Mob No.129: “If you keep underestimating others like that, you’ll regret it someday.”
During off-duty hours after encountering the enemy unit.
In the lounge area, Tenon-Karalema was surrounded by several people, boasting proudly about her exploits.
“I single-handedly held off five enemy units without taking a single hit, and with just one counterattack, I forced them to retreat! Unlike that useless wreck who got chased around by just one!”
That “useless wreck” at the end was definitely referring to me.
Since it was technically true, I had no reason to argue, so I just tried to quickly retreat to my assigned room.
“Uzos-san. Do you have a moment?”
But for some reason, Miss Dilopers called out to me.
I had no business with her.
Besides, her entourage was glaring at me like they wanted to kill me.
Still, ignoring her would probably make things worse.
“Uh… What can I do for you?”
“Is what she said true?”
Miss Dilopers seemed to doubt the claims of her supposed friend, Tenon-Karalema.
“Well, it’s true she didn’t get shot down against five enemies. It’s also true I struggled against just one, and that the enemy retreated after she fired one shot.”
“What’s the real story?”
“The real story?”
“She said, ‘I elegantly handled five enemies alone, struck fear into them with a single blow, and drove them back—while the creepy otaku knight-class I was with was completely useless.’ I find that hard to believe.”
Miss Dilopers seemed pretty sharp.
But honestly, denying it would be a hassle, and I didn’t want to stand out by claiming credit anyway.
Plus, I really didn’t want to be asked to help “correct” her behavior by exposing the truth.
“Does it matter? If that’s what she says, then fine. Anyway, I should get going.”
Besides, Miss Dilopers’s followers looked like they were about to snap, so I figured I’d better leave quickly.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
☆☆☆
[Side: Shiora Dilopers]
Uzos-san hurriedly left.
As I watched his retreating back,
“Shiora-chan! Are you okay?”
someone called out in a flustered voice—
It was Tenon-Karalema, the very person we’d just been discussing.
When we first met, she seemed like a bright, cheerful girl.
But starting from her second day here, the rumors about her—aside from those coming from her own followers—weren’t exactly flattering.
“There’s no problem.”
“But that creepy otaku was talking to you!”
What was she even seeing? It was obvious I had initiated the conversation.
“Actually, I was the one who spoke to him.”
“Huh?! What could you possibly have to talk about with him?”
Her displeasure was clear.
She obviously saw Uzos-san as beneath her—a feeling that reminded me of how I had acted during my first battle.
“I was asking if it was really true that you held off five enemies alone and forced them to retreat with a single shot.”
I laid out exactly what I had asked Uzos-san.
Her reaction was immediate—she was visibly shaken.
“…And what did that… creepy otaku… say?”
Her voice trembled slightly, betraying fear.
“He said, ‘It’s true she didn’t get shot down against five enemies. It’s also true I struggled against just one, and that the enemy retreated after she fired one shot.’”
I repeated Uzos-san’s exact words.
“See?! Just like I said!”
Her face lit up with a triumphant smirk—and relief.
She was definitely hiding something.
Uzos-san’s statement—that she had fought five enemies without being shot down and that they retreated after her counterattack—was probably true.
But something was off. Just as I was about to press further—
“But before you counterattacked, wasn’t backup—including me—already closing in? The enemy flinched at our approach, and you landed your shot in that opening, didn’t you?”
A woman’s voice cut in unexpectedly.
Standing there was a pale-skinned woman with dark eyes and long black hair—
“Man-Eating Rose,” or should i say the “Beryl Rose,” Miss Kati-Alptet.
At her words, Karalema clearly panicked.
“Even so! I still held my own against five enemies by myself!”
Though she argued back, even she knew better than to use rude language with a queen-class like Alptet.
“Oh? When I saw, it was only four. The fifth was engaged with someone else, wasn’t it?”
“That cree—knight-class arrived late! And he was struggling for his life against just one enemy!”
“But from what I saw, the most skilled pilot in that enemy squad was the one he was fighting. If he held his own against that, then he must be quite capable himself.”
“You can’t judge that just by looking! Besides, there’s no way he’s strong! The enemy couldn’t even land a hit on me!”
While Karalema grew heated, Alptet remained perfectly calm.
Then, with a sudden sigh—
“If you keep underestimating others like that, you’ll regret it someday.”
Her expression as she said this was chillingly cold.
Karalema faltered under that gaze and fell silent.
“Just try not to cause trouble for those you work with.”
With only those words, Alptet left.
I wanted to call out to her, but something about her presence kept me from speaking.
★★★
The next day.
I was shocked when I saw my patrol partner.
“You may already know, but let me reintroduce myself. I am Kati-Alptet. Let’s have a good day, shall we?”
I never expected to be paired with “Man-Eating Rose”—no, “Beryl Rose”—the queen-class Miss Kati-Alptet.
Sure, she was a hired mercenary like me, so patrol duty was normal.
And as a professional, I understood the need for a business smile—but why did hers look so smug?
“Uh, nice to meet you. I’m John Uzos.”
I returned the greeting as politely as possible.
“Then let’s begin. Since I outrank you, you’ll follow my instructions, alright?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.”
With the usual mercenary formalities out of the way, the patrol began.
At the very least, it wouldn’t be as bad as dealing with Tenon-Karalema.
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
