Even Though, Matters Need To Be Addressed. (19.4)

…

Preparation is the key to success. No matter the situation being properly prepared is the best bet anyone has. Sure, you can try to rely on skills or lucky, but the best bad situation is the one you're prepared for. As the old saying goes, better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Granted, that particular mindset sent me spiraling into madness and hoarding every asset I could get my hands on, but it was decent in moderation.

In that particular context, I was pretty sure I sounded just like someone who got addicted, nearly died, and just went straight back to being addicted. Jeez, I really need help. Is there a hotline for being obsessed about not having to work hard to win? I mean, I like not having to be beaten to a pulp before I miraculously win, but I suppose that I should really look into another method of fighting.

The only caveat being, of course, that the audience had to buy into it.

I can pull off the whole "winning through cleverness" because of my shtick as the Mysterious Sensei in Cranel's plotline. Even though I was now off-screen, intruding in a spin-off series that I'd derailed to hell and back, I was still relying on being "clever" by calling on backup from one of the strongest Familias in Orario. I mean, calling on the big kids to beat up the bullies was the smart course of action, right? Sure you get called a wuss and the popular kids get more popular, but in the end you get to keep all your yakisoba bread and your milk for every lunch. Pride is a decent price for food, y'know?

Anyway, being clever really didn't get me out of my current and future conundrum.

I'd just gone through a character arc and the audience expected me to change. There had to be some payoff for all the inane chapters and drama that they had to go through. As much as I'd like to say me regaining sanity was good enough for them, that really wasn't the case. Those who read Light Novels are the lowest of the low. Those who write them pander to the lowest class of individuals. Namely, Otaku who can't be bothered to learn about new characters, the world, or anything else. One and all they just want to see ecchi and cool moments.

Since I didn't have the genitalia or the figure to pull off a fanservice moment for the bottom feeders who congregate around Light Novels, or the inclination to drag it into the slightly-better hands of the fujoshis, my character development had to be some sort of change in fighting style that was way cooler than my old one.

It's kinda insulting, I'm pretty proud of my old costume and fighting style, y'know!? Did I really have to change clothes and how I fight after years of training just because I had an epiphany!? Seriously?!

I mean, yeah, I'm sorta shit at actually making progress in what I'd promised to do, but would not risking my life on the frontline, ruthlessly murdering every monster efficiently and covering myself in their blood until I pluck out their cores, really make a difference in my state of mind?!

Well…

When I put it that way…

Oh, just shut up, me.

…

"Is that safe to have in this enclosed area, Hikigaya-san?" Deimne and myself were the rearguard. Working off Fel's information, we surmised that Orario's sewers were the way to go. While the ones I were efficient and did only their jobs, most of Orario's sewer system was an odd mix of massive champers and wide pipelines. I supposed that it made sense to make them in such a way when Orario was being built, to allow Adventurers to wipe out monsters if people dug into the Dungeon by accident, but it should've been made more efficient over the centuries. If it had been, I was sure that it wouldn't have been possible for an army of physical-damage resistant, Level 3 monsters to be snuck into Orario. Though, I suppose the designers of the city couldn't have predicted tentacle monsters coming through the sewers as a possible problems. I supposed that I couldn't expect much of raijuus with lives and families. "There's an awful amount of water all around us and it's casting quite a bright light."

By "it," Finn Deimne was referring to my "Character Development Ball," the visible culmination of how I changed as a person. It was Continuous Chain Lightning, hovering over my right shoulder, cast hours before battle or in the morning, and in the shape of a ball. It was the perfect culmination of a poor animation budget and a half-baked story arc. It's continuous presence told the audience that everything changed and I had become a different person, while also being an easy thing to add into the scene. It could either be a white circle that just happened to float around me, or some half-decent CGI prop of a crackling ball of lighting. Nonetheless, it was probably what the audience wanted me to explain to Cranel once I got back after his fanservice episodes.

I was pretty sure there was somehow going to be a beach episode in the near future, despite the fact Orario was landlocked. Maybe there was a beach floor in the lower floors? That was probably very likely. The demand of fanservice in bikinis triumphed over common sense… Nah, it's probably more likely that particular episode will occur at the lake a day's ride away from Orario. Yeah, that was probably more likely. Or, of course, it could just be an Onsen episode or a Sports Festival. Really, it was just a debate between bikinis, towels, and bloomers. Knowing Zaimokuza, it was probably going to be all three somehow. Naturally, I wasn't interested in road trips, spas, or sports festivals. Scars tended to put a damper on the appeal of events like them, so I was better off letting them have their fun while I dealt with a problem or two.

"…It should be fine." Deimne's question took me a bit of time to answer, mostly because we were traveling in the sewers. Orario, as much as it touted itself as a medieval city, enjoyed the attentions of gods. There was no way that gods would want dung and trash spreading over their city. In a way, they were Isekai protagonists themselves, so that fact that I existed was just a redundancy. They probably just couldn't be bothered to provide everything they knew to everyone. So, the sewers were pretty modern, there was plenty of running water, and Orario was pretty clean and had good hygiene. Needless to say, lightning, lots of water, and enclosed space wasn't something anyone wanted to deal with regardless of Level. A few shocks wouldn't kill anyone in my current party, but no one wanted to test whether or not my Character Development Ball was just a few shocks. "I've got it under control."

Under normal conditions, I would've expected some snarky comment from Alf, but the elf was being oddly quiet and content. The whole act was irritating me to the extreme. It felt like an itch in the back of my head. I was expecting an insult to come, to the point where I'd even turn towards her, but each time I only glimpsed a satisfied smile. By all means, despite my attempts to avoid the matter, Alf's actions and demands pretty much remained rooted in my brain. You're making it difficult to plan around this plotline, dammit! Stop with that mysterious and charming—annoying act, dammit! It really didn't help that, despite hiding at her teacher's side, Viridis was playing coy and skittish. Overall, the two elves were messing up my ability to think around the plot properly.

"My apologies, Hikigaya-san, but I would like for you to use it sparingly. I doubt that these ancient constructs, despite the intervention of the gods in their creation, would be able to handle your magic." Deimne tilted his head downward in a small conciliatory nod. Still, I noticed that the order wasn't actually for debate. He didn't "ask," he "stated." Sure, the Pallum referred to it as his own personal feelings, but that was just him being "charismatic" and "likeable." They were skills that were beyond my ability to gain. Not only that, but since I was raised to be a corporate slave, I was weak to orders by respectable bosses. I found myself nodding before I even parsed the full statement. "Thank you, Hikigaya-san, I'll be sure to—wait."

My walk was interrupted by Deimne's slight arm.

The whole expedition had stopped and was staring at Bete Loga. He was pulling something out of the water running steadily down the center of the pipe. I willed by orb of lightning forward to cast some light. We had lanterns, but they paled in comparison to my lightning. Heh. Paled. Light. That was a pun. Wait. Is that a dead body?

"Looks like a regular adventurer, but this isn't the kind of murder we're looking for." Loga grunted as he pulled up the body from the water. How he managed to find it, I didn't know, but I wasn't about to pass up on the chance to find out what I had to fight against. My eyes, and probably everyone else's, searched the body for clues as to how the man died. At the very least, we could make sure the one who killed him was destroyed or locked up. "This guy was definitely stabbed to death… and not just by one person."

"So our quarry isn't working alone, but with a group." Deimne summarized our little find with ease. The blonde-haired Pallum considered the body for a moment. It was… strange to see how many of them were still observing the dead man. I mean, I'd seen bodies before, but I didn't spend much time looking at them. A quick glance told me what I needed to know. Oi, what are you doing so close—Deimne ripped the shirt off the dead man and I had to force myself to stay still. "Hmph, it seems that this man's Falna has been concealed. We won't be getting anymore information from him."

"That isn't the case. Hermes-sama instructed us to fetch a few tools for identification for our investigation." Andromeda spoke up and, just like Deimne, walked up to the body without hesitation. She produced a vial from her belt and administered the liquid within on the person's back. Status Reveal spread across the man's back. The man's Falna, his sacred compact between him and his god, was bared for all to see. "Hmmm…" Andromeda read the man's cumulative history, his whole life and achievements, with a cursory glance. "A Level 2 with decent abilities, but not many Skills. He must have stumbled across something he shouldn't have. He didn't get a chance to draw his weapons… so our enemy has both numbers and a way to conceal themselves."

Everyone listened and acknowledged Andromeda's words. Every adventurer present, even Viridis, took in the information in stride. The fact that it came from a dead man didn't even cross their minds. The fact that they were discussing a man's death with ease was natural for them. This was gathering information, analyzing a situation, so that they wouldn't fall to the same fate. They conversed about it, gleamed what they could, and began moving once everything was finalized. The body was left behind, no further attention given to it, after every piece of information it could give was provided.

At some point, everyone around me had killed another person, and death was a common acquaintance.

And, undoubtedly, there was going to be plenty of death in our coming battle.

...