Tilea's Worries

Sweat poured down my back, a cold, unrelenting stream.

I felt as though every drop of moisture in my body was being drained out. It was a torrent of sweat, truly.

Here I was, at a construction site of all places...

When I followed the adventurer guild members and their employer to this place, I found a beautiful queen with radiant silver hair standing there.

Yes, it was none other than my beloved mistress, Camilla-sama.

I had taken on a mission to infiltrate the guild and punish a cocky little girl.

And there, amidst the details of the assignment, was Camilla-sama...

Camilla-sama had infiltrated the academy. I infiltrated the adventurer guild. Our paths just happened to cross here. It’s common for missions to overlap like this. In such cases, the best practice is to pretend not to know each other and carry on.

Therefore, Camilla-sama was pretending not to know me. That’s all. There’s no way she would consider me an enemy like the rest of them... That should be it!

And yet... for some reason, Camilla-sama was staring straight at me.

And, in a rare display, Camilla-sama, who usually didn’t show much emotion, was laughing out loud.

“Kukukuku, kuhahahahaha! Amazing, simply amazing. You’re Elizabeth, right? I’ll be honest, I underestimated you. I never thought you’d send such an assassin my way.”

“Hmph, you won’t be so smug for long. These are the Lawless Gang. You’ll suffer a terrible death, I assure you.”

“Kufufu, is that so? The Lawless Gang, huh? A fitting name for this outcast. It seems I’ll have to get serious against him.”

For some reason, Camilla-sama was glaring at me as she spoke.

Sh-she doesn’t mean me, right?

Sh-she’s probably referring to one of the more combat-capable humans among them.

It’s not me. It’s not me.

“Hmph, I can’t wait to see your arrogant face fall into despair. Every one of them is dangerous and dirty. Especially this one—he’s in a class of his own.”

Even the employer was pointing at me with glee.

Wh-what kind of twisted joke is this!

Should I take out this woman first?

No, I can’t. If I kill her, the deal for my rank promotion will fall through, not to mention I’d lose my adventurer credentials.

I need to stay calm. Yes, in this situation, the best course is to quietly withdraw from the battlefield without interfering with Camilla-sama. This mission might be a failure, but I can just raise my rank with another mission.

I can’t afford to hinder Camilla-sama’s battle against these humans—wait, is she doing a thorough warm-up!?

Camilla-sama was shaking her limbs and stretching her back. The so-called “stretching” routine.

W-what’s going on?

Isn’t this overkill for mere humans?

N-no, stretching is something Tilea-sama always recommends. She says it’s essential to prevent injuries, no matter what you’re doing. Even against these lowly humans, there’s always the infinitesimal chance that Camilla-sama might get hurt.

—Wait, is she practicing judo techniques now!?

Camilla-sama was repeatedly practicing a movement where she lowered her body and threw an imaginary opponent over her shoulder.

That’s the *seoi-nage* throw.

I see... She intends to play seriously with these humans. That’s why she’s practicing her forms.

However, it does seem like she’s imagining an opponent with a build similar to mine.

No, that’s not it. There’s someone here with a build like mine.

A man named Bito.

Y-yes. He’s quite the villain. Among humans, he’s one of the strongest. If I look at it very optimistically, perhaps, just perhaps, he might provide a little entertainment.

Even as I tried to convince myself, I couldn’t shake off the bad feeling.

“Hmph. I need to move faster. After all, he knows how to breakfall.”

I overheard Camilla-sama talking to herself.

H-he knows how to breakfall!?

Camilla-sama continued to perform the throw at an extraordinary speed. At that velocity, the back of one’s head would be shattered.

C-Camilla-sama, there’s no need to worry. There’s no way a mere human knows judo. A much slower speed would suffice.

“Finally, I can kill him. Ortissio.”

I heard Camilla-sama’s voice again.

Yes, there’s no escaping reality now. It’s clear that I’m the target.

W-w-what is going on!?

In my panic, I accidentally yelled out one of Tilea-sama’s catchphrases.

How did things end up like this?

Where did I go wrong?

I just wanted to earn Tilea-sama’s favor. That’s why I joined the adventurer guild. To become Tilea-sama’s number one retainer.

That was supposed to be my destiny... So where did I mess up?

Think back. Everything was going well at first.

Yes, it was three days ago...

“Alright, I’m off.”

“Mm-hmm, I’m sure you’ll rise to the top in no time. Good luck!”

“Haha, leave it to me. I’ll make sure to exceed Tilea-sama’s expectations.”

Myuhen proudly infiltrated the adventurer guild. Tilea-sama personally encouraged him. That’s such an honor. Not only Myuhen, but even his subordinates were beaming with pride.

Ugh, I’m so jealous!

The adventurer guild infiltration was one of the assignments decided at the last Dark God Army meeting. It was part of gathering information on the humans by disguising ourselves as adventurers. If it was just that, Berunandesu, who handles espionage, would be the obvious choice. However, in case we encountered powerful opponents, we needed someone skilled in combat.

That’s when Myuhen was chosen.

I couldn’t understand why. I volunteered too, but I was unanimously rejected. They told me to stick to earning money and made me the finance officer.

Myuhen and I are nearly equal in strength.

So why is he always favored?

I fought hard during the meeting, but...

The deciding factor was Tilea-sama’s voice of authority. She joined the meeting midway and endorsed Myuhen.

Tilea-sama said,

“Oh, Myu’s going to work for the adventurer guild? Mm-hmm, Myu will be fine, he’ll do great. Or? Why is he even a candidate? Rejected, rejected, this isn’t a game. Or, do you have a death wish?”

Argh!!

Just thinking about it makes me mad with jealousy.

Why, why?

Why does Myuhen always get the advantages? Even in the last war, my record wasn’t worse than his.

Ugh... Why?

I lost my composure, but deep down, I know the truth.

It’s because of that past blunder.

The unforgivable mistake of daring to oppose Tilea-sama.

I was reckless. If I could go back in time, I would. I’d kill my past self for committing such a foolish act.

Why did I do something so idiotic?

I must redeem myself. I have to earn a merit that will win back Tilea-sama’s favor, no matter what.

After sending off that Myuhen, Tilea-sama headed to the kitchen.

Now is my chance.

If anyone else is around, they’ll definitely oppose me. Especially that new strategist—if he sees me, he’ll immediately launch into a tirade against me.

Tilea-sama entered the kitchen and grabbed a knife. It seems she’s preparing a meal. She placed ingredients on the cutting board and began chopping them.

Now’s the time—no! I must retreat! That damn strategist has butted in again.

I was about to approach Tilea-sama, but the new strategist started chatting with her, looking all smug. What on earth are they talking about?

Hmph, trying so hard to win Tilea-sama’s favor.

Gah, go back to your duties already!

I waited, suppressing my irritation, for the strategist to leave.

Finally, when the strategist left, Berunandes of the Fourth Division started talking with Tilea-sama.

Ugh, I can’t seem to get Tilea-sama alone.

One after another, members of the army approached Tilea-sama. Right now, it’s Edim who’s speaking with her.

This isn’t going anywhere.

Well, I suppose it’s fine if he’s there...

He’s only a half-demon, after all. I can deal with him. If I hesitate, another nuisance might show up. I steeled myself and decided to speak directly to Tilea-sama.

“Tilea-sama, Tilea-sama!”

“Or, what is it?”

“Please, I humbly ask you to reconsider the guild infiltration!”

There was no other time. I had to plead earnestly before anyone else could interrupt.

At first, Tilea-sama looked surprised, but then she sighed and gave me a weary look. It seems she still doubts my abilities.

Ugh, it’s hopeless... No, if I don’t try, nothing will happen. I need to convey my determination to Tilea-sama.

I knelt before Tilea-sama and pleaded once more.

“Tilea-sama, please. I beg of you, trust in Ortissio.”

“Or, do you really think you can make it as an adventurer?”

“Of course. I am no less skilled than Myuhen.”

Tilea-sama always favors Myuhen, always him. But he’s not the only one who’s capable. I need

 Tilea-sama to understand that.

“Look, being an adventurer isn’t a game. You’re only going to cause trouble for everyone around you with your selfishness.”

“I promise that won’t happen. I will succeed in this mission!”

No matter how much I pleaded, Tilea-sama wouldn’t agree. She kept insisting it was too dangerous.

Argh! Why? Why does Tilea-sama underestimate me?

My record is nearly equal to Myuhen’s. But Tilea-sama sees him as far superior to me.

Ugh, I have to do more. I have to appeal to her somehow.

“I understand that you trust Myuhen. I acknowledge that he is a seasoned warrior. But I am just as capable as he is.”

“...Can we be done here? I need to get back to preparing this meal.”

This is bad. Tilea-sama is trying to end the conversation. It’s no surprise since we’ve been going in circles.

This is my last chance. I can’t keep pushing the same argument. I need a different approach.

“Then, hypothetically speaking... What if I reach S-rank before Myuhen?”

“What are you...”

“Please answer me. In that case, you’d acknowledge that I’m superior to Myuhen, wouldn’t you?”

I pressed her for an answer.

It was disrespectful, but I couldn’t worry about that. I desperately needed Tilea-sama to understand me.

“Well, if that happens, I’ll acknowledge it.”

“Truly!?”

“Yes. If you reach S-rank before Myu, it would prove you’re a distinguished warrior. I’d make you my personal bodyguard.”

“Personal bodyguard!?”

“Yes, yes. A warrior of that caliber would be perfect as my personal bodyguard. I’d even beg you to take the position—so, can I get back to my cooking now?”

“Whoooaaa! I’ll do it!”

Tilea-sama often speaks of her personal bodyguard. It’s the position closest to the king, filled only by the most trusted subordinates.

It’s currently vacant.

And it could be me!?

Mwahaha! Just watch!

I got Tilea-sama’s permission. No matter what, I’ll achieve a higher rank than Myuhen.

I, Ortissio, will become Tilea-sama’s personal bodyguard!!

I sprinted at full speed toward the adventurer guild.

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**Author Notes:**

  After Ortissio ran off, Tilea and Edim had the following conversation.

  “Tilea-sama, are you sure about this?”

  “No, honestly, Ortissio was getting so annoying that I got tired of dealing with him.”

  “So you weren’t serious about making him your personal bodyguard?”

  “Nope. And it’s not like the bet will even happen. The guild isn’t stupid enough to promote Ortissio to a high rank.”

  “True, Ortissio-sama can be impulsive and shortsighted. But he does have strength. He might surpass Myuhen and reach S-rank…”

  “Mmm, Ortissio does have strength (or rather, his family’s influence). But the world isn’t so easy that you can climb to the top with just that.”

  “Yes, I don’t really think Ortissio-sama could outshine Myuhen. So, we don’t need to stop him?”

  “Right, let him go. I was against it at first, but maybe this is for the best. Ortissio’s been spoiled his whole life. A little failure might help him grow.”

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