Chapter 30
Phew...
I steadied my breathing.
Having parted ways with Enrique, I lay in wait for my target on a mountain path near Rag Village.
There was moonlight, but it was darker here than in the streets of Lyon.
A pervert dressed all in black, lurking along a road like this.
I thought I'd absolutely hate it if our positions were reversed, but I waited for my target.
If things went as they had in the original, Sieg-kun would learn that Hafen Village was in danger, be unable to sit still, push past the villagers trying to stop him, and take this road.
Incidentally, Bandit A, who was supposed to teach Sieg-kun how harsh the world could be, had already been knocked unconscious by me a little farther ahead.
After a little while, I heard hurried footsteps.
"Damn, I have to hurry...!"
Seeing the person who'd rushed over, panting and gasping, I was secretly moved.
Standing before me was a boy with a still-innocent expression.
He was the sort of handsome boy you'd call cute. He looked enough like a girl that you could mistake him for one.
Sieg-kun. His real name was Sieghart.
An ordinary boy living in Rag Village—
That was a lie. He was none other than the protagonist of Last Aka, as everyone knew.
Last Aka was more or less about a boy who couldn't use magic enrolling in a meritocratic magic academy and finding success alongside cute girls.
He was a handsome protagonist popular even with older women. But, like the other characters in Last Aka, he had a completely deranged mentality.
I called out to the boy, "Hey."
"...! Who are you?"
Sieg-kun said, openly wary.
I spread my arms and greeted Sieg-kun.
In the friendliest way possible.
After all, he was the future savior of the world.
No, wait.
"—I've been waiting for you, Sieg-kun."
As I said that, I recalled the meeting between the two of them in the original.
The protagonist, Sieg, meets the arrogant noble Ultos at the magic academy—
"Listen! You've heard the noble name of Randall, haven't you??? I'm Ultos-sama, heir to the ducal house of Randall! The academy is a place of learning for the nobility. It's no place for a commoner like you, whose origins are anyone's guess!"
"The academy isn't supposed to care about your family's status. I'm a commoner, and I passed the entrance exam! More than anything, I need to attend the academy to fulfill my oath!"
"Kukuku... Your name's Sieg, is it? Rag Village is near Lyon, if I recall... You know Gregorio, the mayor of Lyon, right? Well, he and I are close. With my influence, expelling you from the academy would be child's play... How about it? Maybe the taxes in Rag Village would suddenly go up, hmm?"
"Are you serious...?"
U-Ummm...
Now that I've remembered it... h-he's scum. What a pathetic excuse for a person...
It was an obvious litany of baseless accusations.
And worst of all, even though Gregorio had been thoroughly deceived and was on the verge of losing his real authority, Kuzutos shamelessly invoked his name and flaunted his supposed favor—a truly despicable blunder.
To say nothing of the fact that Sieg-kun was the son of Rain, the hero. There was no way the tax rate could just be raised on a whim out of personal spite.
As you'd expect, after being humiliated like this, Kuzutos tried every which way to bring Sieg-kun and the main heroine down. He even kidnapped the heroine, and there were countless times I got a game over because of him in completely irrelevant scenes...
The more you played, the more infuriating Kuzutos became, making him an utterly unpleasant character.
People even complained of health problems, saying they "felt sick" just from seeing Kuzutos on screen, so he was the real deal.
"You were waiting for me...? And how do you know my name?!" I heard Sieg-kun mutter, while I was still reeling from the damage I'd taken just remembering Kuzutos's disgraceful behavior.
But I didn't answer his question.
"Did you hear about Hafen? It's true that bandits are on their way. We need to hurry and go help them."
"Then... would you please move aside?"
"Well, I'd love to let you pass, but unfortunately, this Genesis can't let you through."
Saying that, I—Genesis, the mysterious figure—slowly concentrated mana in my body.
"Genesis..."
Even faced with such a suspicious person, Sieg-kun properly took a fighting stance.
As you'd expect from someone who admired his father, a hero, he seemed to realize I was raring to fight.
Much appreciated.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you through. If you insist on passing—"
I spread my arms and took a stance as well.
"You'll have to defeat this Genesis first."
Why had I ended up fighting him?
No, at first, I'd planned to simply rescue Sieg-kun after the bandits nearly defeated him.
But then.
A certain thought had gradually replaced that plan.
Wait, wouldn't it be faster if I fought him instead?
I mean, think about it.
The bandits weren't much of a threat, and rather than fight them, it would be more efficient for me to fight Sieg-kun and help him level up.
This was a story about Sieg-kun experiencing despair once, then rising again. If so, it'd be better for me to safely and reliably escort the future hero.
And so, I watched Sieg-kun's fist as it came toward me.
It was a good punch. Simple and straightforward.
He was probably pretty good, as far as the village went.
But still.
I needed Sieg-kun to get much stronger. It wouldn't do to leave him thinking he was the best in the village.
"Sieg-kun."
I spoke gently as I matched the protagonist's movements when he lunged forward.
"Is that all you've got?"
"What?!"
Taking advantage of the protagonist's forward momentum, I landed a counter.
Incidentally, I'd decided to focus on counters this time.
Even if I was going to beat him to a pulp anyway, focusing on counters felt a little less bad than attacking him first...
"...!"
My fist sank into the protagonist's stomach.
"What..."
I hadn't moved an inch while the protagonist was doubled over in agony.
I said to the protagonist as he writhed.
"—Are you all talk, aspiring hero?"
...I'm sorry.
I really am.
If we meet again at the academy, I'll quietly tell you where some rare items are hidden and who'll betray you later on, so please forgive me.
As I kept apologizing to myself, I waited for the protagonist to come at me again.