Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 4 Chapter 18   Don’t fight for me!

“Don’t say things like that. Do you know? Dragons can be hermaphrodites. And in the legend of Siegfried, a hero bathed in dragon’s blood gains its power… Plus, with the use of monsters, it’s possible to artificially replicate something similar.”

“…What are you trying to say—never mind, just forget it.”

“In other words, I can actually give birth to a child.”

Suddenly, he brought up dragons, which confused me. Judging from the flow of the conversation, I decided it would be better not to ask any further and stopped listening. However, Sieg continued to speak until the end, ignoring my attempts to stop him.

I told him not to say it…

“My name is also Siegfried, isn’t that perfect? Of course, it would require some minor preparations like surgery, but with about a year’s time—”

“I told you not to say it!”

As I shouted while standing up, I realized that we were in a corner of the cafeteria. Panicking, I quickly sat back down, aware of the attention we were drawing from others.

“That’s why I didn’t want this.”

Even though I had taken my seat again, the gazes from the surrounding students didn’t waver. They were glancing over here.

While observing their reactions, I reluctantly turned my gaze toward Miyano and the others who were sitting nearby.

I didn’t want to see, but I had to. How would they react to all of this?

“Uhh, ah, uh…”

As expected, Asada visibly looked bewildered. If this were a manga, her eyes would be swirling with confusion.

The other three also showed varying degrees of confusion.

However, Miyano and Abe seemed to be less affected, as they hesitantly spoke up while showing signs of hesitation.

“Well, that means…”

“Do you have feelings for Igami-san?”

“Yeah. That’s right. Is it strange to feel that way about someone of the opposite sex? It’s also weird as same-sex… Well, I like him in a romantic way.”

In response to Abe’s question, which asked more than necessary, Sieg smiled and gave a clear answer. There was no room for misinterpretation, and…

“N-No way!”

Asada finally exploded.

Of course, not literally, but metaphorically speaking, it was more troublesome and terrifying for me than an actual explosion.

“Hah, then you’re my rival.”

“R-Rival?! I won’t lose!”

Seeing Asada stand up while shouting, Sieg appeared slightly surprised, but then he smiled provocatively. And in response, Asada clenched her fists in front of her chest.

…What is this? What am I supposed to do?

Should I say something like, “Please don’t fight over me”? Give me a break.

“Please stop…”

This is the cafeteria. Although I’m in no position to say it after what just happened, we need to keep quiet.

I can feel the gaze of people around us gathering as we speak… I want to escape right now.

And he’s a guy, just like me.

As I thought before, I don’t intend to meddle in other people’s love lives, but don’t involve me.

In that case, I’d prefer…

“Asada is still better.”

“Huh!?”

Upon hearing my words, Asada turned sharply towards me.

Her expression showed surprise, gradually turning red, and finally a faint smirk appeared on her face.

But wait a minute. Yes, I did say that Asada is better than Sieg, but that’s just in comparison. It doesn’t mean I’m choosing her.

“Igami-san, it’s not nice to say someone is ‘better’ in front of girls.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.”

When I calm down and think about it, it does feel a bit out of place, but what he said is true.

And in the midst of this chaotic situation, his unexpectedly casual words momentarily made me forget about the chaos and return to everyday conversation.

“By the way, between Kana and me, who would you say is ‘better’?”

“You and Asada? Well…”

Wait a minute, what am I seriously considering here?

Ah, no, this is not good. My mind feels tainted. I almost answered without thinking.

Because I’ve been listening to Sieg’s stupid talk until just now, I almost instinctively responded to a relatively normal question.

But in this situation, answering who is ‘better’ would be equivalent to saying who I ‘like’, in a way.

So I can’t say who is ‘better’ between the two.

“Why are you asking such a stupid question?”

I said that and quickly finished the remaining part of my lunch before grabbing the tray and getting up from my seat.

I need to leave this place quickly. Otherwise, the stares from those around me will become unbearable.

“Hey, why don’t you go home already? You’re supposed to be here because you’re hired. Do your job.”

“That’s cold of you… Well, you’re right though. I should definitely do my work properly. I don’t want you to be disappointed in me. Alright then, I’ll go to my afternoon tasks.”

With those words, Sieg stood up and left the cafeteria, while I hurriedly went in a different direction.

──◆◇◆◇──

In the afternoon of the following day, after classes ended and it was time for training, I went to the designated training area for the rendezvous. To my surprise, I found Miyano and the others engaged in a lively conversation with Sieg.

…Well, not everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. There’s someone with intense hostility, glaring at us.

“It was two years… No, it’s already been three years ago. Ah, those were good times. Especially what happened afterward, it was a masterpiece.”

“When you say three years ago, is that when Sieg-san’s name started to become known as the Dragon Slayer?”

“Yeah, exactly. It was that first incident.”

It seems like today is a continuation of yesterday.

Honestly, I still don’t want to meet him, but I can’t just let it go like this.

Moreover, just now, our eyes met, so I can’t escape anymore.

Therefore, reluctantly, I decided to approach Miyano and the others.

“Here you are again.”

“Good morning. Well, I have a lot of free time except during the matches.”

Now it’s “good morning.” Maybe it’s because it’s the first greeting of the day when we just met. Well, it doesn’t really matter. It’s not something worth worrying about, and I have no intention of correcting it.

“So, what were you guys talking about?”

After exhaling a sigh, I shifted my gaze towards Sieg, but then quickly redirected it to Miyano and the others, asking them.

“As for my past as a hero, or rather, my achievements so far…”

“We were just starting to talk about our first encounter.”

“You don’t have to listen to that kind of stuff.”

When they mention the “first encounter,” it’s probably about when he first slayed a dragon.

At that time, I was away in a foreign country and, as usual, got caught up in a commotion.

Sieg, who wasn’t called a hero yet, took care of the situation and started clinging to me after defeating the dragon causing the trouble.

“Well, you know, without that, I can’t tell the story of my beginning… Oh, maybe our beginning?”

“There’s nothing that has started, so there’s no need to worry about it.”

After uttering those words and sighing, I pointed at the door, urging Sieg to leave the room.

“Go home. We have training to do.”

However, Sieg didn’t obediently follow my instructions. He placed his hand on his chin, lost in thought. Then, he glanced at Miyano and the others and opened his mouth, directing his words towards me.

“Hmm… Well, can I join in on that too?”

“Huh? Just go home.”

“No, wait. Can you at least listen to me? I can be helpful.”

“Helpful, huh… What exactly do you mean by helpful?”

“Well, I’m a Special Class status, you know.’

“Yeah, I know.”

“Uh-huh. So, that’s why I thought I could participate in your training. Specifically, as a sparring partner for simulated battles before the matches.”

“Sparring? Ah, I see. That could indeed be helpful.”

Normally, it might be something I’d consider, but I disliked the idea of being around this guy so much that it didn’t even cross my mind.

“You’re strong, but it’s not pure strength, right? You can’t directly face these kids head-on. But I can. …How about it? There’s no reason to refuse, right?”

…Well, if he can provide that help, it would be appreciated.

However, there’s one significant problem with that.

Even though I know it would be better to accept his assistance, my emotions are resisting it!

…Fine. I’ll acknowledge it.

Such inner conflict. But, well done.

Despite my emotional resistance, it’s clear that he can be helpful.

And it’s not just for this ranking match but also in other situations where having fought against him would come in handy.

So, I suppressed my emotions and allowed him to participate in the training.

Well, nice to meet you today.

But starting tomorrow, don’t come anymore.

I wished for that, but he’ll probably keep showing up… Sigh.