Reincarnated into a Game As the Hero’s Friend

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I made a detour to the dormitory to meet Mazell before heading home. I explained to him that his party will be an official Demon King Extermination Team under the direct control of the royal family and the country will finance their activity, including paying for Luguentz and others expenses.

As of now, everything is going smoothly for me but it’s that Crown Prince. I got a feeling he will be planning something behind-the-scenes.

Having an idiot superior will give me a headache but having a superior that’s too smart makes me have a stomach ache.

“I see. Thank you for helping us.”

“No worries. Personally, I will help you as much as you want, you know.”

“Thanks… By the way, since I’m probably going to travel, what do you think I should be careful of?”

“Hmm…”

That’s an awfully vague question. Well, I know the scenario of the game, but I can’t reveal my knowledge of the future, plus there are some discrepancies between the game’s scenario and reality. Somehow, I got a feeling that relying on my knowledge of the future would be dangerous.

“First, I think you need to properly gather information from the citizens of a village or town once you have decided to make that place your base. The locals know the best after all.”

In the game, event and dungeon information is generally obtained from the citizens of towns and villages. Besides, in this medieval European-style world, the means of information and communication are poor. That’s why no one knows a place better than the locals.

“As for traveling and exploring dungeons, it would be wise to listen carefully to Luguentz’s advice. He is, after all, a veteran adventurer.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

The truth is, there are many things that you can only learn from experience, like what you need to be careful of during your journey. I also didn’t know in detail about what sort of thing you need to be careful of when camping. Only a veteran like Luguentz will know these kinds of things.

“Other than that, well, don’t be stingy in the usage of the consumables you have.”

“Consumables?”

“Antidote, potions, and stuff like that. You will die a fool’s death if you die just because you feel it is a shame to use them.”

“Right.”

From what I remember, the game’s poisons are quite terrifying. It would be better if I emphasised to them to be extra careful with poison since resetting the game is impossible in reality. Would an item that can prevent instant death be enough to combat the poison in this world?

“The only other advice I can offer is to adapt your fighting style to the opponent.”

“Adapt to the opponent?”

“Use your opponents attribute to your advantage, like using a water element weapon against fire element enemies, or using a physical weapon for magic type opponents. Remain calm and determine the best way to fight your enemies.

“I see…”

It’s an impossible thing for me to do. My only skill is spearmanship, so I’m going to have a hard time dealing with enemies that are strong against physical attacks. If I meet an enemy with physical damage nullification, I can only escape. Fortunately, such enemies don’t show up around the royal capital, though.

Still, my words sound like a straight out of a game mechanic explanation. I don’t like this feeling, as if I was forced to oblige to the game by using this explanation.

“Well, if anything happens, you can consult me. I will do everything I can.”

“I am counting on you.”

I almost laughed at my own words. In the game, Mazell managed to do things even without my help. He was, after all, the protagonist. Still, having someone to consult and complain to was a good thing, and unfortunately Mazell didn’t have that kind of person in the game. I wonder if ordinary adventurers complain to their party members. Wait, in the first place, what sort of people are ‘ordinary adventurers’?

The game never depicted the life of ordinary adventurers. Once again, I was reminded of how incomplete the game world was. There is… something strange here. But even if I try to think here, I won’t find the answer.

“First, I suggest using Hafen Town as a base to test your skills, after that you can go to the Great Temple Finoi.”

From my vague memory, I can remember that’s how things went in the game. Well, there are dungeons along the way, so they won’t go straight to Finnoi. Once they collected some information in Hafen, they will be able to find out about Triam Cave

Talking about Finoi made me remember Laura. I wonder if she’s still in Finoi… hmm… Since I met her in the palace before, I doubt she is in Finoi. Well, I don’t really know.

Am I being paranoid this time?

“I understand. I will do as much as I can.”

“Right. And don’t do any stupid thing that will lead to your death in the middle of the journey.”

“I’ll be careful.”

With a wry smile, I reached out my hand to Mazell who said so. Mazell also extended his hand and shook it.

“Then, I’m going back.”

“Understood. Good luck, Welner.”

“You too, Mazell.”

With a smile and a wave of my hand, I leave Mazell’s room. Perhaps I can say that Mazell has now officially embarked on the route of the game. I don’t think he will need my support for the adventure part from this point onward.

In contrast, I’m in the situation where I don’t know what will happen until the attack on the capital event happens. Plus, even though the reality has deviated from the game, if the attack on the capital event actually happened, it will be me, not Mazell, who will be the one most likely to die.

But…

“Who cares what the scenario writer chooses?”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.”

When I met up with Frenssen who was waiting outside the dormitory, I involuntarily blurted out something that earned a suspicious gaze from him. But it was my sincere feeling. In any case, since this world has already deviated from the original scenario anyway, I’ll at least try to achieve a happy ending.

I wonder if this is also Mazell’s influence. When a person puts that much faith in you, it makes you feel restless if you don’t do the best you can. Is this what is called the effect of the protagonist’s correction? Either way, though, it won’t make a big difference what I do.

If an average person puts in effort, results will be as impressive as a lazy genius.

When I return to the mansion, I receive a brief report from Frenssen. There has been no progress on the investigation about Magold, but that’s within my expectation. Or rather, I don’t expect to learn anything in just a day.

“Anyway, help me for a bit.”

“Hm?”

“I have to write a proposal to the country through my father.”

“Understood.”

Since creating a budget alone is out of the question, I have no choice other than to figure out a way to involve other people in the planning process. Well, for better or worse my ultimate goal is to stay alive. I don’t care even if I have to share my profits and gains with others.

More importantly, being the son of a noble is a blessing by itself. That’s what I realised today at the orphanage. I suppose I could just think of it as getting the help of others in exchange for them taking my profit.

Still, creating a proposal is a real hassle. Pen-and-ink writing requires drafting because you can’t make mistakes. On a wooden board, you have to write the proposal, erase it, and think about the context so that it is legible and the meaning is not misinterpreted, while also being mindful of not being disrespectful.

I have to compile all of these things into a final proposal that I submit on paper, which is very tedious. It would be helpful if an assistant is present to help me because it would be problematic if I overlook something by doing it on my own. There is no presentation software like in my former life. To begin with, since there is no common format for proposals, they are sometimes dismissed outright just because the higher up said your format is wrong.

The quill pens that use ink look stylish, but it’s pretty hard to use. It’s troublesome to put it in the ink each time.

Actually, this world has ballpoint and it uses magic power to produce ink. The only problem is that the magic stone is attached to the end of the pen, making the pen overall unbalanced. Or in other words, it’s difficult to use. On top of that, it’s also pretty expensive.

“Well, whining about that is useless.”