Bad Ending [Sin of the Commoners].
The Demon King's army attacked, contaminating wheat fields across the Empire with plague, causing an unprecedented food shortage.
Asella prioritized distributing the remaining wheat to the Demon King expedition forces while ignoring commoners dying of starvation.
When commoners gathered in front of the Imperial Palace begging for bread, Asella mocked them.
She didn't use the cliché line about eating cake instead of bread.
"In truth, I cast a curse on the wheat fields. You lowly commoners should rightfully starve to death."
The commoners were too hungry to even have the strength to revolt, and the Empire collapsed.
Later, we discovered the truth, and the devastated Hero abandoned the expedition, allowing darkness to consume the world.
As that ending suggests, Asella clearly harbors negative feelings toward commoners.
'So these small inspections accumulate into resentment toward commoners.'
I understand to some extent.
Even I would develop resentment if I encountered thugs trying to extort money while peacefully enjoying tea time.
And I was equally angry at this bastard.
My rare moment of peace had been disturbed.
Above all, as a merchant guild member, he wasn't even one of my territory's people.
The thought that he might have been doing this to my own people made my blood boil twice as hot.
I walked firmly toward the man, positioning myself with my back to Asella.
When dealing with troublemakers, the one with the louder voice wins.
Strike first to win. Being somewhat unrefined and acting like a rascal is more effective.
"I come out for a walk after so long, and I find some vagrant doing business in my front yard without permission. Who do you think you are?"
The leader was a large man. He puffed out his chest and moved closer to intimidate me.
"Watch your mouth, pimp. You're just some money-hungry bastard trying to seduce empty-headed women in broad daylight."
"Huh."
Look at how this guy talks.
Did he think I was a host trying to seduce Asella?
He must think he has a thousand lives to spare.
"Are your ears clogged? Didn't you hear me say this is my front yard?"
"What do you think this is?"
The man pointed to the emblem on his chest.
"Every piece of land in the Empire is Sprehe Merchants' front yard. Know your place."
"Yeah! Get lost with your fluttering hat and pimp-like appearance!"
His subordinates were equally arrogant.
I snorted.
"You call yourselves merchants, but you're just a delivery company taking commissions. And this? It's just a vest?"
I tapped the back of my hand against the man's vest, sending dust flying.
"What are you there? Some filthy porter, obviously. Ugh, what a stench."
Smack! I pushed his vest away.
"And what does that have to do with anything? Why are merchant thugs causing trouble in someone else's territory, huh?"
"We were only requesting a legitimate loan. With our guild's reputation, we could certainly lend a few gold coins."
"You're just briefly passing through on the river to transport goods. How would you expect to be paid back? And you keep throwing around your name despite being a low-ranking member?"
My words seemed to irritate him, as his eyebrows twitched.
"This bastard really...!"
I was considering revealing my identity as things were escalating toward violence, but his movement was faster. His left fist was already flying toward me.
These hot-tempered guys are always trouble.
The difference in our builds is substantial. One hit would surely be critical damage.
But I've got some experience, so my reaction speed is quite good.
I easily dodge by turning my head.
"What...?!"
Surprise registered on his face, as if he hadn't expected me to dodge.
I'm not one to take a hit without fighting back.
I clench my fist, ready to counter-attack.
...But I was physically weak.
Very weak.
As I wondered if I could even inflict any damage with my counterattack...
[Diagnosis D has been activated]
A message appeared in my status window, and I immediately understood something.
[Injury Status: Fracture]
[Injury Location: Right Arm]
Information that the man's right arm was fractured. The location was easy to identify as that part of his body glowed red.
'So he wasn't left-handed, but was using his left hand because his right arm was injured?'
—WHACK!
Without hesitation, I delivered a straight punch to the highlighted area.
"AHHH!"
The man who had been speaking in a low voice until now let out a high-pitched scream like a woman and collapsed on the spot.
Oh my, did that hurt so much?
Judging by his reaction, it might be a comminuted fracture. That really hurts.
As a laborer who uses his body roughly, he must have been recently injured.
I don't miss an opportunity. I immediately subdued him by pressing my knee into his fallen body.
"Boss!"
"You bastard!"
As the other two rushed toward me, I pulled out a dagger from my back pocket.
"Hey, hey, if you don't want to get hurt, stay put, okay?"
Seeing the cold blade, they backed away in fear.
"W-what's going on?"
"He's completely insane...! Call the guards!"
As the commotion grew, onlookers began to gather.
It doesn't matter. My attention was focused solely on one person: Asella.
[No. 021: Sin of the Commoners 25% → 23%]
Asella continued watching my actions.
Wouldn't she have felt threatened or disgusted by these merchant thugs?
Assuming that accumulated negative feelings toward commoners created this bad ending...
'What's happened has happened, but I need to redirect the target of her negative feelings.'
I shouted loudly so the onlookers could hear:
"Guards? Go ahead and call them! See who the guards in this territory work for!"
I threw off the hat I was wearing.
The pride of House Gotberg, my snow-white hair, sparkled in the sunlight.
"That, that person!"
"Lars! It's Young Lord Lars!"
"The Rascal of the Marquisate!"
The onlookers who recognized me exclaimed in surprise.
Well, there's no way anyone in this street wouldn't recognize me.
Not a single person called me "Young Lord" respectfully—they all used informal speech. That shows my reputation.
"Y-Young Lord? The Marquis's son?"
"White hair... is it really him?"
The subordinates were flustered. Like lifting a rock to catch a crayfish only to find a venomous spider.
I put away my knife and asked the leader in a low voice:
"Hey, why do you need money?"
"Wh-what? Well, that's..."
"Answer quickly, before I make you disappear without a trace."
The leader, still wincing in pain under my knee, barely managed to answer:
"W-well... our guild master is here, and this morning we broke an entire box of premium goods that needed to be delivered to him. We needed money for compensation..."
"Ah, so it's the guild master's fault?"
"No, that's not it, it was my mistake..."
"I'll ask once more, so say it like this."
"Pardon?"
"Say it or die."
I cleared my throat and shouted loudly:
"Sprehe Merchants! You've always been violent and intimidating to the people of my territory! I won't let it slide today!"
Some onlookers agreed with my outcry.
"That's right!"
"Those guys are always trouble!"
"Young Lord! Beat them up more!"
These men I've subdued might be here for the first time today. They might be new employees.
But merchant guild members who work on ships tend to be rough by nature.
I predicted the onlookers would agree.
I grabbed the leader by the hair and shouted once more:
"Speak! You're a commoner too, so why were you trying to extort fellow commoners?"
"The guild master ordered me to do it!!"
The leader shouted at the top of his lungs.
Good, he said exactly what I wanted.
"Ah, I knew there was a noble behind this! It's always nobles who exploit the simple-minded commoners. House Gotberg will have to settle things directly with the Sprehe Merchants!"
I released the leader and stood up.
The onlookers whispered and murmured among themselves.
"Hey, the Gotberg Young Lord is going to fight the merchant guild for his territory?"
"I thought he was just a rascal, but he actually cares about his land."
"Young Lord, you're amazing!"
"I like how straightforward he is!"
Straightforward indeed—my face is burning with embarrassment.
This is mortifying.
It wasn't even a theatrical performance, but I delivered my lines in a completely cheap, melodramatic tone.
I never had talent for acting, but whatever.
I glanced at Asella, the cause of this farce.
...Asella was enjoying her coffee while looking at me with a weary gaze.
She must have been enjoying the show all along.
[No. 021: Sin of the Commoners 23% → 5%]
The bad ending probability has been restored.
It's even lower than before.
This counts as success.
"What are you looking at? Enjoying the show, huh?"
When I growled at the surroundings, the onlookers quickly went on their way.
I spoke to the leader who was still sprawled on the ground:
"Hey, you've done your business, so get lost. Don't bother me anymore."
"A-are you sure? I'm truly sorry about today. I would be grateful if you could overlook this incident regarding our guild..."
"Shut up. Oh, by the way, what was the item meant for your guild master?"
If it was an expensive item purchased from our territory, the options were predictable.
"It was premium holy water. About twenty bottles..."
Since he said they broke it, it must have been just the holy water.
Twenty bottles is a considerable amount.
The guild master must have some illness that needs to be cured.
Since this was useful information, I decided to let them go.
"Fine, now really get lost. Don't walk around with a broken arm without binding it with something."
"Huh? How did you know it was broken? And binding it... with what?"
How frustrating.
Normally, I should punch him in the face a few more times to make things right. But I'm tired of his nonsense.
I used the staff he was carrying as a splint and wrapped rope tightly around his arm.
"Keep it like this for at least two weeks. If you can't afford to see a healer."
"Oh my! Somehow it feels much better... Thank you. I'm truly sorry for the trouble we caused."
They bowed deeply to Asella and me before fleeing in a hurry.
Power is convenient at times like this.
'Huh?'
―――――――――――
· Skill rank has increased.
· First Aid Mastery E → D
You can perform first aid slightly faster.
The effectiveness of first aid is slightly increased.
―――――――――――
My skill rank increased from the experience.
'That was quick. Maybe it's because I have medical knowledge.'
Thanks to that, my overall [Medicine] experience also increased.
'I'll probably get a new skill soon.'
I returned to Asella.
"There was a bit of trouble, Princess. I hope you weren't displeased."
"I was very displeased."
Asella brought the coffee cup to her lips, then removed it and continued her assessment.
"But it served as excellent entertainment to enjoy with this coffee."
It seems she became so amused by my clownish behavior that she stopped caring about commoners altogether.
Yes. It always felt like this even ten years later.
It felt like the Hero's Party, including myself, had become clowns performing a circus for Asella's entertainment.
Well, as long as the result is good.
"Your cup disappeared."
"You didn't order another one?"
"You told me not to spend gold coins."
"You did well. Let's go back and drink water instead."
Just as I shook my head and sat back down, the owner brought a new coffee.
"Your coffee, sir."
So she ordered it anyway despite what she said.
Thinking how thoughtful that was, I took out silver coins, but the owner waved his hand.
"No, no. This young lady has already paid."
"Paid? How?"
She only had gold coins, which would have been impossible to use for payment.
As I turned to look at Asella suspiciously, the owner answered with a satisfied smile:
"I accepted flowers as payment. They were fresh and vibrant, perfect for decoration. It's enough to cover the broken cup too. Please enjoy the rest of your date, Young Lord."
The owner said that and walked away.
A steaming cup of butter coffee sat before me.
"What date?"
When I turned my head, Asella was avoiding my gaze.
"Flowers?"
"They were cumbersome to carry around."
She had used the flowers bought from the children for barter immediately.
It was a wise method. If she had put it on credit or used my family name to get it for free, it would have damaged our reputation.
Asella put down her cup and said to me:
"Young Lord Lars."
"Yes."
"If the same situation arises, will you step forward for me again?"
"Of course."
I answered without hesitation.
It's only natural that my body would reflexively jump in when those bright red numbers start climbing.
At my answer, Asella slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
At the edge, a bit of butter foam appeared on her cheek, which still retained some baby fat.
"You have something here."
I reached out and wiped it off with my thumb.
I must maintain the Princess's dignity.
"If you're finished, shall we go?"
There was no answer to my question.
Looking at Asella, she was avoiding my gaze while clenching her teeth.
Why is she angry again?
"Young Lord."
"Yes."
"Don't do that."
What?