If You Cheat, Just Don’t Tell Me - Chapter 19

…What the hell is with these guys? Is this place filled with nothing but idiots?

“Huh? What are you talking about, Dicca?”

Alta raised his voice in surprise at my words. From Alta’s perspective, the one who brought this matter to me. My words must have come like a bolt from the blue.

…If this were me from just a little while ago, I probably would have felt the same as Alta. Even though the situation is completely different, if someone told me I could make a fortune, I might have jumped at the chance.

But that’s not how it is now. Things aren’t that simple anymore.

“Listen up. The Demonic Invasion Stampede isn’t something you should jump into lightly. If you think about why they’re sending out a rescue request, you’d understand, right? When a city’s in danger, that means people are going to die.”

These guys regularly hunt monsters out on the plains too. So, they probably have their fair share of combat experience against monsters.

But that’s when they’re properly prepared and have a reasonable safety margin. Fighting a Demonic Invasion is completely different.

How many people could stay unharmed facing a rampaging horde of monsters? How many people could I bring back to this city in one piece? What would happen to these guys’ futures?

Sure, there’s Freya. But that’s just my personal issue here, it doesn’t fundamentally concern these guys. My desire for money is just my own selfishness. I can’t risk their lives for something like that.

“As the one in charge of this clan, I can’t recklessly expose my comrades to danger.”

Even putting Freya aside, deep down I definitely think that if you can save people, you should. But when it comes to strangers versus the comrades right in front of you, which is more important shouldn’t even need to be said.

“So, this discussion is over. I’m going back to tell them we’re declining.”

“You damn idiot!!”

“Huh? Gah—!?”

As I turned my back to return to the staff, Alta grabbed my shoulder. At the same time, an incredible impact and pain struck my cheek.

Unable to brace against the sudden impact, I collapsed onto the floor. My vision flashed with stars, and the taste of blood seeped into my mouth.

“Alta, what the hell are you doing!?”

The moment I understood that Alta had hit me, I sprang up and grabbed him by the collar.

“I just punched an unbelievable idiot! Got a problem with that!?”

“Huh!? Who are you calling an idiot!?”

“You, that’s who! You damn fool!”

“Who’s the idiot here!? Cut it out, you bastard!”

I pressed my face close enough that our foreheads were almost touching, glaring at him. Alta glared right back.

What the hell! What did I even do!? I just said I was turning down the request because I was thinking about our comrades’ lives!

“You, don’t you understand why we’ve all gathered here?”

Alta asked in a low voice. It wasn’t the cheerful, caring-for-comrades voice that Alta normally used.

“…What do you mean?”

“Since you still don’t get it even now, you big damn fool, I’ll tell you.”

I barely managed to keep myself from retorting through sheer willpower, silently urging Alta to continue.

“Me, this guy, that guy, everyone here, we all gathered here for you. Whether you’re aware of it or not doesn’t matter. We’re all grateful to you.”

“…”

“To you who accepted me, even though I got treated like a nuisance and picked fights everywhere I went because of this face and big body. To you who accepted that guy even though he got brushed aside for being a commoner. To you who accepted this guy even though his parents treated him like shit and he was wandering the night streets. To you who gave us a place to belong, comrades, and something called enjoyment in life!”

Alta’s words grew increasingly heated. As I listened, the strength gradually drained from my hands gripping Alta’s collar.

“Everyone knows you’ve been brooding over something lately. And I didn’t tell them!? You might have thought you were hiding it, but to these guys it was obvious. That’s how much everyone cares about you.”

After the strength left my hands, this time it was Alta who grabbed my collar and pulled me close.

“Everyone here has been waiting for a chance to repay you. They gathered here now because they thought that time had come. Even without you explaining, I’d already told them everything. That a Demonic Invasion had occurred. That we’d probably get the request. And they’re still here. Do you understand what that means?”

“You guys…”

“Stop dithering around. All you need to say is this: ‘Follow me!'”

At Alta’s words, the comrades who had been watching our exchange behind him began speaking up one after another.

‘That’s right, that’s right!’ ‘Thinking about turning it down because of us isn’t like you, boss!’ ‘We’re ready to go anytime!’ ‘I don’t know the details, but you need money, right boss? We don’t need any, so take it all!’ ‘…Ah, but I might want some for motorcycle maintenance costs’ ‘Idiot, you don’t need to say that right now!’

…What the hell is with these guys? Is this place filled with nothing but idiots? Don’t they value their lives? What do they think I was feeling when I tried to turn it down? Don’t follow someone like me…!

Even though that’s what I was thinking in my heart, for some reason my eyes were growing hot.

“Boss. You want to be with Sister Freya, right? Then there’s only one thing to do!”

Misha, who had somehow made her way to my side, said that to me.

How much do you even know? Don’t say something so embarrassing in front of everyone.

There were probably mountains of things I wanted to say that would come to me later. I knew perfectly well this wasn’t something to decide on impulse.

…But you know what. If these guys are saying this much, then I guess I have to steel myself too. Maybe this is also part of the responsibility of being in charge, or something.

“…Is this place filled with nothing but idiots?”

“Including you.”

Alta grinned with his usual smile.

I took a deep breath and gave the order to my comrades of the Steel Cyclone.

“—We’re accepting the Demonic Invasion rescue request. If you bastards don’t want to die, prepare properly! We’re heading out right after we give our reply to the guild!”

‘YES—!’