Story of a Cannon Fodder who Firmly Believed He was the Protagonist, Misunderstood the Actual Protagonist as the Cannon Fodder, and Ended up Victorious
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Ink
Read at Watashi Wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 005 – Marumaru [B]
An owl delivered a letter for me, Oh-, this made me happy. It seemed owls were specially trained to do postal services in this world.
Amazing, I didn’t know how that works, though… Anyway, time to open the letter!
“Fay-dono. We are pleased to inform you that you have been appointed to the temporary enlistment of the Knights of Round Table. Thank you…”
Fumufumu, well, I passed, it’s an obvious result though. The plot would be over otherwise.
But I was actually happy about this! I wanted to do a victory dance, but a cool-type protagonist wouldn’t do that. Being haughty and nonchalant about it was basic.
I opened and read the letter in a room within the orphanage where I usually ate with other orphans. The door suddenly opened and Maria and a child with his eyes closed came in.
“Oh my, Fay. Is it the pass notification?”
“Aah.”
“Fay, amaziiing!”
“Fuhn, this isn’t enough to be noisy about.”
Those eyes were closed. No, the boy’s eyes couldn’t see. His name was Lele, and he was attached to me for some reason. I basically didn’t involve myself with people in the orphanage much, but this boy and Maria were exceptions and they often talked to me.
To think these two were the only people who would talk to me regularly… a cool-type protagonist didn’t speak much after all.
“Fay, read the letter for me!”
“It can’t be helped… Fay-dono. We are pleased…”
I read it for him since it couldn’t be helped. The word conversion didn’t activate during reading.
“That’s amazing! I wonder if I can become one as well?”
“…Don’t ask me. It all depends on you. Whether you grab your chance depends on your resolve.”
“Un! I’ll do my best!”
He seemed to be blind, but I wouldn’t deny him from becoming a paladin just because of that. I would always give objective evaluation.
Then he started making joyful noises. I didn’t hate how innocent a kid could be.
“Thank you, Fay.”
“What for?”
“He is a boy who was about to give up on himself since he is blind.”
“…I did nothing, neither sympathy nor help. I’m merely speaking my mind.”
“I see… a paladin… it would be hard… do your best.”
“Aah.”
“Please return properly, back to this place.”
“I’ll do it when I can. I won’t make any promises though.”
“Un… that’s enough for now.”
Well, I might be sent on an expedition or special mission to various locations since I was the protagonist, so I couldn’t promise her. I wouldn’t lie if I could help it!
It made me realize again now that Maria told me. So I’m going to be a paladin, huh. I was thinking of using the dormitory of the Knight of the Round, but since Maria told me to go home, I chose to return here instead.
“Fay!”
“Hm?”
“Go on ahead! I will also become a knight and catch up to you! Then I will become a knight greater than Fay and protect you!”
“…Do it if you can, I will wait for you at a greater height.”
Was this a flag?! Someday in the future, he’ll say “I’m coming to fulfill my promise that day.” Would it become that kind of development in the future? Since Lele was a good kid, so I guess that kind of development would be interesting.
■◆
For the boy named Lele, the orphanage was the best place where he was surrounded by a kind Sister and orphans. His parents were slain by bandits, yet he couldn’t see that before he was secured by paladin and entrusted to an orphanage.
He lived in darkness where he couldn’t see anything, but he was satisfied. The sister’s voice was kind and everyone there took his hand and guided him.
He had no complaints about that. However, he felt slightly lonely. Everyone was kind and overprotective to him. It was because, despite his young mind, he understood he could only live with the help of others.
Lele longed to become a paladin. However, all other orphans told him it was dangerous so he better give up on it, so was cooking. This and that was said to be dangerous. There was no malice in that.
He felt like everything he wanted to do was said to be impossible.
There was nothing but goodwill there. However, that somehow felt painful.
At that time, he noticed something. There was someone among the orphans who didn’t help him at all.
It was Fay, the hated person in the orphanage. Although Lele couldn’t see his figure, he did recognize his voice, which gave off the feeling of a bad guy.
It seemed that Fay did a lot of bad things in the past, but according to what Lele heard, Fay was always swinging his sword recently.
There was something Lele wanted to ask Fay all this time. Lele always wanted to ask him, but everyone said Fay was dangerous and it was better not to approach him, so Lele didn’t.
However, since Fay was said to be quiet recently, Lele let curiosity lead his leg and approached him.
Lele walked toward Fay with uncertain gait, to the corner where Fay swung his sword. The closer he was, he could hear echoes of sword waving, and when Lele felt he was close enough, he stopped his feet.
“U, um.”
As Lele called out, the sound of sword swing stopped. Then he could hear a sharp voice.
“What is it?”
“Uhm…”
“…”
“Why,”
“…”
“Why are you not kind to me?”
It was a pure question of a child. It wasn’t a complaint, he was just curious why this person did things differently to others.
“Why… huh {Eh? Even if you ask me that… there are always people around you and my protagonist aura made people avoid me, so there’s no need to be kind to begin with though}”
“…”
“…Because there’s no need for that. {There’s always somebody supporting you, and my aura is going strong. There’s no need for me to forcefully intrude and break that situation.}”
“…!”
It felt fresh. It wasn’t like he was looked down upon. It just made Lele feel strange.
Lele felt something would change. It was because he felt as if he was seen as an equal instead of a person who needed to be secured or protected. It wasn’t like he hated other orphans because of that.
It just felt fresh to him.
That was why he was curious what this person would say. About the thing other children in the orphanage claim as impossible.
“I have a dream…”
“I see.”
“But my eyes can’t see.”
“…And what of it?”
“Is it impossible?”
“Well, I don’t know about that. However, dreams won’t run away from you… it is you who run away from your dream. Remember that.”
After saying that, Fay didn’t say anything more. He resumed swinging his sword with a flat expression as if saying their conversation was over.
Lele’s ears once again heard the sound of sword swinging.
Lele certainly felt a tiny kindness from him. It was so small it was normally unnoticeable, about the size of a grain of sand. However, Lele managed to notice that.
Because he was always in darkness, he managed to notice a little light from him.
From that time on, Lele thought of Fay as an elder brother he had a hard time to describe, yet he felt something about him.
From there, it wasn’t like they had many opportunities to talk. However, Lele would sometimes come to talk to Fay.
That was all that happened.
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Had an amputee friend but tbh whenever he is doin tasks I just let him be, he aint happy when other people see him as someone incapable of being independent
such was common mental state for special people, unless when said people deliberately fish for pit.
you know,seeing how Chunni fay act to Lele have to be the nicest thing Lele have ever experince , i always remember this old saying ” Many disable people beg everyone to not see what they can’t do anymore but what they still can do for everyone”
Hearing what chunnin fay word of encouragement to Lele warm my heart and cheer him on despite that not what real fay truly meant
not being excessively kind to Lele is what Lele needed. although Fay didn’t show care like others did, he did show other care in his way. especially apparent in later story(though fay didn’t seem to think that as a big of deal, seeing he didn’t even mention that he did that)
and that make Lele respect Fay even more, he treat Lele like a person instead of being treated like he was glass
later, Lele would inwardly thought Fay as his dad and Maria as his mom, trying to make the two tied the knot through his innocent mean
i would have laugh but this is suprising honestly, how did Lele thinking fay as his brother become his father
i can understand maria tho, she is literally a mom
well, Lele could tell that Maria seems to interested in Fay as an opposite sex later in story, so brother shifted to father.
ahhh i see now, thank you for the info
you’re welcome