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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Dark Fantasy Hero is Possessed by a Romance Fantasy (2)
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* * *
Zeke stared blankly at the timid figure huddled before him, her head bowed low.
Her silvery hair, shimmering like waves, cascaded down to her chest, adorned with a hairpin shaped like a violet.
Her eyes were the color of a clear sky, a demure beauty mark resting just beside one of them.
Her large chest drew the eye.
Though she seemed a bit dim-witted, muttering something with her shoulders hunched, she was beautiful enough to make anyone turn their head on the street.
She somehow reminded him of a frightened rabbit.
"I'm sorry for misunderstanding…"
"You already said that."
"…Still…!"
Beautiful as the girl was, Zeke crossed his arms and lost interest in her.
'Why did I have to go and post that comment!'
He'd only just been transmigrated.
His mind was a mess.
The last thing he wanted was to be bothered by some pretty stray he'd happened to pick up.
Just thinking about the bleak future that lay ahead was enough to overload his brain.
"Um, but the others…"
"There was no one."
"What!?"
"It seems they abandoned you and fled."
The girl covered her mouth with her hand, looking utterly shocked.
The luxurious carriage the coachman had found was already a wreck.
The inside was empty, and there were tracks nearby indicating someone had fled on horseback.
'They probably used her as bait and bolted the moment she was captured and knocked out… A stray, just as I thought.'
"H-how could they."
"That's just how people are. Their own lives come first."
"Those people… Ciella… They wouldn't do that…"
The girl clenched her small fists, a sense of betrayal washing over her.
But she quickly identified her priorities and bowed her head.
He hadn't expected it from her pathetic demeanor, but she had a surprising amount of grit.
"My apologies for the late introduction. I am indebted to you in a way I can never repay. If it's not too much trouble, may I know your esteemed name?"
"Kim… damn it. No, it's Zeke Kleiman."
"Why… why did you curse…?"
"Ah, I wasn't cursing at you. Don't mind me."
Damn it all. Zeke bit his lip even as he said his name.
'Zeke Kleiman.'
It was the name he'd been called countless times in the dark fantasy world where he was first summoned.
Mostly by the enemies he'd cut down, their voices filled with hatred in their final moments.
But for some reason, even in this romance fantasy world that had nothing to do with his past, his name was still Zeke Kleiman.
He thought he had left that name behind for good, but it had followed him here to torment him.
'Did those demon bastards put a curse on me? Or was it those angel pigeon-shits? Do I need to resurrect them just to turn them into mincemeat one more time?'
As he ground his teeth, lost in memories, the girl in front of him introduced herself.
"Sir Zeke Kleiman. I am the daughter of the Johaiden ducal family. My name is Serena Johaiden."
"That name means nothing to me."
"Huh?"
"I said, I don't know it."
Serena seemed deeply shocked by his words, but it was the truth.
How much could he possibly know about the setting of a novel he'd only casually read?
He'd been following seven romance fantasy novels at the same time, no less.
As a result, in Zeke's mind, they all blurred together.
"Th-then, could you tell me where we are headed…?"
"Ramieli Academy."
"!"
"If I may ask, for what purpose are you going there…?"
"…Swordsmanship instructor."
At his words, Serena's eyes grew wide as saucers.
At the same time, the corners of her lips curved up slightly.
"What a coincidence! I'm also enrolling in Ramieli Academy this year! I even applied to the Knight Division!"
"Is that so."
"I look forward to being in your care."
This time, she placed a hand over her chest and bowed respectfully in the manner of a noble.
'So what?'
*
After thanking Zeke, Serena examined her body.
Her arm and shoulder were tightly wrapped in cloth. The moderate pressure felt comfortable.
'He wrapped it so meticulously… Huh? But my sword! Where's my sword!?'
Serena panicked when she realized the sword that had been firmly tied to her waist when she left the duchy was gone.
She immediately asked Zeke.
"Um, do you happen to know where my sword is…?"
"The coachman took it and put it in the luggage compartment."
"Ah… Phew, thank you. It's something I'm quite fond of."
Serena let out a sigh of relief.
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence once again filled the carriage.
She had never felt so small in her life.
The daughter of the Johaiden Duchy.
A duke, a rank second only to the Emperor.
Of course, there was a grand duke, but he had no interest in politics.
Because of this, everyone she had ever met had always shown interest in her, whether for her looks, her wealth, or her power.
'He's the first person to treat me so coldly.'
But the man who called himself a swordsmanship instructor, even after saving her, simply sat with his arms crossed, an indifferent look on his face as if he had no such expectations.
'But… is this my type…?'
Serena found herself studying his face, then quickly shook her head as her cheeks began to flush.
In any case, she was the daughter of the Johaiden Duchy, one of the three great noble families of the Empire.
If she received the gift of life and offered nothing in return, she would be tarnishing the Johaiden name.
The proper course of action was to ask first and then offer compensation.
Though Zeke's cold demeanor made her shrink, she mustered her courage and spoke.
"Uhm… Sir Zeke. Is there… by any chance, anything you want from me?"
"No."
A refusal as firm as his aura.
Serena frowned.
"Why not? There might be something I can help you with."
"You? Why?"
"Because you saved me."
Zeke scoffed inwardly.
'Don't make me laugh.'
Truthfully, in a situation like this, accepting help from Serena, who knew the area well, might be the wise choice.
But he was a former hero from a dark fantasy world devoid of dreams and hope.
Did she think no one had ever approached him like this in the past?
People who approached him claiming they wanted to repay him for his help.
He'd trusted people so easily, only to be stabbed in the back more times than he could count.
Having lived in such a hardcore world, his expectations for humanity had naturally vanished.
Though he was a former hero of sorts and had saved her on a whim, Zeke had no intention of getting any more involved with her.
"I am in your debt, Instructor."
"Consider it paid. Isn't that better for you?"
"No. I am the daughter of the Johaiden Duchy. I cannot simply accept one-sided help."
'This stray is being incredibly annoying. She's probably just sizing me up to see if she can use me.'
Zeke shook his head, an irritated look on his face.
'Why is he refusing so strongly?'
Serena was beyond baffled; she was dumbfounded.
It wasn't like she was offering to help for no reason. She was trying to repay him for saving her life, yet Zeke acted as if he'd just seen something incredibly bothersome.
At this point, she was getting stubborn. Serena pressed her lips together firmly.
'I will repay this debt, no matter what!'
* * *
Time passed, and night fell.
They had been riding all day, but they were still more than a week away from the capital.
Zeke and Serena stopped on the road, lit a campfire, and had a simple meal.
'He uses such small utensils. Are all soldiers like that?'
Serena looked around for a nearby village.
But this place was a barren plain, with nothing but distant mountains and trees in sight.
"Um, Sir Zeke. About sleeping…"
"I'll sleep in the carriage."
"T-together!?"
"We'll just be sleeping."
"..."
Serena's eyes filled with suspicion.
Zeke noticed, but there was nothing he could do.
He had no money. None.
He regretted taking off the ring and throwing it away in a fit of denial earlier.
It had certainly looked quite valuable!
All he had on him now was a mere 50 silver.
Worse, with Serena joining them, he had another mouth to feed. Thinking about the journey ahead, they could only afford to stop in towns for simple meals and water to barely make it.
'Hah, I bet that general who took my money is having a feast. That damn woman.'
Zeke recalled the image of the female general who had been smiling brightly when he first transmigrated.
Of course, it wasn't technically his money, but shouldn't a starter pack be standard when you get transmigrated?
For a sweet romance fantasy world, its conscience was apocalyptic.
It would have been one thing if he never had it, but the thought of having that money snatched away made Zeke grind his teeth.
After they finished their meal, a yawn threatened to escape Zeke's lips, but his disciplined body wouldn't allow it.
Only after the sun had set did Zeke finally feel his eyelids start to grow heavy.
'It must be because the mana is so thin here…'
When Zeke killed the goblins during the day, he had drawn on his mana reserves with the abandon of his dark fantasy habits.
But because the mana here was so scarce, his body was now filled with fatigue.
"Anyway, I'm turning in. You do as you please."
With that, Zeke squeezed himself into the cramped carriage.
The coachman had already dismounted and was lying down, using his horse as a pillow.
Left alone outside, Serena hugged her knees and stared at the campfire, trying to sort through her complicated thoughts.
'S-sharing a bed! I'm a student, and you're a teacher!'
She wondered if he had a personality problem, but that didn't seem right either.
He just seemed to have a naturally cold and indifferent disposition.
On top of that, he was so ignorant of the world that he didn't even know of the Johaiden Duchy, one of the three great noble families of the Empire.
'I mean, it's not like he's from another world, so how could he not know?'
It was a direct hit, but she shook her head.
'But to be appointed as an instructor at Ramieli Academy means he must possess incredible swordsmanship skills.'
Ramieli Academy was where the Empire's greatest talents gathered.
Its faculty was anything but ordinary.
They would have surely selected a swordsman of proven skill.
'Ah, could it be… is he the type of person who's obsessed only with the sword?'
As that thought occurred to her, his ignorant and cold demeanor transformed in her mind into that of a reclusive master, someone so engrossed in the sword for so long that he had forgotten how to interact with the world.
"And his age… he looks young. Almost my age…"
At first, he had the face of a vicious rapist, but when she had objectively observed his face in the carriage, she found his jet-black hair and fierce eyes were to her liking.
And the way he rejected her was a new and refreshing experience.
"Black hair, black eyes…!!! Ah! A Northern Noble! How could I not have realized! That's it! That would explain everything. He has no interest in the capital or noble families…"
She let her fantasies about the North run wild in her mind.
They were called the Sword of the Empire, fending off the monsters that descended from the south with their black hair and black eyes.
They were cold and dispassionate, uncompromising when it came to the sword.
But this was the first time she had ever seen one in person, so she hadn't recognized him right away.
Come to think of it, a coincidence like this was unheard of.
No, perhaps this meeting wasn't a mere coincidence at all.
Serena had always admired the stories of the North, who called themselves the Sword of the Empire.
But her father, who doted on his youngest daughter, had forbidden her from ever holding a sword.
However, as is often the case, being told not to do something only makes you want to do it more.
The small ember of passion she had for the sword, which she might not have otherwise cared for, grew and blazed hotter the more it was suppressed.
This was the time when she should have been getting engaged and slowly preparing for marriage.
Instead, she had secretly run away from the Johaiden Duchy.
She had already sent people ahead to handle the enrollment procedures and living arrangements, so all she had to do was show up.
And it was on her way to the academy's entrance ceremony that her carriage was attacked by goblins hiding along the road.
For the man who appeared then and saved her to be a swordsmanship instructor from a Northern Noble family…
The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in Serena's mind.
Wasn't this first meeting practically the opening scene of one of *those* novels, the kind she secretly read at dawn without her parents knowing?
"N-no way…! Is he waiting inside for me to come in right now…? Saying he doesn't need money, that I should repay him with my body…?"
Serena glanced at the carriage.
"He said we'd just be sleeping, but… they say all men say that… If I go in there… will I become a woman…? N-no! Get a hold of yourself, Serena! You are the daughter of the Johaiden Duchy!"
Serena shook her head vigorously, her feelings in turmoil.
She sat there all night, her face flushed beet red, her mind filled with thoughts of a risqué turn of events.
Eventually, she saw the sun rising in the distance.
The campfire had already died out.
"C-cold."
A chilly dawn breeze blew past. Her body shivered.
Finally unable to bear the cold, Serena reluctantly approached the carriage.
'N-no, it's too soon for us. Let's think about this a little more slowly… But he's a noble who knows honor, so he'll accept my refusal. Stay sharp! You have to refuse him properly!'
*Creek*
With a trembling hand, she opened the carriage door.
*Thump, thump.*