I Became a Raid Boss

“Why are you here?”

I thought I might see a familiar face, but I never expected to actually see one.

“With your skills, you could’ve gone somewhere better.”

“Hey, Commander! What’s wrong with Ordo? This place is so comfortable!”

Grumbling, Eric leaned back against the chair.

“My hometown is Ordo. I don’t want to act like a knight anymore, and I need to eat, so this place suits me just fine.”

“Hmm…”

Listening to his voice, laden with the weight of many things, I recalled Eric’s past self.

It feels like just yesterday when he was a puppy who didn’t know the fear of a tiger, but oh, how much he has changed.

“Seems like even immature kids mature as time passes.”

“Immature? Yeah, sure.”

“…Got something to say?”

With a look that said he heard something absurd, Eric glanced at me, only to quickly change his expression.

“Oh, no way! Why would I say anything to someone as revered as the Commander?”

I can bet he’s thinking, “I can’t believe I’m being called immature by a younger, smaller kid…”

So predictable.

At least he didn’t say it out loud, so I’ll let it slide.

“That guard from earlier…”

“Garret?”

“I don’t know his name, but he’s not from Ordo, right? He seemed to not understand Granic.”

“He’s definitely from Ordo. And yes, he can’t understand Granic.”

“…Does that even make sense?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

With a deft hand, Eric poured out tea and continued.

“To be honest, Granis has been going downhill for a while now. Those with a bit of money have fled to the Empire, and the kids being born now are being taught Arkish first… It’s not surprising that the younger generation can’t understand Granic, right?”

“But you can.”

“I have the same reason as you, Commander. My father loved Granis too much…”

Well, Garid’s nationalism was so strong it would be a real tragedy if it were second place.

But Eric is wrong.

Garid could speak Arkish too.

“Even though we’re not on good terms now, it can’t hurt to learn it because I never know what might happen later. In that sense, Kana, wouldn’t you like to learn too?”

“Not really…”

“Geez, harsh.”

I vaguely recall having a conversation like that.

As Eric said, back when Granis was thriving, it was the trend for both commoners and nobles to learn Arkish, but that was only at a level where you could make a living.

Folks like me, who were worse off than commoners, couldn’t even learn Granic properly, and we had to pick it up by ear.

Of course, I didn’t learn Arkish after being adopted by Garid just because I was lazy.

“…Please don’t kill him. He’s just inflexible, but he’s a diligent fellow.”

“…What am I to you?”

I was a bit offended, but then again, I wasn’t the type to go around killing people just because they did their jobs, right?

“Maybe if you did that.”

“Hey, what do you mean by that?”

Grumbling Eric pulled something out of his pocket.

It was the badge I had shown Garret earlier.

“I’ll return this for now. And I’ll hand over proof of identity, so from now on…”

“Got it. So it means don’t pull it out.”

“Glad you understood. By the way, where have you been that no one knew where the Commander was, even when several members wanted to see you?”

“…Someone wanted to see me? Who?”

“More than just a couple! If I had to name one, it’d be the vice-captain who’s been looking for you the hardest.”

“Oh, the vice-captain.”

Eric and I caught up on old times.

“So where were you?”

“Garid’s grave.”

“…Oh, why didn’t I think of that?”

“Even if you had thought of it, you wouldn’t have found it anyway.”

Nobody was told where Garid was buried.

It wasn’t my wish; it was Garid’s.

We also shared some trivial small talk.

By the time the sun had completely set, and the warm light from the inn replaced the hot sun, we wrapped up our conversation.

Taking a sip of the now lukewarm tea, Eric said,

“It’s good to see you, Commander, after such a long time.”

“…The ‘good to see’ part rubs me the wrong way, but yeah, me too.”

“So what are you planning to do now?”

“I’m heading to the Sedeth Kingdom.”

“Sedeth Kingdom? Is it because of the Apostles?”

“That too.”

I clammed up after saying only that, which made him nod.

“Would you like to have dinner with me? I’ll treat you.”

“I have a party waiting, so maybe next time.”

“Oh right, then next time you come to Ordo, I’ll treat you, so don’t get hurt and come back. Though I really doubt you’ll get hurt anyway.”

Hahaha!

Seeing Eric laugh so heartily, I couldn’t help but slightly lift the corners of my mouth.

“Who should be worrying about whom?”

Better worry about yourself first.

*

Knock, knock.

“…Has she left?”

“Yeah.”

Garret carefully opened the checkpoint door.

He was searching for the girl’s figure, and when he confirmed she was gone, relief washed over him.

Yet, relief or not, what was that girl’s identity that made his superior react like that?

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Garret asked Eric,

“Uh, Captain…”

“Shut up. Forget it.”

Eric firmly cut off his curiosity.

He briefly recalled the past.
The appearance of the former captain, Garid, while he was alive and Kana’s appearance after Garid’s passing.

Having called up those two images in succession, he then pictured the Kana he had just spoken to.

‘She certainly has changed.’

Her expression and tone were still emotionless.
Her face wasn’t as relaxed as when he first saw her, but it also wasn’t as stiff as the last time he saw her.

‘Looks like time hasn’t just changed me, Captain.’

He swallowed words he couldn’t say and instead faintly smiled.

‘…Commander!’
‘Shut it.’
‘Ah, I can still fight! Didn’t you say before that timid dogs aren’t needed?’
‘Stop babbling and get out. I’m not in the mood.’

While Eric couldn’t forget the pink-eyed gaze of defeat looking down at him, he also remembered the small figure blocking his path with its blood-soaked body.

‘A lowly commoner in the Crimson Aegis… The dignity of the order has fallen to the ground.’
‘…What?’
‘Oh dear, have you heard? I’m sorry, I was just talking to my comrades.’
‘You bastard—’
‘Hey, you guys! What are you doing?’
‘…Huh?’
‘S-Commander!’
‘You seem free; let’s spar.’
‘Ah, no, uh…’
‘A rejection is a rejection.’

And then the image of him beating the hilariously smug member to a pulp…

Of course, that incident was heavily clouded with the captain’s personal feelings, but that’s why Eric couldn’t bring himself to hate the girl.

“If news of today leaks out, then…”

“….”

Garret swallowed hard.

“I-I will keep quiet…!”

“Alright, alright. It’s getting late, so hurry up and go home.”

“Sure! Loyalty!”

Garret dashed out of the checkpoint.

He’s a kid who’s overly diligent, so no need to worry about any secrets leaking out.

Watching Garret’s departing figure, Eric sighed deeply.

“Boy, you’ve changed a lot, little Commander.”

To see a girl who had lost her support and simply flowed through life back out in the world by her own will.
Eric mumbled, saying it was worth living long enough to see.

“But your height still hasn’t changed.”

He let out words he dared not speak in front of her, chuckling to himself.

Creak!

Yikes!

“…!”

Startled by the sudden sound, Eric surveyed his surroundings.

Not only that, he opened the door and checked outside before letting out a sigh of relief, just like Garret did earlier.

“Geez, it was just the wind.”

What a pointless scare.

*

I used to think facing the past was a horrible thing, but it’s not all that bad.

My downcast mood was relieved.

No, it might even be better than earlier.

“It won’t always be like this.”

I’m not a child, and I don’t want to juvenilely get into faction fights, but if I had to consider, Eric belongs to my faction.

If I had run into someone from another faction today, it wouldn’t have ended this warmly.

Perhaps I could have witnessed a bloody incident.

In that sense, meeting Eric was a stroke of luck.

By the way… where has Joanie gone?

She definitely entered Ordo, but we parted ways without any prior arrangement, so I have no way of knowing where she is.

For some reason, I feel like if it’s Joanie, she’ll find me wherever I am, but I still wandered the streets looking for her.

Even though it was a pitch-black night, the streets of Ordo shone brightly.

“Welcome! Are you planning to stay?”

“We just got in some amazing meat, care to try?”

“Hey there! Have a meal before heading out! We have some delicious drinks too!”

Even without knowing the details, the energy sprinkled in their voices was clearly communicated.

Wearing my hood, feeling the vibrant atmosphere of Ordo, I soon found the person I was looking for.

Joanie was standing in front of an inn, holding a sign written in Arkish.

“Your words can change this rotten Ordo. Please lend your strength.”

People either passed by her without a second glance or showed interest and asked her questions.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a kid I think of as my little sister who got falsely accused and taken by the guards while entering Ordo with me. She’s such a nice… girl…”

“Oh dear…”

Hearing her words, the people around wore sympathetic expressions.

‘Somehow, this feels bad…’

I have a feeling that getting swept up in this will lead to troublesome matters.

And usually, this kind of feeling tends to come true.

As I tried to quietly slip away, Joanie suddenly raised her head.

“What? Is that Kana over there? Where?!”

My name heard loud and clear.

I quickly turned my back, but Joanie, having spotted me, cast aside the sign and rushed over.

“Kana! …My little sister!”

“Who’s your little sister?…”

Instead of calling my name, she bolted over and hugged me tightly.

Around us, people looked on with moved expressions.

Some particularly sensitive individuals even wiped away the tears welling in their eyes.

In her embrace, I sighed softly.

‘What a mess.’

Absolutely.

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