I Have a Stalker of Noble Status. And to Make Matters Worse, their Numbers are Increasing (BL) - Chapter 37

“What!? Lord Patrick, you’re a hero!?”

“Ugh… It’s not officially confirmed yet.”

As I relayed what my father had told me, Angelica and Lady Violetta gasped in unison, while Douglas looked at me with shining eyes.

I have a really bad feeling about this…

If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have made sure Douglas was in peak condition, had Angelica backing me up in full cheer mode, and done everything in my power to make him pull the sword instead!

“The reason that slime exploded… It was probably because your level is too high, Rick.”

“The slime… exploded!?”

Angelica and Lady Violetta gasped again, perfectly in sync.

…These two were surprisingly in tune with each other.

Wait—so that weird phenomenon was because of my level!?

Why is my level so high in the first place!?

Sure, I spar with Douglas regularly and occasionally leave town to gather herbs, but this is still an otome game world. Levels shouldn’t be skyrocketing like this!

“…It must be a power-up item.”

Max muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Ray and me to hear.

A power-up item…?

And then it hit me.

The Chef’s Special, huh!?!?

In the game, you could only access the Chef’s Special menu once you had gotten close enough to a love interest to be invited into the high-ranking nobles’ private lounge.

In other words, it was something only obtainable in the latter half of the story.

Yet I, Patrick, had casually started frequenting the exclusive lounge a mere week after enrolling.

And I’d been consuming those items nonstop.

I launched myself into a power-leveling speedrun without even realizing it!!

“Ughhh, what do I do, Max!?”

“Eh, it’s probably not harmful to your body. …Probably.”

“Probably!? That’s not reassuring at all!!”

“Either way, your father has already sent word to the capital. If there’s an issue, they’ll let us know. For now, let’s just wait.”

Ray ended the discussion there, and we all headed back to our rooms.

I returned to my chamber in the main manor, while the others were staying in the guest residence.

◇◇◇

I knew overthinking wouldn’t help,

But no matter how I looked at it, being labeled the Hero just made me uneasy.

Still, if we had to wait, I might as well enjoy my time back home.

The barony doesn’t have much (aside from, you know, a Final Dungeon), but there’s plenty of nature.

We could go fishing, swim in the river, or even gather rare plants and wild vegetables.

Alright! I’ll teach everyone some outdoor activities they wouldn’t know from growing up in the capital!

…So long as nothing else bizarre happens.

◇◇◇

…And of course, prayers like that tend to backfire.

I, unfortunately, was no exception.

Two weeks passed peacefully,

Just long enough for me to let my guard down and think:

“Wait… Am I actually going to make it through this vacation without incident?”

And that was exactly when the summons arrived.

“They want me to bring the Holy Sword to the royal castle…?”

“Yes. And they’ve requested you to come immediately—without delay.”

My father, holding an official letter sealed with the royal crest, delivered the news with a hesitant expression.

“That means… we’ll have to leave sooner than planned.”

Originally, we were supposed to stay another week,

But ignoring a summons from the royal family wasn’t exactly an option.

Letting out a small sigh—despite knowing it was improper—I slumped in resignation.

I’ve never even been to the royal castle before. It’s intimidating as hell.

I don’t want to be officially recognized as the Hero.

And what if this starts a dispute with all those fake ‘hero lands’ profiting off hero-related tourism!?”

Weighed down by a sense of dread, I trudged back to where everyone was.

After explaining the situation, the others looked more resigned than surprised—

They had probably expected this outcome.

Though disappointed about cutting the trip short, they all did their best to encourage me.

**”You’ll be fine, Lord Patrick! Even a commoner like me managed to handle being a Saint candidate.

Once you get used to it, the royal castle is actually quite fun!”**

Honestly, Angelica’s level of composure isn’t something a normal person can just learn.

So, she might not be the best reference point.

And so, with heartfelt farewells from my family and the people of my hometown, we prepared to depart for the royal capital the following day.

However—

The next morning, the area in front of the baron’s estate and the road leading away were completely packed with people.

It looked like every single resident had come out of their homes just to gather here.

“Wh-What’s with this crowd? Was there some kind of event today?”

“Everyone’s here to see you off, Brother.”

Cedric answered with a slightly amused smile.

Back when I first left for Edelstein Academy, a huge crowd had gathered to send me off as well.

But… isn’t this even more people than last time!?

“They all just wanted to catch a glimpse of the high-ranking nobles from the capital.”

Cedric looked a little sheepish as he explained.

Ah… I get it.

I completely understand the curiosity—

But being gawked at like an attraction makes me uncomfortable.

When I relayed the situation to the others, they all just smiled and said they didn’t mind.

Apparently, they were all used to having people gather just to look at them.

…That must be exhausting.

“Lord Patrick—!!”

“Hooray for the prodigy of Landshaf!!”

“Do your best in the capital—!!”

The people cheered as they waved excitedly at our carriage.

“Ahh! My eyes—my eyes!!”

“Look! People can be gods!!”

“So dazzling! Like a goddess!!”

Okay, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but could everyone please stop saying embarrassing things!?

While I had grown numb to this kind of beauty-overload-induced hysteria, my fellow townsfolk—who weren’t used to the radiant nobility of the capital—were completely losing it.

“Haha, the people of this barony are so lively and entertaining!”

Ray laughed as he waved warmly at the crowd, his usual princely smile on full display.

The others also waved back with bright smiles.

Thank you, everyone.

Their smiles, the crowd’s smiles—

All of them were smiling.

So, I smiled too.

Waving back at them with everything I had—

“Thank you, everyone! I’m off—!!”