I Became a Raid Boss

When was it…?

I don’t quite remember, but somewhere along the way, Garid unexpectedly bought flowers for some reason.

A hulking man with muscles and a long scar across his face tending to flowers? Sure, why not.

Just because someone looks rough around the edges doesn’t mean they can’t have a hobby like that.

Likewise, just because someone is neat and kind-looking doesn’t mean you should trust them blindly.

Keep a poker face, but don’t rush to conclusions.

Having lived in a place where I’d get beaten up for judging people by their looks, I had to be cautious to survive.

To put it bluntly, I had my fair share of suspicions.

So, when I said Garid was acting out of character, it wasn’t just about how he looked.

When I first visited Garid’s house, I simply could not believe the house, which he proudly pointed at, was an actual home.

The yard was overrun with weeds, not to mention littered with tossed-away trash, and the furniture inside was haphazardly thrown around, getting in the way of any sense of comfort.

The musty smell, the dust, the pile of plates with food remnants, and last but not least, the mushrooms sprouting in the corner.

Was I at a home or a garbage dump in a slum?

It was such a disaster that we eventually had to abandon that house and move to a new one.

After that, I took care of all the household chores.

That’s why when Garid brought home flowers, I couldn’t help but ask:

‘…Have you lost your mind?’

How ridiculous for someone who couldn’t even tidy up to bring home flowers, claiming he’d grow them in the yard.

‘I’m not touching them, so you handle it.’

‘Ah, how cruel. I wasn’t planning to ask for your help anyway, you jerk.’

‘What’s with the sudden flowers?’

‘Well, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to grow some.’

From then on, Garid put a lot of effort into tending to the now-gardened yard.

I thought he’d quickly kill them due to lack of care or lose interest, but it was surprisingly impressive how he kept buying more flowers and took care of them carefully.

One day, sitting me in front of the colorful garden, Garid grinned widely and said,

‘Aren’t they pretty?’

‘…They are pretty.’

‘Hahaha! See, I told you I’d do well! Don’t you want to grow a garden too? Plant flowers, trees, huh? Right?’

‘Not really.’

‘…You’re so unyielding.’

I remember Garid grumbling about how a girl could dislike flowers more than he did.

Even now, years later, I still don’t understand why he did that, and I probably never will.

Instead of trying to find out, I planted flowers in front of his grave.

Hoping these flowers would bring him peace.

‘….’

Seeing faces I didn’t want to see today, and those from the Empire, somehow got me feeling emotional.

As I brushed off the remnants of faint mana, I turned my body.

Did they understand what I said?

The three behind me looked flustered and fidgety.

Even the Great Sword Peep, who usually didn’t seem to care about others, cautiously looked around, which was pretty funny.

“Uh, um… Kana? I’ll definitely bring it tomorrow, so please chill, okay? Pine, Yuki, do you have any leftover food?”

“Do you think I’d have food after logging in just to fight? There’s some preserved food and stone snacks, though…”

“I have jerky.”

“I don’t think I’ll eat that… Kana, do you want it?”

“…”

…You wanna eat it or not?

Staring moodily at the jerky held out to me, Joanie awkwardly withdrew her hand.

I had eaten jerky so much during my time as a knight that I couldn’t even look at it anymore.

Back then, I tried to eat properly, but when time was tight or I had to hide, I had no choice but to munch on preserved food like jerky.

Letting out a sigh as I watched the Great Sword Peep chew on the jerky, I knew it wasn’t Joanie’s fault.

I’d never asked for a reward in the first place, so it made sense for her to stop bringing it whenever.

But why now of all times?

With Joanie mentioning she had nothing prepared, my shoulders drooped.

It wasn’t that I had high expectations for the food she brought; I just didn’t care for it much.

Not that it tasted bad, but having eaten much better, nothing really impressed me anymore.

Despite having been looked down upon, as a commander of knights, I often had meals with royals and nobles, so their food was always exquisite.

Even if Joanie’s food was delicious, I wouldn’t find it all that exciting because of these reasons.

However, the food she brought yesterday was different.

Honestly, it wasn’t to my taste, but the shockingly intense spiciness made me strangely nostalgic about my past life.

I was secretly hoping she’d bring something else that evoked that nostalgia…

‘It can’t be helped…’

Getting up from my seat, I trudged over to the cabin, gathered a large pot and some leftover ingredients, and returned to the open area.

It was tiring, but I didn’t feel like eating jerky, so I decided to whip up a simple stew instead.

After tossing in the ingredients and simmering them for a bit…

Alright, a decent stew was finished.

Slurp.

Nom nom.

“Yum…”

Good thing I had some Cockatrice meat left.

The savory flavor of the meat turned what would’ve been a bland stew into quite a good one.

I wish I had more ingredients and time.

Feeling a bit regretful, I divided the extra bowl I had prepared between the three chicks.

“…Are you giving this to us?”

“I never thought I’d be eating food made by a Gravekeeper…”

Even if I didn’t invite them, it was nice they had come to my place, so I had to share the food.

I had also been on the receiving end for some time.

Most of all, I couldn’t handle their gazes if I ate on my own.

“…This is surprisingly tasty!”

“Right? I didn’t expect much from it since it was hastily thrown together. It’s perfect for a simple meal.”

Slurp.

They might be chatting, but they were clearly enjoying their food.

Luckily, it seems my cooking skills, honed while keeping Garid alive, hadn’t rusted yet.

Ignoring them, I continued eating.

Among the four of us, I finished my meal first.

Since I had started eating earlier and my portion was smaller, I placed my empty bowl and spoon down and stood up.

With my feet dangling off the edge of the cliff, I stared blankly at the sun overhead.

“Should I leave…?”

I wasn’t worried about an invasion by the Empire.

From what I gathered from that Snake Brat’s words, he didn’t seem eager to poke me while I stayed put, so things would likely be peaceful for a while.

Though others might retaliate for wiping out the knights, as long as the snakes and the Empire’s blades didn’t come for me directly, I wouldn’t lose.

But leaving Garid behind still weighed heavily on my heart.

To me, Garid was like a father — even more so than my biological dad — and he held me together during my rootless wandering.

Losing Garid and the will he protected left me floating in the world like a leaf falling from a tree.

Here, where he was buried, I would come to the end of my life too.

Having made that determination, I felt guilty for even thinking about leaving.

Was the dimension, Empire, Apostle, or Edel more important than Garid?

…Of course not, but why was I still troubled about it?

Thump.

Just then, someone approached.

Joanie, trembling with fear of the steep cliff, still managed to sit beside me, letting her legs dangle over the void.

Pat pat.

Then she raised her hand and started to stroke my head.

“…???”

I sensed her presence, but I never expected her to pet my head.

I froze with wide eyes.

…What in the world?

*

While eating her stew, Joanie kept glancing at Kana.

With every blink and the little mouth moving, Joanie silently screamed inside.

At the same time, she couldn’t quite believe that this adorable girl had effortlessly taken down powerful knights, giving her a skeptical look.

She looked like someone who would hug a doll and play with flowers…

Just looking at her arms, they were even thinner than Kana’s.

Is it any wonder so many still couldn’t believe that terrifying Gravekeeper was a girl like her?

Glancing back and forth between Kana and the stew, Joanie took her time, causing it to take a while to finish, and in the end, Kana emptied her bowl first and stood up.

Sitting on the cliff’s edge where the grave was located, Kana appeared unharmed, but she looked precariously close to falling, making Joanie worry even more.

As Joanie watched with anxious eyes, she suddenly asked Pine.

“Are you going to keep playing Perclun, Pine?”

“I can’t,” Pine replied definitively.

“Public sentiment aside, I can’t imagine defeating Kana…”

“I want to fight again. That last battle was just too enthralling….”

“Right.”

Pine finally seemed too tired to nag back; he brushed it off casually.

“I’m just going to level up while waiting for the next raid discovery. What about you, Joanie?”

“Well, I’m not sure…”

Unlike Pine’s well-defined path, Joanie hadn’t decided what she would do moving forward.

Her initial plan had been to get closer to Kana, but now she worried if that would even be okay.

Whether she wanted to or not, the spark that ignited the players’ fights and the Empire’s interference was largely due to her stream.

To avoid a repeat of that, she should turn off her broadcast… but putting aside her main job wasn’t easy.

Having revealed her name in addition to her alias, it felt like they were getting closer, but if she asked if they were as close as she’d hoped, the answer was no.

While Joanie struggled to decide what to do, she noticed her bowl was empty.

She carefully placed it down and headed toward the edge of the cliff.

“It’s high…”

Gazing down at the staggering view made Joanie shudder and take careful steps.

Even up close, the little figure still looked small.

What kind of story was this tiny one carrying to emit such a pained voice?

As Joanie looked down at Kana, a sudden curiosity struck her, and she unwittingly pressed the information check button.

It was a feature usable on objects, NPCs, and players, but mostly it was used just to check players’ IDs.

Information about objects and NPCs was based on known data, while player information was spelled out exactly.

For instance, if an NPC named A lied and said their name was B, it would show up as B, or if someone thought they bought a magic potion when it was just plain water, it would show as magic potion.

Though it had been somewhat of a useless feature…

Joanie had no idea why this sudden curiosity struck her.

[Little Bird, Canaria Grasis]

The name appeared exactly as Kana introduced it, with the title “Little Bird” attached before it.

Occasionally, NPCs were given such titles.

While Kana was the strongest Joanie had encountered while playing Silia Online, she thought the title suited Kana perfectly.

To Joanie’s eyes, Kana looked like someone who could vanish without a trace when she blinked.

Carefully sitting beside Kana, Joanie raised her hand and gently patted the little bird.

Though she didn’t know what kind of story might be hidden, she hoped the bird with folded wings could once again take flight.

Watching Kana, who seemed caught off guard by the unexpected touch, Joanie smiled softly.

‘…Surely she wouldn’t kill me for this, right?’

Nah, she wouldn’t go that far, would she?

With that oddly late concern, she embraced the soft sensation wrapping around her fingers.

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