I decided to stay at the misfits’ place myself, at least for today.
I had just reunited with Chris, and I figured it’d be a good chance to check in on how the kids were doing. It had been a while.
Even though we’re not that far apart in age, these kids are seriously lacking in basic social skills.
But honestly, that’s to be expected. It’s the life they’ve led; what else can you do?
Jeff and Melana are probably the closest to “normal”, but even they haven’t exactly had it easy.
Just having the label “Cradle graduate” basically marks you as anything but normal.
So I decided to observe how the misfits were managing their lives, and then…
“Wait….why are you guys living so comfortably?”
“What do you mean, Teacher? This place is funded by none other than Cattleya, you know.”
“Still, you’re living better than me. That’s not okay.”
“And why not?”
“Because you’re criminals.”
“…There’s a part of me that’s starting to think you’re just being petty, Teacher.”
But seriously, isn’t this kind of unfair?
Why do their living conditions look better than mine?
I’m a noble, for crying out loud.
You guys are fallen nobles and commoners; it’s not even the same league!
You used to get excited over a single potato, and now you’re living in luxury…!
“Teacher, I feel like you keep forgetting this, but I have the power to heal people. Even ones at death’s door.”
“……”
“Just from the treatments I’ve done through Cattleya’s arrangements, do you have any idea how much I’ve made? Actually, Teacher, you too—”
“Let’s stop. What’s the point in comparing stuff like that?”
“Okay~”
So she’s just raking in money by openly making a business out of divine power.
Makes me think maybe Kult was actually the more modest one…
“By the way, is it really okay to just go around healing people like that out in the open?”
“That’s why I only treat the people Cattleya arranges for me. It’s not charity. It’s a medical service.”
“Hmm… well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
Cattleya was exceptionally skilled at walking the line between legality and crime, so she’d surely handled things well.
“So, what do you think, Teacher? Should we take care of your little brother?”
Helena asked with a sly grin.
She’s gotten so expressive lately; teasing like this is something new for her.
Well, I guess everyone’s changing. And if they’re changing for the better, that’s something to be glad about.
“Yeah, I’ll leave him with you for a few days. Don’t feel pressured just because he’s my brother.”
“It’s not that he’s your brother. It’s just, how do we deal with how he looks?”
“Well, that’s…”
How dare you say that about my brother…
…is what I’d like to say, but even I find Chris a bit overwhelming sometimes.
He’s a good kid. Really kind.
But still, there’s just no getting around the bias that comes with his appearance.
“Anyway, shall we eat? Tonight’s dinner is steak with a twist of truffle oil.”
“……”
Okay, but seriously. Aren’t they living too well?
I’m starting to feel a bit inadequate here.
***
Dinner with the misfits ended on a warm and cheerful note.
We even circled back to do the introductions we’d postponed earlier, and everyone shared stories about what they’d been up to.
“Now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve seen you before, Chris. You were even bigger back then, weren’t you?”
“Ah, yes… That’s a little embarrassing. I honestly don’t remember very clearly, but I vaguely recall that you were one of my brother’s guests.”
“That makes sense. I wasn’t exactly in the best shape back then either.”
Yeah, that time was pure chaos.
We’d both been pushed to our limits in very different ways, and on top of that, Ariel had suddenly awakened as an Archmage, so everyone’s attention had shifted to her.
So it’s not strange that they didn’t recognize each other.
Really, it would’ve been stranger if they had.
One of them was practically starving to death, and the other looked like a barbarian warrior.
“I’m going to step out for a bit and get some air. You guys have fun.”
After seeing that Chris was getting along well with the misfits, I quietly slipped out of the mansion.
Lively company is nice, but in the end, silence is what truly puts me at ease.
With so much on my mind, taking a moment for myself didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Well then…”
I walked along a dark forest path.
There wasn’t even moonlight, and the trail felt almost eerie. But I didn’t need to worry about ghosts or anything like that.
After all, this forest was one of the most sacred places in the world.
A forest that housed a prophet chosen by the gods and the World Tree itself.
At this point, isn’t it practically a sanctuary?
“Whoa.”
Still, walking at night means you have to be careful.
I nearly tripped over a tree root.
Luckily, someone caught me in time, so there was no real issue.
“I told you to just relax.”
It was Dietrich who had grabbed my arm before I could fall.
“You’re going to see the World Tree, right? I should open the path for you.”
“I told you, I can meet with the World Tree just fine without you now.”
“Then at least let me escort you.”
He’s almost too good-natured.
Sometimes, I feel like Dietrich seems more mature than I am.
Though, of course, that’s only at a glance.
“Senior.”
“Go ahead.”
I could tell he had something on his mind.
Despite everything, it always showed on his face.
“Am I weak?”
“No.”
I could say that with confidence.
Dietrich is among the top ten strongest people I know.
But I understood why he’d ask something like that.
“You just haven’t had many chances to show it. But you’re already a monster.”
“…I wasn’t exactly hoping to be called a monster, though.”
Dietrich was in the middle of a losing streak.
But that couldn’t be helped.
The only times he was ever called in were when the enemies were so monstrous that there was no other way.
If it was something that could be solved without him, he wouldn’t be summoned in the first place.
Take the incident in the Veldani Mountains, for example.
It came out of nowhere, but if Dietrich had been part of the team back then, the other gears in the machine wouldn’t have even had time to react. Heads and bodies would’ve been separated before they could move.
When it comes to close-quarters combat, he’s the strongest card I have to play.
That’s where Dietrich stood right now.
“To be honest, I used to think I was kind of a big deal myself.”
“Well, you’re not wrong, but hearing you say it out loud is kind of annoying.”
Dietrich, the self-proclaimed “pretty good”, continued with an awkward expression.
“But when I saw the Great Warrior, I started wondering… is a human body really capable of reaching that level?”
“He’s way past what you’d call ‘training’. He’s just… a different breed altogether.”
Vidar who overcame Varg’s curse and became a vessel worthy of housing a god.
In terms of physical ability, there’s no catching up to him and that’s only natural.
“But I felt something similar when we met that monster on the top floor. My sword felt useless in front of that kind of raw physical power.”
“Well, that monster was modeled after the Great Warrior. Of course you struggled. It was a worthy opponent.”
“But even then… His Highness Theseus handled that thing effortlessly.”
“That’s…”
There’s no point in comparing.
Putting it like that. It’s meaningless.
He held his own against characters who sit at the very top of this world’s power scale. That should be more than enough.
“Jeff always tells me during sparring sessions that I just lack experience. But honestly… there are some opponents where you can’t just chalk it up to inexperience.”
The Great Warrior is a monster.
Theseus is, if not quite at that level, still a monster.
Either of them could probably topple an entire country alone.
But…
“Senior, were those two stronger than Kult was back then?”
“…No.”
The Prophet from that time was even stronger.
Not just the Great Warrior…even with the Awakening of the Scriptwriter, Kult was unbeatable.
It’s easy to forget because we haven’t talked about it in a while, but Kult was a classic late-game boss.
He starts off at his weakest and becomes the strongest over time.
Maybe you could argue how he’d fare against Vidar in his prime, but Kult, who was practically marked by the gods from birth, wouldn’t have fallen short of Vidar.
“That wasn’t someone you could beat with power alone.”
Enemies like Vidar were still within the realm of logic.
You could at least understand them in theory.
But Kult and Tillis… they were different.
Once the conditions were met, it was game over.
They were those kinds of enemies.
“I probably couldn’t beat Kult back then… and I don’t think I could now either. Honestly, I feel like I’ve hit a wall.”
“Everyone feels like that. It doesn’t mean you’re broken or anything.”
“But there are people in this world standing way higher than the wall I’m facing right now.”
“Go on.”
I do want to correct a few things, but there’s no point.
Dietrich’s struggle doesn’t come from comparing himself to others. It comes from dissatisfaction and anxiety toward himself.
Honestly, it’s kind of ridiculous.
Now he feels like he’s hit a wall? From the guy who’s basically the poster child for insane talent?
“Senior, I’m afraid the same thing will happen again. I’m scared of Helena’s growth. Seeing her gradually accomplish the things Kult used to do makes me anxious.”
“The best thing would be to make sure that doesn’t happen… is what I want to say, but yeah. Feeling uneasy is only natural.”
It’s not like Dietrich doesn’t understand that. Unlike Kult, he’s probably making a meticulous effort to keep her on the right path from the start. And Helena’s a sharp, level-headed kid, so there likely won’t be any real issues.
“Hah, but the thing is… Helena’s been getting mad at me a lot lately. It feels like she’s putting up a wall.”
“What?”
“I’m her knight, but she tells me to stay away. When I try to take her hand in dangerous places, she hesitates. At some point, she told me not to come into her room without asking first…”
I regret taking that seriously. This is adolescence.
Specifically, Helena’s starting to become aware of her emotions….that’s what’s causing this.
Honestly, it’s kind of amazing that he’s feeling this anxious because of something so innocent and fresh.
“Dietrich.”
To get straight to the point. There’s nothing wrong.
No, not nothing wrong, exactly.
“You’re seriously dense.”
“No way! I’ve been trying so hard to become more attentive…!”
“There are some things effort just can’t fix. For me, that’s lack of strength. For you, it’s your complete lack of awareness. No one in this world is perfect.”
“No one in this world is perfect… I see! I understand now, Senior!”
“…What?”
Why do you sound relieved?
What exactly did you take from what I said?
Did that solve your problem? That was it?
“Well then, Senior, I’ll be going now. Thanks for the advice!”
“……”
And just like that, Dietrich left.
Then three minutes later, he came rushing back to guide us to the World Tree.
***
“Ahem! Bow before me, mortal! I am the center of the world, the World Tree!”
“Mephi, get your head down.”
“This is unfair!”
What do you mean “unfair” after you turned her into this while I wasn’t looking?
“No! I’m serious, this is unfair! I didn’t do anything to that girl! Bring out the negotiation table right now! I must clear my name!”
“So you’re telling me the kid turned into that all on her own while I wasn’t looking? That she started spouting elitist nonsense that wouldn’t have flown even twenty years ago? Does that make any sense?”
“Are you saying I’m the one who taught her that dumbass way of speaking?!”
“You’re so mean!”
The World Tree slumped to the ground with a stunned expression.
“Wait… seriously?”
“That’s right. This is your fault, so you’ll have to buy me some pudding on the way home.”
“I mean, I don’t mind that part, but how did she end up like this?”
“She picked up some weird books somewhere and started reading them. That’s how.”
“Must’ve been really weird books.”
What even is that stuff she picked up?
“Excuse me, did you come here just to criticize me?”
“Hmm…”
Honestly, I came without much thought.
Since we’d already visited the base of the Misfits, I figured I might as well stop by.
Though it’s been called a while, it hasn’t even been a month.
Still, for someone to end up like this in that short time… yeah, it’s shocking.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well. Hey, Mephi. Let’s go.”
“Understood.”
Now that I’ve confirmed the World Tree is inherently weird, I’ll only come back when it’s absolutely necessary.
“Uh… are you really leaving?”
Yeah, I am.
“No, wait! Don’t go! I’ve got so much to say! I know lots of useful stuff too! Don’t throw me away! I’m so bored!”
The World Tree clung to the hem of my pants, begging.
And since she looked almost exactly like Tillis, the whole thing felt way too heavy.
“Hey, when you say it like that, it makes me sound like the bad guy. And seriously, how long are you planning to keep goofing off? Haven’t you had enough fun already?”
You even borrowed Mephistopheles last time. Neither of you probably slept, so you must’ve had a blast the whole time, right?
“Wh-What about this? Not long ago, this weird guy showed up calling himself the Great Sage! Pfft! Great Sage, and he’s human! Puhuhu!”
“No…”
How is that supposed to be important?
Leave a Reply