Chapter 22 22: Second Contract

Words : 1201 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 16 of "Antagonist Protection Service" opens showing developments: The 'Contract Details' screens that appeared bore numerous details I didn't even think about, including... Keep reading!

The 'Contract Details' screens that appeared bore numerous details I didn't even think about, including a "Difficulty" rating, which appeared to be in the form of one to five stars. Of course, as this was my first time, I had three 1-Star Difficulty Contracts to choose from, and I could tell even at a glance that the Librarian followed my specifications earnestly. 'I didn't know there'd be choices other than physical books here... Hey, wait, this one's mega popular, right?' Examining each Contract and comparing them side-by-side, I eventually judged one of them to be a bit too risky, so I removed it. "This one about the 'Beast Tamer', take that out." "Certainly!" There was one 'light novel' with an absurdly lengthy title about some guy with a beast taming ability... or rather, something like a questionable harem-building power, but I had the Librarian discard it. I just thought it'd be a pain to have to deal with an unknown number of hostile beasts or, perhaps worse, lovestruck women, as well as the Protagonist himself, so that's why. Like that, two Contracts remained. "An arena fighter and an academy student... Well, the choice seems pretty obvious. How are they the same Difficulty?" It should be noted that the stated academy was specifically a 'magic academy', but anyway, it was still a student. Despite the latter having the ability to cast magic, it would still probably be an easier target than someone who fights in an arena. After all, he must only be a kid if he's in school. And, an arena fighter, well... They fought to live. So of course it would be harder. "Certainly! Mmm~ A Contract's Difficulty is an aggregate assessment determined by a plethora of factors and subfactors, including even details unrelated to the Protagonist themself, such as third-party threats or environmental elements! So, fret not! You can rest assured that the determination is most accurate!" Holding a finger up to barely poke through the sleeve of the robe, the Librarian explained it like so. "Naturally, such factors will have a lesser weighting than more predominant elements pertaining to the context of the story, such as the Protagonist's level of strength and sociability. However, they are always kept in mind!" She gave her assurance, and it's not like I didn't believe her, I just found it strange that an arena fighter would be somehow just as easy to kill as a student... Well, the Protagonist there was also a slave, so that might have had something to do with it. Thinking about it, if the Protagonist was a slave, then they'd probably be weak and frail, right? Or maybe not, considering they've been placed in a Colosseum-like place. The Protagonist of a story whose whole concept is fighting for survival in an arena like that is bound to be strong, or at the very least, very tough to beat, now that I thought about it. Even ignoring the Protagonist's skills and experiences, was plot armour something I needed to worry about? It would be utterly ridiculous if something like that actually existed, so I didn't think so... I guess you can never be too careful, though. I mean, either way, it wouldn't make me any less or more likely to take on that Contract. 'When the only weapon I have available to me is this flimsy knife, there's no way in hell I'm gonna try and kill someone who might as well be a professional fighter, right?' I did possess the Hero's Sword of course, but it's also not like I was some master of the blade, so I wasn't much better off even with that Legendary-grade weapon. I might feel more confident when I get a gun, but until then, I think I'd rather play it safe than sorry. And so, the choice was simple. "Give me the magic student one." "Certainly!" As the Librarian nodded her head enthusiastically and swiped her hand, the other Contract evaporated, leaving my choice as the sole remainder. I looked over the screen once again. Contract Details [William Vance and the Star-Crossed Lovers] Paper Book Publication Protagonist: William Vance | Chosen One Tags: #Fantasy #MagicalRealism #Adventure #MaleProtagonist #CuriousProtagonist #OrphanProtagonist #MagicAcademy #Monsters #Friendship Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ Looking at the details a few times over, I wondered briefly if the Contract with the Hero also had this kind of information. And if it did, then why the hell did the Librarian just send me over without giving me a chance to look it over or even prepare? Did she just get over-excited and assume that I was already prepared? I guess, because she was under the impression that I applied for the job myself, that must have been the case... The Contract was to kill the Protagonist of a rather renowned book series; I didn't particularly care for it myself, but some of the people I shared this house with were quite into it. Regardless, in line with the stated Difficulty, I really didn't think this one would be that bad. All I needed to do was go in, find the Protagonist, stab him, and get out―just like the previous Contract, really. In fact, since the last guy was a Hero with a Holy Sword, this should be infinitely easier if it came down to a fight. And, thank god, without the mysterious divine power, there would be no zombie-like retaliation as the last time. Even though I didn't think I would need it, I had also already prepared a bag of supplies similar to the previous Contract, just in case; after receiving the answer to my earlier question, I put it in Storage. Then, was there anything else I needed to prepare...? '...I don't think so? I think I'm fine, right?' Judging by the presented Tags, there didn't seem to be anything that was going to be too big of an issue. 'Oh, I might need to be careful of #Monsters... but, well, it's only 1-Star Difficulty, so it should be fine. And there probably won't be any monsters inside the school itself anyway.' "Alright. Send me over." Now that I had already decided to do it, I didn't want to waste any time. '...Wait. When was it that I decided to do it, again?' There was no time to reflect. "Roger~!" The Librarian's voice resounded. Hurriedly, I closed my eyes. Feeling the bizarre and undoubtedly abnormal sensation of the space around me beginning to distort, just one thought persisted in my mind as her words twisted and flowed through. [Transporting to the Illusory World of 'William Vance and the Star-Crossed Lovers'!] My mission... [The target is 'William Vance, the Chosen One'!] To kill the Protagonist. [Good luck, Enki...!] I had already done it once before, so doing it again should be a cinch. 'And this time... without hesitation.' It was a dark notion, but one I strangely found myself fully ready to embrace. The question of where this sudden surge of determination came from――Didn't even enter my mind.

Chapter 22 22: Second Contract

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