Chapter 14: How did you get that from this conversation?!

"Oh, Takeru-kun. Helping out again today?"

"Yeah."

"You're such a good boy."

When Takeru was little, rumors about his monstrous strength spread often.

By the age of three, he could carry three water jugs at once and toss stray dogs like it was nothing.

"I can feel incredible magic power coming from Takeru."

"If he got tested in the capital, the results would be insane."

His magical potential was also extraordinary. Every mage who measured his internal magic was stunned.

In Crown Village, a remote countryside town, they couldn’t do proper measurements, but it was speculated that he might be a rare A-rank.

"As long as Takeru’s here, the village is safe."

"He might even become a knight someday."

At first, the villagers adored Takeru for his courage and strength.

If he became a famous knight, it could bring prosperity to their village.

They said that when Takeru was small, everyone in the village doted on him.

"...What is this..."

That treatment began to change after he turned ten.

It happened when a landslide caused by heavy rain blocked an important road.

"Takeru did this?"

"Yes."

Seeing everyone in trouble, Takeru used magic to “blow away the earth and trees.”

The magic he cast tore into the mountainside, split the ground, and left a barren wasteland behind.

"This... This isn't something a human could do."

"Oh, how terrifying... It's the wrath of the Clown."

Takeru only meant to help because the villagers were struggling.

But it was understandable that they would feel fear, seeing a boy casually blow away a mountain.

"D-Did I do something bad?"

"N-No, not at all, Takeru-kun."

"Really? That’s good."

"Takeru is brave and so cool!"

Even so, on the surface, the villagers remained kind to him.

Wherever he went, people praised, admired, and revered Takeru.

"As long as Lord Takeru is with us, this village is safe."

"Please, take anything you like."

...But Takeru began to feel something was off about how they acted.

Ever since he destroyed the mountain, people had stopped speaking to him on their own.

If he talked to them, they’d smile and reply.

But behind those smiles, he could see the fear and sweat swirling in their eyes.

"...I like you. Please go out with me."

"Y-Yes! Gladly!"

It wasn’t until he turned fourteen that Takeru clearly realized the discomfort he’d been feeling.

He had fallen in love with a slightly older girl who lived nearby.

"Wow, I’m so happy."

Takeru gathered his courage and confessed, and the girl responded warmly.

That night, overjoyed that his feelings had been accepted, Takeru couldn’t fall asleep.

Unsure of what to do with his emotions, he set out for a nighttime walk, practically bouncing with excitement.

"I'm scared, I'm scared. What should I do..."
"Just bear with it. Please. If we upset that monster, who knows what will happen to the village..."

And then, he saw it.

"I can’t believe I have to date a monster like that..."

"Oh... I’m sorry, my daughter. I’m so sorry..."

The girl he had confessed to, sobbing as she clung to her parents.

"Why is this happening to me?"

"The legend of the Clown was real after all..."

She never truly liked Takeru at all.

She was simply terrified of his monstrous strength—so she accepted his confession out of fear.

---

“Mom… what am I?”

The next day, Takeru broke up with the girl.

He apologized for scaring her and never spoke to her again.

“Why do I have this kind of power?”

“……”

“What’s this ‘Clown’ the villagers keep talking about?”

Crushed with despair, Takeru cursed his own monstrous strength.

He was desperate to understand why the villagers feared him so much.

“…Maybe it’s time you knew.”

“Mom…”

“But you must promise—never tell anyone about this.”

Saying that, his mother gently stroked his head.

“This town… is said to be the resting place of the foolish clown, Foolish Crown.”

---

Takeru stopped his story there.

…Yeah. Being feared by your first love—that must’ve hurt.

So that’s why he was so happy when Polie treated him normally, even a bit coldly.

“And? What exactly is this Foolish Clown you mentioned?”

“…If possible, I’d like you to hear this without getting angry.”

“I’m not one to fuss over every little regional legend.”

Now that she thought about it, Takeru hadn’t looked happy at all when he defeated Knight Commander Paulik.

If anything, his face had shown a crushed sort of disappointment—like, “This is supposed to be the strongest man in the kingdom?”

Maybe… Takeru had actually wanted there to be someone stronger than himself.

“Lady Rishali, are you familiar with the account of the Black Dragon subjugation?”

“Yes. The battle where the Black Dragon was defeated by the Saripa army under the hero Lord Spio, a hundred years ago.”

“Right. The nation put all its power into driving off the dragon that attacked Saripa.”

Takeru shifted the topic to the dragon’s defeat.

It happened a hundred years ago—a massive black dragon descended and rampaged through the region.

“…And that dragon was defeated by a single clown.”

“…Excuse me?”

The Black Dragon was enormous—just swinging its tail reportedly killed a hundred men.

It was incredibly strong, with scales so tough even its footsteps reshaped the terrain.

Not something a single person could ever hope to defeat.

“But according to records, Lord Spio led a thousand-strong unit that brought down the dragon.”

“……Yes, that’s correct.”

It was indeed Lord Spio the First who led the army that felled the dragon.

Recognized for his achievement, he was made a marquis, and his grandson continues to serve the nation today as a marshal.

At least, that’s what I was taught.

“Back then, the King of Saripa declared: ‘Whoever slays the Black Dragon shall be granted any reward they desire.’”

“……”

“And a few days later, a clown appeared at the royal palace, claiming he had slain the dragon. His body was covered in wounds, and he was barely able to stand.”

By all common sense, fighting a dragon alone is impossible.

Humans and dragons are just on completely different levels.

No matter how strong an ant is, it could never hope to beat an elephant.

“The clown asked for a reward—not gold or land, but medicine to save his terminally ill wife.”

“…And then what happened?”

“The medicine he requested was extraordinarily expensive. And the clown had brought no proof at all. So the king hesitated, unsure whether to believe him.”

But I kept wondering: what if… what if that clown was as strong as Takeru?

Takeru’s strength is unthinkable. His magical power and physical ability are completely beyond human limits.

If it were him… maybe even slaying a dragon solo wouldn’t be impossible.

“The day after the clown’s visit, a report came in—from Lord Spio—claiming the dragon had been slain.”

“……”

“Spio had the dragon’s carcass transported back and returned in triumph. The king, hearing the news, immediately dismissed the clown from the palace.”

“…And what did the clown say?”

“They say he pleaded with the king. That it was he who slew the dragon. But no one believed him.”

『I really did kill it! That guy just brought back the dragon I defeated! He’s a liar!』

『That’s ridiculous!』

And so, credit for the dragon’s defeat went to Lord Spio.

The king praised him as a hero and personally welcomed him at the gates of the castle.

『You’re wrong! That man’s a liar!』

『As if Lord Spio would lie!』

『You think some commoner like you could kill a dragon? Don’t be absurd!』

The clown, dismissed and disbelieved, wasn’t even given treatment for his injuries.

He left the palace, soaked in blood and tears of regret, trying to make his way back to his hometown.

But his wounds from the battle were too severe—he had bled too much to keep going.

『I made it back in time… I killed that dragon to save my wife… I nearly died doing it…』

On the road home, he regretted more than anything that he couldn’t spend his final moments with his wife.

Laughed at as a fool who tried to deceive the king with an obvious lie, he was pelted with stones outside the castle gates… and died.

—

“What happened to his wife?”

“They say she passed away from illness. Only their one child was left behind.”

“…And that child?”

“He was nearly executed for being the son of a fraud. But the King of Saripa at the time declared, ‘It was a crime born of love for family. How could I then lay hands on that family?’ And so, the child was pardoned.”

Takeru paused there, and closed his eyes.

“That surviving child… is said to be my grandfather.”

“…!”

In other words, Takeru is a descendant of the clown who claimed to have slain the dragon.

“In my hometown, it’s believed that Lord Spio was the real liar. The villagers all used to say, ‘If it wasn’t that man, then who else could’ve brought down the dragon?’”

“He was that powerful?”

“That clown… my great-grandfather, left behind traces of his feats. He diverted rivers and carved through mountains for the sake of the village. He was certainly no ordinary sorcerer.”

If what that clown said wasn’t a lie…

Then just how cruel was the treatment the Kingdom of Saripa gave him?

“…Because of that history, there’s a legend in Crown Village: ‘One day, the Clown will rise again and take revenge on the kingdom.’”

“R-Revenge?”

“I don’t have any such intention, of course. …But it seems the villagers became convinced that I was the reincarnation of the Clown.”

That Foolish Clown must’ve had strength comparable to Takeru.

Which is exactly why the villagers came to fear Takeru’s power so excessively.

—A man who suffered such a fate… how could he not grow to hate the world?

“I got tired of being feared, so I left the village. I wanted to find hope in the outside world.”

“…I see.”

“I wanted to believe I wasn’t really that strong. That I was just a big fish in a small pond, nothing more.”

Takeru convinced himself the legend was nonsense—and that there were people in the world stronger than he was.

No, rather… he hoped they existed.

“That’s why I entered the martial arts tournament… but I ended up winning easily.”

“…”

“I was so disappointed, thinking, ‘Is that all?’ But then I heard that the commander of the Royal Knights—Paulik—was a monster who had won ten years in a row. And that the tournament winner could challenge for a place in the Royal Knights.”

“I see.”

“If I became a Royal Knight, I’d earn enough to repay my mother for everything. So I didn’t hesitate—I set my sights on the Royal Knights.”

Takeru wanted to fight Paulik.

Even if it meant provoking him with cheap taunts, he wanted to see the strength of the strongest man in the kingdom.

“But even Paulik couldn’t match you…”

“That was… a little disappointing.”

In the end, not even Paulik could stand against Takeru.

Takeru defeated the strongest man in the kingdom with a single strike.

“But… it’s fine.”

I remember Takeru’s face right after that. There was no smugness, no thrill of victory or satisfaction of proving himself.

His face had gone pale as he looked at Commander Paulik, clearly thinking, “I went too far.”

…Even the Kingdom of Saripa’s strongest man couldn’t touch him. That kind of despair—how deep must it go?

“…Lady Rishali, you taught me something.”

“Eh? Me?”

“I wasn’t searching for someone stronger than me. I just wanted someone who would see me… for who I am.”

Takeru spoke with a beaming smile, his cheeks faintly flushed.

Until now, he had always been feared for his absurd strength.

People eventually came to see him as a “monster” or the “reincarnation of a jester,” treating him with excessive flattery.

“I didn’t want people to be scared. I just wanted them to treat me normally. To talk to me, as a person. That’s why, when you said those words to me, Lady Rishali, I…”

At that point, Takeru faltered, his eyes glistening ever so slightly.

—Did you ever truly see me, as Takeru the person?

Come to think of it, that’s what I had said to Paulik, wasn’t it?

“The day you held my hand, Lady Rishali… I realized what it was I’d been longing for all this time.”

“…Takeru.”

“Thank you. …Thanks to you, I’m truly happy now.”

In short, Takeru had been lonely all along.

Because of his overwhelming strength, he had always been alone.

All he wanted was for someone to see him as Takeru the individual.

“When you looked at me without fear, Lady Rishali… it made me really, really happy.”

“Well, in my case, almost everyone’s too strong for me to beat anyway.”

“Ah, ahaha…”

Honestly, I didn’t find Takeru’s strength all that terrifying.

After all, I’m so physically weak that I can’t beat almost anyone.

Whether it’s Takeru or some random maid, if I picked a fight, I’d get my face rearranged. I don’t have the luxury of being scared all the time.

The only opponent I can confidently defeat is the ass-slicing worm.

“In that sense, I really appreciate the way Polie acts around me. She doesn’t see me as a monster—just as an ‘annoying colleague.’”

“Eh, well… that is…”

“It’s the first time a girl’s ever disliked me and actually complained about it. …It feels kind of refreshing.”

“Y-yes, I suppose it does!”

Apparently, most of the Royal Knights still feared Takeru.

They avoided him, disturbed by the sheer abnormality of his power.

In all that, the only ones who spoke to him without fear were the knight captain Paulik and…

—What an idiot! Getting so full of yourself, and you're just a commoner!

…that girl, Polie.

“That girl Polie seems to get angrier at me than she’s afraid. She’s always yelling.”

“Well, yes, that sounds like her.”

“The only one who used to get mad at me was my mother. …It’s kind of fascinating, meeting someone like that.”

At that, Takeru covered his mouth; he seemed to be chuckling to himself, remembering Polie.

…Even those harsh words were probably a precious form of communication to him.

“Well then, I shall try not to get in the way too much from now on.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

If the two of them were fine with it, I had no reason to interfere.

Let her be as prickly with Takeru as she wants.

“But I’d like to avoid making her mad too often, if I can.”

“Yes, that would be wise.”

At this rate, she might really end up capturing Takeru’s heart someday.

---

“You held back again, didn’t you?! You idiot, Takeru!”

“...S-Sorry.”

A few days later. When I peeked into the training grounds, Takeru was once again being hounded by Polie.

The young knight was absolutely furious, while Takeru was doing his best to calm her down.

“What was with that kick just now?! You clearly pulled it on purpose!”

“I-I didn’t want to hurt you…”

“Don’t be so considerate! What kind of enemy pulls their punches with a soft little kick?! You blockhead!”

Polie’s words were brutal, but there was no trace of displeasure on Takeru’s face.

If anything, he actually looked happy to be getting attention.

“What are you smiling at?!”

“N-No, I’m sorry!”

It was like a verbal dodgeball match, but if Takeru was enjoying himself, then all was well.

That was probably just her way of showing affection—classic tsundere style.

So I decided to quietly stay hidden and just watch from the shadows.

“Um… Lady Polie, you’re really… cute.”

“Whaaa?!”

…Still, Takeru really needed to work on how to talk to girls.

You wouldn’t know it from her usual attitude, but judging by her reaction, that guy seriously flirts from time to time.

“How the heck did that line come out of that conversation?!”

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mea—”

Thunk.

The young knight, her face bright red, delivered a clean kick right to Takeru’s face.