A Mob Character Who Just Wants to Get Banished and Escape This Death Game vs. The Party Members Driven Mad by the Radiance of His Brilliance - Chapter 16

“All right, enough of this. You really don’t have a sense for humor.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” I said. “I never meant to be the kind of superior officer who’s admired like this.”

Morglaid slumped forward onto the desk with a groan. I frowned, ready to correct his misunderstanding.

But he gave me a long, sharp stare.

“If you’re going to say that, maybe get those two off your arms first, Mikkanen?”

I looked down at the two weights I had been trying very hard to ignore. Isfana and Professor Alhansen were both silently clinging to my arms.

The stares from the other hunters in the dining hall hurt. A lot.

And even worse, far off in the distance, Agrastein was twitching his eyebrow like he’d just spotted the dumbest creature alive. I spoke quietly.

“You two… perhaps you don’t need to cling to me so closely?”

“Hah. A mere commoner like you dares complain to a genius such as myself? I’m only bothering to sit beside you because you’re my superior. Show some respect,” Isfana sneered as she delicately sliced her bacon with a knife. Her grip around my arm tightened.

“I believe that, as a scholar, one must always test against a standard. Only with such consistent, methodical effort can proper experimentation be achieved,” Professor Alhansen added, chewing black bread while peering at my arm through a lens.

I didn’t even want to guess what he was trying to measure.

Rejected and helpless, I glanced toward that intense-eyed brat in the distance for help.

Come on, you’re always talking about military regulations and public decorum, aren’t you? This is your chance—give them a firm command.

But Agrastein only turned his dead-eyed gaze toward me, then wordlessly descended the stairs to the basement.

“Hey, fake scholar. Surely you’ve had enough of your so-called ‘standard’ by now. This commoner is my superior officer. Why don’t you head back to your lab where you belong?”

“Isfana is incredibly foolish,” Alhansen replied. “A reliable standard is rare and precious. One cannot acquire such a thing easily. This level of inquiry is nowhere near enough to be satisfying.”

At some point, the two of them had started glaring at each other over my shoulder.

I wanted to cry.

Ah… Morglaid, you’re the only one I can count on.

But when I looked at him, he just snorted through his nose. Sure, I might’ve made some embarrassing mistakes lately, but he was the one who vouched for me, wasn’t he?

Cold-hearted, that one.

Still… it was Morglaid who warned me about Professor Alhansen trying to drag me back to a rear-line lab. I owed him for that. Remembering that, I lowered my head.

“Anyway… thank you for everything. You’ve really helped me a lot.”

“Honestly, being around you is never boring. Though I do feel like I’m constantly stepping on landmines and losing years off my life,” Morglaid muttered, massaging his forehead.

Now that he mentioned it… I hadn’t seen Morglaid smile in quite a while. Had I been burdening him too much?

“It’s not that,” he said, shaking his head as he rubbed his temples. “I’ve just had a bad headache lately. Might be coming down with something—it’s not your fault.”

Then, perhaps to change the subject, Morglaid asked:

“So… what are you going to do about Ingrasius?”

I hadn’t expected him to bring that up. Surprised, I turned to him. His expression was pained, like he was forcing himself to speak.

“Well, look,” he said. “Given everything that’s happened, it wouldn’t be strange if that girl had a few landmines of her own. I think it’s better if you go and talk to her directly.”

“…Yeah.”

I couldn’t say anything more. From both sides, Isfana and Professor Alhansen clung to me even tighter.

“I got it. I don’t think Ingrasius is hiding anything like that… but still, at this point I’ve already stepped onto the boat. I’ll go talk to her.”

“Good. I think that’s the best choice… That said—damn you, womanizer. Go explode.”

With that final jab, Morglaid sighed and left the dining hall.

You’re the one who told me to do it! That was too much!

I wiped the tears starting to well up in my eyes.

Come to think of it… Morglaid hadn’t touched his tea or fruit at all today.

◆◆◆◆◆

That said, I honestly never thought Ingrasius could be “unwell” like the rest of my party members. The reason for that lies in who he is.

Ingrasius Jeloveini is a priest—or rather, a saint.

Strictly speaking, he’s not officially recognized as a saint by the Church, but here at the ruins of Ogdanel Castle, that’s how everyone treats him. He’s probably the most admired person in our entire party.

In this world, the monotheistic religion that fills the same role as Christianity from the previous world is called the Salius Faith. It was a significant theme even in the original game.

Its core teaching is simple: “Love others selflessly and save them without regard for yourself.”

A fairly typical doctrine—but Ingrasius is a devout priest who has completely devoted himself to those teachings. As such, he’s always helping others, selflessly and tirelessly.

If a new recruit got lost on base, Ingrasius would willingly give up his own rest time to guide them. If a soldier struggled with fear before battle, he would sit quietly and listen for as long as it took.

He looked every bit the saint descended onto the battlefield. That’s why, at Ogdanel Castle, he’s worshipped almost like a god.

And he treats us—his party members—with the same kindness and warmth.

So when I first heard about his Geis, I was truly shocked.
Who would’ve guessed that his magical binding was breaking the very teachings of the faith he devoted himself to?

Even now, I still don’t understand how he reconciles that with his beliefs.

In any case, I couldn’t imagine Ingrasius being “unwell” in any emotional or mental sense.

Morglaid had always been reliable, but this time, I was sure he was wrong.
Thinking that, I went to greet Ingrasius on his return.

As a priest of the Salius Faith, Ingrasius spent the month of holy rites traveling between sacred sites in prayer. He was returning from that pilgrimage today.

From the rear line, deep beneath the ruins of Ogdanel Castle, I heard the soft clatter of a trolley rolling along the tracks.

And in that trolley, I saw him.

Short, fiery red hair gleamed like a dancing flame. His usual gentle, serene face lit up the moment he spotted me.

As soon as the trolley arrived at the station, Ingrasius shot out like a bullet. I caught him in my arms, and as I held him close, I gently tousled his head.

“How was your pilgrimage? Did you enjoy it?”

‘(　´∀｀) It was very fun!’

Ingrasius cannot speak.
So he communicates through drawings and symbols on a sketchpad using a pencil.

Still holding his hand, I began walking with him. We had so much to catch up on after all this time.

“…And well, now for some reason Isfana and Professor Alhansen have taken to clinging to me. They’re not here right now, but try not to worry about it too much.”

‘(￣^￣)ゞ Roger that!’

Dressed in the black cassock that symbolized his role as a Salius priest, Ingrasius gave me a sharp, respectful salute.

Watching him like that, I couldn’t help but smile.
He didn’t seem even remotely unstable. I couldn’t imagine him angry or disturbed—he was still just the bright, kind Ingrasius.

‘( ‥) But why is everyone so emotionally unstable?’

“I just said I wanted to leave the army. That’s all.”

It’s a little funny, really. I was about to laugh and joke it off—

—and then I heard it.

The soft, cold sound of a sketchpad falling to the ground.

I turned around.

Ingrasius was staring at me, on the verge of tears.

His face was filled with such shock, such heartbreak, that I couldn’t speak.

After a moment, he forced a smile—so sad, it made my chest tighten.

Then, without a word, he turned his back on me and ran.