"Hey! What's going on all of a sudden, Shannon?!"
In response to my question, she lifted her head and looked up at me with a shy, upward gaze.
"...I heard from Rogue. Thank you for standing up for me and for addressing the issue with the meals."
"Oh, that... Yeah, about that. Even though a hierarchy is necessary within an organization based on skill levels, I thought going overboard was unnecessary... And as for the meals, I guess I was at fault, so don't worry about it."
"Still, it's a relief that you reconsidered... If it had been the Alfred from a while ago, no matter how much I pleaded, he would have dismissed it with a 'Hah? Rogue? Who's that weakling? Haha!"""
I knew from reading the original story that Alfred was a terrible character but hearing it firsthand was a different level of awful.
"I'm sorry... Rest assured, I won't act like that in the future. Also, I'll work on improving how I handle Rogue as well. After all, the [Holy Sword of Heroes] was established with him."
"Are you really Alfred? You seem like a completely different person compared to breakfast."
Shannon squinted her large eyes and tilted her head in confusion.
Uh oh... Did I end up speaking too candidly?
But I am the real Alfred Westen.
Reincarnated with a swapped personality... I don't know what happened to the original Alfred.
That's why all the fallout from the previous actions falls on me.
At the very least, I need to gradually correct the course until I can avoid the Rogue expulsion event a year from now.
"I've been thinking about various things to prepare for the quest three days from now... Since things are stable, I thought it best to reevaluate my behavior for the sake of the [Holy Sword of Heroes]. You've given me a lot of feedback, Shannon.
"Is that so... If my words have finally reached you, I'm glad, Alfred."
Shannon smiled warmly and, for the first time, called me by a nickname.
It was the first time she had come close after always keeping a distance with a stern expression.
And she's super cute... Truly a pure and beautiful saint.
No wonder Alfred would plot to take her for himself.
Honestly, Rogue is unworthy of her.
But as an old office worker, she's so far out of my league that it feels presumptuous to even approach her.
Wait a minute, though. Wouldn't it be bad if I got close to her?
After all, this is the world of the original story, written by Tanaka Daichi.
Even if I have no intentions, who knows what could be thrown at me?
I need to crush any potential flags for romance...
"However, there's one thing... If Rogue remains incompetent, I might end up expelling him someday."
"I won't let that happen... But it's strange. With the current Alfred, it only sounds like a joke, haha."
Shannon responded with an unexpectedly gentle smile.
She bowed and said, "Well then, see you later," before leaving.
I could only mutter a distracted "Yeah" as I watched her walk away. Somehow, it felt different from what I expected.
It almost seemed like the atmosphere had improved... Or is that just my imagination?
Surely, the romance flags aren't already up... No, that can't be right.
After all, it wouldn't be valid without 'that.'
For the next quest-
---
(Three Days Later)
We set out to subdue an elite member of the Demon Lord's army lurking in the ancient ruins dungeon.
As the leader, I selected about ten adventurers from the [Holy Sword of Heroes].
The team included me, Alfred, the executives Gaizen, Pearl, and Shannon. Additionally, we had the secondary team members Forgus, Daniel, Larisa, and two others, including my favorite, Kanade. Finally, Rogue was also present.
"I confirmed with the guild that the Demon Lord's elite is a demon named Jadam, who wields powerful fire magic. Moreover, there are strong monsters within the dungeon that shouldn't normally be there. But our goal as [Holy Sword of Heroes] is solely to defeat Jadam! So, don't get carried away! Always coordinate with everyone, understood?"
Before we attacked the dungeon, I briefed and motivated the team.
But for some reason, everyone just stared at me with their mouths agape.
"Hey, what's with everyone? It's before the exploration! Stay focused!"
"Well... I thought the usual Alfred would charge in with 'I'm the first! Bwahaha!' and dive in recklessly."
"Alfred, you're actually being a proper leader... This is unexpected."
"This is how a leader should act, but... It just feels strange. Sorry."
The executives Gaizen, Pearl, and Shannon shared their impressions. The other team members seemed similarly surprised, thinking, "That Alfred as a leader?!"
Only Kanade praised me, saying, "Indeed! As someone aspiring to be a hero, this is how it should be."
Anyway, it's evident how careless and arbitrary Alfred was as a leader...
By the way, there was one last thing I needed to emphasize.
I approached Rogue, put my arm around his shoulder, and whispered.
"Hey, Rogue. From now on, you don't need to buff me."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Playing dumb, huh... I know he secretly enhances everyone's abilities with the [Ability Grant] during combat.
And he also increases the skill experience points to evolve his unique skill.
Once a unique skill evolves, it doesn't revert to its original state even if [Ability Grant] is removed, but I want to fight with my current strength.
In preparation for the forthcoming author, Tanaka's sloppy writing-
No, what am I even saying?
"Anyway, I don't need it. Don't do anything until I give the orders...
Got it?"
"Understood. I'll do that."
Rogue readily agreed.
Does he really understand?
He has this unnerving tendency to be oblivious. He might interpret things like "Don't press this button!" as "Press it because it's funny!" and take it that way.
Well, if that's the case, I've got plans too.
Soon after, we entered the ancient ruins dungeon.
Immediately, a lot of monsters appeared.
Minotaurs, Cockatrices, Ogres, Arachne, and others.
Strong opponents from the get-go.
"I'll lead the charge [God's Acceleration]!!!"
For about ten seconds, everything around me was in super slow motion.
In reality, it felt like ten minutes.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that this area was my world.
I struck the monsters' vital points with ease, landing critical hits.
"-Time's up."
The moment I snapped my fingers, the monsters bled and fell to the ground simultaneously.
"Phew, Alfred, you're really strong!"
Gaizen whistled through his mask and praised me.
Other party members also cheered, "As expected of the leader!"
Currently, I can use [God's Acceleration] without Rogue's help.
That's because once a buff effect is given by [Ability Grant), it lasts indefinitely.
However, as mentioned before, if Rogue is expelled, the effects of the accumulated buffs will be forcibly removed.
Thus, the party will be significantly weakened.
Moreover, Rogue's buffs, given on his own initiative, are even more troublesome because they're not optional but can be revoked at his discretion.
It's not just devious-it's downright malicious.
This is a convenient plot device set up by the author, Tanaka Daichi, to forcefully justify the protagonist.