“With monsters increasing, life for commoners is only getting harder. For nobles to ignore that and focus solely on their own gain… It’s just wrong.”
He’s always been the kind of person you can trust when it comes to doing what’s right.
I made the right choice coming to him.
Just hearing him talk puts me at ease.
“Everything you say is true.”
I nodded. For now, I’d let him speak.
“But even if I wanted to punish corrupt nobles, I lacked the justification. The nobility are tightly bound by shared interests, keeping each other’s secrets. There was no way for me to break in. So, I had no choice but to focus on fundraising and helping those in need however I could.”
Dieter sighed, frustrated, then looked down at the papers I’d given him and smiled.
“But with this… there’s no need to worry anymore. Truly, thank you.”
“…”
Somehow, I felt… strange.
I only gave him those documents to help clear Bati’s name.
Sure, I thought we could both benefit, but still…
And yet he’s this happy.
Not because it profits him, but because he can help people in need.
Dieter really is someone worthy of being hailed a saint after defeating the Demon King.
Everyone in the Hero’s party was quirky in their own way, but they were all good people.
“You got this yourself, didn’t you? You seem to be really good at hiding your presence. I didn’t notice you at all until you came out!”
The two guards glared at me with eyes like burning coals.
Knights, yet unable to handle one adventurer—clearly, they still hadn’t gotten over it.
But honestly, it didn’t bother me.
In fact, I was a little smug.
It meant I was better than the guards assigned by the Grand Temple.
That… says something, right?
Even Bati said I was good.
This is the Grand Temple we’re talking about, and the heir to a marquisate that controls the nation.
No way they’d assign him anything less than elite protection.
Yet both of these knights had no idea where I was and searched the completely wrong places.
I think I am allowed to brag a little.
I felt surprisingly validated.
In the previous timeline, even Bati hadn’t known I was there.
I knew I wouldn’t get caught, and yet, my heart was racing.
Knowing it in your head and feeling it are very different things.
“Yes. I went myself. I wanted to bring it directly to you.”
“I knew it! That’s incredible!”
Dieter clapped his hands and beamed.
His reaction was far more enthusiastic than I’d expected.
“You must’ve snuck in like before, right? I’ve been looking for someone who could do something like that for a long time, but no one ever agreed.”
Seriously?
He was actively looking for someone?
So Dieter isn’t just pure and kind—he’s willing to overlook minor crimes if it means getting what he needs.
Well, considering how much more the nobility breaks the law and gets away with it, I can’t really blame him.
“Noble estates have tight security and tons of traps to stop intruders. Trying to sneak in is basically suicide. Everyone refused, horrified.”
That’s all true.
The more someone’s up to no good, the more paranoid they are—terrified someone will come for their ill-gotten gains.
They worry a thief will steal their dirty money, or an assassin will come for them in the night.
So they fortify everything with traps and magic.
A regular adventurer wouldn’t dare step foot in there.
But someone like me?
I can do it.
There’s a reason my master chose me as a disciple.
I wasn’t some desperate orphan—I had a loving family and a peaceful life.
My family was against it, of course.
But he insisted I come with him.
Because he knew my talent was too valuable to waste.
‘…That’s right.’
The memory hit me suddenly.
“You’re too good to be stuck inheriting your parents’ general store,” my master had said.
“Come with me.”
He promised me a magic sigil if I agreed to be his apprentice.
Said it was a rare and precious thing.
He clung to me, pleading.
At the time, I’d just turned twenty and knew how expensive magic sigils were.
I honestly thought he was a scammer at first.
A stranger adventurer suddenly saying I was the only one who could carry on his legacy?
Yeah, anyone would be suspicious.
But he was sincere.
He truly believed in my worth.
That belief gave me the courage to run away from home.
‘Too bad he turned out to be a thief…’
Who knew I’d end up learning how to sneak into houses and hide my presence?
That my natural talent would lie in that?
Sure, he taught me how to fight monsters too, but… yeah, it was a shock.
It’s not exactly a skill set with a great image.
Later on, I didn’t care so much—made good money with those skills—but before the regression, I used to think about it a lot.
What if I’d learned something else?
Something more combat-focused?
What if I’d been gifted in a different way?
Would I have been more useful?
I knew thinking about it wouldn’t change anything.
My skills wouldn’t magically shift.
My situation wouldn’t improve.
But I couldn’t stop dwelling on it.
I wasted so much time that way.
“And that’s why I want you to use your talents… for me!”
The helplessness of being unable to fight ate away at my mind.
The despair of endless defeat became all too familiar.
So I forgot.
“I really need your abilities.”
That I, too, had something that someone desperately needed.
“I’m saying that you’re amazing.”
Just like Bati once told me.
I am an amazing person.
“…Thank you.”
I was really happy.
So this is how exhilarating it feels to be acknowledged by someone.
My heart is pounding.
And not just by anyone—by a member of the Hero’s Party!
I can’t ask him now, but maybe even the pre-regression Dieter thought the same way.
That I wasn’t just some weak human Bati dragged along, but a competent companion.
“So, you want me to infiltrate the mansion the priest designated, get the materials, and bring them back out?”
Honestly, it’s a touching story, but…
“Yes, exactly that.”
“If that’s the case, it’s right up my alley. Still, you never know what might happen, so even if I get caught or whatever, I won’t mention your name, Priest. No matter what happens to me.”
“Ah… no! That’s not what I meant—”
Still, I can’t just agree without even mentioning payment.
“It’s fine. I’ll make sure nothing leads back to you. Of course, if I disappear, your plan might get affected too, so…”
I gave him the most harmless smile I could manage.
“If you don’t mind, could you support me with any mental-fortitude-type artifacts you have? As many as possible.”
No one can refuse a request from the only heir of a great noble family.
And since I’m claiming I’ll uncover corruption to make the world a better place, it’s not like I can blatantly ask for a reward.
So I have to go about it like this.
“Of course!”
Dieter, who had been flustered by all the negative hypotheticals, instantly brightened.
“I’ll bring you everything I can get my hands on!”
Yes!
“And he really delivered!”
As expected from the heir of the most powerful family in the country!
It hadn’t even been that long, but he managed to scrape together every high-performance mental artifact available.
Not only what his family already owned, but even ones he’d gone out and purchased with a hefty premium.
Since most artifacts are made as accessories to be easily worn, I ended up looking like a noble’s son going to a masquerade ball once I put them all on.
Me, looking like a noble’s son.
Just the thought is funny.
