“… I’m still sleepy.”
The top of the five-story building was the home of the hero’s party, and the fourth floor, directly below, was the hero’s home. I shook myself out of my slumber, washed up, changed my clothes, and went upstairs.
The office was still cool with the chill of a spring day. Georg didn’t come in today. It was his vacation, and he’d left word that he would show his face to the Templars, where he belonged. It was the first morning I’d felt relaxed since I entered the world of [I will never go back]. I rubbed my eyes and sighed heavily as I sat at my desk. There is still a lot to do.
For one thing, I’d succeeded in recruiting one of the main characters, but that was only half the battle. Daphne is still psychologically unstable and in need of someone’s help. I needed to break down her psychological barriers and guide her so she could grow properly.
“… I shouldn’t rush this.”
If you tell someone traumatized, “Here’s your psychological problem, and you need to fix it,” would they be able to fix it immediately? Well, in the original work, the trauma is shaken off within a week in a development where she saves the protagonist. But I can’t just trust that and throw my life away. I’m just Elroy, the hero, not the protagonist.
Her underlying problem is the fear of rejection. So I must reassure her that she can be with us for three months.
“Which is why I have to work hard again today.”
There was no time to complain. I had a lot of work to do besides turning Daphne into a one-woman show. I turned my gaze to the side of my desk, recalling the information I’d spent the past week piecing together about [I Will Never Go Back]. I saw the hilt of a pure white sword.
‘…I need to check this out.’
I ran my fingers along the Holy Sword. A hero is destined to fight endlessly, but I have yet to experience what it means to fight a proper battle. At best, I’ve drawn a sword in my room and swung it around a few times.
With a clear goal of getting stronger, I couldn’t just sit in my room and let my head nod off. Today, I finally had the right opponent, and it was time for my first real fight. I recalled my plan and tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword, tapping it with my fingertips. Someone was approaching my office.
There was hesitation in the knock on the door. The first knock was hard. The second knock was timid, with a slight gap. The third was quick, like a kid doing a doorbell prank. The door slowly and cautiously opened. I gave a small smile as Daphne poked her head through the crack.
“Chu… I’ve arrived….”
“Good morning, Daphne.”
Daphne stepped into the office, closing the door softly behind her. While normal at first, her eyes were questioning me as they traveled to my hand, gripping the hilt of my sword. I sheathed the Holy Sword.
“I’m sorry to do this on your first day on the job, Daphne, but I have to check your skill in actual combat. We will go hunt nearby monsters to check how you are.”
Daphne’s face twitched when she heard combat. ‘You will have to do it even if you don’t like it,’ I thought and stood up.
“Wait a minute, Hero.”
I was about to walk out the door when Daphne took off her robe and threw it at me. I caught it without thinking, and her scent hit me like a brick. It wasn’t a fancy scent like perfume but a warm scent. Daphne blushed and explained as I grabbed her robe and stared at her.
“You’ll draw too much attention if you go out unprotected… you might have a hard time in the guild….”
In fact, since being possessed, I hadn’t even been out of the building, let alone on a true adventure. I had a staff member put up the recruitment posters early in the morning when no one was around. My face was recognizable, so if I went out without any disguise, I would be surrounded by all kinds of people. It’s like being a celebrity.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Thanks.”
I said, putting on the robe, and Daphne nodded, blushing. I then cover my head with its hood. I’m sure the original Elroy would have enjoyed the attention he would have gotten in the guild. I walked out the door, thinking I’d have to buy a similar robe later. Perhaps she was supposed to use it herself, but I decided not to pry.
“No problem, Hero,” she said.
“Call me Elroy.”
I hated hearing the word ‘hero.’ I’m not the hero and was sad I couldn’t say that. I could never reveal that everything was just a part of the novel.
“Elroy, where are the rest….”
“Georg is resting today, and as you know, there’s another wizard… but she’s on vacation far away, and I doubt she’ll be back before the expedition.”
My voice was bitter. Following me, Daphne bowed her head solemnly. No, come to think of it, she always looks pensive. With a step that made me feel like I’d just been fired from my job, I strode into the guild with Daphne.
“Let’s just quickly get a clearance to enter the danger zones. We are doing a practice run anyways, not an actual mission.”
Daphne nodded nervously. The people in the guild didn’t mind her entering. No one thought I was out of place, and five others were doing the same. I also changed my sword’s scabbard and carefully hid its hilt so I didn’t get attention.
I leaned against the wall and watched Daphne’s back as she received a permit at the reception desk, her long, light pink hair swaying slightly, gently, with her movements.
“Your permit is here.”
The receptionist’s voice echoed, and Daphne clutched the passes firmly before walking back to me. The eyes that always looked full of hesitation twinkled a little. She looked like a puppy waiting for a pat on the back, and I couldn’t help but smile. Just as I was about to grab a pass and thank her, a shrill voice came from behind Daphne’s back.
“Oh, my God, isn’t that Daphne?”
Daphne’s shoulders tensed. Her eyes, which were looking at me, became unfocused and frozen. I glanced up and looked in the direction of the voices. A woman and two men. The woman had a lizard-like grin, and the two men followed her around like she was their master. The way they glanced at each other, checking if the other person made a move, it was clear what the dynamic of this party was.
“Have you already found a new party? I saw you wandering off on your own last time.”
Daphne didn’t turn around. She just trembled a little, her face even paler.
“You didn’t even tell me you got in another one! How could you forget me like that.”
‘It seems the wind sounds different here.’ The female adventurer approached with another step. Daphne turned her head slowly. She avoided the adventurer’s eyes, and the adventurer jerked her head upward as if to intimidate her. There was unmistakable hostility and superiority in her eyes. The adventurer lowered her voice.
“Looks like you found a new man to parasitize.”
“I’m….”
The female adventurer lifted her head and looked at me. It was not an impressive face. It would be forgotten in a day or two. I wouldn’t even call it villainous.
“You must be from another city because most adventurers from the Capital know who she is.”
The female adventurer laughed after she said that. ‘There were two guys that fell in love with this?’ I barely caught my sigh from coming out.
“Do you want me to tell you a few of her stories? What has she been up to at all the parties she’s been to?”
“I don’t want to know.”
I frowned from under the hood. ‘What would Arjen do in this situation…’
“Oh, look, I feel bad for you because I think you’re being tricked. You don’t need to thank me for this….”
“Also, your breath smells like shit, so shut the fuck up.”
I’m not that smart, and I’m not that patient.
The woman’s smile hardened. The corners of my lips twist into a grin, and I step closer to them. The two male adventurers standing like bodyguards behind the woman stepped forward to block her way.
“What did you just say?”
“Her breath stinks. Didn’t you hear me? It smells like shit, and yours are not far behind.”
The male adventurers stepped up. He glared at me, putting his hand in his pocket. At times like this, I loved having the Hero’s body. Elroy’s eyes saw all their flaws and told me how to move.
“This guy has a rag in his mouth, even with all the nice things he says-”
“I think the rag is behind you. Do you want me to put it in your mouth?”
“You piece shit!”
The male adventurer’s face contorted. A hand came up. It was a gesture to grab me by the collar. I easily caught the adventurer’s hand. I then pulled the hood covering my face.
“Enough.”
The entire guild, watching the fight with fascination, fell silent. I let go of the adventurer’s hand awkwardly and glanced around. Adventurers scrambled to avoid eye contact with me or looked away.
I quickly removed the robe and placed it on Daphne’s head. Not yet. Until she could rise above her past, I needed to be there to help her. Under the hood, Daphne’s violet eyes regained focus.
“Daphne, let’s get out of here.”
I grabbed her wrist, and we walked out of the guild building. Still staring at me dazedly, Daphne quickened her steps to match my stride.
***
“…Why did you do that?”
On the way to the danger zone inhabited by monsters, Daphne looked at Elroy, walking slowly beside her, and asked.
“They were going to expose your past to me and everyone there.”
“Do you not know?”
“No, I knew.”
Daphne lowered her head.
“And yet….”
She tightened her grip on the robe’s hem. As she searched for words, Elroy took two steps ahead of her and looked back. His ash-colored hair was blowing in the wind. The occasional passerby caught sight of the Hero’s face and looked away.
“You’ve joined our party, and as its leader, I’m responsible for you.”
“… I’m not even sure why I was chosen, Elroy, especially if you knew the rumors attached to me.”
Daphne felt regret as she bit her lips. Running into her former colleagues in the guild brought back memories she didn’t want to be reminded of. ‘It would be much easier to be rejected now than to be abandoned later.’
“All I saw when I conducted the interview was your resume.”
His voice wasn’t comforting. It was neither reprimanding nor was it encouraging either. Elroy’s words strangely stuck in Daphne’s mind. Because the Hero’s eyes never wavered. He never doubted himself, and he trusted her since the beginning.
“Don’t trap yourself in the rumors of others. I chose you as the new party member, and I have no intention of letting you leave.”
‘How can he be so sure of me? Where does his trust come from?’
“I don’t trust anyone, including myself.”
I chose to evade once again. Elroy let out a bitter laugh.
“It’s okay if you don’t trust yourself.”
He grabbed the ends of the hood and pulled it down to reveal my face.
“I will believe in you. And I’ll wait until you finally believe in yourself.”
Violet and turquoise gazes crossed. Elroy grinned, teeth bared.
“I thought you wanted to change yourself?”
“That, that…”
“It couldn’t have been a lie.”
His words repeated in Daphne’s mind. She turned to look at Elroy, who had started walking ahead of her. After a few steps, he turned back once again.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”
Daphne nodded and quickly walked next to him. She vowed never to be left behind by him.
