The Man Who Remained — His Second Life Began with a Humble Bow of Apology. - Chapter 56: Together with Big Brother.

Together with Big Brother.

Alongside twenty-nine fully matured monsters, there were ten more in their immature forms.

Although they were classified as monsters, they weren’t of any particular species like liches or goblins.

Their appearances were almost entirely humanoid, with only minor differences that did not significantly deviate from human form.

None of them excelled in combat, and their gentle temperaments were reminiscent of a typical farming village—perhaps even more so.

Moreover, they were all reboots: beings who resurrect at their grave sites.

Due to their mixed characteristics making their specific races unidentifiable, combined with the fact that they were reboots, it was thought they became heavily discriminated against.

And now, they were in the midst of restoring their homes after having been attacked.

After compiling the information, Ellie conveyed only the facts to Cross:

That, as things stood, they were unlikely to receive any significant aid.

Cross held the powerful position of being the Demon King’s proxy. With it, he could force through a fair number of unreasonable demands.

Yet even so, the most this village could receive right now would be several months’ worth of food, along with blankets and clothes for everyone.

The reason was painfully simple: there was no expectation that this village could ever repay the Demon Kingdom.

Had this been an officially recognised village, there would have been no need for such considerations.

If a plea for help had been heard, appropriate aid would have arrived without question.

But this was an unregistered village.

They had built it themselves and settled there of their own accord, and in the eyes of the kingdom, that was almost equivalent to unlawful occupation.

Even so, with just a single word from Cross, a reasonable level of reconstruction assistance could have been arranged.

That is, if the village had been in a slightly better state to begin with.

For instance, if they could prove proper administration by offering a portion of their harvest as tribute to the Demon King, some aid might have been secured.

With Cross’s position, and Ellie’s cunning—though not as great as Aura’s—such negotiations would have been possible.

But now, the village had nothing left.

It was in ruins, and they were struggling to even find their next meal. They desperately needed help, yet could not ask for it.

That was the true meaning of being unregistered.

Even if they hadn’t chosen this fate, once it became their reality, there was nothing the kingdom could do to save them.

The Demon King’s reach—Aura’s reach—was not infinite. In striving to save as many as possible, there would always be places their hands could not reach.

And this village was one of those that fell through the cracks.

Cross asked Ellie,

“Is there any way to save this village? Any way to have it officially recognised?”

Ellie gently shook her head.

It was an unpleasant truth, but the answer was painfully simple.

Without offering the kingdom some kind of incentive, such a reckless request could never be fulfilled.

That did not mean simply bribing them.

Be it achievements, resources, or talented people—there needed to be something to justify making an exception.

Like the circumstances under which Cross had once taken Ellie in.

It did not always require something so dramatic, but unless there was something of value to warrant national support, the kingdom could not act.

And this village… had nothing of the sort.

The monsters here had been abandoned and forced to flee as objects of discrimination. There was no way they could have anything left to offer.

Cross had never been incompetent, even as a human.

In fact, he was talented enough to stand well above average.

His only misfortune was who he was compared to.

The heroes and their companions—those who were not only the strongest but also the only ones of their kind.

Had he tried, Cross could have reached the rank of general within the army.

Of course he looked inferior when compared to them. And yet, because he was their comrade, he constantly lamented his inadequacy and strove desperately to become stronger.

But looking at it from the opposite perspective—

How would he appear to an ordinary villager?

Humans saw Cross merely as the heroes’ leftover, their servant, their dependent.

But in this life among monsters, free from such prejudice, how did he appear now?

He had single-handedly annihilated the group that threatened to destroy the village.

And without arrogance, he offered his help in the reconstruction, moving with unmatched efficiency in everything from cooking to first aid.

No matter the task, he delivered excellent results.

And he did it all tirelessly, without breaking a sweat.

To the villagers, Cross seemed overwhelmingly competent.

And the result was inevitable.

“I overdid it…”

He muttered, slumping down.

Back when the heroes were with him, they would stop him before it got to this point.

But this time, there was no one.

Because of that, he had thrown himself completely into helping, and as a result, he ended up taking away too much of the villagers’ work.

If this continued, they would become unable to function on their own.

Already, while fond of Cross, the villagers had begun to rely on him entirely.

For now, it was manageable, but if it went further, they might end up resenting the one who had done them such a great kindness.

Worried, the village chief approached him, bowing deeply and apologetically as he spoke.

“When we need help, we will ask for it ourselves… Could you please rest in the meantime?”

Cross understood, somehow instinctively, why the chief had to say such words.

That understanding alone burdened his heart with guilt.

“…What’s wrong, mister?”

A boy with curled horns sprouting from his temples approached the clearly downcast Cross.

“Hmm? Nothing’s wrong. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“Hmm… I got scolded for taking away work meant for the others.”

Cross gave a troubled smile.

“I see. Then are you free now?”

“Yeah. Completely free.”

With Ellie nowhere nearby, and unable to continue helping with work, there was no other word for it but free.

“Then, mister, come play with us.”

The boy tugged at his sleeve, and when Cross nodded, the boy beamed and led him back to his friends.

When Cross arrived at the children’s playground, their eyes lit up with excitement.

“It’s the mister who protected the village!”

Surrounded by their cheers, Cross soon found himself mobbed by the children.

Among them was the very boy who had called him over—the boy who had been bedridden until yesterday.

“Oh? You’re up already?”

Cross easily lifted him into his arms.

“Magic mister! Yup, I’m okay now. Though… I’m still a little tired.”

“If you’re only tired from working so hard, that’s impressive. You did well.”

As Cross set him down, the boy beamed proudly, earning admiring “wow”s from the others.

“So, what shall we play? I’ll join anything.”

“What did you play as a kid, mister?”

A girl asked, and all the children turned their eyes toward him with pure curiosity.

“Hmm… I used to like barrel riding.”

At that, the children all tilted their heads.

“What’s that?”

“What? You’ve never tried? You stand on a barrel with someone else, balancing or rolling it around.”

“…Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Sometimes it breaks, and then adults get mad. But that was fun too.”

“You were a delinquent, weren’t you, mister?!”

The girl exclaimed with feigned shock.

“Hmm… I was scolded a lot, so maybe.”

“What else did you play?”

“Oh? Curious about bad things, are you?”

“…I wouldn’t actually do them… but I’m a little interested.”

Smiling at her quiet confession, Cross listed off games he had played as a human: blindfold tag, vaulting, spinning tops, blowing bubbles…

The children were delighted to show off their own bubbles, which floated well and didn’t pop easily.

“Wow, these really fly far and don’t burst. You’re amazing. So, what do you usually play?”

At his question, the children fetched several balls.

“Everyone likes ball games.”

“Oh? How do you play them?”

They gathered together, whispering among themselves.

He doesn’t know… Let’s pick something we can all play… Not baseball, that’s too hard… Yeah… let’s do that.

Finally, they turned to Cross with bright smiles.

“Let’s play soccer!”

“If you’ll teach us.”

Their smiles widened as Cross nodded, and they dragged him off to an open area.

“If you get the ball between those two posts, it’s a point. If they get it into these posts, they get a point. Okay?”

A bespectacled boy with animal ears explained.

Cross nodded, scanning the field.

The children were already taking their positions.

“Okay. So do I throw the ball?”

“No, no. Only feet are allowed to touch it.”

“Ah, like kicking games. Alright. Where do I go?”

The boy’s glasses gleamed.

“There are attackers, defenders, and supporters. Which would you like?”

“Any of them is fine?”

“Of course. No need to hold back. Their team is way stronger than ours anyway.”

“Then I’ll go as an attacker.”

“Alright. Kinol, follow the girl with cow horns there. I’ll explain as needed.”

“Got it. Let’s do our best, everyone!”

With that shout, the game began.

***

Thirty minutes later.

Fortunately or unfortunately, even with Cross going all out, the children didn’t lose interest.

Despite his lack of experience, Cross’s physical prowess made him the ace. But the other team, though young, were all highly skilled, balancing things out.

The children were having more fun than ever.

“Eight to nine, huh… Sorry. We lost.”

Cross scratched his cheek, looking at the score.

But his teammates shook their heads.

“No. This was the best match we’ve ever played. And… I scored my first goal today.”

The bespectacled boy with animal ears whispered shyly.

He had studied so much and worked so hard, but never improved much.

Yet today, he felt like he had truly grown.

Because Cross had played with him.

Because Cross encouraged him to step forward bravely.

“That so? That’s great. Then next time, aim for two goals.”

The boy nodded firmly at Cross’s words.

“You were amazing out there. How do you move the ball like that?”

Cross asked the boy who had brought him here.

“Lots of practice and study. Also, knowing what you’re good at is important—Papa told me that.”

“Knowing yourself?”

“Yeah. We don’t know our species, so we don’t know what we’re good at. That’s why we have to find out. And if we can’t find it, we create it. That’s what Papa says.”

All the children nodded at his words.

“I see… Funny, I know my species, but I still don’t really know what I’m good at.”

Cross touched his horn absentmindedly.

“But mister, aren’t you good at fighting?”

The boy who called him to the village asked.

“Hmm… maybe. But it’s not like it’s a species talent or anything.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. With enough technique and practice, anyone can do it to some extent.”

“…Even weaklings like me?”

Cross was taken aback by the look in his eyes.

This boy, who could only run and abandon his mother, had managed to call Cross to the village.

He had saved everyone.

But if he had been able to fight himself…

Knowing Cross’s strength, the boy couldn’t help but think so.

And he wasn’t alone.

All the monsters here were weak, tragically so.

Yet they still put themselves in danger to save their children.

That was why the children, upon hearing that they too could become strong, all thought the same:

Could we become strong enough to protect them back?

And Cross recognised that look.

“Of course you can. As long as you keep looking at the world with those eyes.”

He declared firmly, gazing at their proud, determined expressions—the eyes of those who wish to grow strong to protect someone precious.

“So, to make sure no one gets hurt, let’s start with wooden sword sparring. Don’t worry. I’ll teach every one of you from the very beginning.”

The children’s eyes sparkled like the finest gems as they looked at Cross, who spoke with such resolve.