Home/The Male Lead, Whom I Thought Was the Villain, Is Acting Strange/ch 7

Chapter 7.

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why are you here?"

He turned fully to face me directly.

Unlike Rainer, the height difference was only about a head, so his downward gaze felt unnervingly close.

I swallowed hard.

‘Is he asking because he noticed I approached him deliberately?'

He was so expressionless that I couldn't even guess what he was thinking.

In contrast, those sharp golden eyes seemed to see right through me.

Ignoring my pounding heart, I shrugged as casually as I could.

"I wanted to help my brother, and if it suits me, I might even make this my career path."

"......Career?"

"Like what I want to do in the future. There's no harm in thinking ahead."

Azeint's eyelids blinked slowly a couple of times. He looked as if he'd just heard an alien language.

I cautiously asked him, tilting my head.

"Don't you have anything you want to do later?"

Like slaughtering House Espello and giving Muriel the big middle finger...

I asked with a glimmer of hope that he might drop some clue—even something small.

But he firmly shook his head.

"I've never thought about it."

"Why?"

"Because that's not a priority."

A priority, huh. So he was the type to value what he had to do over what he wanted to do?

"Then what is your priority?"

"......"

At my question, Azeint's golden eyes narrowed slightly.

It didn't seem like he was offended by the question—more like he was pondering how to answer.

After a long silence, Azeint was just about to speak—

Suddenly, arms shot out from behind me and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Roo-shi! Long time no see!"

"Gah!"

Weight pressed against my back, and my body lurched forward, nearly sending me headfirst into Azeint.

Trapped and unable to move, I frantically patted the arms wrapped around my waist.

"L-Lady Seira! Your armor! Your armor!"

It's hard and it hurts!

"Roo, sweetie~! I told you, you can call me unnie!"

Despite my squirming from the armor digging into my back, Lady Seira was busy nuzzling her cheek against me.

Azeint had nimbly stepped back and was now watching from a safe distance like a bystander across the river. Not that I expected him to help anyway.

The one who rescued me from this unexpected crisis was Rainer.

"Enough, Seira."

"Roo, why were you born as the sister of such a blockhead?"

Lady Seira finally let go of me with a reluctant pout, feigning tears.

"If Roo were my little sister, I'd sit you on my lap every day and spoil you rotten with all sorts of things!"

"......"

I silently thanked the universe for making me Rainer's sister while rubbing my aching waist.

Lady Seira was a senior knight who had joined the monster combat unit in the same cohort as Rainer, and she was also his childhood friend.

Though not a Master, she was highly skilled in aura use—a warrior who could hold her own against any man.

Her one flaw was that she had an almost pathological weakness for anything cute and pretty—whether people or objects.

It remained an unsolved mystery why someone like her had enlisted in a monster combat unit overflowing with burly men.

‘Come to think of it, she did make occasional appearances in the original.’

Lady Seira was a minor extra who fanned the flames of Muriel's jealousy.

Muriel used to sulk because Rainer always seemed to be with Lady Seira.

Of course, Rainer and Lady Seira were nothing more than childhood friends—if anything, they were closer to bickering old pals.

"But what brings our adorable Roo to this stinky military unit bright and early? Surely not to see your good-for-nothing brother."

Lady Seira smiled brightly and casually dissed Rainer. Then, after hearing the whole story, she was stunned.

"What? Rainer let you enlist as a temporary member? Has this bastard lost his mind?"

Her sharp curses echoed through the hall.

Suddenly, I understood why Rainer had no choice but to fall for someone as pure and cute as Muriel. I paused for a moment of silent reflection.

Rainer stood there like a fisherman waiting for a storm to pass, staring blankly into the distance. This was clearly not his first rodeo.

Determined to save my brother this time, I quickly stepped in to mediate.

"No, I asked him myself."

"Why? I mean, it's great that I'll get to see you more often, but it's too dangerous."

"But my aura is useful here. I want to gain experience while helping my brother."

"Oh my goodness... You're so cute and admirable!"

Lady Seira's eyes sparkled as she moved to hug me again—but then she paused. Her gaze shifted toward something over my shoulder.

"Who's that guy? I haven't seen him before."

Lady Seira pointed with her chin at Azeint, who was standing there like a sack of grain.

"A new recruit who joined recently."

"Really?"

At Rainer's answer, Lady Seira gave him a cool, appraising once-over.

Azeint saluted her politely. Although they were in different units, she was of the same rank as Rainer, and he showed her proper respect.

But Lady Seira's gaze didn't soften.

Perhaps as a side effect of her obsession with cute things, she had a strong aversion to men.

Her unit, the 7th, was rumored to be filled with groans of despair every time training started.

Again, I say—why on earth did she enlist?

After glaring at Azeint for a moment, Lady Seira suddenly turned away. Then she grabbed my hand tightly.

"If any of those insignificant brats bother you, you tell me, Roo."

She had a look in her eyes that said she'd tear them limb from limb, so I couldn't bring myself to nod easily.

"Come visit my place sometime, okay? I've prepared lots of pretty dresses and dolls for you."

"Haha... I'll come when I have time."

Never. I'll never go.

I watched Lady Seira's vibrant carrot-colored hair flutter as she walked away, and made a firm resolution.

Only after she left behind a tsunami-like presence did Rainer let out a deep, weary sigh.

"Sorry about that. Bad timing, running into her like that..."

I looked at Rainer with pity in my eyes.

He looked far more exhausted than when he'd spent days camping in the mountains fighting monsters.

In some ways, Lady Seira might be an even greater nemesis to Rainer than any monster.

"Did you finish your report?"

"Yeah, that's what I was about to tell you. You should know this too."

Rainer crossed his arms and glanced between me and Azeint.

"Lately, the monsters appearing in the Delta Zone have been acting strange."

"Like that centipede monster we caught last time?"

"Yeah. The frequency of high-level monsters like that one is increasing."

Rainer ran a hand through his russet hair and furrowed his brow.

"Other units and the Delta Zone guard posts have been submitting similar reports. It might be a temporary phenomenon, but we'll need to keep an eye on it for now."

A shadow fell over Rainer's face as he spoke.

The number of soldiers capable of fighting monsters was limited. Even fewer knights were skilled enough to handle strong monsters.

And they were deployed first to the Alpha and Beta Zones.

The Alpha Zone housed the imperial capital, major government offices, noble townhouses, and high-end shopping districts.

Monsters tended to target densely populated urban centers, which were often strongholds of the wealthy and powerful. Naturally, that's where the best troops were concentrated.

That was why the Alpha Zone was both the most dangerous and the most secure.

On the other hand, the Delta Zone was home to commoners and lower-class citizens.

Since it ranked low on the protection priority list, it wasn't uncommon for the monster combat unit to not deploy there at all.

Instead, the regular guards or local militias—untrained in monster combat—were forced to handle them as a last resort.

So even though weaker monsters appeared in the Delta Zone than in the Alpha Zone, the casualties were far greater.

If strong monsters started appearing in an already vulnerable Delta Zone, the residents there would be helpless.

It was no wonder Rainer—who felt a strong sense of responsibility and didn't discriminate when it came to saving lives—was concerned.

"Any idea what's causing it?"

"We're investigating, but we haven't found a clear reason yet. There's no consistency in the locations or types of monsters appearing."

Rainer shook his head.

"Anyway, since you're both new, you'll likely be sent to the Delta Zone often. Be especially careful."

Both Azeint and I nodded. Rainer turned to me and added,

"Especially you, Roo. You're just a temporary member. Don't do anything reckless."

He seemed uneasy that this situation had arisen on my very first day.

From his expression, I could tell he was holding back from telling me to quit and go home.

I understood why Rainer was overprotective.

But after all the results I'd shown, it felt unfair to hear that.

"Stop treating me like a child. I can take care of myself."

After all, I was born and raised in House Espello, renowned for its martial prowess.

I wasn't as skilled with a sword as Rainer, but I'd received various forms of training since childhood—including basic physical conditioning.

I had more than enough ability to protect myself. It was almost insulting to be compared to some pampered noble lady!

But Rainer ignored my protest and turned his gaze to Azeint.

"Jen, to be honest, you're skilled enough to be sent to the Beta Zone, but I'll hold you back here. Instead, when you're out in the field, take responsibility and look after Roo."

"Yes, sir."

Azeint placed his fist over his left chest and answered without a word. Neither of them seemed to care about my opinion.

‘Just you wait. I'll prove how capable I am!’

Besides, if I wanted to earn Azeint's trust, I needed to make him see me as a useful ally.

I felt a surge of determination I'd never experienced before, and clenched my fist tightly.

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