The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

As soon as I regained consciousness...

"..."

I opened my eyes.

And what greeted me was an unfamiliar wooden ceiling.

"Ugh... I passed out again, huh..."

I mumbled. That made it twice today.

I sat up and touched my head.

"Hmm..."

There was a soft cloth bandaged around it. It looked like I'd been nursed.

I glanced around to scan my surroundings...

It appeared that I was in a room with nothing but a bed. The walls were made of wood, and there was a single window leading outside.

Looking through that window...

I realized it was already nighttime.

Creak—

The door then opened.

And upon looking in its direction, I saw the old man from before entering the room with a bowl in his hand.

And soon enough...

"Oh..."

He saw me too.

I saw a hint of relief on his face.

But it only lasted for a second! His face immediately turned grumpy afterward!

He walked toward me, and then...

"Here, eat."

He handed me the bowl he was holding with an annoyed expression on his face.

"..."

Taking the bowl from him, I smiled.

"Thank you."

I was so hungry from missing lunch again that I immediately started eating.

In the bowl was a rabbit stew. A simple dish, but it tasted superb at that moment.

I was really grateful.

Sluuuurrp—

As I enjoyed the stew...

"Slow down, I ain't taking it away from you."

The old man scolded me.

It made me stop eating.

"..."

Not because of what he said, but because I remembered something from the game.

I turned to the old man.

"What?"

He asked, looking annoyed.

"How about you?"

Then I asked him.

"Bah! I've already eaten."

The old man answered.

"..."

But I knew the truth—he hadn't.

This old man lived alone in this small cabin, hunting wild animals to feed himself. But I'd gotten caught in one of his traps earlier and passed out, so he had carried me all the way back here and nursed me.

In other words, he hadn't been able to hunt today. And even if he had, he couldn't have brought it back with him because he was carrying me.

So, what I was eating right now...

'Is probably the last provision he has.'

I bet he's starving at the moment.

Realizing this...

'Fuck.'

I cursed at myself for forgetting.

In the game...

I encountered this old man in one of my playthroughs.

I was searching for wild herbs in the far northern part of the academy, the same forest I was in earlier, but deeper in.

Then I got ganged up on by monsters in the area and almost died.

I escaped toward the western part of the forest, which was safer.

And while running...

Boom!

I got caught in a trap, the same trap that caught me today.

And just like before, the old man saw me, brought me back to his cabin, nursed me...

'And cooked his last bit of meat to feed my character, the protagonist.'

I knew this because I was seeing the story from both of their perspectives. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have noticed, just like the protagonist didn't.

So looking at the old man again...

"..."

Guilt overwhelmed me.

"The stew's gonna get cold, you know."

He said, urging me to eat.

He looked annoyed, but I knew he was kind, just like in the game. He always acted grumpy, but deep down, he was a good guy.

And knowing this, I smiled.

"What are you smiling at? Did you hit your head that hard?"

The old man asked, frowning.

"Ah, no..."

I shook my head.

"Then what is it?"

And with a smile on my face...

"It's just that... you don't have to feel guilty."

I told him that.

In the game, it was revealed that the old man felt guilty because his trap hurt a student... The protagonist.

That's why he readily gave everything to make up for it, including his last meal.

But this time, I'd orchestrated everything...

I deliberately walked into his trap, hoping to trigger his sub quest.

So, if anything...

'I should be the one feeling guilty.'

...

"Huh?"

The old man looked taken aback by my words.

And before he could even respond...

"I'm at fault too. I wasn't being careful in the forest."

"In fact, I'm thankful to you for carrying me to safety and nursing me instead of leaving me behind."

"And now you're even feeding me."

I pointed out everything he had done for me already.

And finally...

"Thank you very much."

I thanked him sincerely.

"Gugh..."

The old man was flustered.

He didn't know how to react.

"Whatever! Just finish your food!"

He said, turning his back to me.

"I've got something else to do. Rest and get well."

He added before walking away.

And before leaving the room...

"Your bags are under the bed. I didn't touch them."

He told me that.

Tomp—

Then he closed the door.

"Hmm..."

I reached under the bed and my bags are indeed there. So, I grabbed them.

I knew nothing was missing. The old man wasn't that kind of a guy.

'He probably didn't even peek inside.'

I thought.

Then looking at the bowl of rabbit stew on my lap...

"I should finish this. He worked hard to give it to me."

I continued eating.

For some reason, it tasted even better than before...

...

*****

After finishing the stew...

"I'm good now."

I felt better.

So, now...

"It's time to pay the old man back."

I have packed food in my bags. I bought it on my way to the forest since I didn't want a repeat of what happened earlier in the morning.

The reason I hadn't eaten lunch was to satisfy the condition for meeting the old man.

Anyway...

I took out some smoked beef. Kyle had given it to me before we parted ways. It was tightly packed with special paper so it wouldn't spoil during the day.

I also took out a bottle of orange juice I'd bought earlier.

And with that...

"Old man, you there?"

I called outside.

"What do you want?"

He answered immediately.

His voice sounded weak and dry...

It made me frown, so without further ado...

"I'm still pretty hungry. Come join me for seconds."

I invited him to eat with me.

"What?"

The old man genuinely sounded confused at my suggestion.

Creak—

But when he entered the room and saw what I was holding...

"...!"

His eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"Let's heat up the smoked beef and eat together."

I said with a smile.

...

*****

The old man heated the smoked beef outside the cabin alone, saying I needed to rest.

I told him I was fine, but he insisted, so I just let him...

And it didn't take long for him to return with the heated meat.

And as soon as everything's ready...

"Don't be embarrassed, old man. Eat your fill."

"Shut up!"

We started eating.

We were sitting on the floor since the room had no furniture except the bed.

And while we're eating...

"Why were you in the forest alone, anyway?"

The old man asked me a question.

This made me smile.

'Here comes the sub quest.'

I thought.

"It's a pretty long story."

Then I answered.

"Well, better start talking now, then."

The old man followed, showing his willingness to listen to me.

So with a small smile on my face, I started telling him everything.

From the moment I got disowned... Till to why I was in the forest.

I said I was thinking of camping in the forest for the night because I have nowhere to stay. I can't just say I was looking for him.

Of course, I left out unnecessary details, like Raye's reputation and the fact that I wasn't actually Raye.

He doesn't need to know such things.

And so, we talked while we ate...

...

...

"That's all."

I said after finishing my story. I was kinda relieved telling someone what had happened to me.

We also just finished our meals too...

"..."

The old man is just looking at me, silent.

But I could tell he's pitying me.

Then soon enough...

"You can stay here."

He told me that.

And before I could respond...

"I live alone. My room is on the other side of the cabin. No one uses this room, that's why it's empty."

He continued.

"If you've got nowhere to go, stay here."

I knew this was part of the sub quest, but hearing his words...

"Really...?"

Made me tear up a little.

"Can I really?"

I asked again.

And the old man just nodded his head in response.

"Thank you."

I thanked him.

"Really..."

"Thank you..."

Again and again.

Several times, just like Kyle had thanked me.

Until the old man got really annoyed at me.

...

After all of that...

The old man and I cleaned up the dishes we used. Then he left for his own room.

And with nothing else to do, I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes.

'Thank you.'

I thanked the old man one more time...

"..."

And then I fell asleep.

*****

The next morning...

"Hey, brat! Wake up!"

I heard the old man shouting.

"Ugh..."

I immediately got up and fixed the bed.

Then after that, I stepped outside the cabin.

And as soon as I did, before I could say or do anything...

"Chop some wood!"

The old man shouted again.

"If you're gonna stay here, you've gotta do what I do!"

"I don't want to feed a parasite. So, get to work!"

He added.

And right after that...

Swoosh—

=====

Indefinite Sub Quest: Want a Place to Stay? Do as I Say!

Conditions: Do your chores!

Rewards: EXP

=====

The sub quest I had been waiting for finally appeared.