Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?

After parting ways with the peddlers, we arrived at the small but developed city of Dorfmine.

“Wow, this checkpoint sure is crowded.”

Just as Deathbringer said, many people were bustling about the Dorfmine checkpoint. Most of them appeared to be merchants.

In other words, they had wagons loaded with goods or wore large bundles and bags on their backs.

“Looks like there are a lot of merchants here, probably because this city’s by a river.”

Moreover, because of that, we had already been waiting outside for thirty minutes.

This wait time even broke the record set by Pa Enoch’s cue.

“This city has always lived through trade… but even I didn’t expect there to be so many people.”

“Still, compared to everyone else, aren’t we getting in relatively quickly?”

She was right. In this kind of situation, ordinary folk usually had to wait at least an hour. Since we were in a rather special position, it was taking us much less time.

“Just because we’re in a special position doesn’t mean we should get used to such privileges.”

“That’s right. There’s no need to feel disappointed or anything.”

“Seriously, who said I was asking to be let in early? I was just commenting about there being a lot of people here.”

“I mentioned it because you seemed pretty disappointed.”

“Huh? What? That’s ridiculous. What did I even do?”

Anyway, there were still two or three more groups ahead of us before we could enter the city. I felt rather bored, so I gently stroked Frederick’s neck.

I was worried he might suddenly start acting up, especially given how our surroundings had become as chaotic as if we were in a flea market.

Although Frederick wasn’t easily startled, not even by the distant sound of explosions, that didn’t necessarily translate to tolerating this volume of noise.

“Why don’t you just worry about yourself, iron wall.”

“I’m doing that well enough already!”

“Really? Are you really so sure about that?”

“You’re the one who needs to reflect the most, though, you troublemaker!”

With that in mind, I prayed he would just bear with this.

I felt like I was hugging a time bomb as I watched its tail twitch and its ears fold back.

“Next!”

Fortunately, we were called before Frederick had the chance to explode.

I stood behind the group, prompting Frederick to move.

“Hey, did you hear? About the Skyflow Tiger…”

“Ha, I heard about that ages ago. The Hero, huh? How could she just defeat the guardian deity of the East…?!”

“I heard something similar also happened somewhere else. Actually… could it be that she’s secretly an agent of the Demons?”

“Hey! Don’t say that! What will you do if someone from the Temple hears you?!”

Then, at that moment, I heard the group standing close to us talking about the Skyflow Tiger.

That wasn’t too strange. This city was close to Ednium and Camborough, so it made sense for news of that incident to have spread by now.

“You heard what the nobles said, right? The thing about the guardian deity actually drying up the land, so they had no choice but to kill it!”

“Ha, who would believe that? It’s not like this would be the first time nobles spouted absurd lies!”

“Seriously. Even the Temple said the same thing.”

“Those Temple bastards are no different. All the ones at the top are nothing but liars.”

However, this is my first time hearing people display such malice over our actions.

No, well, maybe not the first time, but it was my first time feeling their hostility so close.

My gaze instinctively shifted to the Inquisitor. She’d probably heard what they’d said as well at this distance.

“Is something wrong?”

“…No, Inquisitor.”

However, it seemed the Inquisitor had chosen not to react.

The others—the Archmage and Deathbringer—also looked at her, but the Inquisitor only looked back at them with a confused expression.

“More importantly, let’s get moving! The inspection’s already done!”

…Well, fine then. If she hadn’t heard their words, it should be okay. As someone who’d claimed not to want any close interactions with them, it’s not something I should be concerned about. Ř𝙖ΝȎ𝐛Еŝ

“Demon Knight, will you be staying outside again this time—”

“Wizard.”

“Ah.”

We finally managed to enter the city. In other words, it was now time for us to part ways.

“…What is it?”

“The length of our stay?”

Still, we should at least coordinate our schedules beforehand. It wasn’t like we were splitting up for good.

I looked straight at the Archmage, keeping my gaze as cold as possible. The Archmage, having seemingly realized my intentions, gently stroked her staff.

“We haven’t any special business here, so… I expect we’ll be setting off again the day after tomorrow.”

That was a quick reply.

“…How about we meet up at the Adventurers’ Guild in two days? Around seven in the morning?”

She even gave me an exact time, precisely what I was hoping for.

Perfect.

“Instead, even if it’s just a moment, please…”

“Understood.”

I replied lightly and left the party. I had no reason to hesitate and stay here any further now that I had the exact time and place to regroup.

It seemed like the Archmage was trying to say something… but if it was really important, she would’ve run after me, stopped me, or called out. The fact that she only let out a groan and stopped talking meant it probably wasn’t anything I absolutely needed to hear.

“U-Uhhhm…”

Leading Frederick, I stepped into the city. Behind me, the Inquisitor and Deathbringer let out some puzzled noises, but that was none of my business either. I left that area in an instant.

Neigh.

“Hold still.”

I had to be quick if I wanted to find an inn that would also take care of my horse.

Snort.

“…Be patient.”

Were all horses like this? Always trying to eat something?

I opened my Inventory, feeling a certain admiration every time I came across a fact I couldn’t have figured out on my own with just books. The treats I had stocked up on for Frederick in Camborough were running pretty low.

Once I found an inn, I should probably restock them.

That wasn’t all. I also needed to secure some lunch boxes, get drinking water, and make more heated stones.

I mentally organized my schedule, thinking about what I had to do today and tomorrow. Fortunately, we wouldn’t be departing first thing in the morning.

“You!”

Then I heard someone shout. His worn-out Temple armor and his face, half covered in burn marks, instantly caught my eye.

The former was a characteristic of an inquisitor, and the latter seemed to be a characteristic of this individual.

“How can you, a bearer of Demonic Energy, be here?!”

‘Bearer of Demonic Energy’?

The moment I heard those words, my mind went cold. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved he didn’t call me a Demon outright or alarmed at the obvious hostility he exuded.

Well, either way, this situation was pretty troublesome.

“Everyone, if you don’t want to get mixed up in this, step back!”

“A-An inquisitor!”

“What, what?”

“Now! Get back if you want to live! And you, contact the Temple immediately!”

So, what should I do now? That person clearly saw me as an enemy… This was the first time something like this had happened since I joined the Hero’s party, so I was a bit shocked.

“Ha, are you waiting for something, Demon?!”

“…Be grateful for your affiliation. If not for that, I would have already torn out that tongue of yours.”

Of course, I hadn’t entirely avoided running into people from the Temple like this, especially when wandering around apart from my Companions.

“You’re a Demon, yet you dare act so hypocritically?!”

“How foolish…”

However, even when I encountered them, it never escalated into a fight. That was because every member of the Temple had followed the directives sent from above.

“Didn’t you hear anythi—”

“O God, grant me the strength to vanquish evil…!”

“Hah.”

Something like “Even if you see someone bearing Demonic Energy, if he has gray and black hair, wields a Zweihänder, and has an eyepatch over his right eye, avoid showing him hostility and engage in conversation.”

That was the consideration shown to me as part of the Hero’s party by the Temple’s higher-ups, who knew that I bore Demonic energy but wasn’t an enemy,

However, I couldn’t say whether this consideration was more for me or for those of the Temple who might get annihilated if they mistakenly picked a fight with me.

Anyway, thanks to those directives reaching even the lower ranking members, the most I’d dealt with so far were random inspections—something like ‘Could you please confirm whether you are the person we have heard about? Oh, I see. My apologies.”—but it had never led to a fight.

“Die!”

In other words, this was the first time it had come to this.

What a hassle.

* * *

Clang!

I quickly drew my longsword and parried the incoming blade. It glowed faintly, perhaps imbued with Divine Power, and carried quite a bit of weight behind it.

Creeeak.

But that wasn’t enough to overwhelm me.

While holding my sword steady against my opponent’s blade, I held Frederick’s reins with my right hand. He shook his head in frustration, clearly not liking this situation.

Clang!

In the meantime, my opponent withdrew his sword. He’d apparently realized he couldn’t beat me in a battle of pure strength.

“Tsk.”

Eyes blazing with anger, he swiftly shifted to his next stance. He backed off more than usual, thinking I might strike back.

“Just what is going on?”

“Not sure. Probably a heretic.”

“A heretic?”

As someone with absolutely no intention of attacking, I found this rather ridiculous.

“You…!”

Perhaps taking it as an insult, my opponent’s gaze flared up even more. His light gray hair, a shade paler than mine, swayed in the wind.

Clang, clang!

However, it didn’t seem like he had any plans to stop his assault.

I crossed swords with my opponent, who’d rushed at me again. Left, right, below, above. The sword hurtling toward me at unpredictable angles was a bit tricky to handle. You could say it was a unique experience.

Not because I’d gotten into a fight over a misunderstanding but more because I was forced to stay in one fixed position while fighting.

“Ooh…”

“Is that a knight?”

“What’s happening? Why are an inquisitor and a knight fighting?”

“No clue…?”

Since Frederick was right behind me, dodging was entirely impossible. I was holding the reins with one hand, so I also couldn’t move that hand or sidestep.

Using Arcane Power wasn’t feasible either. I might be able to strengthen my body with it or channel it into my weapon, but launching a [Slash] or [Arcane Spear] barrage was far too dangerous. The civilians might get caught in the crossfire.

On top of that, I also couldn’t inflict any serious damage on my opponent, as that could lead to more issues later.

For me, someone who usually fought very aggressively with incredible speed, this was certainly something new.

“Haaap!”

And jeez, that kid should seriously keep the horse out of this! Did he have a problem with horses or something?

I frowned at my opponent, who took advantage of my inability to act first and didn’t hesitate to use large moves.

I didn’t know about the other attacks, but his thrust and overhead strikes were the most annoying.

The extended range of those attacks made them nearly impossible to dodge, and blocking them was annoying because of their tricky angles and the amount of force behind them.

Still, after working my head a little, I’d grabbed my sword in a reverse grip like a tonfa and reinforced it with my forearm… but it put a strain on my wrist. It was starting to sting.

“Di—!”

“Know your place.”

After parrying that thrust three times and that overhead strike twice, my patience finally reached its limit.

The Arcane Power I’d infused into my weapon to prevent it from snapping or bending swelled several times, dyeing the blade black.

‘Die?’

Slash!

“—!”

In that instant, my opponent’s shallow resolve disappeared as the blade he was striking downward with both hands was sliced like soft tofu. Whoosh. The cut-off piece of the sword spun through the air before embedding itself into the ground behind me.

His eyes widened.

“Not yet…!”

But even then, he showed no signs of giving up. Honestly, I was a little fed up by this.

“It’s not over yet! You damn Demon!”

Hmm. While his diligence in dealing with Demon Contractors was nice and all, wasn't this a bit excessive?

If I were highly incapable of controlling my anger and had just started attacking him, things would have been very different, but by now, he should have realized I was deliberately holding back.

Looking at him, I barely held back a sigh from escaping my lips. Well, he certainly had a strong sense of professionalism.

Typically, nothing ever happened, but just as I decided to distance myself a bit from the Hero’s party, this happened. That somehow made me feel even emptier inside.

Whether this encounter was coincidence or fate, it still didn’t change how sad it made me feel.

Clatter.

And just then, my opponent dropped his sword and clenched his fists tight.

I didn’t have much experience fighting barehanded. Anyway, dealing with an opponent who was a bit too determined was more of a hassle than I expected.

“That’s enough. You’ve lost.”

Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with him any longer. Bers had entered the fray.

“Or are you determined to be a complete fool who can’t even admit defeat?”

I didn’t know how long she’d been watching this fight.

Since it had been my first time getting into that kind of fight, I hadn’t paid much attention to my surroundings, so I really wasn’t sure. Plus, when Bers was determined to suppress her presence, it was damn near impossible for me to detect her.

“He’s a Demon Contractor! What could you possibly know…?!”

“Are you stupid? If he really wanted, not just you but everyone around here would already be dead.”

“This isn’t about strength…!”

“If it’s not about strength, then what is it?”

Anyway, Bers simply strode forward and stepped between us. The gazes of those surrounding us were now entirely focused on her, but she seemed completely unfazed.

Her cold, stern eyes were fixed on my opponent.

“Whether he possesses Demonic Energy, Arcane Power, or Divine Power, strength is strength. Just like swords and maces are different, and spells and blades are different, but they all have one thing in common: they can kill people.”

“That’s mere sophist—”

“Which means no matter the source of that strength, the fact that the powerful can show restraint should be evidence enough of their character, you weak and petty thing.”

“…!”

What could I say? This sure was unexpected. She was usually pretty laid-back and generous, so I never expected she could exude such a chilling aura.

“Wh-What do you even know…?”

“Demon Knight!”

Then, another voice cut through the air—a loud and sincere voice.

“I heard there was some sort of commotion…!”

It was the Inquisitor.

“Let’s go.”

Snort.

With the Inquisitor here, the matter was basically resolved. Nothing held as much weight as the Hero’s words.

Besides, since our fight didn’t cause that much of a mess, there wasn't any collateral damage. As for the bystanders who’d witnessed all this, there wasn’t a lot I could really do about them.

With that in mind, I figured I should just go. I also didn’t forget to grumble under my breath about how rotten my luck was, either.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Ha. You’re no warrior.”

“U-Unhand me!”

“Wait, Demon Knight, huh? Berserk? What’s going on? And who are you…?”

“That uniform… An inquisitor… Sister, perfect timing. Arrest this person immediately…!”

“Huh? Has the Demon Knight done something?”

The only good thing was that as soon as people met my gaze, the crowd split like the Red Sea before Moses.

With that, I could peacefully walk through this crowded area. All I really wanted now was to find an inn and get some rest.

I was exhausted.

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