Chapter 78

It's long.

It had been a while since I last saw "that guy," and he looked ten times better than I had imagined.

Or, maybe he just looked good. I wonder?

Ever since I heard that that guy was at Glutam, my heart had been pounding nonstop. When I finally saw him, my heartbeat only quickened.

I invited him to have lunch with me, just as I had rehearsed in my head over and over again.

It went well up to that point... but from there, it was laughably awkward.

It seems that when I'm in front of Second, my mind goes blank, and I can't even understand what I'm saying.

I tried to act as normal as possible, but the more I thought about it, the stranger I became. It was just terrible. He must have thought I was weird.

Terra was grinning at me as if I were amusing. His friends were too laid-back to be of any help. And Second himself hadn't changed at all, even after half a year.

Despite my frustration, it was a somewhat comfortable lunch.

There, I heard about a girl who was said to be like me.

A girl named Cherry, a bit shorter than me, with a round, black-haired face like a kokeshi doll, and apparently the ace of the First Court Magic Corps.

Rebellion against Second. Rivalry. Anger. Pride. Jealousy. Heightened awareness, desperation, and lack of composure... The more I listened, the more I thought she was just like the "old me."

Now, she is in a desperate situation, just like I was back then. No, she has put herself there.

I can't admit it, even though I want to. She is battling her own dilemma.

I see... So that's why Second consulted me. He thought that since I was like her, I could understand her struggles.

Alright, leave it to me.

This Sherry Rambajack is a woman who always pays her debts.

...

Well, I was all fired up and ready to go.

But even I didn't expect to punch a girl with a fist.

She flew back so far, her nose started bleeding, and she rolled her eyes. It was worse than when I was hit by a mithril golem, wasn't it?

I wanted to scold, "You went too far!"

But when I saw his side profile, that thought flew out of my head.

A sad face... If I had to compare, it was like the protagonist of the novel I read the other day. The protagonist's beloved lover turned out to be the great demon king, and after a struggle of passion and pain, the protagonist delivered the final blow with their own hands, leaving a void in their expression.

Yes, that person, Airi, must be Cherry's best friend. So he must have stopped her from hitting her best friend in a moment of anger, taking on the role of the villain.

If she gets hit that hard, neither the members of Squad 4 nor Squad 16 will be able to say anything to Cherry, and her heart will surely "break."

Protecting the human relationships between best friends and their squad members, and guiding her onto the right path... How kind. And he's so considerate, or rather, so good at taking care of others. He not only fulfills his responsibilities as a teacher but also goes the extra mile. Moreover, to think of all this in such a short time, his clear mind is truly impressive.

Such a cool, strong, kind, and intelligent person... There's no choice but for him to become my husband!!

"Eco, heal her."

He let out a sigh, asked the cat to heal her, and left in a hurry.

I see, I get it. "I'll leave the rest to you," right?

Yes, indeed, I am the right person for the job. "Someone like me."

"Looks like you're good at taking care of others. Well, leave the rest to me."

I said it confidently as he was leaving. I think I managed to say it in a normal tone, but my voice might have been a bit high.

"Ah."

A short word, a slight smile, and a hint of melancholy, he nodded. His deep, handsome face and clear, beautiful voice made me let out a strange "uh" sound. This is something to keep forever... Just thinking about it, I feel like I can fight for a week.

As I was watching him leave, Terra muttered something.

"‘A pimple is a dimple,’ Master, do you know what that means?"

* * *

"U...?"

When I woke up, I was in a dimly lit inn room.

Ah, I was hit...

"Oh, you're awake?"

"Ah, wh-what!?"

I couldn't believe my eyes. Right next to my futon was Sherry Rambajack.

I immediately jumped up and straightened myself. I mustn't be rude in front of a countess.

"It's fine, no need for formalities. But I'm glad you're okay. Thanks to that girl's healing magic."

"Huh?"

Now that she mentioned it, my body felt light. It didn't feel like I had been knocked out by that ridiculous punch to the face.

"One of his team members, a beastkin, healed you."

"Um, no, with all due respect, she is—"

"Yes, everyone probably thinks she's just a shield user..."

When I tried to object, Sherry made a face as if she were exasperated and then stood up.

"If you're feeling better, would you mind taking a walk with me?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

We left the room together.

As we walked down the wooden corridor, we could hear the distant, cheerful noise of a party. It was already dark. They must be having a feast right now.

...I suddenly remembered. The words I had blurted out to my squad members in a fit of anger.

I can't show my face at the party, and I can't even enjoy a meal with them.

Part of me thinks it's fine, but another part feels sad.

What is this feeling? While I was pondering this unsolvable problem, Sherry had stopped walking.

"I've been to this inn once before, with my father."

We were in the courtyard. Sherry sat on the veranda and invited me to join her.

"Isn't it a nice place?"

"...Yes."

The courtyard, dimly lit by lanterns, was so beautiful and mysterious that it felt almost unreal. The sound of trickling water, the rustling of plants in the wind, the faint sounds of dishes and voices from afar, the cold night breeze, and the smell of the earth. Everything seeped into the depths of my body.

It felt like I was in a dream, and I spent 5 or 10 minutes just staring blankly, without thinking.

"I... once caused that guy a lot of trouble."

Sherry suddenly started talking about it.

I immediately knew who "that guy" was.

"That guy had the know-how to clear the Proline dungeon, and my father liked it. They were doing a big deal, something like hundreds of billions of CL... I was jealous of it."

"Proline...!?"

I was shocked. Proline is one of the most difficult B-rank dungeons, and I had heard that no one had cleared it.

No, that's not right. A long time ago, I heard that a team had cleared it solo... Could it be!

"Didn't you know? Well, it's only natural not to investigate someone you don't like. They not only cleared it solo but also did multiple laps every day. Adventurers called them Pro-Kichi and were afraid to get close. By the way, the team has four members, but the clearing members are three."

"..."

I was speechless.

To do multiple laps of such a place every day, with just three people, is insane.

"So, back to the story. At that time, I didn't know that guy was such a dangerous person, so I really went after him. I couldn't stand it, you know, I couldn't stand it, I couldn't stand it!"

"..."

I suddenly felt a sense of empathy. I, too, had disliked that man and had lashed out at him whenever I could.

"Hehe. I was worse than you? After all, I'm a countess. The level of trouble I caused was different."

"That's true."

It's not something to be proud of, but it might be true.

"...I was jealous. Why did that guy get my father's approval, and not me... And the next day, the flame of jealousy couldn't be extinguished."

"What did he do to you?"

"I'll clear Proline before him! Then my father and everyone else will recognize me! I was delirious and sneaked out at night to attack Proline."

"That's..."

It was clearly reckless. It was almost certain that I would die. However, Sherry is alive now. For some reason, I had a premonition of why.

"I was almost killed by a mithril golem, and that's when he came. I thought he was a spirit mage, but he had a sword. Then, with a speed I couldn't even see, he overwhelmed the mithril golem in a one-sided fight, leaving it no chance to fight back... It probably didn't take more than two minutes to finish it."

"No, that's a lie!"

"It's not a lie, I saw it with my own eyes. And now I understand what it was. It was spirit possession... an advanced skill unlocked at the fourth level of spirit summoning."

"...Fourth level..."

I felt dizzy. So, that means—

"He is a top-tier spirit mage. He is also a top-tier swordsman. I later found out that he is also a top-tier archer and mage. And I'm sure he has some other trump card as well."

—It's on a different level. That's all I could think of. But that's all I could say. Because it's impossible. Are we really the same species? I can't help but wonder. What's the difference between that man and me?

"Even his team members are like that. Do you know how many laps of Glutam they've done today?"

"I've seen them a few times."

"128 laps."

"Wh-what!?"

...They're crazy. I thought that.

We struggled so much to clear 16 laps of a dungeon that we barely managed to do. 128 laps? It's crazy. If this isn't crazy, what is?

But... I couldn't see any signs of fatigue from them. Scary to think, this is their "normal." For them, a few laps of Glutam are nothing.

"The cat beastkin, Eco Leaflet, is not just a shield user. Her healing magic is far better than any specialist. That's why you're still fine after being hit so hard."

"I see, that's the reason..."

The injuries from being hit by that man were completely gone, as if they had never existed.

But... my words, those hurtful words I said to my squad members to protect my pride, can't be erased.

"Have you already figured out what you did wrong?"

Sherry must have seen it on my face, as she leaned in and said, as if to advise me.

...I've known for a long time. I've known for a long time that he was right.

But I wanted to achieve results with my own strength. Otherwise, I felt like all my efforts would be in vain.

I wanted to use my efforts as a weapon, to win alone and make that man admit defeat. Such a reckless action, of course, failed. And then, I blamed others and ran away.

"That's... I didn't realize that it was negating my past and future efforts..."

I protected my small pride. In exchange, I lost my credibility.

Why couldn't I be honest? Why did I get jealous? If I had thought more deeply, stayed calm, and acted rationally and reasonably, I wouldn't have regretted it so much. But now, it's too late to take it back.

Only now, after calming down, do I understand. The cost of losing control and not being able to back down is enormous.

"I understand. You think he didn't work as hard as you, and that he must be cheating, right?"

"!"

It hit the mark.

Seeing that man, who always seemed so relaxed and carefree, made me think he wasn't working as hard as me, and that's why I got jealous.

"After I was saved by him... I was a bit, well, curious, and I, um, investigated him."

Sherry's cheeks turned a light shade of red as she began to speak. Her flustered appearance was cute and age-appropriate, and I was a little curious about the content of her story.

"Listen, you'll be surprised. That guy works so hard. Surprisingly, he never shows any signs of it. But behind the scenes, he works steadily. His approach to clearing the Proline dungeon is so strict that it's exhausting just to watch."

"..."

I suddenly thought. Have I ever done something as "hard" as clearing a B-rank dungeon repeatedly? Every day, multiple times.

There's no way. Not even for a C-rank dungeon. At most, I've done some monster hunting in a shallow forest.

...I was the one who didn't work hard.

"They work hard without struggling. We struggle without working hard. The difference is what makes us jealous."

Sherry's analysis hit home.

Indeed, that's true. He always seems so relaxed and carefree. So I assumed he wasn't working as hard as me, and that's why I got jealous.

"Probably, they're working hard in ways we can't even imagine. Like, for example, A-rank dungeons."

That might be true. No, it must be true.

...

So, I was hit by such a person.

I was rebellious and didn't listen to anyone, neglecting my own efforts and getting