A Bottom-Tier Adventurer Devoted to Supporting Their Idol Activities: Every Time, They Offer Rare Materials and Stir Up the Elites - Episode 19: Troubled Tomage. and Roger Does His Own Thing

Episode 19: Troubled Tomage. and Roger Does His Own Thing

“What… what the hell happened here?”

Lamberto and the two adventurers behind him widened their eyes as they surveyed the scene by the light of a magic lamp.

At the center stood a giant tree—around it, a mountain of monster corpses. The bodies looked fresh. It was like they’d just been killed.

“In such a short time… Someone took down this many monsters…?”

“It seems to be the only explanation…”

One of the adventurers nodded to Lamberto’s murmured thought.

“Ah! Tomage and the others are over here!”

In the light, three adventurers lay on the ground. Their equipment was scorched black, as if burned by intense flames. They didn’t look alive.

“Are you okay!?”

Lamberto rushed to the red-haired man, lifting his body.

“Lero lero lero lero…”

“Tomage…!? What’s going on? Are you okay?”

Lamberto shook him hard by the shoulders. But Tomage’s eyes remained glazed.

“Hey! Tomage! Snap out of it!”

“Pull yourself together!”

The other two adventurers called out as well. But nothing changed.

“Lamberto-san. We’ve got no choice. Let’s punch him.”

“Yeah.”

One adventurer sat Tomage up, and Lamberto balled his fist and swung it square into Tomage’s face.

“Lero–Guh!? …Ugh… Lamberto-san…?”

“Finally awake, huh, Tomage.”

Rubbing his cheek, Tomage slowly stood up.

“What the hell happened here?”

Lamberto scanned the area with the magic lamp and turned to Tomage for answers.

Tomage looked around in stunned silence. His mouth was agape. He was overwhelmed by the devastation before him. Then, as if coughing up the words, he began to speak.

“I… I chased down a shady guy in a hood… and defeated him. But then… the Demon King appeared… and—ugh, my head…!”

Clutching his head with both hands, Tomage grimaced in pain.

“Did you just say ‘Demon King’!? What kind of Demon King!?”

Lamberto pressed him urgently.

With a trembling hand, Tomage pointed at the corpse of a robe-wearing monster lying nearby—a corpse missing its head and both hands.

“T-That’s… the Demon King…! I… I fought him… and my ultimate move was turned back on me… ugh, my head… it’s splitting…!”

Again, Tomage held his head. It was as if he were trying to keep it from bursting open.

“And then what!? Tomage, did you defeat the Demon King!? And what about this mountain of monster corpses!? Did you take them down too!?”

“I… I don’t remember anything…”

Still bloodshot, Tomage stared blankly at the Demon King’s body.

“I… I saw it.”

One of Tomage’s party members spoke up. He had just recovered enough to stand.

“You really did it?”

“Yeah, no mistake… You blew off the Demon King’s head. With your bare hands…”

Tomage stared in disbelief at his own right hand.

“Is this the first time something like this has happened to Tomage?”

Lamberto stepped away from the silent Tomage and addressed his party member.

“No… it’s the second. He lost consciousness back when we defeated that Water Elemental Slime too.”

“Back then as well…? Then maybe…”

Lamberto trailed off meaningfully.

“Maybe what?”

“Every now and then… there are people like this. When they’re in a pinch, another personality awakens inside them—and they suddenly unleash power far beyond their normal level. Tomage’s probably one of those awakened types.”

“So Tomage… has that kind of secret…?”

Hearing Lamberto and his teammate talk, Tomage murmured quietly to himself:

“Who… am I really…?”

#

Meanwhile…

After defeating the Demon King and securing my rare materials, I sprinted back to the royal capital at top speed.

I hadn’t slept a wink. My body was wrecked. I could drop at any second.

But I wasn’t going to sleep until I finished what I needed to do.

I dragged my legs through the slums of the capital.

“Hey, it’s Roger!”

“For real!”

“Hey hey, are you hurt or something!?”

Two bratty boys and one bratty girl clung to me. Their eyes were sparkling for some reason.

“I’m fine,” 

I said, shoving them off with both hands and continuing to walk. But they were persistent.

“I bet you fought a bad monster!”

“Yeah! I heard scary stuff about the monsters in the Western Forest!”

“Hey, Roger! What kind of monster did you beat up!?”

The bratty girl wouldn’t let go of my hand. Looked like I wouldn’t be free unless I said something.

“Some gross mutated Goblin showed up. So I bashed its head in. Good enough?”

“Wha? That’s gotta be a unique monster! Roger, you’re amazing!”

“What’s a unique monster?”

“Tell us, tell us!”

The oldest brat boy acted all knowing.

The bratty girl finally let go—her curiosity now fixated on unique monsters.

I used the moment to channel a little magic through my legs and create distance. I slipped down a narrow alley.

Then I descended underground into an old brick building. No signs, no labels—just a door.

“…Oh, it’s you. Roger.”

The apothecary granny was at her usual spot. She was messing with some shady liquid on her lab table.

Clearly not a legit potion—but somehow, I trusted her.

“I’ve got a favor to ask.”

I swung my backpack to the front and imagined what I needed. I placed the item on her table.

The old lady’s eyes widened in surprise.

“…What’s this hand?”

“It’s from a Striped Goblin.”

“Striped Goblin? I’ve never heard of such a monster! Don’t make stuff up.”

Despite saying that, the apothecary nervously touched the Demon King’s hand.

“This cut here… what is it?”

“An eyelid. Open it, and you’ll see a red eye.”

“Seriously?”

She carefully pried it open with her fingers—and sure enough, a glowing red eye looked back.

“I want you to take that red eye out of the hand and preserve it. Keep it from rotting. Stuff like that… isn’t it more your field than the material shops?”

Her eyes glittered strangely.

“Well, yeah. I can do that. But it’ll cost you. And I’ll be keeping the hand. If that’s alright, I’ll take the job.”

So she wants the hand. Weird old hag.

“Fine. That works. How much?”

I paid her whatever price she named, left the Demon King’s hand, and exited the shop.

Finally—I returned to the Snake’s Nest and collapsed into a deep, muddy sleep.