How a Delinquent Commander Dotes on the Hero C10

Chapter 10

Ah…

Maybe it was because I’d worked overtime.

I had an unbelievably bizarre dream.

I entered my favorite game, suffered like hell…

…and then actually died.

Though if someone asked whether it was a nightmare…

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

I died with a massive hole through my body, so maybe it was.

But I also died protecting my favorite character, so perhaps it was actually a good omen.

People always say dreams come true in reverse, after all.

Maybe something good was about to happen.

Hopefully I’d win the lottery.

Hmm… I feel like there was something else right before the dream ended…

What was it again…?

Still wondering, I slowly opened my eyes.

Other than feeling a little stiff, it seemed like a perfectly fine morning.

Stretching happily, I rubbed my eyes and sat up, ready to enjoy the sunlight.

But—

“…Huh?”

Instead of warm morning sunshine…

Pitch-black darkness greeted me.

The shock hit me instantly.

“Shit… work!”

Had I accidentally turned off my alarm?

Did I forget to charge my phone?

I had absolutely no idea what had happened.

The only thing I could think of was that I’d somehow slept through an entire day.

“Call the office first? No, the hospital…! Damn it, they’re already closed… Ah… What the hell am I supposed to do?”

What excuse could I possibly make?

While biting my lip in panic, I reached for my phone to call Jiyoung—

“…Huh?”

Something felt wrong.

First of all…

The bed was way too big.

No matter how far I stretched my arm, I couldn’t touch the edge.

Startled, I quickly looked around.

The bed I’d been sleeping in was large enough for three or four grown men.

Golden embroidery decorated the pillows.

The blanket felt as soft as silk.

There was even a crystal lamp sitting atop the bedside table.

And…

A crimson canopy draped elegantly over the bed.

…Had I been kidnapped?

No…

That didn’t make any sense.

Who on earth kidnaps an ordinary man in his mid-twenties just to lock him inside a luxurious room like this?

It’s not like I was an idol.

I was just a regular office worker.

Then—

Enlightenment struck.

…Wait.

This is obviously transmigration!

A splitting headache immediately followed.

Then…

That crazy dream was actually real?

I was completely dumbfounded.

I was twenty-six years old.

How was I supposed to be happy about transmigrating?

And of all places…

It had to be this game.

“…Come on.”

“Don’t screw with me.”

Sure, when I was a kid…

I’d watched monster anime and wished I could become the Chosen One.

But that was when I was still young and naive.

Back then, a single toy on Christmas was enough to satisfy me.

If you were going to make me experience something like this as an adult…

You should’ve at least given me a monster partner back then!

The more I thought about it…

The more unfair it felt.

There were countless bright, hopeful fantasy worlds.

So why did I have to end up in this depressing nightmare?

While silently fuming…

I noticed someone standing at the edge of my vision.

Turning my head—

Our eyes met.

“AAAAAAAH!”

Don’t misunderstand.

That wasn’t my scream.

I don’t make noises that pathetic.

“W-What is it, Young Master?! Why did you suddenly sit up screaming and then stare straight at me?!”

Although the room was dark, I recognized the voice immediately.

Rickby.

His reaction was so ridiculous that I instinctively raised an eyebrow.

Wasn’t he the one standing creepily in the darkness staring at me?

Still pressed awkwardly against the doorway, Rickby slowly shuffled closer.

Only then did he clear his throat in embarrassment.

“Ahem… A-Anyway… you’re finally awake.”

“You wouldn’t wake up no matter what.”

“I was honestly afraid we’d have to hold your funeral.”

I quietly stared at the joking Rickby.

Yes…

Rickby Hegment.

He was alive.

Actually speaking.

Actually breathing.

“…So it really happened.”

“Huh? What happened?”

“So you really came back to life.”

“The game actually reset…”

Whether Rickby thought I was insane or not…

I sank into thought.

Though hazy…

Most of the memories from before were still intact.

I remembered the Hero’s strange reaction when he saw me.

And I remembered…

What he’d done at the very end.

After considering every possibility…

Only one conclusion remained.

Helior knows this world is a game.

Not only that—

He even knew how to manipulate another person’s system.

Strangely enough…

That wasn’t actually a problem.

If anything, it was good news.

If I wanted to return to reality…

There was no better ally than Helior.

Still…

One thing bothered me.

I couldn’t remember exactly what we’d talked about.

It feels like he said something incredibly important…

So why can’t I remember it?

Maybe…

Helior simply wanted to save Allen Kalstein.

That was the only explanation that made sense.

What I couldn’t understand was—

Why?

As far as I knew…

Allen and Helior barely interacted.

Even when Rickby served as the party’s main damage dealer, Allen only appeared occasionally in side quests.

There wasn’t any meaningful connection between them.

No matter how righteous Helior was…

Resetting the entire game just to save Allen didn’t feel like a rational decision.

Maybe…

He’d briefly lost his sanity.

Or perhaps it was one of the curses affecting him.

Come to think of it…

Hallucination was listed among his debuffs.

If that was truly the cause…

Then it was a terrifying curse.

Making him mistake the worst villain imaginable for someone precious enough to restart the world for.

Of course…

That only happened because Helior somehow knew how to operate the game’s system.

Regardless…

The curse had certainly done its job.

As I wondered how I was supposed to restore the protagonist’s sanity…

Rickby cautiously spoke.

“…Young Master.”

“You’re alright… right?”

“If your head hurts…”

“Or your memories are fuzzy…”

“WAAAH?! W-What are you doing?!”

I suddenly threw my arms around him.

Rickby completely panicked.

Meanwhile…

I honestly felt touched.

Even though we’d only spent a single day together…

I owed him more than I could ever repay.

That short time had brought me immense joy…

And immense sorrow.

The reason I’d found the courage to keep moving until the very end…

Was because Rickby believed in me.

“You should count yourself lucky, Rickby.”

“I’ve got plenty of time this round.”

“So I won’t let you die a pointless death.”

“Just trust me and follow my lead.”

Just like before…

I puffed out my chest confidently.

Rickby merely sighed and shook his head.

“…Sigh.”

“What am I going to do with you, Young Master?”

“You really must’ve hit your head hard…”

“…”

This bastard’s way of talking is seriously irritating.

Still…

I wasn’t upset.

Those memories had already disappeared for him.

There was nothing he could do about that.

I alone remembered the sacrifice he’d made for me.

And now…

I only wanted one thing.

To survive.

So nothing like that would ever happen again.

Returning to reality is important…

But I don’t even know how yet.

Like every transmigration story…

Wouldn’t clearing the True Ending send me home?

Especially…

That darkness wielded by Verdictus.

It looked almost identical to what had dragged me into this world.

I’d blacked out after being swallowed by darkness…

Then opened my eyes in the middle of a battlefield.

Maybe…

It has something to do with the Fallen Goddess.

After pondering the game’s lore…

I shook my head.

There was no point obsessing over it now.

I had plenty of time.

I could investigate little by little.

Besides…

I already know the original story.

Last time I’d awakened right before the final battle.

I had almost nothing to work with.

But if I started from the beginning…

I’d have a huge advantage.

Nothing is more valuable than knowing the future.

It feels embarrassing to say…

But I used to be a veteran player of Journey of the Hero Squad IV.

Now that I knew the enemy…

If I prepared properly…

Victory was absolutely possible.

“Young Master.”

“Do you remember how you collapsed?”

Just as my confidence reached its peak…

Rickby asked cautiously.

“Hm?”

“No.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“I really did hit my head.”

“My memories are pretty fuzzy.”

“So… where exactly are we again?”

Know yourself and know your enemy.

I gestured for Rickby to explain everything.

Without hesitation…

He began recounting Allen Kalstein’s recent history in great detail.

“This is Fjord Fortress.”

“You were assigned here two months ago.”

“You remember that much, don’t you?”

“You graduated from the military academy last autumn.”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Right.”

“So you’re currently serving as commander of the Fifth Unit under Fjord Fortress Headquarters.”

“It’s a cushy position, so you don’t actually do much.”

“You specifically requested somewhere you could relax.”

The way he casually shrugged made it sound anything but flattering.

And…

I knew exactly why.

According to the original game…

The headquarters contained five divisions.

The First and Second Units were elite forces.

The Third and Fourth Units were standard combat divisions that supported the elites.

As for the Fifth Unit…

It was officially the trash squad.

A dumping ground for every incompetent soldier.

Basically…

A military garbage can.

And the commander leading this hopeless collection of failures…

Was none other than Allen Kalstein.

Even in the original game…

They existed more as a running joke than an actual military force.

…Can I seriously start from this unit?

It already feels like I’ve been hit with a penalty.

“Anyway…”

“There weren’t any major problems for about a month.”

“You ate well.”

“You played around.”

“As always.”

Then Rickby made a face like he’d bitten into a bug.

“…Sigh.”

“The real problem was your welcome party.”

“I should’ve stopped you.”

“Who could’ve known it’d turn into such a disaster?”

“I should’ve confiscated every single bottle!”

He smacked his own forehead repeatedly before explaining what had happened that night.

In short—

Allen got completely drunk.

Started hitting on every woman he saw.

Eventually…

He put his hands on a noblewoman.

The two snuck into a secluded part of the garden…

Where they were caught in the act.

Honestly…

That part wasn’t surprising.

Allen Kalstein had done similar things at the academy before and had nearly been expelled.

I’d already learned through Rickby’s side quest that his family covered everything up.

Nothing new there.

But…

Wait.

This situation felt strangely familiar.

Digging through my memories…

I remembered something.

There had definitely been a side quest involving a party.

Since I’d experienced it through Rickby’s perspective, the details were fuzzy.

Still…

I vaguely recalled an idiot who got caught fooling around with his superior’s woman.

Then tried to escape…

Only to fall off his horse.

Wasn’t that…

Allen Kalstein?

Wait.

If this was that exact quest…

Then that noblewoman was—

“It just so happened…”

“She was the wife of Fjord Fortress’s commanding officer…!”

“…”

“…Ah.”

“…You have got to be kidding me.”

I buried my face in both hands.

Please…

Anyone.

Tell me this was a lie.

But regardless of my desperate wishes…

Rickby cheerfully continued.

“Then everyone caught you trying to run away.”

“You fell headfirst off your horse.”

“I seriously thought you were dead!”

“Do you know how hard it was putting your pants back on after they’d fallen off?!”

“…”

“…For fuck’s sake!”

Allen Kalstein…

You insane, womanizing, homewrecking piece of trash…!