The Gentlemanly Specialist’s Perspective (2)

Life had always been a chore, especially after taking this child called 'Simon' into our home.

As well as 'Harmony'...

It's almost like she's known me forever. Not only that but her kid brother freaked me out a little.

Although we acted close, I didn't like the way he'd look at me sometimes... Can two siblings be so different? They look nothing alike, especially with Harmony being a gorgeous redhead beauty.

I would have had a nice day today if I hadn't been struck by something I remembered from my childhood. That 'thing' jumped at me, coiled her arms around my body, and spoke in a cutesy voice:

"Did you miss me~?" I stopped the urge to slap this 'cute girl' in the face and replied politely:

"No."

"Why not?" Did she really not know...?

"Just tell me where my daughter is." It was then that I saw a cute figure hug my leg as well.

Ahhh~ I feel like my will to live has been replenished once again~ My daughter was as adorable as always. Taking me off guard and smothering this old father with her cuteness~

"Daddy, hello~"

"Hello to you too." I pried off the shameless woman who came with her and picked her into my arms.

Madeline giggled as I patted her head. Just as I was awaiting Dorothy's usual shenanigans to act up, I noticed something strange. Her usual jovial mood didn't seem there anymore as she clung to me more in fear than as a way to attract attention.

I pretended not to notice, but an air of worry appeared in my eyes as I couldn't quite shake off that bad feeling I was getting from her. Of course, I entertained my daughter first before asking:

"What's wrong?"

"My 'Shards'... are gone?"

"..." I already knew of those things in her arm and also acknowledged them as a source of her power

"What about your powers?" I asked as even though the things she did to me were downright despicable to the point I wanted to murder her before, now I only saw her as a crazy person.

Even though she had her loose screws, there was no longer a feeling of wanting her to die anymore.

"...They have been weakened." She opened up to me for the first time in a while. When was the last time she actually relied on me and didn't annoy me with her obsessive attitude about 'loving' me.

I'm NEVER going to marry her, but that doesn't mean we can't return to being friends like before.

She showed me her arm, and I realised that those weird jewel-like things really were gone.

"What do you need them for anyway?" It wasn't like whatever power they gave were important.

"My position..."

"What 'position'?" My eyes narrowed at her as I put Madeline down, but someone interrupted our talk.

"Hey, who is that woman? Is she your mistress or something?" Harmony's voice resounded oddly antagonistically towards someone she had only just met. Why was she treating Dorothy this way?

"Who is this wench...?" It looked like her anger overrode her fears as she hissed back at her.

"Ummm..." I looked Madeline and sent her inside to see mom. There was something I needed to make clear or else this might devolve into a situation no one wanted to see. There was no need to fight.

"Harmony, this is... my ex."

"I am NOT your-"

"My ex." I gave her an unamused look, which made her stop talking. The truth was worse to say.

"And this vixen still bothers coming here?" Her words started to make me feel uncomfortable.

Why was she acting like this to her? Dorothy hadn't done anything wrong... yet, anyway. So what crawled up her butt and died? Although i was letting her stay with us, that didn't mean she had any sort of control over who I interact with.

Her attitude reminded me a lot like Dorothy in a way, and I hated that comparison. It disgusted me.

"Please leave her be." I swiftly defended Dorothy, who was still nestled in my arms like a frail doll.

"Dorothy, this is a guest who will be staying with us for a few days." Harmony looked at me in surprise.

"Just a few days?!"

"What? You can't say here forever."

"I thought we were close..."

"We are, but that doesn't mean you can stay in my house forever. Try finding a new home." Was she expecting free service? Kindness can only go so far, and even Mom would agree with me on this.

It just started occurring to me that her attitude towards me was too friendly. Even though I could stand one Dorothy, I won't be able to stop myself from feeling nauseated if another pops out of nowhere. It wasn't like I wasn't betrayed before...

"...I'll look around for one." Although I understood her disappointment, it felt a little too easy.

I'm glad... She doesn't seem like the same kind as Dorothy, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Dorothy shivered. My eyes looked in her direction to see her eyes looking away from Harmony's figure. What did she just get scared of? I kept up my smile as I pretended not to notice her change.

There was no way I'd ask what happened between them just now. There was something else I was curious about as I made some distance between us. She was distracted as I broke her daze:

"Has anything happened lately?" I was referring to the Dark Forest that had a lot more Goblins lately.

"Nothing... I've gotten word that there might be an attack on this place soon." She lowered her eyes.

"Who will attack us?"

"I'm unsure of that, but there is a friend of mine who is a good fortuneteller that stated that this place will be filled with 'death' soon." Those were some foreboding words that I hadn't expected.

Fortunetellers were mostly bogus. They didn't use magic and yet pretended to know how to read prophecies and fortunes. The only 'real ones' only coming from high status like the Lancelot Royalty.

Unless she met someone with Lancelot in their name, is there a reason for her to trust it this deeply? What was with that expression that seemed to be asking me to come with her?

"This place is dangerous... Please, let me bring you two to safety." She didn't worm her way into familiarity with me by calling my mom 'mother-in-law' or pulled any tricks, only stating her worry.

This side of her... I hadn't seen in a long time.

"You know we can't leave." I stroked her hair and consoled her as she had grabbed onto my arm.

"Is this about honour?"

"Exactly." Us members of Red Tryst Vine Village were brave and wouldn't back down from a fight.

"What's the point of it?"

"I care about reputation."

"Who cares about that if you're dead?" These words made momentarily me glare in silence.

"Just mind your own business."

"Your business is mine. I only want to protect you."

"The same way you did back then?" I grabbed the back of her neck and forced her to look at me.

"...If necessary." She felt intimidated but didn't hesitate to make eye-contact while speaking.

"You're crazy." My hand let go of her.

"I've been telling you since long ago that this place was dangerous. It isn't normal for him to care..."

"The fortuneteller?"

"He's apathetic to most and is the type to not even care if the world was ending. A really nasty guy."

"How does he keep his job going...?" This was one eccentric scammer, or was he feigning stoicism?

"Either way, you're mine. I'm staying with you to protect you." She gave me a determined look.

"Who's 'yours'?" I lifted my brow while looking down on her, my gaze wasn't kind to that joke.

"...I'll protect you properly (from her as well)."

"What?"

"You can't stop me!" Her voice turned deeper as it sounded more like a threat than an offer.

"...Fine." I agreed as this was a good reason to spend more time with my daughter at home.

"Then can you leave me alone for now? I'm not going anywhere dangerous for the moment."

"Okay..." She let go of my arm and decided to walk inside, a particular feeling started to overcome me.

Hearing ominous words wasn't good no matter how bogus they were. It made me feel like, just for a moment, that something will happen, which doesn't happen often. My mood was like the breezing wind most the time with adaptability.

Whether it be traumas or dangerous circumstances in the Dark Forest, I'd swish past and fix everything. So why was today different? I couldn't stop myself from feeling goosebumps from her words. Should I make preparations just in case...?

It wasn't that I didn't trust my community, I'd just like there to be a Plan B should anything happen...

"Anything wrong?" A sweet voice resounded behind me as Harmony snuck up to me.

I looked to the side to find that the person who was calling out to me was a doppelgänger of the original. If not, then I guess Dorothy would have split us apart and tried to interrupt our talk.

"...Nothing. Just a bad feeling." I looked forwards to gaze at the trees far away with serious eyes.

"Is honour really that important to you?"

"You overheard?" I then turned to face her. My skepticism hadn't fallen about her one bit.

"Only a little bit." She smiled as if nothing had happened between us just moments ago.

"Sorry about my tone."

"You said nothing wrong. Anyway, what about my question?" I didn't quite like this tone now...

"Don't bother asking about it. It's nothing you should concern yourself with." I told her straight.

Sometimes, I want personal distance...

"You should do what you want to do." These words ticked me off, she was being overfamiliar with me.

"I'm doing what I want."

"Abiding by another's form of 'honour' isn't doing what you want, it's chaining yourself to this village."

"What do you know?" You weren't ever part of a community to know about this feeling, alright?

Of course, I didn't say the latter part as that was going out of line. Even I myself wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I said such hurtful words. Harmony seemed to have read my expression as she spoke:

"Of course I wouldn't know, would I?" She once again weighed me down by my own sympathy.

I'm not sure how a Dark User must have been treated, but it mustn't have been that good. I have a soft spot for the fairer sex after the experiences of becoming one but I wasn't completely foolish.

I could tell she was using my own sympathy against me like a tool, as if she knew how I'd react beforehand. Who is she and why is she so familiar with me? Could she really have stalked me once?

"I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine."

"It's not 'fine' for me. I'm sorry if my words dug into your wounds." I apologised without hesitation.

"Don't be so formal. I know you aren't like that." My cheek twitched as I lifted my head to look at her.

"How would YOU know that?"

"Instinct." She was definitely lying.

"You have great 'instincts', don't you?"

"Of course~" She ignored my sarcasm and pretended what I said was in fact a compliment.

"Then that's good for you. Anyway, I will be forming a raid party just in case anything happens. You are welcome to join, but be sure to look for work elsewhere when you can. You can't stay here for too long or else false rumours will spread."

The kind I didn't want to get involved with.

"Do you have to value them?" Her words confuses me for a moment as I looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean...?"

"I mean... you don't actually care about the livelihood of the people here, do you?" These words hurt my spirit. The gaze I looked at her changed after she spoke such a creepy question.

"I do care about them."

"You don't."

"Who are you to say this?!" I lost my previous calmness as I looked at her with a growling voice.

How could you say that so confidently?! Do I look like a heartless person that I wouldn't care about them? Sure, I don't care personally, but my morals are proper, and I know this community I'm part of is something I should especially take care of.

"You should do as you truly want."

"What I do isn't for you to criticise. Who are you to tell me this? I remember us only meeting recently."

"Because we are close."

"Do you consider us friends?" She looked stunned upon hearing those words and started thinking.

"..." She was silent for a long moment.

It was with a conflicted face that she spoke:

"No." This answer really angered me.

I don't know why, but hearing her say these words felt like a sharp knife going through my heart...

"If we're not even friends, how can you say we're close?" I didn't like the meanings she was giving.

She called us close, but doesn't believe we are friends. Is she coming onto me like Dorothy did?

I despise those who get too close to me out of nowhere. What she said was out of line...!

"That's not-"

"Just go look for work. I'm not planning on bothering you." I spoke coldly while walking away.

There was no point talking any further. There are things I needed to check and recon I personally needed to do with others. I have no time to chitchat with someone who I've only recently met.

The Branch Manager has been working hard to recruit strong Adventurers lately as it doesn't seem like I'm the only one who has an ominous foreboding. I also need to check with the Church if they will also help us do our reconnaissance.

I don't have time for wishy-washy nonsense.

Hopefully, she won't cross the line...