The World's Weakest Hero, Volume 2, Chapter 17 pt 1 (Patreon)

[So with Assassinated King vol 4's release, I'm finally able to work on my other series as well! Here's part 1 of the most recent chapter. More to come!]

Chapter 17

“You’re staying in town tomorrow.” Selkie drops another bombshell, directly on my head.

“What a surprise!?” I show her my shocked face.

“You’re not fooling anyone with that faked response.”

“Heh.” My usual smile returns.

“You know why, so I don’t want to hear any argument.”

“Because I’m too weak, of course. I mean, you didn’t even let me fight in the tougher battles today, and you plan to go even deeper tomorrow. I’d be a liability.”

“No matter how skilled you are with that scythe, it’s useless if you don’t have the strength to back it up.” Selkie looks me up and down. “I might have had my expectations high, but you didn’t even come close to meeting them. Just how did you defeat Hawk in your guild exam?”

“I took advantage of his natural caution, making him hesitate and second-guess himself while setting up for a trap. He fell for it, of course.”

The headmaster frowns, no doubt calculating my strength and comparing it against Hawk’s. Considering I was only level 5 when I fought the level 37 Hawk, the odds should have been so far in Hawk’s favor that my chance of victory would be close to zero.

Yet, I won.

While Selkie doesn’t know my level, she does have an accurate judgement of my strength from watching me fight today. She’s most likely placed me around level 15, which is far below the level 25 that people recommend before facing even a weak aberrant alone.

However, she made that judgement based on the first few battles today, back when I was level 5. I’m currently level 9, and with my stat growth, even a few levels can boost my strength dramatically.

That’s why…

“I can face an aberrant.” I say with confidence. “And win.”

“Aberrants won’t fall to trickery like Hawk.”

“I know, which is why I’ll be defeating it the old-fashioned way.” I pat the handle of my scythe. “After the battle, if you don’t think I can keep up, then we’ll leave.”

“Are you saying you were holding back today?”

“No, you saw my full strength shortly after we got into the mist. It’s just that I’ve grown a lot since then.”

“Just what level are you?” Selkie narrows her eyes, as if trying to discern it for herself.

“Who knows? I’d need a scrying orb to check.”

Her eyes fall on my hidden smile, and I can see her making even more calculations in her mind. Not about my level or strength, but about the limits of magic and the spells that may exist somewhere on the very edge of what’s possible.

“Our first encounter with an aberrant,” Selkie says. “You will face it alone. Don’t disappoint me again, Triton.”

With that, the headmaster turns and walks off.

Since all the other students and teachers have been released to their own devices, nobody was around to hear our conversation.

Well, there is one person, along with his usual troupe.

“It seems you narrowly avoided exile.” Guiche walks up to me, his troupe at his back. “It would be a pity if you weren’t able to witness my elegant battles against the mist creatures.”

“If you want me to watch them so badly, then I’ll get Selkie to throw me into the same combat group as you after I defeat that aberrant.”

“I suppose it does make sense, considering we have fought together before. But more importantly…” Guiche holds out a pink rose. “I need to keep the two mademoiselles safe from the deadly mist creatures.”

“Thanks!” Zoe grabs the rose.

As usual, Lyra is unphased by Guiche’s strange behavior.

Another rose appears in his hand. “Now that Headmistress Selkie has given us leave, we intend to celebrate our first venture into the mist with a feast.”

“Food, huh? I am getting really hungry. Who wouldn’t be after spending all day in the mist.”

“I’m not hungry, though?” Zoe tilts her head just a bit.

“Ignore her.” I look down the town’s main road. “Wanna eat together?”

“I’m not opposed.” Guiche follows my gaze.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any restaurants in view. Depending on the one in charge, some businesses could be relegated to certain districts. And I know for certain that Selkie likes order, so there’s a chance she had the governor set some rules.

However, there is another possibility. Since we’ve just come through the main gate that’s facing the mist, it only makes sense to station the main bulk of the town’s defenses here. That means barracks, armories, warehouses, and other buildings with the sole purpose of aiding against an attack from mist creatures.

In a place like this, the last thing the guards would want is a bunch of the town’s residents moving around restaurants and shops. Hence, it’s possible that this is the only area with any real restrictions on what is allowed to be built.

Unsurprisingly, when we find a street filled with restaurants, I feel the presence of the teachers and students Selkie brought along with us. We never stopped to eat lunch while in the mist, so it’s only natural everyone would be hungry, even if it’s not the usual supper time.

Since I don’t care what we eat, I let Guiche and the girls decide where to go. Sometimes, it’s nice to melt into the background and just go with the flow.

I can only do that for so long, though.

“So Guiche.” I dip a piece of chicken into a tangy sauce. “You’re from the Montmorency family, right? And your father is an earl?”

“That is correct.” Guiche uses a knife to cut up a piece of pork. “The Montmorency family oversees the province adjacent to this very one. It has been under our protection for a full nine generations, making us one of the oldest noble families in the entirety of the kingdom.”

“That is a long time for one family to rule a single province, considering how many kings have come and gone since then. Is your family actually really good at navigating politics?” I plop another piece of chicken into my mouth.

“It would be a lie to deny your words.” Guiche sits back in his chair, taking on a noble air. “Perhaps it’s due to our natural charm?”

“Nah, that can’t be it.” I pick up a fried onion. “Why is it you want to be the first in your family to reach A-Rank at the guild?”

“It’s simple.” Guiche takes the change of topic in stride. “Our province borders the mist, so if I want to ensure its safety, I need to become stronger.”

His troupe shares a look between each other. Maybe they think that the future lord of the territory can’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme, whether he’s B-Rank or A-Rank.

Even if he were to attain the elusive S-Rank, he’s still just one person. He wouldn’t be able to stop a swarm of aberrants and leviathans.

Hmm. I wonder how Guiche’s father is doing. Fifteen years ago, I was already worried that he’d go bald from the stress of dealing with the mist.

And it’s hilarious to imagine that the little runt back then grew up to become this flamboyant womanizer today.

The moment I met Guiche, I knew exactly who he was. Although it was only a single time, I did meet his father back when I was this world’s strongest hero. It was shortly before the battle where I created the Moonscar Abyss with my scythe, actually.

Since I visited his estate, I even caught sight of the two-year-old Guiche back then. He looked like a normal kid, so I never would have guessed how he would turn out.

Even though getting stronger won’t directly help Guiche solve the small problem of the mist invading his province, there are other benefits to getting stronger and becoming a renowned adventurer, especially during times of uncertainty like right now.

He wants to make connections and expand his alliances with powerful people, like Selkie.

If his province borders the mist, then having friends high in the Adventurer’s Guild or gaining the respect of my former companion could really come in handy in case they need to call in some support to deal with mist creatures.

Although he acts like that, Guiche is far from an idiot. He’s definitely looking into the future and trying to solve problems that don’t exist yet.

But at the same time, he’s clearly in a rush to get stronger. That means his dad could be in bad health and there’s a chance he’ll be forced to retire as an adventurer soon to become the next lord of his province.

Or, maybe–

“Well, well.” A deep voice comes from nearby. “Look who came to town.”

A large man looks down at us from beside the table, along with a small escort of dangerous-looking people. Or more precisely, he’s looking down at Guiche.

“Zygmunt von Bakalar.” Guiche enlightens us on the man’s name. “Why are you here?”

“Why? This town is in my family’s province, so I’m free to come and go as I please.” Zygmunt places his hands on the edge of the table. “I’m more curious why someone like you decided to show his face around here. Did you come to ask me for special treatment after you lose your noble rank? My apologies, Guiche, but I can’t play favorites.”

Lose his rank? So that’s why…

“Hmph. As if the Montmorency family would lose the land we’ve ruled for nine generations.” Guiche takes out a rose, though his movements lack the flamboyant composure I’ve come to expect from him. “And if you must know, I am here with Headmaster Selkie. As a B-Ranked adventurer, I’ve attained the rank needed to join in on her ventures into the mist.”

Zygmunt frowns, though there’s no surprise on his face. Whatever his real reason for coming here, it’s obvious he already knew that Guiche came here with Selkie.

“Give up, Guiche. His Majesty won’t give your family any more chances to stop the mist. The next time you lose any more of your territory, your province will belong to us. No matter how strong you get, it won’t make any difference.” Zygmunt stands back up. “Your days as a noble are numbered.”

The large man looks over the rest of us at the table. His eyes flow right over Guiche’s troupe, obviously having expected to see them. But as newcomers, we’re a little more interesting to him.

Not so much me, actually. As a rather average-sized guy without any outstanding features, there’s no real reason for him to give me a second thought.

But he does take an obvious interest in the girl beside me.

Lyra completely ignores Zygmunt’s gaze, which he’s clearly not taking well. No doubt he’s used to being catered to in all kinds of ways since his family rules this province.

At the same time, Zygmunt is both older and stronger than Guiche. It wouldn’t surprise me if the large man were an A-Ranked adventurer already, whereas Guiche only just achieved B-Rank.

Eventually, Zygmunt and his little band of followers leave us be. Though something tells me it won’t be the last time we’ll see him.

What a messy situation.

“Who needs enemies,” I say, “when you have friends like him.”

“The Bakalar family has always been one of our biggest rivals, ever since they took over this province three generations ago. Zygmunt is the next heir in line to receive the title of earl, so he’s been very vocal as of late.”

“So he wants to push his weight around so people will recognize his authority when he takes over.”

“Essentially.”

“Crude, but effective.” I pick up a piece of steamed broccoli. “As long as you want to use fear as a basis for your rule.”

Such a tactic isn’t exactly uncommon. The king himself uses it to great success, and during times of great upheaval, the people often prefer someone with an iron will, even if it comes with an iron fist.

Guiche’s family lacks that headstrong attitude, which has likely kept them out of political trouble through the generations. But if that means people will see them as weak and unable to protect the province from the mist, then they’ll be discarded and replaced by someone who can inspire more confidence.

Such as Zygmunt.

“From the sound of it,” I say, “Zygmunt’s family will be taking over your territory if you don’t stop the mist. That’s quite a task, considering almost everyone who’s tried has failed.”

“I will be one of the few who succeeds.” Guiche regains his usual confidence as he swishes his hair back.

“There are a few provinces where the mist has been stopped for a long time. The one we’re in now is a prime example.”

“Miss Selkie makes regular trips through the mist here, defeating the monsters within. I’m certain that plays a role.”

I nod. “So you want to get stronger and use the connections you make to help clear out the monsters within the mist so it won’t encroach any further into your province, right?”

“That is a succinct explanation.”

“Makes sense.” I take the final bite of my meal.