It is I—your beautiful, elegant, generous, kind, and currently the greatest version of yourself.
Setting aside my worship-worthy self, as the 33rd owner of this Archive, I'm beginning a new entry.
Why? Because I met a very interesting person today.
As you probably already know, our unique, one-of-a-kind eyes can perceive mana better than an elf, souls better than a dwarf, divine power better than a beast-kin, and curses better than a priestess.
Anyway, I was at the Adventurers Guild this morning after being summoned by the scary elf vice guild master who's always taking advantage of how kind and generous I am.
This time, she even asked me to handle an emergency quest: exterminating a Warg's nest.
'Since your party is on leave, you can go there quickly without delay.' That's what she said.
Because my compassionate and sympathetic nature couldn't bear the thought of innocent suffering, I hurriedly left Ms. Scary-Silvia's office.
That's when I saw him, standing in front of the notice board like a country bumpkin who didn't even know how to read—and probably couldn't write either.
At first, I thought, How rude! Not even a glance when I'm already standing by his side? Wasn't he captivated by my beauty?
My first impression of him? He was unlike anything I'd ever seen.
Humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin—all of them have similar flows of mana, generated and circulated internally.
But this person—his mana was like that of a monster. Stagnant, contained, just like what a monster core creates.
Still, he was human, probably.
How sure am I? Because he wasn't corrupted by any of the seven curses all monsters have.
My second impression of him? He was definitely a seasoned warrior.
How would I know? Because despite his confused expression, his brooding eyes belonged to someone who had seen enough death to value a single life as if it were the entire world.
I've seen those eyes many times, and you probably have too.
Regardless of my sympathy for him, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to study someone this interesting—which is why I had the two of us form an official adventurer's party.
He introduced himself as Mr. Arezu. And guess what? I think he was enchanted by my beauty, after all. I've never seen anyone stare into my eyes with such intensity.
***
Mr. Arezu said that he had come to the capital to see the world they once dreamed of, but he looked around as if he regretted being here at all.
Was he with someone else before? Did they abandon him? Kick him out of the party? Or were they already gone?
What kind of things had Mr. Arezu seen and experienced before he arrived here?
Out of sheer kindness, I offered to look after him while he was in the capital.
But guess what?—No, you don't have to guess since you saw it too!
Mr. Arezu had the audacity to refuse my kind offer.
If he had just knelt before me and promised to worship me forever, then I might have considered accompanying him to see the world.
***
We then set out toward the newly built settlement to exterminate the Warg's nest.
Mr. Arezu fell asleep halfway.
I was a bit disappointed since I wanted to know more about him. But in his sleep, he sometimes murmured, saying he was sorry or asking for forgiveness.
I guess he was more than just a seasoned warrior—he was tired of fighting monsters and losing everyone.
And when I asked him about it, he just gave a faint, wistful smile, a sad, nostalgic look in his eyes as he admitted that he was tired.
At that moment, I feared that Mr. Arezu was someone who would jump in front of a speeding carriage and let himself get run over—or fight a monster only to get devoured.
Or so I thought.
Because even though his hands trembled in front of a monster nearly as strong as a silver-rank, he still held his weapon.
Even if he called himself a coward, he hadn't run away in fear—especially when I gave him a little push to boost his confidence.
Maybe I should tell him that next time and make sure to praise him as well.
After all, he was far stronger than I expected.
***
At the end of the fight, Mr. Arezu couldn't help but be mesmerized by how strong I am.
Still, he continued to refuse to kneel before me and promise to worship me forever.
We returned to the settlement, and everyone practically praised me for how kind and generous I am.
That, of course, was something I always expected.
What I didn't expect, was the face Mr. Arezu made when the children offered their gratitude to him.
You saw it as well, but how should I describe it in words?
Perhaps like someone on the verge of crying from all the loneliness he had been bottling up inside, yet still forcing himself to smile
Mr. Arezu held back his tears as he patted the children on the head before getting into the carriage.
He didn't say anything on our way back to the capital at night, and I didn't bother him either.
For Mr. Arezu to feel that way just from receiving gratitude, perhaps he is more broken than we are.