Chapter 123: Do You Need Me? Meeting the monster that protects the village was nothing more than a throwaway, one-off event in the game.
It was essentially a bit of world-building fluff meant to show that there are various types of monsters, including some with high intelligence.
Yeah, since it was such an insignificant event, I just ignored Akito and handled it myself.
"Yeon-woo, you never cease to amaze me. The government is evaluating your performance very highly as well."
Erin, whose chest is still as massive as ever, gives me a soft smile.
I only completed a simple request, yet I've been summoned to the principal's office to receive Erin's praise and the government's commendation.
They're even considering awarding me a medal in recognition of my contribution.
…Wait, why?
Wasn't this supposed to be a minor event?
Nothing like this happened in the game.
However, thinking about it calmly and objectively, it starts to make sense.
Although it wasn't the intended result, I resolved a situation that the government had been pouring capital and manpower into researching for over a year. I discovered a monster that is friendly toward humans, highly intelligent, capable of speech, and willing to exchange information. Number two is the biggest factor.
While not the first of its kind, if friendly monsters were common, would humanity have bothered building the Barrier and staying on high alert?
Encounters with friendly, high-intelligence monsters can be counted on one hand in human history.
And I pulled it off.
…Yeah, I guess that's worth a medal.
Will my name end up in history books or textbooks later?
Above all, from the perspective of a government that constantly has to study monsters, gaining an entity that can provide information from a monster's point of view is a massive win.
Maybe I shouldn't have tried to act cool by suggesting we have tea.
The monster was so huge that I had to dissolve an entire box of tea bags in a washbasin for him, but he liked it so much he even promised to cooperate.
I don't know if that agent Ibuki is just a smooth talker or if the monster simply has no pride.
"Thanks to you, monster research will become much easier. This is all thanks to your hard work, Yeon-woo."
"Ahaha… I just got lucky."
"There's no need to be humble. This is a result you achieved by completing a mission that many other mages failed."
Erin's words are as lovely as her figure.
By the way, every time I come here, her clothes seem to emphasize her chest more and more… or is it just my imagination?
I take my fill of the view without being obvious about it, then leave after finishing the conversation.
I consider heading straight to the training ground, but I stop by the classroom to grab my bag, only to find a crowd of students gathered there.
It's technically summer break, but for Yggdrasil students, there is no such thing as a vacation.
While students only attend the classes they've signed up for, people eventually need a place to rest or gather. Though there are fewer people than during the semester, the classrooms are never empty.
And today, there's an especially large crowd.
"So, right then and there, I told him straight. 'Hey, monster! Why don't you help us humans?'"
"Ooh—!"
…What are these idiots talking about?
Everyone already knows that this mission was a huge success.
News and videos have been plastered all over the internet.
The Gag Brothers, who have become overnight stars, are bragging in front of the students.
No, they're not just bragging; they're spreading lies.
Neither of you could even squeak out a word in front of that monster.
And the others actually believe them? Even after seeing how the Gag Brothers have acted at Yggdrasil all this time?
It's absurd to see them listening with sparkling eyes to what sounds like a light novel titled I Was a Loser at Yggdrasil, but Outside the Barrier, I'm an SSS-Rank Mage? pouring out of those two's mouths.
"Oh? Yeon-woo, you're here? I heard you did something amazing this time."
"Yeon-woo! What was that monster like?"
Akito, who had been listening along, greets me with a bright smile, and the other classmates swarm toward me.
Ah—so they were just killing time.
The crowd starts pestering me to tell them about the mission.
The Gag Brothers, suddenly robbed of their audience, are left looking pathetic.
Well, what can you do? That's how the world works—the leader gets most of the glory.
"I don't have anything to say. Just listen to those two."
When I hand the audience back to them, the duo starts blabbing away excitedly.
When else are you guys going to get the spotlight? You probably took a lot of stress from that geezer, so blow off some steam while you can.
The other students return to the Gag Brothers, but Akito stays by my side, grinning ear to ear.
Don't smile like that. I might actually start liking you.
"Yeon-woo, you really are very considerate."
"Huh?"
"You stepped aside for those two. Your character shows in those small acts of kindness."
…If I were a tsundere female character, would I have fallen for Akito's gentle smile?
But I'm neither a tsundere nor a woman, so it's just creepy. Could you stop with that lady-killer smile?
Even though I keep trying to maintain my distance, this oblivious guy keeps acting friendly.
It's because you keep selling those cheap smiles that your followers hate me even more.
The followers sitting a short distance away keep glaring at us.
Shiori is still looking at me like I'm something filthy, and the Samurai is glaring as if I'm his mortal enemy.
Emma looks straight-up jealous. Surprisingly, the most tolerable one is Ailee, who doesn't seem to care at all.
Wait, Ailee is the best of the bunch?
Angelica, who should have the highest affinity for me among them, is watching me with a dark expression.
Is it because I ignored her messages…?
But I've already set too many things in motion; I can't interfere with Akito anymore.
Once I made my decision, I shouldn't do anything to shake Angelica's heart.
And what's up with Chika?
Didn't Akito wrap up her darkening event properly?
Chika, who is a rabid dog to others but a Golden Retriever in front of Akito, only makes that dark face when she thinks Akito is dead or when she's falling into darkness.
Hey, man, don't worry about me—take care of your followers.
You're doing okay, right? You're the one who has to save the world later.
I really want to smack the back of his head as he smiles so peacefully.
Well… surely, nothing bad will happen?
It's frustrating for me because I'm looking at this from a player's perspective, but Akito is an incredible human being.
His skills are at a level that looks like he's inherited stats from four previous playthroughs, and seeing how people follow him, it feels like some kind of mysterious power is at work.
Aside from his obsession with forced morality, he's much smarter than me, and he's been solving problems left and right with his protagonist buffs.
I might be the one shining right now because of the friendly monster, but Akito has been consistently completing requests and building an impressive track record.
Excluding this mission, Akito's performance far outstrips mine.
He must have fed his followers plenty of experience points, and the items he's gathered from his missions must be piling up.
Once the Heroine DLC opens in the second semester and he gets everything, he'll save the world on his own.
There won't be… any problems, right? There won't… there shouldn't be.
Akito's group usually trains together.
Though their combat styles differ, they gather to train and exchange opinions to improve, except for their individual private lessons.
This was possible because of Akito and Shiori.
Shiori possessed broad and profound knowledge, while Akito could adapt to any position regardless of style. Since he excelled at everything, he provided a wealth of advice to his comrades.
On the surface, it was framed as "advice," but in reality, Akito was essentially their master.
Whether it was melee or ranged combat, he was a versatile all-rounder. While most mages only mastered a dozen or so spells, he knew hundreds and had perfect proficiency in all of them.
Furthermore, he had extensive combat experience, allowing him to indirectly pass that experience down to his less-seasoned comrades.
Akito's advice was far more valuable than that of the top-tier Yggdrasil teachers, and his followers trusted and followed his every word.
"I don't think you're particularly good at explaining things, but strangely, you're a great teacher, Akito."
"Huh? I'm bad at explaining?"
"Why do you look so shocked? Even when you teach magic, you talk about personal sensations that make no sense. You're definitely not good at it."
Akito could only blink at Ailee's words.
"But strangely, I end up learning everything you teach. I thought maybe I was just a genius, but seeing the others learn just as fast, I guess that's not it."
Ailee glanced at Emma as she spoke.
Emma was a woman so disorganized it was a mystery how she even got into Yggdrasil.
Her work ethic and talent were lower than everyone else's, yet she mastered spells instantly whenever Akito taught her.
Even now, she was whining about how hard training was, showing her lack of sincerity, yet she continued to participate and grow day by day thanks to Akito.
However, if Shiori or anyone else tried to teach her, she wouldn't understand a word, almost as if she were doing it on purpose.
Strangely, only Akito could teach her.
'It must be because Akito is just that exceptional.'
It was a game system where Akito passed on magic learned through "playthrough inheritance" to the heroines, but neither Akito nor the girls—who learned strangely fast under him—could have known that.
"Magic aside, why do you have so much practical experience?"
"My father used to take me outside the Barrier often when I was young."
Akito gave an awkward smile.
Ailee looked flustered at the mention of his father, who was currently missing.
The 12 Zodiacs, Daihara Yukio—the man who held the title of the strongest mage.
He was a legendary mage with enough anecdotes to fill days of conversation, but since Akito became depressed whenever his father was mentioned, his followers tried their best not to bring up Yukio.
"He only ever took you, Brother. I did nothing but cry."
"It was a dangerous place. Father didn't want you to be in harm's way, Shiori."
As Shiori approached and spoke wistfully, Akito smiled gently and gave her a hug.
The conversation naturally shifted to family matters. Ailee, unable to join in, found herself isolated and soon left under the pretext of training.
'That bitch.'
Ailee scowled.
Whenever she was talking to Akito alone, Shiori would always swoop in to hijack the conversation or interfere.
But she soon let a smirk play on her lips.
'The look on her face will be priceless when she finds out I've slept with Akito.'
Ailee sneered, but she didn't know.
Shiori had already done everything there was to do with Akito as well.
Moreover, since there were only the two siblings at home, Ailee could never hope to catch up in terms of frequency.
They simply didn't know that they had both slept with him.
"Akito, you really are amazing! Your father is incredible too~"
Even though the two had created an atmosphere that made it difficult for others to approach, Emma jumped in as if she noticed nothing, causing Shiori to furrow her brows.
Despite seeing Shiori's "get lost" expression, Emma didn't care and clung to Akito as she spoke.
"That frivolous woman is wagging her tail at Lord Akito again."
Kurumi muttered to herself, then noticed something strange and looked at Chika.
Normally, with Chika's personality, she would have rushed over immediately to push the frivolous woman away and take the spot next to him.
But right now, Chika was lost in her own thoughts, paying no attention.
"Chika?"
"Huh? Did you say something?"
"…Do you realize you've been acting strange lately? It's like your mind is elsewhere."
Chika looked flustered at Kurumi's remark.
Kurumi began a long lecture about how a warrior must govern their heart and so on, but Chika soon drifted back into her own thoughts.
'Am I actually getting stronger?'
Her skills were definitely improving.
But the problem was the speed.
After being eliminated from the Tournament and the Grande Magician, Chika had felt a brief moment of despair, but she thought she had recovered somewhat thanks to Akito's comfort.
Don't be impatient. There's someone who believes in me. I can do this.
She thought she had composed herself, but since the root cause of her obsession with strength—her relationship with her father—hadn't been resolved, nothing was actually getting better.
Impatience began to grow again, and feeding on that impatience, jealousy and urgency sprouted once more in Chika's heart.
When Yeon-woo had gone on his mission, Akito's group had also gone on one.
It was a request to handle public security in a city outside the Barrier, and Akito had performed spectacularly while arresting criminals.
He looked magnificent, a heroic figure who seemed capable of solving everything.
And that was the problem. Akito did everything.
'Do I… even need to be here?'
It seemed like Akito could handle everything on his own, but conversely, that meant he didn't need anyone else.
No, it would be fine if he just didn't need them. But if they were actually holding him back…
Chika recalled the time she failed to catch a fleeing criminal.
At that time, Akito had chased them down alone, and by the time the rest of the group arrived, he had already arrested every criminal in the hideout.
His smile as he cheerfully said everything was over and suggested they head back was beautiful, but it pierced her heart.
'Is everyone else really okay with this…?'
No matter how she looked at it, Chika felt something was wrong.
Above all, even Kurumi, who had strong pride as a warrior, didn't seem to care that she had been of no help.
Jealousy? Am I jealous of Akito? That can't be it.
I just want to be necessary to you.
As Chika's mind swirled with confusion, Akito stood before her.
As always, he wore the gentle smile that Chika loved.
"Chika, is something wrong? You don't look well."
'Why do you always know exactly when I'm struggling and come to me…?'
She was grateful, but she also hated showing her weak side.
She loved how Akito always looked out for those around him, how he was considerate and caring. She loved his voice when he called her name, and she loved his heroic image as he led the way and solved any hardship.
But as negative emotions rose to match her feelings of love, Yeon-woo's face suddenly flashed through Chika's mind.
She didn't even know why his face had appeared.
As she was about to sink back into her thoughts, she saw Akito waiting for an answer. Flustered, Chika asked a question she would normally never ask.
"Don't you think I'm too weak compared to you, Akito…?"
"..."
Since everyone gathered there was focused on Akito, the area fell silent when he spoke to someone, creating an awkward hush.
'What am I even asking… Akito will obviously say that's not true…'
"Uh… but don't you think girls are cuter when they're a bit weak?"
"Huh?"
"I think you're cute, Chika. And since you're a hard worker, I'm sure you'll get strong soon."
The words that came out of Akito's mouth were not the answer Chika had expected.
The admission that she was weak carved itself deeply into Chika's mind.
"Hey~! Akito, that's not fair! Tell me I'm cute too!"
"Brother, I'm still the cutest, right?"
People swarmed around them and started chattering, but Chika couldn't hear a thing.
What Akito said was the truth… even she admitted it… but he was the one person she didn't want to hear it from.
Cute because I'm weak…? Was I never a comrade who could stand by your side and fight with you…?
Obscured by the crowd of people, Akito failed to see the hollow expression on Chika's face.
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