【 】

A meeting between a certain pair of individuals began as Yuki ran amok in town. One
sat atop the throne reserved only for the lord of the demon realm while the other
genuflected before him in an expression of subservience.

“Well, Haloria?” The king addressed his servant. “What did you make of him?”

“Yuki is an odd man, my king,” responded the agent. “Travelling with him has taught
me that he is nothing if not inconsistent and bizarre.”

“And what, precisely, is that supposed to mean?” The unexpected answer caused the
king to cock an eyebrow in interest.

“Like many other demon lords with dungeons at their disposal, he is confident in his
martial prowess. However, to my knowledge, it doesn’t appear as if he is drunk on
power. Unlike others of his kind, he remains fully rational. This is something that can
easily be seen in the way he treats those that he holds dear. He appears to be rather
intelligent as well, as evidenced by how easily he saw through your words and read
your intentions. Despite seeming smart, however, he completely skimped on
negotiations. He thoughtlessly went along with your suggestions without even
bothering to question them,” said Haloria. “In summary, My King, both the retention
of his rationality and the disparities in the level of his intelligence lead me to believe
that he is a man of many contradictions.”

“Putting it like that certainly does make it seem that way,” chuckled Phynar. His
subordinate’s observations had him quite amused.

“I believe that the issue may stem from his outlook on life. It is so different from my
own that I cannot see him as anything but strange.”

“I can see that. I guess the best way to summarize your observations would be to say
that his values differ from ours. The only way we can really understand him would be
to change the way we think.” Phynar put a hand on his chin as he spoke. “He doesn’t
act like any of the other demon lords I’ve met. Not even those that were of the demon
race were nearly as eccentric. He’s so different from everything else in this world that
I’m tempted to think he might have come from another.”

Little did Phynar know, his conjecture had hit the nail on the head.

“Surely you jest, My King.”

“I suppose I do,” laughed the blonde.

A shadow approached the two individuals situated in the throne room as they continued
to converse.

“My King, I have returned. The stage is set, and my mission is complete.” The hooded
man spoke in a respectful tone no different from Haloria’s. “I have taken all the
necessary steps to ensure that our newfound collaborator is now free to take action
at any point in time.”

“So it’s done? Did it all go as smoothly as expected?”

“Of course, My King. Everything is as per your orders. Our collaborators can expect to
take action in relative safety.”

“Great. I wouldn’t want him to turn on us because we can’t keep our promises,” smiled
Phynar. “In fact, I’d like him to continue working with us even after all this. I’m going
to be counting on you to make sure everything goes as planned.”

“I understand. I will ensure that his experience remains positive,” said the hooded
figure. “I do have one other thing to report.”

“And what would that be?”

“The demon lord has made contact with humanity’s hero. The two appeared to have
met in a bar. Do you have any further instructions?”

“Humanity’s hero? Oh, you must be talking about the girl you mentioned in the report
you made the other day. I’d say that you probably don’t need to worry about it. He did
know he was being watched, right?”

“I believe so.” The king’s subordinate nodded. “We happened to make eye contact. He
stared right at me even though I was supposed to have been hidden.”
“Then it should be a-okay. That was probably just his way of telling you that he thinks
it’s okay for us to know that they’ve made contact,” said the king, cheerfully. “Besides,
her enemies are our enemies. Sharing enemies doesn’t immediately make us allies,
but it does mean that our foes will be worse off. And that, that is something I
appreciate. I believe that it’s safe to leave things as they are. Let Yuki deal with her. I’m
sure that whatever he has in mind will be to our benefit.”

“Understood, My King.”

The subordinate bowed, which led Phynar to nod in satisfaction.

“Thank you for the report,” said the king. “If all the preparations are complete, then I
suppose I’ll send for him tomorrow and tell him what it is I’m going to have him do.”

“Well, Yuki? What do you think of participating in a martial arts tournament?”

The demon king called me in for another audience the day after Leila sat me down and
nagged my ear off. He was situated on the throne with the same big smile on his face
as always.

“A martial arts tournament?” I asked, skeptically.

“Mhm! That’s right! It’s a huge event. All of the demon realm’s proudest warriors
gather to show off their strength and compete to be named the strongest. It only lasts
a few days, but it’s still considered one of the most important events that the capital
is home to. It livens up the city the same way any other festival would.”

“So it’s basically a festival? That sounds fun.”

I paused for a moment to contemplate the possibilities. There’ll probably be food stalls
all over the place, which means Enne’ll be in for a treat. Literally. But uh… so people come
from all over just to “show off their strength?” Yeah, that sounds like a… mild way to put
it. Iunno about you but that sounds downplayed as fuck. I’m pretty sure the whole thing
is just going to end up as a bunch of violent fights where people try to almost kill each
other.

“The fiend faction is participating. They’re dispatching some of their finest warriors
in order to demonstrate their strength and gain public support. That’s where you
come in. I want you to not only crush them, but also stand out as much as you can. I
want you to win first place and take home the title of the demon realm’s most powerful
combatant.”

“Look… I know that sounds pretty simple on paper and whatnot, and I don’t really
want to throw a wrench in your plans or anything. But, just sayin’, I’m not exactly the
greatest fighter. I mean, I’m pretty decent and I’m not about to just fall over. I’m totally
fine with chewing bubblegum and kicking ass and all that, but I can’t say for sure that
I’ll be able to win. Especially if I don’t really know what I’m going to be up against.”

While I wasn’t the worst fighter, I only really knew how to brawl. I was more or less
incapable of approaching any sort of combat scenario with anything but brute force. I
could use a sword and I could cast magic, but I relied much more on my stats than I
did any sort of technique. I was fairly confident that I would be able to easily destroy
anyone else that relied purely on power, but I had no confidence in taking down
martial masters that spent their lives perfecting the finest details of their craft. Ehhh,
you know what? If I end up stuck against someone like that, then I’ll just fly around and
bombard them with magic from up high. Obviously won’t work if they’ve got wings too,
which is uh… bad. I don’t really have a plan B right now, but fuck it. I’m sure I’ll figure
something out if push comes to shove.

“I’m sure it will be just fine,” said the king. “I made use of my authority and had all the
other participants examined at the time of your registration. You should be the
strongest of the bunch.”

Wow. Talk about abuse of authority. Dude’s literally doing whatever he wants.

“There happen to be a few individuals you might want to pay a bit more attention to,
but we’ll tell you everything you need to know about them a bit later. We have their
weapons and their styles documented already, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Thanks. So I’m guessing you guys will be working behind the scenes while I do all this
shit and get their attention up front?”

“You sure are quick on the uptake,” laughed the demon king. “Oh yes, that’s right. I
believe you said you were planning on wearing a mask?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Then I suggest you take this.” The king handed me a ring.

“What’s this thing supposed to be?”

“Why, it’s an accessory, of course,” he said. “It is enchanted with the ability to allow
you to change your hair and eye colours at will. You’re free to keep it even after you
finish helping me, if you’d like.”

The first thing I did was analyze the item and check its stats.

Ring of Transfiguration

Quality: A+

Description: Pouring magical energy into this ring allows its bearer to freely change
the colour of their eyes and hair.

Long story short, it was a handy little high-performance tool that would allow me to
better my disguise. Hair and eye colour weren’t exactly things that one could readily
change under normal circumstances. Most would probably assume that whatever hair
and eye colour they saw me with was natural.

“Cool. Thanks.”

I put the magically enchanted item on one of the fingers on my left hand. Of course, I
made sure to avoid my ring finger, which was already decorated by the gift I had gotten
from Lefi. Alright, let’s give this thing a whirl. I should probably make it a totally
different colour from usual to add to the effect. Something really bright and eye-catching
would probably work best.

With a few criteria in mind, I began thinking of different colours before finally arriving
at a conclusion. I focused on the one I ended up choosing and began channelling my
magical energies through the ring. A faint bit of mana coursed through my eyes and
hair. And as it received, my transformation found itself complete.

“Huh… neat” I looked myself over in the mirror brought to me by one of the maids in
the demon king’s employ. My black hair and my red and black odd-eyes were both
gone. Everything had instead been dyed silver. Yeah, this’ll work. This plus my fake
stats’ll make it pretty damn hard for people to figure out who I really am.

The serious contemplation I was in the midst of was interrupted by a giggle. I turned
away from the mirror and spun around in order to look at Leila, its source. The sheep-
horned demon had an even bigger smile on her face than usual.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, My Lord. I couldn’t help myself,” she said whilst stifling another snicker.
“Your hair matches Lefi’s quite well, I must say.”

Only after Leila’s remark did I come to realize the implications of my decision. All I had
wanted was a bright colour. I could have picked anything else. Blonde, red, and orange
were all within the realm of possibility. And yet, I had picked silver. And it wasn’t just
that. I had subconsciously picked the exact shade of silver that Lefi’s hair shone in.

“Uhhh… So, just saying, this wasn’t intentional. I just wanted something that stood out.
And this is just how it ended up. I wasn’t actually trying to make myself look like Lefi
or anything, alright?”

“Of course, My Lord. I totally understand.”

Although Leila claimed that she caught my drift, the way she was looking at me made
it obvious that she really hadn’t. Please cease and desist. You’re making me feel all
awkward.

“Anyways.” I faked a cough, drained the ring of its mana, and changed my hair back to
its default colour before turning to face the demon king. “As I was saying, I hear you
loud and clear. I’ll do what I can to nab first place. So when exactly is this tournament
thing happening anyway?”

“It’s set to start in five days. I’m sure you have some last-minute training to do, so I’ve
prepared the parade grounds for you. Please feel free to use them.”

Training? Yeah uh, I’ve kinda never actually practiced martial arts or anything. Like, tell
me to train all you want, but I’m not actually going to get anything done since I kinda
don’t know what I’m even supposed to be doing. Oh wait, I got an idea. I’ll come up with
some flashy looking spell that goes with the whole festival mood the city’ll have going for
it. Yeah, that actually sounds pretty nice. I’mma do it. Oh, oh, another idea. I could totally
make it into a combination spell, one that’s actually a bunch of smaller spells weaved
together into a combo. You know, it’ll be like setting things up in a P*kemon Contest for
extra points. Yeah, you know what? I’m really starting to look forward to this whole
martial arts tournament thing. And just to be clear, it’s not because I’ll be working to
further King Faggot’s agenda. It’s time to show the masses what a demon lord can really
do.
My surroundings were filled with naught but noise. The streets were crowded, and
the people that filled them continued to shout and laugh as they basked in the city’s
celebratory atmosphere.

“Wow…” Enne, whose hand I held, opened her eyes wide as we moved through the city.
She was so impressed by how lively it was that she couldn’t help but raise her voice in
admiration.

“I know, right? Seems like the king was right. This place is looking pretty festival-like
right about now,” I said in a tone indicative of my good mood.

The demon realm’s capital was bustling with so much energy that a single glance was
enough for me to feel the excitement radiating from its people. As could be assumed
from the sight that lay before us, it had been five days since I spoke to the demon king
about what I was going to do for him.

We had finished getting everything ready and set out in order to make our way over
to the arena. As we had already spent a decent amount of time wading our way
through the streets, we were already almost there. One of the things I had noticed was
that every single person that had ventured out of their homes was wearing either a
smile or some other expression of joy and excitement. This, of course, included more
than just the people wandering the streets. Those looking to profit off of them felt the
same way. Countless stalls had been opened up by aspiring and established
entrepreneurs alike. The shopkeepers advertised their products by shouting at
everyone that walked by. Their merry cries only served to add to the already vibrant
atmosphere.

I had sensed a gradual buildup over the past few days. The capital had slowly gotten
noisier as more people rolled in. But today, today was different. Everyone’s excitement
had suddenly spiked all at once. A part of me was surprised. I had thought that the
demon realm was in a situation that wouldn’t have allowed for its people to kick back
and relax the way they did. But apparently, I was wrong. And I was fine with that. As
far as I was concerned, this was just how festivals had to be.
Logically speaking, it did make sense. Unlike the world I used to live in, this one was
suffering from a severe lack of entertainment. People were starved for it. Events like
this one were so rare, so few and far between that everyone who was anyone would
do their best to enjoy them.

“Does that mean you’ve taken part in festivals before, My Lord?”

“Errr, kinda.”

I gave a vague, non-committal answer while smiling to gloss the topic over before
turning towards the agent left in charge of us and asking her a question. “So, Agent
McH-, er, Haloria, what exactly did you say we needed to do again?”

“You need to speak with the arena’s staff and complete your registration at the front
desk. Unfortunately, we are unable to exert our influence on the tournament itself, so
we have no idea as to who you will be fighting. Match placement is completely random,
and the event’s staff will be responsible for guiding you through the rest of the
process.”

“Alright, works. And I think you guys said something about the preliminaries being
like some sort of battle royale or something?”

“That is correct,” said Haloria. “It is a fifty person free for all. The last three left
standing are permitted to participate in the rest of the tournament. With your
strength, surviving the preliminaries should be a breeze.”

Welp. Time to give it my all and see where it gets me.

“Some of our subordinates have mingled in with the tournament’s staff. We will be
happy to assist you, so please ring the bell you were given whenever you wish to call
for us. Someone will see to you as soon as possible.”

“You’re talking about the bell that doesn’t actually make any noise when I ring it,
right?”

Like the ring, the bell I was given was an item imbued with magical properties. It
wasn’t capable of carrying out a regular bell’s primary feature, but it could release
mana at a very specific frequency. Man, the demon king sure does have a whole bunch
of cool stuff. Though I guess it’s only natural seeing as how he’s literally in charge of a
whole country.
We spent a few more minutes walking and talking as we moved down the main street
before finally arriving at the arena. The building was large, round, and for some odd
reason, reminded me of the baseball stadiums we had back on Earth. The town had
been noisy. But the stadium was even noisier. There were tonnes of people packed into
the area. Though some of them were armed, they were all standing in neat lines. Man,
seeing people with their weapons and armour out standing around all civilized and shit
is pretty weird. Seriously. This shit’s surreal as fuck.

Standardization apparently wasn’t something that demons cared much for. People
were holding all sorts of different weapons. One example was a broom with its bristles
replaced with needles, and another was a scythe with a hammer on the other end of
its snath. It was almost as if each race had its own unique selection of equipment; the
line was filled with all sorts of different people wearing and holding all sorts of
different things. All in all, the resulting scene almost appeared to be chaotic and
disorganized in nature despite the orderly line the warriors stood in. Is this really
supposed to be a martial arts tournament? Looks more like a weapons exhibition or
trade show to me. Not that I’ve really got the right to actually say anything seeing as
how I’ve got myself a Japanese-style sword with a big ass blade.

“Oh yeah, I should probably get myself disguised before I see the receptionist, huh?” I
said. “Sorry Leila, but I’m going to have to ditch you. Make sure you use the thing I gave
you to get yourself back to the dungeon if something happens.” I reminded her of the
necklace in an indirect manner in order to throw off any would-be eavesdroppers.

“Of course, My Lord,” nodded the maid in understanding.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t be seen together in public after I put on my disguise in

order to stop people from making the connection between me and the alter ego I had
devised for the sake of the operation.

“Well, Haloria, it looks like it’s going to have to be your job to keep Leila safe while I’m
out. I know she’s kinda famous and whatnot, so make sure no one ends up bugging
her too much, alright?”

“Don’t worry, you will be leaving her in good hands,” said the secret agent. “I’ll keep
her safe even if it means putting my life on the line.”

Her words caused a sweatdrop to appear on the back of my head. Yeah uh… she’s totally
just going to warp out if she gets into any trouble, so you should also probably focus on
getting yourself to safety.

“That looks like it would probably be a good spot to change.” The agent pointed me to
a piece of cover I could probably use to get out of sight. I followed her prompt and
headed over with Enne whilst checking my surroundings both by looking at my map
and by actively focusing on my enemy detection skill. Only after I was completely sure
that we were out of sight did I make use of the Ring of Transfiguration and grab the
mask I had stored away in my inventory.

My new mask was quite different from the one I had worn back when I was helping
the humans. This one didn’t so much resemble a clown as it did the mask worn by the
molecular manipulator known as the black reaper. Oh wait, it’s missing the thunderbolt
that’s supposed to be running through one of the eyes.

Leaving the mask as nothing but a blank slate with eyeholes and a fake mouth made it
seem a bit too creepy for my tastes, so I ended up embedding a random star-shaped
gem just under its left eyehole. Like basically every other fancy thing I had picked up
in the demon realm, it was something I had gotten from its king. He had casually
handed it to me without a care in the world the moment I asked for it. Man, Iunno if
it’s just me, but he seems hella loaded.

Like everything else I made with Weapon Transmutation, the mask was a weapon.
Technically speaking, it was a boomerang, just a dysfunctional one. I could totally
throw it at someone and use it to hurt them, but it probably wouldn’t ever turn around,
let alone come back. Not that it really matters. I’m probably never actually going to
throw this thing, so yeah.

While the clown mask came in a pair, I only had one reaper mask. I didn’t make a
second with the mouth area exposed this time around because it wasn’t necessary for
me to keep the artificial face on at all times.

“Okay, looks like I’m just about ready to be seen in public.” I said before turning to the
sword girl by my side. “I’m sorry you have to miss the festival, Enne. How about I make
it up to you by letting you pick what we do in the evening?”

“Okay,” nodded the kimono-clad weapon. “And I don’t mind, Master. Anything is okay
as long as we’re together.”

She spoke a series of words that made me extremely happy whilst allowing the slightest
bit of shyness to tinge upon her usually expressionless face. Ermagawd. Isn’t she just
the cutest thing ever? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. Don’t actually answer it.

“Thanks, Enne. I like spending time with you too.” I smiled and patted her on the head
as I spoke. “Could you do me a favour and go back to possessing your main body?”

“Okay.” She nodded and touched the weapon I held in front of her. And as she did, she
disappeared. It almost looked like she had fused with it the moment she and it made
contact.

I hoisted her over my shoulders and sighed after confirming that the process was over.
“Welp. Leggo.”

◊◊◊

I arrived at the desk after sitting through the line. There, I was greeted by a receptionist
that seemed to belong to one of the demonic races—she had both a tail and a pair of
horns. “Good morning, sir. If you’re here to complete the signup process, then please
present the document you were given at the time of your initial registration.”

I handed her the card that served as the proof of my registration.

“Please give me just one second to confirm the details.” The receptionist paused to
look over the documents. She stopped each time she went over a major detail and
asked me to confirm it. “To sum things up, Mr. Ypsilon, you were born here in
Regighihegg, and your weapon of choice is the greatsword? Would the weapon you
have mounted on your back be the greatsword in question? That’s quite the
impressive blade. It says here that you’re participating on the king’s recommendation.
Is that correct?”

I nodded in response to each of her inquiries. Ypsilon was, of course, the pseudonym
I had chosen for the operation. Yeap, you got it. It’s just the letter Y again, but in like
German or something this time.

“Great. I look forward to seeing you in action then,” she said. “The last step in the
registration process will be for you to channel your magical energy through your ID
card. Could you please do so to confirm your identity?”

I did as she said and cycled my mana through the card in order to make it glow to
confirm that I was in fact Ypsilon. Man, these are some in-depth checks.

Contrary to my expectations, the checks they ran at the gate weren’t actually anywhere
near as half-assed as I had expected. I had thought that it would be fine to have a proxy
finish up the registration process on behalf of the actual participant, but it seemed
that I was wrong. My impression stemmed from the initial registration. I had been
allowed to fill in all sorts of fake details, and no one had been any the wiser. Though
now that I think about it, that might’ve just been because the demon king was pulling
the strings behind the scenes. I mean, I already know that he’s not doing this the legit
way. He seemed way too confident in his intel for that. Especially when he was telling me
about all the guys I had to watch out for.

“Thank you very much for your patience. Your registration is now complete,” said the
receptionist as she handed me a wooden, rectangular block the size of a stick of lip
balm. “You will be contestant number 113. Please make sure not to forget or lose your
number. We will be calling it when it is your turn to fight. The waiting room is just over
there. A member of our team will be waiting at the end of the corridor in order to
provide you with further instructions. Thank you again, and good luck, Mr. Ypsilon.”

I raised a hand to thank the bowing receptionist before leaving the overly crowded
entranceway and heading down the corridor the receptionist had pointed at. The area
meant for fighters was separate from the area reserved for spectators, so I was finally
given a break from the crowd.

After following the path for a bit, I eventually ran into a middle-aged man who looked
to be one of the event’s employees.

“Good morning sir. You have arrived at a waiting area reserved for the tournament’s
fighters,” he said in a professional-sounding tone. “Would you happen to be here to
compete?”

I answered him by nodding and showing off the card and the numbered stick.

“Excellent. All of the rooms in this area are waiting rooms. The ones with red “no
vacancy” signs hanging in front of them are already at their max capacity, so you will
not be allowed to enter them. However, you are free to pick any room that is not fully
occupied.”

Well then. And here I thought I was going to be getting a private room. Though I guess
it kinda makes sense. The preliminaries exist just to cut down the number of participants.
It’s literally a battle royale. They’re not going to have enough rooms to give everyone
their own private quarters.

“This place… is interesting.” Enne spoke to me telepathically as I headed down the

corridor.

“Right,” I chuckled. “This is the first time you’ve ever been anywhere like this, isn’t it?”

“Mhm.”

“You’ll probably be even more amused once we get to the arena. The arena’s where
they actually hold all the matches. That said, it probably reeks of blood, so try not to
let yourself get too amused, alright?”

I knew that bringing a child to a place where violence was enacted on a regular basis
wasn’t the best of ideas. It was sure to be a poor influence going forward. That said,
Enne wasn’t an ordinary child. She was quite literally a weapon. Enacting violence had,
at one point, been her sole purpose. I was confident that she wouldn’t end up growing
addicted to bloodshed given the fact that she knew to fear it. The time that she had
spent as a magic blade had tempered her to know the insane nature of brutality. There
was a chance that experiencing the tournament would be good for her; it would let
her see the act of combat in a new light.

“Don’t worry, Master,” said Enne. “I’ll only use my power when I’m with you.”

“Thanks for that, by the way,” I said. “You’re a huge help.”

Only after wandering around for a bit did I finally find a room with a vacancy. I opened
the door and stepped inside, only to find that the whole room’s eyes were on me. Some
were giving me glares sharp enough to kill. Others looked on in an expression of
amusement. A third group, a group of edgelords, was pretending not to care for what
everyone else was doing. They were observing me out of the corners of their eyes
while trying their best to blend into the background. Wow. This is nice. The atmosphere
this place has got going? Yeah, I like it. You know how the room feels the moment before
you step out onto the field in order to participate in some sorta sport? Yeah, it’s kinda
like that. There’s this vague sense of excitement buzzing all around the place. Oh, man.
This is just how festivals like this have gotta be. This is fucking great.

A big smile unfurled under my mask as I slowly looked around the room in a
provocative manner whilst moving forward and finding myself an empty seat.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome, to the one hundredth and seventy-sixth Martial
Arts Tournament, the one hundredth and seventy-sixth Destia Trome! Today finally
marks the day where our festivities will once again begin!”

The master of ceremonies appeared to be using some sort of magic in order to amplify
the volume of his voice. It echoed throughout the massive stadium even though he
wasn’t shouting at the top of his lungs. The crowd seemed used to it, however, as his
voice functioned as a cue that led it to cheer.

Unlike the spectators, who were situated in seats located all around the stadium, I was
leaning on a guardrail with Zaien slung over my shoulders. But like them, I too was
focused on the act of observation. Specifically, I was panning my gaze around the arena
and taking in the sights. The excellent view I had was enabled by my current position.
I was located on a viewing platform connected to my waiting room. It was placed in
close proximity to the arena that would soon serve as the stage in which the
tournament’s participants would vie for superiority. And as such, I could easily see
every seat on the opposite side of the tournament so long as I chose to direct my gaze
upwards. Many had already been filled. It was just the preliminaries, but a large
number of people had eagerly come to observe the battles that would soon unfold
nonetheless.

“A pair of special guests will be joining us this afternoon,” continued the MC. “Both our
very own King Phynar and Gojim, Chief of the Fiends, will soon be joining us!”

Hearing the announcement led me to cock an eyebrow. I was more surprised than not
to hear that the king would be participating in the event, as I had assumed that he
would have taken the opportunity in order to work behind the scenes. I guess that
means he’s probably done everything he needs to personally attend to. I mean, it’s not
like he’s gotta personally take command of every little thing, right?

Another equally surprising fact was that I would finally get to see the enemy faction’s
leader in person; I hadn’t expected him to show up either.
The way he had been addressed was indicative of the sheer extent of his authority. The
master of ceremonies thought of him as someone so important that he had mentioned
him alongside the king, the person that supposedly lorded over the demon realm. I
wonder what he’s like.

My original understanding of the fiend faction was warped. I had thought that the term
fiend denoted a specific race or group of races, but I was wrong. I would have been
more correct a few hundred years ago, as the term used to refer to ancient demons
that spawned through spontaneous generation. They were the individuals that Lefi
often referred to when she spoke of the demons she had met in her past. As such, I had
assumed that modern fiends were their descendants, that they were demons that
happened to be more powerful than others as a result of their lineage.

But alas, again, I was wrong. It was true that many modern fiends had descended from
ancient fiends, and that they judged others based purely off of their bloodlines and
pedigree, but it was more than just that. The individuals that labelled themselves
fiends were more Jehovah’s Witnesses than they were anything else. The product that
they sold was akin to a religion, one that worshipped the concept of power.

While they did believe that blood was important, they weren’t completely unwilling
to change their own definitions of what was and wasn’t good blood. Fiends had the
tendency to label all those willing to support them as pure-blooded fiends and denote
their enemies as mudblooded weaklings. These definitions and the cult’s willingness
to adjust them was what had made the faction and its adherents so widespread.

Most ancient fiends apparently had their races end in demon, so I had assumed that
all individuals with races that followed the aforementioned pattern were a part of the
modern faction. But again, I was wrong. That said, it was, in fact, more likely than not
for any individual with demon in their race to be a part of the faction than not. You
know, if this whole thing’s just one big cult, then I’m pretty sure the guy in charge is
probably the type of dude that radiates charisma.

My thoughts were poised to continue wandering all over the place, but they were
interrupted before they could get much further. The door connecting the deck to the
waiting room swung open to reveal a member of the event’s staff, one holding
something that seemed to resemble a ledger.

The staff member took a few moments to explain the day’s agenda. Being outside, we
were naturally exposed to the audience’s ridiculously loud cheers. But as I could hear
him clearly nonetheless, I didn’t bother leaving the guardrail. To summarize, we were
going to be called chronologically by number. One through fifty made up the first
group, fifty-one through a hundred made up the second, and so on and so forth. The
first round was set to start at ten in the morning, and each was prone to taking
anywhere between one and two hours.

“Looks like we’re going to have to wait a bit,” I said.

“We’re third?” asked Enne, telepathically.

“Seems like it. We’re probably going to have to fight somewhere around lunchtime,” I
said. “We might be able to start around noon if the first two rounds are fast.”

Blech. Talk about bad timing.

“We’re going to have to fight hungry,” said Enne.

“Probably, yeah,” I said with a light chuckle. “Why don’t we grab something good to
make up for it later.”

“Okay,” said Enne. “I can’t wait.”

Though I hadn’t realized it at the time, the people around us were giving us a series of
stares. They were weirded out by the fact that I was talking to my sword, but I
continued to do exactly that regardless.

“The first preliminary round will now begin!”

The MC’s declaration raised the curtain on the martial arts tournament and led the
audience to explode into a series of wild cheers.

◊◊◊

Watching the preliminaries hadn’t proven all that entertaining. The real tournament
wasn’t set to start until tomorrow, so we were stuck with nothing but a series of messy
battle royales. Anyone that had ever won a round in anything beyond the
preliminaries was seeded, which in turn meant that the fights we watched contained
nothing but a bunch of weaklings. The whole fifty man free for all aspect made the
endeavour a lot more interesting from a visual standpoint, but it didn’t change the fact
that each individual was still incredibly weak. To make matters even worse, the entire
thing was more or less just a massive slugfest, a contest of brute strength where
people charged at each other and kept punching until one of the two parties collapsed.
There were a few guys that seemed somewhat impressive, but not because they were
particularly strong or skilled. They just happened to stand out because they happened
to have a thing for acrobatics.

The average fighter was basically nothing next to the adventurer I had fought back
when it was prince season. Man, thinking back, he really was pretty damn strong, huh?
Though I guess there’s not really much of a point comparing him to these fools, seeing as
how this is still just the prelims and whatnot. You’d probably have to wait until tomorrow
if you wanted to see anything interesting.

“The third preliminary match will be starting shortly. All participants, please head
over to the stage immediately.”

Like everyone else set to participate in round three, I adhered to the announcement
and made my way out towards the massive stage in which the fights took place. A
single step was all I needed to exit the hallway and step into the arena, but the
difference between the two zones was stark. Taking the step felt like putting a foot into
a whole other world. The first thing I felt upon exposing myself to the outside was a
rush of excitement. And not just my own. The crowd was raring for the fight to begin,
and their energy was focused entirely on the stage. Likewise, the other fighters were
so tense and worked up that one could almost feel their spirits burn just by being in
their proximity.

Looking up, I noticed that a large crystal orb was suspended in the air above me. It
was about the size of the massive screen one would find in a baseball stadium, and
like said screen, its function was to provide a magnified view of the stage with a focus
on actions of interest. Man, this world sure is weird. Most of their tech is like stuff out of
the dark ages, but then they’ve got shit like this. What the actual fuck?

“It looks like all of the third preliminary round’s participants have gathered. So
without further ado, let the fight begin!”

A low resonant note rang throughout the stadium as one of the event’s staff members
struck a large gong.

The sound caused the amount of excitement in the air to suddenly spike. And with it
rose the temperature. Everyone leapt into action and immediately engaged in a sweaty,
all-out brawl.

People shouted war cries as their weapons met.

Of course, I too was the subject of some degree of aggression. A pair of assailants drew
their weapons and charged at me with the spirits blazing despite the fact that I was
more or less standing still and not really doing much of anything at all.

“Drop dead, brat!” roared one.

“I’m going to murder you!” screamed another.

Welp, time to do the thing. We’ve yet to have lunch, so I’mma just wrap this up real quick
and then go meet back up with Leila.

“Hey Enne?”

“Mmnn?”

“Cover your ears real quick, will ya?”

“Mmk.”

Wait. I know I literally just told her to do it, but does Enne even have ears when she’s just
a sword? How the hell does she even hear in that form anyway? Man, you know, this is
coming pretty late, but Enne sure is one mysterious creature, isn’t she? I smiled wryly as
I entertained a few thoughts before taking a deep breath.

And then, upon turning towards the two out for my head, I released all the air I had
taken in at once.

With a roar.

The ground shook.

The air shook.

Everything shook as my primal cry rang loud as thunder.

One by one, the other fighters began dropping like flies. Those closest to me were first
to fall, but the others further away soon followed suit. The more distance between us
there was, the longer it took the individual to fall. But fall they did.

A few seconds was all it took for me to end up as the last man standing.

All that followed was a moment of silence. None of the other fighters could so much
as make a noise. The same went for the crowd. It had stopped responding in its
entirety. Well then. And here I was thinking that there’d be at least a few left standing.
Oh well, whatever. Works for me.

The skill I had activated was none other than the one I had obtained after murdering
the brain-damaged dragon supposedly crowned his species’ king. Its effect was to
intimidate all foes in range, and in doing so, dull their movements. In other words, it
provided crowd control in the form of a slow. However, as demonstrated, it was also
capable of knocking out my foes if they were too much weaker than me.

“I-I can’t believe it! The match is already over! One of our contestants has defeated all
forty-nine of his peers with nothing but a roar!”

The MC’s voices served to snap the crowd out of the trance that the sudden change in
the situation had left them in. Its members once again began to cheer just as
vigorously as they had the moment the match began. Well, demon king, there you are.
You wanted me to stand out, so I stood out. But don’t you think that this is all I have in
store. Heh. Now listen up, plebs, ‘cause demon lords have got way more juice in them
than just a roar or two.

And so, I won my preliminary match without so much as drawing Enne from her
sheath.

◊◊◊

Two men stood side by side in one of the walkways between the seating zones meant
for the event’s spectators. The preliminaries had already begun, and as such, they
were the only two still in the area. Each was observing the stage with a pair of sharp
gazes, gazes completely devoid of all the excitement that possessed the rest of the
crowd.

“Who’s the guy in the mask?” asked one.

“Phynar snuck him into the competition a few days ago,” replied the other. He claims
to have been born in Regighihegg, but that’s most likely false.”

“You think he might be the mercenary that everyone’s been talking about?”

“That certainly does seem to be the case,” spat the second man in a spiteful tone. “And
that means that he is only here to sully our honour. Despicable.”

The term honour may not have been one that seemed all that important at first glance.
But as a matter of fact, it was. As men that believed in a doctrine supporting power
over all else, the two discussing the masked man’s identity felt that honour was
something to be valued and preserved. The loss of one’s honour was akin to the loss
of one’s power. And that, in turn, was no different from the loss of one’s rightful place
in the world.

“He certainly does seem strong. Do you have any clue who he really is?”

“That’s something we’re still investigating. We’ve yet to figure out the details.”

“He looks like the type to be beyond the reaches of our control. But it doesn’t matter.
If he’s going to get in our way, then we’ll crush him the way we would any other
obstacle,” said the observer. “Erase him. Erase him before his first real match.”

“Your orders are my will.”

“What a barbaric conversation you two are having.”

A third voice suddenly joined in on the conversation.

“What!?” Its presence caused both fiends to spin around in surprise.

And as they did, they were greeted by the sight of a hood. One of the two immediately
reached into his pocket, drew a knife, and launched an attack, but it never reached its
target. His arm fell right from his shoulder before it did. Blood immediately began to
erupt from the cleanly cut stump.

Neither of the two knew exactly when he had drawn it, but the hooded figure had in
his hands a naked, bloody blade.

“Graaaaaaaagh!?” The man that lost his arm began to scream after a brief delay. It was
a loud shout that normally would have attracted plenty of attention. But the crowd
drowned it out. Their cheers were so loud that none could hear the expression of his
anguish.

Upon seeing his comrade fall, the second man immediately turned around and began
to run.

“No, no, no, get back here. I can’t have you doing that. I’d really rather not be yelled at
for letting you get away.”

The moment the man took his first step was the moment his head flew from his
shoulders. There was a shower of blood, and then, nothing. He collapsed before he
even had the chance to scream. That wasn’t to say that there weren’t any screams,
however.

His companion began to squeal like a terrified piglet.

“Oh, don’t you worry. I won’t be killing you. The two of us? We have plenty to talk
about,” the hooded figure laughed in a dark tone as he grabbed the armless fiend by
the scruff. “I really do appreciate My King’s newest ally. He’s making my job much,
much easier.”

The moment he finished speaking was the moment the hooded figure suddenly
disappeared. And it wasn’t just him. The corpse, the blood, and the armless man were
gone too. All of it had, in an instant, vanished without a trace.
“That was absurd.” The first thing the hooded agent voiced was a complaint. “Do you
not understand what it means to have restraint?”

“Your boss literally told me to show off and stand out, so I did.” I responded to her
reproachful glare with a shrug.

“…I suppose I cannot deny that. You certainly did draw as much attention as you
possibly could have. I don’t think anyone else could have possibly done better,” she
sighed. “You did so well that I couldn’t help but complain because it felt as if you were
on the verge of overdoing it. Our enemy’s intelligence operatives are sure to leap into
action and provide My King with the opportunity he was seeking.”

“Which means I did good, right?”

“That is correct.” Haloria heaved another sigh. “I’m sure that My King is currently in
the middle of happily providing us with additional orders despite the fact that we’re
far too understaffed to handle even our regular duties. My colleagues are more than
willing to give their all for him. They would even die for him, so they are sure to happily
accept it all without a word of complaint. In fact, they would probably find themselves
elated by the fact that they’re being assigned additional duties. Of course, I feel the
same way, but work is still work. Having so much of it remains a cause for concern…”

“I… uh…” I fumbled over my words for a bit as I looked for the right ones. “My bad.”

In the end, I gave up and went with a simple apology. Agent McHoodface seemed to be
a few years my junior. Hearing a girl that was younger than me complain about being
overworked made me cringe. I couldn’t help but pity her. Yeahhh… I should probably
send her a care package or two. I’m feeling pretty bad for her right about now.

“There’s no need for you to apologize,” grumbled the secret agent. “You did nothing
wrong. You’ve done an excellent job carrying out your role as our newest ally. Sorry,
and don’t mind my grumbling. I was just exercising my right to complain.”
“Well uh, it sounds pretty rough. Feel free to hit me up if you need someone to talk to.
I’m sure me and Leila would both be more than willing to sit down and help talk you
through things.”

“It is as My Lord says, Haloria. You’re free to come to me if you ever need any sort of
advice.”

“Thank you… Thank you so much, Ma’am.”

Haloria almost seemed to sniffle as she thanked my maid. She was evidently deeply
moved by her offer. Wait. Did she just say ma’am? The fuck happened while I was away?
Actually, you know what? I don’t really need to know, so I’mma just not even ask. It looks
like they’ve got a pretty nice dynamic going on, and that it’s working for them. As far as
I’m concerned, that’s all that really matters. Whatever bonding they did while I was
sitting around and fighting can stay between them.

I forced a smile as I shrugged off my theories and turned back towards the super-sized
steak I had laid out before me. The hunk of meat was irresistible—it was lightly
dripping with fat and all the other juicy good stuff you’d normally expect from a steak.
I jabbed a fork into a piece of it and took a bite. Likewise, Enne, who was sitting right
by my side, was stuffing her cheeks as quickly as she could. Ermagawd! She’s so cute!

We were currently situated in a special area meant exclusively for VIPs. The seats
were, for the most part, reserved for nobles and other similarly important people.
First-class seats were, of course, accompanied by first-class service. All we had to do
if we wanted anything was ask one of the maids stationed nearby, and they’d go fetch
it for us. That was exactly how we had gotten our hands on the delicious steaks set out
in front of us. We asked the maids for food, and they relayed our desires to the chefs
stationed out back.

The people running the tournament had literally gone out of their way to hire a bunch
of professionals from local restaurants just to ensure that the VIPs had the best
experience possible. And as a VIP, I was quite grateful for it. I felt like I was being
treated like a king. That said, the service I was getting was by far inferior to the service
that the king was getting. Unlike me, he was getting treated like a Super VIP. The area
he had booked was even more glamorous and extravagant. Of course, I was barred
from visiting it without my disguise. Doing so would be no different from exposing the
fact that I was Ypsilon. The king had stated that he wanted to show us a reasonable
amount of hospitality. He would have happily welcomed us to his area had we not been
concerned about keeping our secrets secret. As such, we settled for the VIP box.

“The man in the mask seemed rather powerful. Would you happen to know anything
of his identity?” One of the nobles nearby asked a question that concerned me, so I
perked up my ears and listened in.

“I was told that he was a mercenary in the king’s employ,” responded his friend.

“A mercenary, you say? Do you suppose he might consider working for me then?”

“I suppose he would, but I believe the king has him paid off for quite some time, so it
would have to wait.”

I turned to the friendly neighbourhood CIA agent and began speaking in a whisper.
“Looks like everything’s going smoothly on your end.”

“Of course it is. My King never fails once his plans are set into motion. He is more than
capable of walking his enemies into his traps and wiping them out before they even
realize that they have been caught. I can assure you that we have yet to demonstrate
the full extent of our strength. The rate at which the pieces fall into place will only
continue to rise.”

Yeah, sounds good to me. Oh wait, speaking of the king…

“You sure it’s fine for the king to be here? It seems like he’s got a lot of stuff on his plate
already.”

“Unfortunately, the chief of the fiends is sure to take this as an opportunity to appear
in public. My King has little choice but to do the same.”

Ahhh… So that’s how it is. I get it. He’s gotta show up to keep the other guy in check so
he doesn’t use it as a chance to spread half-truths behind his back and make him look
bad. As I understood it, politics was a game in which competitors spent a good amount
of time trying their utmost to smear any dirt they had on their rivals all over their
faces. And as such, showing up to a public event this large was more or less mandatory
if one wished to avoid defamation in the form of biased propaganda.

Phynar had to show up to keep his political rival in check. The demon realm was
already on the verge of conflict. There was a chance that the chief of the fiends would
say just the right words to light the fuse if the king chose to stay holed up in his castle.
And that was the one thing the demon king couldn’t afford. Unlike his opponent, he
wished to put an end to the situation before it came to an all-out war.

“I am sorry to disturb you in the middle of our lunch break, but ladies and gentlemen,
the special guests you’ve all been waiting for have finally arrived!” My thoughts were
cut short as the master of ceremonies began to speak. “Please, put your hands together
and give a warm welcome to King Phynar and Lord Gojim!”

The floating crystalline sphere that served as the stadium’s screen suddenly changed
perspectives right as the crowd began to clap. It was now focused on the king with his
usual smile. I glanced over at the part of the stadium reserved for super VIPs only to
see that he was in fact present. When the hell did he get all the way over there? I could’ve
sworn that he wasn’t just a few moments ago.

His appearance prompted a pair of distinct reactions. The women began making
fangirl noises. They screamed and squealed excitedly as soon as they saw him. The
men, on the other hand, jeered at the top of their lungs. Their reactions immediately
provided me with a much better understanding of exactly how his subjects saw him.
So that’s how it is…

“Heya everyone! It’s me, Phynar, your king! Today finally marks the start of the festival
that we’ve all been waiting for, so let’s all play nice and have plenty of fun.” The blonde
demon spoke in a seemingly innocent, boyish, happy-go-lucky tone. He paused for a
moment halfway through his speech to look in my direction. “I called one of my friends
and had him step in to help make the event a bit more exciting for everyone. He’s really
strong, so I’m sure you’ll all just love seeing him in action! That’s it from me. Have fun!”

Thanks for the sales pitch, I guess.

“Thank you very much, King Phynar. Ladies and gentlemen in the crowd, the individual
that our king spoke of today was the mysterious masked fighter who has yet to draw
his sword, the man who ended his match with nothing but a roar. Like many of you,
I’m itching to see just how powerful he really is, and just how far he’ll go. Once again,
that was your king speaking. Please give him another round of applause!”

Again, the audience did as instructed and put their hands together for the king.

“Next, we have another short speech from our second special guest.”

The display switched from the king to another man, one with a short, red butch cut,
eyes as sharp as those of a hawk, and a grin as big as that of a snake. He was so beefed
up that I could easily make out his muscles even from under his relatively thick
clothes. The combination of his ridiculously well-built body and his two-meter tall
frame almost made him seem like a giant.

Like Phynar’s, his appearance was accompanied by a series of cheers. Or more

accurately, war cries. The vast majority of the arena’s men welcomed him by raising
their arms and shouting at the top of their lungs.

They were so loud that they caused the girl stuffing her face beside me to leap out of
her seat in shock. Dude, what the fuck? Don’t be scaring my daughter like that, you
pieces of shit. Don’t make me come over there and slit your fucking throats.

“Thank you.” All of the cheering died down the moment the fiend lord spoke. “Thank
you all for the warm welcome. My name is Gojim, and I have only one thing to say. This
competition exists for warriors to demonstrate their strength. Enjoy their displays of
valor to your heart’s content!”

All of the men in the stadium once again began to clap as he raised his arm and
concluded his proclamation. The applause was much louder than the one that the king
had received. It even seemed to cause the stadium itself to shake.

I see. So he’s the guy the fiends call their chief, huh? I’mma just check out his stats real
quick.

Or not. I can’t see jack. It felt like my spell was being repelled by some sort of magical
shield. I couldn’t tell whether it was some sort of magical item that shut out other
magic in general or whether it was something that repelled analyze in particular, but
either way, it was powerful enough to prevent the spell from activating altogether. Is
it just me, or does he actually seem pretty demon lord-like. Seems about as charismatic
as one too. I can’t really tell how strong he is, but whatever the case, the point stands.
Appearance wise, he looks more like a demon lord than both me and the demon king.
Fuck, thinking about this is giving me an identity crisis. Feelsbadman. Alright, you know
what, fuck you, dude who looks more like a demon lord than me. I won’t forget this. One
of these days, I’ll prove that I’m way more of a demon lord than you’ll ever be.
 ◊◊◊

“It has been a while, Phynar.” The chief of the fiends sneered to the man standing
beside him. “I see you are still playing the part of the fool.”

“That it has, Gojim. And I see that you’re still playing the part of a muscle brained idiot
with a stupid looking face,” The king parroted the other man’s sentence structure for
the sole sake of mocking him as he spoke with his usual smile. Even those that knew
him well would likely have been surprised to see him spitting venom without so much
as even the slightest change in his expression.

“Hmph.” Gojim answered his insult with a snort. “The only man in this realm that
would dare call me that is you.”

“Aw, you poor, friendless little thing,” said Phynar. “Unlike you, the people around me
care enough not to lie when I ask them what they think of me.”

“It is not I who deserves pity, but you, Phynar. Not even your own men respect you,”
said Gojim. “It is a mystery that they obey you to begin with. I see not why anyone
would take orders from a mere boy.”

“That would be because my men know how to think for themselves. Unlike the idiots
flying your banner, they’re not stupid enough to mistake obedience and absolute
submission for loyalty.”

“Hah!” Gojim scoffed. “Let us see how long that confidence of yours holds. Do you truly
think that a mere mercenary whose lineage is clear as mud will bring you victory? He
will fall, Phynar. It is only a matter of time.”

“Wow, Gojim! You’re such a nice guy! But it’s okay, you don’t need to worry. He’s way
stronger than all of those precious little pawns you’ve played.”

“Do not mock my brethren, boy!”

Though the two men were engaged in a heated argument, neither’s voice was heard
over the crowd. Not even the master of ceremonies, who was standing right in front of
them, had realized that they were in the midst of a psychological duel. As such, he
turned around and cheerfully smiled at both while approaching and making a request.

“Could the two of you please follow through with our agreements and shake hands for
the crowd?”

The question caused an expression of indignance to momentarily flash accross Gojim’s

face, but he honoured his agreement and went forward with it regardless. The crystal
orb once again focused on the two guests of honour right as they reached to clasp each
other’s hands.

Their handshake was quite an image to behold. One of the two men wore a bright but
ghastly smile, while the other featured a scornful grin.

“Good luck, Phynar. I cannot wait to see that unbecoming look that will soon decorate
your face.”

“The best to you too, Gojim. I hope that you’ll enjoy your last few days of freedom,
because once this tournament’s over, your life will change forever.”

There wasn’t any audio feed; the crowd had no way of knowing that the two were
talking each other down despite exchanging what appeared to be a handshake
symbolizing goodwill.
I stepped back onto the stage the day after my preliminary match. It was time for my
first real match. And I was ready. My mask was on, my hair was dyed, and my trusty
sword was slung over my shoulder.

“First up, we have the man that single-handedly ended his preliminary match without
even drawing his weapon, a mysterious cutthroat sent by the king himself to eliminate
everyone in his way! Ladies and gentlemen, I present you a man whose abilities have
yet to be unveiled. Please give it up for Ypsilon!”

The MC’s intro led the crowd to break into cheers.

“And up against him is a giant of a man who uses his large frame to deliver all sorts of
different attacks, one that always surprises us with a series of new moves. I would like
to extend a warm welcome to a man that has participated in Destia Trome a total of
ten times! To Paragrowe!”

“Paragrowe! Paragrowe! Paragrowe!”

“Kick his ass, Paragrowe! You got this!”

The crowd broke into a much louder set of cheers the moment my opponent stepped
in from the opposite side of the area. Wow, okay. Fuck this guy. I’mma totally murk his
ass.

Paragrowe was just about as big as the master of ceremonies had described. He was a
hulking mass of a man dressed from head to toe in nothing but pure muscle. The way
he lumbered onto the stage almost made me think that he was some sort of gorilla.

“Winning. The. Preliminaries. Like. That. Must. Have. Felt. Good.” He spoke in a deep,
throaty voice. Listening to him seemed like more of a pain than not given the fact that
his speech was distorted. He had to take a moment to inhale after each word. “But.
Don’t. Get. Cocky.”

“…”

“All. You. Did. Was. Crush. A. Bunch. Of. Weaklings. Any. Of. Us. Regulars. Can. Do. That.
With. Ease.”

“…”

“Hah. You. Scared? How. About. You. Say. Something?”

“Oh, my bad. I wasn’t really paying attention since I can’t speak gorilla. You’re probably
going to need to learn to stop snorting each time you say something if you want me to
actually understand you.”

The gorilla’s veins began to bulge as his face twisted in anger. The look he had on his
ugly mug clearly conveyed his thoughts in a manner that his dysfunctional mouth
couldn’t. My taunt seemed rather well-timed, as the gong signifying the start of the
match rang throughout the arena the moment I pissed him off.

Spurred on by the bell, the Gorilla charged right at me. Each of his steps was
accompanied by a tremor; he was so swole that the earth shook in response to his
actions. He pulled his fist behind him and launched it with all the force of a cannon as
he loosed an angry battle cry. The oversized monkey turned out to be exactly what his
gear, or rather lack thereof, suggested. He was the type of fighter that preferred the
use of his body to any sort of artificial weapon.

“I! Will! Shred! You! To! Bits!”

The cannonball that was his fist flew straight for my face. But it stopped in its tracks
before it could reach me.

“What!?”

King Kong screamed in surprise as he realized that his full force punch had lost all of
its momentum the moment it came into contact with my open palm.

“You know, that wasn’t a bad punch,” I said as I began to grin (not that he could see it
given my mask.) “Well. My turn.”
I smashed Zaien, sheath and all, into the side of his gut. I would have loved to draw the
blade I thought of as my daughter, but I couldn’t. He was too weak. Tanking a hit from
her was sure to end his life.

The tournament was freestyle, so most things were allowed. Killing one’s opponent,
however, was not. Doing so was considered foul play and would result in immediate
disqualification. In other words, I was probably going to have to keep Enne in her
sheath for quite a few fights unless I wanted to get myself booted out of the tourney. I
wonder if anyone’ll actually be strong enough to force me to draw her?

Fortunately, my sheath strike wasn’t heavy enough to flat out kill my enemy. That
wasn’t to say it was weak, however. The tap had not only knocked the wind out of him
but also sent him skidding across the arena. He kicked up clouds upon clouds of dust
as he slid.

And that was only the beginning. I wasn’t about to be done just yet.

I dashed past him and moved behind his needlessly large frame before he could so
much as fully hit the ground. There was only one thing any reasonable person would
do from such a position: smash his fucking head into the ground. And I did exactly that.
I placed a foot on the back of his cranium and pushed hard enough to slam his face
against the arena’s floor. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was out, so I gave him
another stomp for good measure.

When the dust cleared, it revealed that the match was over. His eyes had rolled back
into his sockets; he was out cold.

“W-what!? What just happened!? I couldn’t even see what happened! Paragrow was
supposed to be the one on offence, but it looks like his attack didn’t connect! The ten-
time participant is on the ground, down and out for the count!”

The MC immediately described the situation to the audience, which promptly

responded with a series of boos. They didn’t seem to like the fact that I was using my
foot to grind the gorilla’s face into the dirt. Well, fuck you too!

I raised my free hand and gave the crowd the finger, an action that only led to even
more booing.

“W-what a display of arrogance!” Apparently, the MC wasn’t quite done shoutcasting,

as he continued to narrate the events that occurred. “Ypsilon has not only disrespectfully
stepped all over his opponent’s face, but also agitated the crowd!”

Wew. This is fun. You know how wrestling has heels? Fighters that like playing the part
of the big bad evil guy? Yeah, I think I’m starting to get why they act the way they do.
Like, holy shit. Doing whatever the fuck I want is so fun I think I might already be hooked.
Woo! Plus one to being a fucking villain, and plus one to doing whatever the fuck I want!

On a related note, I know I’ve said this already, but I would have made a terrible hero.
Thank god I didn’t end up stuck as one of those, right?

With my first round won, I casually began waltzing off the stage. The crowd was still
booing me, but I didn’t care. If anything, their jeers only made me feel all the better.

◊◊◊

The first thing I did after getting back to the waiting room assigned to me was to reach
into my inventory and grab the bell that the demon king had given me. Unlike the room
I had sat around in before my preliminary match, the room I was currently in was
private. I was the only person in it, so I was safe to more or less do whatever.

“Welp. Time to summon me a CIA agent, I guess.”

I gave the strange, silent apparatus a quick shake. A series of magical waves emerged
from within it and spread throughout my surroundings. One of Haloria’s coworkers
responded to my summons immediately. One of the room’s corners rapidly distorted.
Everything within a predefined space seemed to contort before coming together to
form a single hooded man.

“Huh, never seen that before,” I said. “Was that spatial manipulation?”

“Wow, colour me impressed,” said the hooded man with a wry smile. “I didn’t think
you would be able to see through me that easily. You even seemed to know exactly
where I’d appear despite never having seen the spell before.”

“Ehhhh, yeah, I’m pretty good with that kinda stuff. It’s no big deal.” I shrugged.

Magic Eye allowed me to perceive anything that happened to involve mana. Seeing
through a teleport or two was a piece of cake. You know, now that I think about it, that
skill sure is batshit broken, isn’t it? It’s probably the most OP thing I’ve got. Man, I should
preach this shit. In fact, I might as well start going door to door and asking people if
they’ve got time to talk about Magic Eye, my lord and saviour.

Speaking of looking at things, I decided to analyze the secret agent as he appeared. His
stats were as follows:

General Information Unique Skills

Space Magic
Name: Lunogill Sound Magic
Race: Guardian Devil
Class: Silent Assassin Skills
Level: 119 Stealth VI
HP: 3996/3996 Sword Mastery VIII
MP: 9690/9690 Crisis Detection VI
Strength: 1001 Enemy Detection V
Vitality: 992
Agility: 886 Titles
Magic: 1002 King’s Right Hand
Dexterity: 1851 Assassin
Luck: 199 Inaudible

The assassin that had appeared before me was incredibly strong. Monsters and dragons
aside, he was undoubtedly the strongest individual I had ever analyzed. A part of his
strength stemmed from his particular skillset. How the hell are you supposed to stop
someone capable of manipulating spacetime? Shit dude, I can’t even begin to imagine
how you’re supposed to deal with that kinda bullshit. Sound magic seems pretty useful
too. I can swear I didn’t hear jack shit when he first showed up. Dude was totally dead
silent. Looks like the demon king’s got some pretty competent men working under him,
huh?

“So? Did you need me for something?”

“Yeah. Iunno if you know already, you probably do, but I just wanted to tell you that it
seems the enemy’s got a few guys in the crowd. They were obviously trying to find a
chance to attack me. I’d like you guys to do me a favour and take ‘em out whenever
you get the chance.”

As far as I could tell, the individuals in question either were fiends or were working
for them. They were standing by with spells at the ready. My ability to see mana had
clearly informed me that they were looking for a chance to strike, but the battle had
ended before such an opportunity had reared its head.

“You were able to notice them despite being in the midst of a fight? Impressive. I
should have expected nothing less of the man the king deemed a necessary ally,” said
the agent. “Would you happen to recall their positions?”

“Uhhh… let’s see…” I looked outside the waiting area and turned my gaze on the
audience. “You can actually see them from here. You see how there’s a guy with a
buzzcut sitting in the third row from the top in the section right across from us? He
was the first guy. The second guy’s to the first guy’s right. He’s in the next area over.
He’s the guy with the glasses in the front row, and he’s seated right next to the couple
with the kid.”

I pointed out the first two I recalled before putting a hand on my chin.

“I feel like there were a few more, but I can’t remember where they were off the top of
my head. Sorry.”

“No need for any apologies. You’ve already provided us with more than enough
information. I’ve already been informed of where all the others are located. We’ll have
them taken care of shortly,” said the assassin. “And thank you once again for your
cooperation. You’ve been very helpful.”

“Don’t worry about it. Getting rid of them helps me as much as it helps you. Anyway,
good luck.”

I dismissed the man with a wave of my hand. He bowed to express his gratitude before
using the power of spatial manipulation to vanish into thin air.
“And the winner of this round is once again the man that almost appears to be an
unstoppable force, Ypsilon!”

A mix of cheers and jeers erupted from the crowd the moment the MC announced the
fight’s results. Heh. Looks like Operation Stand The Fuck Out is moving along pretty
smoothly.

Discounting the preliminaries, I had already fought in a total of three matches, and I
had played the part of the heel in each. In wrestling, heels had the tendency to scream
at their opponents, call them weaklings, and proclaim that they would never be
defeated by the likes of whoever it was they were up against. I, however, had not. I had
instead drawn the audience’s ire through the actions I took in battle. Strangely enough,
a good chunk of the crowd had taken a liking to me regardless. Talk about having weird
tastes.

My supporters weren’t the only ones growing in number. Those that wished to
interfere with my matches were too. More and more red dots appeared on my map
after each of my fights, but they never got the chance to actually do any harm. The
hooded agents that served as my allies were doing their jobs well; they would always
erase my would-be assailants before they could do any harm. The reason that the
enemy count was increasing regardless was because the person in charge of deploying
them was sending an even larger wave each time the last was destroyed. Man, having
good allies sure makes life easy. They’re handling this way better than I ever could have.
And yeah, I know what you’re thinking. You want to smack me and say, “What the fuck,
dude? Weren’t you just bitching about how your allies were going to be weak and useless
a few days ago?” I can’t lie. You’re totally right. I was being stupid and looking down on
people I hadn’t even met yet. I was jumping to conclusions when I really shouldn’t have
been. I probably owe them an apology.

“So what do you think, Enne? Of this whole tourney thing, I mean.” I turned to the girl
sitting beside me as I spoke. The two of us were currently located on top of a bench
inside of my personal waiting room. Naturally, we had made sure to check that no one
else was around before she changed forms.

“It’s…” She paused for a moment to think. “Really loud.”

“Yeah, it totally is,” I laughed.

“And I hate that people are booing you.” She looked towards the audience as her face
warped in disappointment.

Seeing her like that led me to start scratching one of my cheeks with a troubled smile;
it took me a good few moments to formulate an explanation.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, they’re not actually doing it because they hate
me. I’m doing mean stuff on purpose, and they’re just playing along,” I said.

As Enne didn’t know much about wrestling or any other combat-based sport, she
lacked the knowledge required for her to understand that booing wasn’t necessarily
representative of genuine hate. I didn’t expect her to immediately come to understand
that heels and booing went hand in hand. The audience was an important part of the
performance. A strong negative reaction was needed to contribute in order to perfect
the beauty that came with the art of acting like a badass villain. I mean, at least that’s
how I think it works. I’m pretty sure they don’t actually hate me, right? Right…?

“Really…?”

“Y-Yeah, I think so,” I stuttered. “You know how you girls play pretend? It’s basically
the same thing.”

They would pretend to be demon lords, while I would pretend to be a hero. And then
they would proceed to defeat me.

“Then you can’t do it anymore,” she pouted. “You have to make everyone see how cool
you are. Like a real demon lord would.”

“Uhh… I’m pretty sure playing the bad guy is way more demon lord-like than just being
cool.”

“Still. You can’t. No more playing the bad guy.”

Enne turned her gaze upwards and looked right at me as she made the demand.

“Alright, alright, fine. I get it.” I flashed a strained smile as I patted her on the head. “I’ll
act more like a demon lord and make everyone think I’m cool. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said with a satisfied nod.

Our conversation seemed to have ended at just the right time, as Enne’s expression of
content was immediately followed by a knock. I had the blade girl return to her real
body before opening the door. Standing in the doorway was one of the event’s staff
members, a demon girl with horns and a tail.

“It’s almost time for your next match, sir,” she said. “Please make your way to the
arena’s entrance once you’re ready to go.”

It was just the usual announcement, so I did the same thing I’d done the past few times
and used my hand to signal that I had received the message. All of the other staff
members understood that it was my way of dismissing them. They would immediately
leave in order to attend to the rest of their duties. This one, however, did not. She
remained in the doorway and fidgeted about for a bit before finally plucking up
enough courage to see her intentions through.

“Y-Your matches are some of the most exciting I’ve ever seen, Mr. Ypsilon!” she spoke
in a bit of a rushed tone, fumbling over her words as she presented me with whatever
it was she had been holding behind her back the whole time. “C-Could I please have
your autograph?”

There was an item in each of the girl’s hands. In her left was a freshly-inked feather
pen, and in her right was a piece of parchment that looked more durable than usual. I
guess that must be what they use in place of autograph sheets.

Oh, I see now. It wasn’t that she didn’t get the hand signal or anything. She was just
hanging around ‘cause she wanted an autograph. Wait… She wants an autograph…?

I hadn’t thought my actions through until after accepting everything she wanted to
hand me, so I ended up freezing up the moment I finally processed the fact that she
was asking for my signature. Crap. What do? How am I supposed to sign something for
her if I don’t actually have a god damned signature?… Alright, fuck it. I’mma just write
Ypsilon in katakana and call it a day. She probably won’t know the difference anyway.
With that decided, I pressed the parchment against the wall, “signed” it, and returned
it to its owner.

“Thank you so much!” she squealed excitedly before running right off.

“What a weirdo…” said Enne, telepathically.

“I know, right?”

So uh… I should probably practise my signature, huh? You know, just in case I ever get
asked for another autograph.

◊◊◊

There wasn’t much for me to do in terms of getting ready, so I headed over to the stage
right after the demon girl left. Upon entering it, I found myself greeted by even more
noise than usual. The audience was hyped, with a capital everything.

“And against him is a man not to be underestimated, a man whose appearance belies
the extent of his strength! His blade is so charming and graceful that it can be likened
to a vicious, deadly dance! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a man that has one-
sidedly destroyed every single opponent he’s faced despite never having participated
in Destia Trome! Please give a warm welcome to Remiero!”

The man that entered from the opposite side of the arena could only be described as
an old butler. The expression on his face matched his age; he was wearing the kind of
gentle smile you would expect to see on an old, refined gentleman’s face. That,
however, was the only part of him that looked his age. Despite having lived long
enough to justify retirement, his back was straight as a rod and his steps were firm.
The composed, dauntless way he carried himself made him seem much younger than
he really was. Wait. He’s human.

“Are you… one of Nell’s buddies?”

“I suppose you must be the ally that she was speaking of?” said the old man with a
dandy smile.

“You could tell?”

“We were given a quick overview of your traits and features,” he said. “The biggest
giveaway was your sword. We were told that it was curved, of an absurd length, and
had a black and red ribbon on its handle. It gave you away on sight.”

Ohhh, I see. So he used Enne to ID me. It was a reasonable approach. I had basically
never put Enne away ever since she had become more sentient. That said, it wasn’t as
if I paraded her around either. I made sure to keep both her and her sheath wrapped
up in a large cloth save for when I was in the arena. Wow. Nell’s got a pretty good
memory. Could’ve sworn I only took her out of the cloth for a few seconds when we were
back at the bar. I’m surprised that was enough for her to remember so many details.

“Now let’s get this match underway!” said the MC. “Ready? Fight!”

The gong rang throughout the stadium, but neither of us sprung into action immediately.

“Well, I would have loved to continue to chat, but it appears that it’s time for us to
begin. Wouldn’t want to keep the crowd waiting, after all,” he said with a smile. “Why
don’t we save the small talk for later? I would hate to waste the opportunity to face
you in battle. I’m sure it would make for an excellent round of practice.”

His aura changed as he drew the rustic blade hanging from his waist. The old butler’s
aura suddenly swelled in size; he began giving off an overwhelming sense of pressure
and intimidation.

“Practice, my ass! Dude, I can totally tell that you’re trying to murder me!”

“Not at all, good sir, not at all,” denied the butler. “Please do forgive me, the hero’s
description of you happened to spark my curiosity. I can’t help but wonder the extent
of your strength.”

“Oh okay. So when all’s said and done, all you really wanted to do was test me, huh?”

“I suppose you could say that,” he said with a ferocious smile.

It was clear as day that the opponent I was faced with was no ordinary Joe, so I
analyzed him in order to get a better idea of what I would be up against.
General Information Unique Skills
Mind’s Eye
Name: Remiero Gillbert
Race: Human Skills
Class: Butler (Sword Saint) Sword Mastery X
Level: 158 Rapier Mastery VII
HP: 3116/3116 Dagger Mastery VII
MP: 2509/2509 Martial Arts Mastery VIII
Strength: 994 Crisis Detection VII
Vitality: 992 Blade Seer VIII
Agility: 910
Magic: 606 Titles
Dexterity: 2999 God’s Blade
Luck: 155 Limit Reacher
Survivor of Death’s Embrace

Dude! What the fuck!? What the actual fuck!? Dude’s the type of guy you’re not supposed
to run into until the tournament’s starting to come to an end! Look at how OP he is! Holy
shit! Oh man, this is bad. The assassin I met yesterday has got better stats, but this dude’s
definitely way better with a sword. He’s got sword mastery at level fucking ten! That
shit’s capped, bro! It literally doesn’t get any higher! Hell, every single one of his skills is
at least at level seven. Look at his class too! He’s a sword saint! A fucking sword saint!
He’s even got a friggin’ matching title. And don’t even get me started on that dex stat!
What the fuck!

My newest opponent was so confident in his overwhelming power that he didn’t even
bother hiding the fact that he was human. It didn’t take a genius to guess his reasoning.
He was strong enough to deal with just about anything, even should a situation ever
go sour. And he would probably be respected for it too. As far as the demon realm was
concerned, might meant right. Oh, I get it. He’s probably not hiding his humanity
because standing out will help everyone he’s working with blend in better with the
crowd. Yeah, sounds about right. He seems more than capable of handling any danger
that comes his way as a result.

Man, I really need to stop meeting OP people. They’re really throwing off my sense of how
strong the average person is supposed to be and it’s messing with my head. Though, I
guess that is just kinda what demon realms do. They mess with you and throw you off.
Not that the old man’s affiliated with the demon realm. Whatever, you get the point.

One of the first decisions I came to after seeing his stat page was to avoid pure
swordplay. I was almost positive that he would best me ten times out of ten if I relied
on my terrible sword arm. My stats were way higher than his, but that wasn’t to say
that he couldn’t beat me. Lopping off my head or stabbing me through the heart were
both easy ways for him to ensure my death. Errr, wait a second. I think I might be
jumping to a few too many conclusions there. Honestly, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if
I managed to survive what would otherwise have been a fatal injury, but I’m not about
to go test it. I can’t really imagine anything good coming from testing something like
that.

While the tourney didn’t endorse fatalities, I had to consider the possibility that it
could happen given the butler’s might; I was sure to lose if I didn’t take him seriously.
Welp. Time to try my best. Enne did just tell me to show off and make everyone think I’m
cool and whatnot, after all.

“It doesn’t look like you’re the type of opponent I can go easy on.” I drew my sword,
put its sheath in my inventory, and muttered a line under my breath. “Let’s do this,
Enne.”

“Let’s,” she replied telepathically.

Her crimson blade glittered as it reflected the sun’s rays.

“Would you look at that! Ypsilon has finally drawn his weapon! What do you think,
ladies and gentlemen? Does this mean Remiero really is just as strong as we’ve all
thought!?”

The MC began to do his usual commentary, but I didn’t pay it mind. I purged both it
and the crowd’s cheers from my mind in order to focus my mind on the foe standing
before me.

After calming myself down, I let out a short exhale before kicking off the ground with
all the force of an explosion and diving right at my opponent.

“Come at me, old-timer!”

My attack marked the battle’s true start. I backed a heavy, downwards swing with all
the forward momentum of my charge. All the power put into the strike made it
incredibly fast, but the butler dodged it with ease. His dodge was so practiced and
deliberate that it almost made avoiding the blade look the most natural thing to do.
With its target missing, my sword ended up cleaving into the stage instead, causing a
conspicuously loud crash in the process.

I grunted as I pulled the weapon out of the ground and quickly turned the motion into
a sideways swing. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing I did. I kicked up some of the
debris that my first attack had knocked all over the place at my opponent as I went in
to bolster my chances of success.

Much to my displeasure, he managed to not only drain my projectiles of their momentum

by splitting them to pieces before they reached him, but also dodge Enne’s blade by
stepping out of her range. And he did it all with only the slightest bit of effort. The look
on his face was literally as composed as it possibly could have been.

“Those are some terrifyingly quick attacks,” said the butler.

“Yeah, totally sounds legit coming from the guy dodging them without even breaking
a sweat.”

I knew that I had to crank my engines up as far as they would go if I didn’t want to lose,
so I conjured up a series of water dragons and had them charge at the old butler. The
spell was one that I employed often; I was so used to it that it no longer had any cast
time whatsoever.

Each of the serpentine fabrications roared as they opened their jaws and coiled
around each other in the middle of their suicidal charge. Yeah, I know the roaring
doesn’t really make sense, especially since it’s not a part of the spell. I’m not really sure
when they started doing it either, but they just kinda did.
But my opponent cut them down.

“The fuck!? Bro, you’ve gotta be kidding me!”

A single slash was all he needed to cleave through the spell. He had raised his sword
above his head and split my attack into two neat halves as he brought it back down.
The magically constructed fluids immediately lost its form before vanishing as if it had
never existed in the first place. Bruh. Hold up. I didn’t even know that cutting magic was
possible. What the fuck?

“I would advise against lowering your guard.”

“Woah!”

My reaction speed was dulled by my surprise, so I didn’t notice that the butler had
attacked until he was right in my face. I lowered Enne to guard against his blade as he
thrust it at me, but my foe reacted to my attempt at defence and negated it. His blade
suddenly changed trajectories and slithered over my own. The fuck!?

And that wasn’t all. He continued to demonstrate that it was far removed from the
norm. Both his arm and his blade seemed to split into two, with one closing in on me
from each side.

I stepped back far enough to avoid losing my arms, but I took a good bit of damage
regardless. He had cut deep enough into my shoulders to cause a spray of blood to
erupt from each.

“T-The fuck was that!?”

As far as I could tell, he had launched a pair of synchronized attacks fast enough to
create after images.

“Just a clever little trick,” he said. “I’m sure that you too would be able to perform it
with a bit of practice.”

Uhh… dude. Not everyone’s a superman like you, y’know? My dexterity stat had risen a
lot since my reincarnation. And as a result, I had gotten a lot better at using magic. My
ability to wield a sword, however, had improved by only a questionable margin. The
change it experienced was so tiny that I wasn’t even sure whether I had really
improved or if it was all just a placebo. Unfortunately, I was well aware of the fact that
I simply had no talent for swordplay. My only option was to fake it by brute-forcing my
way through my opponents with numbers and skill levels. Oh, god damn it. I totally
would have leveled up both my sword and greatsword mastery before leaving home if I
knew this was going to happen. Their effects stack, so boosting both would probably help
me a tonne. Er, actually probably not. At least not against this dude.

Alright, Yuki. You can do this. Calm down, use your head. I had known from the start that
beating a literal sword saint at swordplay was a fool’s errand. I was much faster than
him and his old, creaky frame, but he made better use of his body. Unlike mine, his
movements weren’t anywhere near as wasteful. He was both efficient and as hard to
read as a leaf fluttering its way to the ground.

That said, it wasn’t as if I didn’t have anything over him. Alright, let’s see… I’ve got
strength on him. I could totally crush him if it came down to a contest of brute force,
physical or magical. He can’t fly either, so there’s always that. Oh yeah, and I’ve got Enne.
That’s gotta be a huge plus. Alright, I think I’ve got a pretty solid game plan. Let’s do this!

“Enne! Activate wind magic!” I barked an order as I materialized my wings.

“Okay!” she said with a telepathic nod. The sword girl had immediately grasped my
intentions.

I positioned her behind me and began channelling my magical energy through her to
wreath her blade in flames. She followed up the action by beginning to eject the air
around her. There was a sudden explosion; I shot forward with all the force of a
missile.

“You better get ready to stop, drop, and roll if you don’t want to burn to death, old-timer!”

I literally flew at him and attempted to maul him with my engine. He knew just as well
as I did that taking a hit from a literal flaming blade was a recipe for disaster, so he
leapt backwards in order to avoid the attack by a large margin. That, however, wasn’t
anywhere near enough to avoid me.

My swing had caused the engine to momentarily shift in front of me and provide me
with a burst of backwards acceleration. It seemed like he was going to gain on me, but
I flapped my wings while reorienting my blade in order to make a U-turn and continue
firing myself in his direction. I gave my wings another flap right before I reached him
in order to change my trajectory in an attempt to subvert his guard.
“How irksome!” The old man groaned as he evaded my blade. Wait. Wait! He’s calling
ME irksome! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

“Says the guy that’s stupidly hard to read!”

I yelled back at him out of pure obligation as I flew circles around him and continued
my assault. Enne’s flames grazed him over and over. The butler uniform he was
wearing took severe damage. The man himself, however, did not. He had avoided
taking even a single critical hit. The lack of progress started to tilt me, so my attacks
lost their form as time progressed. They grew wilder and less thoughtful, a fact the
old-timer took advantage of immediately. He made use of the increase in the number
of openings I had to counter with a slash to the flank.

Ow… I groaned internally. Fortunately, the cut was a shallow one, but it was an
impressive feat nonetheless. Even monsters with stats that matched my own would
have to get pretty lucky if they wanted to evade my Ennegine based attacks. What the
hell, man? The fuck’s up with this guy’s reflexes? I can’t believe he managed to throw a
counter while I was moving around that quickly.

Frankly, the butler was terrifying. One’s stats had the tendency to drop as one’s body
succumbed to age, which meant that he would have been even stronger in his prime.
I had the sneaking suspicion that the man before me had once been strong enough to
go toe to toe with dragons.

“What an amazing display of skill from both sides!” shouted the caster. “Can you
believe that we’re only in round four, ladies and gentlemen!?”

His voice was immediately followed by a series of cheers. Again, I groaned internally,
and not from pain this time. I was starting to get annoyed by both the MC and the
crowd. They were too noisy and it was hard to focus.

Upon realizing that I was letting myself get a bit too tilted for comfort, I decided to
stop and take a deep breath. Alright Yuki, calm down. You can do this. You just gotta stay
calm.

I dispelled the flames enveloping Enne’s body and got her to stop casting wind magic
before taking a moment to erase everything but my foe from my mind.

“Master. How are your wounds?” she asked, telepathically.

“I’m fine. How’s your mana holding up?”

“I have about… ten percent left.”

Shit. I let myself get carried away and used up a bit too much for comfort. Man, times
like these, I really wish potions actually worked on Enne.

“So that sword of yours is an intelligent weapon?” asked the butler. “This is my first
time ever seeing one in person.”

“I’m surprised you could tell.”

“I could sense it abiding by your will,” he said. “It is quite the splendid blade. Do treat
it well.”

“That’s been the plan from the start,” I said. “She’s pretty much the most adorable little
thing ever, so I don’t see any reason I wouldn’t.”

The air around my opponent eased for just a moment as his expression reverted to the
kind you’d see on any other nice old man. Likewise, Enne also seemed to react by doing
the telepathic equivalent of squirming around in embarrassment. See what I mean?
She’s so cute!

“Would you mind doing me the favour of descending and meeting me on the ground?”
asked the butler.

“Oh, hell naw. That sounds dangerous as fuck, and I’m not about that life,” I said. You
see, up here, I don’t need to worry about you hitting me, oldtimer.

“Well, then I suppose I will have to resort to something a little less orthodox.”

Crisis detection suddenly kicked in and warned me that I was in trouble. And lots of
it. I didn’t think I could face the incoming attack head-on, so I flapped my wings as
hard as I could in order to force myself to evade. The wind roared. A sword beam came
at me and cleaved through the airspace I had been occupying just a moment prior. It
missed my face by no more than just a few centimetres. THE FUCK WAS THAT!? I
DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT WAS POSSIBLE! IS THAT WHAT MAXING SWORD MASTERY
DOES!? GIVE YOU FUCKING SWORD BEAMS!?

Though I was screaming in confusion, I had, in fact, processed his attack. My magic eye
allowed me to understand that he had filled his blade with magical energy and
released it as he swung it. Shit man, that surprised me as much as a jack in the box
would surprise a toddler.

“I’m surprised you avoided that.”

“Dude, what the fuck! I thought I was about to die, fuck me, holy shit!”

The first thing I did after firing off a series of complaints was pay him back in kind. I
did the exact same thing he did: I filled Enne with mana and took extra care not to
activate crimson blaze. Instead, I imagined the magical energy flying off into the
distance as I released it.

And that was exactly what happened. I managed to send a sword beam flying right at
the old butler. He avoided the attack, but it managed to prove itself a significant source
of power by carving a large gash into the arena’s floor. Wow. That worked a lot better
than I thought it would.

“You have learned the attack just by seeing it?” asked the butler. “How outstanding. I
expected nothing less.”

“Mark my words, old-timer, I’m going to wipe that confident smile off your face!”

It’s time for round two! Let’s do this!

The old butler was one hell of a foe. I tried all sorts of attacks, but none were able to
truly find their mark. If I were to seek a cause, I would likely label his skills. Namely,
Mind’s Eye and Blade Seer. It felt as if he foresaw each and every single one of my
attacks; I got read like Dr. Seuss.

Unlike the butler, who happened to be a true master of his craft, I was just another
undertrained whelp. If I were to go back in time and ask the me from a year ago
whether I knew anything about martial arts, or whether I got into fights all the time,
the answer would be a simple “no.” My lack of experience put me at a disadvantage
despite the difference in our stats.

It wasn’t as if I was truly helpless. In fact, seeing Lefi’s magic in action had prompted
me to develop a spell focused entirely on mass destruction. All I needed to do to delete
the butler was use it. But I couldn’t. It was too powerful. Casting it would lead to the
obliteration of the entire stadium. The happy, festive event currently underway would
end up being warped into a tragic “accident” to be remembered for generations. That,
however, did not by any means imply that magic-based brute force was off the table.

If large scale spells were off the table, then all I had to do was throw smaller ones at
him until one eventually landed. My goal was simple. I would create a literal bullet
hell, a barrage so thick that it would be impossible for him to keep up regardless of
whether or not he could see through each and every single attack. Alright, time to go
all out!

“You better brace yourself, old-timer, ‘cause I’m not about to give you any more
chances to rest!”

“I really would not take any offence if you were to take pity on these frail old bones of
mine.”

“Frail old bones my ass!”

I positioned myself in the air right above him and began channelling my magical
energy in order to create dozens upon dozens of water dragons.

“Go! Attack the old-timer and take from him the few years he has left!” I shouted an
order that even I thought was a bit too malevolent as I showered him with projectiles.
The dragons that materialized in my vicinity began darting towards him.
My attacks were met with an onslaught of blades. It was almost like they were being
repelled by a literal barrier of swords despite him only wielding a single weapon.
Everything, everything that closed in on him would be split in two. But I didn’t care.

“ORAORAORAORA!” I screamed like a man in the midst of a bizarre adventure as I kept

up the assault. Every dragon that was destroyed was replaced immediately; I showed
him what it meant to play a real shoot ‘em up.

That said, I was fully aware of the fact that a few dozen water dragons wasn’t going to
be enough to surmount the butler’s strength. He was cutting through them at inhuman
speeds and destroying them with ease. That was fine. Because they were just the
setup. I used the fact that he was distracted in order to create a massive earth dragon
identical to the one I had used against the bandits.

My stone creation roared as it joined the fray. The butler tried cutting through it the
same way he had with the water dragons, but unfortunately for him, the earth dragon
was of a different make. Even the mana that it was composed of was different. Though
I had made it in tandem with my water dragons, I had done so using a separate part of
my mana pool. He could still slice it into pieces, but it would simply reconstruct itself
and continue attacking him regardless.

He immediately realized that interception fire wasn’t going to cut it, so he opted for
evasive maneuvers instead. He positioned himself such that it was between him and
the water dragons and used it as a shield. Damn, he’s good! But this ain’t over yet.

The old-timer jumped and rolled around in order to avoid wave after wave of attacks.

Only for the ground underneath him to explode as he took one wrong step. Unlike
every other attack I launched at him, the butler hadn’t foreseen the one he was just hit
by, so he wasn’t able to dodge it; his body was immediately engulfed in fire and smoke.
The attack that he had been hit by was one of the many traps that I had planted while
distracting him with my draconic onslaught. My battle with the douchelord had taught
me that traps were extremely useful, so I learned to make them with primordial magic.
The specific trap that the butler stepped on was fairly simple. It would activate
whenever someone stepped on it and use magic to create an explosion. As it was
buried underneath the earth, the bits of arena above it would be transformed into
shrapnel. Long story short, it was a magical landmine, one that benefited from the
effects of trap mastery. The skill made it not only more powerful but also more difficult
to detect.
So powerful was the mine’s output that it would have blown any ordinary foe’s lower
half to bits. The butler, however, was anything but normal. Never once had I assumed
that a mere trap would be enough to finish him off. But with that said, it still provided
me with the perfect opportunity to win the match. If I was going to end this, I would
have to do it here and now.

I had every single dragon charge straight into the center of the explosion whilst doing
the same myself. I flapped my wings, oriented myself in his direction, and dove. Going
all-in was the name of the game. Or at least it would have been had my crisis detection
skill not kicked in.

Danger was headed my way, and fast. I immediately reacted by swivelling around in
the air. A blade flew past me with all the speed of a laser mere moments after I dodged.
His clothes were torn and his body was covered in soot. But that didn’t stop him. He
had leapt right at me the moment I entered his range and attempted to deliver a high-
speed stab. Damn. You scary, man.

I fixed my posture in midair immediately after completing my dodge and swung Enne.
He managed to parry her and ward her off right before he lost all momentum and
started to fall.

“You’re not getting away!”

Flapping my wings, I accelerated downwards and chased with an overhead swing. He

blocked and chained his defensive measure into a slash. He managed to draw blood,
but the fact that his stance was broken meant that it wasn’t actually poised to attack.
The attack ultimately amounted to nothing more than just a graze, so I ignored it as I
smashed my foot into his torso from above. I made sure to follow through with the
attack; I kept my foot on him and slammed him into the arena.

An incredible sense of impact rang throughout my body. The ground beneath us

almost seemed to shake.

It was a heavy blow. The butler, who had been unable to defend, coughed out a mouthful
of blood. Despite having taken serious damage, he continued to fight regardless. He
swung his blade, but it was a much weaker swing than usual, so I kicked it away with
the leg I didn’t have on his torso and positioned Enne by his neck.

“Looks like I win,” I said with a pant.

“It certainly does,” he chuckled. “It appears that I’ve lost despite intending to do the
opposite.”

He was hurt so bad that there was blood dribbling from his lips, but he smiled
regardless. It was a teasing smile, the kind you would see on a child’s face immediately
following an innocent prank.

“And we have our winner! Ypsilon has taken yet another match by storm!”

The audience, which had been left silent by our display, began to roar with cheers as
soon as the MC declared my victory.

I exhaled deeply as I took my foot off of him and hoisted my blade back over my
shoulder. “You should probably hit up wherever they keep the doctor around here, and
fast. You’re getting on in years, old-timer. You really shouldn’t be pushing yourself so
hard.”

“I suppose so,” said my opponent with a bit of a laugh. “I will do as you have suggested
and head over to the infirmary immediately.”

He got up off the ground and began patting off his clothes. The way he carried himself
made it seem as if he was completely uninjured.

“I was lucky you were so old.” I smiled in a strained manner as I watched him walk
away. Though he had borrowed a shoulder from a member of the medical team, he still
seemed to have the same firmness in his steps as usual.

I hadn’t killed him, but I had done some major damage. And frankly, seeing him just
walk it off as if it was no big deal was terrifying, even if he was just putting on a strong
front. It was as I said. I was lucky that he was as old as he was. The degradation of his
body was the reason I had taken so little damage; I probably would have lost had he
still been in his prime.

As I hadn’t watched every single fight, I didn’t know exactly how skilled the
tournament’s participants really were. However, my duel against the old butler had at
least proven that it wasn’t all just fun and games. Some of the event’s participants were
at the peak of their game, the top of their class. And that wasn’t the only thing I had
learned from the experience either. I now understood why the demon king was so
worried about the human threat.
They lacked brute strength, but humans had technique. They passed their techniques
to each generation that followed, thereby refining them over relatively short periods
of time. Every batch of humans would be stronger than the last. Of course, humans
weren’t the only ones to hand down their martial arts. Demons, demi-humans, and
beastkin were all sure to do the same. But they were longer lived. Their techniques
passed through fewer hands in the same amount of time, and the lack of iteration led
to a lesser degree of refinement. Races with longer lifespans didn’t evolve as quickly.
And neither did their martial arts. That was why the humans, who had started off as a
race of little note, had grown into a major power over time. Stats were only one of
many measures of strength. I had to make sure to pay attention to more than just the
numbers if I didn’t want the rug to be swept from under my feet.

“Looks like I’ve learned a helluva lot from you, old-timer.” I muttered a few words of
thanks under my breath as I turned my back to the cheering crowd and made my way
to the exit.

◊◊◊

“Ughhh… I’m so tired,” I groaned. “That old man was mad scurry.”

“Mhm. He was really strong,” agreed Enne. “How are your injuries, Master?”

“I’m fine. It’s just a few flesh wounds. I’ll just rub a few potions into them or something
later.”

“Mmk.”

Enne and I headed towards the waiting room whilst engaging in a bit of a chat.

We weren’t the only ones present, however. I realized that we were being approached
from behind, so I spun around to greet whoever was following me. And as I did, I was
greeted by a pair of familiar faces.

“Oh, hey girls, what’s up?” I greeted both Leila and Agent McHoodface whilst tilting
my head and speaking in a questioning tone.

Haloria immediately glanced around us in order to check that no one was present
before leaning over and whispering into my ear.
“Leila said that you’ve received an important message. The red orb of correspondence
is glowing. There’s been an emergency.”

Wait. What?
Nell and Ronia sat in the middle of a large room with a polished wooden floor. Both
wide and deep, the dojo-like facility didn’t seem even the slightest bit starved for space
despite the fact that dozens upon dozens of winged individuals were crammed within
it. The hawk-headed demons lined the walls as if to surround them. Their sharp gazes
and deadly beaks were trained upon both the hero and her companion.

Their disguises were off and their true races exposed. But they proceeded with
confidence nonetheless.

“We’re not seeking an alliance. We know that would be asking for far too much.” Nell
spoke to the feathered man sitting across from her, the man responsible for the clan
and its well being. “All we would like is for you to remain neutral, as you have been.”

“We do not take kindly to requests from the likes of mere humans,” snarled the leader
in an ominous tone. He was significantly larger than her, and the feathered wings
extending from his back only made his silhouette appear even larger and more
intimidating.

Nell, however, didn’t flinch. She refused to be overpowered by his aura regardless of
how domineering it may have appeared. She spoke right back to him in a firm tone. “I
was told that demons obeyed those stronger than them.”

“You were told right. We respect those that are more powerful than us so long as they
conduct themselves in a manner we judge to be worthy of our praise.”

“Then obey me,” said Nell. “Because I am stronger than you. All of you.”

It wasn’t a taunt. The words had left her mouth in the most indifferent of tones, as if
she was merely stating a fact. And yet, it led to agitation. One of the younger
wingbearers lining the walls shot to his feet and raised his weapon. It was a naginata,
a mix between a sword and a spear. It had a spear’s shaft, but was tipped with a full-
length sword. “You dare mock us, girl!? You are nothing but a child!”
His sudden act of aggression led many more of his clansmen to ready their weapons
in turn. Likewise, Ronia did the same. She raised her staff and began channelling her
magical energies such that she would be able to begin casting her spells immediately.

A veritable explosive situation. Even the tiniest of missteps from anyone involved
could have caused the flames to surge and engulf her. But not even that was enough to
faze Nell. Her gaze remained trained on the man before her, unwavering and calm
despite the tense air that filled the room.

“Your confidence impresses me, if nothing else,” said the wingbearer clan’s leader. “Do
you truly believe that you are powerful enough to triumph against all of us at once?”

“I won’t come out of it unscathed. I’m sure to take quite a bit of damage. I might lose
an arm, a leg, or maybe even both. But at the end of the day, I will be the last one standing.”

“How dare you!”

The first wingbearer to have drawn his weapon continued to shout angrily, but neither
the hero nor the leader of his clan paid him much mind. Nell did glance in his direction,
but that was it. She turned back towards his boss immediately and continued to speak
as if he hadn’t been of any importance whatsoever. “But I’m sure that you would agree
to remain neutral even if I couldn’t take all of you at once.”

“And why’s that?” The clan’s head cocked an eyebrow in interest.

“Because I know that wingbearers honour duels. The others wouldn’t interfere if I
challenged you to single combat.”

“You are correct. If you were to challenge me, then my people would merely stand by
and watch in silence.”

“If we were to duel, I would be sure to give you a wound that would bring you to the
brink of death, whether I win or lose. I’m aware that you know I’m at least strong
enough to do that.”

“…” The clan’s leader narrowed his eyes, as if evaluating her.

“And if you were to lose or be brought to your deathbed, then your clan would be sure
to go through a period of chaos and strife. That’s not something that you can afford
given the demon realm’s current state. You don’t want to duel me because you don’t
want to risk that. Listening to my suggestion and staying neutral—as you have been—
would be the far better choice.”

The village head took his eyes off the girl; he closed them and began to contemplate
his options. Silent waves of tension pulsed through the room as Nell continued to stare
straight at him nonetheless.

Only after a long period of silence did he slowly reopen his eyes.

“Fine.” There was a grin on his face, a wide one. “I admire your courage, girl. Your
bravery makes you worthy. My clan and I will accept you as one of our own and respect
your wishes. We will remain neutral, as that is what we had been planning for
regardless.”

The hawk-faced demon paused for a moment and narrowed his gaze once more. “But
do not be mistaken. We are not willing to acknowledge or accept humankind as a
whole. You and your companions are the only ones that we are willing to consider our
brethren.”

“That’s good enough for us. Thank you very much,” said Nell. She breathed a sigh of
relief as her lips curved up into a small smile.

“What!? What are you thinking, boss!?” The man that had stood up and pointed his
naginata at Nell began screeching in disbelief.

“Enough!” The village head silenced him with a glare. “My decision is final. Have I made
myself clear?

“…Of course, boss. I understand.” The pressure exerted by the village’s head caused
the man to back off. He promptly bowed in a display of subservience and sat back
down.

“Listen, all of you.” The chief looked around the room as he spoke. “Let it be known
that you are not to harm either of these girls or their companions. They are to be
regarded as our brethren. Those that do not wish to comply with my decision may
now speak. Consider this your one and only opportunity to object.”

None of the hawk-headed demons present dared to defy their chief. They all bowed as
if acknowledging his order, which led him to nod in satisfaction.
“Ah, yes, and before I forget.” He turned back to the two girls. “Were you planning on
spending the night in the area?”

“We were hoping to.”

“Wonderful. Then tonight, we feast,” he said with a smile. “We will prepare a room for
you at the inn. Do make sure you get enough rest to enjoy the festivities.”

“Thank you, sir. We appreciate your generosity.” Nell bowed.

“I am not doing anything you need to thank me for. I’m merely providing a powerful
warrior with the respect she deserves,” said the village’s leader. “Guide! To me! Show
our guest and her companions to the inn.”

The man responsible for escorting the hero and her companions did as instructed and
showed them to the inn. Nell felt as if there happened to be an annoyed glare boring
its way into her back as she left, but she didn’t pay it much mind. She had always been
fairly ignorant of ill intent to begin with, so she hadn’t thought much of it; the
wingbearers were sure to warm up to her in due time.

◊◊◊

“Ugh… I’m so tired…” The hero heaved a deep sigh as she flopped onto her bed. “I was
so nervous…”

“By the looks of it, everything seems to have gone just fine.” The third member of Nell’s
party spoke to the two other girls. Unlike them, she had a mature vibe. She seemed
like the type of person that excelled at taking care of others. “Great job out there, you
two.”

While Nell and Ronia were Allysian in origin, Mekina was not; she hailed from a
different nation. Given its status as one of the continent’s greatest powers, the
kingdom was undoubtedly one of the greatest contributors to the operation that the
hero had embarked on. But it wasn’t the only nation concerned about the demon
threat. Many of the countries that Allysia was on good terms with had also contributed
forces to the effort. Such was the case with Mekina’s fatherland: the Germanian Union.

It wasn’t just countries either. Even some individuals not associated with any sovereign
entity had joined the cause. There were all sorts of different people involved, each with
their own backstory. But, goal aside, they shared one thing in common.

They were humanity’s finest—and not just in terms of strength. In fact, many of them
couldn’t hold their own in battle, but they were experts in their own fields nonetheless,
extraordinary exceptions that ranked amongst the elite.

“Nell did great,” said Ronia.

“I’m not really sure how, but I managed to pull it off,” said the hero. “I think it’s safe to
say that the wingbearers will be keeping their beaks to themselves.”

The reason Nell and her two companions had visited the wingbearers’ village was
because fiends that they had tentatively assumed to be their enemies were
passionately venturing all over the demon realm in an attempt to recruit additional
allies. One of the races that they had their eyes on was the one that Nell had just
finished negotiating with. The wingbearers were one of the demon realm’s most
influential groups. And yet, they had chosen not to ally themselves with either of the
two major powers. The moment they changed their stance was the moment the
balance of power would be broken, the demon realm would be swallowed by war.

It was easy to imagine that a massive war in the demon realm would have consequences
beyond it. Many human nations were sure to use it as an opportunity to declare war
and initiate campaigns far more aggressive than any currently active. Demons and
humans would once again dye the battlefields in copious amounts of blood. And the
larger the demon realm’s conflict, the more aggressive the humans would become.
That was why Nell had to step in. She had to try her best to grow the neutral faction
and keep the scale of the conflict to come as small as she could. Bolstering the number
of neutrals meant abiding by one of war’s most basic principles: taking away from the
enemies’ forces and bolstering one’s own.

As demonstrated by the wingbearers, clans that chose to negotiate often were willing
to accept Nell, to view her as their own. If she continued to do exactly that, then there
was a chance she could very well bring the conflict as a whole to a close, that she could
end the long-standing feud between humankind and its nemesis.

That was why many nations and individuals had chosen to involve themselves. To
crush the smolders that plagued their homes.

“I know I have to seem really confident since demons respect strength, but it’s really
not my thing.”

Seeing Nell complain as she rolled around on top of her mattress led Ronia to giggle.

“You messed up badly and made them angry. Thankfully, their boss is smart.”

“Ughhh… I know, you don’t have to remind me,” groaned the hero. “I know I can win if
it comes to a fight, but it would be a really close one. I’m glad we managed to avoid it.”

“Why, that sounds terrible,” said Mekina. “Is that chief of theirs really that strong?”

“He is! I’d have a really hard time beating him. But I think Mr. Remiero would be able
to win hands down.”

“Well, of course he would. He may have retired already, but he is still the realm’s most
powerful adventurer. If he can’t beat someone, then no human can.” Mekina leaked a
small sigh before continuing. “I’m sorry girls. I wish I could help, but I’m no good when
it comes to a fight.”

“It’s okay,” said Ronia in a matter-of-fact manner. “I’m just as much of a burden.
Demons are just too strong.”

Her knowledge over the mystic arts was second to none. She was quite literally one of
the world’s most powerful human mages, matched only by a few select individuals.
And yet, even she was outclassed by demons. That wasn’t to say that every single
demon was a more powerful caster than her. There were many different types of
demons, and each had different strengths. Some demon mages were far weaker than
Ronia. However, those that were more magically inclined had her totally beat.

That was why, unlike Nell, she wasn’t meant to be out on the front lines. Her role wasn’t
to fight. It was to provide support in the form of cover and backup.

“You may not be the best fighters, but you two are still really important,” said Nell
whilst pumping her fists. “You can do all sorts of things that I can’t. I know that I’ve
still got a ways to go, but I’ll try my best to keep both of you safe.”

“I’m sure you’ll do a wonderful job of it,” giggled Mekina.

“And we’ll pay you back by covering for your weaknesses,” added Ronia.
“Thank you. Both of you.” The hero spoke with a big, happy smile. Having her
companions by her side reassured her; the moaning and groaning that she had been
so eagerly engaged in even just a few minutes prior was nowhere to be seen.
The high pitched ringing of steel echoed across the battlefield. For a few seconds, the
sound was replicated each time it faded. But then, it disappeared. In its place was a
dull clattering as one of the two weapons responsible for the ringing fell to the ground.

“…I concede.” A now empty-handed man muttered the two words quietly under his
breath. His naginata had been blown away and his enemy’s blade had been pressed
against his neck. He was vexed, but there was nothing he could do. The duel was over.
He had lost.

“Thank you. It was a good match.” Nell smiled as she pulled her practice sword away
from her opponent’s neck.

A stir ran through the crowd. Seeing her triumph over the warrior had caused many
wingbearers to raise their voices and discuss the results with those next to them.

“I expected nothing less,” said the village’s chief. “Even my most powerful warriors
have found themselves bested by your blade.”

“I am sorry, boss. I have lost.” The wingbearer moved to the edge of the ring and
kneeled before the village head, who happened to be sitting just outside of it with his
legs crossed.

“That is fine. She may be human, but she is strong. Do not worry, I am not disappointed
in you. All that matters is that you learn from the experience.”

“Then I believe that all is as you wished, sir. It was an eye-opening experience.” Though
he was muttering under his breath, the wingbearer Nell had defeated spoke in a tone
that could only be described as earnest. He wasn’t lying. Losing the battle truly had
expanded his worldview.

It was night time, and the festival was already underway. The hero and her companions
had been led from their hotel to the village’s downtown area as the celebrations began.
There, they had found a large ring, one obviously meant for combat.
All three of the girls had immediately eyed it suspiciously, but it faded into the
background as the village head gave a toast to their arrival. Only about halfway
through the night did it finally get mentioned again. The wingbearers’ boss had asked
Nell to show his people her strength. She realized that accepting would provide her
with an opportunity to earn the respect of those that had yet to warm up to her, so she
had done exactly that. She dueled three of his handpicked elites and defeated them
one after another. Demonstrating her strength proved worthwhile. It ultimately
served to make the feast even livelier than it had already been.

Though she had bested all her challengers in single combat, Nell’s strength and vitality
stats weren’t all that abnormal from a demon’s standpoint. They were high, but
weren’t high enough to take the village by storm. It was her skill with the sword that
led her newfound brethren to acknowledge her superiority.

Nell was of the dextrous variety. She had always known how to use her hands. Her
natural talent was put into full bloom as she was taught the way of the blade—as she
was taught to wield the heroic might that lay within her. Nell sucked up the techniques
bestowed to her like a sponge would water. It didn’t take long for her to far outclass
the average swordsman. And that talent of hers had only blossomed further in the past
few weeks. The one on one instruction provided to her by one of her travelling
companions had allowed her to realize the essence of the art. Though he was dressed
like a butler, he helped further her technical skill at an even faster rate than ever
before.

Unlike demonic techniques, which involved leading heavy clashes in which both
parties could exert the full extent of their brute strength, martial arts developed by
humans focused on finesse. Emphasis was placed on individual, highly technical
moves as opposed to matching one’s foes with naught but power. As such, humans had
the upper hand when it came to swordplay despite their lack of strength and vitality.

She had come a long way since she was first christened the church’s hero. Nell had
already become so powerful that she could defeat several notable demons in a row
without becoming short of breath, but she wasn’t done just yet. She still had plenty of
room for growth.

“That was a fine display of skill, Nell,” said the village’s chief. “Thank you. I believe that
should be enough to convince those that had yet to accept my decision that, though
you are human, you are worthy of being considered one of our brethren.”
“I should be the one thanking you. You gave me the perfect opportunity to prove
myself. I just hope that it was enough to convince everyone.”

“I doubt that my people will continue disapproving of you after seeing such a
wonderful series of duels. Do inform me if there appears to be anyone hostile, and I
will resolve the issue personally. But that is enough of that for now. The night’s event
is a feast, and I wish not to waste any more of your time. Please, enjoy it to your heart’s
content,” said the chief with a hearty laugh.

“Thank you very much, sir. I’ll do exactly that,” smiled Nell.

Evidently, defeating three of the clan’s more powerful warriors had worked. The
village’s people flocked to Nell as soon as she was free and bombarded her with
questions about the secret to her strength. And so, she spent the rest of the feast
surrounded by friends both old and new.

◊◊◊

It happened late at night, long after all the evening’s festivities had come to an end.
There wasn’t even a hint of moonlight within the pitch black room. The only sounds
that could be heard were the rhythmic breaths taken by the three girls sleeping within
it—and the creaking of a door.

Several figures dressed from head to toe in black entered the scene. Each noiselessly
slipped from shadow to shadow as they approached the targets they were assigned.
And as they neared, they drew from their robes a set of daggers, each dripping with a
viscous, toxic substance.

They reached the girls’ bedsides in sync and raised their daggers overhead. But they
weren’t provided the opportunity to deliver the fatal blows that they had hoped for.

“You’re attacking illusions.”

A female voice prompted all three would be cutthroats to spin around and face one of
the room’s corners. There, they saw one of the girls they had marked as a target with
her staff raised. None of them managed to fully wrap their heads around the situation,
but they at least understood that one of their targets was up and about. They
immediately shifted targets to the active threat and charged at her.
“Sleep.”

But they were too slow. She muttered the name of her spell before they could reach
her and caused all three robed assailants to collapse where they stood.

“Done.”

“Thanks, Ronia,” said Nell.

“That was wonderfully done,” said Mekina.

The layer of darkness that covered both of Ronia’s companions vanished as the spell
concealing them undid itself.

“I couldn’t have done it without you, Mekina. I wouldn’t have noticed them.” The mage
shook her head.

“I totally didn’t realize we were under attack either,” said Nell. “I would have just kept
sleeping. So thanks, Mekina. We really owe you one.”

“I’m just doing my job, girls,” she said with a wry grin. “They’d have long fired me if I
couldn’t do at least this much.”

Unlike the other two, Mekina was an intelligence operative. She had two jobs. The first
was to detect enemies in order to keep her allies ready and alert. By nature of
occupation, she was extremely sensitive to the nearby presence of enemies. Being
asleep hadn’t stopped her from realizing that hostiles were approaching their room,
so she had gotten up and warned the others before they were subject to the nocturnal
assault.

Mekina’s other role was, as her title implied, to gather intelligence. And that was why
she hadn’t joined the two in meeting with the leader of the wingbearers. She had been
too busy using the opportunity to scrape up any information she could get. She had
used not wanting to get in the way of negotiations as an excuse to be placed in another
room. The Germanian spy made it seem as if she was standing by and idling around as
any other guest would, but she actually spent the entire time investigating the
wingbearers and learning everything she could.

“You aren’t as good as Mekina, but you would’ve noticed it before me if you weren’t
drunk,” said Ronia. “You had way too much today.”
“I couldn’t help myself…” Nell covered her face with her hands and turned her eyes
away from her friend in embarrassment. “The wine they had was really, really good.”

Her pitifully bad excuse caused Ronia to heave an exasperated sigh and Mekina to
giggle.

“R-right, so who are these guys anyway?” She knew it didn’t justify or rationalize her
actions in any which way, so she immediately changed the topic whilst directing her
gaze towards the men passed out on the floor. Ronia’s spell had drained them of their
consciousness and put them in a deep sleep.

“Aren’t they just wingbearers?” asked Ronia.

“It doesn’t seem like they are.” Mekina used her foot to roll one of the men over and
unveil his face.

“Oh. They don’t have beaks.” The mage immediately realized that their assailants were
missing the wingbearers’ characteristic hawk-like faces.

“Goodness, there are so many different types of demons,” sighed Mekina. “I have no
idea which race these men belong to.”

“Then how about we ask the chief? He’d probably know,” said Nell.

Nell perked her ears up the moment she stopped talking, and not because she was
waiting for one of her friends to respond. As the person standing closest to the
window, she happened to catch a bit of an odd, unnatural sound. She immediately
moved over to the window, opened it, and looked outside.

“What…?” The first thing that she did after making use of the elevated perspective her
position on the second floor provided her with was gawk in confusion.

It was a melee. Wingbearers and people dressed from head to toe in black were all
over the place with their blades crossed. And now that the window was open, the
sounds coming from the village were clear to her. Screams and battlecries were
accompanied by the clanging of metal.

Her relative proximity to the island, or rather, lack thereof, had prevented her from
noticing the odd state that had overcome the wingbearers’ settlement in the middle of
the night. Battles were happening literally everywhere. Wingbearers and men in black
were attacking one another in the open.

One of the aforementioned fights was happening not too far from where Nell was
situated. One of her beaked friends was locked in a duel with one of the mysterious
assailants. A second was sneaking up from behind him, but the feathered warrior
hadn’t even the slightest clue.

“Oh no! That’s not good!” Nell looked down from the windowsill and hesitated for a
moment. The second floor was pretty high up off the ground. That said, she knew that
she couldn’t afford to wait, so she clenched her teeth, stepped onto the windowsill,
and jumped.

“Nell!?” Ronia shouted at the hero in surprise, but she didn’t respond.

After experiencing a moment’s worth of floating, Nell bent her knees to disperse the
inevitable force of the impact that came with landing, and in that same motion, kicked
off the ground with as much strength as she could muster. She shot across the ground
like a rocket and swung her blade at the cloaked man in the midst of positioning
himself behind the bird-faced warrior.

He managed to avoid it. But he was unable to do anything more. He was caught by the
follow up that came as she twisted her waist and drove her blade into his torso. The
life faded from him as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His death didn’t seem to come as much more than a nuisance to his companion, as the
other cloaked figure didn’t offer even a word of grief. He clicked click his tongue in
annoyance before leaping away from the wingbearer he was in the midst of fighting.
He then retreated from the disadvantageous two-on-one situation by melting into the
darkness of the night.

“Thank you. I owe you my life.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” said Nell. “Do you know who the guys that just
attacked you are?”

Upon closer inspection, Nell realized that the wingbearer was one of the ones working
as a guard, so she immediately probed him for further information. However, provide
information he could not. The man, who wore a set of brilliant obsidian armour and
wielded a naginata like every other wingbearer warrior, shook his head.
“I haven’t the slightest clue. They suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began
attacking us without a word. I apologize, but I am worried for the chief’s safety. I
believe that you should be fine given the extent of your strength, but I suggest you
evacuate immediately nonetheless.”

The warrior flapped his wings and began heading back towards the village’s center.

“Nell!”

Hearing her name prompted Nell to spin around. There, she saw Mekina and Ronia
headed towards her. Their expressions indicated that they too had realized that the
situation was more grave than expected, that they weren’t the only ones under attack.

“I’m terribly sorry, dear,” said Mekina. “I should have had a better grasp of our
situation, but I didn’t think much of it because there were only a few enemies near the
inn.”

“It’s not your fault, Mekina,” said Nell. “What did you do to the people that attacked
us?”

“We stripped them and tied them up,” said Ronia. “Now what?”

Nell frowned as she paused for a moment to consider their options. Ronia’s question
effectively meant that she wished to know whether Nell wished to run or fight. The
first thing the hero did was to consider what Yuki would do in her shoes. That alone
made her path clear.

“Let’s go help the chief,” she said. “I’m sure they’ll be needing as many hands as they
can get.”

The hero knew that Yuki wasn’t the type to abandon people. He would do his best to
save everyone he could. She could see him smiling the same way he usually did as he
easily crushed his enemies by smashing his way through everything they threw at him.
Although he was a demon lord, his example was what drove her actions of heroism.
The fact that she held herself to his standard was ironic if anything, but she sought to
imitate and learn from him regardless. She was convinced that his example was
exactly what she needed to follow. Because she knew that he would never let those
that needed him down. That he wouldn’t run away.

And as a hero, she couldn’t either. Choosing escape in the face of danger would reduce
her to nothing but a laughing stock.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” said Mekina. “I would at least like to gather enough
information to understand who these mysterious assailants are.”

“Should we use the orb of correspondence?”

“No. We don’t know what’s happening yet.” Nell shook her head in response to the
court mage’s question. “I think we should go with Mekina’s suggestion and figure out
who we’re being attacked by.”

“Yes, let’s,” nodded Mekina.

And so the curtain rose on what the three of them would find to be a long, grueling,
exhausting day.
“Mwahahahahahaha! It is impossible for you pitiful demon lords to defeat I, the hero
that serves as an avatar of evil itself!” I cackled before speaking in what could only be
described as an over-exaggerated, sinister-sounding tone.

“That’s not true at all!” The demon lord named Illuna raised her voice in protest.
“We’ve got the power of friendship! All we have to do to beat you is work together!”

Her words served as a cue to prompt all six demon lords to line up next to each other.

“Then try it. Try it, and I shall prove you wrong!” I said. “Come, Leficios! Your master
beckons!”

“Mwahahahaha! You cannot defeat me, children.” Though she was trying her best, Lefi
wasn’t exactly what one could call accustomed to role play. As such, she ended up
speaking her line in a monotone fashion as she unfolded her wings and took to the
skies.

“Oh come on Lefi! Flying isn’t fair!” said Illuna.

“I see not the reason for your complaint. Honour is of little relevance in the face of
victory,” she said. “Or are you perhaps simply so weak willed and undeserving of your
titles that a mere winged creature is enough to bring you to your knees?”

“A point well made, minion,” I said. “Now destroy them! Destroy them as they wallow
in hopelessness and despair!”

“…Was I not acting the part of a hero’s subordinate? I am quite certain that such a feat
would serve to contradict my role.”

“Don’t sweat the details. The hero’s evil, so this is pretty much normal.”

Our momentary exchange proved to be a fatal opening. The demon lords managed to
come up with a plan as we conversed.
“It’s okay girls, I’ve figured it out! I know Lefi’s, erm, the hero’s minion’s weakness!”
shouted Illuna! “Rui, it’s all up to you! You know what you need to do!”

Her words led one of the wraith sisters to nod whilst wearing her usual, determined
expression. She began to wield her greatest weapon, her illusion magic, and launched
an attack on Lefi.

“I-I cannot believe my eyes!” said the dragon. “Could that be the fabled kast-ellah?”

You know, I never did figure out why Lefi thinks Castella is the stuff of myths. Oh well,
whatever. The illusory sponge cake slowly drifted towards the silver-haired maiden,
who involuntarily began reaching towards it despite the fact that she knew it was an
illusion.

“Rei! Lowe! Now!”

Lefi was immediately assaulted by two additional sets of magic. Rei used psychokinesis
to bind her body in place while Lowe used mind magic to mess with her sense of
direction. The combination of the two effects caused her to rapidly lose altitude. It
didn’t take long for her to spiral face first into the true throne room’s carpet.

“Curses!” shouted the dragon. As the most powerful creature in the world, Lefi could
have nullified both spells with minimal effort. That, however, happened to be against
the rules, which stated that anyone caught off guard by any sort of magic must bear
the full brunt of its effects.

“Let’s go, everyone! Tickle the heck out of her!”

Lefi immediately tried to get back up, but found herself underneath a pile of little girls
before she could, with all of them taking part in the tickle-based assault. Even the
wraiths took part by manipulating the dolls that they had possessed.

“C-Cease this immediately!” She managed to squeeze out a few words between laughs
and gasps, but to no avail. They didn’t stop until she was done for.

She was completely out of breath when they finally got off of her. The dragon lay on
the ground with her arms and legs spread wide, her clothes disheveled, and her
breaths laced with heavy pants. The sight was so indecent that I judged it improper to
stare.

“D-Dude, please… er, I mean, I see that it has taken you little effort to defeat my minion.
I suppose I shall offer you the tip of a hat.”

“Master, what does a tip of a hat mean?”

“It means I’m acknowledging you guys,” I said. “Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah. Very
well, I shall deal with you personally. Unlike that imbecile, I am not to be trifled with.”

“H-how dare you!” panted Lefi, indignantly. “I am no imbecile!”

Suuuuuuure. You know, I’d totally be willing to believe that if it wasn’t coming from the
idiot that ended up getting beat up ‘cause she lost to her own sweet tooth.

“Rei! Rui! Lowe!”

All three responded to Illuna’s call and immediately began casting their best spells—
but my magic eye allowed me to grasp them ahead of time, so I dodged them with ease.

“A meaningless attempt! You are too naive, demon lords. Your strategy will not work,
for I am the most powerful hero that has ever been!”

“Hmrghh…” groaned Illuna. “He’s really strong. We’re all going to need to work together
if we want to beat him up! Shii, Enne, you two know what to do!”

Both girls immediately nodded in acknowledgement and jumped right at me.

“Woah! Come on girls, be more careful. That’s pretty dangerous!”

Neither showed much in the way of restraint with regards to their lunges, nor did they
bother thinking as to what might happen if they missed. The only choice I had was to
catch them.

“I knew you would do that, Yuk-, er, hero! We’ve got you now! Rei, Rui, Lowe! Do it!”

The wraith girls joined the fray by clinging to me in order to restrain me.

“Now take this!”

“Oh, crap!”

Finally, the demon lord known as Illuna lunged right at my torso. I couldn’t really move
anymore due to the sheer number of little girls I was covered in, so the attack ended
up knocking me over.

“We win now, right?” asked Illuna.

“Right?” echoed Shii.

“Victory.” While the first two girls spoke with voices filled with energy, Enne spoke in
a much more neutral tone. However, that wasn’t to say she was inexpressive. She made
sure to supplement her lack of vocalization by holding up a pair of peace signs.

“Kh… Very well. I admit my loss. You are powerful,” I said. “But this is not over. I shall
now show you my true power, my second form!”

Although I made mention of a second form, I didn’t bother actually transforming or

anything. I just ended up standing back up even while decked with little girls before
starting to spin around.

“Wheeeeee!” shouted Illuna. “This is fun! Go faster! Faster!”

“Faster!” said Shii.

Unlike the girls, the wraiths weren’t able to scream to express their excitement, but
the way they were responding made it obvious that they were enjoying the experience
nonetheless.

“Make sure you hang on tight!” I said with a cackle.

I spun around for a good bit, slowly ramping up my speed as I went. Naturally, I
couldn’t keep it up forever, so I ended up plopping back down onto the carpet once I
hit my limit.

“Oh man, that’s enough of that. My eyes are spinning,” I said. “Everyone still okay?”

“Yup! That was really fun, so I’m totally okay!” said Illuna.

“…Mhm.” nodded Enne.

“You should join us too, Lefi! It’s fun!” said Shii.

The girl that the slime smiled at heaved an exaggerated, exasperated sigh. She had
finally recovered from the tickle-based assault she had been subjected to.

“That’s a solid idea,” I said. “Well Lefi, your beloved husband just so happens to have
an arm free, just for you, so how about you get over here?”

“Hmph,” she snorted. “Very funny.”

Despite ridiculing the offer, she briskly walked over and sat down nearby regardless.

“Oh, would you look at that! Looks like someone’s being a lot less shy than usual. Why
the change?” I raised an eyebrow in suspicion as Lefi suddenly glomped me, her lips
twisted into a playful grin.

“Demon lords, I have provided you an opportunity! Assault him immediately! I shall
keep him restrained!”

“Huh? Wait! Nonononono! Ahahaharhrahgahra!?”

With Lefi as their newfound leader, the girls went all out and began tickling me with
everything they had. Their tiny hands crawled all over my body and prompted me to
exhaust myself with laughter. I wanted to escape, but I couldn’t. Lefi demonstrated
that her title wasn’t just for show by ensuring that I remained unable to move a
muscle.

“H-hold on! Time out! Time! Out! Seriously, wait! Wait, wait wait! Just one second!”

“We shan’t,” said Lefi. “You did not wait when it was I that played victim. You watched
as I had no choice but to bear being tickled to the point of exhaustion. And now it has
come time for just retribution. Demon lords, do not hold back! Continue to assault him
with all you have!”

“I-I’m definitely getting you back for this, Lefi!” I shouted. I managed to scream a few
words at her between stifled giggles, but I ended up breaking into an all out laugh
before I could really give her a piece of my mind.

“I suppose I too shall participate. I am certain I know precisely where you would love
to be attacked.”

She took her arms, which she had been using to hold me down, off of me, and began
using her legs to fulfill the role instead. Her newly freed forelimbs were then immediately
joined in on the tickling.

“Dammit, weren’t you supposed to be my minion!? The hell happened to that, you
traitor!?”

“These young demon lords have shown me the err of my ways, and my defeat has
provided me with a change of heart. I understand now that it is none other than my
purpose in life to cull you, to bring this world’s greatest evil to its knees!”

“Wow uh, is it just me, or are you being a bit too disloyal?”

Like, come on… It’s not like you lost ‘cause something hit you in the feels or something
either. All they did was make you hallucinate about some sort of stupid cake!
“Fine. If you want me to play my trump card that bad, then I’ll just go ahead and do it,”
I said with a click of the tongue. “What do you girls want for dinner tonight?”

“W-What is the matter, young demon lords? Why do you pause?”

Lefi aside, everyone had frozen in place the moment I brought up our evening meal.

“Demon lords. I offer you an alliance. Let us join hands to punish this traitorous fool! I
shall provide you with a dish of your choice should you choose to lend me your power!
As for those of you that sustain yourselves with mana, I shall provide you with as much
as you could possibly consume.”

“Yay! I want chocolate cornets!” said Illuna.

“…Donuts,” said Enne.

“I want mana!” said Shii.

The three girls capable of vocalization cheered while the three that weren’t floated
around blissfully. Unlike regular creatures, the dungeon’s monsters sustained
themselves on magical energy. And mine was effectively their favourite dish. Under
normal circumstances, giving one’s magic to another was extremely difficult. The
person doing the giving would have to modify the nature of their magic and tune it to
match that of the receiver. Fortunately, providing my monsters with mana came with
exactly none of that hassle.

Like me, my monsters were born of the dungeon’s essence. Their mana was ultimately
sourced from the same place as mine, which made their wavelengths incredibly
similar to my own. I could feed them as much as I wished without any of the hassle
that would have normally accompanied it.

“How unethical! Foul play at its finest!” cried Lefi.

“Mwahahahahaha! Take that, traitor! He who controls the most little girls controls the
flow of this battle,” I cackled. “It appears that your endgame is weak. Victory is mine!”

The situation at hand underwent a perfect 180; it was my turn to be on offence. There
wasn’t a moment to lose. I immediately pushed the girl that had been sitting on top of
me down and joined my newfound companions in a vicious assault on her dainty
frame.
“C-Cease this at once! S-Stop it! I am sorry! No more! I beg of you!”

“Do not think that your prattling will provide any merit,” I said. “You betrayed me in
the face of all my sinister charm! And for that, you will pay!”

With an evil laugh as my cue, I immediately went for one of the most ticklish spots on
Lefi’s body.

“N-No! Not the tail! Do not tickle my tail!!” She managed to scream a few words of
resistance, but it was to no avail.

“Making an enemy of me was but a fool’s errand, Leficios! For I know all of your
weaknesses!”

To reiterate, Lefi could have easily shaken me off. But she wasn’t able to resist. She
couldn’t. Shaking me off would mean shaking the girls off as well, and she didn’t want
to hurt them. The dragon had no choice but to sit tight as we did whatever we pleased.
Heh. You see this? This is called strategy. ‘Cause you know, there’s more to strength than
just brute force.

Yeah, and I know what you’re thinking. This whole thing might seem a little… suggestive.
I kinda pushed a girl down, got on top of her, and started touching her literally wherever
I wanted without her consent. But uhhh… you see, officer, I’m totally innocent.
Perversion? What’s that? Never heard of it in my life, sir, I swear. Anyway, where was I
again? Oh yeah. Heh. Suffer, Lefi! Suffer and sink into the depths of despair!

Mwahahahahaha!

A few minutes was all it took to turn Lefi into a bedraggled mess. She lay collapsed on
the ground with drool oozing from the side of her mouth. Her breathing was ragged
and her clothes were as disorderly as they could have possibly been. She shivered each
time I poked her side. To be completely honest, the only term that came to mind as I
looked upon her was “erotic.” Like, seriously. Goddamn, that’s hot as hell.

“Lunch is ready!” Lyuu poked her head out of the kitchen and announced it was
mealtime the same way she usually did, only to get an eye full of lewd. “W-wait a
second, what’s goin’ on here!? A-Are you okay, Lefi? You’re breathin’ real weird!”

“Eh, no need to concern yourself with her,” I said. “This is just what happens to traitors.”
“We’ve triumphed over evil!” declared Illuna!

“Yup! We beat a baddy!” said Shii.

The two raised their arms energetically as they summed up the results of our game of
make-believe. Is it just me, or is what they’re saying kinda different from what I’m
saying? Oh well, whatever.

“W-Well, alright…” said Lyuu, taken aback. “A-anyway, I just wanted to tell everyone
that it’s ‘bout time for lunch ‘cause we’ve just about everythin’ done.”

“Got it,” I said. “Alright girls, how about we go get ready for lunch.”

“Okay!” said Illuna and Shii in sync.

“…Mmk,” nodded Enne.

The girls ran off to help set the table and left me alone with the victim of all our
tickling.

“Come on Lefi, get up. It’s time for food.”

“H-How dare you remain so unconcerned after such an assault on my body. I shall see
to—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough of that,” I said. “All that’s doing is making me wanna mess
with you even more.”

I poked her in the side as I spoke, which prompted her to twitch and squeal before
turning towards me with an adorable, teary look in her eyes.

“V-Very well. I understand,” she said. “I shall obey, so do not continue to poke me.”

“…”

Poke.

Again, Lefi squealed. “I-I have already sworn that I would obey! Why is it that you do
not cease!?”
“Sorry. Seeing you act like that is just making me really want to bully you some more.”

“H-How terrible! I cannot see you as anything but a lawless monster!”

“My bad, my bad,” I chuckled as I extended my hand to her. “Anyway, let’s get going
before lunch gets cold, alright?”

“How little integrity you have. It is simply abnormal for one to go from tormenting
another to offering them a hand in a matter of moments.”

Though she spoke in a reproachful tone and flashed me a bitter glare, the dragon girl
took my hand nonetheless.

All I did in response was flash my usual shit-eating grin as I pulled her to her feet.
The wingbearers’ settlement was a sizeable one. It wasn’t quite big enough to be
labelled a city, but at the very least, it was no mere hamlet. That was why it seemed
odd that the entire village had been drowned in the flames of war. Nell herself had
already experienced several encounters. Each time, she worked with nearby
wingbearer warriors in order to fend off their hooded assailants. The situation at hand
was an awful one. And it only seemed to be getting worse. The clashing of blades grew
louder and more frequent as the hero and her companions approached the village’s
center.

“They’re too coordinated for this to be some random attack.” Mekina’s expression
turned grim as she looked upon her surroundings. Her words came in a low,
contemplative mutter. “It has to be a military operation.”

“Right,” said Ronia. “They’re clearly targeting the wingbearers. We just got unlucky
and got caught in the crossfire.”

While the court mage wasn’t exactly the type of girl that liked to wear her emotions
on her sleeves, they just so happened to be written all over her face at this exact
moment. Her gaze was sharpened; she was clearly on guard.

“Whatever the case, let’s keep pushing forward,” said Nell. “The only thing we can do
right now is to get there as quickly as we can.”

Both of the hero’s companions abided by her words and remained silent as they
continued their journey in earnest. Only after a few minutes of running and
skirmishing did they finally arrive at their destination. The first thing they did was
hide themselves behind a nearby building. Observation was the key word—they
looked upon the scenario in order to glean what they could before getting too caught
up in the battle to see the big picture. Their investigations immediately led them to
discover that most of the village’s warriors were gathered around a large house just
north of the town square.

Like the rest of the village, flames decorated the central building’s vicinity. There were
literally bonfires everywhere. Structures had been razed—and not only by the men in
black. The wingbearers had pulled down one of their own watchtowers and converted
it into a temporary barricade. Most nearby conflicts were centered around it.
Wingbearers and men in black alike clashed both in front of and behind the defensive
structure. That said, only the unknowns were negatively affected by its presence.
Unlike the winged warriors, they were unable to take to the skies and circumvent it
with minimal effort.

Hopping the wall wasn’t the only advantage that the ability to fly had brought the
hawk-faced fighters. Their wings allowed them to easily maneuver in all three
dimensions, thereby expanding their options in battle. The sky was their ally, one with
which they had a longstanding relationship. So practiced were their movements that
even an amateur could easily tell that they were well accustomed to aerial combat.

“There are too many of them for us to sneak past.” Nell frowned as she looked upon
the countless enemies in her way. “I’ll break right through the front! Make sure you
two stay right behind me!”

She didn’t bother waiting for either of her companions to answer before shooting into
the fray like an arrow from a fully drawn bow. The hero trusted her friends enough to
know that they were sure to follow.

They couldn’t react to her. The men in black, whose affiliation remained unknown,
were too busy dealing with the wingbearers’ aerial assault to evade her holy sword’s
edge. They could do nothing but fall to Durandal as she and her companions charged
right through their ranks and leapt over the barricade.

“Was this invasion your doing, girl?” An angry roar reached her ears the moment she
landed on the other side of the fallen tower. The chief of the wingbearers had spoken,
his voice laced with malice, rage, and suspicion.

“Y-you’ve got it all wrong!” said Nell. “This has nothing to do with us!”

Her protests did little to quell his anger. Fortunately, she wasn’t alone in the endeavor.

“Please calm yourself, sir! I can attest that she means us no harm. She saved my life,
among many others.” A nearby warrior approached the chief and made a case for the
human and her companions.

While she was grateful for his help, Nell couldn’t quite pinpoint the identity of the man
that had come to her aid. It wasn’t her fault. Wingbearers were so different from
humans that the latter found it difficult to tell members of the former apart. Only the
chief was particularly easy to distinguish. He was so much more muscular than the
rest of his tribesmen that he stood out like a sore thumb. Though she didn’t recognize
him, his words alone were enough to evidence that it was one of the many she had
assisted on her way to the town square.

The chief closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. Having one of his
own explain the situation quickly convinced the chief that the girl wasn’t lying. “I am
sorry. I should not have jumped to conclusions. Thank you for helping my people.”

“It’s okay, I understand,” said Nell. “More importantly, do you know what’s going on?”

“I am under the impression that we are being attacked by the fiends,” said the chief. “I
do not know the precise race of our assailants, but I believe I have seen them amongst
the fiends’ members. However, I cannot confirm my suspicions. They have yet to relay
their intentions. We were attacked without a word.”

“The fiends…?”

Nell furrowed her brow. It was a familiar name—one she would have preferred not to
hear. He had told her that they were his enemies, so she had tentatively marked them
as hers as well. The hero knew that if the chief’s guess was on point, then it would
mean that they were up against agents from one of the demon realm’s two most
powerful factions.

“The lack of light that accompanies the moon puts us at a sure disadvantage. Our eyes
lose most of their function in the darkness,” said the chief. “However, we wingbearers
remain a race of warriors. This is not anywhere near enough to force us to yield. Our
honourless assailants have underestimated us. And for that, we will show them that
they are fools!”

He brandished his naginata, which like his frame, was significantly larger than that of
the other wingbearers. The wind almost seemed to screech as his blade tore through
both it and the nearest enemy.

“We’ll help!” said Nell. “Ronia, use your magic to back everyone up! Mekina, take care
of the wounded!”

“Roger,” said the mage.

“Sure thing, dear,” said the intelligence officer.

“I am sorry, humans.” The chief lowered his head. “It appears that you have been
caught in our troubles.”

“You acknowledged us as your sisters in arms, chief. And we plan to play the part. We
won’t abandon you in your time of need!”

Nell’s voice was firm, unwavering, and full of conviction—a fact that put a wide grin
on the wingbearer’s face.

“You said that you guys see much better when there’s light, right?” asked Nell.

“That is correct. We do not see well in the darkness. But with sufficient light, our vision
becomes one of our most powerful tools. We are able to see far beyond even those
distant hills should the sun be at its peak.

Wingbearers were effectively nightblind. That was in part why the village was aflame.
The winged warriors had sacrificed their own homes in order to better see their foes.
Of course, the fiends knew this too. Both sides had designated the flames as key points
of contention.

“I’ve got just the thing.” The hero raised her divine blade up above her head and
chanted a spell. “I beseech the spirits of my ancestors! Heed my call! Illuminate my
path! Sacred Shine!”

A glowing orb emerged from Durandal’s tip, ascended into the sky, and began raining
light down on its surroundings. The rays it emitted were powerful enough to make her
surroundings appear the same way they would at noon. But like the sun, the light
emitted from the orb was more gentle than overbearing, more warm than scorching
hot.

“Thank you. That is exactly what we needed!” said the chief. “Men! Let us engage our
foes! Take up your arms and deliver them to hell!”

The wingbearers roared. Nell’s light had provided them with everything they needed
to see not only their enemies, but each other. With their spirits ablaze and their
weapons at the ready, the warriors began working together and rapidly mowing down
their black-robed enemies. Seeing the sudden burst of momentum soothed Nell’s
anxiety and filled her with confidence. Things were looking up. It only seemed to be a
matter of time before the wingbearers achieved total victory.

“Chief!”

“Oh, well would you look at that? It is the idiot I call my son. What has kept you from
joining us in glorious combat?”

A young, fully armoured wingbearer approached the chief. Despite not being able to
tell individuals apart, Nell felt as if she recognized him. The colour of a wingbearer’s
plumes would change as they grew older, and the individual before the chief just so
happened to have a very distinctive set of shades.

Seeing Nell’s confusion, Ronia whispered into her friend’s ear and informed her of his
identity. “That’s the guy that started yelling when we were talking with the chief.”

“Right…”

The mage’s reminder was more than enough to trigger the hero’s memories. She
hadn’t realized that the man her words had offended was the chief’s son. The
revelation was a nice one to have, but it didn’t really seem to mean much to her, so she
raised her sword and prepared herself to engage the men assaulting the village.

Only for all her plans to fall apart.

The chief coughed. Blood dribbled from his lips and fell onto the blade that had been
driven into his chest.

By his son.

“Chief!?”

“Boss!?”

“Get out of my way! I must attend to our leader!”

The wingbearers were shaken. Many of their warriors immediately shoved the men in
black aside and attempted to make their way over to the man to whom they had sworn
their fealty. But they couldn’t. Their enemies engaged them before they could retreat
and forced them to continue swinging their halberds.
“You… traitor…!” The wingbearer’s words were distorted by the blood welling up
within his throat. His heavy frame heaved as it desperately tried to take in the air it
required to function.

“Hmph.” Rather than grieving for his wounded parent, the younger warrior did
nothing but scoff as he drew a bloody knife from the wounded man’s chest. “You have
gone senile, father. You are no longer the patriarch you were in your youth. It is time
for you to step down.”

Only after seeing more blood did Nell finally unfreeze. She dashed towards the pair
and slashed at the chief’s assailant. Evading it was the best he could do; she was too
quick for him to counter. But rather than following up and finishing him, she chose to
grab the man that had proclaimed her his sister in arms and withdrew to safety.

“Mekina!”

“I’m on it, dear!”

The most mature of the three women ran over to the chief’s side and reached to treat
his wounds, only to be pushed away by the injured warrior himself.

“Please calm down, sir. You really shouldn’t be moving around with a wound that
deep!” she said.

“This… is nothing… A mere… flesh wound…”

His breathing was ragged and his words accompanied by clots of blood. Blood spilled
from his core, leaked from his chest, and splattered all over the ground beneath him.
He was heavily injured. Yet, he had refused to be disarmed; the grip he had on his
naginata had never once loosened. He used the weapon as a crutch to prop himself up
onto one knee before rising to his feet.

“So it… was you…” His words were laced with dissatisfaction and just anger. “It was
you… who brought these… assailants into our lands…”

“That’s right, father. I’ve joined forces with the fiends, the only men truly worthy of
being named our brethren.”

“You fool…” sighed the chief. “How low you have fallen… I did not think… that my very
own son… would succumb to their temptations…”
“Say what you will, father, but your time is over. The wingbearer tribe is no longer
yours to command! It is we who will rule it in your place!”

It was a cue. His words prompted several dozen wingbearers to flock to his side. All of
them were as he was, young, foolish, and proud to the point of degeneracy.

“It is over, father! This land will be your grave!”

“You wish to kill me? Fine! Try it!” The chief took up a two-handed stance despite his
still bleeding wound. “You are all fools. As the chief of our people, it is my duty to
devote all I have to your reeducation.”

“I suppose these words are wasted on you now that you’re on the verge of death, but
you really should’ve listened to us.” One of the men in black sneered at the chief as his
allies gathered around him. “None of this would’ve happened if you’d just obeyed.”

“Hah! What a ruse!” The chief laughed. “You are a coward. You rely on underhanded
schemes and ill-gotten gains! We have no loyalty for the likes of you! Now fight me!
Challenge me in droves like the dishonourable scum you are! I will use my blade to
seek recompense for the attack you have ordered on my people!”

His battlecry roused up many a spirit. Those that hadn’t betrayed him raised their
weapons as their morale hit a new high.

“You shall not fight alone, chief! You have my blade!”

“And mine! I too shall offer my life to the cause!”

“We, your loyal warriors, will fight by your side!”

Both groups disengaged and rallied to their leader. They faced off with their weapons
drawn and their hostilities bared.

“…I find it peculiar that you have chosen to remain ever loyal in a time such as this, but
I see no fault in your decisions.” The chief took a moment to take a deep breath before
breaking into a shout. “To me, men! Tonight, we march through hell’s gates! Let us
fight to our last!”

There was a big smile on his face, a reassuring, warrior-like grin.

“C-chief!?” Nell questioned him with her eyes wide, but he ignored her and continued
with his speech.

“Now go, men! Discipline your children and show them that they have misplaced their
dignity!”

A messy melee began the moment he finished his decree. Friend and foe became all
but impossible to discern. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there came the matter of
numbers. The number of foes that each warrior would have to slay was absurd. Still,
the wingbearers did as true elites would and faced them without the slightest hint of
fear. Their enthusiasm was domineering; their battlelust overwhelming, and their
power unquestionable.

The man in charge of the mysterious black-robed army clicked his tongue in annoyance
before shouting at a nearby subordinate. “You there! Get rid of the humans!”

“That, I will not allow.”

It was a meaningless order. His servant was cut down with a single blow before he
could so much as get in range.

“You must leave this place! If you truly wish to aid us, then take those amongst us who
are unable to fight and go!”

The hero hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to abandon the chief or his warriors.

“Nell!” The impatience that filled Ronia’s voice as she called for her brought Nell back
to reality. She had to move.

“Okay…” she said with a hint of regret. “Let’s go. Stay alive, chief! Make sure this isn’t
the last time we see each other!”

“Your concern is wasted. They would need another thousand men to defeat me,”
laughed the chief. “Regillis! Orias! Take a few of our warriors and leave this place. Keep
the women and children safe!”

“Orders received, sir.”

“Yes sir, I will uphold my duty, even if it costs me my life!”

Reluctantly, Nell followed the chief’s orders and joined Regillis, Orias, and many
others in retreating from the village-turned-battlefield.
Nell was on guard. The pursuit she was subject to forced her to remain on edge at all
times. The numerous enemy encounters she had engaged in were more sporadic than
they were cohesive; the men in black only confronted her with one small unit at a time.
Still, the chase was intense. The fiendish horde almost seemed endless. Countless foes
had fallen to her blade, but reinforcements continued to flood out of the woodwork
regardless.

The men were silent. Though there had been many of them, not one had leaked their
orders—not that they needed to. Their actions clearly suggested that they had been
instructed to kill everyone that resisted them, details be damned. Nell and her
companions had no choice but to keep moving—if they wanted to live, that is.

“Nell!” Ronia raised her voice right as the hero finished dispatching another wave of
enemies. “We need backup! Now!”

The swordsman pursed her lips. They were in a bad spot. A really bad spot. She didn’t
really want to acknowledge Ronia’s statement. Agreeing with her meant involving
Yuki and, subsequently, exposing him to danger. That was the last thing she wanted.
Even the thought of it plagued her with guilt. But she knew that it couldn’t be helped.
They would have to reach a city in order to get any backup. And frankly, there weren’t
any nearby. The fiends were sure to take them down before they made it.

Yuki was the only one they were capable of contacting, the only person that she and
the people traveling with her could rely on to provide them with the help they so
desperately needed. Her reluctance didn’t stem from her knowledge of his strength.
In fact, Nell knew that he would be able to overturn the near-hopeless situation at
hand. She just didn’t want to be the reason that he was put in harm’s way. But she
wasn’t the only person here. The hero knew that many a life was at stake.

“…Yeah, I guess you’re right.” The hero silenced the part of her screaming in self-
reproach and reluctantly acknowledged the mage’s demand. “We don’t really have any
other choice. Use the orb.”
Ronia reached into the pouch she had on her waist the moment her friend agreed to
her pleas. But before she could grab the item in question, she was subject to a sudden
assault. Her crisis detection skill allowed her to sense it. The taciturn mage knew that
the enemies’ archers had unleashed a volley upon her.

So she dodged.

She pushed with as much force as her legs could muster and hit the deck. Ronia wasn’t
a frontliner. She wasn’t very agile. Still, the mage managed to roll out of the way and
avoid all bodily harm even in the face of her lack of physical strength. It was an action
that everyone but her found commendable.

Because the same couldn’t have been said for her equipment.

Rather than hitting her, the arrow she so narrowly avoided drove its tip straight into
her bag’s string. With nothing to hold it, the leather pouch fell straight to the ground.

There was a crack, a loud crack.

Ronia gasped in dismay as she swivelled around to retrieve the container and its
contents.

“Bore through my enemies! Sacred Arrow!” Ronia wasn’t the only one to turn. Nell did
too. The hero created several projectiles made of light and sent them flying at the
enemy archers.

“Follow her lead! Don’t let them get any closer!”

Spurred on by the human, the wingbearers also raised their bows and began launching
arrows, one after another, in an attempt to keep the enemy in check.

Having her allies return fire provided the mage with just enough time to grab her
pouch. She turned around the moment it was in her hands and retreated to safety
while looking inside—an act that led her to grimace.

“This is bad. They’re broken…” she muttered.

“Both of them!?” asked Nell.

“Yeah!” Ronia’s expression warped in panic. She clenched her teeth and began to
tremble as she realized that everything had gone wrong. They had lost their only hope
at survival. And it was all her fault.

Like Ronia, Nell’s eyes widened. She too recognized the fact that they had just lost their
contingency plan. A sense of hopelessness assailed her mind. But she drove it away.
The hero knew that panic would serve no purpose on the battlefield, so she took a
deep breath and forced herself to remain calm.

Rather than overreacting, she redirected her energies towards racking her mind,
towards finding a way out of the seemingly hopeless situation that they were stuck in.
And, after a brief delay, she found it.

“Can you fix them, Ronia?”

“…I think so,” said the mage. “I’ve been looking at their circuits and trying to understand
them for days. I can definitely fix them. But I’ll need a few hours.”

“That’s great! Now keep running! We’ll figure something out later!”

◊◊◊

“Wow! You’re so brave! Good job sitting through all of that. It must have hurt.” Mekina
smiled at the child whose injuries she was taking care of before giving him a pat on
the shoulder. “Okay, you’re all set! Next patient please!”

After briefly glancing at the intelligence operative tasked with taking care of the
wounded, Nell turned back towards the pair of warriors sitting before her. “How are
things looking, Regillis?”

“It appears that we are safe for the time being. Your Barrier of Illusion has thrown
them off of our trail,” replied the wingbearer. “However, we must remain vigilant.
There are far too many of them. It is only a matter of time before they discover us once
more.”

“…And it doesn’t seem like they’ve got any intention of giving up,” sighed Nell.

“They do not wish for us to tell others of their underhandedness. There is much
evidence to support the saying that demons obey the strong. However, it does not
encompass the whole truth. We only obey those with might if they act in a manner
deserving of our respect. The fiends know this. I do not know why they have suddenly
begun acting so shamelessly,” said Regillis, in a grave tone. “Refusing to offer them our
loyalty appears to have driven them out of their minds. They cannot allow us to live
long enough to reveal their desperation. It would label them dishonourable. Their
infamy would be accompanied by a severe loss of influence. I do not believe they will
call off the pursuit.”

Nell’s group was situated in an old ruin a bit away from the village. While they hadn’t
managed to truly lose their pursuers, they had at least gotten them off their coattails
for the time being. The most prominent nearby structure was a large statue. It looked
as if it would have once been a towering, majestic sight to behold, but all the wear and
tear it had been subject to had all but destroyed it. Making out its former appearance
from what remained was impossible.

Many a wingbearer rested at the statue’s feet, lying on their backs and sides to abate
the overwhelming sense of exhaustion that assaulted them. The few that were up and
about were handing out the little bits of food they happened to have on hand and
helping the other members of their tribe.

The scene almost made their temporary encampment appear like something along the
lines of a makeshift military hospital. Those on the ground functioned as the patients
while those on their feet played the part of caretakers. However, unlike a field hospital,
the wingbearer camp was severely lacking in misery. That wasn’t to say the people
were cheerful. Some wore foreboding frowns. Others clearly looked as if they had
resolved themselves for death. But no one had given up hope. No man, woman, or child
had fallen to despair; the wingbearers refused to conduct themselves in a manner not
befitting a proud clan of warriors.

It was this sort of behaviour that led Nell to understand exactly why they were
regarded as such a powerful force in times of war. It all stemmed from their attitudes.
Their calm and composed outlook had allowed them to earn many an achievement.

“How far away did you say the nearest city was again?” asked Nell.

“I believe it is a two day march. It would not take nearly as long if we were to fly, but
taking to the skies and revealing ourselves to the enemy would only lead to our
demise,” said Orias.

One of the largest problems faced by the wingbearers was the fact that they couldn’t
make use of their greatest asset: their wings. Their inability to do so was a two-part
problem. It was half because they would have trouble flying due to the lack of vision
that accompanied the darkness, and half because it would allow the enemy to spot
them with ease. They had no choice but to remain stuck to the ground. Like Nell and
the other humans, they had conducted their escape with their feet.

“They are sure to know that we wish to reach civilization. They have likely planned to
ambush us immediately prior to our arrival,” said Orias.

“…I guess that means we have no choice but to hope Ronia comes through.”

Nell glanced in her friend’s direction as she spoke. The mage was immersed in her
task. No one else faulted her for dropping the orbs, but she felt a heavy sense of
responsibility nonetheless. That was why she had devoted every last fibre of her being
to fixing the red orb of correspondence. It was her way of owning up to her mistake
and solving the problem that she had inadvertently caused.

The intensity of her gaze and her lack of frustration seemed to indicate that all was
going well, that she would be able to complete her repairs if given enough time. And
that was the problem. Nell didn’t think that they could stall for long enough, at least
not with the way things were. Ronia would never be able to truly focus on her work if
she had to stay on the move. Conversely, sitting around would ultimately subject them
to a heavy assault.

Things were looking bad. Really bad.

The hero knew that every hour she bought would improve everyone’s chances, that
buying a day would all but guarantee everyone’s safety. Something had to be done.

“…I do not wish to question your judgement,” said Regillis doubtfully. “But are you
certain that calling for aid will better our chances? Did you not say that you have only
a single individual willing to assist you?”

“It will,” said Nell. “I trust him enough to bet everything I have on him. I know he’s
strong enough to pull through for us. In fact, he’s so much stronger than me that I can’t
even tell how strong he is.”

“That is quite impressive. If you are willing to praise him to that extent, then I will trust
you and expect the best.” said Regillis with his eyes wide. “I would have wished for the
opportunity to cross blades with him and see his skills for myself were we not in such
dire straits.”

“Indeed. I would very much love the opportunity to spar with him should we survive,”
added Orias.

The warriors’ comments led Nell to flash a wry smile. Both were still eagerly looking
forward to challenging powerful foes despite the situation at hand.

While Nell might have, to some extent, enjoyed it, the relatively peaceful atmosphere
was not meant to last.

“We’ve spotted a group of enemies to the southwest! They’ll reach us in about ten
minutes!” A panicked warrior dashed into the camp as he gave his report.

“It appears that they do not wish to provide us even a moment of rest,” said Regillis,
bitterly.

“Are there any other places we can use to take shelter nearby!?” shouted Nell.

“…” Regillis closed his eyes for a moment as he contemplated the question. “There is a
valley half a day’s distance away. It is the perfect place for us to hide, but it will serve
little purpose if they discover us before we reach it.”

“…Alright,” said Nell, after a deep breath.

The hero stood up, looked in the direction of her enemies, and took a few quick steps
forward.

“Nell!?” Orias opened his eyes wide. “What are you—”

“Isolate! Barrier of Separation!”

A massive wall suddenly materialized itself between Nell and the warriors, one
created by the hero’s barrier-based unique skill. The towering, translucent structure
went on as far as the eye could see. It was literally several kilometers long.

“Nell!? Nell!”

“Do you wish to take them alone!? What is the meaning of this!”
Both warriors immediately began hitting the barrier as they shouted in concern. But
she didn’t pay their worries much mind.

She knew that something had to be done. The status quo had to change. That was why
she had to step up to the plate.

It was the only way.

“Take care of everyone, you two.”

“We cannot simply leave you to perish! It is not you, but we who are their targets!”

“If you want to help me, then protect Ronia,” she voiced a string of words resembling
the ones that the chief of the wingbearers had said to her upon her departure. The
phrase was accompanied by a smile, a stiff smile, but a smile nonetheless. “Make sure
she’s safe enough to finish her repairs, okay?”

“Nell!”

“Nell!?”

The next two to approach the wall and call for her were Ronia and Mekina.

“If you don’t want me to die, then get out of here and finish those repairs, Ronia!”

“What are you talking about!? Stop being stupid and get rid of this bar—”

“Take care of Ronia for me, Mekina.” Nell ignored the mage’s protests and cut them off
as she began speaking to her other companion. “And make sure you keep taking care
of everyone that’s hurt too, okay?”

“…Of course, dear.” The older human agreed after a moment’s hesitation.

“Of course!? What do you mean, Mekina! Don’t just listen to her! Stop her!” Ronia’s
screams were laced with panic and dread. But again, they were ignored.

Though Nell was facing her friends, she could hear a series of footsteps coming from
behind her. The enemy was closing in. Rapidly. “They’re here already! Just hurry up
and go!”
“We’re leaving, Ronia!” said Mekina.

“But that means—”

“No buts! If you really want to help her, then start running!”

“…Fine.”

“We haven’t achieved any of our objectives yet! Make sure you don’t abandon the
mission, okay!?” Mekina craned her neck to give the brown-haired hero one last look
as she took off.

“Don’t die, Nell! No matter what!” Likewise, the mage did the same as she broke into a
sprint.

“Rest assured, Nell. You have our respect, and we will protect your friends even if it
costs us our lives,” said Regillis.

“I hope that the tides of war will turn in your favour,” said Orias.

Hearing everyone’s parting words caused Nell’s smile to relax and become more
natural. She couldn’t help but find the frantic manner in which everyone else was
acting a bit amusing.

After watching them leave, she turned back towards the foes headed her way and drew
her divine blade from its sheath. The holy weapon glowed. Durandal basked its
surroundings with a pale light. And as she raised it in front of her, she closed her eyes
and took another deep breath.

She was ready. The barrier had consumed a massive amount of mana, but she still had
about half of it remaining—not that she was all that dependant on her mana to begin
with. Nell wasn’t a mage. She was a swordsman. She could continue to fight even if her
magical reserves were drained dry.

The footsteps grew clearer with every passing moment. There were dozens of foes
coming her way. At least.

Fear struck her. Her pulse quickened; her heart beat so hard and fast that she began
to find it obnoxious. Her legs trembled. She felt like she was about to collapse.
Not once did the thought of fighting for glory and honour cross her mind. Frankly, she
wanted to turn tail and run as far away as she possibly could. But she couldn’t. She
didn’t know why fate had played her the hand it did, but whatever the case, she had
wound up a hero. The heroes that she had always looked up to, the literal legends
whose tales were passed down by the bards and minstrels, never fled in the face of
danger. They were known for functioning as living shields. Their power was always
used for the sole purpose of protecting others. And they never failed. They would
always cleave through the forces of evil and restore the world to its rightful, peaceful
state. Even if it meant putting their own lives at risk.

And it was her duty to do the same.

She couldn’t run.

She had to fight.

Nell was severely lacking in experience. She barely qualified as a hero. And she
definitely lacked the pride that came with the heroes of old; there were no major
achievements to her name.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that she was a hero.

She couldn’t just sit by and let things be.

So she made herself smile.

The action was so forced that she could feel her mouth cramping up. But she kept the
act up nonetheless.

“This is as far as you go.” An intrepid grin appeared on her face as she readied herself
to bathe her holy blade in blood.
Somewhere between thirty and forty men in black oozed out of the forest. They stood
in a semi-circular pattern with their backs to the trees as they stared down the lone
warrior that had stayed behind.

“Is this barrier your doing?” The man who appeared to be the squad’s commander
raised his voice.

“It is,” affirmed Nell. “It’s a barrier I put a lot of magic into, and it’s really hard to break.
I’m sure you’d be able to make your way around it if you went far enough, but the
others will all have escaped by the time you make it. If you want it out of your way,
then you’re going to have to kill me.”“Well, if I must, then I suppose I will,” muttered
the commander. His tone was so neutral it was disturbing; it dripped with nothing but
indifference. “You heard the girl, men. Kill her.”

Every single fiend kicked off the ground and broke into a dash.

And so did Nell.

She didn’t bother waiting for them to reach her.

A battlecry erupted from the depths of her throat as she charged straight into enemy
lines. She attacked the first man she noticed and tore her blade right through him as
she passed him by; she didn’t even turn to look at the man whose life she had stolen.

Her second target was the unit’s commander. One of her unique skills, Accelerate,
kicked in as she boosted straight towards him and drove her weapon into his flank.
Her attack contained all the speed and force of a cannonball. And yet, it somehow
wasn’t fatal. The commander managed to twist his waist just far enough to avoid being
slain.

Backup came immediately. A wave of arrows began flying at Nell the moment she had
finished swinging her blade. She had no choice but to defend or be pierced by the
barrage.
“Bore through my enemies! Sacred Arrow!”

She bobbed and weaved to dodge every single incoming projectile before retaliating
in kind and firing off several dozen arrows of light. Unlike her enemies’, Nell’s aim
proved true. Several archers died where they stood, their bodies impaled by
shimmering stakes of light.

Daggers, armblades, and other armaments designed for the sake of assassination went
on full display as the robed figures drew their weapons. Again, they all charged at her.
And again, they failed.

“Hide! Barrier of Concealment!”

She created a veil even darker than the night itself and concealed herself from her foes.

As seasoned killers themselves, the men in black knew that she had yet to leave the
space. They didn’t know much about the barrier’s effects, but they understood that
she was still within it. That was why they plunged their blades straight into the
darkness without a moments’ hesitation.

Only to hit nothing.

It wasn’t as if they had guessed wrong. Their instincts were dead on. Nell was still
within the barrier. She hadn’t phased out of their plane of existence or transported
herself elsewhere. She had simply ducked.

She bent her knees and dropped herself low enough to avoid all of their attacks before
retaliating with a spinning slash aimed at each man’s torso. The sensation of her blade
rending flesh travelled up her arms as her face was painted in a fresh coat of
sanguine—not that it meant much of anything at all, in her eyes. Again, she didn’t so
much as cast a glance at the men she slew. With all the power of her Accelerate skill at
her back, she kicked off the ground and launched herself at the one man her eyes had
been trained on ever since the battle’s inception: the enemy commander.

The short-haired swordsman knew that taking his head was her only shot at victory.
She was a powerful force. An undeniably powerful force. But they were many, and she
was one. It simply wasn’t possible for her to thin out their numbers if they continued
to coordinate. Her only shot at victory, the only thin sliver of a chance she had, was to
mess up their chain of command and take advantage of the ensuing chaos.
Alas, it was not meant to be. The commander had already seen her trick once and
survived. It simply wasn’t going to work a second time. He raised his dagger and
parried her blow perfectly despite the sudden burst of speed that accompanied it.
Unfazed, she stepped forward to deliver a heavier, more convincing blow. But she
couldn’t. The hero’s internal alarm suddenly began to blare, so she followed her gut
and twisted her neck just in time to avoid an arrow that had come from right behind
her.

Her target didn’t miss the opening created by her sudden dodge. He managed to graze
her shoulder with his dagger despite her best efforts to avoid the obvious, telegraphed
strike. It was shallow. Very shallow, but it was still a wound nonetheless. Nell grimaced
in pain and retreated as she quickly glanced in the direction that the projectile had
come from.

One of the men she had cut down had survived. He was on the ground and bleeding
profusely. He was going to die. Period. But he was still a threat. He had the miniature
crossbow affixed to his arm trained on her and he was sure to continue firing
incessantly like the pest he was if she didn’t finish him off—not that she even had the
chance to.

“Keep your distance! Stay out of her range!”

Her enemies immediately heeded their boss’ order. They backed off, drew their bows,
and all fired upon her at once.

Nell tried. She tried as hard as she could. She rolled, dodged, or cut down every
incoming projectile she could. But there were too many. It simply wasn’t possible for
her to block every single projectile. Several arrows pierced her armour and dug into
her flesh.

Pain shot through her nervous system.

The agonized screech she let out almost immediately morphed into a battlecry; she
knew she couldn’t show weakness, so she toughed out the pain and charged straight
at the irritating archers assaulting her.

Naturally, their immediate reaction was to begin backing off. But they couldn’t match
her speed. They were doomed. She dashed into a group of them and delivered a series
of fatal blows, each flowing perfectly into the next. Only when she was subject to yet
another barrage of arrows did she finally stop attacking. She leapt out of the way,
centered her blade, and got ready to fight with her back to the massive barrier behind
her.

“Is that all you’ve got?” she laughed. “You’re going to need a lot more men than that if
you want to kill me!” Her enemies had formed a semi-circle around her, but Nell put
on a daring smile regardless.

“Well… if you insist.”

The commander’s reaction served as a cue. Enemy reinforcements began pouring out
of the forest and taking their places around her. Their numbers were even greater than
they had been at the encounter’s inception. So many men in black had gathered
around her that she didn’t even want to begin trying to count them.

“It’s too much of a risk to leave you be. You’re too dangerous, far more of a concern
than the imbeciles we call the wingbearers. Threats like you have to be… eliminated,”
said the commander in a cold, flat tone. His eyes were narrowed and his gaze was
piercing. To Nell, it almost felt as if he was evaluating her very essence and seeing her
potential. “This will be where you die.”

His words led Nell to reflect on her actions. She had said far too much, and she was
about to pay for it in blood. A wry smile appeared on her face. While she knew that
her current circumstances were inevitable, she couldn’t help but feel as if she was in
part responsible for them herself.

◊◊◊

The battle had already lasted for hours. Literal hours. The night had long passed and
the sun had long risen.

Nell’s body felt as dull and heavy as lead. None of her limbs listened to her anymore.
They wouldn’t move the way she wanted them to no matter how hard she pushed.
Unlike her opponents, who could take turns attacking in waves, she hadn’t had a
moment to rest or refuel. She was so hungry that her eyes felt like they were spinning,
and her throat was so dry she could feel her skin cracking as she breathed.

To make matters worse, she had lost a lot of blood. Too much. Her stamina slowly
drained away as her vital fluids oozed from the multitude of scratches that covered
her body. The arrows embedded in her shoulder and flank didn’t do much to help the
situation either.

Her mana stores had long reached the bottom of the barrel. She only managed to cast
the occasional spell because Durandal happened to have its own store of it. As much
as she wished otherwise, she knew it wouldn’t last. Her holy blade would soon run
dry, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Needless to say, her barrier had vanished with the last bit of her magic. That was why
she had switched to retreating through the forest as she fought. Fortunately, the
enemy had chosen to prioritize her over those she had helped escape. The commander
had chosen to dedicate all of his resources to relentlessly chasing her down after
coming to the conclusion that she was the larger long-term threat.

Technically speaking, Nell had succeeded. Her friends and the refugees they
accompanied were hours away from the men in black. All because of her efforts. That
said, it wasn’t as if things were really looking all that good for her. The fiends had her
driven into a corner. Frankly put, she was screwed.

They had seen all of her tactics. She had crawled through the underbrush, waded
through mud, and thrown off her enemies with barriers of concealment and barriers
of illusion. And in exhausting her kit, she came to realize that her enemies were
specialists. The proficiency with which they tracked her seemed to indicate that they
possessed skills capable of aiding them in their pursuit. She couldn’t escape. It didn’t
matter what she did. They would always find her, engage her in a skirmish, and eat
away at the tiny bit of stamina she had left. She knew she couldn’t hold out for much
longer. Her body had hit its limit.

Nell had long lost track of the number of times she had swung her sword. She didn’t
know how many men she had killed, nor did she remember the amount of time she
had bought—not that it mattered. Knowing the metrics associated with her plight
wouldn’t have changed anything. The same couldn’t have been said for knowing the
terrain, however.

Because the hero soon found herself staring down a grassy plain.

The trees that she had used to keep herself hidden from her enemies were gone from
her field of view. She had reached the edge of the forest. The long game of cat and
mouse she had been engaged in had come to an end.
“You’ve certainly wasted quite a good bit of my time.”

Spinning around, Nell found herself staring down the enemy commander, the man
who had ordered his underlings to chase her to the point of creating trauma. She took
up a stance with her blade as soon as she saw him, but she was too late. One of the
men in black slugged her in the gut before she could truly ready the weapon.

It was a solid hit, one that hurt so bad she felt her consciousness grow hazy. Before
she could recover, she was hit again. A second man ran up to her while she was still
bent over and kicked her holy sword right out of her hand. Under normal
circumstances, she never would have let such a thing happen, but she simply didn’t
have the strength or stamina to keep a good grip on her sword when she was as
exhausted as she was.

Rather than finishing her with his blade, the fiend followed up his attack by grabbing
her now empty hands and violently pulling them behind her. He then kicked her in the
back of her knees and forced them to buckle before presenting her to his commander.

“Let me guess…” Nell said between heavy pants. If looks could kill, hers would have
finished off the enemy’s leader in an instant. “You’re going to beat me up… and make
me look as miserable as you can… before killing me in front of my companions… Just
to make an example out of me.”

“Well, we certainly will hurt you. You’ve given us quite a lot of trouble, so I’d say that
it’s only fair. As for killing you? I happen to have other plans,” said the commander.
“Chasing you around for as long as I have has given me a bit of a… change of heart. You
see, I happen to like women like you.”

“Well, I hate men like you,” said Nell.

The man didn’t mind the fact that Nell had spat an insult at him. In fact, her act of
defiance led him to squat down in front of her with the lewdest of grins plastered all
over his face.

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly it! That unwavering attitude! That unbreakable resolve!” he
said, ecstatically. “I can’t wait to take you back to my manor and… reeducate you. You
can fight back all you want. It won’t change a thing. I’ll drill my teachings into your
body. And soon, soon, I’ll break you in. You’ll be shaking those hips of yours and
begging me for what I want before you know it.”
A series of chills ran down Nell’s spine as the man tenderly stroked her cheek with his
fingers. She felt as if she was being caressed by an insect; his fingers were more feelers
than they were digits. Driven by a sense of absolute revulsion, she glared at him with
renewed vigour.

“Besides, you’ve killed quite a number of my men. I can see that you’re quite the fighter.
Throwing all that talent away would be nothing short of wasteful, don’t you think?” he
asked. “Well, what do you say? Spread your legs and wag your tail for me, and I’ll let
you live a life of ecstasy.”

The commander grabbed Nell’s jaw and slowly raised it such that she was looking
right into his eyes. Almost as if by reflex, she opened her mouth to scream in refusal,
but she stopped right before she did. She swallowed her words, silenced her emotions,
and began speaking in a steady, neutral tone.

“If I say yes… will you let my friends go free?”

“Why, of course I would.” The man flashed a conman’s smile before continuing in a
tone that screamed he was lying at the top of his lungs. “I don’t care what happens to
them anymore. You’re all that matters. Say yes, and I’ll let them go free.”

“I see…”

The hero twisted her lips into a frown, as if to express that she was in the midst of
contemplation. She let the stiffness leave her muscles in order to express that she was
no longer thinking of resisting.

Naturally, the man standing behind her also loosened up; he relaxed the grip he had
on her arms.

He fell for the act. Everyone fell for the act.

The moment the fiends lowered their guards was the moment she acted. She
wrenched her arms free and drew the blade hanging from her waist. Her first target
was the commander. Her blade tore right through the hand he had on her chin and cut
his wrist clean off.

Next, she attacked the person that had been responsible for holding her down. She cut
off both his arms before mustering up just enough strength to leap away. The weapon
she had in her right hand was not Durandal. It was Lunar Blossom, her side arm. The
dagger he had given her. She had carried it on her person ever since it was first gifted
to her. Back then, Nell had known little to nothing about daggers and their usage. Now,
however, things were different. She had put herself through an extensive amount of
training in order to ensure that she was worthy of the blade. The hero had not only
acquired the dagger mastery skill, but also raised it all the way to its third level in the
span of roughly a month.

Her proficiency could be seen through her stance. The reverse grip she held her blade
in brimmed with confidence.
“I refuse! I’d rather fight to my last breath than join the likes of you!” The commander
had promised that he wouldn’t hunt down her companions, but she knew not to trust
him. The chance of him following through on the agreement was less than that of a
monkey with a pen accidentally reproducing a famous piece of literature

She had only momentarily played along with his ruse in order to buy just one extra
moment in hopes that it would raise her allies’ chances.

“Fine! Then lament your choices as you die!” shouted the commander. “Men, capture
her! Do whatever it takes! Don’t let her escape, and don’t let her off with an easy death!
Make her feel pain, suffering, and humiliation! Carve the meaning of disgrace into her
body as you drain her blood and turn her into a lifeless corpse!”

A sense of impending doom assaulted Nell as she watched the man bark out orders
while nursing his wrist. Chances were, she was going to die. She had been on the verge
of death for quite some time, but now, it was finally going to really happen. It was a
discouraging thought. But Nell didn’t give up. She was more than willing to offer
herself up and fight to the death if her sacrifice brought her friends safe passage.

The brown-haired swordsman had never amounted to much of a hero. She was just an
ordinary girl that happened to have been shoved into the role, and she lacked the
experience necessary to perform it. Still, she was satisfied. Because her last act would
finally make her worthy of her title.

While it was unfortunate that she never did get to see Yuki again, she knew that he
would be able to take her place. That he would protect everyone in her stead. That,
unlike her, he would unconditionally succeed.

He always seemed nonchalant, unconcerned with the events happening around him.
Even so, he would always invest his energies into helping those that needed it. He
would reach out to those that needed it most and startle them with aid that they had
never expected.

Thinking of him, remembering him, brought a smile to her face.

Her enemies were drawing closer. Looking around prompted a mix of emotions to
swell within her.

Fear.
Anguish.

Anxiety.

Concern.

Rage.

Sorrow.

And the indomitable desire to crush her foes.

Again, they drew closer.

So Nell roared. She bellowed at the top of her lungs to express all of the emotions
raging within her as she readied herself for her final confrontation.

A confrontation that would never happen.

Something approached from the air. It cut through the air at an incredible speed and
caused the earth to tremble as it descended upon the grassy plain. There was a
powerful shockwave; the force of its high speed landing kicked up a massive cloud of
dust. Reflexively, she brought up her arms to shield her face from it.

Likewise, the men approaching her had also defended their eyes from the dust. But
they had failed to resist the shockwave. The force of the impact had sent them
tumbling through the air.

Looking through the gaps in her arms, she noticed a humanoid silhouette within the
dust cloud.

“Hey Nell. What’s up?” She was greeted by a familiar voice. One that she had eagerly
looked forward to hearing. One belonging to the man that had occupied her thoughts
on her deathbed.

As the dust cleared, her eyes confirmed what her ears had told her.

He had finally come for her.

“Geez. You’re so late!” Her eyes dampened, and her lips warped into a bit of a pout as
she complained at him in a voice filled with heartfelt emotion.
Whew. Oh man, that was close. Looks like I made it just in time.

“Wow, you sure as hell look like you’ve been put through the wringer. You sure you’re
really cut out for this hero business?”

“O-oh shut up!” sulked Nell. “I tried my best… What more do you want…?”

The hero was in a terrible state. Her breathing was ragged; her shoulders heaved each
time she spoke. Her clothes were a complete mess. They were torn all over and
covered in bodily fluids. Mud could be seen plastered all over her body. And she even
had a couple arrows stuck in her. One was in her shoulder. The other had dug its way
into the side of her stomach. A single glance was enough for me to understand that
she had found herself wrapped up in one hell of a struggle. Analyzing her proved that
exact point. Her health was in the double digits, and her mana had been drained to a
sliver. I had to squint to see the literal pixel she had left.

My match against the old butler was the last one I had scheduled for the day, so I was
able to sneak out and fly off without any further hassle. My flight was, of course,
accompanied by heavy use of the Ennegine. Kind of. Enne herself was more or less out
of mana, so I ended up having to take full control of both parts of the process. Ughhh,
that was such a pain. I almost crashed like a million times…

Even with my struggles accounted for, reaching the orb that served as my beacon and
destination ended up taking less than an hour. Enne and I weren’t able to do anything
as fancy as breaking the sound barrier just yet, but we were still ridiculously fast
nonetheless.

I had expected to see Nell upon arrival, but turns out, she wasn’t there. Instead, I found
myself standing amongst a group of miserable looking men and women. The first thing
that had come to mind as I saw them was that they were probably refugees. Their lack
of luggage had made it seem as if they had just escaped from a warzone or some other
kind of disaster. The group was mostly made up of “wingbearers,” a type of demon that
looked more or less like a bipedal bird.
One of the two humans amongst the group had ran straight at me as I landed. While it
wasn’t the girl I was looking for, it was at least one that I recognized. She hadn’t
bothered with any sort of formality. Nell’s mage friend had immediately opted to start
begging me for help. Wow uh, wow. Wait, isn’t she the quiet type? Shit must be real bad
if she’s acting like this.

Her panic had proved infectious. I ended up finding myself feeling a sense of urgency
as I rushed in the direction she had pointed me in. All I had to do to reach Nell from
there was literally follow my map. She showed up on it once I got close enough, and it
turned out that the situation was just about as bad as I had expected. She was
surrounded by enemies dressed from head to toe in black. They were fiends, and I too
had dealt with their operatives on several occasions. And that was where I made my
entrance.

Despite supposedly being a part of some sort of highly trained special forces, the
fiends were idiots. They didn’t know how to account for sudden, unexpected changes.
My advent left them too stupefied to act. In fact, they were so slow to adapt that they
ended up remaining completely still as I continued to engage her in conversation.

Nell began to wobble after speaking a few lines of her own. All the tension had left her
body, and with it, so did all her remaining strength. She collapsed, falling forwards as
she did.

“Woah! Careful there,” I said as I caught her in my arms. “Man, they got you good. You
really should’ve called me sooner.”

“Sorry,” she said, guiltily. “You see, uhm… The truth is… I think we might have…
accidentally broken both the orbs… you gave us…”

“Wait. What? Then how’d you call me?”

“Ronia probably… fixed one of them… She’s really good at that kinda stuff…”

Ronia… Ronia… Who was Ronia again? Oh! She must be talking about that mage chick.
Wait. She FIXED one? Holy shit. Talk about smart.

“W-who the hell ar—”

“Shut up. I wasn’t talking to you.”

One of the dimwitted retards finally finished processing the fact that a new challenger
had appeared on the battlefield. He raised his voice and tried to question me. Frankly,
I didn’t really care what he wanted, so I cut him off with a glare. He clearly wasn’t smart
enough to take a hint, so I crafted a barrier made up of jet streams in order to prevent
any further interruptions.

“I can fix you up, but we’ll probably need to get rid of these arrows first. It’ll probably
hurt, but you’re just going to have to grit your teeth and bear with it,” I said.

The high grade potions I had were worthy of being called elixirs given their potency,
but they weren’t exactly all mighty. Her wounds would heal, sure, but they would heal
around anything that was embedded within her, which meant that we would have to
pull out any foreign objects in her body before restoring it.

“Okay,” she said.

With her consent out of the way, I looked at the two projectiles still stuck inside of her.
They were arrows, which meant I couldn’t rely solely on brute force to get them out
else risk getting them stuck. That said, they weren’t all that deep. They were still
shallow enough for me to see the arrowheads poking out of her flesh. We probably
wouldn’t have to push them through.

I laid her on the ground, snapped the ends off the first wooden bolt, and grabbed its
shaft. “Alright, here goes.”

After a quick word of warning, I yanked the whole thing out in one swift motion. Blood
started spurting out of the wound. Some of it ended up splashing onto my face, or
rather, the mask that covered it.

“Ow…” she grimaced a bit, but laughed it off right after. Though she was covered in a
cold sweat, her smile stayed firm. “Wait… you’re wearing a mask again…? And you’ve
even changed… your hair colour this time… It looks a lot like Lefi’s…”

“Yeah, totally badass, right? Lemme know if you want one. I’ve got a couple spares
lying around.”

“You know what…? I think… I’d like one.”

“Woah, someone’s had a change of heart. I could’ve sworn you said you didn’t want
one back when we were in the capital,” I said as I pulled out the arrow in her torso.
“Ouch…!” she groaned. “I know I did… but I think the whole mask idea is… growing on
me now… I’m starting to think… they’re kinda cool after all… after getting a few more
looks at them…”

“Well, well, well, would you look at that? Silly old Nell’s finally grown to understand
the beauty of masks,” I said with a smirk. “One mask coming right up.”

I reached into my inventory and grabbed both a mask and a potion. I placed the first
of the two items on top of her before reaching for her head and propping her up.

“Here you are. Oh, and I figured I might as well give you a potion while I’m at it. Make
sure you down the whole thing, but take it nice and slow. Don’t spill any, alright?” With
that said, I brought the potion to her lips and slowly poured it in.

The item’s effects were immediate. Her wounds started vanishing in the blink of an
eye. A few seconds was all it took for her to be restored. The cuts that covered her
body vanished as her skin reverted to its usual soft, supple state. Only after watching
her health bar fill back up did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Alright. You should be good now.”

“Okay… Then I’ll… just jump right back into the fray…”

“Yeah, how about no. I mean sure, potions heal you right back up, but they don’t do
jack for all the stamina you’ve lost,” I flicked Nell on the forehead as I spoke. “You’ve
done plenty already. Just close your eyes, kick back, and chill. I got this. Don’t worry
about these assholes. And don’t worry about your friends either. I’ve got it all under
control.” I shrugged and spoke in my usual tone. I made sure to make it sound like I
was doing the usual and just dicking around in order to make it easier for her to relax.

“Mmk… Thanks Yuki… I… love… y…”

She was so tired that she ended up passing out mid-sentence. Her eyes closed, her
breathing slowed, and her body relaxed as she drifted off to dreamland. Wew. She must
be tired as fuck.

I opened up my inventory again and reached inside to grab a necklace, one embedded
with a spell that would allow its wearer to warp to the dungeon. It was the one I had
kept on hand in case of an emergency. I wrapped it around her neck, channeled my
mana through it, and activated the magical circuit embedded within. Her body slowly
began to fade. She turned translucent before eventually vanishing altogether. She’s
probably going to be confused as all hell when she wakes up in the true throne room.
There’s a chance she might not be all that happy about it either seeing as how it might
mess with her agenda and whatnot. Oh well, not my problem. Besides, she probably needs
herself a vacation after everything she’s been through anyway, so it’s not like there’s even
going to be any real harm done, even if I do screw up her plans.

“Sorry Enne, you mind kicking back and chilling inside my inventory for a bit?”

“Okay.” The sword girl had a pretty good idea of what I was up to. Despite her aversion
to being kept in storage, she immediately did the telepathic equivalent of nodding
without much at all in the way of hesitation. Thanks Enne. You’re a real good kid, you
know that?

After putting her away, I got up off the ground, took a deep breath, and swept one of
my hands to the side as I dispelled the water-based barrier that had separated Nell
and I from the fiends that had been attacking her.

Raising my gaze, I found them with their weapons drawn and their guards up.

“How dare you get in our way!” The man I presumed to be the asshole in charge began
shouting at me the moment I looked in his direction. “Now talk! Who the hell are you,
and where did you hide the girl!?”

I really didn’t feel like putting up with his shit, so I didn’t bother answering him. At
least not with words. Rather than being civilized, I ran up to him, grabbed his face, and
began squeezing his head without a word. I didn’t hold back, so my hands acted the
part of a vise and began bending his skull out of shape.

Of course, the action led him to scream in pain. He was loud, too loud. I couldn’t find
his shrieks, yowls, and squawks as anything but obnoxious. Maybe I should rip out his
tongue. Oh, what about just squishing his head and make his brain explode? Might as
well. Bastard totally deserves it.

Unfortunately, one of his subordinates came to bail him out while I was in the middle
of contemplating my options. The man had a dagger, and I didn’t feel like getting
stabbed, so I twisted my body to evade it before countering by whipping the shitbag
whose head I’d deformed right at his buddy. A loud thud accompanied the impact as
the two crashed into each other.

Apparently, the rest of the idiots had finally realized they were under attack, as they
raised their bows and began shooting wave after wave of arrows at me. There were so
many that I suspected I would end up looking like something along the lines of a
porcupine if I let them hit. Of course, it went without saying that I didn’t. I instantly
conjured a barrier made out of wind and repelled every single projectile aimed in my
direction. Some of the arrows had been enchanted with magic in order to raise their
potency, but it didn’t matter. None could overpower my defenses. They simply weren’t
threatening. They were so much weaker than me that I felt as if they couldn’t even be
thought of as a threat.

Naturally, I wasn’t the only one to realize the difference in power between the fiends
and I. My opponents did too. Unrest ran rampant amongst their ranks as they realized
that I had effortlessly negated all of their attacks—not that I cared. My mind was
focused on other things. Namely, irritation.

I was pissed. I couldn’t help but feel waves of anger surge within me. An irresistible
urge to destroy everything leaked from every single pore in my body. I was seething
with so much rage that it threatened to swallow my mind whole. It was stirring up my
body and urging it to action. I was just as mad as I had been back when I’d realized
that some dumbfuck had decided to kidnap my little sister. Apparently, I liked the hero
a lot more than I’d thought I did.

Of course, I knew that I was being unreasonable, that I was more or less throwing a
tantrum, and that murdering everyone and breaking everything wasn’t going to undo
what had been done. But I didn’t care.

You know, I always have been a self-centred, egotistical, piece of shit. I’ve always had a
habit of acting like the world revolves around me. Not that it doesn’t, as far as I’m
concerned.
Shit, I mean, it’s not even my fault I’m selfish. It’s because other people are fucking
assholes. Look, just listen to me. Once you get out there in the world, you really start to
understand that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Goodwill doesn’t exist. People are
all two-faced as shit. Everyone and their mother’s got a god damned secret agenda.

Honestly, charity is the height of autism. White knight philantropist fuckbois can go eat
shit for all I care. And yes, I know that some people seem like they’re “genuinely kind.”
Some even get labelled as literal saints and shit. But as far as I’m concerned, they’re all
creepy as balls. They’ve gotta be hiding something. Or fucking deranged. Either way, they
can go fuck themselves.

There’s no point not living life like you’re the center of the universe. You do what you
want because it’s for you. The point of life is to satisfy yourself and your own fucking ego.
That’s why I decided to live with everyone. And that’s why I decided to tie the knot with
Lefi. It was all for me. And only me. Because I’m a self-centred piece of shit.

It’s precisely ‘cause I’m so selfish that I don’t want to see the people around me, the
people I think of as a part of *my* world, get hurt. I don’t really know when I started
thinking of Nell that way, but whatever. Apparently, I fucking do, and that’s what fucking
matters.

In a sense, one could say that I really did act in a manner befitting a demon lord. I
literally forced things to bend to my will no matter how unreasonable said will was.

“I’m going to kill every last one of you,” I glared at the men around me as I hissed at
them. “But before I do, I’m going to have you do me a favour and suffer. Because fuck
you. All of you.”

I pulled a dagger out of my inventory, filled its magic circuit with a near excessive
amount of mana, and turned towards the man I had thrown. He was a bit of a funny
sight to behold. He was ordering everyone to kill me, shouting at the top of his lungs
in a fit of rage. After chucking the weapon at his feet, I immediately flapped my wings
and took off. I made sure to gain a good bit of distance before turning to check whether
or not the dagger had ended up getting stuck in the ground.

It wasn’t like I was being careless. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Unlike the fiends,
who knew nothing of what I had done, I had merely taken a necessary step in order to
ensure my own safety.
Thinking that I had opted to run as opposed to fight, they began shouting angrily. Or
at least they tried. Their rage was soon replaced by suffering, suffering I had injected
straight into their worthless brains.

“W-What’s going on!? What the hell!? Oh god! Oh god, no! No! No!!”

“It hurts! It hurts! My arms! My legs! The blood! It hurts! Stop it, stop it! Please, stop
it! Stop pumping blood! Stop beating!”

“Why!? Why are they staring at me! My eyes! They won’t stop staring at me! They won’t
go away!”

At first, it only affected those near the dagger. Their companions regarded them with
looks of confusion, but they too soon came to understand. Because, soon, they too
found themselves sucked into my spell. Incoherent screaming spread through the
crowd. Its members grew terrified of spectres that never existed. Some writhed
around on the ground and flailed their limbs like madmen. Others clawed away at
their own chests and dug out their own hearts. Yet another group stuck their fingers
into their eye sockets and gouged out their own oculi.

They shrieked in agony and howled for release, but those that had failed to die only
continued to suffer. There was no release. Not for them.

The dagger I had thrown was one made of mythril, one engraved with the spell that
Enchant had unlocked upon reaching its final level: Nightmare. Nightmare was a
brutal, inhumane spell that would engulf a large area and destroy the minds of those
that lay within with a series of horrifying, soul-consuming hallucinations.

Hellscape was the only term that could even begin to describe the scenes they were
shown, and not even that was enough to encompass the full extent of the dread that I
had inflicted upon them. It was only natural. Nightmare had come hand in hand with
a level ten skill. Level ten skills were so powerful that they could only be described as
god-like in nature; the power they represented could no longer be thought of as that
of mere mortals. Of course, such an abstract description was unnecessary in the face
of the results it wrought.

The most terrifying part about Nightmare was that it would feed off of the person it
was affecting. It would fuel itself with their magical energies and force the illusions it
created to persist until they were drained dry. And it did it slowly. The spell made sure
its targets suffer for what seemed like an eternity. Those that bore through it without
killing themselves would often wind up brain dead. They became invalid vegetables
incapable of function. That said, it wasn’t as if it was impossible to remain sane even
in the face of the spell’s horrors. Some were able to endure without losing themselves
to the madness. But without mana, there was little that they could do. As far as combat
was concerned, they were just as crippled as every other unfortunate survivor.

While it was about as effective as effective could get, Nightmare wasn’t without its
downsides. Mythril was literally the worst metal that anything enchanted with
Nightmare could be made out of, and it only barely managed to make the threshold
because it happened to be especially magically conductive. No inferior metal could
stand the sheer amount of magical energy required to activate the circuit. Anything
worse than mythril would literally melt. That said, it wasn’t as if mythril itself was that
much better off. A single use of Nightmare was enough to destroy the mythril blade
that functioned as its catalyst. It was possible to milk a few extra casts of the spell out
of something made up of a rarer material, but it wasn’t worth it. The weapon would
eventually end up turning into a pile of mush anyway. And since the price of metal
grew exponentially in relation to how precious it was, mythril weapons actually ended
up having the best cost/cast ratio.

All in all, casting the spell was ridiculously expensive. I only had a few Nightmare-
infused daggers on hand, and I considered them one of my trump cards. Honestly,
using one here was a waste. Oh well, totally worth it. Fuck these shitheads.

After spending a good chunk of time loitering around in midair and watching just
about everyone suffer, I realized that the spell had begun wearing off. Most of the
retards affected had already died. The few that hadn’t lay sprawled on the ground with
all sorts of bodily fluids covering them and their surroundings. Once they realized that
they could finally move again, they promptly raised their weapons and slit their own
throats, one after another. Only one of them had survived my house of horrors and
retained the will to live. Unlike the others, he was slowly crawling away, desperately
trying his best to escape.

I recognized him. He was the first to react to my arrival, the dumbfuck that had barked
commands and bitched at everyone else. Huh. Wow, turns out he’s got balls. Here I was
thinking he was some sorta pussy. Well, works for me. Hell, this is perfect. I’ve been
looking for a few answers anyway. Might as well have him “cooperate” before I finish
him.
After looking at the dagger and confirming that it had turned into a puddle of junk, I
decided to let gravity take control. I plummeted back towards the earth and landed
right in front of him. The action dashed his hopes; he squealed like a piglet the moment
he saw me.

His response led me to grin. I knew that the smirk on my face was a sinister one. In
fact, I was willing to bet that, if there had been a third party watching over the
situation, they would have thought of me as malice incarnate. “Hey, asshole, y’miss
me? I heard you were heading out for a bit. Mind if I tag along?”
“Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready!? The first long awaited semi-final match is
about to begin!” The master of ceremonies’ statements led the crowd to go wild. Their
zealous cheers were filled with a fiery fervor. “In one corner, we have this year’s most
arrogant man, a fearless fighter who’s shown us that his insults are backed by pure
power! Ypsiloooooonnn!”

Although the crowd was roaring, I remained silent. Not a word left my mouth as I made
my way centre stage.

“And in the other corner, we have a man with limbs as elastic as rubber, a man capable
of attacking from every direction without even the slightest warning, a man that has
clawed his way through to the semi-finals with nothing but trickery and deception! I
give you… Mejaaaaaaaaaaaagrrryyyyy!”

Opposite me entered a man with limbs I could only label absurd. His legs were as long
as the Nile, but not even they stood out as much as his arms. They were just that
bizarre. He had an extra elbow where his wrist was supposed to be, and it looked like
it was probably double-jointed. The fact that half his face was shrouded by a veil made
out of linen only contributed to his creepiness.

I knew who he was, but not because I had ever met or seen him. The only reason I
recognized him was because the king had described his features to me in detail ahead
of time; he was one of the contestants that I was supposed to be wary of.

“What the hell did you do?” He greeted me with an oddly high pitched giggle. “I got
asked to do someone a favour and kick your ass. And it was a formal request too.” I
stayed silent. I didn’t bother answering him. It didn’t take long for him to realize, so he
ended up sighing and shrugging in disappointment. “You’re really ruining the fun for
me, you know that? Oh well, whatever. I was planning to kick your ass either way!”

“Let the match… begin!”

The moment the gong rang was the moment I moved. I kicked off with all the force I
could muster and swung Enne, who was still sheathed, at his face.

My movements were so fast that he probably thought I had teleported. Adding to that
effect was the lack of precedence. I had never done anything even remotely close to
charging in right off the bat. The combination of my speed and his lack of readiness
threw him off. That said, daddy long legs hadn’t made it all the way to the semis
because he was lucky. He proved that he was more than just a weakling by getting his
shit together and throwing up a quick guard.

His reaction came late, so his guard ended up being more committed than it otherwise
would have been. As such, he wasn’t able to do anything about me lowering my blade
and intentionally throwing off its trajectory in order to exploit a hole in his defense.

Enne’s sheath drilled itself into his still-open torso and sent him flying into a wall
outside the arena’s bounds. And that was it. He was unconscious. His body slid to the
ground as his mind was shrouded in darkness.

“T-The battle is over! The winner is Ypsilooooooooooon!” The crowd went wild as the
master of ceremonies announced my victory. They seemed to find my display exciting
despite the fact that the battle had only lasted for an instant.

On a normal day, I would have turned around and made my way off stage. But today
wasn’t a normal day. I had long decided that I was going to stay right where I was even
after I finished beating my opponent. Because frankly, I wasn’t here for him to begin
with. I simply didn’t have the time to waste on him or any other punk.

That was why I ignored both the crowd and the tournament’s staff. I grabbed the
sword that daddy long legs never drew, reeled back, and launched it like a javelin. Its
blade rattled as it spun through the air. But its course stayed true. It continued to fly
straight towards the cocky douchewad that the fiends called their chief.

Both the emcee and the audience gasped in surprise, but carrot top didn’t. He
remained calm as he shifted his head to the side and avoided the attack. In fact, he
didn’t break posture. He kept his face propped up with a fist all the way through.

The way the blade impaled the fancy looking chair he was sitting in proved that the
attack would have been fatal had it landed.

That was why the audience froze. Their eyes were stuck to me like glue. But I ignored
them. I continued to focus my gaze on the asshole I was after as I balled my hand into
a fist with my thumb sticking out, turned it upside down, and lowered it.

It was a challenge, a series of actions that could not have possibly been interpreted as
anything else. I was telling him to get his ass into the arena so I could whoop it.

Even I knew that my actions were unforgivable. In my last life, they would have led to
a swift and immediate arrest. And while this world wasn’t the world that I was born
in, its ruleset wasn’t all that different. I wouldn’t have been surprised to discover that
the fiends already had a guillotine with my name on it. If they were human.

This, however, was the demon realm, where might made right. Rather than condemning
my crimes, the demons welcomed them.

“What pride! What hubris! Can you believe this man!? Of all people to challenge,
Ypsilon has challenged Lord Gojim to a fight! What bravery! It appears that he truly
knows no fear, ladies and gentlemen!” The emcee started screaming excitedly. And the
crowd followed suit.

“Gojim! Gojim! Gojim! Gojim!”

They began chanting fuckface’s name over and over again. It was only a few people at
first, but their hype spread like a plague and soon infected the entire audience. I was
well aware that they just wanted to see their boss kick the shit out of the cocky,
disrespectful insurgent that had challenged him. They wanted him to turn me into a
bloody corpse. But that was fine.

Because it meant that they wanted the fight to happen. That was what mattered.

Carrot top couldn’t back out. Not when this many people were urging him to take me
down. Refusing to get on stage would only make him seem like a pathetic weakling.
And even if it didn’t, the blackhearted schemer I had as my ally would make sure that
it ended up that way. I knew for a fact that he would be more than happy to publicly
shame and defame his political rival. If he backed down, then rumours of his
cowardice were sure to spread throughout the demon realm like wildfire.

His only other choice was to do as I wished and fight me like a man. Come on dude,
hurry up already, goddammit. Get the fuck down here so I can tear out your fucking
spine!
 ◊◊◊

“Gojim! Gojim! Gojim! Gojim!”

“Idiots, the lot of them.” Gojim, the chief of the fiends, scoffed as the demon realm’s
people called his name.

“You must not accept, chief! I have no idea what he is plotting, but there is no sense in
needlessly putting yourself in harm’s way!”

“I know,” snorted the chief. He pulled the sword from his seat without rising to his feet
and chucked it back into the arena.

Gojim was well aware that the man that had challenged him was dangerous. The way
he fought had proven that he was amongst the mightiest of warriors. Even though he
had been doing his best to hold back. Never once had the mysterious masked entity
gone all out. He had almost seemed to treat the tournament like a game. He was
fighting for sport and doing his utmost to use as little strength as possible in order to
avoid killing the other contestants. There was no doubt in Gojim’s mind that he would
be many, many times stronger in a real fight, a duel to the death with no holds barred.
Because the reports he had received from his subordinates had already confirmed it
as fact.

“Wow, Gojim. Planning on running away already?” said Phynar. The king had a huge
grin on his face. He wasn’t even trying to hide it.

“Is this another one of your silly schemes?”

“Not this time, no. I’m just about as surprised as you are.” The king laughed. “He sure
is an interesting one, isn’t he?”

Like Gojim, Phynar had been more or less blindsided by Yuki’s sudden declaration.
That said, it wasn’t as if he had been caught completely off guard. His men had long
informed him that Yuki had been seething with rage ever since he had returned from
wherever he had gone during the day. The king hadn’t seen the extent of Yuki’s
bloodlust for himself, but he had more or less determined that the mercenary he had
hired would end up doing something. That said, he still wished that he would have
been informed of Yuki’s decision ahead of time. It would have allowed him to devise a
more concrete plan of action. Still, it wasn’t as if he was losing anything. Phynar was
sure to gain from the scenario that had unfolded regardless; another card had been
added to his hand.

“Well, you’re free to run away with your tail tucked between your legs if you’d like,”
said the king. “I’m sure a pampered, sheltered princess like you would hate getting
hurt, huh?”

“Hah! You think that I would run from a challenge? Nonsense!”

“C-Chief, please do not engage in this act of foolishness!”

His aide’s call fell on deaf ears; Gojim had fallen for the taunt. He got to his feet, shook
off the man that was desperately trying to stop him, and leapt onto the stage.
My eyes narrowed as I watched Carrot Top leap from his seat. Oh, thank god. He’s
actually manning up and getting his fucking ass down here.

We stared each other down. His landing was accompanied by a brief moment of
silence—one that was interrupted by an explosion. The blast was violent. Dust, smoke,
and floor scattered into the air. So powerful was the magical landmine, the trap I had
set for him, that the audience felt the urge to scream. And yet, much to my annoyance,
he survived.

“Your petty tricks will not affect me.” The soulless ginger spoke in a haughty, self-
important tone, one that made me want to slug him as hard as I could.

I had at least wanted to hurt him, even if it was just a bit. But as the debris cleared, it
revealed that my attack had done literally nothing besides cover him in dust. Yeah, I
figured. I’ve already shown him that one, so he probably saw it coming a mile away.

“Petty tricks? What are you, retarded? Can’t you tell the difference between an attack
and a greeting?”

“You are nothing but a mangy, feral mutt. Snapping at me is the only thing you know
how to do. And Phynar is equally pathetic. He’s such a terrible king he can’t even keep
his own subordinates on their leashes,” humphed Carrot Top. “Speaking of subordinates,
it seems you’ve done quite the number on mine.”

Oh, would you look at that? He already knows. Huh, weird. I could’ve sworn I had all the
assholes I fought reincarnated as fertilizer. I guess I must’ve missed one or something.
The only alternative I could think of was that someone had found their corpses
alongside some sort of evidence linking me to their untimely demises. Oh well,
whatever. It’s not like I give a fuck. I wasn’t really planning on feigning innocence anyway.

“Oh, that? Yeah, that was me. You know, you’re talking shit, but it kinda seems like you
don’t really have all that much control over your men either. All I needed to do was
fuck ‘em up a bit, and they started talking my ear off. They went ahead and told me
everything. You know, about the people who orchestrated the attack, their reasons,
and even all the shit you guys were planning.” I drew Enne as I jeered.

Naturally, I was just taunting him. The truth of the matter was that there was only one
guy that talked, and he had been pretty damned tight lipped—at least until I pulled
out another dagger and threatened to make him hallucinate all over again. Apparently,
not even he was willing to sit through a second set of nightmares, hence why he opted
to switch from remaining in defiance to lecturing me about the fiends’ plans. Of course,
I paid him back in kind for his cooperation. I made sure to help him along and have
him join his men in reincarnating as a lump of dirt.

My words served their purpose. They irked him so much that his expression finally
began to break. The cocky mask he wore wavered as his face twitched in anger.

“Was an itty bitty comment really all it took to get on your nerves? Wow, aren’t you
sensitive?” I said. “I mean, I don’t know if you know yet, so I guess I’mma point it out
just in case. That little shit-eating grin you’ve got there is starting to get all messed up,
dude. You might wanna have it checked. I mean, come on. All I’m really talking about
is a trusted agent stabbing you in the back and telling me everything I could have
possibly wanted to know. It really shouldn’t be getting your panties in a knot. And even
if it does, it’s not like it’s my fault. It’s kinda yours. You really need to work on the whole
discipline thing. But you know, it’s okay. I understand. I know it’s hard for a nitwit like
you to get your shit together.”

“I do not need yo—”

The moment he started talking was the moment I attacked. I kicked off the ground,
charged right at him, and swung Enne. All while ignoring everything that came out of
his mouth. Though he was confused, he avoided the attack with a backwards leap. The
swiftness and grace that accompanied the action almost seemed out of place given his
hulking frame.

“Do you have any intention of listening to me?” His voice came out in a low growl. His
eyes narrowed and the veins in his forehead buldged as the blood rushed to his head.
He was angry, but he managed to stop himself short of exploding. “It was my turn to
speak.”

“Turns? You wanted to take turns? Bitch, please. If you wanna sit down in a circle and
take turns jerking off, then you can go find yourself someone more ‘sophisticated.’”
It immediately became clear to me that Carrot Top had little exposure to the steps that
needed to be taken in order to annoy others. Woooow. Someone’s clearly never passed
third grade.

“I almost can’t believe it. You’re just as unpleasant as Phynar is.” Carrot Top heaved a
deep sigh. “Fine. If you’re so desperate for a fight that you’re willing to waste your own
time annoying me, I suppose I might as well oblige.”

A fierce grin appeared on his face as he thrusted an arm out in front of him. Copious
amounts of mana gathered around his open palm and came together to take the shape
of a greatsword. It was a massive weapon. I had no doubt that it would be able to cleave
a man in half with a single swing. Crimson vein-like structures ran along the side of its
sinister blade, a blade that almost seemed darker than black itself. Shapewise, it
almost seemed to resemble Hasai, the weapon I had used before getting my hands on
Enne. That said, it seemed much, much stronger, especially when given its nature.

“Oh, great, a magic blade.”

Status Skills
Name: Tortund Ruin Self Repair VI
Race: Magic Blade ???
Quality: Immeasurable ???
Attack: 1644
Durability: 1330 Titles
MP: 2428 Intelligent Weapon
Bringer of Death
Unique Skills Bringer of Destruction
Telepathy ???
???
???

Description: Tortund Ruin is a blade known as disaster incarnate. It brings in its wake
death and destruction. Those that face it know no hope, and those that wield it are
doomed to a life filled with conflict and strife. This weapon has the tendency to rob its
wielder of their sanity in exchange for a momentous boost to their stats.
The weapon’s sinister aura resembled Enne’s. More specifically, the old Enne’s.
Analyze had told me a lot about it, but even without it, I would have known that Carrot
Top’s blade was cursed. And powerful. Extremely. Powerful. Seeing its stats had only
served to further the point.

That was why I was surprised to see that it was fully under his control. It seemed to
have submitted to him in spite of its overinflated numbers.

He took a one-handed stance as he raised before smirking in contentment.

“I’m surprised you could tell,” said the ginger. “It has been screaming incessantly ever
since I drew it.” He suddenly accelerated as he put his foot on the ground and broke
into a dash. “For your blood!”

The distance between us vanished in the blink of an eye. Because I moved too.

I met the heavy horizontal slash that he delivered the moment I stepped into his range
with a full forced swing of my own. It was a head-on clash, a violent confrontation from
which only the strongest would come out on top.
Our blades sang. A high pitched ring as loud as a literal explosion resounded through
the stadium. His attack bore all the weight of an 18-wheeler. My arm felt like it had
been hit by a literal truck. The sensation pulsed up the extended limb, worked its way
through my body, and eventually channeled itself into the ground below. And yet, I
stayed firm.

So excessive was the wind pressure generated by the impact that our clothes began to
tear.

Neither of us were able to bear it for much longer. We ended up getting pushed back
at the exact same time. The fuck!? He’s as strong as I am!?

Killing the Douchelord had provided me with a drastic boost to all my stats. And since
then, I had always assumed that I would have an easy time overpowering anything
that didn’t inhabit the Wicked Forest. And yet, here I was was dueling someone
capable of meeting my attacks head on. I mean, sure, strength isn’t exactly my highest
stat, but I’ve still got like 3k. That’s not counting the buffs I get from Enne either. How
the actual fuck are we going even!?

It wasn’t as if I was getting all full of myself. I didn’t have my ass on a high horse, and I
wasn’t what I would call conceited. That said, I was still well aware of the fact that my
strength stat was a whole order of magnitude higher than the norm. Being matched in
a contest of raw power was the last thing I had expected—especially since even the
sword saint had done his best to avoid a head-on clash.

I knew that, like me, he had a weapon that boosted his stats, but even so, I immediately
came to understand that Carrot Top himself was a genuine, undeniable powerhouse.
And apparently, the understanding was mutual.

“You can deflect my blows? Consider me impressed!” The ginger swiveled around and
delivered a diagonal slash as he shouted. It was a downwards smash, one that made
full use of centrifugal force to bolster its weight. Under normal circumstances, I would
have dodged it. But I couldn’t. Not because I was trapped. But because I felt obligated
not to back down in the face of his violence. Relenting was no different from admitting
that he was better than me, the thought of which irked me to no end.

That was why I lowered my stance, dug my feet into the ground, and used Enne to
deliver a powerful, rising slash.
Again, we clashed. And again, raw strength was pit against brute force.

We continued to be repelled in tandem. Both of us kept getting blown away by the

force of the impact at the exact same time. Still, we continued. We both refused to back
down and continued to engage in a series of clashes honest and telegraphed to the
point of stupidity.

Though we were doing nothing but smashing our weapons against each other, the
crowd had gone wild. They cheered and jeered at the top of their lungs. But neither of
us thought anything of it. We were too focused on crushing each other, on defeating
the foe whose power we had recognized.

While I had claimed that the battle was straight forward, I was obviously far too
underhanded to leave it that way by choice. The only reason I wasn’t using my spells
to cheat was because I couldn’t. I had tried casting several, but every single one had
failed to activate. Magic just refused to work. I could channel my mana the same way I
normally could, but my spells would peter out the moment I tried to construct them.
Is one of his skills messing with my ability to cast? Seems like it. Hell, that’s probably the
same thing that stopped me from analyzing him. It’s probably also why the mine he
stepped on didn’t do jack shit. Wait. Why is it that I can analyze his weapon, then? Is that
‘cause some sort of loophole…? Ehhhh, whatever, fuck it. I’ll think about it later. Brooding
isn’t going to do me any good in the middle of a fight. Especially since I can’t see myself
figuring it out.

“It is quite unfortunate that you can’t cast any of your spells, isn’t it?” He flashed the
cockiest of grins as he spoke.

“The fuck are you talking about?” I played him off by staying cool. “I don’t even need
magic to crush a shithead like you.”

It wasn’t as if his skill made him untouchable. The fact that he hadn’t used any sort of
magic despite having plenty of opportunities to cast proved that his defenses came
with some sort of limitation or drawback. But again, I wasn’t all that keen on figuring
it out. I had already decided that I was going to crush him with nothing but physical
force alone.

That was why I emulated the old butler. When our next clash happened, I ever so
slightly shifted the point of impact. The change caused his blade to slide along Enne
as opposed to meeting her head-on, and thereby threw him off balance.
“Take this, numbnuts!” I took his lack of steadiness as an opportunity to step forward,
take a hand off Enne, and slug him in the jaw. He tanked it well. He managed to plant
his feet and stop himself from falling over, but the blow was far too heavy for him to
simply endure. The momentum caused him to kick up a cloud of dust as he slid back
several meters.

“You okay, Enne?” I raised a voice in concern. I’d smashed her against his blade on
more than just a few occasions.

“…Mhm. I won’t lose.” The reaction I got out of her was one I could only think of as
unusual. She was giving off an aura of competitiveness. She seemed like she was raring
to go for a second round.

Seeing me speak to my weapon caused Carrot Top to laugh. “I see I’m not the only one
with a cursed weapon.”

“Cursed? Cursed? Bitch please, what do you mean, ‘cursed?’ Enne’s the sweetest thing
that this world has to offer. You can take your stupid assumptions and shove ‘em ten
feet up your ass.”

“Well, whatever the case, I say we should have ourselves a bit of a contest. Let’s see
which of our weapons reigns superior.” He rubbed his jaw with one of his hands as he
spoke and took up another stance with his blade before suddenly lowering his stance
and clicking his tongue. All the fight had drained from him in an instant.

“Now!”

Dozens upon dozens of guards charged onto the stage, led by none other than Carrot
Top’s bitch boy, the man that had been standing behind him when he was up in the
box reserved only for the most important of VIPs.

They stood between us to break up the fight. But that said, their treatment of us was
clearly unequal. Every single guard was facing me. They were holding large riot shields
and attempting to surround me in order to prevent me from launching any more
attacks.

“God damn it! Get out of my way!”

Naturally, I fought them off. I relied on punches and kicks in order to brute force my
way through, but it didn’t work. They kept getting back on the stage and rejoining the
encirclement every single time I sent them flying through the air. Under normal
circumstances, making use of the third dimension would have been my solution of
choice. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. Some of the guards were airborne and
working to stop me from doing exactly that. Ughhhhh. I’m not going to be able to get
through unless I kill them. Hmmm… Should I? I mean, I could… Hell, it’d be pretty easy,
but… I probably shouldn’t.

If I was alone, I probably would have followed through on that exact thought. I would
have brutally murdered every single member of the security force in cold blood. It
wasn’t my moral compass that was stopping me from following through, but rather,
Enne. I didn’t want to expose her to excessive violence or carnage. I didn’t want her to
think murder was normal. Okay, and I know what you’re saying. Blah blah blah, weapon,
used to kill people, blah blah. You kill monsters and shit all the time, blah. Yeah, I know.
But you see, it’s just not the same. The guards aren’t trying to kill me. They’re not enemies
I’ve sworn to kill, and they’re not mindless monsters out to get me either. They’re just
average people stuck in an unfortunate line of work. I don’t want to stain her with their
blood, nor expose her to senseless, unjustified violence. She’s my daughter. I’m not about
to put her through that. No good father would. I guess that means it’s time for magic.
Ooooorrr, at least it would be if I could actually fucking using it!

“What the fuck! Get over here, you pussy!”

“We will not be able to freely swing our swords with this many guards around,” said
Carrot Top. “Don’t worry. I am sure we will have another chance to finish this battle
some other time.”

He grinned wide enough to put his fangs on display as he put his sword back into
wherever he had taken it from, turned around, and walked away.

“Chief! How are your wounds!?”

“I am fine. I wasn’t wounded,” said the redhead. “What have I told you about getting in
the way of my battles? You better be prepared for the consequences.”

“I am willing to accept whatever punishment you wish, chief, but please do bear in
mind that I acted out of concern for your safety.”

“…I cannot deny that,” grumbled Carrot Top. “Fine. You’re right. You’ve done well.
While I would have liked for our duel to last much longer, I suppose I’ve fought him for
long enough to appease the crowd.”

“Shit! What the hell! Get the fuck back here! You won’t! Fucking limpdick!” I practically
screamed at him, but Carrot Top ignored me. He didn’t bother so much as even
acknowledging my words. He simply continued to leave with his aide in tow. Fuck! This
motherfucker’s getting away! If only I could use the dungeon’s powers! Arghhh!
I found myself at the bar the day after I gave Gojim the metaphorical finger. Naturally,
picking a fight with him had gotten me disqualified from the tournament and kicked
out of the arena. Speaking of the tourney, they’re probably off doing the finals or
whatever right now, huh? Rip my shot at first place.

There wasn’t much I could say in my defence. I deserved getting the boot, and probably
much more. Picking a fight with one of the country’s most important people, and in
public at that, wasn’t exactly what I would call my best idea. Thinking about things
more rationally, I came to realize that killing him in the presence of so many was far
from practical. His presence apparently nullified my ability to cast spells, which meant
the battle would have been long, drawn-out, and much closer than I would have
wanted it to be. His guards had basically been guaranteed to step in before I could
finish him. Wait, what if I used Sovereign Pressure and just KO’d them all like I did in the
prelims? It’s a skill, so it functions differently from spells and whatnot, so it might not
have gotten cancelled. Errr, wait, no, I’m stupid. Who am I kidding? All it really does is
bash my mana into everyone else’s. It basically works the exact same way a spell does.
Yeah, it’d probably get nullified too. God damn it!

Man, I can’t help but think that I could’ve roughed him up a bit more if I played my cards
differently. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk. It’s not like I know exactly how strong
he is either since I can’t analyze him and whatnot. Yeah, fuck it. I’mma just stop thinking
about it.

Cutting off my inner monologue, I turned my focus back towards the old butler-cum-
swordsman sitting across from me. We were at the bar that Nell and I had visited and
in the midst of a brief meeting. Though we were the only two talking, my two
companions, Enne and Leila, were both also present.

“Wherever did the hero wind up?” asked the old man.

“Don’t worry, she’s safe. I ended up having to do a bit of fighting and didn’t want her
caught up in it, so I had her head over to my place.” I said. “Sorry if that messes with
your plans or whatever.”
“Please don’t worry about it. Her safety is much more important than whatever plans
we had,” he said with a firm nod. “Does that mean you live nearby?”

“Uhhh, not really? It’s actually pretty far, but I can assure you that it’s about as safe as
safe gets.”

“I presume that means you made use of a spell or item that manipulates spacetime?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Something like that.”

We were safe to discuss whatever we wished without resorting to speaking in hushed

tones, and not because the bar was loud enough to ensure that we wouldn’t be
overheard. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. The place was more or less empty and
devoid of other customers.

“Whatever the case, you’ve done me a truly unforgettable favour. Thank you.” The
butler furrowed his brows as his expression twisted into one filled with regret. “You
were forced to step in because I was unable to help her when she needed it most.”

“Hey, relax. Don’t beat yourself up over it. It wasn’t really your fault. Just a case of bad
timing.” My lips twisted into a bit of a wry grin.

The only way I could really describe everything that had occurred was to call it a series
of unfortunate events. Apparently, the butler and I were tasked with the exact same
duty. That is, both of us had entered the tournament to prove our strengths. In his case,
he had to demonstrate that humans were deserved recognition, that they too could be
true warriors worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with demonkind’s finest. He
was going to function as their race’s face while Nell ran around behind the scenes
recruiting allies. Unfortunately, splitting up their party had led to trouble on both ends.
He had been stuck in a match against me whilst Nell found herself fighting for her life.

As someone that was not exactly completely involved in everything that was going on
behind the scenes, I hadn’t known all that much as to exactly what Nell was involved
in. That said, a certain black-clothed agent had been more than willing to tell me all
that I needed to know. According to him, it had all been nothing short of a coincidence.

He had simply been preparing to dismantle the wingbearers. They were too powerful
to be left to their own devices. As all their advances and offers had all resulted in
failure, the fiends had judged that the wingbearers were unlikely to join them. Their
prudence led them to decide that they should crush the tribe before it could become
one of their enemies’ allies.

His plan was perfect. He had found a man on the inside, and through him, spread the
fiends’ influence. The two of them managed to create an entire faction willing to fight
for fiendish ideals. The stage was set. So they attacked. If all went according to plan,
the wingbearers would have fallen overnight and been reborn as a group willing to
listen to the fiends’ every whim. But their scheme was torn apart. By Nell. Her
presence had been a bolt from the blue. They hadn’t accounted for her. Not her might,
nor the fact that she would resist them until the moment she drew her last breath. The
hero had not only singlehandedly prevented him from following through on his
genocide, but also nearly destroyed his unit.

Total failure was on the horizon. The only saving grace was the fact that the assault
did ultimately diminish the wingbearers’ power as a faction. Still, the operation had
not been worth the cost. They lost far too many, especially given that I had effectively
wiped out all that remained. Moreover, the remaining wingbearers now found
themselves amongst those that antagonized the fiends. They were under the king’s
umbrella now. He had promised them their safety in exchange for their cooperation.
And they had gratefully complied. I mean, I didn’t really bother doing anything more
than just shooting them a glance or two, but their stats seemed pretty high. I’m sure Mr.
Black Hearted Demon King over there’ll be able to put them to good us—er, cooperate
with them. Yeah, that.

“So what’re your plans looking like? You know, with how things have changed and
whatnot,” I asked.

“I will be remaining in the demon realm and act alongside the two of our companions
that you have yet to meet. Mekina and Ronia will be returning to their homelands in
order to report on the status quo. I believe that they may very well have already left,
as they asked me to thank you for them in the case that we met.”

Wow. There were a whole six of them? Wasn’t really expecting that.

“They did? Well uh, in that case, give ‘em my regards, I guess.”

“I will do exactly that,” said the old butler. His kind, cheerful tone vanished not too long
after the words left his mouth. He replaced his smile with an expression as serious as
serious could be. “Again, Yuki, I must thank you for what you have done. You have done
nothing but give us unconditional assistance. Please, please let me know if there is
anything that I can do for you. I am past my prime and unable to accomplish as much
as I would have been able to in my youth, but I am willing to dedicate my all to repaying
you for your kindness. Your wish is my command, good sir.”

“Dude, chill,” I said. “Look man, I only did what I felt like doing. It was all for me. You
really don’t owe me jack.”

“Your intent changes nothing,” said the old man. “In the end, you still took my place
and protected those that I was duty-bound but unable to. My debt to you is a fact, and
it is one I cannot allow myself not to repay.”

I had the feeling that he wasn’t about to drop the subject regardless of what I said or
did. There didn’t really seem to be any point in fighting the old mule in a battle of
obstinance, so I decided to think through my options. After a brief pause, I slowly
opened my mouth and voiced the best suggestion that had come to mind.

“Well, how about this, old-timer? Once you’re done with all this mission stuff, and
whatnot, how about you teach me how to use a sword?”

“A sword, you say?”

“Yeah. I can’t really figure out why, but me and swords just don’t really mesh well. I’ve
got plenty of dex, but I just can’t figure it out. I’m planning on heading home for now,
so it’ll obviously have to wait. But since you and Nell are working together, I figure
we’ll probably see each other again eventually.”

“Hmmm…” the old man pondered for a moment. “The numbers that go with one’s
status values are just a rough estimate. They are not necessarily accurate. Everyone
has their strengths and weaknesses, and status values often fail to account for them.
Very well, I would be glad to teach you swordplay should the chance ever arise.”

“Thanks man, appreciate it. I’ve been wanting to get better at handling her, you see, so
not knowing how to use a sword’s been a bit of a pain in the ass for quite some time
now.” I gave the girl in my lap a pat on the head as I spoke.
She didn’t offer much of a response, and not because of her taciturn nature. Enne was
simply too busy shoveling meat into her mouth to speak. As far as I was concerned,
her actions were justified. The food here is pretty damn good, after all.

“I’ve already seen the process myself, and yet, I still find it difficult to believe that she
is your weapon’s incarnation. How truly bizarre…” he muttered.

After a brief pause, the sword girl caught onto the fact that she was being stared at, so
she stuck her fork through a chunk of meat and pushed it towards the old butler. “You
can have a piece. But only one.”

Her actions prompted him to chuckle in a way that only kind old men could. “Thank
you little lady, but please don’t mind me and enjoy your meal.”

“Mind your manners, Enne. Holding up a piece of meat like that is rude,” said Leila.

“…Okay.”

The sheep girl’s scolding led Enne to bring the fork back from its extended position
and pop it into her mouth. All while the butler watched over her with a gentle smile.

◊◊◊

The last stop we made that day was the demon king’s throne room. I found myself
standing in front of him with both my companions in tow.

“Yeah, so uh, my bad. I kinda got myself disqualified without telling you what I was
going to do.”

“That’s okay!” he said with a smile. “There’s no need to worry. You’ve already gone
above and beyond anyway. We got much more done than we were expecting to.”

While his tone sounded cheerful and boyish, I could tell that there was much more
than just that to it. In fact, I almost felt as if I had caught a glimpse of the sinister,
scheming nature that lay beneath his happy-go-lucky mask. I could already tell that he
had done many a thing behind the scenes. And that was why I couldn’t help but force
a bit of a smile.

While I had no idea as to exactly what the demon realm’s king had accomplished, I was
at least cultured enough to imagine it. My suspicions seemed to lead towards one of
three possibilities: crushing enemy strongholds, planting double agents in positions
of power, and creating internal conflicts. Or maybe even all three. Who knows?

According to the king, all anyone needed to do to be recognized as a fiend was to declare
that they were one. As such, infiltration was easy. Or at least that’s what the king’s been
saying, but he seems pretty smart when it comes to plotting shit behind people’s backs,
so I kinda doubt I can just take his word for it.

Whatever the case, the king’s subordinates had managed a series of achievements
while the enemy was too focused on me to stop them. They were still at an undeniable
disadvantage given their lack of numbers, but the king was happy nonetheless, as he
had apparently sown the seeds for the future.

“Oh right, why didn’t you warn me about the old human dude I had to fight? He was
tough as nails.”

“He was? I thought you won pretty easily. He didn’t even scratch you.”

Yeah, I mean, nothing I can say to that, but it’s about the sentiment! Seriously! Like, if
he’s not strong, then who is? He was definitely the toughest guy there by a long shot.

“To be honest, I didn’t think he would be that strong,” said Phynar. “It seems that
humans really aren’t to be underestimated after all.”

“Yeah, I really could’ve used a warning, goddammit. He caught me hella off guard.”

“I’m sorry,” said the demon king with a heartfelt laugh. “Right, are you sure you didn’t
need to be seen off?”

“I can pretty much get home instantly, so yeah, I’m good. Sorry about half-assing
everything, especially seeing how you paid me in full anyway.”

“I’m just paying you what I think you’re worth. You’ve already gone the extra mile,
after all. All I really wanted, this time around, was for you to enter the tournament.
Besides, you will be returning, won’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly satisfied with leaving things how they are right now either.”

Carrot Top wasn’t someone I could simply leave be. He was an enemy of mine, through
and through, and I had every intention of stabbing him in the face. That said, I had
already been away from the dungeon for a rather extended period of time. I was
feeling kinda worried, so I decided to head back for a bit before settling things once
and for all.

“I take it you’ll be willing to help me out again when the time comes?” asked Phynar.
“I’m sure you’d be plenty interested after seeing how much I’m paying, right?”

“Oh, so that’s why I’m getting paid so much. You and your goddamn schemes.”

“I would rather you call it ingenuity.”

The two of us grinned at each other.

“Well, Yuki, girls, I hope to see you again,” said Phynar.

“Yeah, see ya,” I said. “And you too, Haloria. Thanks for showing us around and stuff.”

“Thank you very much for your hospitality. Be well, Haloria,” said Leila.

“Bye,” said Enne.

“I’m very glad to have been of service!” said Haloria. For some odd reason, she was
starting to tear up. “Farewell, everyone.”

With smiles on our faces, Leila, Enne, and I departed from the demon king’s castle.
“Well girls? It’s time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the festivities!” I spoke in a cheerful
tone as I walked through Regighihegg’s streets with Enne and Leila in tow. The first of
the two girls was walking by my side with her hand in mine, while the other trailed a
few steps behind us in a manner reminiscent of a guardian.

My bright demeanour stemmed from two sources. The first was the fact that the city
had gone into holiday mode. You could practically feel the festive spirit oozing off its
citizens as they happily strolled about. Now that I had completed the preliminaries, I
too could join them in enjoying the celebration that was Destia Trome.

The second contributor to my mood was my wallet. Or rather, the wallet that the
demon king had lent me. It was loaded, which meant that, by proxy, I was too. I could
splurge on anything I wanted, and I wouldn’t be losing a cent. Free shit best shit.

“Let me know if you see anything that catches your eye, Enne. You can have anything
you want.”

“Anything?”

“Yeah, anything!”

She stopped for a moment to scan her surroundings before knitting her brows. “I can’t
pick. There are too many options.”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself, My Lord.” An exasperated smile surfaced on Leila’s

face.

“That’s ‘cause I am,” I said. “I mean, why not, right? The whole point of an event like
this is to have fun, so I’m doing exactly that.”

Destia Trome was the first celebratory event Enne had ever experienced. I wanted her
to enjoy it. I wanted to turn it into something she’d remember for years to come. Yeah,
that! I’m totally not just dicking around ‘cause I wanna have fun. Ahahahaha…
Man, I kinda regret not bringing everyone. I really want all the other kids to be able to
experience this kinda thing too. I know it’s probably not the safest thing, but it’s honestly
not really all that dangerous either. It seems safe enough around here for me to not be
on edge about something happening to them. And having Lefi around would pretty much
guarantee that everyone ends up just fine. Now that I think about it, maybe I was just
being a bit too overprotective. Ehhh… nah. Things were getting pretty hairy with those
bandits when we were still on our way over. They were launching arrows at us, so who
knows what could’ve happened. Yeah, fuck it, I was right the first time. Having fun is
important, but safety comes first. Plus, everything falls apart with the whole Lefi not
wanting to come thing. Not having her around makes things a lot more dangerous. Why
didn’t she want to come anyway? She said something about it being a case of bad timing
and whatnot, but is that even really a thing? Like, what does bad timing even mean when
all she does is laze around all day in the first place?

“Oh forget it. I’ll just ask her when I get back.” I muttered under my breath in a low
tone before turning back towards Enne. “So? You see anything you want?”

“I want to try that.”

The sword girl pointed towards a stall that seemed extremely popular with children
in particular. Dozens of the little buggers were gathered around it and screaming with
delight as they shot magical bullets at targets that looked like soft, glowing balls of
energy.

“What is that anyway…?”

“That would be a popular carnival game, My Lord,” said Leila. “It requires two types of
enchanted items. The first employs illusion magic to create targets, while the second
fires low power projectiles. It costs very little to set up, so you often see at least one at
every major event.”

Her description led me to recall the shooting range-like carnival games that we had
back on earth. Is it just me, or does this world’s version actually look a hella lot better?
The targets move, and the whole thing seems all bright and flashy ‘cause of all the magic.
It looks way more interesting than the old cork guns we were stuck with. Damn. And here
I was thinking that my old world’s tech would always come out on top. TIL not to look
down on this world’s tech advancements.

“Sounds good. Whaddya say we give it a shot?”

“Mhm!” Enne nodded as she started walking in the shooting range’s direction.

◊◊◊

The afternoon came and went. Enne, Leila, and I enjoyed the festivities to our heart’s
content. We basically participated in everything that caught our attention. It was an
eventful day for sure, but apparently, it was far from over.

“L-Leila!? Is that really you, Leila!?”

An unfamiliar voice prompted all three of us to turn around right as we began

contemplating dinner.

“I-It really is you! You were ok!? I’m so glad!”

The voice’s source was a girl with goat horns. The robe she wore was about as loose
as robes got, and yet, it did nothing to save her from giving off the impression that she
was tiny. She was only the slightest bit taller than Enne. If I was to slap a grade on her,
I would have said she was somewhere between seven and nine. She was too old to be
in primary school, but she didn’t quite look big enough to be in her mid or late teens
just yet.

The most notable thing about her wasn’t the fact that her horns kind of looked like
Leila’s, nor the fact that she was too small for her oversized robe, but rather, her
expression. Her jaw had dropped to the point where I thought it might be unhinged.
Her eyes were so focused on Leila’s face that I suspected they might have started firing
lasers.

“It’s good to see you again too, Emyu.” The dungeon’s resident demon girl replied in
her usual, nonchalant manner. Unlike the other girl, she didn’t come anywhere close
to overreacting.
“Someone you know? I can already tell she seems pretty attached to you.”

“Yes. She is something along the lines of a sister to me. I used to tutor her when I
worked in the demon realm.”

Something along the lines of a sister…? I guess that means they’re close, but not actually
related? I see… so that probably means she’s like her protege or something.

The girl she had called Emyu almost seemed to be overcome with emotion. She began
running over with tears in her eyes—only to come to a sudden stop the moment she
realized that Leila wasn’t alone.

“W-Wait, you have a daughter!? When did that happen!?” Her eyes practically popped
out of their sockets. “And why are you dressed like a servant!?”

Evidently, she had mistaken Enne for Leila’s daughter and overreacted as a result.

“Alright, let’s just calm down.” I understood that she was confused and overwhelmed
by all sorts of different emotions, so I spoke in as gentle a tone as I could manage in
order to avoid putting her on guard. “Take a deep breath a—”

“H-How dare you! You couldn’t just stop at stealing her chastity! You had to humiliate
her by dressing her up as a maidservant of all things and forcing her to attend to you!
What sort of cruel, sadistic pervert are you!?”

“Hey Leila? You mind doing something about her? This uh… ‘sister’ of yours seems to
be having a bit of an aneurysm.”

“I’m sorry, My Lord, but there isn’t much to be done. Unfortunately Emyu happens to
have an overactive imagination.”

Yeaaaah… I can kinda see that.

“W-Wait, why is he a Demon Lord!? What’s something as horrible as a labyrinth’s

overlord doing in the middle of town!?” She took a few quick steps back as her wariness
shot through the roof.

The way she reacted to each and every little thing was a trait that I found endearing in
its own right. The impression I got from her was very much akin to the kind you’d
normally get from a kitten.
“Wait, you can tell?” I cocked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, that reminds me, you could tell
back when we first met too, right, Leila? Is it really that obvious? I always assumed no
one knew, but I’m starting to feel like I might’ve been walking around with my fly down
the whole time.”

“Our race happens to be especially well attuned to detecting that sort of thing, and
we’re inherently skilled in analyzing our findings.”

Huh… That’s weird. Now that I think about it, Leila certainly has always seemed
abnormally sharp. Doesn’t look like it’s being caused by a skill either. After a bit of
internal banter, I reached the conclusion that Emyu likely shared Leila’s acuity and left
it at that. Though uh, looks like she’s a biiiiiiit lacking on the analysis front. Maybe she’s
just outta practice?

“O-Oh no! I get it now! He must have worked you to the bone and forced you to abide
by his every whim no matter how tired or humiliated you were! And then, when night
came, he must have dragged you off to his bedroom and made you attend to his desires
all night long even though you were already completely drained by the grueling work
he put you through during the day! That’s just horrible! I’m so sorry, Leila! I’m so sorry
you had to go through all that!”

Bruh. Hold up. Is it just me, or is she going further into the deep end? Oh, and in case any
of you were starting to doubt me, I am NOT a registered sex offender. Clapping cheeks
without consent isn’t my thing. Just saying.

“…Excuse me. You’re wrong.” Enne stepped forward to come to my defence.

“W-what do you want? This has nothing to do with you!” stuttered shortstuff.

“I’m Enne. That’s my Master,” she pointed at me before shifting her finger in Leila’s
direction. “Leila’s our friend. She’s not my mother.”

“Really…? So you’re not Leila and the Demon Lord’s kid?”

“No. I’m not. And Master doesn’t do mean things like that.”

Enne linked arms with me for emphasis as she nodded. Oh man, just look at her! Her
expression hasn’t changed at all. Totally adorable/10.

“That’s not possible! Demon lords don’t have a shred of intelligence! They’re basically
incarnations of lust and stupidity, and the only thing they ever do is abide by their
most primal desires! There’s absolutely no way that anything that brainless could
possibly keep its loins in check in the face of Leila’s beauty!”

Alright, let’s get a few things straight. Yes, Leila is literally one of the hottest girls I’ve
ever seen in both my lives. Like shit, she turns heads. Like. Lots of them. I’ll admit, if I
didn’t know her and I happened to pass her by, I’d probably turn around and stare.
Because let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want a piece of that ass? Anyway, back on topic.
Yes, Leila’s hot as fuck. Yes, I pretty much do whatever the hell I want. But that doesn’t
mean me doing her is going to happen. ‘Cause uh, yeah. That sounds like an idea that
would get Lefi to set me on fire and almost turn me into a pile of ash before tearing me
limb from limb, and burying my disembodied corpse somewhere deep in the Wicked
Forest. Yeah, uh, no. I kinda don’t want to never be seen or heard of again, so I’mma keep
my dick to myself, thank you very much.

One thought prompted by the contemplation of Leila’s beauty was that all of the
dungeon’s girls were in fact top tier. Each was more than attractive enough to make
even supermodels shy away in shame. Maybe we should start an idol group. Might as
well have ‘em function as a unit and compete for the top spot. I could be their producer,
and we could spend our days struggling through the melodrama we call life…

“Mmmrph…” Enne puffed out her cheeks. “Master isn’t like that.”

“She’s right, Emyu. You’re being terribly rude,” said Leila. “I’m serving him of my own
free will in order to repay him for his kindness.”

“N-Not you too, Leila!”

I shook off the delusion I was having and started paying attention to the conversation
again, only to realize that the sheep-horned girl was scolding the other.

“I see…” she stuttered apologetically. “I’m sorry. I always assumed that all demon lords
were evil and stupid. That was really rude of me.”

Wow. She pretty much apologized the moment she realized she was in the wrong. Colour
me impressed. People as sincere as her are pretty hard to come by.

“Don’t worry about it, short stuff. I get it, you were just worried about her.”

“I’m sorry for all the troub—wait! Did you just call me short!? How dare you! I knew
it, I knew demon lords and intellectuals could never get along! We were doomed to be
mortal enemies from the very start!” she screamed. “I’m not short! I’m just not fully
grown yet! I’m going to look just like Leila one day! I’m going to be just as tall, and my
chest is going to be just as big!”

“…Mmrph. Master’s enemies are my enemies.”

“Fine! Bring it on! I’ll destroy anyone that sides with the likes of a demon lord!”

Emyu’s body tensed up in a manner reminiscent of a hissing cat while Enne took up a
stance with a non-existent blade.

As the situation was both amusing and bizarre, my lips twisted into a bit of an
exasperated smile.

“Alright you two. Rein it in. It’s time for dinner, so how about we go grab ourselves
something to eat?”
It was getting a bit late, so Enne, Leila, her sister, and I decided to grab a bite as we
talked. We found ourselves a table at a nice, outdoor, patio-like picnic area as soon as
we finished raiding the area’s stalls and buying everything we felt the urge to consume.
Naturally, what followed was an overdue explanation. Leila briefly went over her
experiences outside the demon realm as the other girl nibbled at this world’s
equivalent of grilled corn on the cob.

“So that’s what happened…” Emyu’s eyes opened wide as her beloved “sister” wrapped
up her tale.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get in touch. You must have been terribly worried,” said Leila.

“T-that’s okay! I know that what you went through was much, much worse…” stuttered
the younger demon. “Does that mean you won’t be coming back to the institution
anymore?”

“I will not. The institution is too bor—stagnant. The institution is too much of a self-
contained environment. There are not enough chances for us to gain new experiences
or learn new things. It is not the type of place that will inspire you to come up with
any sort of breakthrough. That would be why I’m planning to stay with My Lord for
the foreseeable future.”

I heard that. She tried to cover it up, but I heard her loud and clear. She totally just
complained that it was boring. You know, that’s actually pretty rare. Leila isn’t usually
the type to let her thoughts leak like that. Though, now that I think about it, she’s actually
pretty bold and assertive. I can’t believe I never actually noticed.

“Okay! I’ll save you the trouble of visiting and make sure I tell the naggy old hag that
you’re not coming back!”

”Thank you very much, Emyu,” giggled Leila. A warm, affectionate expression surfaced
as she gently ran her fingers through the other girl’s hair. Observing their interactions
led me to understand why Leila had always seemed so good at looking after the
dungeon’s younger residents. Taking care of Emyu had given her plenty of experience
with kids.

“Wait, so you’re not even going back to visit? You sure?” I asked. “Don’t you need to
see your family and whatnot? I’m sure they’re worried about you.”

We never really spoke about it, so I didn’t know much about Leila’s family situation,
but I felt that there had to have been someone that had lost sleep over her sudden
disappearance, even if said person wasn’t related to her by blood. Her interactions
with Emyu led me to believe that her people were a part of a tight-knit community.
Yeahhhh… They’d probably really appreciate if she stopped by, even if just to say hi.

“There’s really no need,” said Leila. “Since time immemorial, we sheep-horned demons
have always gone wherever our interests have taken us. We are driven to explore the
world by none other than our own thirst for knowledge.”

“So what you’re saying is that it’s normal for people to just suddenly poof one day and
never come back?”

“Precisely, My Lord. Emyu is still quite young, so she will likely remain in the village
for several years to come, but I expect that she too will likely set out once she comes
of age,” said Leila. “Besides, if there is anyone that needs to visit their homes, it would
be Lyuu.”

“Wait, what?” Why’d she suddenly bring up Ms. Useless?

“I believe she was captured the moment she ran away from home. Her parents must
be terribly worried.”

“Seriously? She ran away from home? I had no idea…”

“…Right. I just remembered that I promised her I wouldn’t tell you.” Leila averted her
gaze and brought a hand to her mouth. She clearly recognized that she had messed up.

Dude. Seriously!? Lyuu ran away from home!? Actually, now that she mentions it, I do
vaguely recall her saying something about people telling her not to leave… Hmmm…

“Yeah, uh yeah… I guess I should probably have her head home for a bit, huh?”

“She told me not to tell you, so I don’t think she wants to, but I do agree that speaking
to her about it would be for the best.”

“Yeah, I’mma do just that once we get home.”

Like, let’s just consider how her parents feel for a moment. Their daughter ran away from
home and totally vanished, only to end up working as a maid for some random guy they
know nothing about. Yeaaaaahhhh… If I was her dad, I’d probably want to strangle me.
She should probably go home and tell them that she’s okay before time makes things
even worse.

“Okay, fine! You may be a demon lord, but I’ll still at least acknowledge the fact that
you saved Leila! Thank you very much for that! But don’t let me thanking you get to
your head! You’re not off the hook just yet! I swear, if you ever break her heart, I’m
going to murder you in your sleep! Don’t ever forget that!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But uh, more importantly, I think you might want to mind your
hands. The sauce on your skewer is kinda dripping all over the place.”

“It is…? Oh no, it is! My robe! My robe!! It’s gotten so filthy!”

The sauce her corncob was covered in had begun dribbling all over the place the
moment she stopped paying attention to it.

“Oh Emyu, you never change,” said Leila. “Hold still.”

The older sheep-horned girl began wiping off her younger counterpart with a
handkerchief as she sighed in a clear expression of exasperation.

“I can wipe it off myself! I’m not that much of a kid anymore!”

“Actions speak louder than words, Emyu. If you would like me not to fuss over you,
then you will have to make it such that I no longer need to.”

I couldn’t help but break into a hearty laugh. Leila had a point, and a pretty good one
at that.

“Curse you, Demon Lord!”

“Don’t be so rude, Emyu. He has a name,” scolded Leila. “It would be best for you to
refer to him as Lord Yuki.”
“Ugh… fine. I’ll use his stupid name!” she groaned as she spun between Leila and I.
“Cut that out, Yuki! What are you even laughing at!?”

It went without saying that the brat didn’t respect me, not even in the slightest, so she
immediately dropped the title Leila had suggested and referred to me with just my
name.

“Nothing special. Just that you two get along really well,” I chuckled. “Right, Enne?”

“Mhm. They’re just like us.”

“Yeah! Pretty much.”

Did she really just say that? Hnnnng. Enne really is just the sweetest little thing, ain’t
she? I immediately decided to give the adorable creature sitting next to me a series of
headpats.

“So just what are you doing in the capital, Emyu?” asked Leila.

“Watching the tournament, of course! This year’s tournament looks like it’s shaping
up to be even more impressive than usual! One of the contestants blew away everyone
else in his preliminary round with just a roar! It was so incredible! I couldn’t really get
a good look at him because I was seated really far away, and because he had a mask
on, but I’m sure he’s got to be someone amazing! I really respect him!”

“Uh huh…”

I twitched a few times as I forced a smile. The girl’s eyes were sparkling. I wonder how
she’d react if I told her that I was the guy under the mask the whole time. Heh.

“Did you come all this way by yourself?”

“I did, but it’s okay! The old crow made me a couple talismans before sending me on
my way.”

Emyu rummaged through her robes, produced a series of paper tags, and showed
them to her worried-sounding sister. I let my curiosity get the better of me and analyzed
them immediately.
Name: Talisman of Retaliation

Grade: A+

Description: This item will automatically initiate a counterattack that inflicts twice
the amount of damage inflicted upon its bearer if its bearer is subject to an attack. This
item is owned by Emyu. If any other individual attempts to touch it, they will be dealt
a fatal wound.

Name: Talisman of Detection

Grade: A+

Description: This item automatically informs its bearer in the case that a hostile
entity appears within a certain distance. This item is owned by Emyu. If any other
individual attempts to touch it, they will be dealt a fatal wound.

Name: Scapegoat Talisman

Grade: A+

Description: This talisman nullifies up to three instances of fatal damage. This item
is owned by Emyu. If any other individual attempts to touch it, they will be dealt a fatal
wound.

Wow. Uh, just, wow. Looking at her gear, I understood that it certainly was relatively
safe for her to go out on a journey, even without a chaperone or guardian.

“Seeing that you have the headmistress’ talismans certainly does give me peace of
mind,” said Leila. “We will be staying in the castle for the next few days. If anything
happens, make sure you look for us immediately.”
“The castle? Okay. Wait, the castle!? The castle that the king lives in!?”

“Precisely. My Lord is here in the capital at the king’s request, and as such we’ve been
staying in his castle.”

“Y-Yuki’s important enough to be summoned by the king!?”

“Finally ready to see me in a different light?”

I flashed a boyish grin, one she didn’t react well to. The sheep-horned child immediately
humphed and turned to face away from me.

“G-Getting summoned by the king doesn’t really mean all that much at all! It doesn’t
change the fact that you’re not worthy of Leila! If you really want her, then you’ll have
to get at least as strong as the guy with the mask!”

“Sounds tough,” I chuckled and played along as I took another bite out of a skewer of
meat. “I guess I’ve gotta make sure I put more effort into my training.”

Dinner continued to play out in a similar vein. We chatted and ate and ate and chatted
the night away. Until we were interrupted, of course.

“Hey Furrend! I didn’t think I would be seeing mew around here!”

I turned in the direction that the familiar-sounding voice had come from—only to spot
a pair of cat-like ears, ears that belonged to an adventurer we had shared a ride with.

“Oh, hey Naiya. What’s up?” I asked. “And what happened to the two buddies you were
with?”

“We’re taking a bit of a paws from work today so we can attend to our purrsonal
business. We may be good friends, but that doesn’t mean we have to stick together
litterally all the time.”

Yeah, figures.

“Did you ever end up going to the guild? I told the staff to let me know if a guy like
mew ever showed up, but every time I asked, they said that they were absolutely
pawsitive that they had never seen you, or any other guy with a kit.” She wrapped her
arms around my neck and leaned into the back of my head as she spoke.
Though a sweet, feminine scent wafted off her body, I managed to stay firm and
unaffected by temptation. Naiya was like Lefi and Lyuu in the sense that she was about
as flat as a board, so I had no problem keeping myself in check. I know what you’re
thinking, but p l s. I’m not about to lose to temptation *every* time. Though I probably
would’ve if she used her ears instead. Hnnng. Those ears. That’s why you gotta stop
glaring at me like that, Enne! It’s okay! Just chill, I got this.

As Naiya had mentioned it, my thoughts ended up drifting towards the demon realm’s
adventurers’ guild. Honestly, it was a pretty nice place. The building was fairly large,
and it had been bustling with noise and energy. But that was it. There was nothing
special about it. It had been no different from any other client-facing government
office. The humans’ guild had been so much more interesting than the demons’ that I
ended up turning tail and leaving the moment I stepped into the latter.

“Yeaahhh… I went, but I basically ended up ditching the moment I stepped inside. It
was so plain and boring that I couldn’t stand it.”

“Fur real!? I can totally see mew doing just that!” She broke into a fit of hearty laughter.
“It certainly is a bit of a bore. How about this, if you want to have fun? What do you say
that mew and I spent some clawlity time alone together?”

“No! Bad!” Enne latched onto my arm before I could even reply.

“H-How dare you! You’re such a jerk! You can’t just cheat on Leila like that!” Next to
speak was Emyu, whose face had turned as red as a tomato. Hahaha. She’s so innocent.

“That’s right, Master. You have me, too. No cheating. Bad.”

“Uhh… Enne, I’m pretty sure that doesn’t mean what you think it does. Because what
you just said has some uh, crazy implications. Plus, this is all just a misunderstanding.
I have no intention of being unfaithful.”

“But you looked like you were going to grin,” protested Enne.

“N-Now hold up, I can tell you that is definitely not the case! At least not this time
around!”

Evidently, Naiya found the way I panicked hilarious, as she immediately broke into yet
another roaring cackle.
“It looks like you’re just as pawpular as usual, huh? You’ve got girls furmidably glaring
at mew from all directions!”

“You say that, but this whole situation is entirely your fault.”

I gave her a bit of an indignant stare before coughing and bringing the conversation
back on track.

“Right, anyway, sorry. I really appreciate the invitation, but I don’t really have the time
for anything like that. And I’d probably still say no even if I did. My wife would literally
murder me if she ever found out, and she’s got an abnormally sharp nose, so she’ll find
out right away.”

“Aww, that’s too bad. Oh well, you can furget about it. It was just a joke anyway, since I
don’t really have all that time on my paws either.”

“…Can you not? That kinda joke’ll end up getting me lynched one day.”

“Nope! Teasing mew is really fun, Yuki. The way mew react is always just hissterical!”

I’m pretty sure that’s the first time anyone’s ever told me that… That can’t be right. Can
it…?

“No. Bad Naiya. I won’t give you Master.”

“That’s too bad,” she said with a laugh. “Well, I’ve really gotta go now! See ya later,
Catanova!”

The cat girl let go of my neck, gave Enne a couple pats on the head, and winked at me
one last time before vanishing into the crowd.

“Man… that chick came and went like a friggin’ storm.” I said.

“She certainly does do wonders for the mood. The atmosphere appears much more
relaxing with her around,” said Leila.

“Uhhhh… relaxing? Really…? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure that isn’t what I’d call that.”

“Geez, Master. You always cheat. Right when I take my eyes off you,” said Enne.
“What an unfaithful man!” shouted Emyu. “I knew demon lords were driven by their
loins! There’s no way I could possibly leave Leila in the hands of a sex offender like
him!”

“You guys have given me so much to say that I don’t even know where I’m supposed to
start,” I grumbled. “But most importantly, dinner’s going to get cold if you guys spend
all your time chatting, so how about we focus on that for now?”

Once we finished our meal, we escorted Leila’s sister back to the inn she was staying
at and said our goodbyes. At that particular moment, I had no idea that she and I would
end up reuniting at the most unexpected of times.
Darkness had descended upon the city. The sun had long hidden itself away beneath
the horizon and left the moon in its place. Try as it would, the moon simply couldn’t
provide the world beneath it with the sun’s energy or radiance.

While the lack of light was certainly a contributing factor, it was not the only reason
that the command centre was so hard to spot. The fiends had intentionally constructed
it in a manner that would keep it out of sight; it was sandwiched between a series of
larger buildings and designed to be as inconspicuous as any secret hideout should.
And yet, it had been discovered.

“T-there are four in total, two by the door, and two standing by on the roof.” One of the
three individuals staring down the building’s entrance nervously stuttered out a
report. A glance was all that was needed to know that she, Vische, was the most
inexperienced of the bunch, for though they stood in front of her, both her companions
were far less conspicuous.

The first almost seemed to be one with the night itself. Though he stood out in the
open, he was effectively impossible to see. The other was a little more cautious. He
made sure to move from shadow to shadow as he slowly crept towards his destination.
Vische was nowhere near as skilled as either. Still, it wasn’t as if she was simply
standing out in the open either. She managed to keep out of sight despite being as
flustered as could be.

“I can take care of the two on the roof. Can I trust you two to eliminate the others?”

“Certainly, captain,” the man who had been slinking around in the shadows turned to
address the team’s newest member immediately after acknowledging his orders. “You
stay here and keep watch, Vische. I’ll take care of the bottom two myself.”

“R-Roger that.”

“Calm down. Vische. You’ll be okay,” said the shadow slinker. “You’ve gone through
more than enough training to handle this. And even if you haven’t, the captain and I
have got your back. You really don’t need to be so nervous.”

“How am I supposed to do that!?” said Vische indignantly. She made sure to keep her
voice as quiet as she could in order to ensure that they weren’t discovered.

“It’ll be a breeze, Vische. Calm down,” said the captain. “Now let’s get started.”

The night itself almost seemed to shudder as he vanished, only to reappear on the roof
as the two guards standing on top of it collapsed. Their execution had been as silent
as it was instant. Not a single sound was made as they met their untimely demise.

Vische’s other companion followed their captain’s lead and also leapt into action. He
dashed straight at the two guards standing out front and slit the first’s throat before
jabbing his dagger into the second’s heart.

Unlike the captain, he wasn’t able to perform perfect, silent kills. Each of the two men
groaned as their lives ended, but he at least managed to catch them before they hit the
ground, eliminating the sound that would have accompanied their collapse.

“They really never fail to impress…” said Vische to no one in particular.

“How are the enemies inside looking?” The man on the roof leapt back down onto the
ground as he posed the question.

“G-give me a second.”

Vische closed her eyes and took a breath before reopening them and staring fixedly at
the building before them.

“There are… 16 of them in total. They haven’t noticed us just yet, but they’re on high
alert.”

“I suppose they would be. We have been raiding their bases quite often as of late.
Where are they positioned?”

“Three of them are in the security station situated right next to the door. There are
four more in a room at the end of the hallway. There’s only one on the second floor.
He’s sleeping in one of the back rooms. The basement has another seven, with four in
the room right by the stairs, and three in the room furthest away.”
“There’s a lot of ‘em. Captain, what do you think?” The dagger wielder frowned as he
turned to his boss for advice.

“It’s fine. They’re too spread out to be a threat. I’ll be going in by myself. Keep Vische
safe while I’m gone.”

“You sure, Captain?”

“Don’t worry. It’s all just another day’s work. I’ll be back in an instant.” He almost
seemed to melt into the night and vanish, leaving only his words behind.

“I-I know I say this almost every time I see it, but the captain’s spells sure are
impressive,” said Vische.

“Yes, yes they are. You can easily see why they call him the king’s right hand man.”
replied the dagger-wielder. “To the fiends, he’s no different from a walking nightmare.
If he shows up at their door, then they’re dead for good. There’s nothing they can do
to end his rampage, and nothing they can do to stop him from showing up. The worst
part is that they’ll be dead before they even realize they’re under attack. The only
choice they have is to tremble in their boots until it’s suddenly all over.”

“I-I’m just glad he’s on our side.”

“Me too, Vische. Me too.”

There wasn’t really much more to be said, so the pair ended up idling in front of the
building until the door eventually creaked open. The man immediately brandished his
dagger and got ready for a fight, but lowered it as quickly as he had raised it once he
realized that the individual exiting the building was none other than the captain they
had been discussing a few minutes prior.

“That was a quick cleanup, captain,” he said.

“G-good work out there, captain!” said Vische.

“Thank you. They weren’t very impressive. This base’s staff was mainly comprised of
thugs,” he said. “That about wraps things up. Let’s go.”

”W-what about the corpses?” asked Vische quietly.

The captain touched one of the nearby bodies the moment Vische opened her mouth.
The moment he did, it disappeared entirely. All the blood and evidence that
accompanied the murder vanished without a trace.

“I’m sorry Vische, I didn’t catch that. What were you saying?”

“U-uhm, it was nothing, Captain, nothing at all.”

“Great. Alright you two, let’s head on back to base.”

◊◊◊

A giggle entered Haloria’s ears as she lay upon her bed. While it wasn’t anything she
found unnatural, it certainly wasn’t something that she heard every day. Curiosity got
the better of her, but she was far too tired to turn onto her side, so she craned her head
and looked at her roommate-cum-coworker.

“You certainly seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Is it really that obvious?” asked Vische, with another giggle.

“Of course. Just how long do you think the two of us have known each other?” Haloria
smiled. “So? What happened.”

“See for yourself!”

Vische thrusted the parchment she was holding onto in the other girl’s direction. At
first glance, it didn’t appear to be any sort of important document. In fact, it was likely
the opposite. The only thing on the page was a sort of bizarre scribble.

“What’s that supposed to be?”

“It’s an autograph! I got it from the guy with the mask, the one our king hired!”

Like Haloria, Vische was a part of the secret service. Her function was to fulfill the
king’s will and enact it throughout the demon realm. That said, unlike many of the
other members, Vische wasn’t exactly what one could call talented when it came to
the art of espionage. She wasn’t particularly powerful. Her talents lay not in sheer
numbers, but rather in the rare special ability she possessed. It was a unique skill, one
called Farsight.
Effectively speaking, Farsight was a combination of clairvoyance and truesight. It
allowed her to perceive any sort of information she wished to see. To Vische, walls
were irrelevant. She could even perceive the quality and quantity of one’s mana.

And for that, King Phynar had recognized her abilities. He had immediately hired her,
put her through the wringer, and paired her with his most trusted retainers. As she
had recently completed the last of her formal training, she had finally been sent on
missions. She had even participated in an attack on an important enemy base.

Using a larger amount of magical energy made it easy for Vische to identify enemies,
even within a crowd. As such, the king had tasked her with exactly that. She had
disguised herself as a member of Destia Trome’s staff and used her position to identify
all of their foes.

That was why she had ended up witnessing the masked man’s battles. And, ultimately
speaking, that was why she had found herself completely captivated. He was powerful,
truly and immensely powerful. She fully understood why King Phynar had gone out of
his way to request his assistance.

The way he flaunted his power was flamboyant. His actions were so needlessly
exaggerated that she felt the need to label him ostentatious. He intentionally took a hit
just so he could demonstrate how much stronger he was than his opponent. And that
wasn’t all. He had insulted said opponent further by stepping all over his face before
taunting the audience. It was ridiculous. He conducted himself in a manner befitting
an incorrigible villain.

And yet, she still found herself fascinated. Because she understood. That wasn’t who
he really was. It was intentional. It was all an act, an act so brilliant, so intentionally
well crafted that she considered it a work of art. She was so enthralled by his
performance that she couldn’t help but ask for his autograph the moment it was her
turn to serve as his guide.

“Uhm… good for you, I guess,” said Haloria in a bit of a confused tone.

“It really is!” Vische grinned. “You worked with him directly, right? What was he like?”

“Hmm… well… I believe the best way to describe him would be to call him an eccentric.”

“E-Eccentric? Why’s that?”

“Everything he did was so bizarre and abnormal that I am not sure how else to
describe him.” Haloria shrugged. “He was exactly what our king was looking for in the
sense that he was truly capable of attracting a copious amount of attention.”

The exhaustion that accompanied Haloria’s description led Vische to chuckle.

Thinking back, she realized that he certainly was exactly as she described. She
understood that the man who fought in the arena was not truly the man behind the
mask. Still, she felt as if he was a far cry from the norm. He was simply different.

“Though, there was one other thing I noticed,” said Haloria. “Being around him was
strangely comforting. I’m not quite sure why, but being in his company felt as if it was
enough to put me at ease.”

“Oh, I know what you mean!” said Vische. “I think that’s just a property of his magical
energy. It’s really calming, and it was radiating off of him the whole time.”

Looking at him with Farsight had informed Vische that the man behind the mask
wasn’t nearly as exaggerated and aggressive as his battles had implied. The aura that
stemmed from his body was much more soothing than it was aggressive and showy.
Though the amount of magic he had was ridiculous, seeing it hadn’t intimidated her.
In fact, it had the exact opposite effect. His mana was so warm and mellow that she
had felt the urge to continue gazing into it for as long as she could.

Farsight told no falsehoods. The only thing it relayed to her was the undeniable truth.
The essence that made up his being was one of positivity. Her understanding of that
side of him was the only reason a girl as timid as herself was able to approach him
without recoiling in terror.

“I suppose that must be the case if you’re the one saying it,” said Haloria. “I think that
is enough chatting for one night. We both have to get up early tomorrow, and we’re far
too overworked to waste what little time we have to rest.”

“Right. Good night, Haloria.”

“Good night, Vische.

With a smile on her face, Vische put out the candle illuminating the room and allowed
herself to drift off into the land of dreams.
“You lied to me!” An angry voice roared throughout the conference room as its owner,
a young male wingbearer, smashed his fist against the table. “Nothing went according
to your plans!”

Wingbearers were typically considered difficult to read given the avian nature of their
visages. This one, however, wasn’t. His fury and indignance were as evident as the
feathers that covered his body.

“You told me that it would be a simple operation! You were supposed to erase
everyone that had gone senile and instate me as the leader of my people! You told me
that it would be easy, but look at you now! A failure! My newfound title is worthless!
If I were a tiger, I would be made of paper. And if I were a wolf, I would be all bark and
no bite! All of my remaining tribesmen have gone and not only escaped, but joined
forces with our enemies! This is not what we agreed on. You lied to me, Nagutt!”

“You’re calling me a liar? You’ve taken the words right out of my mouth.” A man dressed
from head to toe in black, responded with a scoff.

“Nonsense!”

“Nonsense? Your report stated that the wingbearers’ only allies were a group of weak,
insignificant humans. Did it not cross your mind that a hero would be worth
mentioning? You failed to so much as warn us. It’s only natural that we were
unprepared. To make matters worse, you didn’t even so much as try to investigate her
allegiances. The hero’s efforts and the masked man’s interference cost me half my
subordinates.” The tone Nagutt spoke with made him sound calm, but he was far from
it. His gaze burned with a righteous fury. Even with his murderous glare aside, his
point was clear. He was blaming the wingbearer, faulting him for the numerous deaths
his incompetence had derived.

“That was entirely their own fault! They wouldn’t have died if they were any less
pathetic!”
“You’re a fool, an ignorant child incapable of comprehending the world around him,”
said Nagutt, coldly. “Your eyes are so useless that you may as well remove them.”

“How dare you!?” The bird man toppled over a chair as rose to his feet in a display of
indignance.

“See? His actions are every bit as childish as I described,” said the man in black with a
look of scorn.

“Cease your bickering immediately, both of you.” It appeared that the situation was
likely to rapidly degenerate, so a third man, Derrivus, stepped into the conversation.
And put a prompt end to the conversation. “Do you not realize that you are before the
chief?”

Derrivus’ voice carried a hint of anger. As the chief’s aide, he had no intention of
allowing his men to humiliate themselves before their idol. And as neither of the two
wished to incur his wrath, they both responded favorably. The man in black bowed his
head submissively, while the wingbearer begrudgingly propped his chair back up and
returned to his seat after twisting his beak in frustration.

“I believe returning to our previous topic of discussion is in order,” said Derrivus.

“Nagutt, how are your forces faring?”

“I’ve lost too many men. I suspect we will be unable to do anything beyond
reconnaissance.”

“And what of the hero?”

“We couldn’t find her corpse, so I suspect she escaped. We assume that the man in the
mask had come to her rescue.”

Derrivus stopped to contemplate the possibilities as opposed to replying immediately.

And as such, another individual used the opportunity to step in and have one of their
questions addressed.

“There is just one thing I want to ask you.” The voice was quiet, and as it was muffled
by the jet black suit of full metal armour that the speaker was covered in, it was
impossible to discern its owner’s sex. Likewise, their mannerisms were equally hard
to read. They had remained silent with their arms crossed throughout the conference.
“Is this mysterious masked man truly as strong as you’ve made him sound?”
“He is,” said Derrivus confidently. “He single-handedly eliminated half of Nagutt’s
black ops team and was able to match our chief in a contest of strength the very next
day.”

“Excellent,” chuckled the suit of armour.

“You really don’t ever change.” The chief’s aide put on a bit of a sardonic smile before
turning to another individual seated at the table. “Have your investigations borne any
fruit?”

“We were unable to pinpoint his identity, but we have at least narrowed it down. It
seems that he is most likely one of four individuals.”

“Elaborate.”

The head of the investigations took a deep breath before heeding Derrivus’ order and
explaining his findings. “Our first candidate is one of the king’s most well known
operatives, Lunogill, the Silent Assassin. While there certainly can be an argument
made for his identity, we lacked the evidence to conclude that it was him, so we began
expanding our list. As we did, we realized that Shanadia, the blademaster sworn to
Phynar’s demihuman allies, and the dragonewt warrior in his service, J’nadelle, both
appeared equally likely. Our final candidate is a dungeon master named Yuki.
Unfortunately, we were unable to procure evidence that affirmed any of our suspicions
regardless of the candidate.”

“I see your point. The Silent Assassin, the Blademaster, and the warrior certainly all
do appear as likely candidates.” Derrivus furrowed his brows. “There is one name that
I am not familiar with. Who is this… Yuki?”

“He is the demon lord that interfered with our plot to seal Allysia’s fate. He is known
for wearing masks and making use of a long, sword-like weapon. Truth be told, he is
the least likely of our candidates.”

“And why is that? Your description of him perfectly matches the description of the man
our chief fought.”

“Yuki is a demon lord. He rules a labyrinth, a dungeon. Dungeon masters are tied to
their cores, and they must defend them at all costs. If that alone is not enough to
convince you that he is the least likely candidate, then I would like to make mention
of his dungeon’s location. It lies deep within the Wicked Forest’s depths.”
“…So it lays near where the legendary Supreme Dragon annihilated our black-scaled
ally?” He smiled bitterly; his expression almost seemed to reek of distaste.

“The Wicked Forest’s inner sanctum is a dangerous place, and it would still be one
even without the Supreme Dragon’s presence. The monsters that inhabit it are 2 to 3
times more powerful than those that do not. I sent several of my best men to
investigate the area, but not a single one of them has ever returned. I believe it’s safe
to conclude that he has no intention of leaving the area given that his core is in a
perpetual state of danger.”

“That appears contradictory. Did you not just say that he was in Allysia?”

“With all due respect sir, I would like to remind you of the fact that the Wicked Forest
is far closer to the Allysian Kingdom than it is the Demon Realm. Our grasp on his
abilities appears to indicate that he would be able to make his way to the kingdom in
a matter of hours. Travelling to the demon realm, however, would require him several
days of effort. And that, sir, does not even account for the extended stay that would
have to accompany participating in the event.”

“I certainly do see your point. It simply would not make sense for the lord of a
labyrinth to abandon his domain,” Derrivus muttered. “His identity aside, the man
behind the mask is sure to become a major obstacle. Let us exercise due diligence and
further our efforts t—”

“Leave him be.”

The aide’s words were refuted by none other than the very master he served. Gojim,
who had silently remained in the seat of honour with his face propped up by a fist, had
finally spoken.

While Phynar certainly did know a lot about the fiends, there was one thing that he
had been wrong about. While Gojim’s subordinates certainly did do their best to
follow his orders to the letter, they did know how to think for themselves. Carrying out
the chief’s orders was a rare occasion to all.

Gojim was a figurehead, but not one that went unrespected. To those that served him,
his words were their will. But he gave so few orders that they were essentially left to
their own devices. For Gojim, the average day consisted of allowing his subordinates
to do whatever they pleased. The only time he ever made important decisions was
when he absolutely had to, like when the man in the mask had pressured him into a
public duel.

It wasn’t as if he was irresponsible. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. Gojim

understood that fighting was all he was good at. The only thing he could possibly do
for his people was stand as their champion in combat. Needlessly sticking his nose
into his subordinates’ realms of expertise would do nothing but hinder them and
worsen the end result. That was why the chief did nothing, nothing but sit around,
wait for his subordinates to report to him, and bear the weight of their actions on his
shoulders.

He played his role as chief well. The charismatic aura he carried was so powerful and
domineering that others naturally flocked to him and sought to be placed under his
wing.

“A-are you sure, chief?” stuttered Derrivus.

“He’s already retreated from the public eye. I doubt he will be bothering us for some
time to come,” said Gojim. “We have more important things to do than digging up his
whereabouts. He’s sure to show up on his own in due time. We may as well set him
aside until it’s absolutely necessary that he be dealt with.”

“…If that is your will.” Derrivus didn’t look happy with the decision, but he
acknowledged his orders and accepted them. “Is there anything else you wanted to
say, chief?”

“I suppose I did want to say one thing.” The lord of the fiends spoke in a slow,
deliberate manner. “Our plans have been inhibited. We had thought of Destia Trome
as an opportunity. And yet, we found ourselves weaker than we were before it. Phynar
has attacked our fortresses and raided our facilities. We have been able to do nothing
to stop him. Our plans are in need of revision. It is necessary that we carefully
scrutinize each and determine its value. Do not overlook anything. Consider every
fundamental aspect.”

The entire room was silent. Every individual present was listening to Gojim’s speech
with full attention.

“The obstacle in our path is but trivial in the face of our goals. Nothing has changed.
We will continue to follow our creed. We must.”
His words were soft, but heavy. He spoke quietly, but each word dripped with passion
as thick as honey; the fervor that drove him spread throughout the conference room
and ensnared those that heard his voice. None could stay calm. Each individual’s chest
was soon filled with passion.

“For those who have fallen, we must not stop. We must never stop. It is our duty to
carry out their will and see our ambitions through. We must march on. For conquest.”

“For conquest!”

Voices echoed through the room as every individual repeated the chief’s final words.
The situation had appeared to indicate that they were at an all time low. And yet, their
hearts soared as high as the sky. Because they knew. It was time to work. It was time
for them to exhaust every last fibre of their beings in order to achieve the goal—the
dream—that they had always chased.
【 】
The feeling that came over me as my body was deconstructed was bizarre to say the
least. I was still conscious even after being disassembled; I was well aware of the fact
that everything had gone dark. A few moments later, I experienced the exact opposite
sensation. My body was rebuilt from the ground up. My eyes regained their function,
albeit gradually, to reveal that I had returned to the true throne room. My trip to the
demon realm had become a thing of the past.

I wasn’t using my own warp crystal. Mine had ultimately ended up in Nell’s hands as
a result of a series of poorly timed coincidences. Fortunately, we had a spare. Enne
didn’t need one in weapon form, so I had her assume it, borrowed her handy-dandy
teleportation device, and beamed the both of us right back to the dungeon.

“Oh my…” My companion, Leila, voiced her surprise right as my eyes finished
adjusting. She was well justified in doing so. The first thing we had perceived upon our
return was the hero.

The half-naked hero.

She had gone stiff. Witnessing us warp in had left her so surprised that she had
effectively ended up freezing in time. Well then… Looks like someone was in the middle
of grabbing a change of clothes.

Our timing was bad, but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. She was, at the very least,
not fully naked; her bottom was covered by a pair of pajamas. The same, however,
couldn’t be said for her top. The only thing that was hiding her chest from sight was
the arm she had held in front of it. Her skin, tanned by the sun, almost seemed to glow
under the dungeon’s artificial lights. Wait, I recognize those PJs. I’m pretty sure they’re
Lyuu’s.

“…”

The only thing that followed Leila’s comment was silence. Neither I or any of the girls
spoke. We simply stood where we were and engaged in a long, uncomfortable staring
contest. Well then. This is awkward. I should probably say something. Yeah, that’d
probably help break the ice.

Though I tried, attempting to speak didn’t work out, at least not at first. My first few
attempts did nothing but make me look like I was trying to mime a goldfish. My brain
had yet to finish processing the situation at hand; it was stuck in a loop. A good mental
kick or two managed to remedy the problem, however, as I eventually managed to
drop the fish act and squeeze out a greeting.

“You know, it’s kinda hard to tell when you’ve actually got clothes on, but you’ve got a
pretty nice pair of tits.”

“Stop staring at me already, you pervert!”

I was about to say something snarky, something along the lines of ‘Pervert? Where?
What pervert?’ but sadly, I didn’t end up having the chance. My expression had
apparently revealed my intentions, as my face soon found itself greeted by her fist.

The sudden sucker punch caught me completely off guard and almost immediately
robbed me of my consciousness. The last thing I remembered before passing out was
groaning as I flew into one of the dungeon’s walls. Shit… I probably… shouldn’t have…
said that…

◊◊◊

“I trust you understand the reason for which I have demanded your repentance?”

Upon regaining consciousness, my swollen face and I soon found ourselves in the
middle of the hall that was the true throne room. Lefi had demanded that I sit in front
of her with my knees forward, my back straight, and my legs tucked under my butt. It
was a traditional, Japanese pose, one that often signified either repentance or discipline.
And in this case, it was apparently supposed to be the former.

I had to comply. The dragon girl wasn’t happy. She seemed to be exuding an imposing,
domineering aura, one that served to indicate that she would not be taking ‘no’ for an
answer under any circumstances whatsoever. She wasn’t the only one either. Illuna
had done her best to emulate the dragon’s pose and aura, as she too stood before me
with her arms crossed. To her other side was Nell, who, like the others, was far from
happy and continued to flash me angry glares one after another. That said, unlike the
other two, she seemed to be feeling a mix of emotions; her cheeks were still tinged a
shade of red from the incident. Is it just me, or has this been happening a lot lately? I
swear, everyone keeps making everything out to be my fault even though it really isn’t.
What the hell, man, what the hell…?

“I believe it has something to do with the lady giving me the death stare, your honour.”
Lefi was effectively acting the part of a judge, so I decided to play along and speak in a
tone much more polite than my usual one.

“I am pleased to know that you do not remain utterly unaware of your misdemeanours.
Now speak, confess the precise details of your sin!”

“I’m sorry, your honour. The issue was that I happened to see her naked.”

“Geez, Yuki, I know it was an accident, but you could’ve at least been a bit more
considerate!” Nell immediately began complaining about my supposed lack of delicacy.

“You are mistaken. I would not have demanded an apology for a matter so trivial.”

“Yeah, Yuki! You heard her! You better be mo—wait, what?”

Lefi’s response caught Nell completely off guard. The hero ended up cutting her own
lecture short with a double-take the moment she finally realized that the two of them
weren’t on the same page.

“My anger stems from the manner in which you have dealt with the opposite sex. It
appalls me to know that you have invited yet another woman into your abode. And
that is but merely half my complaint! I have been informed by both Leila and Enne that
you remained completely unreserved in your interactions with other women. You
continued to seduce them despite my explicit warnings. I cannot believe you! What
part of my instructions have you failed to understand!?”

“O-oh, that’s what you meant… She’s still right, Yuki! You heard her! What’s wrong
with yo—wait a second! Did she just imply I was seduced!?”

Again, Nell hopped on board and began admonishing me, only to do a double-take the
moment she realized that her thoughts differed from the dragon’s. Oh Nell, you derpy
little thing.

“Why do you laugh, Yuki? Do you not understand that I have ordered you to reflect
upon your actions?”

“I’m sorry, ‘your honour,’ I’ll totally ‘carry out my sentence’ or whatever. But first, I’ve
got something I need to say.” I kept up the whole judge facade, but reverted to my
usual, overly-casual tone. I even threw in a bit of sarcasm, just ‘cause.

“And what would that be?”

“So, I’ve kinda got absolutely no memory of doing any of the stuff you’re accusing me
of. Iunno what you’ve heard, but I’m totally innocent.”

“Hah!” She snorted. “A more brazen lie, I’ve never heard. Enne, I call you to the stage.
Provide your testimony at once!”

“Mmk…” The sword girl standing behind Lefi, stepped forward.

She wasn’t really what I would call easy to read. Her expression basically never
changed. But as of late, I had become capable of discerning the subtle differences
between her various emotions. That was why I could tell that, for one reason or
another, she didn’t exactly seem all that happy. In fact, she was very much like the
others in the sense that she too was looking at me like I was some sort of criminal.

“Master was smitten by the girl with cat ears. And the demon with the big chest.”

Big chest? Oh, she must mean the Rouinne chick we met on the coach. It didn’t take me
much effort to recall the girl in question. Unlike most of the other people I’d met, she
was memorable, in part because of her shapely figure, and in part because she was the
type to wear a good bit less than she probably should.

“Behold! A witness present at the scene of the crime speaks against you!” said Lefi.
“There is little more for you to say in the face of such solid evidence!”

“Yeah! There’s no way you could possibly talk your way outta this one!” Again, Illuna
mimicked Lefi; she too raised a hand as if making a declaration. Awwwww. That’s
adorable. What a cutie pie.

“L-Look, I know things are looking pretty bad for me, but just listen. I can explain,” I
said. “You see, that’s just how Enne saw things. It wasn’t how they really were. The
truth is that I’m totally innocent. The whole cat girl thing was driven by curiosity since
I’d never seen anything like her before. And I wasn’t into the girl with tits either!” Of
course, a part of my lack of interest had stemmed from Enne herself. My trusty sword
had always made sure to butt in before I lost control. Like damn, she’s so good at
shutting people down that she’d put Gori to shame. Hell, she could probably even deny
his signature Gorilla Dunk pretty easily if she felt like it.

“Mmrphh…” Enne groaned in dissatisfaction. “Bad master. No lying.”

“Oh come on. I’m not lying. You just had it all wrong. Like come on, why would I go girl
hunting when every bit of love I have to spare is already being eaten up by you girls?
We are family, after all. Besides, I’m already married to the best girl this world has to
offer. There’s no reason for me to ever bother going after anyone else.”

“I-I suppose that certainly is the case.”

“Wow! Thanks! I love you too, Yuki!” giggled Illuna.

“Mhm. Me too,” agreed Enne.

Going on the offensive worked. Illuna and Enne were both struck by a sudden burst of
embarrassment. Lefi had it even worse. She blushed as she began to stammer and trip
over her own words.

“W-wait, girls, stop! Don’t let him trick you! He’s just trying to distract you and make
you forget why you were mad at him!” Unfortunately, the individual I had failed to
include in my appeal had caught onto my plans. Argghhh, I was so close! Damn you,
hero! Curse you and your ability to foil my carefully constructed plans! I bet it’s just cause
I’m a demon lord!

“W-whatever the case, you must endeavour to revise your attitude!” stuttered Lefi. “Y-
you must be more careful in your treatment of the opposite sex!”

“Sure thing, wifey. Will do.” I zoned Lefi’s lecture out and started casually nodding
along as she spoke.

“And as you are my h-husband, it is imperative that you act the part. You must always
carry yourself in a manner befitting that of the Supreme Dragon’s mate should you
leave our lair!”

“Aye aye, wifey. Orders received.”

“It pleases me to know that you are willing to abide by my commands. I would not
mind putting an end to your admonishment so long as you do not forget what I have
said to you today.”

“Roger that, wifey. I got it.”

“Excellent,” said Lefi with a smile. “Then I suppose I have no qualms with you claiming
another bride. Very well. I permit you to take Nell as one of your mates.”

“Thanks, wifey. I’m glad you’re so understa—”

Wait.

What?
“W-where the heck did that come from!?” Nell opened her eyes wide in shock as she
squeaked like a mouse. Evidently, I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by Lefi’s
irrational declaration.

“You need not act so surprised. I am well aware of your desires.”

“I-I know you are, but that came out of nowhere! You could’ve at least told me you
were going to bring it up!”

The only response the dragon offered the panicked hero was an exasperated sigh. And
here I was thinking they were on the same page.

“Wait, Lefi, hold up. What the hell’s all this about? Mind explaining?” I placed a hand
on the side of my head and massaged one of my temples as I reentered the conversation.

“What is it that you need me to explain?” Lefi frowned in confusion as she looked down
at me. “Was wedding her not your intention? I see no other reason for you to have
brought her here.”

“Look, I’m pretty scummy, but I’m not so scummy that I’d go hunting for more women
before I even take my wife out on a honeymoon,” I said. “I didn’t warp her here because
I wanted to marry her. She just happened to collapse right as I got myself into a fight,
so I sent her away in order to make sure she didn’t end up getting caught in the
crossfire.”

“Were your foes powerful enough to merit such an extreme measure?”

“Nah, they were pretty weak,” I said. “But it seemed like she was probably going to
jump right back into the fray the moment she woke up. That kinda didn’t really seem
like the best idea considering how tired she was, so I did her a favour and kept her
away from all the action.”

Potions weren’t cure-alls. They couldn’t relieve exhaustion. And Nell had accumulated
a lot of exhaustion. The fight she had been engaged in had left her with such a massive
stamina deficit that I suspected she probably wouldn’t have been able to reasonably
accomplish anything beyond lying in bed for a few days. Reasonably.

If there was one thing I knew about the hero, it was that she was anything but
reasonable. Her devotion to her cause bordered the line of absurdity. There was
simply no way a mere wave of crippling fatigue or two could keep her in bed. And that
was precisely the problem. Nell wouldn’t have abided by her limits. She would have
pushed forward and returned to the wingbearers’ village and save all that remained.
Even in spite of her body’s need for rest. It would have been a literal death march, but
she would have gone anyway.

Because that was what it meant to be a hero.

That was what it meant to be Nell.

“S-so sending me here was all for me? W-wow. So you really do care…” The hero began
to fidget as her face flushed. Stop that. Stop blushing. And stop staring at me all
embarrassed-like. You’re starting to make me feel real uncomfortable right about now.

“Uhhhh suuuuuuure.” I averted my eyes away from the hero’s passionate gaze and
turned back towards my wife. “Anyway, so like I was saying, I only had her sent here
‘cause shit happened. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“But was it not an action you performed only after accepting her love for you? I was
informed that your heroic rescue deepened her love for you to such an extent that she
chose to profess her affections immediately.”

“W-w-whaaaahhh!? D-did you really have to tell him that!? I totally asked you to keep
it a secret!” screamed Nell.

“Nell’s just like Lefi! She loves you a whole lot!” said Illuna.

“Not you too Illuna!”

Uhhhhhhh… I… uh… uhhhhh… Yeah, uhhh shit. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.
Or do. Or think. Or feel. Like, shit. I actually have no idea, I’m totally stumped. Hey, Sh*nji,
dude, you listening? Er, well, I guess you probably are with that whole god thing you have
going on. Anyway, I know you’d know what to do at a time like this. Mind giving a bro a
couple tips?
…

Alright, you know what, that’s about enough escapism for one day. Fuck it. Time to
man up and face reality.

I took a deep breath as I reflected on my memories. Thinking back, I probably would’ve

seen this coming if I was paying more attention to her right before she passed out. Hell,
I probably should’ve seen it coming from a mile away even if I didn’t. I always used to
bitch, moan, and complain at dense protagonists who didn’t notice when people made
moves on ‘em, you know, ‘cause of how obvious it was, but I kinda totally just pulled the
exact same thing myself. Fuck, dude, I feel dumb as shit. I honestly have nothing to say
for myself. That was all on me.

Er, well, actually, on second thought, I do have one pretty decent excuse. I was pretty
pissed back then. I was doing my best not to let it show, but shit, I was mad. Like M A D.
Can’t really blame me for being too preoccupied to process what she said, can you?

Alright, fine. You totally can. Shut up. I know I’m an idiot.

While both Nell and I had been caught completely off guard, our reactions weren’t by
any means parallel. My expression indicated that I was just plain old surprised. Hers,
on the other hand, pointed to something more akin to embarrassment.

“W-why did you have to tell him!?” The hero was so flustered by the other girls’
betrayal that she burst out of the throne room and dashed down the hallway with her
eyes filled with tears.

“Oopsie…” said Illuna. “I think we might’ve made her mad.”

“You need not worry. She is not angry, she was merely incapable of containing her
embarrassment.”

“Sooo uh…” I turned to face Lefi again after watching the hero dash off. “I mean, I kinda
get what you were going on about, but I also really don’t. Like, Iunno. It just doesn’t
make sense. Why, exactly, do you want me to marry her?”

“We spoke at length,” said Lefi. “The conclusion I reached from our interactions is that
I would not mind you taking her as a mate. I appreciate her. The time that we spent in
both your and Leila’s absence left us without any skilled cooks.”

Her voice grew quiet, and her words began to slow. Even the fiery light that normally
blazed within the silver-haired maiden’s eyes dimmed as she elaborated.

“It was a dark time, one that taught us the true value of a well-prepared meal. It was
she who, as a skilled artist in the culinary arts, rescued us from the abyss.”

The combination of her tone and expression was peculiar. Her aura almost seemed to
resemble that of a sagely monk recalling the traumatic event that had landed him his
permanent reservation in the psychiatric ward. So you’re telling me that this whole
approval thing is predicated on your friggin’ stomach? Seriously…? Er, now that I think
about it, they have always said that conquering one’s stomach is no different from
conquering their heart. Wait. Waiiiiit. What exactly was Lefi eating before she started
living in the dungeon, anyway? And, hold up, why the hell were they so starved anyway?
I could’ve sworn I’d left them all my recipes. And that’s on top of a literal fridge-full of
ready-to-eat meals.

“Alright, let’s hit the brakes on the whole Nell topic for a moment. There’s something
more important I want addressed first. Has Illuna been eating properly? Or have you
just been feeding her whatever?”

None of the dungeon’s monster girls needed to eat. All Shii, the wraith girls, and our
pets required to sustain themselves was the dungeon’s mana. To them, filling their
bellies was naught but leisure. Illuna, on the other hand, would die if she didn’t get the
right balance of nutrients. The same applied to Lefi and Lyuu, but I didn’t really care
what they ate. If they even ate at all. Unlike Illuna, they weren’t in the middle of
growing up. Neither was as likely to suffer dire consequences from malnutrition.

“Y-you need not be so concerned.” My tone had left Lefi intimidated; her reply came
with a stammer. “The meals we produced certainly could not be labelled as delectable,
but they were far from utterly inedible. Moreover, our kitchen adventures were rather
few in number. The dishes you prepared lasted a full week.”

“Yeah! Things were looking really bad at first, but then we fixed it! We all worked
together, did our best, and got a lot better at cooking!” The vampire’s chest puffed up
with pride as she spoke.

“Did you really…?”

“Yup! Really! I’ve gotten so good that I bet I can make something that’ll totally blow
you away!” said Illuna. “I can’t wait to teach Enne everything I learned and get her up
to speed!”

“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to trying it.” I smiled at her before turning back
towards Lefi. “Alright, it seems like that’s that, so let’s get back to talking about the
other thing. Are you really sure you’re okay with me taking more wives? ‘Cause to me,
that pretty much sounds like a pretty big red flag.”

“It would be impossible for me to state, without lying, that I think nothing of it. I would
be very angry if you were to become completely unfaithful, and I do not wish for you
to indulge in infidelity. Still, I do not mind you taking more mates,” she said. “While
you have yet to reach my pedestal, you remain far beyond the norm. To any other, you
are a storm, an unstoppable, almighty force of nature that bears power overwhelming.
I expect nothing but for women to swarm to your side. Because that is this world’s
way.”

She turned away from me and looked out the door as she continued.

“It is normal behaviour, even amongst dragons, for women to flock to men of great
power. The opposite is also true. Men often attempt to court their mates with brute
force. It is an experience I know well. Many have endeavoured to woo me with their
might,” she sighed as she grumbled. “And each was shown that they deserve nothing
but to grovel at my feet.”

Her words were striking. They once again forced me to understand that I wasn’t one
of this world’s natives. That my values were different. But that didn’t mean I was
unwilling to adapt. I understood, and accepted, everything she said as fact.

Unlike modern-day Japan, this world was one in which only the fittest survived. It
made sense, even for those outside the demon realm, to value strength. Because it,
polygamy, was a survival strategy. Breeding with powerful individuals was a good way
to bolster the survival rates of one’s offspring, one’s genes. And that was the exact task
most living things were hardwired to try to accomplish.

I turned away from the woman who had ended up being surprisingly supportive of me
taking more brides despite always grumbling about the fact that I needed to be less of
a flirt, and instead redirected my gaze in Illuna’s direction.
“W-what do you think, Illuna? Aren’t you going to object to any of this at all?” The
vampire was extremely attached to me, so I assumed that she would have something
to say about me not having as much time for her.

“Not really!” But apparently, I was wrong. “You already promised that you were going
to let me, Enne, Shii, Rei, Rui, and Lowe all marry you once we get bigger too, so I don’t
mind at all!”

“…”

Fuck.

I was stunned into silence. I remembered that they had made the request shortly after
I had gotten married to Lefi, and I certainly did remember more or less nodding along
and telling them to wait until they got older because I had expected their feelings to
change by the time they became full-fledged adults. Shit. She isn’t wrong. I did already
technically agree to the whole polygamy thing.

“I would be really mad if it was someone bad. But Nell’s a really good person, so it’s
okay! She’s already my friend, and playing with her makes me really happy. If we all
get married to you, then it means that all of us can be together forever! It’ll be the
best!” she said with an innocent smile.

That’s adorable. Buuuut it’s also the exact opposite of what I expected her to say. Feels
bad, man. There goes plan B.

“As you may have gathered from Illuna’s statement, the decision was unanimous. Still,
it is by no means set in stone. I understand that our conclusion was reached in the lack
of your presence and that we have no right to force it upon you. You are free to pretend
that we had never discussed it if you so wish. But that is not what I desire.” The dragon
girl paused for a moment to allow her mouth to twist into a wide grin. “Yuki, I wish for
you to demonstrate that you are no mere boy. Show me that you are capable of
handling a woman who has fallen madly in love with you in a manner worthy of praise.
Show me that you are a man.”

Lefi, please. I’m pretty sure wives aren’t supposed to get their husbands riled up about
other women. That said, holy shit. That confidence though. Not to mention the open-
mindedness. Hnnnng. I’m falling in love all over again. Lefi = best girl.

I quickly looked over at one of the room’s corners and glanced at everyone currently
seated at the table. Again, their reactions didn’t do much to help me. Both maids
expressed that they didn’t have anything to say by shaking their heads. All Shii did was
break into a big, innocent smile the moment I turned my eyes her way. Ermahgerd.
What an angel. Hell, she’s more than just an angel. She’s probably some sort of archangel.

Welp. That didn’t work. I guess I’ve pretty much got no choice but to resort to
introspection. Alright, me, what do you make of this whole scenario? And be honest.

After taking a moment to brood, I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t entirely against
the idea. The thought of taking a second wife before I so much as took my first on a
honeymoon was appalling. It bothered me to no end. But as a man, I couldn’t help but
think rather fondly of harems and harem-like situations.

The whole hero concept is a bit of a ridiculous shit show. Normally, I’d hate heroism and
all that other autistic white knight bullshit, but that’s just ‘cause everyone’s fake as fuck.
The only thing retards like that do is try to inflate their own egos by making themselves
look good. But Nell isn’t like that. She’s genuine. She’s not some retarded poser that’ll
suddenly have a change of heart the moment they’re put in real danger. She always faces
every issue she encounters head on and gives it everything she has. And when I say
everything, I mean EVERYTHING. She’s clearly willing to put her life on the line. I don’t
really believe in her ideals, but I have to admit that the way she follows through on them
makes her out to be one hell of a badass.

That does kinda come off as a bit of a warning flag, but it’s also kinda charming, in its
own right. A part of me wants to shirk away from her outta caution, but I think I’d
probably rather spend more time with her than not anyway. You know, just to keep her
out of harm’s way. Her safety matters to me. I can say with certainty that I value her as
much as Illuna, Leila, and everyone else I live with.

I know this next part is probably gonna sound shallow af, but it’s important. Nell’s one
hell of a looker. She also just so happens to be my type. If I’d never met Lefi, I probably
would’ve gone straight down the Nell route. Her telling me how she felt would’ve been
more than enough to get me raising the sails and hoisting up the anchor. But that’s the
thing. I did. I did meet Lefi.

The Nell situation isn’t like the Lefi situation. Lefi is a lazy sack of shit with an obnoxious
attachment to victory. And I love that about her. I love it as much as I love the fact that
she’s probably the most thoughtful and caring person I’ve ever met. She understands how
much all the little things really matter. As far as I’m concerned, Lefi is the definition of
perfect. There simply isn’t anyone else like her. And as much as I’d like a harem, I just
can’t. I can’t bring myself to not give Lefi the full, undivided affection she deserves. Yeah,
you know what? I should probably talk to her about it. About time too. That was way
more than enough introspection for one day.

“Lefi, I love you. With all my heart,” I said. “I think Nell’s a good girl and that she
deserves to be happy but honestly, I don’t really want any more wives. You’re the only
girl for me.”

“I certainly appreciate the sentiment. I suppose I may as well take this opportunity to
discuss the target of my own affections. I find that the man I love is far too kind,” she
began to speak in a roundabout manner, seemingly out of embarrassment. “His
disposition certainly bothers me. He is far too compassionate to guiltlessly cast aside
a woman willing to, at a moment’s notice, discard even her very life for the sake of the
affection she bears for him. It is a flaw I would only have appreciated if not for the fact
that two such women exist.”

“Wow, what a lucky bastard,” I chuckled and played along. “Pulling a stunt like that
must’ve cost him his whole lifetime’s supply of testosterone.”

I got the message, loud and clear, so I slowly rose to my feet and readied myself for the
conversation to come.

“Look, I’m still on the fence about the whole harem thing, but I’ll at least go talk to her.
I think it’s time she and I have a nice long chat.”

“It is,” said Lefi. “Now go. We will remain right here and await your return.”

Lefi saw me off with a gentle smile as I walked out the door, one that radiated nothing
but pure unadulterated kindness.
As we were within the dungeon’s confines, tracking down the runaway hero was a
simple task. All I had to do was pop open my map and follow the friendly marker. As I
reached her, I realized that she had yet to recover from Lefi’s sudden outburst. She
was looking out a window with her hands covering her still red face.

“H-hey.” I stumbled over my words as I called out to her.

“H-hey.” Likewise, she replied with a stutter. Her face flushed an even deeper shade of
red as she pulled her eyes away from the grassy plains that lay beyond the windowsill.

An awkward moment of silence followed our greetings. We were both too nervous and
flustered to start the conversation. After a few moments of hesitation, I remembered
that I had just the thing to break the ice.

“Oh right, I just remembered I have something for you.” I reached into my inventory
and produced a large chunk of metal. “You probably shouldn’t be dropping this.”

“Is that Durandal!?” She gasped. “Thank you so much!”

The sword had a rather interesting set of stats. Analyzing it led to the following result.

General Information
Name: Durandal
Quality S++
Attack: 1029
Durability: 1692
MP: 1002

Unique Skills
Analytical Impairment
Unbreakable
Skills
Self Repair VIII

Titles
Defender of Order
The Unbreakable Blade

Special Effects
Greater Magical Prowess Boost
Greater Physical Attack Boost
Greater Boost to the Efficacy of Healing Effects

Description

A blade meant only to be used by a hero that stands by order and its defence. Durandal
will never break under any circumstances and forever continue to protect those that
require its aid. This weapon provides a fifty percent boost to all stats if wielded by a hero.

I handed her the holy sword and the Yuki-brand leather sheath I had crafted for it.
Though the scabbard was, technically speaking, made to order, it was by no means
anything fancy. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was just another bland looking case
made of the simplest of leathers. I had only made it because it didn’t really quite feel
right to leave the blade hanging around naked.

My overall impression of the weapon was that it was needlessly durable. Its stats were
higher than Enne’s in spite of the extent she had grown in the past month. But that
doesn’t mean jack. Her effects are better, so she’s totally way better. Hah! Take that, you
shitty holy sword! Your special effects suck! Plus, Enne’s still growing. Unlike basically
every other weapon out there, she’s actually going to keep getting stronger. She’s got
way more potential than a dinky little sacred blade or two.

Another detail I had noticed was that not even the hero’s sword had a species. Enne
was literally the only weapon I had ever seen with the label. Hah, you hear that,
Durandal? Enne’s special! You ain’t got shit on her, bitch!

Nell’s breathed a sigh of relief and finally did away with the vast majority of her
embarrassment as she retrieved her weapon.
“Thank goodness. I was really worried it was going to fall into enemy hands,” she said.
“Was it hard to find?”

“Nah, not really. It caught my eye right away because of the way it shimmered under
the sunlight. How’d you lose it anyway?”

“I lost it when they captured me,” she said. “But I was lucky. The person holding me
wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, so I managed to trick him and shake him off. One
of his allies kicked it away before I could start swinging it around again.”

“I’m surprised you managed to escape without your weapon.”

“I had a spare.” A shy smile appeared on her face as she drew the dagger mounted
behind her waist.

Lunar Blossom.

It was the offhand I had given her back when I had paid the capital a visit in hopes of
offing myself a prince. Huh… Looks like giving it to her turned out to be the right choice
after all.

“Thank you, Yuki. You’re the only reason I was able to keep fighting. You saved me twice
that day.”

“I mean, once, sure. But twice? Nah. I didn’t do jack the first time. You might’ve used a
weapon I gave you, but in the end, you saved yourself.”

“That’s not true at all.” She replied to my shrug with a shake of her head. “You’re the
only reason I’m still breathing. I should have died back there.”

The only response I offered was a silent frown, so she kept talking. Her voice took on
a more solemn tone as she gave voice to her thoughts.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. I wasn’t trying to get myself killed. It’s just that there
were too many of them. I was already at my limit, and there was no way I was going to
be able to deal with all of them,” she said. “To be honest, I was scared. Really scared. I
was so terrified I wanted to cry. I wanted to turn around, run away, and just forget
about everything. But I couldn’t. I know I’m not strong enough to be worthy of the title,
but I’m a hero, Yuki. I can’t just run. It’s only right for me to keep pushing myself to the
very end. That was why I thought it was right for me to die. But I didn’t.”
She turned her gaze up towards me, her lips curved into a small but meaningful smile.

“You saved me right as I was about to give up. Right as I was about to die,” she laughed
awkwardly, “I couldn’t help but think that you were like a knight in shining armour.
Like you were my Prince Charming, there to save the day just in the nick of time.”

“Seriously…? Me? Prince Charming? A knight in shining armour? That’s gotta be a joke.
I’m pretty sure that’s the least accurate way you could possibly describe me.”

Nell seemed to have expected me to react the exact way I had, as she momentarily gave
me a knowing, affectionate gaze. But rather than giving voice to the emotions she had
buried within her chest, she chose to brush them off by heaving an exaggerated sigh,
putting her hands on her hips, and scolding me as a mother would a child.

“I know, right? You’re vulgar, you have no sense of delicacy, you’re kind of dumb, you’re
selfish, you have weird interests, and you have no sense of delicacy! The image I had
of the perfect man has been completely corrupted, and it’s all your fault! I’m not even
sure what a real Prince Charming is supposed be anymore!”

“M-my bad…”

Wait. She totally mentioned the whole delicacy part twice. Well then. I didn’t know it was
bothering her thaaaaat much.

“Geez, Yuki, you really need to learn to be more dignified! You can’t go around acting
like an idiot if you’re going to call yourself a demon lord!”

“S-sure thing, coach. Won’t let it happen again.” The sudden harsh tone she took led
me to wince and back down. Wow. I’m pathetic. This is probably a new low, even for me.

“Good.” The playful giggle she voiced was followed by a pause. A short pause, but a
pause nonetheless. The look on her face made it clear that she wanted to say something,
but she brushed it off instead of revealing it. “That’s all I wanted to say. Don’t worry
about what everyone else said. That’s all, I promise!”

“Nell, I…” My voice trailed off as I struggled to find the right words.

“It’s okay! I’m okay. I mean, it’s true that I like you, but that’s only natural. You saved
my life. I couldn’t help but start to see you in a better light. But it’s not like what Lefi
said. She misunderstood.”
Though she had put up a facade, I saw right through her. Nell was hiding her true
thoughts and desires. All because she didn’t want to make me feel bad about having to
turn her down. Because she didn’t want me to realize that I was making her suffer. She
tried her very best to keep smiling even though she was on the edge of breaking down
into tears.

“You don’t need to worry about what Lefi and Illuna were going on about. All I want is
for everything to go back to normal and you to act the same way as usual.”

Rather than trying to convince me, it sounded more like she was trying to convince
herself.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I crash-landed a hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair.

“Wha—!?”

“Alright, alright, enough of that already. At this point, you’re pretty much just rambling,
so cut it out. I’m not about to let a kid worry her heart out about making me feel bad.
I am a functional adult, after all.”

“A kid!? What’s that supposed to mean!? You’re way more of a kid than I am!”

She whacked my hand away as she puffed up her cheeks and glared at me.

“Yeah, I guess you could argue that I’m pretty childish,” I cackled. “But that’s just how
we demon lords are. We do whatever the hell we want. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Ughhhh, not this again! I can’t believe you! I was trying to have a serious conversation!
Why did you have to go and pick a fight!?” she complained. “And stop trying using your
title to worm your way out of everything! I know you’re attached to it, but it isn’t an
excuse for anything!”

Oh, looks like I wasn’t the only one aware of that after all. Whaddya know?

“You say that, but it’s totally true. Demon Lords don’t give two fucks about anything or
anyone. Being one means that I’ve got the right to do things my way, consequences be
damned. Besides, I could throw those same words right back at you. Hell, they’re even
more applicable to you than they are to me. Stop trying to use your title as an excuse
to get yourself killed!”
“…Well, I’m not dead yet, am I?”

I responded to her angry grumble with a shake of the head.

“Look, being able to stand up to your enemies, and being able to fight to the very end
certainly is something admirable. Most people back out in the face of death. And I get
it, you got through it and lived. But what if you didn’t? What if you lost? It would’ve
meant you died for your friends or whatever, sure, but that doesn’t mean jack shit.
Look at the people around you right now and take a page outta their books. You see
how free they are? How basically everyone does whatever the hell they want? Be more
like them. Because that’s the secret to enjoying life.”

“They certainly do seem to be doing just that,” giggled the hero.

Lefi was a prime example of someone that listened only to their whims, but she wasn’t
the only one. Everyone that lived within the dungeon’s confines was living life the way
they wanted. The school of thought had even rubbed off onto the children, who
relished in the pure, unadulterated chaos that resulted from our day to day activities.

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re way too uptight. You’re not letting yourself grow into
your role. You’re not letting yourself slowly become a hero. It seems a lot more like
you’re just desperately forcing yourself to act the part. Because your role as a hero
shouldn’t take away from your life as an individual. You don’t have to be a copy-paste
of whatever the stereotype is. You don’t have to let some silly old title dictate your
every action. It shouldn’t stop you from being true to yourself.”

“…” Silence followed. Her lips trembled and her eyes started to tear up, but she didn’t—
couldn’t—say a word.

“Now stop being so stubborn and tell me the truth. What do you really want?”

Again, her lips trembled as she struggled to pick between her duty and herself. But not
for long. I knew I had already pushed hard enough. The walls she had put up around
her heart had already toppled over.

“I… I just…” Slowly but surely, she began to speak. “I just want to be with you…”

“Yeah, well nothing’s stopping you, so consider that wish granted,” I said. “Everyone
around here seems to like you, myself included. You’re welcome to hang around as
long as you want.”
The statement wasn’t exactly the truth, but it was close enough. The only individual
still wary of Nell was Lyuu. Well, on the bright side, little Miss Useless happens to be a
bit of a simpleton, so I’m sure she’ll warm up to her sooner or later. Plus, nothing wrong
with a little white lie or two.

“So uh, about what Lefi was going on about.” I awkwardly scratched the back of my
head as I spoke. “That came as far outta left field for me as it did for you. So uhhh, yeah,
sorry.”

“I should be the one saying sorry.” Nell sadly lowered her gaze. “I’m sure it must be a
bother…”

“N-not at all. I’m happy you feel that way. Real happy. I’m a simple man with needs,
after all.”

“R-really?”

“Really. You know, when I saw you all messed up and barely breathing, I ended up
getting so mad I felt like a bull that’d seen red. And that was when I realized that I
actually like you a lot more than I thought I did. You mean as much to me as the people
I live with.”

I paused for a moment to glance at the ring on my left hand.

“But I’m married already, and I’m not planning on having any other wives. One’s
enough to keep my hands full already. That said, Lefi was all like ‘Show me that you
are capable of handling a woman who has fallen madly in love with you in a manner
worthy of praise. Show me that you are a man,’ and whatnot. So I guess I gotta man up
and deal with it one way or another.”

“That certainly does seem like something Lefi would say.”

The way she giggled caused a blush to creep up on my face, but I swallowed my
embarrassment and kept talking.

“So yeah, long story short, feel free to live here.”

“Here? In this castle?”

“Yep. I’ve already told your buddies that you suffered a couple pretty terrible injuries,
and that I’ll be taking care of you while you recuperate. Feel free to think of this as a
well-deserved vacation, you know, a bit of sick leave to make up for all the hard work
you’ve been putting in lately. That one city, er, Alfyro or whatever, is basically just a
step away. If you really feel the need to tell everyone you’re okay, we can just head over
and have you send them a letter or two.”

“But I…”

“But nothing. You’ve already done way more than enough, at least for now. No one’s
going to get mad at you just ‘cause you realized you needed a bit of a break. Besides,
I’d uhm… love to have you over. It sounds like it’d be fun.” I felt like I was going to start
blushing, so I averted my gaze as I awkwardly elaborated.

I was being about as far from smooth as I could, and I knew it. The only thing in recent
memory the current situation resembled was the moment I proposed to Lefi. And
although that was a much more embarrassing ordeal, I had been able to tough through
it pretty easily. But that had only been because I was on the verge of death. The
adrenaline pumping through my veins had blown all of my usual inhibitions out of the
water.

“So yeah, let’s just not think about all the stuff Lefi was going on about for now.
Because like you said, it totally came outta the blue. I’d prefer to get to know you first
before even considering it. That’s kinda why I’m saying you’re free to stick around.”

I didn’t need a mirror to know that the look on my face was about as pathetic as looks
could possibly get. Nell, however, seemed to find it rather endearing; she smiled as she
watched me struggle with my sense of shame.

“So does this mean we’re going to be starting as friends instead of jumping straight
into a relationship?”

“Y-yeah, pretty much. I know that it’s kind of a bad deal for you.” I winced in a self-
deprecating manner. “But, as pathetic and indecisive as that makes me sound, it’s
pretty much the only compromise I’m willing to make.”

“It’s okay. I don’t think it makes you look even the slightest bit pathetic or indecisive.”

“Y-you think so?”

“Mhm. I understand”—she said as she began smiling ear to ear—“I know you’re doing
your best not to hurt either of us, and that you’ve put a lot of thought into it before you
made up your mind. That’s why I’m going to take you up on that offer, Yuki. I’ll live
here in this castle and stay right by your side.”

“Glad to have you,” I smiled back at her before adopting an elegant neutral expression
like the kind one would see on a butler. “I welcome you, Hero, to the Demon Lord’s
Castle. My staff and I will ensure that you are provided only the finest accommodations.”

“This certainly does seem like a good escape from work. I am terribly exhausted, after
all,” she said, playing along.

“Exhausted? How terrible,” I said. “Worry not, Hero. I know that our many fine luxuries
will provide you an escape from the chore that is your everyday life. As this castle’s
lord, I will do my utmost to ensure that we satisfy your every need.”

Mwahahahaha! GG Hero, you’re done for! My castle has everything, a hot spring, a nice
Japanese inn, great scenery, and even cute girls. It’s literally anything a man could ever
ask for! You hear that, people? This demon lord’s castle is now open to the public. We
promise the best service you could ever get. Call now and book your room today!

“My every need? Then I hope you don’t mind if I go right ahead and get comfy.”

She wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned into my chest. I panicked as I was
suddenly subjected to the warmth of her body and the softness of her touch.

“Errrr, what. I. What. W-what are you doing!?”

“You’re so warm…” She ignored all my floundering and nuzzled even closer.

She was a tiny, dainty little thing. One whose frame was far too small to support the
heavy burden that lay upon her shoulders. Knowing her endeavour was what
prompted me to remain silent as I gently plopped a hand on her head and ran my
fingers through her hair.
The hero’s sudden advent inspired in me naught but surprise. I had not expected her
to apparate within the dungeon’s confines, let alone emerge with her garments torn
and her frame smeared in filth. So numerous were the streaks of blood that adorned
her that I found her still animate state difficult to comprehend—she was a terrible
sight to behold.

A brief moment of petrification assailed me as I observed her, but the spell did not last
for long. There lay a towel nearby, one typically reserved for the children, used to clean
their faces upon their return from their adventures. I retrieved it as I summoned Lyuu
and entreated her to procure our medical supplies.

Upon weaving an incantation meant to abate her injuries, I happened upon a

realization. The hero was uninjured. Though her appearance indicated that she had
suffered greatly, she bore no wounds. My ability to perceive, analyze, and quantify that
which lay within my sphere of recognition informed me that she was in no immediate
danger. Relief washed over my mind. She was safe.

I looked over her once more and examined her condition in greater detail. Her breaths
were taken at a regular pace, her bones appeared unbroken and her body unswollen.
She was in good health in spite of her apparent distress.

It was then that I understood that Yuki had purged her wounds prior to arranging for
her transportation. Her lack of injuries was sourced from one of the many potions he
carried on his person. I am aware of many of his methods. And yet, I know nothing of
the technique employed in her ferriage.

His ability to have her sent through the very fabric of space without his accompaniment
was particularly curious. And yet, it came as no surprise, for Yuki’s antics were more
often bizarre than not.

“Is Nell gonna be okay…?” The child by my side, Illuna, raised her voice in concern.

“I believe so,” I provided her with a reassuring pat as I replied. “She is merely asleep.
Yuki has already seen to her wounds.”

Need I need be concerned for him? My thoughts drifted to the demon lord as I
mentioned him in passing. As I did not wish to distress the children, I did not allow
my worries to show. Still, they persisted. I was left with little anxiety over the safety of
his flesh; I knew full well that there was little concern to be had for his physical health.
My apprehensions lay with his mental fortitude, or rather the lack thereof. My husband
appears to others as a confident, outgoing, and even arrogant man, one who is unable
to be conquered by the likes of an attack on his psyche. But that is far from the truth. His
heart is frail and his mind easily attacked. The value he places on those he holds dear is
far too great for his well being. I know all too well that he would not allow his sense of
rationality to stand in the way of his fury should he bear witness to one with whom he
has concerned himself with coming to harm.

Keeping an eye on him was a must. Fortunately, Leila and Enne were performing that
exact action in my place. While the former’s ability to keep Yuki rational lay only
within the realm of the questionable, I had no doubt that the latter’s presence would
allow him to keep his rash nature at bay. I should have known that accompanying him
was a choice I should not have forsaken. I regret nothing more than allowing myself not
to be by his side.

But what is done is done. I cannot change the past, and there is little use in lamenting
my mistakes at this precise moment, for there is still much to be addressed. I directed my
attention to the human that lay before me. I’d best move her somewhere more
comfortable.

◊◊◊

Many an hour passed before the girl finally began to stir.

“Have you finally awoken?” Spurred on by my words, Nell groggily opened her eyes
and examined her surroundings.

“Where… am I…?”

“You lay now within a dungeon’s confines, Yuki’s dungeon’s confines.”

The sound of my husband’s name caused her to snap to attention. Hurriedly, she pushed
herself up from the bed in which she lay and pieced together her consciousness.
“W-where is he?” she stammered. “And what happened?”

“I do not know his whereabouts. He was not present upon your advent. But whatever
the case, you would do best to remain calm.”

My explanation appeared to provide her with a sufficient summary of the situation, as

she quieted down and began to speak in a tone indicative of tranquillity and
understanding.

“Oh… I guess that must mean he saved me…” Her lips began to warp into a small but
evident smile, one that failed to reach completion as she found herself awash with
another wave of confusion. “Wait, Lefi!? Huh? What the heck!? I’m in Yuki’s dungeon!?
Isn’t that all the way in the middle of the Wicked Forest!?”

…It appears that I may have been mistaken in assuming that she had come to an
understanding.

While there had been others that had sat by the hero’s bedside, it was only I who
remained by it even now. It was not that they were unwilling to attend to her, but
rather disallowed by the passage of time. Even my own waking state was driven not
by intention, but by habit. My husband and I would often make use of the time that we
shared alone come nightfall to indulge in all manners of games that made use of cards,
pieces, and boards. I do not understand. How is it that he retains his energy throughout
the day in spite of so little rest? It is none other than our late night activities that drives
me to spend so much time in bed.

“That is correct. You are within the forest.” I replied. “How are you feeling? You appear
unwounded, but I do not know if that is truly the case.”

The hero turned her eyes on her body and examined it in detail. At first, there appeared
to be nothing out of the ordinary, but I soon found her with her brows furrowed in
confusion.

“Huh…? What happened to all my injuries…?”

“It is to my understanding that Yuki made use of a potion and restored you prior to
initiating your transport, for you were uninjured upon your arrival.”

“Yeah, I remember that, but… even all my scars are gone,” her voice faded into a mutter
that expressed both denial and relief, “I had so many from all the training I went
through…”

“Pay it no mind. Yuki’s potions are of a particular efficacy. The removal of old scars is
but to be expected.” I raised and lowered my shoulders in an expression of indifference.
“If you are in no pain, then it is best that you focus your efforts on the restoration of
your stamina. I expect that you are hungry, yes?”

“Oh, uhm. Yeah, thanks.” Despite her still evident confusion, the hero accepted the
bowl I offered her and lifted a spoonful of porridge to her lips. And in doing so, she
froze. Her hands lost all momentum immediately prior to the act of consumption.

“Uhm, hey, Lefi? Not to sound rude or anything, but did you uhm… mix up the sugar
and the salt?”

An uncontrollable, discontent groan escaped my throat. I cannot believe myself. I know

no longer the number of times I have made that very mistake. When was it that I erred?
I vividly recall tasting it many times throughout its preparation and ensuring that I
made use of the correct ingredients.

“I… apologize,” I offered my condolences after an awkward pause. “Both Yuki and Leila
have departed for the demon realm. None of us that have remained within the
dungeon’s confines bear any significant skill in the culinary arts.”

I lifted my hips off the chair positioned by her bedside as I continued to speak.

“Worry not, I shan’t make you consume such a wretched creation. I will return shortly
with a second bowl made anew.”

“It’s okay. It’s still edible, and I don’t mind.” The hero giggled. “Thank you, Lefi. I really
appreciate it.”

She stopped me in the middle of my ascension and began to consume the oddly
flavoured porridge. Though I remained embarrassed by my own lack of competence,
I abided by her will and returned to my seat.

Following the interaction was a brief period of effective silence. The shuffling of the
children in their sleep and the clinking of a spoon were the only two sounds to be
heard.

“Yuki… Yuki saved my life.” Nell set her tableware aside and began giving form to her
thoughts. Each word that left her carried with it a deliberate purpose; she chose each
carefully in turn as she voiced the last.

“Then it is as I suspected. It pleases me to know that my husband has proven himself

to be of use.”

“Your… husband. Right. You two got married.”

“W-we did,” I stammered. “Did he mention the change in our circumstances?”

“He did. He bragged about it with a big, happy smile on his face.”

My cheeks reddened as my mind assembled an image of the scenario she described.

However, my embarrassment soon faded as I caught wind of a minor yet glaring detail.
The smile that rested upon the hero’s face was unnatural. Forced.

As was typical of draconic beings, I knew little of the expressions of humans. I found
it difficult to discern the intricacies of their gestures. And yet, I knew hers. It was a
countenance that served to indicate she was desperately suppressing her emotions, a
guise typically worn in the event that one was left with no choice but to give up on
securing a particular individual as a mate.

“Have you…” I hesitated to confront her at first, but soon continued as I shook off the
shackles of my uncertainty. “Have you fallen for him?”

“Wha!? Huh!? N-no! Not at all! Y-you’ve got it all wrong!”

So flustered was the hero that I had little choice but to smile. How terribly easy to read,
she is. But I suppose that such is the way of a hero.

…Or perhaps not. Considering the concept of heroism reminded me of a man I had once
reduced to cinders. He too shared in her status, but was of a dissimilar nature. He was
proud, boastful, and knew nothing of the natural order. Our confrontation was one-
sided. The ancient hero found himself as helpless as a mere hatchling before my might.
It was not that heroes were straightforward and honest, but rather that the individual
before me happened to be of such a disposition.

“Calm yourself. There is no need for you to panic. I do not plan to inflict any harm upon
you regardless of your answer. It was a question I posed only out of simple curiosity,”
I said. “So? Have you fallen for him?”
“I… think so.”

“A more ambiguous way to describe your emotions I have never heard.”

“T-That’s just because I’m not really sure…” said Nell. “I don’t think I’ve ever fallen in
love before, so I’m not really sure if that’s what this is.”

I momentarily shut my eyes and reflected upon the situation.

She and I were no different. Even our thoughts and emotions ran parallel. Yuki certainly
does have quite the unfortunate talent for seduction.

“I-it’s not really my fault… The way he saved me just made him seem so cool! How
could I not fall in love with him after something like that…?”

With a slight blush adorning her face, the hero recounted the events that led to her
advent.

◊◊◊

“I cannot believe that he appeared at such a critical juncture without any prior
planning.”

“I know, right! And this isn’t the first time he’s done this either! He did the same thing
when he visited Alshir!”

“He is simply that type of man. Despite claiming to put little emphasis on it, he is sure
to steal the spotlight and position himself centre stage if presented the opportunity. It
is a quirk of his nature.”

“Right!? He always perfectly resolves the situation the moment you take your eyes off
him! And then he acts like it was no big deal! And I can swear that almost everything
he does catches me off guard!”

Voicing our complaints about the man at whom our affections were directed led us
both to giggle.

“I wish I knew this was going to happen…” As her laughter faded, it was replaced by a
smile that reeked of sorrow. “I know I can’t possibly mean more to him than you, but I
would have at least tried to tell him how I felt if I had known you were going to get
married.”

Again, I was led to understand that she and I were no different. I understood her. I
knew her feelings well. Because like her, I too had found myself drawn to—charmed
by—the comfortable air that lay about Yuki’s person. Like her, I knew all too well that
he was an idiot and that his sensibilities differed far from my own, but I had fallen for
him nonetheless. Because I knew that being by his side was sure to put a smile on my
face. It is as if we are as one. Regarding her feels no different from gazing upon my own
reflection.

And that was the thought that spurred me to direct my inquiries inward. Would I be
able to bear the fate to which she must? Would I be able to return to living in mateless
solidarity after knowing his warmth? His kindness?

I needed not even the briefest of moments to arrive at a conclusion.

Absolutely not.

I knew that I could not bear a life spent without him any longer.

“I shall allow you to live with us.” I raised my voice immediately upon reaching the
conclusion. I could not be so cruel as to consign one of the few I saw as a friend to a
fate that not even I could endure.

“Huh…?” She turned her eyes upon me in confusion.

“He is unlikely to refuse the request should you make it, for I know that he thinks
rather fondly of you.” I continued to speak. “I would not mind you taking up a place at
his side, even in the case that you one day find yourself as another of his brides.”

“T-that would make me really happy, but are you sure? That would probably make you
sad, wouldn’t it?”

“I certainly do not think nothing of it. But I also do not think nothing of you. I know
your sorrows well and I do not wish to force you to bear them.”

I almost wished to break into laughter. I could not help but find myself entertained by
the extent to which I concerned myself with her emotional well being. I would not
have lamented over it in the past. But Yuki had changed me.
“I have known for all too long that it is impossible for me to remain his sole lover.” I
gazed upon the vampire and the slime sleeping in their respective beds. “They are
likely to join in sharing my status upon coming of age.”

Yuki had already promised them that he would take them as his own should the time
come. I knew well that it was a statement he made only to entertain the children, but
it was likely that he would one day have to own up to his words.

While it was only the children that had expressed interest in his affections, I knew that
they were not the only residents that may one day pine for his affections. I suspected
that the maidservants could also come to adore him.

Picturing a future in which we shared his love was an easy feat, one that left me with
a gentle smile. I loved him. But I also loved them. And I wished for their happiness as
much as I desired my own. Each individual I resided with was an equal part of the
fortune I hoarded. None could be replaced, and each had an intrinsic value that
disallowed their substitution. My brood was warm and accepting. It was for that
reason that I was unable to see them objecting to one so kind and honest joining our
ranks. She was sure to become yet another part of my fortune and imbue my days with
yet another layer of joy. Still, I find it odd to know that I have considered the likelihood
of her acceptance. I cannot see it as anything but strange for the one feared as the
Supreme Dragon to be so concerned with the emotions of others.

“We have spoken much tonight,” I said. “You require much rest, and I believe that our
discussion is one that will require the others to be present. Let us continue in the
morning.”

“Okay,” replied the hero. “Hey, uhmmm… Lefi…”

“What is it?”

“Thanks for being so nice to me. I really like that part of you.”

“E-enough,” I stammered. “Cease your prattling and rest.”

“Mmk. Thanks again for everything. Good night, Lefi.”

“Sleep well, Nell.”

With those words as our last, we returned to our beds and allowed the night to pass.
By my command, all of the dungeon’s residents gathered within one of its halls for an
assembly. Though I would have normally chosen to host the event in the throne room,
some of my pets were, unfortunately, far too large to fit. That was why I ended up
choosing a larger room that did, a room that didn’t typically see much in the way of
use. Oh, who am I kidding? Doesn’t typically see much in the way of use? Yeah, right.
More like it’s literally never been used.

“So yeah, got a quick announcement to make. This is Nell. She’s going to be hanging
around for a bit, so play nice.”

“H-hi everyone, I’m Nell. Nice to meet you,” stuttered the hero.

“Is she not to be another of your wives?” asked Lefi.

“Congratulations, Nell! Now you’re married too!” said Illuna.

“Hey, you with the silver horns, and you, blonde with the fangs. Pipe down already.
This is an assembly. We’re being formal. You two are getting way too out of hand,” I
said.

Like, come on girls. Why you gotta make it out to be like that? ‘Cause it’s really not. She’s
just here to take a nice, long, well-deserved break from work, and that’s all there is to it.

“So like I was saying,” After clearing my throat, I continued to speak. “Make sure you
all play nice and be good to each other. Anyway, give her a round of applause or
something to show her how welcome she is.”

The audience began clapping as instructed, which led Nell, who had been standing by
my side, to shyly offer everyone her thanks. Alright, so I know I literally told you guys
to clap. But not all of you really needed to clap. I was really only talking to you know, the
people with hands? Like, come on snake-bro. I know you’re just doing your best, but you
really need to stop. You smacking your tail against the floor is shaking the whole damn
castle.
“Well, Miss Hero, it looks like you’ve officially joined the demon lord’s faction.”

“Uhm… I’d really appreciate if you didn’t put it like that. It’s a bit misleading.”

“Well, Miss Hero, it looks like you’re so good at your job you’ve even managed to
befriend a supposed arch nemesis,” I said while rolling my eyes, “So how about telling
us a bit about your aspirations?”

“M-my aspirations?” She panicked a bit as I suddenly passed her the torch. “Uhmmm…
uhmmm… well, I don’t really know anyone all that well just yet, so I guess I’d like to
make friends with everyone so we can get to know each other better.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” First to step up to the plate was Illuna. “I can’t wait!
We’re all going to be best friends forever!”

The vampire’s comment opened the floodgates; each of the dungeon’s members
followed with their own comments and blessings in turn. Sweet. It looks like everyone’s
actually getting along. Hell, I’d even go out on a limb and say that they’re all a lot more
invested in this than I am.

“Alright, that’s one topic outta the way. Time to move on to the next item on the
agenda,” I said. “Did anything notable happen around here while I was out?”

“There was little of note outside of Nell’s sudden advent.” Lefi began to speak on behalf
of all the others. “A single incident did occur. A group of demons entered the forest
soon after your departure.”

“Okay, so we got a few intruders. That sounds pretty normal to me. Did they do
anything special?”

“They did not. Their sole accomplishment was to be slain by the forest’s creatures
soon after our pets drove them from our domain,” said Lefi.

F.

Who were they anyway? Were they fiends? Probably, I guess, but it was probably ‘cause
they figured out that I was the guy who messed up their plans in that one human country,
and not ‘cause I was kicking their shit in while I was hanging out in the demon realm.
The timeline wouldn’t really work out any other way.
I knew that I would be found out eventually. It was only a matter of time before they
connected the dots and realized that I was the guy responsible for giving their chief a
good old punch to the jaw. But I wasn’t concerned. I could easily plow my way through
their ranks if they ever came a knocking. Fuck those faggots. God, even just
remembering them pisses me the fuck off. Especially the fucking redhead. Fuck him for
wanting to use Lefi like a fucking weapon. Ughhh. Why didn’t I kill him when I had the
chance? Ughhhhhhhhhhh. So much regret.

Whatever. I’m going to murder him one of these days, so it doesn’t fucking matter. You
hear that, asshole? Enjoy what’s left of your life while it lasts. Because it won’t. Not if I
can help it.

Alright, Yuki, deep breaths. Enough of that already. This isn’t the time to fume over some
retard you happened to meet while you were out on vacation. After calming myself
down, I put plotting the douchebag’s demise on the backburner. I was still going to go
through with it, and soon, of course, but there was a time and place for everything.
And this wasn’t it.

Lefi’s awareness of the invaders stemmed from her ability to access the dungeon’s
menu. She didn’t have full access to it, but she was able to use the map, set traps,
telepathically communicate with our pets, and use a part of the catalog. Or at least that
was what she could have done had she been more tech savvy. To Lefi, video games
were a concept nothing short of foreign. She had no experience navigating their
menus, and as such, was effectively incapable due to how convoluted and unintuitive
they happened to be. Man, now that I think about it, games and usability have never
really gone hand in hand. Understanding the UI is pretty hard unless you already know
the framework.

“There is little more that occured whilst you adventured throughout the demon
realm,” said Lefi. “I know little else but the matter of our lament over the lack of well-
cooked meals. I was so touched by the salvation Nell brought us that I nearly broke
into tears.”

“Uh huh…” I turned towards the hero. “I guess that means you’ll probably be joining
me and Leila on kitchen duty.”

“Okay. I’ll do my best!” She pumped her fists. The action was conducted in such a way
that it wouldn’t have been acceptable coming from a man, but was perfectly fine given
that she wasn’t. You know, the way she acts is actually kinda cute now that I think about
it. Especially since it seems much more natural than forced.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have asked a guest to bother with the chores.
But I realized that it would probably be best to have her help out given the length and
nature of her stay.

“And while we are on the subject, Yuki, you need not partake in the creation of tonight’s
meal.”

“You sure? ‘Cause you know, you were literally just talking about how you wanted me
to cook.”

“I am. You would do well to remain outside our regular living quarters while the
preparations are underway. In fact, I would very much prefer that you do not approach
them,” she said. “Nell, I would like you to join him. I encourage the two of you to make
good use of the opportunity and engage in whatever coquetry you wish whilst the rest
of us keep busy.”

…Lefi pls.

I wasn’t the only one to react to Lefi’s nonsense. Nell did too. She turned red as she
looked upon me with her eyes upturned. I could practically feel her desire boring into
me; her emotions were completely out of control even though everyone was watching.
Please stop.

“Right, yeah, sure, whatever you say, Lefi. We’ll probably end up hanging around the
inn. Are we going to need to watch the kids?”

“Do not concern yourself with them. Your sole task is to engage the hero in intimacy.”

“Uhhh… suuuuuure… I guess…?”

Something was up, and I knew it. But I didn’t really feel like pursuing the topic any
further, so I ended up nodding along and leaving the true throne room as per Lefi’s
demands.
 ◊◊◊

Once the curtains rose, Nell and I found ourselves in front of a brand new backdrop.
The castle’s interior was gone, replaced by a building whose construction reeked of
generations upon generations of Japanese tradition. We were in a room I was sure the
young hero would find familiar, the room I had brought her to during her first visit.
This time, we weren’t sitting across from each other, however. Our cushions were
instead placed side by side so we could face the garden as we conversed.

“Soooooooooo… Uhh… What do you think everyone else is up to?”

“I-I dunno.”

My attempt at starting a conversation failed.

We were once again plunged into silence. Awkward silence. God dammit. You know
what this is? It’s all Lefi’s fault. She just had to go run her mouth and tell us to flirt and
shit. Seriously man, why’s she gotta be so gung ho about this? Seriously, what the hell?
I’m pretty sure having your wife push more wives onto you is one helluva far cry from
the typical newlywed experience.

I was well aware of the fact that my situation was one that would make most men burn
with envy, but I wasn’t buying it. If anything, it made me feel lonely, and even
somewhat depressed. It’s almost like she doesn’t care.

“H-hey, Yuki?”

“What’s up?”

My train of thought was interrupted as the girl beside me began to speak.

“So what were you doing in the demon realm anyway? The only thing you told me was
that you were taking part in some sort of tournament.”

“Well, I mean, there really isn’t much more for me to tell you. Let’s see… I did the whole
tourney thing, went around sightseeing, and sparred a bit with the king’s men. That’s
pretty much it,” I said. “Oh, right, speaking of the tourney. You know that one old guy
you were travelling with? Yeah, he’s badass as fuck. Like, holy shit. My stats are way
higher than his, but it still took me ages to beat him. And that was with him taking me
head-on.”
“Huh!? You fought and even beat Remiero!?”

“Yeah. Him and I ended up in the same bracket. And holy shit, he was terrifying. I can’t
believe someone that old was that goddamn strong.”

While he hadn’t done much at all to my health pool, the old vet had almost single-
handedly destroyed my confidence. Every single one of his actions had reeked of pure,
unadulterated skill. Seriously dude, that fight? One hell of a learning experience right
there. Was a whole bunch of life lessons in one.

“Remiero has always been widely known as the strongest human. He’s so strong that
he’s even got a catastrophe-class monster kill under his belt,” said Nell. “I’m surprised
you managed to take him down.”

Catastrophe? What was that again? Oh, right, yeah, I remember. It’s one of them monster
classifications, right? I know Lefi technically doesn’t count as a monster, but I’m pretty
sure she’s regarded as a part of the calamity class. And since catastrophe’s the second-
highest, that means he managed to beat something that’s just one rung lower on the
pecking order. Wow. Uh… wow. Like, seriously. That old man’s a fucking raid boss.

Catastrophe-class monsters were so overpowered that not even demons dreamed of

taking them on despite being blessed with greater innate strength. And yet, he had
managed to defeat one whilst remaining nothing more than human. I mean, granted,
he was probably younger back then, so his stats were probably a good bit higher. But
still.

The most terrifying thought of the entire ordeal was that I could see it happening. I
didn’t think any other individual, human or demon, was capable of such a feat, but for
some odd reason, I could see the old butler handling it with ease.

“Yeah, I can see where you’re coming from. He was hella strong,” I said. “And I know I
probably don’t really look like much of a fighter, but I would’ve been more surprised
if I lost to him. ‘Cause I’ve even managed to take down a dragon.”

Well, kinda. It was more like the dungeon did it. All I really did was grit my teeth and sit
through a metric fuckton of pain. Contemplating the many terrifying creatures that this
world was home to once again led me to thank the dungeon for reincarnating me as a
demon lord. I would’ve been in real deep shit if I was still human. Though, uh, that said,
I’m starting to feel like I’ve been getting a bit too far ahead of myself lately. Confidence
is fine, but overconfidence really isn’t. I need to be more careful if I don’t want to end up
like ol’ Gil over there. And uh, Iunno about you, but I’d really rather not get stuck in some
sort of shitty gilgamess. Which means I should probably be putting safety first and
confidence second. Yeah, I really should. I’ve been getting way too reckless, even for my
own tastes, so I’mma make staying safe my motto from now on.

“Seriously, Yuki? You killed a dragon!? What the heck! You’re all sorts of unreasonable.”

“Being unreasonable is just what demon lords do. That’s the whole point of the role,
you see. You ignore every other asshole out there and push your own ideals forward,
consequences be damned.”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that,” she giggled.

“Yeah, well, that’s just ‘cause I’m one of the first to finally take the theory and put it
into practice. All the other demon lords out there are just mindless sheep. Me, I don’t
follow standards, I set them.”

“What’s that even supposed to mean?” Again, she giggled. Once she stopped laughing,
the look on her face switched to that of an affectionate smile.

And again, we were met with silence. But this time, it wasn’t so much awkward as it
was pleasant.

“Hey, Yuki?”

“What?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Oh, come on. All you’re doing is making me more curious.”

“But it really was nothing.” She plopped her head on my shoulder and leaned into me
as she spoke.

Guilt washed over me. I immediately thought of Lefi. But I didn’t push her off. Rather
than allowing myself to be consumed by a sense of wrongdoing, I chose to bask in the
comfort of the moment and leave it be.

And so, the two of us continued to spend our time doing exactly what she had described.
Nothing.

Together.

We simply sat by each other’s sides and relaxed until it was time to go.
“Our preparations have been completed. The two of you may now return to our living
quarters.” Lefi called for Nell and I through one of the portal-like doors placed all
around the dungeon.

“Took ‘em long enough. Alright Nell, time to go.”

“Mhm. Seems like it.”

I grabbed the cushions we had been sitting on and returned them to the pile situated
in the room’s back corner. I then opened the door, waltzed right into the hallway, and
began to advance. Ten-odd steps later, I found myself face to face with Lefi, who had
her arms crossed and her face adorned with a dauntless smile.

“You may only proceed if you close your eyes.”

“I have to close my eyes?” I raised a brow. I was getting pretty curious.

“Indeed. Now shut them immediately. I am speaking to the both of you.”

“Alright,” I said.

“Mmk,” said Nell.

I followed her instructions and closed my eyes, only to find myself immediately
greeted by a cool, comfortable sensation as her hands closed on my own. As I only felt
one of her hands, I assumed that Nell had been subject to the exact same
circumstances. She soon began to move, so I followed her lead while focusing on my
feet and making sure I didn’t trip.

“You may now open your eyes.”

Following a prompt from the dragon girl, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was
a literal mountain of food. The dishes laid out before me were so extravagant that a
glance was enough for me to recognize that an incredible amount of time and effort
had gone into each. My nose was just as attracted to the meal as my eyes were. Taking
in the many delectable fragrances that had melded into the air was almost enough to
make me drool.

My gut seemed to want to tell me that Leila had been responsible for the meal, but a
second glance immediately disqualified her as the chef. It simply wasn’t neat enough.
That wasn’t to say that the dinner table had been turned into some sort of convoluted
mess. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Whoever had arranged the dishes was very
clearly taking the would-be consumer into consideration. But unlike Leila’s handiwork,
it wasn’t perfect. And that was the giveaway.

Leila possessed a deep understanding of the psyche. She knew exactly where she
would need to place each and every dish such that your eyes would be drawn from
one to the next without pause. The perfection with which she carried out her kitchen
duties was akin to an artist’s signature, a signature that clearly seemed to be missing
from the current setup.

After giving dinner a once over, I looked at the people situated around the table. The
three of us aside, everyone else was already seated. Even the wraith girls were present
in spite of their inability to eat.

“Wow. This looks great.”

“Uhm… is this what I think it is?” asked Nell.

“So you have noticed?” The dragon crossed her arms and grinned.

I gave the table one last scrutinizing glance before turning back towards her. “Did you
make all this, Lefi?”

“While I did indeed accept assistance from the children, tonight’s meal is undoubtedly
my work,” she said. “What are your impressions? I believe you will find it a far cry from
the last meal I prepared you.”

“Definitely. I’m impressed. Really impressed,” I said.

The difference between the meal laid out before me and the last meal she had made
me was as vast as the difference between night and day. Oh man, I remember those
cookies. They were probably bad enough to kill. This though? This’ll kill for a whole
different set of reasons. ‘Cause I’m about to gorge myself enough to catch type 2.

Today’s Lefi brand meal was clearly the result of a near excessive amount of hard
work. It was easy for me to imagine her doing her best and continuing to push her best
efforts forward without letting her numerous failures get to her.

“Wait. Was this the reason you chose not to come with me to the demon realm?”

“Indeed,” she nodded,” it has been a year since our first encounter. I felt the need to
put a foot forward for the sake of our anniversary.”

Woah. The environment doesn’t really seem to change at all with the passing of the
seasons, so I’d never actually realized, but now that I think about it, it really has been a
whole year already. It’s been a year since Lefi and I met. And a year since I first came to
this world.

“I wished to demonstrate that I was capable of growth. I found this the perfect
opportunity to put together a celebration,” she said. “As your wife, it is imperative that
I endeavor to assist you with the housework to the best of my abili—”

She didn’t get to finish speaking. I followed through on an impulse, picked her up, and
started spinning her around before she could. I was simply too overcome with
emotion not to.

“Thanks Lefi. You’re the best wife ever, and I love you to bits.”

“C-cease this immediately! We are before all the others!”

She flushed a shade of red and even began hitting my arms to get me to release her,
but I absolutely refused. Because I understood. It wasn’t that she wasn’t completely
unpossessive. Or that she didn’t care. The Nell situation had bothered her, and she had
been a bit anxious. She didn’t not love me. She was doing her best for me. She wanted
to become the best wife she could because she wanted my attention. And that alone
was enough to send me over the clouds.

It was a silly, roundabout way for her to express her concerns. But one that was
adorable nonetheless.

It was just like her.

Perfect.

While she evidently remained a bit anxious, I knew there was no way I would ever lose
sight of my affections for her. Because demon lords were incarnations of desire. Greed
was a feature built into my system. Every last bit of treasure that I got my hands on
would forever remain a part of my trove. And nothing would ever be allowed to escape.

“I-I understand your affections well, but you must release me! Our evening meal will
lose its warmth should you continue!”

“Good point. There’s no way I could possibly let the meal my adorably wifey put
together for me go cold. That’d be a sin,” I said. “Alrighty then. I’ll save all the hugging
and spinning for later.”

“You need not continue,” she grumbled.

The bashful manner in which she conducted herself only made me want to hug her all
the more, but I didn’t want dinner to get cold, so I begrudgingly released her and began
heading towards my seat. Likewise, Lefi began to do the same, only to come to a
sudden halt when she realized that Nell had stopped following her.

“Are you not joining us?” she asked.

“Uhm… I think I’ll pass. I’d rather not get in the way of your first anniversary. It’d
probably be best if I stayed at the inn until you guys are done celebrating,” she said,
awkwardly.

“I do not see your point. This banquet is one in which you are more than welcome to
partake.”

“R-Really?”

Lefi reacted to the hero’s dumbfounded question was an exasperated sigh.

“My original intent was certainly for this banquet to be dedicated to Yuki alone.” She
rapped the back of one of her hands against my chest. “But that is no longer its sole
purpose. It is also to serve as a celebration of your arrival, a so called welcome party,
if you will.”

The dragon’s tone was almost akin to that of someone speaking to a younger sibling.
“Now come, join us.”

“Yeah, come on. Hurry up and grab a seat already. Don’t make me wait any longer.
‘Cause I really can’t,” I said.

“A-Alright,” stuttered the human.

“You should sit with us, Nell!” said Illuna with a big smile.

“Yeah, with us!” echoed Shii.

“Sure! Thanks, girls,” said Nell.

“Hey Nell, are you gonna be okay without a fork?” asked Lyuu.

“I think I’ll be okay with chopsticks. I’m not really used to them just yet, but I’m sure
I’ll get used to them if I use them enough. Thanks, Lyuu!”

Wait a second… Wasn’t she supposed to be terrified of her?

“When did you two suddenly start getting along?” I asked.

“A good while ago, Master,” said the maid. “Nell’s a real nice girl, and she’s got this
kinda sisterly feel to her, y’know? I just can’t not make sure she’s taken care of.”

“That’s real rich coming from you, seeing as how you started shaking in your boots the
moment you heard she was a hero.”

“T-that’s just because I didn’t know her yet! But now I do. She’s real kind, so I ain’t
scared of her one bit no more!”

“T-thanks Lyuu! You’re really nice too,” replied Nell, a bit shyly.

“Enough. I would be best for us to get to eating,” said Lefi. “Yuki, I shall allow you to do
the honours.”

“Huh? What? Why am I doing them?”

“Are you not the man of the house?”

“Riiiight, good point,” I said. “Well, uhhhh, alright. Everyone have their cups at the ready?”

“We’ve all been ready, Yuki!” said Illuna.

“Alright. Well, here’s to the first year of many to come. And to give a warm welcome to
our newest resident. Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

And so, the banquet began. The cheerful, noisy atmosphere it carried lasted late into
the night.