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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“Th-Thank you…”
To be honest, she had been on the verge of death.
“Are you alright?”
Her comrades had been slaughtered in the blink of an eye.
“Yes… Somehow…”
The difference in strength between them was so vast that it couldn’t be described with words, only felt instinctively. She had been facing an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.
“…I’m sorry.”
But… just as she was trembling in fear, a hero appeared.
“Excuse me?”
“If I had arrived sooner…”
He, despite his young age, had boldly blocked an attack she couldn’t even follow.
“N-No! I’m alive thanks to you…!”
And not only that, he had completely overwhelmed the high-ranking demon in a head-on battle.
“Still… the deaths of your comrades are truly regrettable. I’m afraid no words can comfort you for such a loss.”
And he was so kind. He was like the knight she had always admired.
“E-Excuse me…!! M-May I ask for your name?!”
He was a strong, righteous, and compassionate warrior.
“You’ve probably heard of it. Arnold Stenman.”
He quietly revealed his name in response to her respectful question.
“Yes?”
She was taken aback by his name. Arnold Stenman… Could he be the eldest son of that notoriously wicked noble family?
“Oh….”
Her mind raced. She had only heard rumors about the Stenman nobles, how cruel and vicious they were.
They were known for being blinded by wealth and prestige, committing heinous acts without hesitation.
“Is something wrong?”
But the Stenman before her had a kind demeanor.
“Y-Yes…?”
Or was there another person with the same name as the Stenman she knew?
“Oh, no!”
No, that couldn’t be.
“Please call me Sophia, Young Master Stenman.”
If it was the Stenman family… it must be the one she knew.
“Sophia.”
“Yes…!”
Honestly, she hadn’t expected to meet someone like him from a family known for generations of wickedness. Lady Elisha had only spoken ill of Master Arnold…
“I’m going to apprehend the remaining enemies, but it would be too dangerous for you. Please return to the Grain estate and report this.”
Her mind was filled with conflicting thoughts.
“Excuse me…? No! Please let me help you!”
But then… she realized she didn’t need to overthink it. So what if the rumors were bad? She had seen with her own eyes what kind of person he was.
“I can handle it alone.”
“No! I insist on assisting you!”
She would simply be grateful to the person who had saved her life.
◇ ◇ ◇
The incident was resolved smoothly.
He and Sophia apprehended all the surviving agents.
She would report the deaths of her comrades, as well as the apprended demons to her superiors and take appropriate measures with the estate guards.
Knock, knock, knock –
There was nothing left for him to do.
“Philip? It’s Arnold Stenman.”
After tidying up his appearance, which had become disheveled during the battle, he immediately went to see Philip.
“Come in!”
Unlike before, a cheerful voice responded to his knock, its joy seemingly echoing from beyond the door.
“Sir Arnold! I’ve just heard the news.”
As he opened the door and entered the room, Philip greeted him with a relieved smile.
“To think you single-handedly subdued a demon army unit at such a young age, you have a promising future!”
It seemed he had already received the report.
“What happened after that?”
“I sent reinforcements to handle the situation. There were unfortunate casualties, but… considering what we’ve gained, their sacrifices were not in vain.”
He offered a moment of silence, his expression solemn, as if mourning the victims.
“We’ve decided to hand over all the captured agents to the Royal Knights. They likely possess valuable information, so we expect a substantial reward.”
He then spoke of the measures they had taken and the expected financial gains.
“And of course, the reward, excluding the compensation for the deceased guards, will be sent to the Stenman family.”
Philip rested his chin on his clasped hands and offered him a reward for his actions.
“No, you’ve been troubled by those demons for years. Use the reward to compensate for your losses.”
However, he shook his head, declining the reward.
“What?!”
Philip’s eyes widened, as surprised as when he first heard about the demon agents.
“Oh, and this.”
Thump –
He placed a rather large sack on the table.
“What is this?”
“It’s a high-ranking demon’s horn. As you’ve heard, I took it from the head of their leader, Rael.”
The item he handed over was Rael’s horn. He had originally brought it as evidence, but since Philip had already heard the news, the horn no longer served any purpose other than its monetary value.
In the game, you could obtain Rael’s horn as a reward for defeating her, but it had no use other than being sold for a high price.
“I’ll give this to you as well.”
“Y-Yes… W-What?!”
Philip was utterly shocked by his offer to give him the horn as well.
“This too?!”
His reaction was beyond astonishment; he looked utterly bewildered.
“… Yes.”
Was it really that surprising…?
“But…! A demon’s horn is a body part possessed only by high-ranking demons.”
“It’s considered a valuable resource in magical research, you know? It would fetch an enormous price on the market. You’re giving me not only the reward money but also this…!”
Philip went on and on, listing all the value that should have belonged to Arnold.
“I see.”
But honestly, he wasn’t interested in the horn, except for the reason why it was so valuable. He hadn’t intended to accept any reward in the first place.
“It’s alright.”
“W-Why?!”
The reason was to gain an ally.
Even if the Stenman family received a large sum of money, he wouldn’t receive any of it.
Because the reward would go directly to Gregory Stenman, his current father, who would keep it all for himself.
“It’s fine. You can have it all.”
Although Gregory was his father in this life, he was still the same villain as in the original story, so giving him more wealth would only complicate things later.
“… Are you really sure?”
“Yes.”
“This is… troubling. I can’t repay my benefactor.”
“Then, I have a favor to ask.”
He decided to use the trust he had gained to make the Grain family his ally.
“What is it?!”
Philip asked confidently, as if he would grant any request.
“I’d like you to provide me with covert assistance whenever I need it. The key here is that this is for my personal matters, not for the Stenman family.”
“Not for the Stenman family… but for you personally, Sir Arnold…”
Philip seemed to be pondering his intentions.
“I understand. I don’t know why you’ve set such a condition, but I can’t refuse after receiving so much help.”
But he quickly stopped thinking and smoothed the wrinkles on his forehead.
“Just let me know whenever you need anything. I’ll be waiting, ready to repay the reward I received from this incident.”
He promised his unwavering support, looking directly at Arnold with a firm gaze, as if vowing to never betray him.
“I’ll be counting on you. Oh, and I’d like you to keep my involvement in this incident a secret from Elisha.”
“Excuse me?”
Philip tilted his head slightly, as if he had misheard.
“Why…?”
He seemed to be wondering why Arnold wanted to keep it a secret, since this incident would likely change Elisha’s perception of him.
It was a natural question. Philip knew that his relationship with Elisha wasn’t good.
“It’s because…”
The reason was related to his goal.
If he gained Elisha’s favor through this incident, he wouldn’t be able to connect her with the protagonist later, which could jeopardize the Harem Route.
Today’s events had already earned him the trust of the Grain family’s head, and that alone had prevented the route where Arnold was ruined by Elisha and her family.
Therefore, he wanted to keep it a secret so that Elisha would continue to hate him.
“I want to earn Elisha’s affection as a person, face-to-face.”
“That’s a very admirable and firm stance as a man. I understand.”
To be honest… he had acted alone, without the Stenman family’s knowledge, and if this incident became widely known, it could complicate things.
“Then, I’ll keep your involvement a secret from everyone, except for the few who already know.”
“Of course, I’ll also instruct those who already know to keep it confidential.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
However, he couldn’t tell Philip the real reason, so he made up an excuse and managed to convince him.
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“Sophia! You’re a hero?!”
Several days had passed since the incident.
“Huh? U-Uh… Yeah…”
The Grain family mansion was abuzz with excitement. It was understandable. The cause of the years of crop failure had finally been revealed.
People were whispering about the demon agents behind the scenes wherever she went.
“Why are you so timid? Cheer up! You did a great thing!”
But while everyone was smiling, she couldn’t bring herself to do the same.
“You practically saved the family!”
Because they mistakenly believed that all the credit belonged to her.
“Uh, well…”
For some reason… the head of the family had told her to keep Arnold’s involvement a secret. Therefore, the credit naturally fell to her, the sole survivor at the scene.
“You captured all those demons at once! How strong are you?!”
She couldn’t smile, even though it was a good thing. It bothered her that she was taking credit for his deeds, even if it was what he wanted.
“I… I just got lucky…”
Lying felt so burdensome….
“Haa -”
She let out a deep sigh, leaning against the wall in the training grounds and looking up at the sky.
““One! Two! Three!””
The training grounds were crowded with guards undergoing training. After the recent incident, it had been decided to strengthen the mansion’s security.
“….”
She watched them quietly, her arms crossed. Then, she recalled Arnold’s image.
Even with all their efforts, the guards couldn’t defeat the high-ranking demon, and Master Arnold had easily defeated such a demon.
He had even declined the wealth and fame he deserved.
“….”
He was truly an amazing person. Helping those in need with his strength without asking for anything in return – He reminded her of the heroes she had only read about in fairy tales.
“…….”
And also… he was quite handsome, with a charismatic aura… –
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“…?!!”
Just as her thoughts were drifting in a strange direction, a colleague’s voice startled her.
“Y-You surprised me!! What is it?!”
“Well… you were spacing out, so I was wondering what you were thinking about. Did you get a boyfriend or something?”
“Huh…?!”
She groaned, feeling like a criminal whose secret had been exposed.
“Wow, really?! Who is it? Your face is all red, so it must be someone you like!”
“N-No!!”
No, no… Why was she embarrassed thinking about Master Arnold? Her face was burning… He was just her benefactor….
“Come on~ Tell me~ I’m curious who captured the heart of a woman strong enough to defeat a high-ranking demon~”
“Ugh!”
Honestly… she wasn’t sure.
“Stop teasing me!”
Today, her feelings were more confusing than she could understand.
◇ ◇ ◇
Time passed.
The demon agent incident at the Grain estate had become a distant memory.
“Master, it’s today!”
It had been quite a while since he started living as Arnold Stenman. He had become accustomed to life in this world.
“Yes, it is.”
Five years had passed since he possessed Arnold.
“How are you feeling! Are you a little nervous?”
Arnold was now an adult, even by the standards of his previous world.
“Perhaps?”
This was a significant occasion, but there was something even more important happening today.
“But don’t worry! I, Eilly, will be by your side at the ‘academy’!”
Academy entrance –
Today was the day he would enter the academy.
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”
This was the starting point of the original game—
—and the beginning of his true journey.
“Hehe, yes~!”
It also meant… the time had come for him to give it his all.
All the magic and swordsmanship he had honed through training, as well as the knowledge of the game etched in his mind.
“…….”
He had prepared extensively for this day.
“Is this it?”
“Yes, there are so many people~”
At the academy entrance, the stage of the game, bustling with students, he looked at the main gate and made a vow.
“Eilly.”
“Yes!”
No matter what happened,
“Let’s go.”
—he would face it head-on.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
Bro is like Harold Stokes