Chapter 15

I don't remember why I ran towards the goblin horde.

...No, even when I started running, I probably didn't understand the reason.

Perhaps it was because I couldn't abandon the orphans who had died, seeing them in the girl in the carriage.

Or maybe it was because I thought that even if I was useless, I could find value by sacrificing my life for the nobles.

Or perhaps it was simply because I hated myself so much that I wanted to die and ran out of desperation.

Or maybe it was all of the above.

Such reasons might have existed in my subconscious, but the clear consciousness I had when I started running was not about those reasons. What dominated my heart was a jumbled mess of emotions.

"Ha-ha-ha! This is my revenge! My revenge on the Chancellor and this world!"

"You bastard!"

...In the carriage being attacked by goblins, a situation arose where a man who seemed to be the girl's guard cut down a driver who was screaming madly, but even that shocking memory is somewhat blurry.

To that extent, the jumbled emotions inside me were terrible.

Hatred for a world that wouldn't accept me, and the pathetic and angry feelings towards myself, who couldn't be accepted by anyone. These emotions had merged into one, and I couldn't even clearly understand what emotions I was feeling.

"Uaaaaah!"

"Kiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

...I just thrust my dagger into the last goblin as if to vent my frustration, and the next moment, my battle with the goblin began.

◇◆◇

I don't remember the details of the battle with the goblins.

I only remember trying to draw their attention to myself to save the girl.

I believed that knights would come to save her, even though I didn't know when, and I just tried to buy time.

I remember desperately trying to provoke the goblins with a tense smile on my face while dodging their weapons, but I don't remember much after that.

"Wh-where am I...?"

When I came to, I was lying in a room-like place.

My body was extremely weak, and my head was fuzzy, and I looked around in a daze for a while.

"Oh, you're awake!"

"...Ah."

...But then I noticed a beautiful blonde girl nearby, and I remembered the goblins.

It seems I had somehow survived.

I don't remember clearly, but I was covered in wounds, some of which were clearly fatal, yet there wasn't a single wound on my body now.

Only a top-tier party or a healer from a knight's order could have done that.

I must have managed to buy enough time for the knights to arrive and somehow survived.

"...Ha ha."

...But when I realized this, the emotion that rose in my chest was not joy.

I checked my body multiple times to confirm that there wasn't a single wound, and I let out a dry laugh.

What I felt at that moment was not relief at having survived, but inferiority towards the healer from the knight's order, who had a level of skill I could never reach.

If I had even a fraction of the healer's ability, I might have been able to gain companions, but that thought wouldn't leave my head.

"You're amazing! That was... so cool! Thanks to you, we were saved! Thank you!"

"...No, it's not like that."

"...Huh?"

...Because I was thinking about that, I reacted strongly to the girl's words.

The moment I said that, a sense of regret rose in my chest.

But it was only for a moment, and that feeling was quickly overwhelmed by my inferiority.

"I'm not that good. I'm a healer full of flaws."

Before I knew it, I was telling the girl about myself.

...Looking back now, I can clearly see how foolish that was.

After all, she was a young noble girl.

She couldn't possibly understand my story, and it would end with her laughing or, at worst, killing me for telling her such an unpleasant story.

--- But she didn't do any of those things.

"...Ugh, sniff! Sniff! That's terrible! That's so terrible!"

"Eh, eh? Why are you crying!?"

"It's terrible!"

She cried after hearing my story.

She cried with genuine regret, but the next moment, she forced a smile through her tears, turned to me with a confused look, and spoke.

"But it's okay! Y-You... No, big brother is strong! So everything other people say is just nonsense! Don't worry about it!"

Her face was full of confidence.

Even with her tear-stained face, she smiled confidently and spoke to me again.

"Besides, when I grow up, I'll join your party and protect you, so you don't have to worry about anything!"

"---!"

That was the first time, since becoming an adventurer, that someone acknowledged me...

◇◆◇

I didn't actually hear those words.

I'm not thinking that the girl was lying.

But the girl was young and a noble.

She was from the noble family of Anarestria, and it was impossible for a noble to become an adventurer, even if she were a knight.

The head of the Anarestria family was generous enough to give me a significant amount of money as a reward, despite me being a low-level adventurer, but he would never allow his daughter to become an adventurer.

After all, that's what adventurers are.

But the words the girl told me saved me.

Because of those words, I was able to desperately try to improve my skills.

Even when no one acknowledged my skills and I thought I was useless, I never gave up.

I was able to keep living because I could imagine, even if it was just a fantasy, that the girl might join my party.

That's why I'm grateful to that girl.

Even if it might not have come true, those words helped me...

"...I really can't stop thinking about her."

And that's why I can't help but see that girl in Nalserna.

Her expressive way of speaking, her aura, makes me see Nalserna as that girl.

...Even though Nalserna, who is not a noble and has a completely different hair color, can't possibly be that girl.

"...I really am pathetic."

So I mock my own weakness and try to shake off that thought.

Then, to try to cheer up Nalserna, who had turned away, I start to speak...

"Huh?"

At that moment, I finally notice that Nalserna's ears are bright red.

"Nalserna!? What...?"

"Don't look at me!"

Not only that, but the side of her face I glimpsed was also bright red, and I'm surprised by Nalserna's sudden change.

Even when I asked, Nalserna never explained why her face suddenly turned red, but she was in a very good mood afterward...

Regarding the character development of Rauzt, I would appreciate it if you could see it as him starting to gain confidence.

I was planning to explain it in the next chapter, but I'll write it here as well.

...And regarding the opinion that Rauzt is overly self-deprecating, the author sees Rauzt as someone with a very strong heart.

The reason Rauzt's character is unusually good despite being bullied is because of that girl.

Finally, regarding the correction about Rauzt using magic, I decided not to make any changes this time.

I confirmed it, but it needed a subtle touch...

I'll explain the matter of magic later...