Chapter 105

(Harold’s POV)

“That sword, can you lend it to me?”

Cody had made that request despite knowing the sword absorbed the user’s magic power and shortened their lifespan. While Harold had his doubts about the sword’s true powers, he had no doubt that it was dangerous enough to be called a demon or devil sword. Naturally, he couldn’t simply hand it over.

Although he used it as little as possible due to the risks, this weapon was still his lifeline in certain situations. More importantly, lending this sword to Cody without knowing his intentions was worrying in more ways than one.

For all these reasons, Harold intended to refuse.

But that was before he heard of a certain man who might be saved by the sword.

–

Three days had passed since Vincent’s departure.

Harold was currently in a rural town, the town where the man Cody had mentioned lived.

Harold had previously claimed to be too busy, with something urgent to attend to, and yet here he was. The words he’d spoken then now seemed rather half-hearted, but the reason he came here was the chance of some benefit. The route from this town to his original destination wasn’t a significant detour, and Frieri would act on their own the second he contacted them.

So stopping here to take advantage of an opportunity wasn’t a loss.

(…To think I’m calling this an opportunity. I’ve certainly come a long way.)

Harold felt a pang of disgust at that thought, considering the life of a human being at stake.

However, the final stage of the original story was drawing near. In other words, the day of the original Harold’s death was approaching. To be honest, his concern for those around him was about to reach its limit.

No matter how he tried to rationalize it, his own life still mattered. So, though he felt bad about it, he wanted to be a bit selfish now.

【”…Especially now that I’ve come this far.”】

Harold unintentionally said it aloud, though under his breath.

For the past eight years, he’d done many things just to survive. He’d saved some people along the way, but Harold himself had no such noble goals.

He was an ordinary person in every respect. While his body and abilities were extraordinary, it was a mistake to assume he was a hero. If he had that kind of ideology, he wouldn’t be able to act decisively when faced with conflict or dilemmas.

The ones who were going to save the world were Liner and his party, not anyone else. It was fine for Harold to cooperate from the shadows, prioritizing his own safety.

That was the perfect position for him.

【”You came far from what?”】

【”…I wasn’t talking to you. Instead of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, tell me where the man brainwashed by Justus is.”】

Harold changed the subject, ignoring Cody’s question, who had heard his mutterings thanks to his keen hearing.

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say Harold returned to the main topic. But to be precise, the man being brainwashed was not a certainty, it had yet to be confirmed.

【”We’re almost there. It’s right around the corner.”】

The place Harold was led to was a rented house, the kind you find anywhere.

The exterior drywall had been patched numerous times, and the poorly maintained windows were almost opaque, making the whole house seem dilapidated.

Cody knocked on the front door. There was no knocker, so he used his bare hands. The repeated thudding of his fist against the door was strange, almost like a horror movie scene, though Harold felt a twinge of guilt for thinking that way.

【”…Who’s there?”】

The door opened with a childish voice, followed by a little girl of about ten.

For a child her age, her cheeks were a little thin, and her limbs were too slender, almost like wooden branches protruding from her dress. Her health seemed concerning.

【”Sarah, it’s been a while. Do you remember me?”】

【”Y-yes… You are Mister Cody, right?”】

【”That’s right, I’m your papa’s friend. And the man with the scary face over here is my friend.”】

Although Harold wanted to object to being introduced as “the man with the scary face,” he couldn’t deny that his face did suggest a bad mood, and according to the game’s settings, his current height was 1.81 meters (6′). He definitely looked intimidating to the girl called Sarah.

Moreover, due to his mouth issues, Harold had to silently accept this introduction. The girl was already nervous, and he didn’t want to make her more afraid.

【”Is your mother here?”】

【”She’s at work now…”】

【”Is that so? Then, when do you think she’ll be back?”】

【”….I don’t know. She always comes back late at night.”】

For some reason, the exchange between Cody and Sarah made Harold recall his own childhood.

Both his parents worked, and as their only child, Kazuki was a latchkey kid. Whenever he returned home after playing with friends or school, he was often alone. There was a deserted atmosphere to his house, especially in winter.

However, there were hardly any days when his parents didn’t eventually return later, and he was free to do as he pleased until then, so he didn’t feel particularly lonely.

Thinking about it now, the reason he felt that way was that his parents had always showered him with love. As he thought about this, a strong desire to see his parents’ faces arose in Harold’s heart.

(Will I be able to survive until the game’s end and return to my world?)

For now, he hadn’t figured out a way to go back.

【”Hey, Harold.”】

After a brief lapse in consciousness, Harold refocused.

【”What?”】

【”Come in.”】

It seemed Cody had entered the house while Harold was lost in thought.

Since Sarah was still afraid of him, Harold wondered if this was really okay. From his modern perspective, he felt like this scene should be reported to the authorities.

【”You want to get this done right away?”】

【”No, that would be too much. We need to explain things to his wife first and get her permission.”】

(Seriously?)

Although Harold could agree with this reasoning, it meant he and Cody would have to wait inside the house until Sarah’s mother returned.

(No matter the circumstances, aren’t we going to be a nuisance just by staying here?)

This felt wrong to Harold, but for now, he was still drawn in by Cody and ended up entering.

And as expected, the inside of the house felt desolate.

【”Sister, who is this?”】

【”They’re papa’s friends, Mihai.”】

As they passed the living room, a boy of about four or five appeared.

Mihai had the same brown eyes as his sister Sarah, and like her, he was too thin. From this and the state of the house, it was clear that this family’s economic situation was very difficult.

When Harold thought about it, their father, Finnegan, had been the pillar of the family, but he had lost his mind and retired from the knight order. Since his condition hadn’t improved, he was confined to bed, and there was no way he could work. Thus, the only one left to care for the two children and their bedridden father was his wife.

(This is even worse than Clara’s situation used to be….)

The mother worked late every night, and judging by the children’s condition, all that work wasn’t enough to feed them properly. Even the mother probably couldn’t afford a decent meal.

Seeing poverty firsthand was a bitter experience.

【”Their father… Finnegan, where is he?”】

To occupy his mind, Harold decided to check on Finnegan’s condition.

Although he was speaking to Cody, the answer came from another direction.

【”Papa’s room is this way.”】

Mihai approached Harold’s feet and tugged at his coat. Perhaps it was because Mihai was naturally friendly, or maybe he’d dropped his wariness after hearing these people were his father’s friends. Either way, Harold didn’t expect this response when he asked about Finnegan’s location.

Sarah let out a small “Ah.” She likely thought Mihai had been rude. Well, his hand certainly couldn’t be called clean. If he had done this to Harold’s father, Hayden, he would have been executed on the spot.

【”Take me there.”】

【”Yes.”】

Harold had no intention of doing such a thing, so he openly allowed Mihai to lead him. The house was small, so a guide wasn’t really necessary. After leaving the living room, they took a narrow passage, and it took less than ten seconds to reach Finnegan’s room.

At first, Mihai tried knocking, but getting no response, he silently opened the door.

The room was dimly lit: weak sunlight filtering through a single window illuminated a bed where someone lay. Likely Finnegan.

【”Papa, your friends are here.”】

Mihai called out to his father, standing by his bedside.

However, Finnegan showed no reaction. He stared at the ceiling with vacant eyes, doing nothing but blinking occasionally. Even so, Mihai kept calling out to him, shaking him with both hands. This scene struck Harold’s heart harder than the sight of the siblings’ poverty.

The kid looked like he was about to cry.

【”It’s okay.”】

Unable to bear watching Mihai call out to his father, Harold gently stroked his head. Mihai looked up at Harold, showing confusion.

The child’s pure eyes reminded Harold of his younger half-brother, Huey.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Harold’s mind.

(Could it be that Huey will share the same fate?)

Assuming Justus would be defeated, that wouldn’t change the fact that the Stokes family had been oppressing the people of their territory. Based on the original story, this past tyranny was going to bring the Stokes family down from their aristocratic status.

If that happened, what would become of Huey and his mother, Dorothy? In the past, after Dorothy’s family’s business failed, they had sold their noble title and become commoners. As a former noble, Dorothy had been used as a bargaining chip, becoming a concubine to help her family regain their peerage through the Stokes family’s help, but from what Harold had heard, they were apparently nobles only in name now, and the territory they had obtained was insignificant.

Considering all that, it was hard to imagine the mother and son would live comfortably. Harold had made arrangements for the Sumeragi family to intervene in the Stokes territory’s management, but they would only focus on the territory as a whole to prevent administrative disorder. They wouldn’t help with individual living standards.

【”What’s wrong?”】

【”…Nothing.”】

But that didn’t mean Harold’s actions here had any deep meaning. It wasn’t like he was trying to atone for anything. Huey and Mihai were completely different people.

It was just that someone within his reach was suffering, so it was natural for him to want to help, wasn’t it?

【”I’m going out for a bit. As for you, Cody, you’re free to play babysitter.”】

◇

(Cody’s POV)

【”Did we upset him…?”】

Sarah asked Cody, confused as she watched Harold leave. Though flustered, muttering that maybe Mihai had been rude, the truth was Harold probably wasn’t even angry.

Well, even Cody had to admit that, to those who didn’t know him, Harold always seemed in a bad mood.

【”It’s fine, it’s fine. Harold might not look like it, but he’s a good guy.”】

【”R-really?”】

Sarah’s face looked like she’d heard something unbelievable. Cody, on the contrary, found the idea of Harold getting angry at a child unimaginable. Harold did have a sharp tongue, but that didn’t mean he had a bad temper… In fact, it was quite hard to anger him, as far as Cody could tell.

【”Yeah, you really don’t have to worry so much.”】

Cody made his words as clear as possible. He had a rough idea why Harold had left. It was to do something Cody had also considered without prompting, and would likely have done himself.

In his heart, Cody felt sorry for not doing it, but he felt this was a good opportunity to change Sarah’s image of Harold. So he concluded his role was to support Harold’s actions with words rather than intervene personally.

Of course, he was aware he was basically washing his hands of the matter, but his answer to such a claim would be: “So what?”. That was the kind of man Cody Luzial was.

An hour later, while Cody was getting friendlier with the siblings, Harold returned.

He was holding a large paper bag.

Inside was a large amount of food, just as Cody had predicted. However, what he hadn’t expected was that Harold had brought raw ingredients instead of cooked food.

【”Wait, you’re going to cook?”】

【”Obviously.”】

【”I thought you’d buy something ready-to-eat so they could eat right away.”】

【”You want me to abruptly feed malnourished people that kind of food? You’re a hare-brained fool.”】

【”…I didn’t think things through, my bad…”】

Though Cody exaggeratedly bowed, Harold completely ignored him. He probably felt it would be too much trouble to respond.

However, now Cody thought about it, the pre-cooked food sold in shops often had heavy flavors. A healthy person wouldn’t notice, but for these children whose meals were usually lacking, eating such food suddenly could be too much of a stimulus.

Especially since Mihai was only four. They had to be careful.

(As expected, single men like me are no good with these things… Wait, Harold is single too, isn’t he?)

Ultimately, the difference was that one considered the implications and the other didn’t. Harold did have a fiancée, so Cody figured that counted for something.

While Cody wallowed in self-pity, Harold took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and used magic to light the kitchen stove. Sarah and Mihai cheered in surprise.

Casually placing a pot of water on the stove to boil, Harold also washed some vegetables in a wooden bucket. He seemed quite skilled.

Aside from his cynicism, Harold was already a perfect man, and now he apparently knew how to cook too.

【”Anything I can do to help?”】

【”Can you cook?”】

【”…Can you not make me spell it out and guess just this once?”】

【”You’re useless.”】

Harold’s words were brutally direct. But Cody had nothing to say in response.

While they were talking, Harold had peeled and chopped the vegetables.

【”E-excuse me….”】

Sarah found the courage to speak.

【”What?”】

【”P-please let me help… I know how to chop vegetables…”】

【”I have no need for your help.”】

【”B-b-but I….”】

【”Go clean up your brother instead. And use this.”】

Harold took a bar of soap from the bag, packaged in a wooden box. It was an expensive item, likely favored by aristocrats.

Sarah was young but still a girl; she probably wanted to look presentable. Cody didn’t know if Harold had thought that far, but that would explain the soap.

【”T-this is a very precious item….”】

【”It was only a few coins. While you’re at it, clean yourselves up. I don’t want your dirty hands touching my homemade food.”】

Though typically harsh, Harold’s words showed some consideration for Sarah’s desire to look presentable. After all, who wouldn’t want to look clean?

Perhaps understanding Harold’s words, Sarah bowed deeply with a “Thank you very much!” and took Mihai to the bathroom.

After watching this, Cody spoke to Harold, still in the kitchen.

【”You popular guys sure have your ways.”】

【”Look, there’s no way I’m going to feed a man who does less work than livestock. You better go chop some wood if you don’t want poison in your plate.”】

【”Yessir~!”】

Though Harold was again harsh, Cody rushed outside without complaint and grabbed an axe.