MARIEL looked at the six individuals standing before him. He made sure his poker face didn't falter. Selena sat directly on the sofa in front of him (separated by a glass table), while her five subordinates stood loyally behind the young woman. And, they were all inside his room!
How could they have entered even though he had locked the door?
The answer was very simple: Status.
Only status.
Selena had used her status as a high-ranking noble and niece of King Arthur IV to request a spare key under the pretext of interrogating a suspicious individual. Despite the inn being quite elite, the owner could not have dared refuse the request of a royal family member, especially if it concerned the well-being of the kingdom.
If Mariel thought about it again, hadn't he been very unlucky today? It wasn't enough that he almost became a victim of the Demon Philia, and now he had to deal with these people? Did Lukhiel leave a cursed object in the cave before he left?
Mariel sighed softly, hoping that Selena had truly meant it when she said she only wanted to talk.
If she wanted a second battle and brought her five subordinates to attack, Mariel had no choice but to escape through the window. After all, the five behind Selena (especially Ferguso) looked strong enough. Facing all of them (six if including Selena) at once might end in his defeat.
He could defeat them by splitting them apart. However, realizing they had already seen his strength, Mariel doubted he could easily separate them. And he didn't want to take responsibility for the damage that would occur; there was no other option but to flee if Selena intended anything malicious. But knowing Selena's character, it seemed she wasn't lying.
"Why are you staring at me like that? I told you, I'm not planning to ambush you and make you one of my subordinates. I just want to talk. Besides, I owe you dinner, don't I?"
"Nothing; I'm just cautious. Nobles are hard to trust, especially when they bring troublesome guards. But, I'll consider you different for now. So?"
"Oh, I'm definitely different." Selena flicked her bangs with her right hand, her lips curling into a wide, proud smile. "So," she began a moment later, "I have another offer for you. This one is different from the last two offers; this one gives you more freedom."
"I'm listening."
Mariel had no intention of accepting any offer from Selena. He had already decided what he would do. While adventuring with Lukhiel to find the Tower of Babel, he would become a mercenary to earn money. No matter how strong someone was, money was always necessary to survive. Becoming a mercenary would give him income without any attachment.
However, it wouldn't hurt to listen. Even though his decision wouldn't change, maybe the offer would be interesting.
"I want you to be my personal bodyguard," Selena said seriously. "Unlike them, I won't ask you to do this or that task. Your only job would be to stay by my side and ensure my safety. Ah, it's no different from being a knight to a princess/prince, but it has nothing to do with the kingdom. What do you think?"
Mariel looked at Selena without blinking. "Are you just looking for an excuse to keep me by your side?" he asked with a mysterious smile. "I know I'm strong, charming, brilliant, handsome, cool, and the best young man you can ever meet. But aren't you being a bit too bold? I can feel the sharp gaze from behind you."
"Hahahaha. You're funny."
"That too!" Mariel added, agreeing with her. "Maybe I possess all the positive qualities that can attract women, but let's set that fact aside for now. So, is that your offer?"
"Exactly. As for the pay, we can discuss that later. What's important is your answer first."
"My job is just to always stay by your side and ensure your safety?"
Selena nodded.
"Always?"
Selena nodded again.
"So, that means no freedom?"
"Ah...free in the sense that you won't be tied to the kingdom. You'll also have a very light job. I'm strong, so you'll barely have to lift a finger. You can even sleep or laze around while working. Free, right?"
"…That… that's intriguing."
"So?" Selena's expression brightened, her eyes filled with expectation. "Will you do it?"
If she truly had a hidden motive, Mariel couldn't think of anything other than the joke he had made earlier. However, it seemed unlikely that the joke was more than just a joke. Was Selena just looking for a reason to keep him by her side? That would be quite the joke. Unless… she wanted to observe Mariel to find weaknesses in his abilities.
But, setting aside whatever her reason might be, Mariel's answer had been clear from the beginning.
"Disappointing a girl as strong and attractive as you would hurt any man's heart, but with great reluctance, I must refuse the offer. I've already decided, if being part of Sterminatore doesn't seem promising, I'll become a mercenary."
The brightness on Selena's face faded. "Is it impossible to convince you?" she asked, trying to convince the young man.
"Why do you look so eager?"
"You had defeated me with abilities I never imagined, so I wanted to find your weakness. I don't like losing; if I lose, I'll make sure to get my revenge. After I manage to defeat you, I'll force you to become mine."
"Ah… so you want me?"
"Of course. You're the best young man who will ever exist!"
…Mariel had been joking when he praised himself earlier. Everyone knew it was a joke. However, hearing the confident words from this girl, it seemed like she took Mariel's words seriously. Or perhaps, even though she knew he was joking, she actually thought Mariel was exactly what he joked about?
Part of Mariel believed it, but another part urged him to stay cautious. Women's charms were very dangerous, especially when coming from those with enchanting faces. Mariel might have already been caught up in it without realizing. Maybe it was a tactic to overthrow him from his peak, like what happened to great men in the past.
Okay, maybe I should stop paying attention to that warning. If I keep thinking women are dangerous, how will I ever find a wife?
Wait, wait, wasn't he still too young to be thinking about that?
It seemed like he had read too much about women, didn't he?
This was Lukhiel's fault.
"Mariel…?"
Mariel let out a deep sigh.
It seemed like he really needed to learn from a hermit to control his thoughts. Like before, why did he run from Demon Philia when he had been recognized as strong by Primordial Demon Lukhiel? It didn't make any sense. It was as if he was someone who lacked brain cells.
Even if he could be forced into a corner, there was Sterminatore, who would definitely move once the sound of their battle spread. Running was far from the "right" decision. The fear of something baseless really made him look like a fool.
"Mariel?"
Mariel blinked. This wasn't good. Maybe he should stop trying to be someone who acted according to the situation. That wasn't good at all. His mind wasn't properly trained for that. If he forced himself to act like a manipulator or sociopath, situations like before would repeat: he'd be controlled by his own thoughts.
That's right. He just needed to be himself in every situation. By being himself, his mind became sharper. He also didn't need to go to a hermit. Being himself could give someone more power over controlling themselves.
But perhaps, this was the effect of never interacting with anyone other than Lukhiel?
"Mariel, hey! You're being—"
"Mariel Allvar," Mariel interrupted. "My name is Mariel Allvar, but you can still call me Mariel."
"Huh?"
"Honestly, I haven't interacted with others for a long time. This is the first time I've been outside the forest. You know the cliff that marks the boundary between Camelot and Neiracia? I fell from there. Actually, I was thrown off after escaping from mercenaries. I lived quite a long time near that cliff. So, when you suddenly started talking to me earlier, I didn't know how to act. That wasn't really me."
"I am not strong," Mariel continued. "I am not charming, not brilliant, not handsome, not cool, and of course, not the best young man you can ever meet. I am just an ordinary guy, nothing more. Amazing woman like you shouldn't show any interest in someone like me. Besides, I'm from Neiracia. You might get into trouble if you insist on having me as your personal guard, let alone anything more than that."
Mariel let his lips curve slightly.
He had said what needed to be said. He had… hm… was his character really like this? Had he acted naturally? Had he been acting the way he usually did? Was his attitude still mixed up? Had he confused himself?
"Do you really not want to accept my offer that badly, to the point of saying such nonsense?" Selena asked, her expression showed that she had just witnessed the worst comedian in history.
It wasn't just Selena who looked at him like that; all five of Selena's guards did too. Even one of them looked at him as though his head had grown twice. Did it look like what he said was a complete nonsense? Didn't it look somewhat natural?
If that was the case, had he acted naturally before? Was that his true nature? He wasn't acting like a high-class sociopath and manipulator, but was that really how he was? Was he not trying to be someone else?
In that case, the fear of Demon Philia wasn't because his mind was out of control? Was the excessive interest (and caution) toward women truly coming from him? That meant his attitude had been flawed from the very beginning?
This is Lukhiel's fault, Mariel stressed in his mind.