The Man Who Remained — His Second Life Began with a Humble Bow of Apology. - Chapter 79: The Red-Haired Girl Who Travels (Part One).

The Red-Haired Girl Who Travels (Part One).

Cross approached the unsettling commotion, and he could more or less grasp the situation.

Surrounded by five monstrous men – an ogre, beastmen with animal ears, and even one whose entire body was green – was a red-haired girl. Her slightly boyish, energetic appearance, paired with her practical clothes uncharacteristic of this village, made her stand out. She stood protectively in front of a small ogre boy, who looked on the verge of tears.

At their feet lay a fallen dango skewer, and on the kimono of one of the men was a soy sauce stain. The little boy, ready to cry, and the girl shielding him – a cute, no, an exceptionally cute girl.

Well, in short, it was obvious what had happened.

Perhaps the men had some right to be upset, so Cross could have waited to observe a bit longer. But the men’s gazes weren’t on the child; they were on the girl protecting him. Their eyes glinted with vile, unpleasant intent.

As a former Hero, helping those in trouble was expected of him… or at least, that was the excuse. In truth, his body simply moved on its own at the sight of that adorable, spunky girl in distress.

That was all there was to it. He seemed deep, but his motives were surprisingly shallow. That was the nature of Cross.

“They’re apologising, so isn’t that enough? Can’t you see how scared he is?”

The red-haired girl spoke calmly, as if reasoning with them, though she knew her words were useless. Speaking the truth was all she could do.

“Just ‘cause he’s a kid doesn’t mean he can get away with anything. Huh? If you’re gonna talk back, you gonna pay for my kimono then?” one of the ogres sneered, pointing at a five-centimetre soy sauce stain near his hem – hardly anything serious.

The man scooped up some of the stain with his finger, then smeared it across his crotch, wearing a sick, mocking grin.

“You can lick it clean for me if you want, sweetheart. We’re nice enough to consider forgiving you for that.”

His companions burst out laughing with crude glee.

“You never intended to forgive us anyway—”

“Forgive? We’ll forgive you once you’ve satisfied us all,” another chimed in, and they all roared with laughter again.

Seeing this, the girl let out a small sigh.

“I’m… I’m sorry, big sis…” the little boy’s voice trembled as he spoke, filled with guilt and fear. He hated himself for being scared, for not wanting to be alone.

The girl smiled gently at him. “It’s okay. You’ve done nothing wrong. You apologised right away – that alone means you’re not at fault.”

She patted his head softly.

“Hah? Of course he’s at fault. You think a sorry fixes everything? Huh? If you’re so righteous, you’ll pay me back, right?” the ogre growled.

“Hmm. Unfortunately, I don’t have that much money on me right now,” she replied coolly.

Rather than anger them, her words seemed to please them. Their smiles widened lecherously.

“Then you’ll work it off, huh? With that petite body of yours! Come here!”

The man roughly grabbed her arm to pull her closer. But the arm he grabbed wasn’t hers – it was thick and masculine, nothing like a young girl’s.

“Kyaa~ what are you doing~ pervert~” Cross squealed in a falsetto voice, twisting dramatically as he was pulled forward.

The men – and even the girl – were left dumbfounded by the sight.

“Huh? Who the hell are you?” The ogre snapped out of it, shaking Cross off. The other men glared at him, their hands reaching for their weapons.

“Hmm, just a meddler passing by. I’ll pay for the kimono. That’s fine, right?” Cross offered with a wry smile.

“Like hell it is! Get lost, this has nothing to do with you!”

“Apparently, I have nothing to do with this, so you two can go,” Cross said to the girl and child, smiling reassuringly.

The child trembled, and the girl looked confused, not understanding what was happening. Even in this situation, Cross’s true thought was:

‘Wow… she’s even cuter up close.’

Such a foolish impression – that was Cross for you.

She looked to be in her late teens if human, with a youthful yet mature allure. Her lively, energetic appearance, paired with the gentle sweetness in her voice when comforting the boy, was enough to charm anyone. He wondered if he could try picking her up after playing the hero… though he quickly realised that was probably impossible, seeing her current state.

Suppressing his disappointment, Cross refocused on ending this situation.

“Do people tell you that you can’t read the room?” one of the men scoffed.

“I hear that all the time,” Cross chuckled wryly, used to such words since his previous life.

“You don’t know who you’re messing with, do you? We’re under the Gatekeeper’s command. You get what that means? Cross us and it’s the death penalty.”

“Wow. Didn’t know that law existed.”

“It does! If we say a word to our superiors, you’re—”

Before he could finish, their eyes shifted past Cross to the newcomer standing behind him, protecting the girl and boy.

“Ellie. Sorry for stepping in without telling you,” Cross said.

“Not at all. It’s my duty,” she replied, smiling gently.

“But right now… it’s probably just making things worse,” Cross sighed, seeing exactly what the men would do next.

“Hmph. So you’ve got such a pretty servant, huh? Fine then, as compensation and advance payment… hand over that woman. Do that, and we’ll let this slide,” the ogre declared, signalling his companions with a glance.

They nodded with vile grins and reached out to grab Ellie and the girl.

However…

Ellie slapped away the hands reaching for her and the girl.

“Oi, you bitch, do you really think you can defy us? Do you even understand your place here?” the man roared, furious.

Calm and unflinching, Ellie stepped forward to shield the girl and child. “I do. I know exactly who my master is, and who I must protect.”

Her words twisted the man’s face into a cruel grin. He was about to do something vile, driven by both his anger and his desires.

“Oh? You think protecting this useless wimp is worth it? This pathetic, scrawny bastard can’t even fight back!” he shouted, kicking Cross hard.

Cross took the blow without flinching. Honestly, it barely hurt.

But that was his mistake. That one action alone was Cross’s single greatest failure.

For two reasons.

First, because by not defending himself, the men concluded he truly was powerless, boosting their arrogance.

Second, and far more dangerous, was Ellie’s presence.

Though they spoke casually, Ellie respected and adored Cross from the bottom of her heart. She would die for him without hesitation. To her, he was everything.

And now, in front of her, her revered master had been mocked and kicked.

That humiliation was worse than any insult to herself.

Even then, Ellie remained calm – barely.

One man picked up the fallen dango and smashed it onto Cross’s head with a wet slap, and the men cackled with cruel laughter.

“Seriously, girl, you’re pitiful, protecting such a worthless wimp. Why don’t you come serve us instead? We’ll make you feel real good, unlike that floppy little twig there,” one said, making obscene gestures as the others roared with laughter and leered at her.

That was Ellie’s limit.

For the first time in her life, she learned what it felt like to have the one she respected more than anyone else humiliated.

“…Oh crap,” Cross muttered, realising his grave mistake at last.

Ellie wore an expression he had never seen before – a chilling, horrifying smile more demonic than any demon.

Seeing that smile, Cross understood.

It was too late. Nothing could stop her now.

Some in the crowd seemed to notice it too, including the red-haired girl. The air around Ellie began to swirl with magic, a violent turbulence that no natural phenomenon could produce – the ominous sign of a large-scale spell about to be unleashed.

It was an aura that could only be described as “terrifying.”

Faced with this, Cross made his choice.

“Ellie. I’ll leave this to you!” he shouted, grabbing the girl and child’s hands and fleeing the scene.

Ellie remained, smiling as she turned to face the men.

“Heh. That coward ran away. Fine then. That means you’ll pay for all of them, with that body of yours,” one of the men sneered as they encircled her.

Ellie continued to smile, utterly calm as she coldly calculated.

How far could she go without causing trouble for Cross?

How far should she go?

Who should be left alive?

She maintained her serene, eerie smile, deciding it all with chilling precision.