The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

“Did you order large-caliber Marmaros rounds? Is there really a need for something like that?”

Alice’s expression looked quite serious.

“I just made them in case I might need them someday.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the day would come when I’d actually use them. But, I thought it might be a good idea to prepare them just in case. If the day comes when I’m back on the battlefield, I might need such special ammunition.

However, Alice seemed most concerned about the fact that *I* was the one who ordered them.

Given how I’ve been acting lately—almost as though I can foresee the future—it's understandable for her to think that I was preparing for something that was *definitely* going to happen.

“I don’t anticipate every future event. I just prepare for any situation because I never know what will happen in the future,” I explained.

At least, the special rounds would come in handy when fighting the massive summoned beasts in the later parts of the story. They might even be useful against creatures like Gryphons.

“...”

Alice didn’t seem to have a response to that but it didn’t seem like she had completely dismissed her doubts.

By the time we returned to the hotel, it was almost lunchtime.

The shopkeeper, not wanting to lose a customer like me, had contacted the company that makes the rounds and confirmed whether they could make custom rounds. They even promised to deliver them if they couldn’t finish them during my stay, so I had signed the necessary papers and checks.

The premium Marmaros rounds were as expensive as precious gems or even more, so I had to take out a one-time insurance for them.

Money was no problem since the royal family was covering it.

“But don’t you think you could just hunt something like a rhino with a sword?”

“...”

Hearing Leo mutter this, I began to understand why Sophia had looked so bedraggled.

Even if it's the same swordsmanship, fighting a person and a beast are different. Even though Leo had lost to Sophia in part two of the story, it was unlikely that the fight would have been anything like hunting a rhino.

Moreover, the main characters, including Leo, hadn’t been in the best mental state at that time either.

“You’re using a gun, not a sword.”

Claire patted Leo on the back as she spoke.

Well, that’s true.

No matter how much I swung a sword, I’d never match those two in skill.

I could only hope that my abilities wouldn’t end up dragging these kids down later.

“Hmm.”

Charlotte, who had been walking silently and listening to our conversation, suddenly spoke up.

“What is it?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. It’s just that Jake and Roti are over there.”

Charlotte’s expression wasn’t exactly bright when she said that.

It wasn’t just Charlotte. Alice, Leo, and Claire were all the same. Everyone remembered what had happened yesterday.

“What happened yesterday?”

Noticing the tension, Rena asked.

“Well, that’s...”

Alice opened her mouth to answer Rena but closed it again almost immediately. It was understandable.

Though stories about commoners and illegitimate children were often whispered around, it wasn’t exactly proper to speak that way about a friend.

Moreover, Roti’s mother wasn’t just a commoner. She was a native of a colony, so even just mentioning that fact could be seen as an ‘insult’ in some way.

“...”

Seeing Alice’s expression, Rena didn’t ask any further questions.

“Well, we can’t just ignore it.”

Claire was the first to speak up.

“...That’s true. We go to the same school, and Jake’s her friend.”

As soon as Leo said that, all eyes, including mine and Rena’s, were on him.

“What? What? Did I say something weird...?”

“Ugh.”

Claire let out a loud sigh, clearly directed at Leo.

It seemed that, in this group, Leo was the only one who didn’t realize that Jake had romantic feelings for Roti.

In the original story, Jake didn’t notice the attention directed at him either, so it wasn’t that surprising.

While I was wondering whether it would go against my character to pat Leo on the shoulder,

“Hey!”

From the other side, Jake spotted us first.

We couldn’t ignore Jake, who was waving at us with a big grin, so we all gathered and walked toward him and Roti.

“Where have you all been?”

“We stopped by a weapon shop to see what kinds of weapons are available for use here.”

“Ah...”

Jake’s expression grew a little subtle.

“Aren’t most of them for hunting? If you’re as skilled as you are, you could probably hunt without those, right?”

Oh.

It seemed like Jake wasn’t too comfortable with the idea of hunting elephants or rhinos.

Was that the case in the original story as well?

Now that I thought about it, Jake wasn’t even part of the party in this episode in the original.

He didn’t seem like an environmentalist or someone who would avoid meat, though... I decided to keep this thought at the back of my mind.

“The rounds are big, so I came up with several ways to use them. I’ve ordered a few custom rounds.”

“Really...?”

Jake shrugged his shoulders.

“If you’ve decided that, they must be useful. Oh, and why don’t you sit down instead of standing there? We’d need a couple of tables to fit everyone, but still.”

“I’m not sure if I’m interrupting your time.”

Roti’s face didn’t show any signs of annoyance, but then again, it was no surprise since Roti was skilled at hiding her expressions.

“You’re welcome to stay.”

I wondered if the fact that Rena was with us made it easier to leave out the part about ‘what happened yesterday.’

We exchanged glances before we carefully took our seats... I ended up sitting at the same table as Jake and Roti, along with Rena.

...What is this? It wasn’t like anyone assigned us to sit there, but I could tell Rena had been following me a bit more lately. I didn’t expect her to sit so boldly at the same table.

But then again, since the others had gone to another table, it probably felt more natural this way.

“Do you do this often?” Rena asked.

“Of course,” Jake replied with a smile. “We’ve been like this since we were kids.”

“...”

Roti didn’t say a word.

“Are you childhood friends?” Rena asked.

“Oh?”

Jake looked surprised by Rena’s question.

I didn’t recall Rena having spoken directly to Jake before, but perhaps it was because I was sitting next to her, or maybe it was part of her trying to imitate me.

At least, unlike Mia Crowfield, Rena didn’t seem shy about starting conversations. She asked her questions without hesitation, and she didn’t stutter.

...Maybe she just didn’t feel the need to talk to others?

“Does it look that way?”

“If not, how else could a man and woman always be together?”

At those words, Roti’s shoulders flinched. Jake let out an “Oh” sound again.

Rena tilted her head as if she found the reaction strange.

“Rena Meyer, right?”

“That’s right. Please call me Meyer.”

...She really knows how to set boundaries.

“Then, Meyer,” Jake grinned and asked, “What do you think of love between commoners and nobles?”

“Why would there be any reason to think about that?”

“Isn’t it?”

I admired Rena’s boldness.

Well, maybe it wasn’t boldness, just a clean mindset. Somehow, if I asked Rena how to make babies, I felt like she’d seriously think about it and then tell me she learned it somewhere.

“Then, what about those two getting married?”

“Would it be a problem legally?”

“Hmm, not really.”

Jake thought for a moment before replying.

“Marriage itself isn’t the issue, but there might be problems about the position of the first wife.”

“...”

While listening to the conversation, Roti remained silent.

“If you marry someone from the start, is there any need to worry about a first wife?” Rena asked, tilting her head as if she didn’t quite understand.

“What’s it like in the Autonomous Country?”

“If you did that in the Autonomous Country, your wife might just kill you.”

“...”

“Pfft.”

I was at a loss for words at Rena’s comment, and Jake burst into laughter. Rena looked at him as though she found his reaction strange.

“Well, I guess I don’t want to die, so I better be careful.”

I suppose the women in the north are much stronger than I expected.

Wait, thinking about it now, that does seem like it could be true. Just look at the guide at the info desk or Jennifer.

“Then, one more question.”

Jake finally stopped laughing and, now with a more serious expression, asked, “What do you think about not being able to marry because of skin color?”

Roti’s shoulders flinched again.

“There are many people with dark skin in the north as well. Especially those in the snowy mountain bases—they get tan like fishermen from the sunlight reflected off the white snow.”

“But some people might have been born with a different skin color.”

“Skin color is different for everyone when they’re born, isn’t it?”

Rena said, sounding like she didn’t quite understand the point of the ongoing conversation.

“As you can see, Alice and Sylvia have slightly different skin colors, just as Claire and Charlotte do. Doesn’t everyone have a different skin color?”

“That’s an

interesting argument,” Jake said, but Rena frowned slightly.

“And I’ve never seen Lindbergh—”

“You can just call me Jake.”

“—Jake with ‘white’ skin.”

Roti’s mouth slightly opened in surprise.

Rena stayed silent for a moment, as though deep in thought, and then said, “Skin color might be part of someone’s preferences... but if someone falls in love with someone else and their skin color isn’t a factor, then there’s no reason to prevent the marriage.”

The more I heard about it, the more I became incredibly curious about the Autonomous Country. Was it due to their education, or had the circumstances there shaped Rena’s way of thinking? Or maybe it was just Rena’s personality?

“Skin color is something that changes easily depending on the situation, so judging someone solely by it might lead to incorrect conclusions later on.”

“Hey, I really like you.”

“...”

Upon hearing Jake’s words, Rena subtly moved her chair closer to mine.

...That last remark seemed to obviously include Jake’s skin color.

But of course, I wasn’t clueless enough to bring that up and ruin the atmosphere.