NPC - 12

Episode 12: [I am an NPC]

A short while later, a few rabbits and foxes were laid out before me.

"It's difficult to find a deer at this hour."

"……."

I looked down silently at the game in front of me. Catching both of these animals in the dead of night was impressive enough on its own. I had planned to head back after catching just two or three rabbits. 

I mean, why is a young noble so good at hunting, anyway?

'Ah, right. Nobles hold hunting competitions and stuff.'

Having asked and answered my own question, I quietly nodded. Hunting was practically a noble's pastime. Even though they usually release pre-prepared animals before the hunt begins, they probably still know more about efficient hunting techniques than I do.

"We should head back now."

He picked up his spoils from earlier, and I carried the fresh game. Even though I didn't catch them myself, the heavy weight of the meat in both hands filled me with a sense of pride. With this, I wouldn't have to worry about tomorrow's breakfast.

"Ah, th... thank you."

"It is simply a reward for helping me defeat the monster."

Derek's eyes and expression had returned to their usual coolness. However, a slight shift in his demeanor left me feeling a bit flustered.

The atmosphere-freezing chill was gone. If he was previously a harsh midwinter where you felt like you'd freeze solid if you stopped moving, now he felt more like an early winter, just a tiny bit warmer.

"……."

"……."

Derek and I walked side-by-side down the path, but just because the mood had softened slightly didn't mean we suddenly had a lot to say to each other. Silence still hung between us.

"……."

As the relatively short walk began to feel endless, all sorts of random thoughts surfaced and sank in my mind. Still, the presence of the person walking next to me was too strong for me to get completely lost in my own head.

I glanced over at him.

'How far does he plan on going?'

There were plenty of other routes he could take to get back without coming all the way to our village. 

He was walking beside me so naturally, as if we shared the exact same destination. What was the reason for his change in attitude? As I observed him quietly, a sudden realization struck me.

'Ah, don't tell me…….'

There was one highly probable explanation. 

'Don't tell me... do I look incredibly competent right now?'

Considering everything I had done so far, it was entirely possible. I had handed over a potion that cured an impossibly potent poison, explained a field boss monster's elemental weakness, and pinpointed its vital spots. On top of that, we had even defeated the boss together.

"……."

I must have inadvertently come across as someone highly capable.

'T-This is bad.'

I am just a simple NPC. I shouldn't appear impressive to anyone. If I do, I won't be able to live peacefully. And straying from a peaceful life means straying from a comfortable one.

'When I think about how much the protagonist suffers here... I absolutely cannot become a major character.'

This was a game that threw massive trials at the protagonist right from the very start. If I became a key figure, the fallout would definitely affect me. I had no desire to meddle in the affairs of this world any further. The protagonist would save the world on their own if left alone.

My involvement should be limited to a single moment: handing over the potion to the protagonist. That was enough. And that rival could just go clash with the protagonist on his own, out of my sight.

I'm perfectly fine with being treated as a lifesaver just this once. If this kind of thing continued, it would only invite trouble. Isn't there a way to avoid getting any more involved than I already am? I just want to live a peaceful, comfortable life, running an inn with my family in a small village and going on the occasional trip.

***

After that, Derek actually followed me all the way to our inn, booked a room, and even stayed for a meal. Well, "stayed for a meal" isn't quite the right phrase. He paid a very handsome price for it. Perhaps because he was a noble, he left a very generous tip. 

Of course, he ended up practically being dragged back home by the knights who came looking for him the next day.

Once Derek left, the inn fell quiet again. The most pressing matter was the whereabouts of the potion. However, I stopped on my way to the storage room and headed to the counter instead. I finally had a rare moment to have a serious talk with my father. It wasn't like the potion was going to run away now, so I figured I might as well satisfy my curiosity first.

"Dad, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"About that potion."

"Which potion?"

"The expensive antidote that went out this time."

"Ergh... What about it?"

My father avoided my gaze, looking like I had brought up a very uncomfortable topic. Was he still upset about losing such a valuable item?

"Who did you buy it from?"

We usually acquired high-priced potions from outside the village or bought them from passing merchants. You could only find ordinary, run-of-the-mill items around here.

"Hmm, who was it again?" My father scratched his head, searching his memory. "Right. It was a peddler I saw when I went to the neighboring village. They were selling all sorts of fascinating things."

"What? The neighboring village?"

"I just bought the antidote that looked the best out of the bunch."

"Is that so?"

I found myself marveling anew at my father's eye for quality. If the potion's true efficacy had been known, it would have cost an astronomical amount. The only reason my character in the game had absentmindedly handed it over to the protagonist was probably because they had absolutely no idea what it actually did.

...I'll need to stash the remaining ones away before they get used for anything else.

"Ah, by the way, Cecil."

"Yeah?"

I paused my steps toward the storage room and looked back. My father was blinking slowly, staring at me. It was the exact expression he made whenever he had done something wrong.

"Why do you ask about the antidote?"

Even though he was the one who called out to me, he didn't elaborate on his own point. Instead, he averted his eyes again.

"Huh? What is it? Did something happen?"

A sense of foreboding washed over me. Surely nothing went wrong, right?

"Well, the thing is..."

"……."

I stared intently at my father's mouth, my anxiety mounting. I was terrified of whatever he was about to say next. He glanced at me before speaking cautiously.

"The village chief's kids got severely poisoned."

"...Huh?"

"They said the stuff from the general store wasn't working, so they offered to pay a premium for that antidote. You can't hoard things in an emergency, you know."

"……."

My breath caught in my throat for a moment. It felt as though the brightly lit surroundings had suddenly plunged into darkness.

Do you have any idea how precious that item is? It wasn't a potion you could just use on a whim! It was something I had to keep safe and hand over to the protagonist! to exaggerate slightly, you could say it held the fate of this world!

"...Ugh."

I barely managed to swallow back the barrage of nagging that rose to my throat.

I knew the village chief's kids well. I'd watched them grow up since before they could walk. They were still young, running around the village and causing all sorts of minor trouble. If I recall correctly, there was even a sub-quest in the game to find them when they went missing.

...They also came over to eat at our place from time to time. They were troublemakers, but deep down, they were good kids.

'No, even if that weren't the case... he still would have given it to them.'

Even without that personal connection, he would have handed it over willingly. My inability to ignore people in trouble right in front of me was definitely inherited from my father. He might have heard their offer to pay extra, but there's no way he actually sold it to them at a premium. There was a high chance he had just given it away for free.

"Haa..." 

I took a deep breath to stop myself from saying something I'd regret.

"So, would it be difficult to meet the person who sold you that potion again?"

"Hmm... Probably? It seemed like they only visited the neighboring village occasionally. It would be hard to get the timing right."

My father wiped cold sweat from his forehead, clearly walking on eggshells around me.

The deep breath helped more than I expected. The blood that had rushed hotly to my head began to cool, allowing me to face reality. It was better to figure out how to resolve this situation than to just get angry.

'Kids were sick, what else could he do?'

If I had been there, I probably would have done the exact same thing. Just as my father said, you shouldn't hoard potions in an emergency.

'Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the neighboring village.'

Blowing off a sub-quest was an unavoidable choice. The potion had saved Derek's life, so I was satisfied... or maybe not entirely. But the remaining portion had saved the children's lives, so it was a genuinely good deed.

However, getting through the story boss fight without that potion would be incredibly difficult. It was an item you were supposed to save for the absolute bitter end.

Some might wonder why I cared so much about a mere sub-quest instead of the main plot. But to maintain my stable life, world peace was a prerequisite. Since I couldn't step up and save it myself, I had no choice but to support the protagonist as best I could.

'In the end... do I really have to track down the person who sold it?'

Things were never simple. Problems kept cropping up one after another, almost as if I was the protagonist of this game.

"Cecil! What about food?"

But I wouldn't be able to go look for them right away. I still had work to do here, and besides, the protagonist wouldn't visit this village until the latter half of the game. I just needed to secure the potion before then.

"Coming right up!" I yelled.

"...Are you sure?" 

"No one's even gone into the kitchen yet, have they?"

I tossed the words back casually, as if I just needed to bring the food out, before heading into the kitchen to start cooking.

***

Thanks to the busy flow of inn work, grilling meat, boiling stews, I was able to escape my complicated thoughts for a while. As if trying to help me clear my head, the past few days had been incredibly hectic.

'Ugh... I'm exhausted.'

Even the thought of traveling to the neighboring village had to be pushed to the back of my mind. Moving so frantically, I was only able to catch my breath late in the evening. The boisterous patrons had gone their separate ways, leaving the inn quite peaceful. 

It didn't seem like we'd be getting any more dinner guests tonight.

"Well then, I should probably..."

"Hmm?"

Creak~

At that moment, the door opened, and someone stepped inside.

"Oh my! Welcome!"

My father's face lit up as soon as he saw who it was. He practically sprinted to the door as if welcoming a VIP, clasping his hands together and bowing slightly.

Shrouded in a black cloak with his hood pulled low, the figure looked down at my father with cold eyes.

'Why is he back...?'

The person was Derek, the very man who had recently made a massive impact on our inn's revenue.

"I'll take the room I used previously."

"Of course! Cecil, show him the way!"

"Yes, sir. Right this way."

The room Derek used was almost always empty. It wasn't that we purposely kept it vacant for him; it was just that the price was a bit higher than the other rooms, so fewer people booked it. Derek was the only one who had used it recently. For the record, the expensive bedsheets and blankets had already been replaced with fresh ones, so he would be able to sleep cozily.

Upon arriving at the door, I turned back to him, making sure to keep my customer-service smile plastered on.

"Please rest well. If you need anything, feel free to..."

"Come inside."

I had told him to let me know if he needed anything, but making a demand this immediately was honestly a little scary.

Without a sliver of doubt that I would follow, Derek stepped into the room first. He took a seat on the sofa, looking entirely accustomed to the space.

"……."

Well, now I had no choice but to go in.