Jobless Reincarnation: The King with a Mental Problem

[After a long time, at night, before the campfire]

Because I've been quite busy with tasks lately.

Forget about teaching swordsmanship on time; I've been so busy I haven't even had a meal yet.

By the time I and Eileen arrived at the campfire, it was already completely dark.

But I never expected that girl named... named... Izuru! Yes, the girl named Izuru was waiting for me and Eileen with Sherry.

Well... I am somewhat touched.

"...May God provide us with food, and may we never forget His grace."

Eileen's voice came from the other side, sounding incredibly devout.

Next to her, Izelati, like Eileen, clasped her hands together, bowed her head, and her lips moved slightly.

Even little Shirley sat beside her mother, her little face flushed red by the firelight, and she closed her eyes like Eileen.

This is the pre-meal prayer of the Milis, and Senis has been insisting that we do it. To be honest, it's a bit crazy.

But if it's just for show and it makes Senis happy, then it doesn't matter if I act crazy a little, so I've developed this habit.

But now that Senis is no longer by my side, I naturally don't bother with these formalities, just like Nina...

Well... at least I'm keeping quiet. Nina has already eaten who knows how much she's eaten like a pig...

"Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Oh shit!

They really are like pigs!

Because I don't want to end up like Nina, I've started praying too.

"Brother Jacks, why are you praying too?"

Sherry opened her eyes and saw the king's unusual behavior, which made her curious.

"It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Shirley tilted her head, seemingly finding the answer unconvincing, but didn't press for further details.

What a sensible child.

After the prayers, we could finally eat, and we also chatted while eating.

Little Shirley clung to Eileen, telling her what she had learned and what had happened that day. Eileen sat quietly beside her, listening attentively and chatting earnestly with Little Shirley.

How wonderful...

Just as Wang was immersed in the tender scene before him, he was suddenly interrupted by Izawa Ruti.

"that......"

"Um?"

"May I ask why you always wear a mask?"

"Um...is there a problem?"

"I was thinking..." Izelti's fingers slowly twirled along the rim of the bowl, "You're clearly a swordsman, yet you know so much about magic."

When I was helping Miss Eileen with her research during the day, I couldn't understand any of it, but you seemed to know it very well.

And also in swordsmanship..."

She paused for a moment, as if considering her words.

"And the way you speak... isn't like an ordinary person, it's like a nobleman, but not the kind of nobleman that people dislike. It's more like... a knight from a fairy tale."

Wang swallowed the soup in his mouth and did not reply immediately.

Izelti leaned forward slightly, the firelight dancing in her pupils.

"Mr. Jacks, who exactly are you?"

Nina chuckled beside her: "Is that even a question? He's a show-off. Look at him, always with that serious face, talking in such a pretentious way, but when no one's around, he's a total slut! Even my dad isn't as good at pretending as him."

"Nina...! I... really want to know..."

"What I said is true!" Nina gave the king a series of crooked smiles and sidelong glances. "Look at that pathetic guy. Who's normal like him? He never takes it off while eating, he never takes it off while sleeping. What else could it be but showing off?"

"Maybe it's to hide his identity? Like, maybe his real identity is a prince, and he's wearing a mask to avoid enemies or something?"

"A prince? Who? Him? Are you dreaming?"

Wang didn't reply, and the two best friends started arguing again...

Ignore them.

But when he turned his face back to Eileen and Sherry, they were also drawn to Izelti's words and stared intently at the king's mask.

Um......

I've got it! Watch me start bragging!

"You're right, this mask isn't just for looks."

Wang put down the bowl, lowered his body, and even lowered his head to hide his face, so that everyone could only see this mask.

And those around them were indeed drawn to it.

"So what is it for?"

Izuru's eyes lit up, and even Eileen and Sherry looked over at her intently.

Wang reached out and touched the edge of the mask.

It felt icy to the touch, but the surface of the metal had been warmed by body heat.

"It is essentially a... filter."

"Filter?"

Izeruti tilted her head.

"That's right, it's a filter."

Wang tried his best to make his voice sound calm, as if stating a fact that had already been confirmed.

"This world isn't as simple as it seems. Some things can't be seen with the eyes. Some interference can't be blocked with a sword. Wearing a mask can make it... harder for those things to find me."

The campfire crackled, sending sparks flying into the air before being swept away by the night wind.

Izuru blinked but didn't say anything.

Eileen and Sherry seemed to be genuinely considering what the king had said.

Everyone remained silent for a long time, until...

"Don't listen to his nonsense! He's just fooling you!"

The only one who knows the truth is Nina.

What a busybody!

"I remember now! Brother, didn't you say this wasn't a magical artifact?"

Gee...

Did I say that? It seems I did...

After Shirley spoke, everyone's attention returned to me...

"Okay, what I said earlier was just to fool you."

Just as he finished speaking, Wang was kicked by Izuru, who was standing next to him.

"Hmph! So what's your real name? 'Jacks' is an alias, isn't it? What's your real name?"

"That's right, it's definitely a pseudonym. I wore a mask precisely to hide my real name, so how could I possibly tell you my real name?"

"I see..."

"Yes, that's it..."

This time, everything he said was the truth, and even Nina couldn't refute it.

But the atmosphere inexplicably turned cold...

Okay, let's keep having fun.

"Pisclaft".

"Pice...Crawford? This is...?"

Izeruti silently repeated the word to herself.

"I can't tell you your given name, but I can give you your surname."

"Does it mean...creating peace?"

"That's right, that's exactly what I mean, isn't that cool?"

"Wow! That's so cool!"

"That's amazing..."

Something was shining in Izuru and Sherry's eyes.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Nina sprang to her feet. "You believed that? You believe everything he said? What peace-making? That's obviously made up! What normal person would give themselves a name like that!"

"But……"

"But what! He just lied to you, saying the mask was a magical artifact, and now you believe him?"

Izuru opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to refute, but couldn't find the words.

The air became quiet.

Wang felt everyone's attention return to him, this time with a complex feeling of "being deceived".

"...I'm sorry, the surname is fake too." Wang admitted, "What I just said was definitely a joke."

Izuru's face glowed a distinct red in the firelight.

He was probably angry...

"But... the idea of ​​creating peace is real." Wang picked up the bowl again. "I genuinely want to make the world a less terrible place. And the surname isn't made up; there really are people with this surname."

Izuru's expression changed several times, finally settling on a subtle state where she didn't know whether to be angry or laugh.

As for the mask and the pseudonym...

Originally, it was intended for an even more terrifying use...

—If they actually discover anything, I'll use this fake identity to kill all the researchers...

This is the reason why I chose to wear this mask in the first place.

This was just a backup plan; these people might not even find anything of value, but... Eileen actually discovered some clues...