Chapter 5
A few days after the bandit attack, the village was in the midst of reconstruction, but a strange atmosphere permeated the air.
“Yuma, they’re calling you a hero!” (Lisa)
“You are the village’s hope.” (Serena)
“…Are you going to dismiss it as a coincidence again?” (Miria)
The three of them’s words pierced me, and my stomach was already screaming.
But even more pressure was added.
— Donn.
The village chief came to my house and placed an envelope before me. Trembling, I opened the heavy envelope sealed with wax.
“…’I request an audience at the Lord’s Mansion.'”
I had a bad feeling about this.
“…I’ve completely triggered a flag, haven’t I?”
There was no choice but to head to the lord’s mansion, accompanied by the three of them. With the villagers’ shouts of “Go, hero!” and “We’re counting on you, protector!” at our backs.
“Stop it! I’m just a supporting character!”
Upon arriving at the mansion, I was greeted by luxurious decorations and a vast garden. Honestly, accustomed to living in the village’s hovels, the feeling of being out of place was overwhelming.
“This is… the Lord’s Mansion…!” (Lisa)
“Be on your best behavior. No mistakes are allowed.” (Serena)
“…You’re the one most likely to make a mistake.” (Miria)
Stop it, you’re right, I can’t refute that.
We were led into the main hall, and soon a stately man in his forties appeared–Lord Gardo von Ragnas, the ruler of this region.
“Indeed… are you the young man who saved the village?”
I hastily bowed my head.
“N-no! I was just…!”
Just as I was about to make an excuse, the lord’s eyes fell upon the old sword I had borrowed from a villager, hanging at my waist.
“…That sword. Could it be, the legendary Azure Crest Sword…!”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but exclaim. No, no, it’s just a rusty sword that was lying dormant in the village warehouse?
But the lord continued, excitement evident in his voice.
“I heard you defeated the bandits in one blow! As expected… the sword chose you!”
“W-wait a moment! It wasn’t one blow, it was a coincidence—”
My desperate denials were futile. The knights and maids in the hall buzzed with excitement, and soon they all began to hail me as the “return of the hero.”
To make matters worse, the lord’s daughter–Lady Christia–also appeared. She was a picture-perfect young lady with golden hair and blue eyes, and as soon as she saw me, she clasped her hands together with a radiant smile.
“My! You are my savior…!”
“Huh? What?”
It seemed that someone had previously repelled the horses that were targeted by the bandit group. And they had mistakenly concluded that I was that “someone.”
“No, no! I didn’t do anything like that!”
I desperately denied it. But Lady Christia continued, as if feverish.
“It is destiny…!”
“No, no, no! That’s wrong, wrong, wrong!”
The rebuttals in my head wouldn’t stop. But even the lord nodded and uttered a decisive remark.
“–Very well. I shall recognize you as a candidate for my daughter’s fiancé!”
“Noooooo!”
Lisa and Serena, standing on either side of me, were simultaneously dumbfounded, while Miria frowned.
“Fiancé…!?” (Lisa)
“Wait a minute, that’s a bit much…!” (Serena)
“…Hmm, as I thought, you have a talent for attracting trouble.” (Miria)
The gazes of the three intensified. No, it’s not true, it’s not my fault! Things are just progressing on their own, I swear!
That night, I was to stay in a room at the mansion. Sinking into the fluffy bed, I stared at the ceiling and cried out.
“…How did it come to this!”
I want to be a supporting character. Why does that simple wish keep backfiring so spectacularly?
Outside the window, the moon hung in the sky. It shone silently, as if mocking my confusion–.
