NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
“Did you sleep well, Author?”
“Kyaaaah!!!”
Why am I lying in the same bed as Rate?!
“Um, well, no, uh… not this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Did we perhaps get carried away last night while drunk—?”
“What are you suggesting.. no way?”
Rate’s face turned bright red as she grasped what I was hinting at, then she grabbed a pillow and started swinging it at me.
“Ack! Wait— honestly, it’s a fair suspicion!”
“What kind of thought is that! I was just keeping your mind clear because I thought you might have a headache from being drunk yesterday!”
“Aha! That makes sense—ack!”
“Not knowing my feelings and thinking such things! You deserve more of a beating!”
“Help me!!”
Even if she’s trying to control her strength, this hurts a lot!
Someone save me—
-Knock, knock.
-“Brother Zech, can I come in?”
“Metida! Come in and help me out!”
-BANG!
Metida burst into the room, slamming the door open.
“What on earth is happening…?”
She looked pretty overwhelmed at first, but when she saw me and Rate, her expression quickly changed to one of shock.
“The Hero is doing this to me from the morning…!”
“Where do you think you’re going, Author!”
“Kyaaaah! I’m dying!!”
I looked at Metida with pleading eyes, but for some reason, she covered her mouth with her hands and slowly backed away.
“Brother Zech, if something happened, I think you should take responsibility…”
“What?! No way! That’s not it!”
What is that little brat saying?
“I didn’t do anything with the Hero—”
“What are you saying in front of a child!”
-WHACK!
“Ack!”
Before I could explain myself to Metida, I blacked out from Rate’s final blow.
***
“Ugh, I thought I was going to die.”
“Hey, Author! I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have held back…”
“It’s fine. I was just being paranoid.”
Yeah, over there is a super cute Hero with epic stats, while I look like an extra with no skills in swordplay or magic—where do I get off thinking I stand a chance?
“I’ll make sure this never happens again, so don’t worry.”
“Phew, right. We’re not at that stage yet, are we?”
“Not yet..?”
“Ah! Metida, you’re here.”
How long was I knocked out? Not much time, I guess?
“How long was I out?”
“About 20 minutes. Don’t worry, I made sure to explain things to Metida while you were out.”
“You did well. Metida, you shouldn’t get the wrong idea about me and the Hero, okay? Unlike my brother, I’m still a pure soul.”
“…I understand, Brother Zech.”
Despite being a young child, Metida seemed to grasp my words perfectly with her maturity.
“What a cute little thing.”
I hugged Metida.
“…This isn’t too heavy?”
“I can handle this much. Though I’m pretty weak, I can definitely hold someone your size.”
I was worried she might not like it, but thankfully, Metida didn’t seem hesitant to get close to me.
“So, why did you come to my room?”
“Oh, um…”
At my question, Metida turned her gaze to Rate.
‘Ah, I see.’
“Hero? I think Metida has something she wants to talk about with just me…”
“Got it. I’ve checked on the Author, so I’ll take my leave now.”
“Sorry, Hero.”
“Hehe, it’s fine. Personally, I hope you get to know the new member better.”
With those words, Rate left the room.
Now it’s just me and Metida left alone.
“So, Metida, now that it’s just us, what do you want to talk about?”
“Um, I prepared something to give you when I met you…”
“Huh?”
The gift that Metida prepared for me was…
“A pen?”
It looked rather shabby.
“I heard you were an author, so I prepared this for you.”
‘Did she save up some allowance for this?’
It may look rough, but the heart behind it was beautiful.
“Thank you, Metida. I feel really bad now.”
I had no gift prepared since I didn’t know she was coming.
“It’s fine, Brother Zech. I came here unexpectedly, so you didn’t know, right?”
“I’m really sorry. Next time you come, I’ll get you something amazing.”
“It’s really okay…”
“No, I have to return the favor for what I’ve received. It’s one of my many beliefs.”
“You have a lot of beliefs, huh?”
“Of course! As an author, knowing cool phrases is super handy!”
“Oh…”
Metida looked at me with sparkling eyes.
She was adorable, but it was time to get to the point.
“So… what was it you wanted to ask?”
“Ah! I had one question!”
“What is it?”
Metida suddenly got serious and then shot an unexpected question at me.
“What do you think about regression?”
“Regression? That’s rather out of the blue…?”
Was what I said yesterday that interesting?
“Well… regression has its pros and cons. You can know about future events and prevent them, but if you can’t, the regret multiplies.”
It’s well known that protagonists in regression stories know how to avoid disaster, but if they fail even once, they face a despairing situation.
“Well, regression is a good ability if you manage it properly.”
Knowing the future is a super useful skill, right?
“But what if someone who was evil in many regressions fell in love and decided to live kindly—should they still be seen as evil or good?”
“Huh? That’s a really good topic for a story.”
Maybe I should write about this later.
“Plus, it’s quite a philosophical question.”
But is this something a kid should be asking?
“Hmm.. you’re surprisingly philosophical?”
“Is that so?”
“Well, in my personal opinion…”
Looking at Metida, who seemed rather tense while watching me, I calmly replied.
“If they endlessly atone for their past victims and treat them well in this life, they might just be okay.”
“Wow… you’re pretty lenient?”
“Is that so? I guess it sounds like something a heroine would say.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, nothing.”
No matter how many lives they took, I’ve often seen scenarios where someone would shrug and say, ‘Hey! For every life you took, you should give birth to that many!’
“So, you’re saying they could be seen as a heroine?”
“Yeah, something like that?”
Metida, who had been confused, broke into a big smile when she heard my answer.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Sure. You’re the first one I’ve had a philosophical conversation with since coming to this world.”
-Knock, knock.
-“Young Master Zech, it’s time for breakfast.”
“Oh, breakfast’s ready! Let’s go, Metida.”
And just like that, I headed downstairs with Metida to have breakfast.
***
“Baal, you insane man! I asked you to help me work out, not turn me into a punching bag!”
“Bwahahaha! Young Master Zech! A man’s stamina is crucial! Knowing you understand this makes me, Baal, so very happy!”
“You crazy freak!!!”
After finishing breakfast and taking a little rest, I figured I’d work out for the first time in ages at the training area. But of all people to catch me, it had to be Baal, the gardener, and now look where I am.
“I’m the idiot for asking you for help! I’ll never ask you again!”
“Don’t say such hurtful things! If Young Master orders me, even as a gardener, I’ll dedicate myself to turning you into a weapon like your brother!”
“Noooooo!”
I want to improve my stamina, not end up as a human weapon like my brother!
“Now! This time it’s your right leg!”
Baal chased me at breakneck speed, lifting up a vine.
-SWISH!
“Kyaaah! This sicko!”
How on earth did he get something like that in our mansion? I couldn’t even think about it, as Baal swung the vine like a whip.
“Bwahahaha! Come on, Young Master! Just one more lap!”
“I told you that before, didn’t I?!”
“Did you? I’m just a humble gardener, so my memory isn’t so great!”
“You’ve memorized the names and locations of every plant in this mansion!”
“Anyone can know that much!”
“There are over 200 different types, how the heck do you memorize—”
“Now it’s your left shoulder!”
“Aaaaah! You freak!”
“Bwahahahaha! Gardener Baal! I’ll make sure you can keep going for three days and nights without food or sleep!”
“Kyaaaah! You did this since I was a kid!”
If it were that easy, I’d have already surpassed my brother by now, you psycho!