I Was the Heroine, and in the Sequel, Even Though I’m a Mob, All of My Stats Are Maxed Out

Past and Future 4

“Oh, really? I didn’t know about that, tell us the details.”

Curious, Lara moved to stand next to Dirk with a bottle of champagne in her hand.

I didn’t know how to react, so I could only pinch Theo’s cheek for saying something unnecessary.

Dirk opened his mouth, holding a glass of champagne, which was given by Lara.

“After some things happened, I had a duel with Alvin.”

“Eh… duel…!?”

I guess no one knew, because I could see that Dirk’s words made not only me, but also Lara and Theo gasped.

For Dirk, who was a knight as well as an aristocrat, a duel was a fight not only for honor, but also for everything.

It wasn’t something that was done unless there was a great deal at stake. That’s why I didn’t understand how they came to the point of having a duel.

“I had a question I wanted to ask Alvin. But he didn’t answer, so I challenged him to a duel.”

Dirk continued, his tone slurred due to his drunkenness.

“You’re kidding, right? What did you want to ask him that you had to duel with him for?”

“…. It’s not a big deal.”

“Dirk is the worst liar in the world.”

Lara was right when she said Dirk was really bad at lying. There was no reason why something like asking Alvin for a duel couldn’t be a big deal.

“So, what was the result?”

“I won. Because it was sword only.”

It was possible that Alvin-sama would have won if he had used magic, but when it came to a sword-only match, Dirk, who rose to the rank of Knight Commander at the youngest age, must have the upper hand.

Even Alvin-sama must have known from the beginning that he was at a disadvantage. Even so, he probably couldn’t refuse Dirk’s earnest request for a duel.

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“…. Still, I knew I was no match for that guy.”

Dirk said this and covered his eyes with one hand. The look in his eyes showed more sadness than frustration.

──It was impossible not to wonder what had happened between them. But I knew from Dirk’s appearance that he would never tell us.

“Did Alvin threaten you or something?”

“No, no. It was because I was lacking.”

It was the first time I’d seen Dirk’s blaming himself like this. I clenched my palms together, not knowing what the right words to say were.

Eventually, Dirk looked up and stared at me.

“Nina, please take care of Alvin.”

Why would Owen, then Dirk, suddenly say such a thing?

Thinking that something might be happening to Alvin-sama, an indescribable wave of anxiety spread through me.

“…. Yeah, I got it.”

I looked back into Dirk’s eyes and nodded, feeling frustrated and a little downcast that I knew nothing about it.

Neither Alvin-sama nor the two of them had told me because they decided it wasn’t something I should know.

What I could do was not to force them to tell me, but to watch over Alvin by his side, just as they said.

Meanwhile, Lara, who was listening to the conversation while drinking, muttered, “Hmm,” and patted Dirk on the back as hard as she could.

“You’re a good enough man, too. You should have confidence.”

“…..”

“Can’t you trust me here? Right, Nina?”

“Of course! Dirk is a really nice person!”

I nodded quickly and Dirk smiled as if he were troubled.

“…. I hope my feelings weren’t too much of a nuisance.”

“No, of course not! I was very, very happy when Dirk told me he liked me.”

──I was really happy that someone as kind and nice as Dirk liked me.

I couldn’t return the same feeling, but I admired Dirk more than anyone else.

Eventually, Dirk said, “I see,” and smiled, sipping from his glass, which had been overflowing and had been considerably depleted since a few minutes ago.

“Well, I can understand why you feel like you can’t win against Alvin. There’s something really unusual with him, it’s strange.”

“That’s a bad thing to say. There’s something strange, but…”

“I mean it as a compliment. Anyway, Alvin won’t die even if you kill him. So, Nina, don’t look so gloomy.”

Lara seemed to have noticed my condition and gave me a gentle smile.

As she said, Alvin-sama was an amazing wizard, more than anyone else, so I told myself that it would all be fine.

Seeing me like that, Lara laughed and said, “So is Nina.”

“What, me?”

“Sometimes I feel like I’m no match for Nina. I wasn’t talking about it earlier, but I can’t work that hard for other people.”

Dirk and Theo nodded in agreement with Lara’s words.

“Nina is trying too hard. You can relax.”

“Yeah, We can all support you.”

“Yeah, come on, you can be comfortable with me.”

“We both want to be depended on by Nina more.”

The kind words of the three people blurred my vision.

The kind words of the three people made me teared up a little.

──I was probably not good at being spoiled by someone. Because for a long time, there was no one that pampered me.

But now it was different. I had people who care about me so much that they worry about me if I wasn’t spoiled. And I knew how happy that made me.

“Everyone, thank you so much… I’m glad I came to this world, worked hard, and got to know all of you so well.”

Tears were spilling from my eyes, probably due to the alcohol in my system. Seeing me like that, Theo laughed and said, “You look like a child,” and patted me on the head.

I realized that my place was in this world, by everyone’s side. And once again, from the bottom of my heart, I was happy to have been able to come to this world.

After that, the four of us continued to talk, and I found myself drinking quite a bit, even though I had said only a little.

Lara and Theo still seemed to be in good spirits and had the maids bring them more drinks. Dirk was completely drunk and sleeping comfortably on Lara’s bed.

My eyelids were getting heavy again, so I leaned back against the back of the sofa and closed my eyes.

“──Nina?”

While I was dozing off with a happy feeling, Alvin-sama’s gentle voice soon reached my ears.