Church, is that the bishop or something sent it?”

I nodded. Daphne still had her eyes on Marianne. And Marianne was still silent. Soon, the chill that Daphne had been letting out subsided, and she returned to her usual self. I was looking at the scene with a slightly complicated feeling.

“[Consider it self-employed.]”

Said in a voice as if teasing that the Holy Sword was in good shape. Do I have to be told that I am self-sufficient because I did something wrong here? I sighed.

“As you know, the original expedition had five members, but it was reduced to three, so Seongguk paid special attention to it. They say they can vouch for your skills.”

Daphne looked back at me and nodded. Then, facing the trunk in Marianne’s hand, her expression slightly hardened again. … Come to think of it, there is one most important fact that I haven’t told Daphne yet.

“By the way, it’s a bit too much for me to introduce you to the headquarters.”

Daphne seemed to think that I brought Marianne to headquarters simply to introduce her. Her purple eyes began to shake uncomfortably.

“… That’s what I mean. Marianne is going to live here at headquarters.”

creak.

Daphne lifted her head and looked at me. Looking into those eyes, the guilt I felt was no joke. I didn’t let her live here because I wanted to. Daphne shook her head slowly. It was a gesture that seemed to deny reality.

“You came to live here? At Illroy’s house?”

“Marianne will be on another floor. It’s not strange by any means, just think of them as other residents of the same apartment.”

I’m sorry, Daphne. There wasn’t much I could do.

“The Seongguk could have arranged a separate accommodation for you, right?”

“They said it was difficult to find a place to stay, and since there wasn’t much time left until we went to attack the next catastrophe, they told us to stay together and increase the time we spent together. Since she is also a martial artist, she probably has more opportunities to work with me on the frontlines.”

The representative of Seongguk asks me so, what can I do? I have no choice but to follow. Daphne looked at me resentfully. Yeah, you’d rather hate me If it’s your wish, I’ll accept it. If Daphne had animal ears, it seemed that the most vigilant and soaring to the limit would have now fallen down and slumped.

“I know.”

Daphne said in a low voice as if she had given up. Then he started walking as if he was going to go home. Without realizing it, I brought my hand over his head and gently tapped the top of his head. Daphne raised her head in surprise.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for waiting.”

Daphne reminded me of my face, narrowed her brows, looked at me, then nodded and headed outside. His expression seemed to have softened a little, but I should consider the fact that he didn’t respond to me as a sign of dissatisfaction at the very least. After I opened the door to the lobby, I stared at Daphne’s back.

“… Now, for now.”

I turned my head back to Marianne. The afternoon sunlight was peeking through the windows of the lobby. Marianne’s silver hair shimmered in the dark light.

“I will introduce you to this headquarters and where you will be staying.”

“All right.”

Marianne nodded. He thought it was rather fortunate that Marianne hadn’t said anything just now. I didn’t want to imagine how Daphne would react or what the situation would be like if I threw out the words, “You came to serve me.”

I took Marianne up the stairs. This five-story building was unnecessarily oversized. Not only Marianne, but five or six other people living there wouldn’t feel particularly crowded. At the time of hiring Daphne, it was enough to accommodate dozens of people for an interview.

“Now, on the third floor.”

The third floor was almost empty. The rooms were here and there like a guest house, and other amenities were about one large bathtub. Deep down, when I showed her the bath, I hoped that she would at least show admiration, but Marianne, as expected, just let it go.

“You can go anywhere, any room you want. They are all empty rooms.”

I showed the rooms one at a time and said. Marianne just stood in the middle of the hallway, holding the trunk with both hands, staring blankly at me. It was just like a well-made doll.

“I will go in as soon as you give me.”

… Didn’t disobey orders mean that they only moved on my orders? Bishop Andre’s eerie smile flashed into my mind. I beckoned Marianne, who was standing still with an innocent expression, to follow me.

“In that case, a room near the bath would be comfortable.”

“Is that so.”

“Doesn’t it feel awkward when you come back from training? It’s tiring and annoying to pack everything and go to the bathroom. It’s better to wash up, come back quickly, and lie down in your room.”

Marianne nodded soullessly. Well, you don’t even look like you’re going to sweat. I crossed the hallway and opened the door to the room right next to the bath.

“I think I can stay here from today. Starting tomorrow, I will train with others, so you should know.”

Marianne put her trunk down and nodded. The room was literally equipped with only what was needed. Bed and linen, small desk and chair. One built-in wardrobe. The space of about 5 pyeong didn’t look very spacious, but it didn’t look cramped either. I gestured to Marianne, who was still standing there, to sit down.

“You can rest in peace. I’m not going to tell you what to do today.”

Only then did Marianne go to bed and sit down. The wide, convex blanket was dug in.

“Oh, no. Should I show you the office first?”

Marianne rose again with a mechanical movement. The way he moves quickly with no emotion is like a private soldier being called by his superior.

“… Come to think of it, I don’t think I need to come. Shall we just go see the office tomorrow?”

Marianne sat down again. That sculptural expression was still the same, not frowning in the slightest. Rather, there was no response, so I felt guilty again. I feel like I’ve become a bad guy for no reason.

“[Looks interesting.]”

… I ignored the interesting voice of this sadist holy sword. If it’s a holy sword, I think I’ll make Marianne sit down and stand up until she gets tired of it, just because it’s fun.

“[What the hell do you think of me.]”

I consider you to be my reliable ally. I said that in my heart and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. The hour hand was passing 4. It seems that he had been lying down wearing that crown for a longer time than he thought.

“Please rest here until evening. I usually have dinner at 6 o’clock, so I think you can come down to the restaurant on the second floor at that time.”

“All right.”

I stared blankly at Marianne, who nodded. What kind of story did that person who was decapitated by the main character in the original story have? Marianne looked at me and blinked. At least, this time I escaped that death.

“… Aren’t you vegetarian?”

Suddenly, I remembered Bishop Andre, who was eating chickpeas. Was there vegetarianism in the doctrine of the Puritan Church? Marianne tilted her head very slightly, then shook it.

“Nope. no.”

“See you later.”

I said that and closed the door. The fact that someone else would move in and live in the building where I had been living alone was awkward. I’ve never cooked for two people here. I tilted my head subtly and started to slowly walk down to the second floor.

—

Cooking.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to do. Among them, there were even fewer dishes that I could confidently serve in front of others. Maybe just one or two? He wasn’t even that confident.

“… Maybe you should have asked me to go out and eat with you.”

I frowned at the soup boiling in the pot. The soup is delicious to my taste, but I don’t know if I can satisfy Marianne’s taste because I’m such a picky eater. From the outside, it seems like he has a really picky appetite, but seeing that he listens to me well, it seems like he’ll just eat well without saying anything.

“[Tell them to eat anything. Aren’t you a child who obeys your words anyway?]”

The Holy Sword said mischievously. I smiled and shook my head.

“You are exactly following my orders. You are not following my words.”

“[anyway. Does that mean you need to pay that much attention? You can eat whatever they give you.]”

“Rice is the most important thing for people. Do you know that I get more angry when I don’t feed you than when I’m told to leave work late while working?”

I said that and poured out the soup. Still, with the holy sword by my side, I don’t think I feel lonely or bored when I’m alone like this.

“[If you’re grateful, do well.]”

I’ve never said thank you before. Be cowardly, don’t read thoughts, speak words, sword.

“… Come to think of it, I told you that reading my thoughts is simple.”

“[Everything is simple.]”

“But did I say that not all thoughts can be heard?”

“[When a person comes up with an idea, he or she doesn’t necessarily think in words. There are times when I think of a moment, and there are times when I think of smells or sounds. The only information I can accept is what you consider to be ‘words’.]”

Wasn’t it the original story, possessed, or whatever, you’ve been listening to everything. Still, if it was a holy sword, he would know it to some extent. It could be that he deliberately didn’t mention it to me. I shook my head to distract the random thoughts that came to my mind.

“[As I said, if your will hardens and you reach a certain level, it will be hard to read even if it is me. If you don’t want your thoughts to be read, practice hard. Sooner or later, I will tell you a good way to train your mind.]”

The Holy Sword added.

The soup was boiling. I tasted it once and let the soup boil some more. The taste was as usual.

.

When I took the food and went out, the tableware was already prepared. Marianne scooped up water on her own, prepared it, and stood in front of the table waiting for me.

“How can I help you?”

I shook my head at Marianne, who had left her hat off.

“Sit down. I already helped and prepared everything, but what?”

Of course, Marianne didn’t sit down until I was all ready. After waiting for Marianne’s short pre-dinner prayer to finish, I slowly began to eat the soup. Taking a quick glance, Marianne also picked up a spoon and started eating.

The conversation didn’t really come. I was getting a bit tired too, and Marianne hadn’t opened her mouth in the first place. However, in case someone didn’t like the taste because it was strange, seeing Marianne’s eyes from time to time was the only exchange between the two diners.

Dalgrak.

After finishing my meal, I was about to close my eyes for a moment when I heard the sound of Marianne putting her spoon down. Fortunately, no food was left behind, and the bowl was left clean.

“… How did it taste?”

To my cautious question, Marianne looked down at her plate and answered.

“I really enjoyed the meal.”

Then he got up mechanically and began to pick up the plates one by one. Marianne, who was moving dishes to the sink, suddenly looked at me and opened her mouth.

“I will make it for you tomorrow morning.”

… Is it okay to turn this around?

“[It turns around.]”

The holy sword nailed my insecurities.

—

The breakfast Marianne made was delicious enough to split. It’s a food made with really simple ingredients, but the details of the food were different. Like the degree of baking, or the exquisite combination of ingredients. If you go on an expedition, the party’s cook will be confirmed. Yesterday, it seemed like I was going to cook for no reason.

“I’ll give you coffee.”

Marianne put her glass down. The bathroom was Daphne’s. I hope there won’t be a fight over this. I closed my eyes as I drank the steaming, bitter coffee.

“Illroy, I went to work. You should prepare soon… .”

Georg frowned as he opened the door and entered. In Georg’s hand was a luxurious envelope he’d seen before.

“What else is this time?”

“Marianne Prim. new colleague. As you can see from the outfit, it was sent by the Holy Kingdom.”

“… Nice to meet you.”

Georg greeted Marianne with a simple nod. Georg turned his face back to me with a frown on his face. It seemed like he was going to pass it on, thinking that he would do it no matter what happened.

“Anyway, the date for the ceremony has been set this time.”

Georg set the envelope down on the desk.

“Now is the time to really attack the fourth plague.”