Ch.36Warrior (3)

The Golden Oriole, Melody.

She was truly worthy of that name.

Setting aside whether she was actually golden or not, she was certainly a woman who could produce sounds befitting an oriole.

Though she was actually a sparrow beastkin, her whistling was as pleasant as an oriole’s.

At least according to me, her ally.

I could still see that scene vividly. Partly because it had happened just moments ago, but also because the impact was impossible to ignore.

Using her Paralyzing Melody to inflict area-of-effect paralysis, then rushing in to take out the magic user with high resistance first while everyone was immobilized.

A textbook but excellent tactic.

Her timing was impeccable too. Had she appeared a bit earlier, Melody herself would have been in danger; any later, and I would have died.

So I had no complaints, but…

I couldn’t say there weren’t some awkward aspects.

My dissatisfaction wasn’t with Melody. If I had any complaints, they were with myself.

‘Thank you.’

In that final moment, I could feel the consideration of the Owlbear shapeshifter. One might call it resignation rather than consideration, but to me, it felt like nothing but kindness.

It happened right after I made my gamble, crushing one arm to deflect an attack. The idea wasn’t bad, but I had no follow-up.

But what about him?

Shapeshifters are a race that can freely transform parts of their body or their entire form.

Especially for a shapeshifter from one of the three major clans, his skill level would be considerable.

Instantly changing his entire body from an owlbear-human hybrid to human form would have been nothing to him.

So my finishing blow could have easily been countered if he had simply reverted to human form to dodge and then attacked again.

Yet I won. The reason was obvious: because he had no intention of doing so.

To think such a skilled warrior couldn’t come up with such an idea was a rather shameful mental victory on my part.

And I wasn’t particularly fond of mental victories.

Looking at the result, I did win, but at that moment, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say my life depended on his mercy and sensitivity.

I didn’t like that. I don’t like losing.

Then again, how many people in the world actually enjoy losing?

That’s why I didn’t make a fuss even after waking up.

Instead, I coldly reflected on my shortcomings and thought about how to improve.

[Class: Warrior – Mourner 4]

Fortunately, the timing was good.

As my level increased, I gained access to new abilities.

[Please select a talent]

It was a talent.

A kind of special benefit that all characters can choose upon reaching certain levels.

After contemplating the long list of talents, I made my choice.

Among my many shortcomings in battle, if there was one area where I was most lacking, it was defense.

[Parry]

[“Don’t try to parry everything. That’s how you die.”

-The first lesson taught at the Tribal Federation Swordsmanship School]

[Adds your proficiency to defense rolls at the moment of impact. Upon successful defense, you can counterattack.]

In that sense, my choice was aimed at covering my weakness.

Partly because there was no other way to maximize my existing strengths, and partly because I had realized that real combat differs from games.

So I chose a talent that I wouldn’t normally select in a game unless I was playing an agility-based character like Melody.

In real combat, I learned that every attack I allowed sapped my fighting spirit and put me at a disadvantage in subsequent battles.

I needed to deny enemy attacks as much as possible. If I had to take hits, I needed to minimize the damage.

That’s why I chose Parry.

Though I hesitated a bit since there was no way to undo this choice, I ultimately selected Parry as planned and opened my eyes.

[Play time: 8,951 hours]

An unfamiliar ceiling greeted me, along with a familiar face.

Wide surprised eyes, small stature, a person characterized by her petite frame.

She quickly created distance between us and pretended to be doing something else, as if she hadn’t just been leaning over me.

As I quietly pulled back the blanket and sat up, she closed her previously wide-open eyes into slits.

I called out the name of my small savior.

“Melody.”

Melody instantly gathered all the emotions displayed on her face and smiled.

“I’d prefer if you called me Mel.”

Her tone suggested she knew I would never call her that.

*

“As expected of a homunculus. You’re completely fine.”

The first thing Melody did after I woke up was something akin to a health examination.

Well, Melody did have a fair amount of medical knowledge.

Perhaps it was because bards naturally have aptitude for various skills, and they’re often developed to serve as problem-solvers in parties.

She briefly checked my body and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with me.

Considering my Health stat of 22, this was to be expected.

“No, actually, I think you recover even faster than sis?”

“Sis” was her personal term for Guardian Knight Lucilla. For a moment, I wondered what Melody would be to me if Lucilla were actually my sister.

A sister-in-law?

Or maybe an adopted sister?

While I was blankly pondering this, Melody tilted her head and pressed the bridge of my nose.

“What are you thinking about so hard? Just like…”

She cut herself off mid-sentence. With a slightly troubled expression, she nodded.

“I was being inconsiderate. Of course, you’d be worried about your companion. That’s typical for homunculi.”

Companion. Only then did I remember Isla. How could I forget about Isla?

Even though I had been unconscious until just now, it seemed inhumane to forget.

I forcibly suppressed my rising self-loathing, and Melody spoke with a smile.

“Fortunately, your companion is also fine. She hasn’t regained consciousness yet, but… it was a rough battle. It would be difficult for her to wake up so soon.”

That was true. It was also a mismatched battle.

A suitable fight for Isla would be more like a hunt involving traps and strategies, but the battles we’d been facing since meeting had been direct confrontations.

It had been a difficult fight for her. Just as I was wondering if we should continue together…

‘I’ll die with you.’

I recalled Isla’s words as she lay with her face half-buried in the bed.

It wouldn’t be right for a man to leave without a word after someone had said something like that.

I should talk to her when she wakes up. As I felt relieved, Melody carefully studied my face.

“Well, if you’ve heard what you wanted to hear… I suppose you need to be scolded?”

“…Huh?”

“You pushed yourself too hard. You could have died.”

I stared blankly at Melody. She was right. I really could have died.

In fact, I would have died if Melody hadn’t arrived. That raised some questions.

How and why did she come?

But Melody’s words came out faster than my questions.

“No interim reports, unusual atmosphere in the city. It’s a good thing I came to check on you, otherwise…”

Was this a scolding? It was a different kind of reprimand than what my sister would give. As I failed to respond, Melody poked my forehead with her index finger.

“Take care of your life from now on. Even homunculi aren’t completely immortal.”

She was right. I would die if my head was cut off. It was a symbolic death, and one that homunculi had no way to avoid.

I, a monster who couldn’t die except by murder—specifically decapitation—scratched my head.

“I understand.”

“Good. Good. But… why did you go that far?”

That unexpected question came then.

Seeing my blank stare, Melody tilted her head.

“I did say I’d give you a reward, but you could have run away if things got dangerous, right? The New Continent is vast. No one would have blamed you if you fled.”

Yet I risked my life. I risked my life fighting the Owlbear shapeshifter and won.

If Melody, Isla, and the Imperial Army hadn’t been there, I would have died.

Why did I do it?

An ambiguous feeling of both knowing and not knowing the answer. As I hesitated to respond, Melody smiled brightly.

It was a mischievous smile.

“Could it be… because I promised you a kiss?”

Then she giggled. Seeing my dumbfounded expression, she half-opened one eye and looked at me.

“Well, I am pretty cute. Even I would do anything for the first kiss of such a lovely maiden like myself!”

It must be a joke. Though I hadn’t completely delved into Grim Darker’s story or character narratives, there was a certain nuance to the dialogue I’d seen and heard while playing the game.

In that sense, Melody was a character who taunted enemies, mocked villains, and teased allies.

A playful personality, you might say. It was natural given that her base class was a bard.

How should I put it? I felt slightly annoyed.

Yes, it was like watching a raccoon that came to a line it shouldn’t cross, acted cocky, shot poison needles, and then got its head split by an axe.

Well, maybe not quite that extreme, but something similar.

A slight feeling of defeat mixed with irritation; it was strangely angering that she was making assumptions about things I’d never said.

Only then did I guess why I had acted as I did.

Because I hated losing.

Yes, I absolutely hated losing. My current behavior followed the same logic.

“That’s right. So, can I collect it now?”

“…Huh?”

Melody stared at me blankly. Her face was small and cute.

Though her appearance made her look younger than me, which gave me some sense of guilt, guilt was preferable to the feeling of defeat.

That’s the kind of person I was. Looking closely, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

She was cute, had a nice personality, was an ally, and most importantly, she had offered it herself.

It felt like a reward I rightfully deserved.

“W-wait!”

So I reached out. Faster than Melody, who was trying to back away in surprise.

She and I were already close to the wall.

We had moved from the bed for the examination, and maintained close proximity for the same reason.

She was instantly cornered.

“That was, that was a joke, or maybe serious, I mean, if you want it I could give it, but maybe we should think—”

Ignoring her words, I grabbed Melody’s small chin and placed my other hand on her thigh.

Gently pressing down with my weight and lifting her chin, Melody’s eyes widened.

Her golden eyes were moist. It wasn’t moisture born from emotions like shock or fear.

It was shame.

Shame moistened her eyes and turned her face bright red.

If someone else saw her, they might call her a red sparrow rather than a golden oriole.

“…Mmph.”

Eventually, she closed her eyes. Even though I was just staring blankly at her unexpected reaction.

With her chin still in my grip, she tilted her head slightly more, tightly closed her eyes, and lightly placed her hands on my forearms.

She looked like she had completed all preparations. She remained motionless.

As if waiting for something, only her lips quivered.

It was the behavior of someone experiencing their first kiss, trying to position their lips properly, worried about making a strange expression and attempting to maintain a neutral face, while both cautious and expectant of the imminent contact.

I was dumbfounded by her behavior.

As media often describes it, it was the reaction of a virgin maiden.

Wasn’t she a bard?

Aren’t bards usually more… uninhibited?

She made those kinds of jokes and offered kisses as rewards, so I thought…

Her behavior was completely different from my expectations or experience.

As I stood frozen, Melody slightly opened one eye and met my gaze.

“Ow.”

I pinched her cheek.

Melody stared at me blankly with her cheek still in my grip.

I smiled slightly and released her cheek.

“I’m joking. Just joking. What kind of scoundrel would I be to steal a maiden’s first kiss?”

It was a considerate statement in its own way. Though I had acted out of a desire to win, it seemed wrong to make her lose her first kiss because of it.

Despite appearances, I was quite a moral person. And according to my morals, a maiden’s first time should be given to someone she likes.

So I showed her mercy, but…

“…Ah.”

Melody stared blankly at my words, then suddenly adopted a resolute expression and grabbed my face.

And before I could respond…

*Smooch*

She kissed my forehead and pulled away.

Something too ambiguous to count as a first kiss, yet too intimate to say she hadn’t given a kiss at all.

She stood up abruptly with a bright red face, exhaling a sweet breath as she placed her hands on her waist.

Her attempt to speak confidently with her chest puffed out only made her look pitiful due to her trembling voice.

“I’m n-not a virgin maiden. B-but since you seem nervous… I’ll let you off with just this.”

But that seemed to be her best effort. A virgin-like response with none of her usual eloquence.

In the end, I had no choice but to accept it.