Ch.301I Wonder if This Will Be Okay.

Demian’s story began with a shocking act of betrayal and continued from there.

His mother’s dying words to act out emotions if he couldn’t understand them, and the role model of a “noble knight” he used as his standard for acting.

Even the results of experiments he conducted through Millia and her parents.

“Haah…”

A wisp of smoke rising from my fingertips crawls up the wall like a swarm of termites.

My exhaled breath was filled with the scent of mint.

“So… to sum it up, you’re pretending to be a noble knight because you’re afraid of being rejected if people find out you don’t understand emotions.”

I was somehow sitting next to Demian, leaning against the wall, having a conversation with him.

I lit a cigarette to soothe my tired mind.

“That’s about right.”

Demian nodded readily.

If he had such experiences from childhood, it made sense that he would think he’d die if his lack of emotions was discovered.

In fact, getting beaten by me as soon as I found out probably reinforced that belief.

…Maybe I should have hit him more gently. No, that would have defeated the purpose.

I understood his motivation. It was about survival.

Even without emotions, he still had survival instincts.

Still, his behavior was contradictory and inconsistent.

A person who acts to avoid death should run away when facing a powerful enemy, not fight like a “noble knight” until near death.

With just a bit of bad luck, he could have died several times.

‘What do you think?’

[‘It’s probably because of his obsession that he’ll die if people discover he’s not a “noble knight.” So, in a deadly situation, he chooses to die fighting a powerful enemy rather than flee and be rejected. …I’m not sure if that’s brave or foolish.’]

Hersella let out a disbelieving chuckle.

I also smiled wryly as I brought my right hand to my mouth. Acrid yet fragrant smoke filled my mouth as the red glow and warm heat crept toward me.

Seriously, how can someone’s personality be twisted in such a bizarre way? I don’t even know where to begin fixing this.

Like Hersella, I could only laugh in disbelief.

In truth, the belief that he would die if he failed to be a noble knight was just Demian’s misconception.

While a ten-year-old might not survive alone, at his current age, being rejected wouldn’t kill him.

With his skills just short of Master level, he could live comfortably as an adventurer for the rest of his life.

It was obvious with just a little thought. The fact that he couldn’t even consider this… must be due to his childhood experiences being firmly lodged in his brain.

But I couldn’t tell him it was just his misconception.

If his indomitable fighting spirit came from that misconception, correcting it would mean he’d no longer risk his life in battle.

He’d probably just run away when facing stronger opponents?

So I needed to ensure Demian remained in his misconception….

This is giving me a headache.

Even if I told him the world would end if he didn’t become a Hero, he wouldn’t believe me.

—-

From the beginning, I never told anyone that this world could face destruction within a few years.

It wasn’t something anyone would believe, and I had no answer if someone asked how I knew.

I never mentioned coming from another world.

In this world’s common sense, beings from other worlds are only monsters.

So confessing I came from Earth would be like a new type of monster revealing its identity.

I considered claiming I had seen the future… but abandoned that idea since revelation and prophecy are divine powers.

Even Lacy hadn’t received such direct revelations, so lying in a god’s name would only create more problems.

Besides, there was a vast difference between the future I knew and what actually happened in this world. About 80% was my own doing.

If I recited future events as evidence, but the story twisted and different situations occurred, wouldn’t I just be treated as a fraud?

Like that prophet who claimed the world would end in 1999.

Actually, being labeled a fraud would be fortunate. Considering this world’s social climate, I could be accused of heresy for impersonating divine powers to manipulate people.

Lacy wouldn’t do that, but who knows how the Holy State might react.

So I had no intention of revealing my knowledge of the future to anyone yet.

It might not matter to Hersella… but there’s no point telling her. She’s cooperative enough already.

So what should I do…

Should I instill in him the belief that he’ll die by my hand if he doesn’t become a Hero?

Even if he realizes it’s a misconception that he’ll die from social rejection, if he knows it’s not a misconception that I’ll beat him to death, he’ll strive to avoid that fate…?

Good. Let’s go with this. This is my style, my way of nurturing a Hero.

Get stronger, Demian. If you don’t want to die by my hands.

—-

Of course, getting stronger wouldn’t solve all problems.

One more serious issue remained.

“Haah…”

A sigh escaped me, dissolving in all directions.

This guy. With this mindset, could he even draw the holy sword?

Surely the inevitable fate of the Hero drawing the holy sword wouldn’t be twisted, but after being blindsided once or twice, I couldn’t be certain.

The holy sword Jowise.

Said to bestow endless power and glory upon its owner, like receiving divine blessing.

It showed tremendous performance even in its dormant state, and when its owner reached the realm of heroes, it would strengthen further, revealing its true name and power—a weapon exclusively for Demian.

The item description stated it could only be drawn and used by someone without wicked thoughts, chosen as a Hero….

In retrospect, that was quite ambiguous.

Was it saying only those without wicked thoughts are chosen as Heroes, or that even Heroes can’t draw it if they harbor wicked thoughts?

And what exactly constitutes “wicked thoughts” is also vague.

What’s certain is that if the current Demian, with his strangely twisted personality unlike in the game, can’t draw the holy sword, things would go terribly wrong.

A Hero without the holy sword is just a somewhat strong knight.

At the same level, wouldn’t I be stronger? Probably?

But that defeats the purpose.

…It’s a problem I can’t solve by worrying about it now.

We won’t know until he reaches Master level and tries to draw it from the northern snow fields beyond the mountain range.

For now… I should focus on the immediate issues.

—-

The heat tickling my fingertips interrupted my thoughts.

The cigarette in my mouth had burned almost halfway.

I flicked it lightly to drop the ash on the floor, then brought it back to my lips.

Beyond the dispersing smoke, Demian was staring at me intently.

His emotionless, transparent eyes made it hard to tell what he was thinking….

“Want to try one yourself?”

I showed him the cigarette with a smirk, and surprisingly, he nodded.

Wait, I was joking….

That’s unexpected, him wanting to smoke.

Is it okay to give him one?

In my original world, I wouldn’t have offered a cigarette to a sixteen-year-old boy….

But this isn’t particularly harmful to the body, and in this world, even Ophelia smokes openly, so I guess it’s fine.

“If you want. Here. Put it in your mouth and inhale.”

I took out a cigarette from the pack and handed it to him, then lit the end after he put it in his mouth.

Demian looked at the lit cigarette with unfamiliar eyes before deeply inhaling the smoke. Just like all first-time smokers do.

“Kack! Cough! Cough!”

Demian coughed violently, expelling the smoke almost like vomiting. Exactly as expected.

I leaned my head back against the wall and giggled at the sight. See, I knew it.

“Why… keh! Why would you…!”

“It’s smoke from burning herbs, even if it smells like mint. Did you think it would be sweet? That’s just how it is.”

You’re not supposed to inhale it all at once like that. Your chest must be really hurting.

“You should have at least told me…”

“But this is more fun, isn’t it?”

Watching a kid insist on smoking and then cough is always amusing.

[What a twisted sense of humor.]

How rude. As if your tastes are any better.

I don’t actually know Hersella’s hobbies, but they can’t be proper ones. It’s obvious just by looking at her.

After chuckling for a while, I took the cigarette from Demian, who was looking at it like it was poison, and put it out.

Actually, my cigarette was almost finished, so I was going to switch… but Hersella threw a fit when I brought it to my lips. She’s so dramatic.

In the end, I decided to count one cigarette as lost. Consider it payment for the entertainment.

—-

“By the way, there’s something I want to ask. You’d better answer well.”

“…What is it?”

Demian’s voice seemed tinged with anxiety. Whether it was an act or genuine, I couldn’t tell.

Common sense would say it’s an act, but what’s tricky is that this guy seems to genuinely feel emotions like fear and anxiety, albeit weakly.

Like just now, and before during the VR-like lecture.

Though his fear was only directed at me.

He showed no trace of such emotions when fighting Werebeasts or monsters.

Anyway, there’s no need to be anxious yet. It’s just an ordinary question.

“About Millia’s feelings. You knew, right? You said that even if you can’t understand emotions in your heart, you can at least judge what someone is feeling by their expressions and actions.”

“That’s…”

He must know.

Looking at Millia, even a three-year-old child could tell she likes Demian—it was that obvious.

Even if he couldn’t understand love, he must have noticed.

Though he was brazenly pretending not to notice.

“Why pretend not to know when you do?”

You’d better answer carefully, Demian.

Say something stupid like Evian did, and you might end up getting neutered.