Chương 78: Chapter : 78

Ken dropped his goofy smile. He looked at the fierce warrior girl standing beside his bed. She was genuinely shaking. She had spent the entire day carrying an absolutely massive amount of guilt, believing that she had gotten a completely innocent, helpless teammate killed. Ken felt a tiny pang of awkwardness in his chest. He hated seeing people look so sad, especially when they were sad over a completely fake injury.

He had just wanted to keep his cover story safe; he hadn't meant to give her a full-blown emotional breakdown.

"Hey, it's okay," Ken said, trying to lighten the mood. He gave her a lazy, reassuring thumbs-up.

"I am perfectly fine. It was just a scratch. I have very thick skin. Mostly from eating a lot of potatoes." Naomi didn't laugh. She slowly reached down, picked up the wooden chair that had fallen over, and set it upright. She sat back down heavily, keeping her eyes fixed on his bandaged shoulder. The loud, chaotic energy of the scolding had completely passed. Now, the room was very quiet, and Naomi was looking at him in a way she had never looked at him before. It wasn't annoyance, and it wasn't anger.

It was absolute, undeniable respect. And for a professional slacker like Ken, earning someone's deep respect was the absolute most dangerous thing that could possibly happen.

The silence in the dusty bedroom stretched on for a full minute. Ken kept perfectly still, resting against his pillows. He was desperately trying to figure out a way to ask for a snack without ruining the serious mood, but Naomi spoke first.

"I completely misjudged you," Naomi said softly. Her voice was calm now, completely stripped of her usual bossy attitude. Ken blinked, raising an eyebrow.

"Misjudged me? I mean, I am exactly what I look like. A guy who really likes sleeping and hates doing chores." Naomi shook her head slowly. She looked up from the floor, meeting his dark, sleepy eyes directly.

"When Princess Iris first brought you to the estate, I was furious," Naomi admitted, being completely honest.

"I saw a sloppy, lazy commoner with a crooked tie. I saw a boy who complained about walking up the stairs and who hid in the garbage during a fight. I thought you were a coward. I thought you were a total joke."

"I am a joke," Ken agreed happily, nodding his head.

"A very funny one, too. I bring excellent comedic value to this team."

"No, you don't," Naomi corrected him, her green eyes shining with a sudden, intense sincerity.

"Princess Iris always said she trusted her instincts. She told us that beneath your lazy attitude, she sensed a true, brave spirit. I told her she was crazy. I told her she was wasting a roster spot on a fool." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Naomi leaned forward in her wooden chair, resting her hands on her knees.

"But I was the fool," Naomi said quietly.

"When Vane launched that cursed spear... I froze. I couldn't move. Sayma's barrier wasn't going to make it in time. I was going to die right there on that concrete floor." She took a deep breath, her voice filled with heavy emotion.

"And out of nowhere, you jumped in," Naomi continued, staring at him in awe.

"You didn't use a magical shield. You didn't use a weapon. You just threw your own fragile, human body directly into the path of a deadly attack to push me out of the way. You knew you had no defense, and you did it anyway." Ken scratched the back of his messy black hair, feeling incredibly awkward. He was not used to people talking to him like this. Usually, people just yelled at him to tuck his shirt in. He needed to find a way to end this emotional conversation so he could go back to sleep.

He realized this was the absolute perfect opportunity to solidify his "weak but brave" cover story. If he played his cards right, Naomi would believe he was just a nice, normal guy who got lucky. She would stop bothering him, and he could finally enjoy a peaceful, lazy life as a background character. Ken decided it was time to act. He needed to channel every single heroic anime protagonist he had ever watched in his previous life.

Ken slowly pushed himself up so he was sitting a little straighter against the pillows. He made sure to wince slightly, pretending that his bandaged shoulder was hurting him. He took a deep, dramatic breath, looking off to the side as if he were staring thoughtfully into the distance. He put on a very serious, very brave face. He completely dropped the goofy, slacker smile.

"Naomi," Ken said, lowering his voice to make it sound incredibly cool and dramatic.

"You don't need to thank me. To be completely honest... I didn't even plan it." Naomi's eyes widened slightly. She hung onto his every word.

"What do you mean?" Ken turned his head slowly, locking eyes with her. He gave her a small, highly dramatic, bittersweet smile.

"When I saw that spear coming at you, my mind went completely blank," Ken delivered the classic, cheesy line with flawless execution.

"I wasn't thinking about the danger. I wasn't thinking about the pain. My legs just moved on their own. My body just moved on its own to save you, because I couldn't stand the thought of watching my teammate get hurt." Ken paused, mentally patting himself on the back.

"Nailed it," he thought happily.

"That was the perfect line. It shows I am a team player, but also implies I have terrible reflexes and no real skill. She is going to be so moved, she will definitely go to the kitchen and make me a sandwich." Naomi sat perfectly still. Her green eyes were wide, shining with unshed tears. The dramatic, cheesy hero speech hit her exactly where it was supposed to. It struck her deep sense of knightly honor. She looked at the messy, untucked boy sitting in the bed, and she didn't see a slacker anymore.

She saw a true hero. She saw a boy with zero combat training, zero magical power, but a heart made of absolute, pure gold. Naomi slowly stood up from her chair. She wiped her eyes quickly with the back of her dusty sleeve, taking a deep, determined breath. Her posture completely changed. The heavy sadness vanished, replaced by a fierce, burning, unstoppable motivation.

"You are right," Naomi declared, her voice ringing with absolute certainty. Ken blinked, his goofy smile returning.

"I am? Great! So, about that sandwich..."

"You are incredibly weak, Ken," Naomi interrupted, placing her hands firmly on her hips. She looked down at him with a fiery, competitive glare.

"You have terrible posture. Your stamina is a joke. Your magical capacity is practically zero. You are, without a doubt, the most physically incompetent person I have ever met in my entire life." Ken gave her a lazy thumbs-up.

"Thank you! I work very hard to maintain this level of uselessness."