While successfully rescuing Lilliana and heading towards the capital,
I suddenly encountered the original protagonist in the forest and couldn’t hide my flustered expression.
“…Why are you coming from there?”
I slowly lowered my longsword and let my guard down.
What stood before me now was a boy blessed by the stars.
Luke Starlight.
It was my first time meeting him in person, but I could tell at a glance.
His eyes literally held stars within them.
‘He looks really fascinating.’
I stared intently at Luke’s face.
To be honest, the readers of the original novel didn’t react well to this kind of setting.
“What’s this, so ridiculous. Is he supposed to be the beloved Luke?”
“I mean, it’s not like he’s an idol or something.”
“If you saw him in real life, he’d probably just have sparkly eyes.”
The sharp criticisms people had about the protagonist’s appearance.
But the impression I got from meeting him in person was completely different.
‘Mysterious.’
I had no habit of staring deeply into a man’s eyes, but his pupils were mesmerizing.
It felt like gazing into the universe.
Even though the sun was clearly up.
When facing him, I could see the stars.
“Excuse me, by any chance…”
“Aaaah! Someone help me!”
Just as the boy of the stars took a step toward me, a loud scream erupted from the distance.
Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a merchant driving a carriage, fleeing from a group of about ten bandits.
Hmm. Bandits, huh.
A regular guest in fantasy worlds has arrived.
I figured I should help, so I quietly began gathering mana, but Luke quickly assessed the situation and rushed toward the bandits.
“Huh?”
“What the hell are you?”
The bandits were startled by the sudden appearance of the boy of the stars.
But they weren’t complete idiots either, so they quickly regained their composure and swung their arming swords.
“Die!”
Whoosh.
An attack using the speed of their horses.
But there was no way a mere bandit’s sword could reach the boy of the stars.
With a counterattack, Luke’s sword strike severed the bandit’s arm.
Squelch.
“Aaaargh!”
‘Wow.’
Even though he’s young, he’s still a swordsman, huh.
His movements were merciless.
“Damn it, kill that brat!”
The bandits, who didn’t even have the skill to gauge the difference in their levels, recklessly charged at Luke.
By the way, bandits in this world aren’t just petty thieves—
They’re serious criminals who frequently commit murder, arson, and rape.
In other words, there was no need to spare them.
‘But Luke isn’t as strong as I thought he’d be…’
I stroked my chin and carefully observed Luke’s fighting.
Originally, he should have been superior to Gladrock, but judging by the flow of mana, they were on par.
Of course, compared to other swordsmen his age, he was ridiculously strong, but compared to the original story, he seemed a bit weaker.
…Could it be because I stole his growth event?
‘Damn it.’
This was a troublesome situation.
I needed to somehow travel with him and create events that would accelerate his growth.
While I was lost in thought, Luke swiftly dealt with the bandits, and the merchant expressed his gratitude.
“Th… thank you for helping me.”
“You’re welcome. Are you hurt?”
“My goods might be damaged, but… ahem! I’m fine, perfectly fine. I thought I was done for when the mercenary I hired as an escort was taken out, but thanks to you, I’m alive.”
The merchant wiped his sweat as he spoke.
While he exchanged small talk with Luke, I tilted my head, sensing something strange in the surroundings.
‘This is weird.’
I could feel another presence nearby, but it didn’t seem like more bandits were hiding or anything like that.
It didn’t feel like wild beasts or greenskins either.
While I was puzzled, the merchant’s carriage caught my eye.
No way.
“Ah, where are you going?”
“I need to check something.”
Clomp, clomp.
Leaving Lilliana behind, I walked straight to the front of the merchant’s carriage.
The inside of the carriage was eerily quiet.
I focused my mana to sharpen my senses.
“W-wait! What are you doing there?”
The merchant shouted frantically, but I ignored him.
A moment later, I heard a faint, delicate sob coming from inside the carriage.
“Sniff…”
There was no need to hesitate.
I raised my longsword, infused it with mana, and swung it at the lock securing the carriage door.
Squelch.
“No!”
The lock was cleanly severed.
I tore the door open, and inside, three small girls were huddled together.
‘Damn it…’
Sunlight poured into the dark carriage, revealing the children’s faces.
Their faces were tear-stained, trembling with fear.
They looked emaciated, as if they hadn’t been fed properly, and a foul smell wafted out.
A thick vein bulged on my temple beneath my mask.
So, the “goods” he mentioned were these girls.
We saved him from bandits, only to find out he was a slave trader.
These bastards really come in all kinds.
The sight was so devoid of humanity that Lilliana, who had followed me to the carriage, covered her mouth in shock.
“This can’t be…”
“Hey! You can’t just go around destroying someone’s carriage~!”
“Shut up and answer my question. Where are the children’s parents?”
I grabbed the merchant by the collar and lifted him up as he tried to argue.
The merchant gasped for breath and stammered.
“I-I don’t know! They’re just orphans I picked up after their parents died in an accident!”
“N-no, that’s not true. He killed our mom and dad.”
“Shut up, you brat!”
The oldest-looking girl spoke up, and the merchant yelled at her.
Ugh, this is so messed up I can’t even listen anymore.
Given the circumstances, there was no doubt this guy was a slave trader.
And not just any slave trader—a hopeless piece of trash trying to sell young girls into slavery.
I raised my sword, ready to send him to hell to join the bandits, but Luke intervened.
“Wait a moment. Since I saved him, may I take responsibility and deal with him?”
“And you are?”
“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Luke Starlight. The eldest son of the Starlight barony and a first-year student at the Imperial Academy.”
Luke introduced himself to me in a polite, upright manner.
Yeah, I already know.
I only asked because it’d be weird if I acted like I knew.
But when Lilliana heard Luke’s name, she seemed to recall something.
“Ah! I think I saw you at the entrance ceremony. You were the top student, so you gave a speech as the representative.”
“I see. The top student at the Imperial Academy, huh. So, what do you plan to do with this guy, Luke Starlight?”
I tossed the merchant aside and posed the question.
Luke pondered for a moment before answering.
“We should kill him. Abusing young girls and trading them as slaves is absolutely unforgivable. According to imperial law, nobles are allowed to execute such criminals on the spot.”
Luke spoke with a serious expression.
I quietly nodded at his words,
and the merchant, realizing the situation, turned pale.
“Oh, no…!”
The merchant began to struggle and flee.
But the boy of the stars mercilessly swung his sword at him.
Swoosh…
The blade, gleaming white under the sunlight, danced through the air.
The man who had filled his greed with the tears of children took his last breath.
In the forest where a chilly wind blew, a filthy star fell to the ground in broad daylight.
***
After the commotion,
Luke decided to take responsibility and escort the girls to an orphanage in the capital, so we accompanied him for a while.
It wasn’t one of those dark fantasy orphanages where the director’s hobby is assault, but a proper church-run orphanage, so it should be fine.
Millinarize, the highest-ranking priestess of the church, would take good care of them once we informed her.
“It’s almost night. We should stay in this village for the night,” Luke said quietly, gazing at the sunset over the mountains as we stopped in a village on the way to the capital.
I nodded silently in agreement.
‘If we rest in this village, the capital should be within sight soon.’
Thinking about returning to the capital brought many things to mind.
In the underground city, Lüdenburger would be eliminating the Second Prince’s forces.
And back at the mansion, Lucy would be waiting.
What would she say when I asked her to speak her mind?
Lost in such thoughts, we soon arrived at the inn.
Creak—
“Hey, look over there.”
“An elf, little girls, and even a pretty boy? What kind of taste does that masked knight have?”
“Terrifying… truly terrifying. We must never make eye contact with that guy.”
The patrons spewed nonsense as we entered the inn.
For a moment, I was so furious I almost smashed the table, but I managed to suppress it with superhuman patience.
“Huuu.”
“Endure it… And, um, I’m not really bothered by it, okay?”
Liliana tugged lightly at my sleeve as she spoke.
I wondered if that was meant to be comforting, but I quickly brushed it off.
“Welcome. How many rooms would you like?”
“All the available rooms.”
“There are only two rooms left, though…”
“Huh.”
A deflated sound escaped me.
We came to this inn because the others were full, but…
How are we supposed to split the group with only two rooms?
I took the keys from the innkeeper and stared at the girls.
They seemed withdrawn, perhaps due to their memories of being held captive by that trashy merchant.
They should stay in the same room as Liliana.
That leaves me and Luke in the other room.
As I was about to make the decision after much deliberation, Liliana hesitated and spoke up.
“Um, where should I stay?”
“You’ll stay with the girls. I’ll share a room with Luke Starlight.”
“O…”
“Do you have something to say?”
“Nooo…”
Liliana hung her head and trailed off.
What’s with that deflated reaction?
Before I could dwell on it, I was distracted by more chatter from the other patrons.
“So he chose the pretty boy after all…”
“Even that beautiful elf was cast aside. Unbelievable.”
“I get it, though. Boys have their own charm.”
Another round of nonsense.
What the hell? Who even says that last part?
I couldn’t bring myself to share a room with Luke under these circumstances, so I stormed out of the inn.
Bang!
“Damn it, there’s nothing I can do about those idiots…”
In the courtyard near the inn,
I stood alone, cooling off in the chilly night air, when someone followed me out.
“The inn guests are quite mischievous, aren’t they? For the record, I don’t have any… peculiar tastes, so you can rest assured.”
The boy of the stars chuckled as he clarified his sexual orientation.
Though he said I could rest easy, I instinctively didn’t want to turn my back on him, so I faced him and replied.
“That’s a relief. Battling side by side on the battlefield is enough for me when it comes to men.”
“Hahaha, I agree.”
Luke laughed heartily.
I smirked in response.
Facing him like this, he seemed less like a boy destined to save the world and more like just a good-natured kid.
As we chatted for a while, Luke suddenly asked me with a serious expression,
“If it’s not too rude, may I ask your name? This is also a kind of fate. I can tell at a glance that you’re no ordinary person.”
“Hmm.”
A question that hit the mark.
His starry eyes gleamed with curiosity and determination.
‘So this moment has finally come.’
The day I introduce myself to the original protagonist.
I knew this day would come eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be today.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
I wanted to join forces with the original protagonist eventually, and above all, he’s a righteous person.
Not the type to force his ideals on others.
He acts humanely.
He’s the kind of person who cares for others.
That’s the kind of person you can trust.
He wouldn’t carelessly spread the fact that I was in a village like this.
Lost in thought, I finally removed my mask in front of the boy of the stars.
At that moment, multiple messages echoed in my mind.
[You have encountered a key figure.]
[Conditions have been met.]
[The trait ‘Charisma’ has evolved into ‘Absolute Monarch.’]
[Oh absolute and supreme being. You are granted transcendent power befitting your status.]
[You who came to this world to save someone.]
[I wish you luck.]