Chapter 3: The Unfortunate Encounter
Since departing from the castle, Hero Ryuguin had been consistently engaged in one particular activity. That activity was maintaining contact with Princess Puffy. From the very beginning of his journey, it was imperative for Hero Ryuguin to find a way to keep in touch with Princess Puffy.
He struggled to find a method and eventually sent her a letter. The content was a straightforward plea: “I want to talk to you directly. Is there any good way to do that?” It was a request that completely placed the burden on her… However, in a state of sheer joy, Princess Puffy burst into tears upon receiving it. She dashed to the treasure room at full speed, grabbed the precious Communication Orb, and without hesitation, sent it to Ryuguin.
From that moment on, despite questioning why he, the one and only in this world, had to take precious time out of his day for this, he sighed and thought to himself,
“Is this just the duty of a popular guy?”
With his nostrils flaring, Ryuguin declared. Every three days, for just a few minutes, he made sure to contact Princess Puffy.
For Ryuguin, the phrase “time is money” was truly a personal mantra. He believed his time was as valuable as gold bars. Thus, being tied down to a single woman and spending his precious time on her was a source of immense stress.
That said, before his transfer to this world, Ryuguin had hidden his true, dark intentions from many useful individuals. It was precisely for this reason that he had an epiphany.
“This is like regular maintenance for an ATM!”
By thinking this way, he managed to convince himself and swallow his complaints. Truly, he was the Wise Person Ryuguin.
Conversations with Princess Puffy were a peak experience for him, as she would lavish him with praise, sending his mind into a euphoric state. However, just as one might tire of Kobe beef no matter how delicious it was, he soon grew weary of their conversations and found them bothersome.
Yet, he displayed the patience of a rogue ninja who would not speak even under torture, utilizing his charming voice to mask his irritation. Still, there were times when his frustration slipped out, causing her to cry.
One fateful day, misfortune struck Ryuguin. After enduring the heavy burden of having to contact a designated woman for a few minutes every few days, something unbelievable happened.
The cause of his misfortune was none other than Yamada, a boy from his hometown. To be honest, Yamada was not a remarkable person. Although they were the same age and from the same place, the Yamada he knew lacked any presence, intelligence, or athletic ability. He had never sensed any exceptional talent in him.
On the contrary, after getting to know Yamada post-transfer, it became clear that he was a hybrid of utter mediocrity and the nagging qualities of a parent or teacher—a truly annoying boy.
Every time they met, Yamada would incessantly preach about training, studying, thinking more, or saving money, which was utterly grating to Ryuguin’s ears.
“If someone thinks it’s necessary, they should do it themselves. I don’t need to, so I won’t. It’s that simple,” he thought, but the foolish and ignorant Yamada could not grasp this.
Even the Greek philosopher Socrates said one should know their own ignorance. Yamada needed to realize he was ignorant.
“You are a cog in the machine. I am the one who uses it.”
It baffled him that such a simple concept eluded Yamada.
However, as long as Yamada remained a harmless presence that did not inconvenience him, the wise and thoughtful Ryuguin, whose mind was as vast as the ocean, could have tolerated his existence and turned a blind eye.
But… But… But Yamada committed an act that no human should ever do.
In a shocking turn of events, the thoughtless Yamada, devoid of compassion, wisdom, or intelligence, not only betrayed the Hero Party in the Blade Labyrinth but also severed the head of the one and only Hero Ryuguin.
To make matters worse, he took Ryuguin’s life as a hostage, placing an unbearable Pledge upon the party members…
Yamada, you shall not be forgiven. Because of that Pledge, the savior and Hero Ryuguin would feel even more stress. What a tragedy.
However, Ryuguin did not believe in the existence of God. He had heard that Pledge Magic was a divine intervention, but he suspected that if some force operated according to rules, there must be some kind of system in place.
Though it was merely a baseless guess, strangely enough, some of his predictions turned out to be surprisingly accurate.
Regardless of the truth, Ryuguin decided to handle the three trophies with care, giving them certain instructions to prevent the Pledge from activating.
First was the Mage, Angelica. She was a decent trophy to have around, but her occasional displays of intellect were a significant demerit. A trophy didn’t need knowledge; it should simply pretend to be ignorant and smile behind the Hero. Yet, it seemed that was difficult for her, as she often showcased her knowledge when it was unwarranted. For instance, when they traveled to a casino two towns away from Lemone, if Ryuguin hesitated in his calculations, she would immediately chime in with the score, whispering it to him. Ryuguin could only shake his head in disbelief.
To prevent the activation of the Pledge, he ordered her to engage in Magic Research every few days.
Next was the Sword Saint, Chibi Gorilla. While she had a pretty face, her lack of growth and her profession of violence were off-putting. She swung her ridiculously heavy sword with such brute strength that it was impossible to see any intelligence in her actions; she resembled nothing more than a small gorilla. Thus, he had no lingering feelings for her and instructed her to train with the sword on her own whenever possible.
Lastly, there was the Saintess. As a last resort, Ryuguin ordered the Saintess to engage in a certain amount of Volunteer Work. He wanted her to always be by his side, but he devised a plan to keep the Pledge Magic from activating by having her participate in charitable activities.
The Pledge concerning the Saintess was particularly challenging. It required a tightrope act of trial and error to figure out how to prevent it from activating. Utilizing his natural cunning and self-preservation skills, he managed to devise a plan.
What Ryuguin disliked was that during her volunteer work, the Saintess would be absent. There were days when she would be completely away from his side, and Ryuguin found himself grinding his teeth in frustration.
This was the moment that touched the reverse scale of the Hero Ryuguin.
Among the four exquisite trophies, the Saintess was his absolute favorite. As a holy being chosen by the God, she was the crown that rightfully belonged beside the Hero. Yet, she would leave his side during her volunteer work.
The fact that the Saintess would occasionally be absent was a significant blow to him, but through his exceptional intellect, he concluded that during her absence, he could have another beautiful woman take care of his needs. Truly, Ryuguin was a man of keen insight.
Thus, the time without the Saintess was created for the Hero. As a result, Ryuguin found opportunities to roam and drink without her by his side.
In a cruel twist of fate—or perhaps a malicious trap of destiny—while Ryuguin was enjoying himself at a tavern with a lantern girl, he encountered none other than Annabel Machiavelli.
This encounter would become the root cause that plunged Melissa Machiavelli, afflicted by a grave illness, and her father, Annabel Machiavelli, into the depths of despair.