A manager in a hero party has a lot of work to do.
Among it all, the most important is conversation and persuasion.
I call it lip service, too.
To get support from nobles or merchant guilds.
To pry rumors or dungeon info from villagers or innkeepers.
Or to spread word of the hero party's achievements far and wide.
Lip service comes into play in every one of those moments.
By the time you're at the level of the 1st Hero Party, money rolls in on its own, but back when we were growing, I ran around myself to secure support.
I had all the dungeon info in my memory, but I still asked around in case some unknown variable had cropped up.
And right now.
My mouth was working overtime to persuade Vivian.
Vivian, who had fled after repeated failures and shouldered self-loathing.
But self-loathing isn't truly hating yourself.
It's hating the version of you that others despise—the you who can't be loved by them—and thus, the you who can't love yourself.
The self forms within relationships.
The human gaze turned outward can't see its own depths.
We only see ourselves through others' eyes.
In that sense, others are hell.
I'll retrain her to those gazes.
Only gazes that like her and accept her.
Until she shatters her self-loathing.
To erase the scars branded by others, I'll become her new "other."
An other who recognizes and trusts her.
The relationships she relearns will pull her from the swamp of self-loathing.
In that sense, others can sometimes be heaven.
Her willingness to devote herself to the children.
Her ideal of the righteous hero she'd always admired.
That alone was enough for me to believe she was a good person.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I drew out her empathy by reviving experiences from my failed second run.
I didn't get specific—just hinted that I was in a similar spot.
It was a pretty rough life, not even counting the regression knowledge.
Even with it, my growth had been slow.
I'd reached the limit of what my body could handle, only to get killed like trash at the Demon King's castle entrance.
This inherited body could shatter a normal sword barehanded now, though.
Once the war really heated up, I'd probably be stuck in the rear.
I'd raised heroes who looked down on me and kicked me out.
So well that I couldn't even stand up to them— that's the ridiculous spot I'm in now.
After building rapport, I gently coaxed without pushing.
Finally, I persuaded Vivian.
Her eyes reddened as she nodded.
"I'll... trust you."
I'd made her say that.
I promised her a different life if she followed and believed in me.
"Looking forward to working with you, Vivian."
"Y-Yes... Um..."
She took my handshake but hesitated.
"Come to think of it, I don't even know your name."
"It's Ian."
"Whaaat?!"
Ow, my ears.
Why's she so shocked?
Her gaping mouth looked like her tongue might roll right out.
"I-Ian? Ian? You don't mean... that Ian from the 1st Hero Party manager?!"
How do you know...?
"Uh, yeah, that's me..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoaaa..."
Vivian was speechless.
She just grabbed my hand and started jumping up and down.
"Ian...! The all-purpose manager who's Lord Philip's loyal aide and handles even unassigned tasks perfectly?!"
"Didn't know my name had such a long title attached."
"Whoaaa...! Wait, why are you here? Where's the 1st Hero Party?"
"Got kicked out."
Vivian froze mid-bounce.
Her beaming face hardened.
It had brightened up just moments ago, now gloomy again.
"Uh... What?"
She darted her eyes side to side, like she didn't know what to do with someone else's secret.
"Sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing, Vivian? I got kicked out—they did the kicking."
"I-It just feels like I did something wrong..."
"Guess they didn't like me, that's all."
Vivian's face crumpled like she was about to cry.
No need to feel that bad.
To lighten the mood, I asked,
"But how do you know me?"
"Oh, well... I'm actually a big fan of the 1st Hero Party! All the hardcore fans know you."
Only those in the know, so not super famous.
Good thing, actually.
Would be trouble if the manager got more famous than the hero.
She must believe Philip exists because she's a fan.
"But... compared to Lady Sylvia, I'm just livestock... You sure it's okay...?"
"Don't worry about that."
Even Sylvia the talent monster wasn't on Vivian's level.
"Okay, I'll trust you...! Ugh, Ian... This is unreal..."
That surprising, huh?
If I'd said Ian from the start, she'd have folded without persuasion.
Nah, she'd have seen me as a con artist.
Anyway, good first impression.
Why am I suddenly cold...?
"...Master?"
Oh.
Vivian and I were still shaking hands.
"Kati, why are you giving me that look?"
"I haven't said a word."
"Your eyes are talking."
"I'm wearing an eyepatch."
"I can still see it!"
She calmed once she got that it was just a handshake.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
We settled in one corner of the orphanage for the night.
Vivian was swamped tending to the kids.
She'd told them we'd head to a comfy abbey tomorrow, sending them into near-riot mode.
Vivian barely calmed them with fluttering fire sparks and ice crystals to distract them.
...Her talent's insane.
Controlling them that delicately and weakly is super hard.
Vivian's magic right now has a huge gap between weak and strong—no in-between.
Balance that gap, and she'd have top mage potential.
I wrote another letter to Mercy, asking her to bring the orphans to Agnes Abbey.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"..."
After sending the letter, Kati stared me down from right beside me.
She'd been sulky since earlier.
She denied it, though.
"What's up?"
"Protecting you from potential threats."
"Your glare's more threatening."
"Endure it."
"What the..."
Mercy chuckled and cut in.
"Animals get possessive of their owners, don't they?"
"She's not an animal, and I'm not her owner."
"Hmm, you seem like her owner to me. Anyway, pay her some mind. She's got a lot of loneliness."
Even if you say that, how am I supposed to handle a demonkin like Kati...?
When she turns back to cat form, maybe let her nibble my finger.
She's eyeing my hand now—worried she'll bite in this form.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Bedtime came. I nodded to Vivian and lay on the hard floor.
I mentally sorted my schedule.
1. Drop the orphans at Agnes Abbey in the capital.
2. Train at the training hall, get Vivian trained up, pass the temporary hero promotion exam.
3. Scout the next member.
That about covers it...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Deep into the night.
I cracked my eyes at the faint presence.
"Master..."
"I'm up."
Kati whispered but stopped short of waking me.
Presences outside.
Circling the orphanage slowly.
"I'll..."
"No, guard here. I'll go."
Kati bowed her head reluctantly.
"Brings back old memories?"
She shook her head no.
"Just worried."
"Who's worrying who?"
I was pretending not to worry about Kati, too.
Her background with abuse disguised as training at a young age resembled this village a bit.
Like when I first brought her home, I just stroked her head.
"You're all grown up. It'll be fine—stay here with Mercy. She's awake too."
"I-I'm fine..."
Unlike Kati, who'd escaped her past, Mercy still suffered trauma.
She couldn't sleep alone without me or Kati at night.
"Be back soon."
"Yes."
I slipped outside quietly.
Three shadows plastered to the windows.
The big one was obvious, but who were the other two?
I chucked a pebble—they turned this way.
Guard captain.
And two blocking the entrance.
Obvious combo.
"You bastard...!"
"Shh. You'll wake the kids."
Whatever it was, it was with me.
I jerked my chin—follow me.
We moved to where Vivian's massive ice spear had shattered.
"What business do three men have with me in the dead of night?"
They drew weapons instead of answering.
Sword and shield.
They came ready to fight.
"Guard captain got no learning curve?"
"Shut it! Don't know what scroll trick you pulled, but you're done."
Guess he thought breaking a sword barehanded was some magic scroll.
There are scrolls that temporarily give civilians that strength.
But I didn't use one...
"Village head finds out, he'll rage."
"Shut up. Whatever you are, I don't care anymore!"
Guard captain charged, the two guards behind.
"I'll rip that smug face off!"
Captain in the middle set to thrust.
Others flanking to bind.
"Die—!"
Captain's sword tip lunged for my throat.
I didn't dodge.
Ka-clang! Sword scraping hard metal.
My protruding Adam's apple tingled a bit.
Captain gawked; the charging guards halted.
"Ow."
Having the emperor and holy emperor's protection meant restrictions on my actions.
Couldn't just kill anyone picking a fight.
But this was different.
"From here on, self-defense, right?"
"What.... Ack!"
I yanked the sword barehanded, elbowed his face.
Helmet crumpled grotesquely.
He dropped the sword.
I snatched it, jammed it point-up into the ground, hilt buried.
"Uwaaa—!"
Terror-driven guard charged.
I sidestepped his swing, hooked his leg lightly.
"Ugh, urk...!"
He impaled himself on the upright blade.
Pierced through the chest—instant death.
"You little...!"
Guard captain staggered up, drew a hidden dagger.
Last guard cowered, sword out, hesitant.
"Wanna keep going?"
"Shut your mouth—!"
I used the charging captain's momentum to hurl him at the last guard.
"Uh, uwooo...!"
-Stab!
"C-Captain, th-this.... Uwuh..."
"Gurk..."
Bubbling blood, then captain slumped on the guard's sword.
The flailing guard had accidentally stabbed the incoming captain.
"Uheok!"
He shoved the captain off and fell on his ass.
"S-So-Sorry, sorry...!"
"Hmm."
"Sorry, sorry...!"
"I get you're slow learners. But curious why you came."
"Y-Yes, yes... Th-The captain said... ambush while sleeping..."
Stuttering bad.
"Even after seeing the head bow to me?"
"Y-Yeah, pride... Hurt... Said kidnap or kill Vivian in a night raid... Or anyone with her..."
Even if just after me, hard to spare them.
But my companions were targets too.
"R-Really, so-sorry...!"
Strange smell.
Pissed himself.
"Sorry, sorry..."
"Got a god you believe in?"
"Y-Yes...?"
"Pray. You'll meet soon."
-Crunch!
I twisted the helmet so his face faced backward.
Not my first kill, but killing humans always left a bad aftertaste.
Monsters in dungeons or demonkin were better.
"Tch."
I glanced at the three bodies and returned to the orphanage.
Awake Kati and Mercy greeted quietly.
Kati silently fetched cloth, wiped blood splatters from my clothes.
"Thanks."
"Y-You okay...?"
"Just a few acting on their own. Should be fine now."
"Phew..."
"Kati, that's enough. It's clean."
She kept rubbing the spotless cloth anyway.
I let her, knowing she was checking for injuries.
"Sleep now. We leave at dawn."
"You not sleeping?"
"Just in case."
I finally got the two, who insisted on staying up with me, to bed.
Compared to pulling all-nighters guarding for the 1st Hero Party, watching one orphanage in a small village was easy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Early morning.
We left the village under anxious stares from the villagers.
Our cart food was gone, so we loaded all the kids.
Village head followed like he had words, but turned back without speaking.
No more business here for me.
Military police raid or flee beforehand—up to them.
Two days later.
We arrived at Superbia, heart of the Pride Empire.
Towering walls blotting the sky.
Contrasting vibrant spring flower fields and lush trees.
The kids, seeing it for the first time, chattered in awe.
"Been a while."
"Yeah."
About two years.
Left with the 1st Hero Party, never thought I'd return exiled.
Fine.
Do it again.
While those idiots tank arrows.
Gather obedient, talented heroes and rebuild the party.
Not much time, but enough.
Wonder if those idiots are doing okay.
Don't collapse too soon.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Around the same time.
1st Hero Party campsite.
The tent Ian once used, now occupied by Penny.
Penny smirked alone, while the four heroes glared with stony faces.
Atmosphere like a fight about to erupt.
First, priestess Aria snapped irritably.