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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Dark Fantasy Hero Possessed a Romance Novel (3)
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*Rattle, rattle.*
The carriage rattled and shook.
'This is exhausting…'
Serena's back and bottom ached, and her body felt so stiff it was hard to bear.
The ride in this military carriage was nothing like the ones she was used to.
It was the difference between a pillow stuffed with soft duck feathers and rolling naked over a gravel path.
She thought they would at least stop in a town for a short break,
but Zeke seemed to have no such intention.
When they did pass through the occasional town, they only stopped to buy simple snacks or to wash up.
Each time, he would curse the 'general who ate so well.'
'What does that mean? What did he eat so well?'
Serena couldn't quite understand, but she could guess that he wasn't well-off.
And that he wasn't pleased with the situation either.
It seemed sleeping in the carriage wasn't something he wanted to do.
'Hmm, is he a fallen noble? He hasn't laid a single finger on me this whole time, after all…'
That night, Serena had steeled herself to reject his advances and opened the carriage door.
But Zeke was sound asleep, snoring, as if he couldn't care less about her.
Honestly, she felt a sense of relief, but at the same time, it was a huge blow to her pride.
So much so that she began to wonder if all the voices that had praised her beauty and character had been lying!
Serena had to cool her flushed face as she peeked at the sleeping Zeke.
Suddenly, she remembered something her mother had once said.
"Our Serena is so cute and smart, but I worry that your fantasies are a bit much. So, where did you hide that book? It's not something you should be reading yet."
"Hehe, did I hide a book?"
"It's under the bed, isn't it? Let's see… Th-this many!"
"Oh, no! Please, not 'The Northerner's Heavy Loins'!"
'Ugh…'
Thinking back now, she must have been out of her mind that day.
No matter how sentimental she felt in front of the campfire at night,
no matter that she had finally met a northern noble she had long admired,
no matter that his looks were exactly her type,
and no matter that he had saved her from being violated by goblins!
'No! Under those circumstances, it was perfectly reasonable to misunderstand!'
Thanks to her father, Serena had almost no immunity to men her age.
To someone like her, a man with a masculine and rugged air,
this chance encounter with Zeke Kleiman was bound to feel special.
The ones she had read in towering stacks,
the faces of their male leads overlapped faintly with Zeke's.
*Gulp.*
She swallowed.
'Whoops. Fantasizing again. I should stop.'
In any case, the expectations and misunderstandings from that night were enough to make her furiously kick at the clothes covering her every night.
'The instructor wasn't even thinking about it! I got so ahead of myself I might as well have gone to the moon and back… S-so embarrassing. It's all because of those novels!'
Remembering that day again, Serena's face reddened, and she took a deep breath to calm herself.
Though she had concluded it was all her own delusion and misunderstanding, there was still something strange.
Even so, he was so cautious it was as if he truly had no interest in her.
'Does he hate me? No, how could he...? I was told men are supposed to lose their minds in front of a beautiful woman like me. Could it be... that he likes men, or, or something like that!?'
Having grown up showered with love from her father, mother, and brothers,
Serena had never dreamed that someone could dislike her.
Except for one person.
'Ah, Iriel Justia. That woman doesn't count.'
And so, Serena's thoughts went astray, even to the point of questioning Zeke's preferences.
Then her thoughts turned to the fact that he had no money.
Her fantasy circuits began to whir furiously.
'The instructor is keeping his distance, so much that it makes me feel awkward.'
But what if he feels bad that he can't afford lodging because he has no money?
And what if, as a fallen noble with neither money nor power,
he's ashamed to be indebted to a graceful lady like me?
'Besides, they say northerners have trouble expressing their feelings. They speak coldly, but they're warm inside.'
If that were the case, it wasn't so hard to understand.
With a heart full of generous understanding, Serena nodded.
"Ahem! Instructor!"
Clearing her throat, Serena called out to Zeke, who sat before her with a sullen expression.
Zeke's dead-fish eyes turned toward Serena.
"Are you still unwilling to accept my help?"
"I am."
"Even though you have no money?"
"..."
Zeke looked at the girl before him, annoyed.
'What is this? Is she trying to pick a fight?'
It was absurd.
What was this freeloading leech who hadn't paid for a single meal talking about?
He wondered where in the world her conscience had gone.
He was already bitter about the money 'he' had supposedly donated to the military,
and hearing her words made his mood sour instantly.
Just as he was about to lash out, Serena added.
"Then, let's do this."
"Do what?"
"When we get to Ramieli, that's it. I'll just give you the money and won't force anything on you. To be honest, I'd love to host you at our estate, but it seems that's not what you want, Instructor!"
Her sky-blue eyes sparkled with a confident expression, as if to say, "How about it? That's a fair deal, right?"
Zeke's expression soured.
'So damn annoying!'
Zeke really wanted to do something about this clingy leech.
They had already had this conversation dozens of times.
'Ah, I'm really starting to regret saving her. Can I get a refund on this stray dog?'
It seemed this woman would continue to stick to him
and refuse to leave, not just until they reached their destination, but even after.
'Hah, wouldn't it be nice if we could just cleanly go our separate ways.'
"Fufufu. There's no need to be shy. I will absolutely repay you, Instructor!"
"If you want to give it to me so badly, then hand it over now."
"Ciella is the one who manages all my money, so I don't have any right now! I'll give it to you when we get to the estate!"
Serena said with a smug look, grating on Zeke's nerves.
*Throb.*
A vein popped on Zeke's forehead.
'Fine, then. If you're so confident, let's just see. Let's see how pure your soul is.'
Zeke glared at Serena.
And with his eyes, he scraped together the surrounding mana.
There was nothing better for discerning the clarity of a soul and the purity of one's nature.
It was a bit of a strain, since this was no longer the mana-rich Dave Continent,
but as it was the skill he favored most when distinguishing which enemies to cut down,
he could manage to use it even with a small amount of mana.
'Wha-what is this.'
But soon, Zeke could only stare in bewilderment.
*Fwoosh.*
A halo of light burst from behind Serena, filling the inside of the carriage.
An overwhelming purity, so bright it was blinding.
A soul that, at a glance, seemed almost holy.
Was it possible for a person's nature to be this pure?
Goosebumps broke out on Zeke's arms.
It was a light he had never once seen in the world of dark fantasy.
There, angels and saints alike were all busy falling from grace.
'Ah, no, that's not what's important right now.'
Zeke closed his gaping mouth and analyzed her light.
[ Gratitude 30%, Purity 25%, Goodwill 10%, Stubbornness 10%, Faint affection? 5%, Sense of duty 5%, Responsibility 3%, Sympathy 2% ]
He was dumbfounded.
Not a single sliver of the emotions Zeke had been wary of could be found.
'Ah, um… Really...? C-can I get my hopes up...?'
His gaze toward Serena changed ever so slightly.
And then, suddenly, his vision went black.
*Thud.*
* * *
"You killed an angel! You killed the hope of this Dave Continent!"
"No! That angel, that bitch was already fallen!"
"Lies! Stop lying! You always—!"
"Ah, why won't you believe me! You were just chowing down on that chicken with me! Said the tang of demonic energy was a real delicacy!"
The so-called saintess before him went ballistic after he'd ripped the wings off a fallen angel and made them into chicken for her.
She refused to believe him even when he told her the angel was already a fallen being.
On top of that, this bitch was also starting to show signs of corruption.
Still, she had been born with a good nature, so he had tried to lead her along somehow,
but it had come to this again.
The saintess drew upon her divine power, her golden hair and golden eyes flashing as she raised her sword.
Across from her, Zeke also placed a hand on the sword at his hip.
"Ha, fuck. Are you really going to do this? Do we really have to shed blood? You know what happens when I draw my sword!"
"Do you remember that girl you killed?"
"You bitch. Watch your mouth."
"Zeke… you truly are…"
*Flash*
"Gasp…! Hah. Hah."
Zeke's eyes shot open and he bolted upright in the carriage.
It was the dead of night, not yet dawn.
Zeke's back was damp with cold sweat, and his whole body trembled.
'Hah, fuck… Is this an aftereffect of using my eyes…? Looking at my condition, I can probably only use it once a month…'
It was probably—though he couldn't be sure—an issue with the scarce mana of this romance fantasy world.
His body was in terrible shape, likely because he'd used the Eyes of Judgment while still fatigued from fighting the goblins.
Because of that, it seemed he was once again having dreams of the dark fantasy world, something he'd rarely experienced since returning to Earth.
Zeke calmed his still-pounding heart.
'Of all people, a dream about her… Hmm? What's this...?'
Suddenly, he felt something damp on his forehead and reached up to touch it.
He felt a wet cloth.
It was the cloth that had been wrapped around Serena's arm.
Zeke stared blankly at her, sleeping across from him.
Serena was curled up like a shrimp in the cramped space of the carriage.
This girl, who had declared with shining blue eyes that she would definitely repay her life debt.
She was annoying, yes, very, very annoying.
But to be honest,
it was also true that a part of him didn't feel so bad about it.
He had only pushed her away because he couldn't trust her.
Perhaps that was why Zeke had wanted to check, even if it meant overexerting himself.
In his previous world, Zeke had rarely used this ability on humans.
He was afraid of getting his hopes up only to be disappointed.
Since Serena was clinging to him so tenaciously,
he had used it on a whim, only to confirm her shining soul.
The memory of that clear light was still vivid in his mind.
Thanks to that, he had ended up fainting and looking pathetic.
However,
'Can I really trust her...?'
No matter how good her soul was, Zeke found it hard to trust her without a shred of doubt.
His past, full of bitter and painful experiences, had made solitude feel natural.
In the previous dark fantasy world, the Demon King ruled the entire continent.
Of course, even in such a bleak world, not everyone was a monster,
and while playing the hero, whether he intended to or not,
he would inevitably end up saving people in distress.
Honestly, it would be a lie to say Zeke didn't have expectations at first.
The classic story of saving a damsel in distress, receiving her thanks, and letting hope blossom...
But most of them, after being saved, were the type to demand an elixir instead of offering their thanks.
The saintess was the most trustworthy among them, but in the end, she too broke under the misery of the world and fell.
But this was a romance fantasy.
There were monsters, but no Demon King ruling the continent.
And that crazy bastard wasn't here either.
Furthermore, given the nature of the genre, good and evil would be relatively clearly defined.
Serena was clearly one of the 'good guys.'
'Right, this isn't a dark fantasy. It's a romance fantasy.'
Zeke realized he was still trapped in the shadow of his past, unable to escape.
'But... even so... for a broken person like me to be with such a pure soul...'
As he watched Serena with a troubled heart, her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Hmm? You're awake? Are you feeling any better?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
When Zeke said that, Serena smiled bashfully.
"Hehe. That's a relief. I was able to help this time."
Suddenly, her laugh reminded Zeke of the girl he had failed to protect in the dark fantasy world.
It was probably because of what the saintess had said in his dream.
To him, who had grown sharp from being used and betrayed by people,
there was a girl who would bring him things and smile bashfully.
"Mister, are you feeling better now? Hehe, eat this. I picked it on the mountain earlier."
"Get lost."
"Aw, I heard your stomach grumble! Hehe. Here, here. Eat this and get your strength back!"
Even after being told to get lost, she kept coming back,
placing a handful of shriveled fruit in his hand.
But a few days later, that girl was taken by the Demon King,
and after being forcibly injected with demonic energy, she became something that could no longer be called human.
Zeke killed that girl.
"Instructor?"
Serena looked bewildered.
Zeke's lips slowly parted.
"Thank you. And I'm sorry…"
"Eh?"
"But I don't need something like this."
Serena was so startled by Zeke's thanks and apology that she was now wide awake.
She had never imagined he was the type of person to say such things.
During the day, he had glared at her as if to pierce through her, then wore a shocked expression,
and then suddenly fainted.
Serena had been so surprised her heart nearly stopped.
Seeing him lying in the carriage, suffering and covered in a cold sweat,
Serena had wiped his sweat until nightfall,
and unwrapped the cloth from her arm, poured water on it, and used it to cool his hot head.
As Serena stared at Zeke with a dazed expression,
Zeke, with his usual blunt face, retied the wet cloth around Serena's arm.
'Uh… uh…!?'
Serena's face flushed bright red.
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