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: Derpy
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 015 – Early Plot Enemy [A]
The day has finally come. It was the day of the official enrollment and my first mission. I had been enthusiastic since this morning.
“Fay, you have a mission for today?”
“Aah.”
“Amazing! Good luck!”
“Aah.”
Lele also cheered for me.
“Fay, don’t overdo it, okay? Definitely come back here afterwards…”
“Aah.”
“Fay, souvenir!”
“Aah.”
I was so excited about my first mission that I couldn’t focus on what they talked about. The conversations around me just didn’t enter my head. Aah, I really looked forward to it. What kind of active part would I do in this mission?
The growth rate of a protagonist was immeasurable after all. As I got lost in thought, Maria gently wrapped her soft hand over mine.
Ah, it was so soft.
“It’s a charm so you can make it home… It feels like somebody did this for me a long time ago too. So I’ll do it for Fay this time.”
“…I see.”
U-hn, this wonderful consideration. Maria really was a saint, or rather, she gave off the scent of a mainstream heroine.
It was different from Arthur. Maria wasn’t a giant, but more of a little panda which exuded charm?
After, I departed from the orphanage coolly. I didn’t talk to Tlue at all though. I really had no connection with him outside of training.
Well, not that it mattered to me.
He wouldn’t play an active part unless he got involved with me, you know? That was, despite his magical aptitude. Well, it wasn’t like I needed to care about his amount of screen time.
Since he did have potential, perhaps he would eventually become my, the protagonist’s, right-hand man?
I didn’t mind having him as one.
As I worried about the mob character Tlue as the protagonist, I arrived at the gathering spot for the first mission: the gates of Brittania, the royal capital.
“Ah, Fay.”
“Arthur, huh.”
“Good morning.”
“…Aah.”
“Good morning?”
“Aah.”
“…Why don’t you reply to my greeting properly?”
“…I replied though?”
“I want you to properly reply with ‘good morning’ as well.”
“…Maybe someday.”
Arthur and I arrived at the location almost at the same time. After that, Bouran and Tlue also arrived.
For today’s mission, the accompanying paladin was neither Yururu-sensei nor the old man from the magic curriculum.
It was also not the uncle-sensei who taught us theory lessons. It was a totally different instructor, huh.
Well, it should be a new character, right? The new instructor who accompanies me, the protagonist, couldn’t be a common instructor, right?
Perhaps the instructor actually had another identity as an amazing agent or something?1
As we were waiting…
“Sorry, it seems I arrived a bit late.”
There came a nice man with red hair, red eyes, and a symmetrical face. His eyes were a bit sharp. And his character seemed to clash with mine somehow…
“My name is Sajinto, a third-grade paladin. I’m going to accompany you on your mission today. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Best regards-“
“…Best regards.”
Tlue, Bouran, and Arthur gave their greetings in order. I greeted him by raising my two fingers, just like how Vexxta gave his parting to Trxxnks when the latter returned to the future.2
I was a cool character after all.
“Well, I’m sure you have a lot of things to ask, but let’s talk about it while we depart to our mission destination.”
Sajinto-sensei went towards the gate. We greeted the gatekeeper paladins and soon went outside. Now that I thought about it, wasn’t this the first time I’m going outside?
Waaaah! It’s the outsiiiiiiiiide!!!
I got a little excited.
■◆
The group walked with Sajinto in front.
“Hey, how strong are you?”
“Let’s see… I guess I’m quite strong. I’m still a third-grade paladin despite my appearance after all.”
“Oh- that’s amazing.”
Bouran asked Sajinto the question while Arthur showed no interest and Tlue only replied perfunctorily.
Fay walked behind, a bit away.
“What did you do before becoming a paladin?”
“I was a butler for a certain aristocrat.”
As Sajinto said that, Arthur, who didn’t show any interest all this time, suddenly opened her mouth. Her eyes were somehow filled with excitement.
“You don’t seem to be that fluffy though… (Eyes full of interest).”
“That’s a sheep (hitsuji). What I was, was a butler (shitsuji).”
“…I see (Eyes of disappointment).”
Eh? Did I say something wrong?
Sajinto was slightly surprised by Arthur’s reaction. However, he quickly switched his train of thoughts and talked to Tlue this time.
“You are Tlue, aren’t you? What did you do before becoming a knight?”
“I lived in an orphanage.”
“Hee… and what were you doing before that?”
“I lived in a village. That village is no more, though.”
“Sorry, I didn’t know that.”
“No, pay it no heed.”
As Tlue said that, Sajinto conversed with Bouran this time. By asking questions in order, he wouldn’t arouse suspicion from a specific person.
“How about Bouran?”
“Ah? I was slowly dying ever since I was exiled from my village, but I managed to survive by doing a lot of stuff. I wanted to become strong so I became a paladin.”
“I see…”
I didn’t know since I didn’t read the document on her, but this girl also carried heavy circumstances with her…
“How about Arthur?”
“…Why are you asking that?”
“Ah- I just wanted to learn about everyone. We’ll be doing our mission together after all. It’s something I always do.”
Alright, I shouldn’t look suspicious this way.
He inwardly took a gutsy pose. In this kind of conversation, one would get suspicious if the flow was suddenly cut off. That alone was good for him since information was all he needed. However…
“…Sensei seems to love digging up stories about younger boys and girls.”
I don’t really like the way she put it…
“Let’s not ask Arthur then. Er, how about Fay?”
Sajinto asked the boy who walked a distance away behind them and kept silent as if not interested at all. His real goal was Arthur’s info. However, it would be a waste to not ask him given the chance. Although Arthur broke the flow of the conversation, it wouldn’t seem weird even if Sajinto asked Fay.
“Does that serve any purpose? I have no intention to chat.”
“Ah, I see.”
Eh- what’s this? …Although my expression didn’t show much of my thoughts… both of them are worse as their expressions didn’t move at all. Seriously, that is kinda dangerous.
As the atmosphere died, the group of five went towards the mission destination–which was a certain village.
“Don’t we have to confirm what this mission is about?”
“You’re right, Bouran. Let’s do it.”
That’s a good one, Bouran. The atmosphere was dead until now. Rather, are they always like this? Are they in a solemn mood all year round?
“Ah- the mission is about the demons that devastated the crops in Start village. We were asked to get rid of the wolf demons known as hounds.”3
“Hee, are there no paladins stationed in the village? There are some villages which are always stationed with some.”
“We are always understaffed on paladins, so there is no way to station them everywhere. That’s why paladins are dispatched regularly, and the mission this time is something like that.”
“Hee.”
Demons. They were a different form of threat compared to Abyss’ monsters. Many of them attacked humans, devastated crops, and caused all sorts of harm. It was not an exaggeration to say that Fay and the others were called here to exterminate them.
Due to Bouran’s talk and Tlue’s perfunctory replies, they somehow managed to keep the atmosphere up until they arrived at Start village. The trees near the village were overgrown and caused a deep darkness to loom over, making the atmosphere feel creepy.
“Ooh, paladin-samas have arrived.”
“Greetings, I have heard of your circumstances. We’ll begin the investigation immediately.”
“Please do.”
The elderly village head spoke with Sajinto and the investigation commenced. Fay and the others were ordered to go around the village, check in the woods, and get rid of the wolf-like demons if they found them.
They had slung iron swords at their waists and the group felt nervous as their swords were heavier than before. That said, Arthur and Fay remained expressionless, only Bouran and Tlue appeared to be nervous.4
“Well, I’m going this way.”
“…I’ll go over there.”
“…I…”
Tlue was at a loss. Tlue felt that the choice he made would decide whether it was heaven or hell that awaited him.
Indeed, the choice that Tlue made would decide his fate. Although tragedies were ahead regardless of which he chose… It spelled the difference in whether he survived it or not. And now… the decision was made.
It was the first life or death choice for Tlue.
<I guess… I should go over there?>5
<Well, this is our first mission, so we should go together instead.>
He hesitated. Although he didn’t know his decision would mean the difference between life or death, it was still their first mission. It was indeed more efficient for each of them to go on their own. However, it was preferred to go together to deal with any emergency.
“Well, this is our—“
“Oi! Fay!”
Fay moved on his own as if to block out his words. And Fay was walking towards the direction where Tlue was thinking of going alone earlier.
“I’ll go around alone. I can handle this.”
Having said that, he went to the nearby woods. The three people were aware they couldn’t stop him once he said that, so they chose to let him go on his way.
And there–
“Ah, paladin-samas.”
“Oh, isn’t it the village head?”
“Village head-san, what’s wrong?”
“Well, actually, one of the village girls went to the woods to pick up some edible wild plants.”
“Eh?”
“…”
“It seems that she went because they lacked food as the crops were ruined.”
The group of three responded to the words of the worried village head. Then in the next moment—
—Gaaa!
A loud roaring sound was heard.
“Tch, is it the hound?”
“…It feels weird. I feel something different about it compared to what I have seen before.”
“The three of us have to protect the villagers.”
The three drew their swords. Then they rejoined Sajinto.
“Something feels off about these hounds. Don’t get distracted, guys.”
It wasn’t just Arthur who noticed that something felt wrong with the hounds; Sajinto also noticed it. Then, he noticed that Fay wasn’t there with them.
“Where is Fay?”
“He went alone to the woods!”
“I see… tch, I didn’t hear of this. Both their numbers and strength aren’t normal. Let’s leave Fay for later. Protect the villagers for the time being.”
The village was already surrounded by nearly one hundred hounds.
This scene marked the survival route for Tlue in the game, Round Table Heroes. Tlue told Bouran and Arthur to patrol together. At the same time, the village head, Sajinto, and a group of unusual hounds appear, and they proceed to defeat them.
By the sacrifice of a single village girl, the other people were saved. It was the result of sacrificing the few for the many. Nobody could be blamed for this. However, it wasn’t like they wouldn’t feel bad about it. That was the responsibility of those who made the choice.
It was proof that this was an Utsu story.
Through this choice, Tlue and others survive the day. However, the village girl mentioned by the village head earlier ends up in a miserable state…
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not with the Protaganist Fay is here, he will save the day ish
kinda. that is his raison d’etre
.c
No, she doesn’t!
Fay is there after all
fay ftw