Vol 1 Chapter 47 – Tears

I’d managed to deal with the Witch.

I’d undeniably crushed the Witch Cult and even made the Witch herself into one of my pawns.

The battle itself could be called an overwhelming victory.

“Oh, you three! Welcome back. I only meant to ask Tail for help, but Ryshia came along too… and even Tiara. I had no idea so many of you went together.”

Having secured that great victory, I’d returned to my shop as if nothing had happened and was working hard to restore the interior to its original state after someone had cleaned it out without permission.

I mean, I get why they’d clean it out since I was treated as dead, but… they’d even taken the interior decorations I liked, which honestly made me sad.

I don’t have the sense to create good-looking interiors on my own.

“Huh!?“

While I was worrying about such things, Ryshia and the others turned their gazes toward me as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Wh-Why are you… here?”

“There’s no way I’d die that easily, right?”

“…I-Impossible. That was definitely… Noah’s corpse.”

“It was definitely a corpse. That was certainly my dead body. And yet here I am, not dead. Tail’s assessment wasn’t wrong, so you don’t need to lose confidence, okay?”

“Noah is… alive? There’s no way that’s… possible.”

“What’s with you guys? Did you all want me to stay dead? I’m getting depressed enough to commit suicide in spectacular fashion, you know?”

Is it really that unbelievable that I’m alive?

“Well, I guess it is pretty unbelievable. Yeah.”

If there’s a corpse, that’s pretty much the end of it, huh? Yeah.

“But look, I’m alive.”

“Is it… really you?”

“…Noah.”

“I-I can’t believe it. That something like this… could happen.”

“Believe it. Come on, you can tell by my scent and stuff, right?”

I stood before the three who still seemed unable to believe it and spun around once, showing off my existence.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!?“

And with that, the three of them broke down.

Ryshia and the other two came crashing into me with large tears streaming from their eyes, hugging me with all their strength.

“Wait!? Don’t cling to me!? I’ll sue you for sexual harassment!?”

Agh, seriously!? My body’s getting covered in snot and tears!?

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!?“

“Haah… geez.”

Well, in this case, it’s definitely my fault for making them worry.

Having accepted that, I hugged the three who were clinging to me while crying.

Vol 1 Chapter 48 – Scolding

“I can’t believe it! I truly can’t believe it! I’m utterly appalled by your recklessness…! To think you deliberately let yourself be stabbed to trap the Witch Cult! What would you have done if things had gone wrong!?”

“Exactly! Even if it was to defeat the Witch Cult, there must have been better ways to do it! Do you understand what you’ve done…!? Were we really that unreliable!?”

“No, first of all, that wasn’t your job to do! Do you have any idea how much shock your actions sent through the world…!?”

I was alive.

After learning that fact, Ryshia and the other two had cried their hearts out, and once they’d finally calmed down after some time, the three had transitioned into scolding mode.

“Uheeh…”

“Hey!? What’s with that reaction!? You’re not reflecting on this at all, are you!?”

“Agaaah.”

When I showed a dejected attitude toward their scolding, Ryshia pinched my cheek and pulled it up.

“Do you understand the magnitude of what you did!?”

“I’m the one who’s dissatisfied here, you know? I defeated the Witch Cult, who’d been humanity’s enemy for so long. And yet I’m being scolded—that’s pretty unfair. Don’t you think I deserve to be praised? Oh, wait—is that what you meant? Was that earlier comment actually words of praise about how great my achievement was? If so, I’ll graciously accept your thanks.”

“It wasn’t your job!”

“I’m a noble, you know. It’s natural for someone with power to fight, isn’t it?”

“Before that, you’re a man!”

“Gender discrimination!”

“What are you talking about? It’s natural for men to be protected by women. There’s no discrimination about it.”

“Guh.”

No good.

It’s pointless to appeal to the people of this world with my past life’s common sense and values. This world has its own rules.

“…I’m still dissatisfied!”

But I’m from another world.

Don’t think I’ll conform to this world’s rules so easily. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” can go to hell!

“I wonder how long that attitude will last. I’ve already contacted Mother. The confirmation of your safety will spread along with the chaos that’s about to engulf the entire country—no, the entire world. You’ll see for yourself just how valuable you are.”

“Ehhh. That’s weird, isn’t it? I thought I accomplished the great feat of defeating the Witch Cult.”

I should have achieved something praiseworthy, so why is this happening? I have a lot of complaints about this.

While thinking such things, I deflated in disappointment.