Hero Audition Ch. 32

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5562hc/32/

Retaliation

Although we are all on the same team, the wall between the three nobles and the commoners me, Melia, and Dahlia is high. After finishing the bare minimum level of conversation between us to confirm tomorrow’s schedule, we never interacted with each other again–even avoiding sitting at the same table as each other during dinner.

For some reason despite what Heath said during the official announcement, a lot of the teams were sticking close together even after returning to the dorms, so the lack of solidarity made us stand out from everyone else.

Dahlia is the dependable type who always sounds easy-going when you’re talking to her. Despite being a commoner, her goal with this audition is apparently to establish herself as a mage. She thought about this a lot more deeply than I ever did.

I was wondering what room I should be heading towards tonight while the three of us walked down the hallway. It’s hard going back to Lily’s room, but I would feel bad suddenly intruding on Ran’s room tonight as well.

“Ah! I forgot my wallet in the dining room! Go ahead without me!”

Melia raised her voice to interrupt my thoughts. When she realized her mistake, we were already halfway between the dining room and the guest rooms. It is a distance that is annoying enough to have to backtrack.

But it’s going to be awkward staying alone with Dahlia. Seemingly having read my thoughts, Melia reached over to force me and Dahlia to hold hands.

“A lot happened, but we’re all friends now. We need to work together and do our best to succeed. Oh!”

Melia did a little team cheer on her own. Her bravely trying to change the atmosphere on her own is enough to naturally make me smile.

“Melia, Liffy. It’s nice to meet you.”

Dahlia reacted the same way. We saw Melia off before returning to our rooms together.

♠

As we were just about to reach where everyone’s rooms are spread out, Dahlia suddenly covered her face with her hands and broke down in tears. Her voice was strained, but her whole body tipped over and fell against the wall.

“D-Dahlia? Are you okay?”

“T-….The two of you….after what I got you involved in….you’re letting it go so easily, and….Melia is just always smiling isn’t she? It hurts….”

“No, I mean, it’s my fault everyone lost the chance you worked for….I know some people are going to be angry about that, but for now, let’s move past it and focus on what we need to do.”

Dahlia nodded several times while her head was still buried in her arms.

“*Sniffle*….you’re right. It must be fate that we’re on the same team. Can we talk, and maybe use this chance to get to know each other better? My room is right over there.”

I helped Dahlia get back to her feet and followed after her towards her room. Maybe I can use this opportunity to get to know some of the other commoners better? After all, I don’t really belong anywhere at this place. As that door opened, I could feel a small flame of hope light up in my heart.

The room was dark. Dahlia is lower-ranked like me, so she must have a roommate. They apparently have not returned to the room yet.

After walking in, I was surprised to hear someone shut the door behind me and turned around.

“Dahlia? It’s a little dark in here.”

“Do you prefer the lights on? You’d see various spots, but….”

I’m sensing a red flag here. A dark room with just the two of us where anything can happen. Dahlia slowly got closer to me and grabbed my arm.

“I-….I really don’t have that kind of hobby. How about we head back outside? Hey?”

“I’m not missing this chance. Do you like pain?”

Even though it was dark in here, I could just make out the line of Dahlia licking her lips. I could hear it too.

Before I understood what was going on, Dahlia used magic to increase her strength. She then forcibly pushed me down onto the floor.

“Ah…. um…. please be gentle…. and can we at least move to the bed….”

“What? What are you misunderstanding here? Okay that’s enough. Someone turn on the lights.”

With a click my world was suddenly dyed bright. It was a surprise, and I turned my head to the side out of reflex. When I opened my eyes again, I found several girls sitting on a bed, each staring at me with a huge smile on their faces. A second surprise just for me. I returned a clumsy smirk to greet them.

“Ah….hahaha…. A surprise party….!”

Before I could finish my joke, someone kicked me in the face. It came out of nowhere, and my brain was too occupied with the pain to really figure out what was going on here.

The throbbing headache told me someone must’ve hit me in the temple at least.

“What is this? Stop!”

Each of the girls’ smiles grew deeper when they heard my voice.

“There’s no chance we’re stopping this. You ruined our lives. All the merchants and nobles who were supposed to become our patrons left us because of you.”

I guessed from the beginning this was retaliation for their grassroots jobs. Were Dahlia’s tears just an act? I know I’m a selfish person, but apparently I’m also way too trusting with a bad eye for people. That’s depressing to think about.

“I’m sorry about what happened. But Lily-san is the one who destroyed those opportunities for you. I just got mixed up in the whole thing.”

The only answer I got for my explanation was another kick. This time the person trampled me right in my stomach, knocking the breath out of me. The heel of their shoe looked real sharp too, so if they just stepped on me, it probably would’ve cut me.

Dahlia wanted to avoid any bloodshed in her room, so she ordered the other girls to keep it “within reason”.

“I….I told you I was just dragged there! What are you doing this for? If you want revenge you should be aiming for Lily-san!”

Each of them looked down on me with a grin and didn’t say anything.

I knew from the beginning these girls wouldn’t be able to do that. If five or six of them jumped Lily all at once, maybe they’d be able to beat her. But even then, they’d just end up having something ten times worse done to them after.

I’m a dancer from a poor family, so I don’t have the strength to properly get revenge on any of them. I’m a convenient excuse. The most I can hope for from this situation is that by avoiding mentioning her name, I can keep their focus on me rather than Melia.

I want to try escaping from here somehow, but Dahlia and another girl are holding me down while someone stands guard at the door.

In the end, I decided it was best to let the storm pass. They aren’t going to kill me. I hate pain, but I can endure it for at least a little while.

“Fine….do as you like.”

“It’d be more fun if you begged more….but this works too.”

At Dahlia’s signal, the girls started playing with me. I was cursed, insulted, kicked, trampled, and made to endure all their anger and hatred. It was….a lot worse than I thought it’d be, but there’s nothing I can do after it has already started. The most I can do now is kill my heart and endure it.

For some reason they’re forcing some strong alcohol down my throat, and it’s making my head dizzy. I threw up a lot of it after they kicked me in the stomach one too many times though. No matter how much abuse and violence they threw at me, their hatred wouldn’t go away.

Thinking about it, I’m just an outlet for them. Life didn’t turn out the way they thought it would, and just when they had a chance to turn their whole lives around, a group of nobles took that chance and crushed it right in front of their eyes. They’re just taking all that dissatisfaction and anger and aiming it at me.

Because I didn’t do anything to them. The only thing I did at Ronaldo’s mansion was tell him no which ended with me being hit then too. So if any of these girls truly hate me from the bottom of their hearts, then they’re just plain weird.

If I didn’t keep writing things off like that in my head, my heart would break. Even I’m not used to having this much hatred thrown at me from so many people and taking it with my entire body. Who knows where my mind would go if I didn’t focus it on something else?

Everyone seemed finally satisfied after about two rounds with each of them rotating roles between restraining me, guarding the door, and beating the shit out of me.

To be frank, Dahlia was the worst of the bunch. All she did was sit on my chest and punch my face over and over again. It’s the kind of move you rarely ever seen even in the most heated of drunken brawls. She told the others to avoid bloodshed, but she put the most strength into it out of them all.

I couldn’t open my left eye, so my face is probably pretty swollen at this point. That bilateral symmetrical face Lily praised me for is going to be a mess.

Finally tired of beating me, Dahlia grabbed my hair and pulled my face close to hers.

“Ms. Dancer, you were drinking alone, drank too much, and fell out a window. You don’t want that saintess to have the same fate right?”

Saintess. Melia? Someone’s obviously going to see me after this and ask who did it. So this is why they kept forcing me to drink.

If I don’t keep my mouth shut, Melia will be next. It’ll probably be both of us at the same time actually. But, if I could at least be able to protect my best friend who let me join her team.

They had shoved some cloth into my mouth at one point, so I couldn’t say anything. So instead, I nodded my head a lot to make sure the message got across. Dahlia smiled then and put me over her shoulder.

Oh no, we’re on the second floor. You’re going to break bones if you throw me out the window from here. It will also definitely affect the first examination tomorrow. Actually, the first examination will go on for a full week, and I won’t be able to move for any of it.

No matter how loudly I shouted, the cloth they shoved in reduced it all to a dumb mumble. And then we were next to an open window.

“Well, here’s to hoping we never see each other again. See you later.”

The cold night air stung every cut that had opened up on my body. For a small moment, it felt like I was floating. Then it ended, and I plunged down into a hedge below. My arms and legs scraped against tree bark and hurt like hell, but that was all. Only my life was spared.

Why do I have to go through all this? If I had never participated in the Hero Audition, I would have been poor, but I could have still lived every single day with a smile. How many times have I actually laughed since I came to this dorm? No, I’ve definitely laughed before in my own way. Not everyone here sucks.

I could barely see the stars through the hedge’s branches. The leaves are in the way sure, but the bigger problem is the light leaking from the dorm. You never had this problem back home. There were whole roads that relied on moonlight, so you could see the stars really well.

I suddenly remembered one of the regular’s faces back at the bar. He would always buy me a drink, and he always cheered me on whenever I danced. I wonder if that uncle would still be on my side even in a situation like this.

I’m about as drunk now as I am when I tipsy dance at the bar. Everything is spinning. I’m not drunk enough that I can’t walk home alone, but I am drunk enough that I wouldn’t want a guy to walk me back.

But my whole body is in worse pain than I thought. My whole chest and arms are screaming from being kicked over and over again. What’s more, I’m starting to feel sleepy. No, if I fall asleep like this, I might not wake up again.

But the drowsiness just keeps getting worse. Fuck it. Someone will find me in the morning. Believeing that, I shut my swollen eyes.

Chapter 31 ⊥ Chapter 33