The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Chapter 215

“I understand. But even if you told me to attack the Holy Land of your beloved Kingdom just because we’re friends, I’m sure it would be hard to understand.”

“......”

Fortunately, Sophia didn’t snap back at me or shout that we weren’t friends. I was able to carefully continue the conversation.

“Then, how about this? Your role is to observe us.”

“Observe, you say?”

Sophia seemed a little taken aback by my words.

“I don’t intend to turn any historical landmarks into ashes,” I continued.

Though I had been thinking of barging in and extracting information, in the end, I planned to rewind time, so I wasn’t exactly lying.

“I just want to know a little more.”

“Can’t you ask me directly?”

“Yes.”

I answered firmly.

Sophia, in the original story, had been quite high-ranking, but there was much she didn’t know. Naturally, considering she was at the lowest rank among the cathedral knights now, it was safe to assume she knew next to nothing about the most important matters of the Holy Kingdom.

“...Then you know that it’s my duty to ensure that this information doesn’t leak out.”

“......”

I paused for a moment to think, then said,

“If I gain any useful information, I’ll be sure to share it with you.”

“And, I’ll tell you about ‘me,’ the things you’ve been so curious about.”

Sophia’s eyes widened slightly at my words.

“You were told to learn about my fighting style, and if that’s really your assignment, I’m sure you were also told that there were other instructions, right? Something like, ‘Report any unusual circumstances immediately.’”

I could practically see an exclamation mark popping up above her head.

“I suspect the Holy Kingdom believes my power is related to ‘the goddess’s power.’ If you join us and cooperate, I’ll tell you more about me. I’m sure it’ll benefit you.”

If, by some chance, I couldn’t rewind time, I’d have no choice but to keep my promise.

But honestly, I didn’t think sharing this information would be such a disadvantage for me.

So...

“How am I supposed to trust you?”

Sophia asked, her voice filled with hesitation.

“The only proof I can offer is friendship. I don’t know how much you feel that, but I believe we’ve become close enough.”

Yeah, even if Sophia and Leo ended up together, I could genuinely congratulate them.

Right?

Even in the original game, and now in this world, monsters—beasts that are practically like monsters—wandered the streets, and inexplicably, crates filled with Marmaros were casually placed in the sewers, yet no one knew... it was a bit ridiculous.

If this were a game, I’d chalk it up to “game mechanics,” but now that it’s reality, it’s a different story.

Everything in the dungeon in the game was intentionally placed by someone. The fact that this place is so vast is due to more than just technical limitations—after all, if it were too small, it would be difficult to play.

So who, in this “reality,” thought it was a good idea to blatantly allow such “game mechanics” to exist here?

Furthermore, these “game mechanics” were limited to the resemblance of this place, and didn’t extend to other mundane aspects. There’s no HP, no MP, no inventory system—if we want to carry anything, we have to either hold it in our hands or put it in a bag.

It’s pointless to ponder why such a hybrid “reality” exists.

At the end of the day, this place is real, and it’s in front of us.

“Even if we use some explosives, the ceiling won’t collapse. But let’s be cautious, as Charlotte said.”

When I said that, the group, who had been gazing absentmindedly at the ruins, nodded.

...Well, we did blow up part of the sewer on the way in, but it wasn’t a huge issue.

I moved my arm again, the enchanted suit still functioning well with its several powerstones embedded in it.

“I’d love to meet the artisan who made this equipment.”

Rena had mentioned that before.

Maybe after this job is over, I’ll introduce her.

I strapped my specially-made elephant-hunting revolver on my back and held the rifle I always used in my hands.

My holster had both a pistol and a revolver, with magazines full of regular ammo and one Marmaros round each, in sequence.

This was probably the most heavily armed I’d been for any mission so far.

“If there are any people down here, we’ll avoid them as much as possible. Even though it’s such a large area, since it stretches across all of Lutetia, it’s easy to get lost. Make sure to follow me closely.”

“...I really want to ask how you know all this, but now that I’ve seen this place, I’ll put that question aside for now.”

“Once everything is over, I’ll explain it all.”

I looked at Sophia. She looked a little pale, probably because the torches in the underground ruins emitted a faint blue light.

“......”

Alice still hadn’t said a word.

For some reason, I could almost feel her thinking, “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

...No.

Well, if she thought I’d been here before in the game, she wouldn’t be wrong.

...Wait a minute.

Did I just read Alice’s expression?