Chapter 74 The Protagonist Of That Story
'My last moments... did I seem a bit like a protagonist?'
'──Yes. You were definitely a protagonist.'
* * *
"Ughhh..."
"Oh, what's wrong, Goddess Norn? You just cleared the first chapter, so shouldn't you be a bit happier?"
"I can't be happy! Because, because, Mr. Ruzure and the others are just too strong!"
"Ah, well, they are technically the bosses of the first chapter. Even among those who have played the original, many found them tough."
"I really struggled... Mr. Shouk kept using items to give us bad status effects, and Mr. Ruzure has really high stats. And that Mr. Hiiro just kept buffing with white magic, making it hard to deal damage while we were getting hurt. I got game over ten times! How can they be considered minor characters when they're that annoying?!"
"It's a common RPG thing for minor characters to be tough opponents."
"That might be true, but if they're that strong, they should just become knights or something..."
"That's how villains are. Ruzure may seem weak, but he came up with some pretty nasty plans."
"Yeah... I can't believe it was him who told Ms. Hauchi about Ms. Shura. And as soon as he found out Ms. Shura would be released quickly, he..."
"Shura's roommate, Sham Neshana, right? He lured her in with a letter, paralyzed her with Shouk, and Hiiro restrained her. It was a really slick move, in a bad way."
"Thinking about what would have happened if she stayed a hostage gives me chills. If that mysterious voice hadn't helped Sham-Sham, who knows what would have happened?"
"Right. Well, it's more like Sham's twin sister. If Lyam hadn't rescued Sham with magic... it would have been a really dark and upsetting story."
"...Sigh. The reason for trapping Ms. Shura was out of revenge for losing, and I wanted to support Mr. Hiiro, but honestly, I felt a bit relieved when we won."
"That's how it goes. Anyway, we successfully cleared the first chapter. Congratulations, Goddess Norn."
"Thank you... but from here on, it seems like Mr. Hiiro won't have a part."
"Yes, that's right. There won't be any scenes with Hiiro."
"Huh? You said that in a way that sounds like there's more to it."
"Hehehe. If you keep going in the story, you'll find out eventually."
"W-What is that creepy smile... I have a bad feeling about this."
"I'm just looking forward to seeing Goddess Norn's mood sink lower and lower..."
* * *
"...Oh?"
"What is it, adjutant?"
"Rejoice, Goddess Norn. We just received a report from Lord Velzandi who is on-site."
"Really!?"
"Yes. You've been waiting for this. But Goddess Norn, it was your mistake that sent him to that world. He must be going through a lot of trouble..."
"Please stop... I'm really, really sorry about it..."
"Hehehe. Let me take a look at the contents first. If it's too terrible, you might faint."
"Don't say that with a smirk..."
"Hehehe, now let me see...
...Hmm...
..., ..., ..., .........,
...What the... Huh?!"
"Whoa, what happened, my adjutant? Why are you shouting?"
"What do you mean, Goddess Norn! Something unbelievable is happening! What is going on?
That 'Yumillion's Nightmare' is now in a best friend position!?
He picked up Ruthless and is using it as a weapon!?
And why is Paella O'Doubler imprisoned!? I don't understand anything! What is going on here...!?"
"Um, I get Ruthless, but who are Quollio and Paella...?"
"Wait, oh right, they first show up in Chapter 2 of the original story... So, in Chapter 2, Shura gets put into a team, and Quollio is a boy from the same team. Instead of Paella──I mean, Powell is the 'captain' of that team."
"Really? I didn't know that..."
"But if Quollio is one thing, if Powell gets imprisoned... then who becomes the captain? It follows the original story, but if it goes on like this, a lot of things might get messed up..."
"Hmm, it's turning into a big problem in a different way. Haha."
"Is this really funny? This is seriously strange, Goddess Norn!"
"Huh? What's strange?"
"This influence! That Atami Shou is just a regular human, right?! Even if he's an irregularity, how can a regular human have this much influence in a well-established world? That's clearly weird!?"
"...Huh? Just a regular human? That can't be true."
"Huh?"
"Geez, my adjutant is so forgetful. There have been many worlds created recently where people can teleport or reincarnate, and the gods have forbidden that. So even if I accidentally let someone die, the gods wouldn't allow them to reincarnate a normal person."
"...Oh, right. Wait, does that mean he's some kind of special being?"
"Yeah, kind of. That thread is so beautiful. I knew he was the protagonist, but I didn't know what kind of story he was in. After I sent him, I learned this from Vel-Vel."
"This... is it a 'manga'? That Lord Velzandi is into?"
"Yeah. Apparently, Vel-Vel used to love it, and I read it too! Now I'm a big fan of Mr. Atami Shou!"
"Lord Atami Shou... does that mean he's...!"
"Yes, exactly!"
"To save just one girl, he fell into darkness and fought against a huge evil organization.
Facing ruthless violence and the fear of the underworld, he lost control and went down a path where he did bad things for his own sense of justice.
He took away a lot, destroyed a lot, crushed a lot, and killed a lot.
A flower of evil. Twisted justice and stubborn egoism.
But the thrill of him sticking to his path became popular, and it ended in a well-known blue magazine as a 'dark hero' story!
Yes, Mr. Atami Shou is from the manga called 'Loki of the Skyscraper'!
He was definitely the 'protagonist'!!"
"..........."
"Hehe, looks like you're speechless, adjutant. I'm not the only one who gets surprised or down all the time, you know?"
".........Oh, yes. I was surprised, for sure. I realize now that I missed a lot of important details. I'm reflecting on that."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
"But Goddess Norn... that means you accidentally let a protagonist-level being die, right?"
"........."
"That's a pretty big mistake... Seriously, you need to be more careful."
"........
........
........
Waaaaah!!! You're right!!! I'm really a terrible goddess!! I'm so sorry for being alive!! Boooohooo!!!"
Volume 3 ends.
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Author:
Thank you so much for reading this far.
First, I apologize for making everyone "misunderstand." The protagonist of this story is not just a guy with a strong desire to be a hero, but he is actually the protagonist of another story.
If Atami Shou hadn't died at the hands of a thug in the first volume... then the story would have continued, and that would be in the world of 'Loki of the Skyscraper.'
Just to be clear, we're not going to be running [Loki of the Skyscraper] as a series in this work, so don't worry. It's more like a fun addition, while the main focus will still be on Atami Shou working hard in [Shura the Scorching Flames].
You might feel a bit uneasy about some new things that get revealed suddenly.
But don't worry, it's not just something we wanted to throw in for fun!
We'll make sure to include it in the exciting story and entertainment coming up, so please keep enjoying this work!
I'm confident, and I won't let you down!
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
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