NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41 - Who's the Favorite? - 02
Ryunosuke Tendo stood before the man.
“The boy is not responsible.”
“Hey, are you going senile too?”
“He’s not responsible.”
“But the cause is that kid, right?”
“Huh?”
“Eek!”
“Wait, Ryunosuke, you’ll kill someone with that bloodlust.”
An old man beside him stopped Tendo, who was about to draw his sword. The man who had been struck by Tendo’s murderous intent quivered and nearly fell on his rear.
“Are you saying the child is to blame?”
“Y-Yes!”
“That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? I’ve been living in this dungeon for twenty years, since you were a greenhorn, and I’ve never seen anything like this. Who could have predicted it?”
“Y-Yes, but the cause is…”
“Indeed, the trigger for this incident was that child defeating the big boss, and I won’t deny that. But that doesn’t make the child at fault. He just happened to stumble upon something no one in the world knew about. He’s a victim too.”
“Y-Yes, I can’t deny he was unlucky, but he still has to take responsibility for his actions…”
“Then you should take responsibility too. You chose the path of an explorer, not knowing what would happen. Did you think there would be no danger to your life in this profession?”
You chose to be an explorer. In this incident, everyone is a victim. If anyone is to blame, it’s the dungeon. So, take responsibility for your own bad luck. His eyes, still sharp and intimidating even after sixty years, made it impossible to argue.
“N-No…”
“Besides, you’re the only one who thinks the child is at fault.”
Looking around, all the explorers were glaring at the man. It seemed there was no one else who agreed with his claim.
Then one person stepped forward to make an appeal.
“Aren’t you ashamed? After seeing that child’s fight, seeing him risk his life to protect us, a child much smaller than us, with serious injuries, and you can still say that?”
He was a man whose life had been saved by Kenya from the Goblin King. His legs were still shaking, but he wanted to express his gratitude to that boy who had risked his life to save him when everyone else was about to abandon him.
“Ugh…”
“The child is not at fault. We all believe that. And yet, that child still felt responsible and tried to protect us, even though he was covered in blood…”
“Alright, I get it.”
The slightly injured man then disappeared into the gate.
◇
“I see… Tendo, thank you.”
“No, really, you did nothing wrong, so don’t worry about it.”
(Still, I can’t help but feel conflicted since I was the one who triggered this…)
“Well, putting that aside. I heard you fought alongside Reina? I’m glad you two got along quickly. I was right to leave it to you. I just saw Reina, and she seemed to be in better spirits.”
“Well, about that, Reina seemed strange when she saw me bleeding and collapsing. Did something happen in her past?”
The Goblin King’s axe had grazed my chest, causing me to bleed. Though the wound wasn’t deep, seeing me collapse in blood made Reina, who is usually calm, scream in a way I never thought possible. Then she started hyperventilating, almost like…
“A flashback… You should ask her directly for details. It’s not my place to say. But from what is publicly known…”
Tanaka hesitated but finally answered.
“Her parents’ deaths were not accidents.”
“What!? Not accidents? Does that mean they were murders?”
“Yes… but the details are even more tragic. Even if you learn the truth, please don’t hate her.”
“Of course not! How could I ever hate her?”
“That’s exactly the earnestness she needs from you. That’s why I entrusted you with her.”
With that, Tanaka and Tendo stood up.
“Kid, once you’re healed, we’ll have a party. We always go out for drinks after work.”
Tendo ruffled my hair again. His hand is still so big. I also need to thank all the members of the Evening Star.
“Yes, I’ll heal quickly!”
“Good.”
Tanaka and Tendo left the hospital room, and the doctor came in.
Probably a doctor, considering he’s wearing a lab coat.
“Hey, are you awake, Mikenju?”
The doctor was a handsome man in his thirties, wearing a lab coat and glasses. A handsome doctor is like an unbeatable combo.
“Doctor, thank you for taking care of me.”
“Just doing my job. I’m Ijuin. I often handle explorers. Nice to meet you. Though, I’d prefer not to see you too often.”
He smiled and extended his hand for a handshake, which I returned. His teeth were white. The smile revealed those bright white teeth, almost shining. Maybe he uses whitening products.
“Haha… I’ll be careful. So, Dr. Ijuin, how long until I can be discharged?”
“About that… I have a question. Weren’t there three girls here recently?”
(Hmm? Misuzu, Nana, and Reina?)
“Yes, they were here.”
Dr. Ijuin leaned in and whispered so only I could hear.
“Which one is your main interest?”