I Became the Second-in-Command in a Romance Fantasy Novel

The sword went halfway into the person’s body, but it felt like it was only halfway in.
I’d heard that if you strike wrong, it could get stuck on the bones, but this feels more like steel than bone.

"Ah…"
Was it because I didn’t have any magic?
Or was it because I’ve never really stabbed someone before and made a mistake?
I squinted and put more force into it, and something squirmed in my vision.
From what I could see, there were some symbols, like writing, clinging around the sword embedded in the body.
"Well, that’s new."

Some of the crazy wizards I’ve heard of carve magic circles into their bodies to enhance their physical abilities.
This felt like the shamanistic version of that.
While others lay down magic-nullifying barriers, this guy was using his shamanism freely.
Does shamanism not use magic?
Then what does it use to move?
What a low-level power. Doesn’t the goddess do any balance patches?
Well, I guess because she can’t, the romance fantasy group will be in deep trouble soon.
"Hah."

I exhaled briefly and applied more force.
The symbols that seemed to be carved into the body were crawling up the sword like ants, but what could I do about it?
"Just die already."
Without magic, I had to rely on my muscles.
To catch up with Prince Ellen, I had to ingest the strongest potion and push my physical abilities to their limits to withstand the effects of the potion.

"Ugh!"
Slowly, but little by little, the tip of the sword dug deeper, and a painful scream slipped out.
Though I couldn’t see his face since I had stabbed his back, I was sure he wouldn’t be able to keep up that smug expression for much longer.
Thud!
How much force did I put in?
I finally felt the sensation of something piercing through.
I’d finally pierced his heart.
I had put poison on the blade, so even though it was shamanism, he should die as expected.

"How… do you know my name?"
Silence, showing respect at the end, asked Violet, who was in front of him, his last question.
I had dealt the final blow, but he completely ignored me.
Well, I guess I should understand since his last name is Dale.
It’s typical of the magic-crazy nation of enemies.
Once all this is over, I’ll make sure to collect from Arlen, and that flame-wielder.
Including saving your prince, I’ll be billing you for all of it.

Carefully, I created some distance and then slowly moved to join Violet.
It seemed like Violet had taken care of the situation, but I had to save Daisy first.
If she dies, this whole thing will turn into a disaster.
"Is that so?"
I poured half the potion on Daisy’s wound and the other half down her throat.
As I did, we exchanged a few words, and soon Silence began to understand what had happened.
It felt like the atmosphere in detective manga when the criminal is revealed, but what he discovered was more than I had imagined.

Secrets that only a few in the Dale Kingdom would know.
The pain Silence had endured through it.
How he, once royalty, gave up magic, learned shamanism, survived in the land of the cursed, and came back seeking revenge.
He was the typical villain with a tragic backstory, and if the prince of Dale had heard this, he would have probably been shocked.
Silence seemed like a character who would continue to appear regularly, but I regretted not having the recording device working.
If I had recorded all this and sent it back to the homeland, Dale wouldn’t be able to mess around for at least ten years.
Of course, if I just slipped the info, they’d naturally be more cautious.
But the difference between having evidence and not having it was huge.
"My life, full of regrets."
Silence’s head tilted back.
Of course, since we were underground, all he could see was the stone ceiling.

"And so, I tried to change those regrets, but I failed from the start."
Maybe it was because it was his time to die, but he seemed like a different person.
No, was he always like this, and was just pretending earlier?
When he first appeared, he had cast aside his usual casual attitude, now speaking only solemnly.
"Still, it’s a happy thing that the legacy of shamanism continues."

He was practicing shamanism in a fantasy world.
It looked like Violet had learned how to use shamanism from the original Silence part.
"Therefore, this is the last test I give you."
"What…"
Shit.
He came in during midterms and now wanted to give me a test.
The professors already give exams like they only care about their own classes, and now this bastard, who isn’t even a professor, is giving a test?
What happened to basic manners?

"Hey, what the hell is this?"
Something red started to gather at the tip of the sword I had stabbed.
The symbols from Silence’s body crawled up and gathered around his heart, forming a bizarre image, but I looked at Violet.
"…"

She was already half-dead, her voice barely coming out, just mumbling.
In the conversation with Silence, she barely opened her mouth.
"Did you study for the test?"
I asked lightly, but Violet just shook her head slightly.

"This bastard gave up on the test too."
Damn it, I couldn’t really say anything since I had given up too.
Violet, who was making an expression of mild frustration, should have at least studied Silence’s professor’s extra test if she stole his shamanism.
So, there was only one thing I could do.
Slap.

"Get up, you bitch!"
I couldn’t rely on the possessed guy who was now totally drained.
When that last shamanic spell activated, I started feeling magic moving, but I was already in a sorry state.
Even though I didn’t know magic, there didn’t seem to be any way to stop it.
Slap. Slap. Slap!
The only remaining solution was to use Daisy, the protagonist of this damn romance fantasy world, who had the ability to unconsciously interfere with shamanism.

"Wake up! We’ll all die like this!"
There was only one way to wake up the romance fantasy female protagonist.
Slap. Slap. Slap!

"Agh."
After about ten slaps, I heard a voice full of pain.
Thank god.
Violet, who had been looking at me, now showed a look similar to the one she had when she was covering Silence’s body.
Having just witnessed the intense battle with Silence, I was a bit nervous.
"Hey, fall down!"

While I was rubbing the cheap potion I was about to use on Daisy’s face, I said to Violet.
I had heard that Violet’s crisis was needed for Daisy’s awakening.
Seeing her now, I felt like it was very possible.
"…"
Violet was just standing there, mumbling.

"Can’t move?"
It looked like she was in a state similar to being dead while standing.
Now she couldn’t even nod her head, just blinking her eyes.
"Then sorry."

I lightly pressed her calf with my foot.
"…!"
Violet’s eyes widened in shock, but she couldn’t move.

Thud!
With that, Violet’s face slammed into the floor, and at the same time.
"Violet?"

At the perfect timing for a romance fantasy heroine, Daisy opened her eyes.
"Agh! Stop the enemy’s attack!"
I approached the unconscious Violet, showing Daisy her condition.
She had blood all over her body, with particularly large wounds on her right wrist and side.
She had fallen on her face, and blood was pouring from both nostrils. Even I felt a bit sorry seeing her like that.

"Ah…"
As the GL Drift danger grew apparent, I could feel the deep affection between the two of them.
"I won’t forgive you."

It seemed like the perfect condition to trigger Daisy’s awakening.
I had often wondered what the expression "sacred" in novels meant.
Now, I felt like I understood as holy light engulfed the space.
"Effect’s confirmed."

Even the highest-grade potions prepared for royalty couldn’t compare to this.
I could feel my battered body healing quickly from the doping, as the holy light penetrated.
"…"
It was the same for Silence.
The shamanic symbols that had been wriggling like ants disappeared.
Of course, the sword embedded in his heart remained.

"This is the power of a saint."
Incredible.
With those words, Silence’s body collapsed to the floor.
He must be dead now?
There was a sword stuck in his heart, and healing that would be a bit too much.
Since I had recovered a bit, I carefully approached Silence, pulling out the sword.
Blood spurted up, and I was momentarily startled, but Silence remained still.

I stabbed him a couple more times with the sword.
When I still got no reaction, I turned his body over.
"Ugh, hey."
I met his gaze full of regret and, just like in the movies, closed his eyes.
Surprisingly easy.

Well, this was my first time killing someone.
But I didn’t feel anything special.
Maybe it was because so much had happened. Or maybe I’m just a psychopath who can’t feel emotions?
No, that can’t be it.
I felt the rage whenever I looked at the golden idiots.
"Get up, quickly..."

While making sure he was dead, I stood guard over the expensive criminal.
Meanwhile, over there, the romance fantasy protagonists were shedding tears, reenacting the original story.
"Well, it’s about time."
Based on my experience reading web novels, it looked like the troublesome aftermath would start now.
With Silence definitely dead, I carefully laid down by his body, closed my eyes, and collapsed.
Soon after, I began to sense approaching footsteps.

"Deiji!"
The romance fantasy male protagonists showed up with reinforcements.
"...Deaf, huh."
"Violet!"

With the heartfelt cry of the romance fantasy heroine, the incident ended like that.
...I thought.
Shit.
"Commander, I’m that idiot."
-You can speak, right?

In the academy’s emergency treatment room.
Having received a private room as the top contributor to Silence’s defeat,
that ended up being my poison.
No matter how much the saint’s power healed me, my overexerted body was still screaming, and mentally, I was exhausted. I planned to lay in bed for at least a few days, using the excuse of needing treatment.
But now, the damn commander demands a report while I’m lying down.
-If you want to know what kind of feats I did, I’ll quickly settle things.
"Should’ve said that earlier."
It felt like my incentives were growing by the second.

"Anyway, the enemy was a wizard killer, but it turns out he was erased from the royal family of Dale."
-Interesting story.
"I’ll formally report it once I get back to the dorm."
-That sounds good.
The commander gestured zero with his fingers.
A subtle indication that I’d be getting more incentive.
"Oh, and because of the opponent, I used quite a bit of stuff."

The commander frowned for a moment when I mentioned that I had exhausted supplies.
But since the opponent was famous, it seemed like he understood.
-If it’s Silence, then there’s no helping it.
The commander casually mentioned he’d give me more supplies.
It seemed it would be good to extract money from the empire and the Dale Kingdom.

"Oh, and. Daisy seems to have awakened as a saint."
I reported to the commander about the miracle Daisy showed.
Soon enough, this information would officially come through, but it was important °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that I reported it first.
"It’s troublesome."

Now Daisy wasn’t a lower noble from another country, but a saint of the continent.
If you looked at her rank, she wasn’t inferior to Prince Ellen at all.
This could mean the kingdom might recognize the relationship between her and the prince, but...
-That won’t happen.
Luckily, our kingdom wasn’t swayed by the title of "saint."

-You’ve done well. Rest now.
After a few more words, the commander let me go.
I couldn’t fight off the mental exhaustion, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I collapsed.
And then...

Ding!
The cheerful alarm woke me up again.