Chapter 4: Demon

Efil’s mornings were always early. I wasn’t particularly bad with mornings myself, but she would always be gone from our bed by the time I woke up. Usually, she would be down in the inn’s kitchen by then, making breakfast.

“Good morning, Master.”

Noticing that I hadn’t woken up at my usual time, Efil, who had long since changed from her negligee into her maid uniform, came to wake me herself. Apparently, it was already time for breakfast. Since we had been chatting until quite late the night before, I was still sleepy.

“Give me five more minutes...”

“Your breakfast will grow cold.”

Oh come on, don’t look at me with such a sad face. All right, I’m up, I’m up. I can’t very well let the breakfast that Efil went to all the trouble of making for me get cold, can I!

“Hnnngg, good morning, Efil. How did you manage to get up so early after we stayed up so late last night?”

I had never seen Efil oversleep. Well, aside from that day, of course.

“Master, if you live a well-regulated life, your body will wake you all by itself. Besides, don’t you know that it feels great to wake up early?”

“Hahaha...I’ll try my best...”

“You need not worry, Master. I take my responsibility of waking you up at a healthy hour very seriously.”

Apparently, my life is going to be regulated for me.

“Here are your clothes.”

Not only did Efil help me change, she also helped to do my hair. Just like every other morning, it was the full treatment. I don’t think I’d be able to live without her at this point.

◇ ◇ ◇

After I finished getting ready, I headed down to the first floor with Efil. The time was around 7 a.m., and there was a smattering of customers already eating breakfast. I’d always found the food at the Fairy’s Song exceptional, and clearly I wasn’t alone in that opinion as the place was always packed during peak hours.

“Good morning, Kel-chan. You’re up early again today.”

As the person who managed this popular inn, Clare-san’s mornings were early too. She not only handled all administrative duties, but took care of the daily kitchen prep as well, working until late at night. Strangely enough, I had yet to see her husband.

“Thanks to Efil, I am living a very healthy lifestyle.”

“Remember to thank her, all right? Being woken up by such a cute girl each day is a privilege, so make sure you never forget that.”

“I spend every day thanking her with every fiber of my being!”

“Oh, Master, you sure know what to say...”

Once we had finished our usual greetings, I sat down to eat. Every day, at exactly the same time, Efil would place the food that she had made right here. The table had essentially become our reserved seat for this time of day. Even if I didn’t look the part, I was the top adventurer in all of Parth. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone with the guts to sit at a table where a meal had been left out just for me. Although doing this during lunchtime when the place was packed would be problematic, there were plenty of seats available at breakfast, so Clare-san didn’t mind it at all.

“Well then, let’s dig in!”

“Eat slowly, all right?”

In the seat across from me, Efil also started on her breakfast. In the beginning, she had refused to eat at the same table as me. Supposedly, it was a breach of etiquette in this world for slaves to eat with their masters. As she had said, “To eat the same fare as Master is far too disrespectful!” I, however, had no intention of treating her like a slave, so I made it a rule that, in my own family, everyone eats together. At this point, Efil was used to sharing the table with me.

“Master, what are your plans for today?”

“Well, there haven’t been any good quests lately...”

Aside from the special ones assigned to us by Rio, it was quite rare for a subjugation quest of Rank B or higher to spring up around Parth. On the other hand, quests of a lower rank weren’t very attractive to us.

“I think I’ll be focusing on smithing today. I’m almost done with Gerard’s gear.”

“Then I shall pack you lunch.”

“Thanks, I’d love that. What about you, what are you going to do today?”

“I am thinking of helping Clare-san here until lunchtime.”

On days like this, where we had no quests lined up, it was normal for us to do our own things. In my case, it was usually shopping or smithing, whereas Efil often helped out at the inn while taking cooking lessons from Clare-san.

“Oh, you’ll help out again today, Efil-chan? When you’re here, we get a lot more customers, which is great for us. You’ve pretty much become our poster girl, actually. Guess I should raise your salary soon!”

True enough, the inn had grown noticeably busier after Efil had started helping out, with the majority of the new customers being male adventurers that I had seen at around Parth before. Lately, Efil was becoming a hot topic in the guild, only second to me in popularity. Although she was still technically Rank C, no one doubted that she was the second strongest person in town. Add to that her beautiful looks and lovable personality...it would have been stranger for people not to be talking about her. A lot of these new customers were those hoping to catch a glimpse of her up close.

“There’s no need for that! Clare-san’s always taking such good care of me and teaching me so much about cooking. Helping out is the least I can do!” replied Efil with a dazzling smile.

“What a good girl she is! Kel-chan, you’ll probably never find another like her again, so whatever you do, make sure you never lose her!”

“Lose her? That’s hilarious...you know I’ll absolutely crush anyone who tries to lay a hand on her, right?”

Just like that “prince” the other day.

“Hah, go a little easier on the crushing. Oh, right...Rio left a message for you. He wants you to swing by sometime today.”

“Could it be another special quest?”

“No idea. You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

Hmm...I had planned on spending the day making Gerard’s gear, but I guess I could stop by the guild first.

“All right, then I’ll head over now. Want to come with me, Efil?”

“Of course, Master.”

◇ ◇ ◇

Having finished breakfast, Efil and I walked over to the guild together. Melfina and Gerard were just waking up, but Clotho had been awake even before me, and was already settled in its usual place on Efil’s shoulder.

::Aaahhh...good morning...::

That was a pretty big yawn. Even goddesses can be bad with mornings?

::My king, will we be having breakfast soon?::

I ate already.

::I didn’t.::

My Followers had no need to consume actual food, since my magic provided them with sustenance. It was more of a personal preference. Since I had made the “everyone eats together” rule, I was planning to buy a house someday so that Gerard and Clotho could remain Summoned and actually eat with us.

“When we get to the workshop, you can have a packed lunch made by Efil. Sorry, Efil, can you make another portion?”

::Efil’s cooking! Now that’s something to look forward to!::

::Honey, why aren’t you powerful enough to Summon me yet?!::

I spent the rest of the walk trying to placate Melfina, and we ended up at the guild before I knew it. Fingers crossed for a subjugation quest!

◇ ◇ ◇

“A demon, you say?”

Guildmaster Rio had just presented us with the reason for the summons. As I had hoped, it was indeed a special subjugation quest.

“That’s right. Eyewitness accounts came from the Rank D dungeon The Hidden Cavern of the Sage. A party of adventurers who were going through it happened upon a hidden room, inside of which there was, apparently, a demon.”

Demons, dragons, and angels ranked together in the top tier of all life forms in this world. According to Melfina, they could supposedly even rival the gods. The most powerful among them had, several times throughout history, managed to become Demon Lords. Their strength, and thus the danger they posed, was formidable. That said, as eyewitness accounts of them were few and far between, not much was known about their way of life. There were many diverse theories about them, with some believing Demon Lords to be heralds dispatched from a “Demon World,” others claiming them to be a race from an undiscovered continent, and so on.

Could this be the source of the rumors regarding a Demon Lord that I’ve been hearing around town?

::There are many different ways in which a Demon Lord can appear, be it a monster who’s gone berserk after its Evolution, the fall of a king who’s lost his mind, or a being summoned from another world, just to name a few. Regardless of the process, however, it is those that possess overwhelming strength and the intention to destroy the world who turn into Demon Lords.::

I see. I had imagined them as kings of a demon race, as they are so often depicted in RPGs, but guess it’s different here.

::That’s right. And that’s why even I have no idea how or when the next Demon Lord will appear. But one thing is certain: even after a Demon Lord is defeated, given enough time, another one will always appear.::

They come back? Is there no way to break the cycle?

::It’s...part of the natural order of things in this world, and therefore an unchangeable phenomenon.::

Natural order of things...huh. Is it just me, or does Melfina sound a bit evasive? No matter, let’s leave it alone for now.

“So how did these adventurers manage to make it back alive?” I asked Rio, continuing our conversation.

“They said that the creature was sealed inside the hidden room. They couldn’t attack it for fear of accidentally undoing the seal.”

Well, this does sound like something that Rank D adventurers wouldn’t be able to handle. I suppose it’s akin to finding a sleeping dragon.

“And so you brought the matter to me.”

“To be honest, I struggled quite a bit with whether or not to call you this time. We have no way of knowing how strong this demon is. It could be Rank S for all we know. If you wish to turn the quest down, I’ll make arrangements to bring in a Rank S adventurer.”

It was rare for Rio to show this much concern for me. When he assigned the Evil Sage Tree quest, he had done so with the utmost nonchalance. That says a lot about how dangerous this opponent might be...

::The strength of individual demons can lie anywhere on a very large spectrum. That said, their weakest members are still around Rank B.::

Even their weakest ones are that strong? Hmm, should I accept or decline this quest?

“Incidentally, Kelvin-kun, did you happen to meet Prince Tabura from Trycen the other day?”

Uh-oh. “I...might have, or I might not have...”

“Is that so? You see, I’m having a bit of trouble finding the scoundrel who laid hands on the prince of another country right here in Parth. Cleaning up after that incident was oh so much trouble. The guild staff had to work so hard that they’re all tuckered out.”

“Oh wow, really? Sounds like you’ve had quite a rough time.” Don’t tell me he’s directing this conversation towards...

“We were so close to getting into diplomatic trouble with Trycen like you wouldn’t believe. I had to do so much running around. If I were to represent it all with a monetary value, it would probably be something like...oh I’m sorry, I went off on a bit of a tangent there. What were we talking about before? Ah, yes, so will you be accepting this quest?”

◇ ◇ ◇

“He’s the real demon...”

I had ultimately ended up folding in the face of Rio’s less than subtle references to the trouble I had caused him. At the moment, I was having a strategy meeting with my party in a guild smithing room that had been permanently assigned to me.

::There’s no point second-guessing what’s already done, honey. Instead, focus on making sure that all possible preparations have been made for facing such an enemy.::

“Given how I was brought up, I’ve never met a demon before. Are they really that strong?” Efil asked.

“When I was still alive, I participated in the subjugation of a lesser demon that appeared in one of our territories. Although it was of the weakest rank, killing it still involved the gathering of an entire squad of our very finest. I can beat it myself now, with my current stats, but if it Evolves? I can’t even begin to fathom how strong it could become.”

Efil gulped. “C-Can we really win against such an opponent?”

“Guys, there’s no need to get too anxious about it. Thankfully, the demon is currently sealed up. I’ll check it out with Analyze Eye first, and if it’s clear that we can’t win, we can immediately turn back. Melfina, do you have any information on demons that you can share with us?”

I had never met a demon before either, of course. For situations like these, I’d learned it was best to ask Melfina first, in case she might have some useful intel.

::Their appearances vary from one to the next. There are those who take on the classic image of a demon, and those who look incredibly similar to humans. In general, it can be assumed that the more humanoid the form, the higher level they are.::

“The one that I fought had purple skin and wings sprouting from its back. Its face looked a lot more like an orc than a human.”

::That sounds like a generic lesser demon, yes. And it isn’t only their physical appearances but their abilities that can differ greatly. As a race, however, all of them are blessed with extremely tough bodies and an abundance of magic, which gives them a certain degree of flexibility with acquiring and using a range of skills. All things considered, there is no one way to deal with them; each individual will require a different method of fighting.::

Which means we can’t actually plan out a proper course of attack. What a troublesome creature.

“That’s all the more reason to make every possible preparation beforehand. Let’s start by reviewing our equipment. Gerard, your gear is ready.”

“Ohh, is that so! I’ve been waiting for ages!”

I drew a pitch black shield from Clotho’s Storage. The moment it came out in its entirety, it fell to the ground so heavily that it left a groove in the floor.

“It’s absurdly heavy, as always. I can’t hold it up with my own Strength stat, but I’m sure you’ll be able to make good use of it.”

The name of the shield was Dreadnought. After folding the metal in on itself again and again to increase its toughness, the end product had been a solid Rank A item. Incidentally, I hadn’t chosen the name; my Smithing skill had set the shield’s name all by itself. Once again: I was not the one who chose the name.

“Color me impressed! It seems to fit my hand like a glove. With this, I’ll be able to achieve even greater feats in battle as everyone’s shield!”

Gerard’s sword and armor were pretty much part of his body already, so there wasn’t anything I could do for them with my Smithing skill. That’s why I’d decided to make a new shield for him instead.

“Gerard-san, I also have a present for you,” chimed in Efil, passing him a bundle of blood-red fabric.

“This is a mantle! You made this for me, Efil? What incredible workmanship!”

“Its name is ‘Crimson Mantle.’ After all, Gerard-san is always up front protecting us. I made this hoping that it would be at least a little help to you.”

Oh wow, a mantle with elemental resistance. It looks like Efil’s Sewing has gone up another notch. Especially the resistance to fire damage! It reduces the incoming damage of it by half?! With Gerard’s high resistance to physical damage, this is going to make him even tankier.

The Sage’s Black Robe that I was currently wearing had also been made by Efil. It was a Rank B item — the same rank as Crimson Mantle — which provided me with a small amount of automatic MP recovery and a boost to spell power.

::Although it’s true that her Sewing skill has grown a lot, she’s also been working hard at practicing the craft. Even without the skill, her technical prowess has reached impressive heights.::

Guess I can’t let myself fall behind, now can I?

“Next is Clotho. In your case, keep this in your Storage.”

◇ ◇ ◇

After carefully making our preparations, we set out for the Hidden Cave of the Sage. What looked like nothing more than a nondescript wooden hut in the middle of the woods actually sheltered a hidden staircase that led underground. Position-wise, the hut’s location wasn’t all that deep in the forest, so every once in a while, there would be a villager who accidentally stumbled across it.

There were four adventurer parties standing around the hut at present, warily keeping a lookout. I was familiar with every face there. All were Rank C, and this gathering likely included the most powerful adventurers in Parth aside from me and my party. The mages present were busy maintaining sealing and protective spells on the hut, but whether any of that would be useful against this particular demon was anyone’s guess. The atmosphere surrounding the hut was as tense as a taut bowstring.

“Seems they’ve set up quite the strict guard here.”

“The Hidden Cave of the Sage isn’t that far from Parth, my king. The measures they’re taking seem prudent to me.”

For this mission, I had Summoned Gerard in advance. With our opponent possibly being a Rank S threat, there was no telling what might happen. We needed our party’s shield to be out and ready at a moment’s notice. His appearance was that of a large suit of full plate armor, and his Status was Concealed. As long as he didn’t do anything too crazy, his identity as a Black Spirit Knight would not be discovered. Although even if it were, I could gloss over it by claiming to be a Tamer.

“Some of the adventurers are heading our way.”

I turned around at the sound of Efil’s voice and, sure enough, I could see one of the four parties approaching us. They were still too far away for me to make out their faces, but my Presence Sensing indicated that it was Uld-san, the adventurer who had served as the examiner for Efil’s Rank C promotion. He himself was also Rank C and, according to Ange, a veteran in the field. Regarding the outcome of the aforementioned exam...well, let’s leave it alone for his dignity’s sake.

“Heyyy, Kelvin! Glad to see that you’ve come too!”

“Uld-san, it’s been a while.”

“Good morning, Uld-san.”

Both Efil and I exchanged greetings with our fellow adventurer.

“I’m glad to see you doing well, Efil. Last time we had a proper face-to-face was during your promotion exam, right? You two are the greatest up-and-coming adventurers that Parth has seen in all its history. We couldn’t have asked for better reinforcements!” Rather than holding a grudge against us over his instant knockout, the outcome of Efil’s exam had apparently fueled his expectations of us.

Uld-san’s appearance was that of a bearded macho man with a scary face. He used a battleaxe as his main weapon, but he actually had a very cheery and welcoming personality, which surprised me a bit. During Efil’s evaluation, the only exchange we had was listening to his introduction of the exam just before it began, after all. I guess you really can’t judge people by their appearance.

“By the way, who is this?” asked Uld-san, finally noticing Gerard standing behind us.

“My name is Gerard, and I’m Kelvin’s comrade. I heard that a demon has shown up, so I came to help in any way that I can.”

Ohhh, I didn’t expect you to be capable of such a proper introduction, Gerard! Couldn’t have imagined it based on how you normally act.

::My king, I was a proper knight when I was alive! Of course I know basic etiquette!::

So you’re relaxed enough to make comebacks? Good, good.

“I can vouch for Gerard’s abilities. In addition, his armor was made using materials from the recent Black Spirit Knight quest. Don’t worry, you can rely on him.”

I figured that if I claimed Gerard’s armor was made of materials from the quest, no one would imagine him to actually be the monster in question. As the incident was still fresh in the minds of a number of those present, I thought it would be best to nip that in the bud.

“Is that so! If you’re the one vouching for him then we can all rest easy.”

“So, what’s the situation here?”

“As you can see, we’ve cast a barrier around the hut and are standing guard. We have no idea how effective Crux Bind might be on a demon, but still.”

Crux Bind was a Rank C White Magic sealing spell that was exceptionally effective against undead monsters like ghosts and zombies. By the same logic, it should theoretically apply to demons too. With the opponent being Rank B even in the best case scenario, however, it was important not to be overconfident.

::If the demon is stronger than Rank B, Crux Bind is basically just a placebo. There are demons who can use White Magic too.::

Ah, I’d thought as much.

“Did you see the demon for yourself, Uld-san?”

“Nah, by the time I got here, the entrance was already sealed off. The guild’s officially announced that they’ll only allow Rank B and up to enter the place. There’s nothing us C-rankers can do aside from standing guard outside.”

The members of Uld-san’s party were all around Level 30 or so. Within Rank C, they were considered the very best. However, the guild wasn’t allowing even their group to go in. Rio is definitely the one behind these precautions. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have passed this quest on to me.

“Hmm, so does that mean Efil and I aren’t allowed inside either?” asked Gerard.

Uld-san glanced at him before turning back to me. “You’re a special case, Kelvin. You’re here because you received a quest directly from the guildmaster. Therefore, all of your party members can accompany you.”

“Isn’t that a relief, Master?”

Of course Rio’s arranged everything ahead of time. That raccoon dog, it’s been his intention to rope me into this from the start.

“In that case, Uld-san, please continue to keep a lookout up here. We’ll go in and check this demon out.”

“We have almost no information about the creature. Don’t let your guard down for a moment.”

After acknowledging Uld-san’s advice with a nod, we headed towards the entrance to the Hidden Cavern of the Sage. Standing in front of the hut was a woman in mage-like attire who looked as if she had been waiting for us.

“Kelvin-sama, yes? I received word from Guildmaster Rio. We’ll create a small opening in the Crux Bind barrier for you, so please enter through there.”

“Got it.”

We ducked through the small gap, with Gerard leading the way, followed by me, then Efil. Once Efil had made it through, the hole was immediately sealed behind us.

“When you return, simply call out to us,” said the woman before moving a short distance away and sitting down in what appeared to be meditation.

“Well then, my king. Onwards?”

“Let’s. Both of you, stay sharp.”

“Yes, Master!”

Gerard placed a hand on the door of the hut, then carefully pushed it open. Together, we began our excursion into the Hidden Cavern of the Sage.

◇ ◇ ◇

Inside the hut was a simple bed, a few empty shelves, and a bare desk. Everything looked very old and worn. Maybe the place had once held more of value, but with the discovery of the dungeon, everything must have been cleared away. It didn’t look like anyone had been living there for at least several years. The only thing of note was the hidden trapdoor in the floor that led underground.

“Go ahead.”

Gerard leaned down, grabbed the handle and pulled upwards. Screaming with a heavy-sounding creak all the way, the thick iron door slowly opened, releasing a musty smell that filled the room. I peered into the darkness below.

“This is the entrance to the dungeon? I can’t see a thing.”

Beyond the door was an inky blackness unbroken by any source of light. To proceed, we were definitely going to need the Night Vision skill, torches, or an illumination spell.

“Efil, light please.”

“Yes, Master. I’ll cast Lambent.”

Efil chanted Lambent, a Rank E Red Magic spell, which produced a small orb of fire that lit up our surroundings. She sent the tiny fireball into the hole ahead of us.

“All right, so that’s taken care of visibility down there. Gerard will go in first, then me, then Efil. Clotho, take the rear guard.”

The miniature Clotho on Efil’s shoulder created a clone of its original size, transferring the majority of its strength over to it.

“Shall I go on, my king?”

“There’s nothing showing up within range of my Presence Sensing right now, but don’t let your guard down.”

“Please be careful, Gerard-san.”

Efil’s magical illumination revealed us to be in a tunnel that resembled a forgotten mine shaft. Following close behind Gerard, I continuously scanned our surroundings with Presence Sensing. If not for the darkness, Efil could have seen well into the distance with her Farsight, as she normally did. We weren’t so lucky this time but, thankfully, Rio had given me the specific route to our destination, so we did not have to worry about getting lost.

“There hasn’t been a single monster so far,” Efil noted after a while.

She was right. Although we had proceeded quite deep into the dungeon, we had yet to cross paths with a single enemy. In a normal dungeon, we would have had several encounters already.

“It might be an indication that something unnatural is going on here.”

It had been bugging me since I first entered the dungeon that I wasn’t getting any hits on my Presence Sensing. Monsters that would spawn in a Rank D dungeon were of no consequence to us at this stage, but having none appear at all was somewhat unsettling.

“What should we do? Should we turn back?”

“Nah, let’s at least take a look at the hidden room.”

We continued through the underground passage until finally reaching the chamber with the demon sealed inside. To the very end, our path remained completely devoid of monsters.

::Honey...::

“Mhm...beyond the door. I feel it.”

“So the demon’s in there, Master?”

Oh, it’s there all right. Problem is, there are two presences. One is most likely the bound demon, considering it hasn’t moved this whole time. The other feels quite different, but I can’t make out what it is. This is...a human? Wait, no, but...huh...

“The demon is in there, together with someone or something else. This second presence is probably the one that we should be paying attention to.”

“So, not the demon?”

“The demon is actually quite weak right now. It seems like the other one is the true threat to us.”

“What should we do about the subjugation quest, then?”

Good question. The target of the quest is the demon, so we won’t get the reward if we don’t kill it, but...

“Let’s prioritize neutralizing this other threat first. We can think about what to do with the demon after that.”

Depending on how things turn out, I might even be able to recruit the demon as a Follower.

“As you wish, my king.”

“Let’s do our best!”

I cast everyone’s buff spells, then drank a potion to recover my MP. All right, we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.

“The demon is in the middle of the room. The other presence, whatever it is, is just behind it. I’ll say this again: don’t let your guard down, any of you!”

With my command as the trigger, Gerard charged into the room and I quickly followed suit.

What first struck me was the sight of a drop-dead gorgeous woman, bound to a rack in the middle of the room, seemingly asleep. Her silky hair was a fiery red, and so long and voluminous that it covered nearly her entire body. As the rest of her looked completely human, her distinctive black wings, spiked tail, and ram’s horns stood out all the more, leaving no doubt that she was the demon.

Although her outfit was loose and coarse, her shapely curves still showed through, and it was easy to tell that she was quite blessed in a certain upper area. On top of everything else, the chains that bound her were digging slightly into her voluptuous body. Surely any healthy boy would have reacted favorably to the image. If I wasn’t used to seeing Efil, I might have been in danger too.

::Honey, can you focus please?::

Don’t worry, I know. This whole scene was just begging for comment, so I had to comply. Forgive me.

“What a strange sight...” murmured Gerard.

Right behind the beautiful woman were bones, bones, and more bones. A third of the room was buried under a whole mound of what appeared to be monster bones. Is this why we didn’t come across any monsters on our way here? It was an incredibly surreal scene.

Crunch! Snap!

The sound of chewing echoed through the room. The aura emanating from behind the mountain of bones was so dark and heavy that we very quickly realized the culprit responsible for this scene of carnage was whoever — or whatever — was making those sounds from the other side.

Damn, I can’t use Analyze Eye with all those bones in the way. Let’s Analyze the woman first.

Just as I was about to activate the skill, however, the crunching sound that had filled the room suddenly died away.

“It seems my next meal has just arrived.”

Speaking in a mechanical, dread-inducing voice, a figure emerged atop the horrible mountain of remains.

◇ ◇ ◇

The creature now standing before us looked extremely bizarre. Its overall appearance was like a fusion of human and insect, sporting a black carapace and a huge head with a mouth that was so large it seemed to have evolved to make up for the absence of eyes. Proportionately large teeth glinted dangerously as our new acquaintance lifted the edges of his — it is a “he,” right? — mouth in a smirk.

“Oh my. Oh my, oh my. Here I was, expecting more monsters to have wandered in, and it turns out to be humans instead. And rather powerful ones at that. Are you perhaps acquainted with the adventurers who so kindly broke the seal on this room for us?”

There was no longer any doubt in our minds that the calamitous scene surrounding us was the handiwork of this very individual. He also knew of the adventurers who had first discovered the room.

“Who are you? Are you with the demon lady over there?” I asked warily.

“You return my question with a question, I see. Well, no matter,” he answered in a voice that grated on my ears. “Despite my appearance, I am actually quite the gentleman. If I know the answer, I shall deign to let you hear it.”

It seemed the whole looking-down-on-us thing was helping to loosen the guy’s tongue.

“A gentleman? All I see is an insect walking on two legs.”

“Heh, so we have ourselves a jokester. I apologize for the late introduction. I am an archdemon, and my name is Viktor. Though our time together will be short, it is still my pleasure to have made your acquaintance.”

An archdemon?! If I remember correctly, that’s the name for a greater demon, right? If a lesser demon is generally at Rank B, then this guy’s strength would be...

“Hmm? You are smiling, it seems. Is something funny?”

Oops, guess I let it show on my face again.

As I covered my mouth with my left hand, I heard Gerard’s quiet sigh from beside me.

::My king’s bad habit is showing again...::

::A bad habit?::

::Oh right, you weren’t there when my king and I first fought. Well, you’ll see what I mean soon enough. For now, focus on the enemy.::

::Hmm...::

Despite not understanding what Gerard was referring to, Efil cleared her mind, ready to fulfill her role at any time.

“Ah, no, don’t worry about it. So then, who’s she?” I asked, pointing at the beautiful woman who was showing no signs of waking.

“Her? Well, she’s...” The corners of Viktor’s mouth rose again before he simply said, “The Demon Lord’s daughter.”

At that moment, the door that we had come through slammed itself shut, and a barrier sprang up in front of it. A trap, I guess.

“Well, that wasn’t very gentlemanly, was it?”

“Oh my, looks like the mechanism must have been triggered all by itself somehow. But you look rather at ease for someone whose sole path of retreat has been cut off,” he snickered. “I’ve taken a liking to you.”

So this bastard plans on playing innocent to the end? This isn’t the time for that...did he just say “Demon Lord’s daughter”?

::There have been three Demon Lords in the past. The most recent one was Demon Lord Gustav. The color of this girl’s hair is indeed a very similar shade to Gustav’s famous red mane.::

Interesting. So what happened to that Demon Lord?

::This was during my predecessor’s time, so I didn’t see it in person, but supposedly the Hero of the age defeated him. I am not aware of there being any records of Gustav having had a daughter.::

Did the Demon Lord take measures to hide his daughter’s existence, or is she merely an imposter? Either way, it makes her too dangerous to leave alone. Let’s see how much more we can extract from this chatterbox.

I narrowed my eyes at Viktor. “To my knowledge, Demon Lord Gustav did not have a daughter.”

“Impressive deductive powers, human. I haven’t yet brought up my lord’s name, and still you figured it out by yourself. It seems you know your history, hm?”

Oh yes, our Melfina is a knowledgeable goddess.

“As you must know, the general historical account is that Demon Lord Gustav was struck down by a Hero and, without a child who bore his blood, his armies crumbled and scattered. However, that was, as it happens, my lord’s plan.”

“He hid the existence of his daughter as a precaution in case anything happened to him?”

“Correct.”

Melfina, is there any danger of this girl becoming the next Demon Lord?

::The possibility exists. She might be harboring great hatred towards humanity for killing her father.::

Which means we’re going to have to take care of both Viktor and her, then.

“Now, back to my original question: are you acquainted with the adventurers who broke the seal on this room? Clearly, letting them go was the right choice after all. Even I hadn’t expected such a powerful human to show up so soon. While cleaning the place up, I also cleared away all the monsters in the dungeon. I trust you had an easy time reaching us, yes?”

“Ah, so we’ve been baited into coming here. And these bones are all that’s left of the monsters that were in this dungeon. Well, all right, we’re here. What do you want?”

It was hard to determine what Viktor’s goal was. Based on what he was saying, he seemed to be a subordinate of the previous Demon Lord, but he was spilling a lot of what sounded like very confidential information.

“Oh, it’s quite an embarrassing matter, actually. You see, the chains binding My Lady are made so that only humans can undo them. As a demon myself, I can’t even scratch them.”

“So you want us to break the chains for you? Do you really think we’d be willing to do that after hearing everything you just said?”

“Oh, no, no, no, not at all.” Viktor’s presence abruptly turned hostile. “I want you to let me eat you so that I can ‘borrow’ your powers and do it myself.”

◇ ◇ ◇

The instant Viktor began emitting killing intent, all of us shifted into our battle stances.

“Do you know why I, a demon, provided such valuable information to you, a human?”

“I feel like you’re going to tell me.”

The demon stared down at us from the top of the bone pile, smirking slightly. “You see, my unique skill, Intemperate Feeding, isn’t exactly the easiest to use. It allows me to absorb the characteristics of anything that I eat, but the process of eating yields minimal effects on its own. The closer the relationship with my target, or the more indebted my target is to me, the more effective the skill becomes.”

In other words, he was sharing valuable information with us so that eating us will be more effective? “A skill that gives you strength for consuming someone close to you? That is pretty intemperate.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

But if that’s the case, we’re in a bit of a pinch here. I glanced at the mountain of bones. If the effects of the skill were truly as he described, it meant that he currently possessed the abilities of every single monster whose remains lay before us. They would all have been Rank D at best, but that was no reason to make light of it.

“All right, I understand your plan to eat us and gain the human trait to break the chains. For what, though? You want to unleash this girl upon the world as the next Demon Lord?” I asked, trying to buy some time by dragging the conversation on a bit longer. After all, if we were killed, the end result would be the same regardless, so I was hoping to pull every last drop of information from him first. I was also using this time to cast Analyze Eye and sort through the information acquired from that. Hopefully I can gain enough time to have a detailed look at his skills.

“Hm, you’re half right. If the chains are not destroyed, I cannot lay a finger on her.”

“Wait a moment, you’re not...”

“It seems you’ve already figured it out! Yes, I will absorb her with Intemperate Feeding and take her powers for myself! I am Viktor the Intemperate, one of the Four Demonic Generals, the one entrusted with the care of Sera-sama since her birth. In a way, I think of her almost as my own daughter. Which means that if I devour her, I will surely gain an incredible amount of power. With that power, I shall make this entire world my own, now, while the Heroes are weak and insubstantial. I will be the next Demon Lord!!!”

I would have been able to empathize to some degree if his goal had been to save his kin, but for betrayal, of all things? And Demon Lord Gustav, “Four Demonic Generals”? Your naming sense is a bit sad.

“Well then, that should be enough, don’t you think? I’m quite ready to start eating you all now. I kindly ask that you not resist!”

Viktor began to gather Black Magic around both of his hands. Guess that’s all the info we’ll be able to obtain. I threw the information that I had learned from Analyze Eye onto the Follower Network, allowing everyone to receive and understand it in an instant.

---

Viktor (670 y/o, Male, Archdemon, Cursed Pugilist)

Level: 86

Title: Plunderer

HP: 1,525/1,525 (+254)

MP: 883/883

Strength: 540

Endurance: 628 (+10)

Agility: 378 (+10)

Magic: 396

Luck: 437

Skills: Intemperate Feeding (Unique Skill), Pugilism (Rank S), Black Magic (Rank A), Danger Detection (Rank B), Armored Skin (Rank A), Elasticity (Rank B), Burrowing (Rank B), Dark Damage Resistance, Slicing Damage Resistance

Passive Effects: Intemperate Feeding [Sword Mastery (Rank E), Spear Mastery (Rank E), Red Magic (Rank F), White Magic (Rank F), Penetration (Rank F), Bloodsucking (Rank E), Covert Action (Rank F), Search (Rank E), Night Vision (Rank D), Herculean Strength (Rank F), Fortitude (Rank E), Iron Wall (Rank F), Acute Reflexes (Rank F)...]

---

::Well, I’ll be! How many monsters has he stolen skills from?! All right, everyone, even though our opponent is much stronger than us, I’ll be sure to defend the front line! I’ll be counting on all of you for support!::

::We’ve got your back, Gerard-san!::

When it came to battle, our Follower Network was astonishingly effective. All communication carried out through the Network was instantaneous.

::It looks like a lot of the skills he gained have been downgraded, at least.::

Yeah, he probably just killed and ate them without bothering to get to know them first. All right, guys, we’ve got to be careful not to damage Demon Lord Gustav’s daughter. If we end up accidentally releasing her, Viktor might make a beeline for her, so stay on your toes.

“For starters, how about going to sleep?” I asked, unleashing what had already become my go-to spell, Air Pressure, at a strength that would have instantly crushed any Rank B monster to death. But while the contents of the massive bone pile beneath him crumbled and turned to dust, Viktor himself seemed unfazed. He leisurely approached us, still maintaining control of the Black Magic surrounding his hands.

“I am liking you more and more, human. It has been so long since I received a magical attack of such intensity.”

“You look none the worse for it. I’m kind of shocked right now, actually.” This is my first time encountering a monster against which Air Pressure is so ineffective. So this is what a Rank S monster is like...

“Are you actually shocked? It looks like you’re smiling.”

Ahh, damn, I let it show on my face again.

“Apologies. I’ve never met anyone as strong as you before. I can’t help but feel a bit excited.”

“Excited?”

::Honey’s bad habit has come out again...::

::It has indeed.::

::Umm, what bad habit?::

Melfina and Gerard were enjoying their little banter at my expense, while Efil was the only one who didn’t seem to understand. A figurative question mark almost seemed to be hovering over her head.

::During the Evil Sage Tree subjugation, and even the Armored Tiger one before that, we held the absolute advantage, so neither of those quests triggered my king’s hidden urge. But when he fought me, what kind of face do you think he was making?::

::What...kind of face was he making?::

Gerard answered mirthfully, as if telling a joke. “He was grinning from start to finish. It seems when he fights someone truly strong, he can’t hold himself back.” I noticed that he made a point to offhandedly reference himself with the “truly strong opponents” part.

::So in other words...::

::Yes, he’s a battle junkie through and through.::

◇ ◇ ◇

Viktor made his way over to the Demon Lord’s daughter, enduring my Air Pressure the entire way. “How about I show you all something interesting?” he asked, directing a hand towards the pile of bones behind him. With a short chant — “Hades’s Army!” — the Black Magic gathered around his hand flew out and was assimilated into the skeletal mountain.

It took only a few seconds for us to see the effects.

Clack, clack, clack.

To our astonishment, the haphazardly scattered bones started gathering together and forming humanoid shapes one after another. All of them were wielding swords or spears that they had pulled out of who knows where. Right, this would be Black Magic.

“Well, thanks for the show. You really shouldn’t have gone to the trouble, you know?”

“This should help to even the difference in numbers a bit,” he snickered. “Let’s see what you can do, shall we?”

With a slight wave of Viktor’s hand, the skeletons rushed us all at once. According to Analyze Eye, each and every one of them had the strength of a Rank B monster. Considering the bones that made them up had come from Rank D monsters, the spell must have been a very powerful one indeed. In the end, though, they were only cannon fodder, and certainly no match for us.

::Let’s clear them out before they get too close!::

I unleashed Wind Shot, cast wide enough to cover the approaching wave of enemies. Each blade of air tore through the skull of a different skeleton, but there were just too many of them. It was like every single monster that had inhabited the Hidden Cave of the Sage had suddenly gathered together in this one room.

::We’re going to have to fight while giving the demon girl a wide berth? That’s going to need us to break a few bones, eh? Get it?::

Stepping forward to switch positions with me, Gerard swung his sword horizontally and shot off Gekou, the Area of Effect version of Agito. His swordsmanship was truly refined, and he cut a rather dashing figure. If only he hadn’t ruined it with that bad dad joke.

::Puns notwithstanding, the attack was highly effective! The pun notwithstanding!::

Aside from the dad jokes, the power of Gerard’s attack had even Melfina’s approval. The flying slash that was Gekou hugged the ground, slicing through the legs of monster after monster like a knife through butter. With such large numbers of enemies packed so tightly together, the results were impressive indeed. His attack was so perfectly angled that the flying slash slammed straight into the ground right before it hit the Demon Lord’s daughter.

::My king, I’ll leave the rest to you!::

Got it!

As Gekou dissipated, I switched positions with Gerard, stepping up to pull off another Wind Shot that finished off the remaining stragglers.

::That went well, my king. It seems that’s all the pawns taken care of.::

The monster remains being used as Black Magic materials had all been pulverized. With the preliminary skirmish over, it was time for both sides to get serious.

“Oh, you lot are just great. Your individual strengths are indeed something, but what impresses me most is your teamwork. You move like a group of veteran warriors who’ve fought together for many years. How have you managed this at such a young age?”

Thanks to the Follower Network, this degree of cooperation is actually the norm for us.

“In spite of these compliments, you look entirely composed,” I noted. “You still believe that you’re speaking from a position of superiority, am I right?”

“So what if I am? It seems like this attitude fires you up even more,” sighed Viktor with a hint of confoundment in his voice. “You in the black robe, you’re quite the battle junkie, aren’t you? You’ve had that smile on your face since the start of our confrontation.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s kind of a sickness of mine. This is just so much fun, I can’t help myself.”

“Shall I erase that smile for you?”

With those words, Viktor slammed a fist wreathed in Black Magic into the ground. A thunderous explosion rocked the room, with the shockwave triggering a small cave-in at the entrance behind us. A huge cloud of dust billowed up, obscuring our view of the demon.

::A smokescreen?!::

Calm down, Gerard. I’ve already memorized his presence. He’s using the Burrowing skill to close in on us from beneath the ground right now.

Regardless of the lengths that someone went to, there was no hiding from me if I had already marked them with Presence Sensing. Not unless they were employing Covert Action as well as Efil could.

Amidst the roiling clouds of dust, Viktor approached us at high speed and leaped out of the ground right in front of Gerard. As he shot upwards, he swung his arm around in a terrible blow, the speed of which had been accelerated exponentially thanks to his Burrowing skill. Just before he managed to pull off the attack, however, his field of view was entirely filled with black.

“Hah!”

Gerard’s Shield Bash was a move that had plenty of destructive power in and of itself. And that was before he had upgraded to the preposterously tough Dreadnought shield. I would have died in one hit if I took such an attack head on. In this instance, Viktor’s own speed, gained from accelerating while underground, only served to increase the overall damage that he sustained. The perfect timing required to pull off this counter was possible thanks to the situational awareness that Mind’s Eye granted Gerard.

“Ooof!”

Viktor had clearly not expected this kind of response. He had thought he’d be the one launching a surprise attack, and had ended up on the receiving end instead. Flying backwards from the impact, he thrust his right hand towards the ground to steady himself.

“You’re not getting away!” roared Gerard, unleashing Agito as a follow-up.

All right, now an attack from me to press our advanta— Wait, no, something’s coming!

Using every drop of speed that I could muster with Sonic Boots, I immediately switched to evasive maneuvers. Just in the nick of time, too, as Viktor’s hand suddenly burst out of the ground. He’s using Burrowing and Stretching together! His hand followed me with ease, no matter where I ran.

“How about we kick this up a notch, eh?” After dodging Agito, Viktor exchanged blows with Gerard, using only his right arm while his left remained inside the ground.

Each clash between fist and greatsword scattered a shower of sparks through the air. Considering Viktor possessed both Armored Skin, a skill that deflected close-quarters attacks, and Slicing Damage Resistance, Gerard was at a definite disadvantage. Even so, he managed to hang in there through the skillful use of his shield. At this rate, though, it was only a matter of time before Viktor’s attacks would break through his defenses.

::Clotho, wrap!::

To break the stalemate, I issued a command to Clotho’s clone, who up until then had been lying in wait in its smallest possible size. Viktor’s left hand had become more or less defenseless as it had single-mindedly focused on trying to catch me. Clotho took advantage of this by latching on and instantly expanding to its greatest possible size, enveloping every part of the arm that was protruding from the ground.

“A slime?! Where’d that come from?!”

The slime that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere left Viktor reeling in shock.

“It seems like physical attacks don’t work so well against you, so how about you try this on for size?”

Without further ado, Clotho began to absorb magic from Viktor at the fastest speed it was capable of.

◇ ◇ ◇

“This is a rather rare slime species that you have with you!” Viktor said gleefully. “I admit this might be a rather disadvantageous match-up for me.”

“Dammit, he went underground again!”

A split second after Clotho began its Absorption, Viktor abandoned his exchange with Gerard and jumped into the same hole that his left hand was in. The other end of the hand retracted into the ground at the same time. It was clear that he intended to drag Clotho’s body down with him. Although Clotho had regained its full strength after having removed the entirety of its body from Storage, stats-wise it was still inferior to Viktor by several notches. At this rate, my slime was in danger.

“Like I’ll let you!”

I chanted the Rank A White Magic spell Glory Sanctuary, with the section of Viktor’s left arm that was still protruding from the ground as the target. It was the most powerful binding spell that I was currently capable of, and was one of my hidden aces. It applied a powerful binding effect to its target, with the amount of magic that was poured into the spell affecting its range. Within that range, members of the caster’s party would even receive buffs to their Strength and Magic stats.

Common usage of the spell involved having other party members, preferably fully buffed, unleashing full-powered attacks upon the bound target. Supposedly, several court mages normally needed to work together to cast this one spell, but I was capable of doing it by myself thanks to the ridiculous amounts of MP that I had. Now, that obviously begged the question of exactly how much magic I was going to need to Summon Melfina if I still couldn’t pull it off with my current stats. But...well, that was a matter for another day.

White, shining magic circles appeared, centered around Viktor’s left hand, indicating the area within which the spell would be buffing our party members. The circles expanded until they covered a sizable portion of the room, looking like a stack of three rings floating in mid-air.

::Ohhh! As expected of my king!::

Living up to its rank, the spell succeeded in stopping Viktor’s extended arm from making any further movements.

This is only capable of buying us a bit of time. I’ll cast Vortex Edge on your greatsword, so make sure you sever his hand!

Contrary to how impressive the scene looked, Glory Sanctuary was barely maintaining its hold. Cracks had already begun to spread across one of the rings. I found myself once again marveling at just how powerful Viktor was.

::As you command!::

Gerard dashed into Glory Sanctuary’s area of effect, holding in his hand a spell that had ended the lives of scores of monsters. Vortex Edge, the materialization of a raging gale that tore all creation into nothingness, was my most powerful option in terms of burst damage output. Let’s gamble on whether this will work against you and your Slicing Damage Reduction, Viktor!

Crack.

I heard a faint sound behind me.

“You’ve let your guard down, haven’t you?”

Viktor burst out of the ground. His right hand was wreathed in Black Magic and poised to thrust forward in attack. I didn’t have to look twice to understand that I would die instantly if I were to take the blow head-on. Shit, I got so excited that I forgot to keep an eye on Presence Sensing!

“It was a good match indeed. However, you coming at me three-against-one still wasn’t enough to change the fact that this was always going be my victory!”

I whirled around, my face still fixed in a broad smile. “Three-against-one? Don’t you mean four-against-one?”

Efil, go ahead!

::Enemy in sight. Firing now!::

Efil, who had been waiting hidden until then, instantly let loose a Blaze Arrow. Before we entered the room, I had instructed her to activate Covert Action and keep an eye out for a clean shot at whoever or whatever our opponent turned out to be. To create such an opportunity, I had decided to act as the decoy.

Blaze Arrow, which Efil had also used during the Evil Sage Tree subjugation, was a special move that she’d created, focusing on penetrative ability. The explosive power of Red Magic was used to propel the arrow, while all of the scorching heat was clustered at the tip of the arrowhead, allowing it to melt its way through anything. If the target possessed regenerative powers, this attack had the bonus effect of interfering with that too. As such, it was most useful against enemies with abilities that were skewed towards defense.

Until the moment Efil actually shot her Blaze Arrow, there was no way Viktor could have known of her presence. She’d been hidden from view, and she had fired from his blind spot. In spite of that, Viktor managed to react immediately after the arrow left Efil’s bow. The hand that he was bringing down on me was instantly redirected to where the attack was coming from, and he even deployed a simple defensive spell in time. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that it was likely his Danger Detection skill that had warned him.

“Aaagh!”

In spite of his incredible reflexes and as-yet unbroken armor, Blaze Arrow successfully managed to strike him. It tore through his hand first, then arm, then shoulder, burning and shredding as it went. By deftly shifting his body and letting his arm take the brunt of the attack, he had managed to avoid fatal damage. His right arm, however, was now completely mangled. Very much aware of this, he quickly activated Burrowing again, leaving us no way of chasing him.

::I’m sorry, I failed to finish him off.::

::Don’t feel down, lass! We’ll be taking his left arm as well!::

That’s right, we’re far from done. Gerard was already next to the bound arm, just about to bring his Vortex Edge-clad sword down upon it. One of the rings of Glory Sanctuary had already crumbled, while the second was now halfway gone. The time window it had given us was dwindling fast.

“RAAAHHHH!”

Roaring at the top of his lungs, Gerard unleashed a fearsome attack with all the power he could muster. The instant sword met arm, the sound of metal on metal rang out several times in quick succession. Vortex Edge was trying to sever the arm like a chainsaw but the demon’s armored limb was putting up a fight by sheer nature of its toughness. A shower of sparks even greater than when Gerard had been fighting Viktor one-on-one filled the air as the screeching of metal grew louder and louder.

Clang!

It felt like an eternity, but Gerard finally won the adrenaline-inducing exchange. His greatsword made a clean pass through Viktor’s arm, severing it and sending it flying through the air. I very much wanted to let Clotho Absorb the arm, but we didn’t have that kind of time at the moment, so I instructed my partner to throw it into Storage instead.

Good job! But the seal on the arm is now dispelled, so retreat back to our side!

With the arm gone, Glory Sanctuary faded away, the rings crumbling into nothing. The stump of the arm that had been bound by them disappeared into the ground. Presence Sensing showed Viktor burrowing his way to the opposite end of the room.

He’s backed off for now. Keep your eyes on that spot.

::Understood, Master. As Covert Action has been dispelled, I will now shift into providing long-range support fire.::

::My sword is still buffed with Vortex Edge. I will make our next clash the last.::

After a brief moment, Viktor re-emerged from the ground with a rasping laugh.

“The last time I was done in so badly was during the age of the previous Hero, I dare say. It seems that I, too, have been poisoned by the complacency of these peaceful times.”

Viktor had had his magic sucked away by Clotho, and was now missing both arms. By all accounts, he was only a small step away from defeat.

“So, are you going to surrender?”

“Surrender?” he laughed. “This early in the game? That sounds quite funny coming from a battle junkie such as yourself. Worry not, the true battle is only just beginning!”

A greater sense of pressure than anything we had felt so far assaulted us like a wave.

“Jin Scrimmage!”

Black Magic cascaded out of Viktor’s severed stumps, enveloping his entire body within moments. Is this the most powerful Black Magic spell that he’s capable of?

::Honey, go for it.::

No need to tell me twice. I’ll make sure to finish him off.

I readjusted my grip on the Verdant Staff.

Black Magic gradually sank into Viktor’s body, changing its shape. Now, if this had been a special effects tokusatsu show or an anime, I would have let him finish what looked like an epic transformation, but I had no such obligations in real life. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to get in as many hits as we can.

::Master, now is the time!::

Efil had her bow up, with flames surrounding her nocked arrow, taking on the shape of a dragon’s head. Awesome, looks like Efil is thinking the same thing I am.

After first unleashing Agito, Gerard was running towards Viktor, with Clotho close on his heels. Gathering the necessary magic, I threw a spell at the demon, who was still in the middle of transforming.

::Cleft Detonation!::

::Pyrohydra Primary!::

Cracks appeared in the ground, with a terrain-changing explosion bursting out almost immediately. This in and of itself was already a very destructive attack, but that wasn’t all there was to the Rank B Green Magic spell. As a follow-up, bits of the ground rose up in the form of razor sharp teeth that attempted to clamp onto Viktor like the jaws of some gigantic roaring beast.

The arrow released by Efil was now clad in a dragon made of flames, capable of seeking out its prey as if it had a mind of its own. It wasn’t a dragon as depicted in the West in my homeworld, but as depicted in the East, with a long, serpentine body that painted the fiery contrail of the arrow.

This special type of arrow, which Efil had named “pyrohydra,” was endowed with a sensing function that enabled it to automatically pursue monsters. When she wanted to, however, she could control it manually. As such, this move was extremely useful for both offense and defense. The only fly in the ointment, so to speak, was that the arrow continuously drained her magic during use, so that was definitely an area that would need further improvement. For the moment, however, the dragon made of flames was slowly circling around Viktor.

The original idea had been for Cleft Detonation to destroy Viktor’s legs, then for Agito to bisect him, with the dragon of flames ready to pounce down onto his head at a moment’s notice. Any normal monster would have lost all morale and given in to despair in such a situation.

Damn. We were late by a split second.

There stood Viktor, unharmed by Cleft Detonation. He had been protected by a new pitch black armor that covered his entire body. The armor, which had likely been the result of the spell he was casting, made his overall silhouette significantly larger, and even granted him disproportionately gigantic arms that were protruding from the stumps where his own arms had been.

At first glance, those huge hands of his looked heavy and unwieldy, but to our astonishment, he used a backhand to smack away Gerard’s invisible Agito. Having had its direction altered at a sharp right angle, the attack sank into the wall at Viktor’s side.

::He deflected Agito?! Where did those enormous arms come from?! Did he create them with that magic just now?::

Gerard, activate Loyalty at full strength.

::Are you sure, my king? I’ll only be able to maintain it for a few minutes.::

That’s how dangerous Viktor has become. It looks like he’s aiming for a quick resolution to this fight.

Gerard’s Unique Skill, Loyalty, was of the stats-boosting type. For a limited amount of time, this skill would buff Gerard’s stats based on how loyal he was to the person he considered his lord. I had no way of quantifying Gerard’s loyalty to me (in the first place, I didn’t even think of myself as his lord), but something told me there probably wouldn’t be a better time to use the skill.

“Hah, all ready for our last round?”

“As we’ll ever be. Come at us with all you’ve got!”

Viktor took a step forward. He seemed to be gathering himself for a moment, but the next thing we knew, he was charging towards us at the speed of a bullet.

Gerard, emergency defense!

Stopping dead in his tracks, Gerard brought Dreadnought to bear, shifting into defensive mode with a single flowing motion in the span of a breath.

“Oh, you bet I will!”

Viktor’s body began to barrel roll as he approached us at high velocity. The Black Magic that enveloped him expanded, giving his arms the ability to reach wall to wall. He took advantage of the transformation to lunge forward in an attempt to mow us down.

He intends to wipe us all out in one go!

I reflexively cast the fastest defensive spell that I could manage: Earth Rampart. It was hard to imagine it being much use against a Rank S monster’s charge, but I had to do whatever I could.

::Gerard, if you can’t stop that attack, the entire party is finished. Block it with everything you’ve got!::

::My princess sure works her subjects to the bone!::

A sinister-looking wind picked up as the black mass continued to rush toward us, the shockwaves caused by its passing inflicting countless wounds upon the ground. Viktor soon crashed into the Earth Rampart, and just as expected, the wall merely crumbled with the impact, having had no visible effect on the demon’s advance. Then Viktor and Gerard collided, black shield against black arm.

With his Loyalty skill at full strength, all of Gerard’s stats had been temporarily boosted. Throughout the fight, he had managed to block and parry many of Viktor’s attacks, so he was confident that he could do so again. It wasn’t a presumptuous confidence but one based on experience. Since he had pulled it off in his natural state before, with Loyalty now activated and even buffed by spells from his king, he didn’t see how he could lose this time.

::How can I call myself a knight if I fail here?!::

At the moment of the collision, with the absolute best timing, Gerard pulled off a Shield Bash. He threw everything he had into his counterattack, and fully expected to see Viktor flying back as he had the first time around.

However, his expectations were soon crushed. The demon murmured, “Well, that’s rather imprudent of you.”

A terrible impact assaulted Gerard. Although he had repeatedly told himself to never let go of his shield, the next thing he knew, he was empty-handed. Contrary to the outcome he had expected, the impact had almost completely shattered Dreadnought and knocked it clear out of his hands. The cost of having misread the oncoming attack was high. With his guard having been forced wide open, Gerard could only watch as death approached.

::Gerard-san! Don’t give up!::

Efil’s voice over the Network snapped Gerard back to his senses. By the time he felt its presence, Efil’s pyrohydra had already roared past him, flying with deadly purpose.

::Let’s do this together!::

::Right-ho. There’s still much that I need to do. This...:: Shifting into a two-handed grip on his greatsword, he roared out loud, “This is still the beginning of our story!!”

The pyrohydra clamped on like a vice, even as Gerard swung his sword with every last drop of power that he possessed. Thanks to the effects of Crimson Cloak, the damage that Gerard was taking from standing in such close proximity to a burning opponent was insignificant.

However, their combined attack was insufficient to fully sever Viktor’s arm. Gerard fell, completely spent, just as the pyrohydra was reduced to nothing but sparks. Even so, their efforts were enough to push the arm back.

It’s not over yet! He’s still coming at us!

The party’s joy was short-lived, and the fight wasn’t over yet. Having leaped back into the air, Viktor had appeared to lose his balance for a moment, but he was still closing in on Gerard, who was now lying motionless on the ground.

::Pyrohydra Secondary!::

Efil had gathered her magic without hesitation, and now released a second attack. Upon leaving her bow, the dragon roared towards the demon in a straight line.

“You guys truly don’t know how to give up!” Viktor commented as he threw a straight punch. What made the strike special was that he was still in midair when he threw it, and his arm had limitless reach thanks to his Elasticity skill. With a whoosh — a sound that normally wouldn’t be associated with a punch — his fist swung straight towards the incoming projectile.

I grinned with exhilaration. “Well, we have every confidence that we can beat you!”

The collision of fist against arrow left the latter scattered into pieces yet again. However, during that small window of contact, something had flown out from the pyrohydra.

“This is...your slime again?”

Viktor had caught on quickly; it was indeed a Clotho clone who had appeared. The main body, still sitting on Efil’s shoulder, had created another clone. Although the clone’s stats were considerably weaker, it had full use of Clotho’s skills — the most important one being access to Storage.

Let him have it all, Clotho!

Various cursed weapons were rapidly ejected from Storage. They were the failed products of my smithing practice — all quite powerful, but carelessly using any of them would cause the wielder to be afflicted with terrible curses. As such, I couldn’t very well sell them or use them myself. When I was considering what to do with them, the idea of having Clotho use them as projectile weapons had come to mind. Simply keeping them in Storage wouldn’t cause the slime to suffer any of the curses.

Taking advantage of the short window of time during which Viktor was left unguarded as he tried to pull his extended arm back, Clotho rained a squall of these cursed weapons onto him from point blank range. I didn’t even have to use Analyze Eye to tell that, just as planned, Viktor had indeed been cursed. As evidence...

Pang!

Viktor’s arms, as well as the armor enveloping his whole body, shattered.

“Radiance Lance!”

Without delay, I cast the Rank B White Magic spell — the fastest lance-type spell I knew. Matching my timing, the large Clotho clone also opened its mouth for a Mortality Beam, while Efil loosed a Blaze Arrow.

“Aaaahh, so it’s my loss...” murmured Viktor as the three attacks simultaneously tore through his body.

◇ ◇ ◇

Recovery Circle.

After the fight with Viktor ended, I healed everyone in our party back up. Although there had been several moments where we were hanging on by the skin of our teeth, in the end, none of us had suffered any major injuries. We had faced off against a close aide of the previous Demon Lord and come out of it largely unscathed, having clinched a victory. I was more than happy with the results.

“Well then. You still alive?” I asked, looking at Viktor, the very individual with whom we had been locked in fierce battle mere minutes before. His temporary arms were gone, there were three gaping holes in his body, and he was lying face up on the ground. He was clearly on the verge of death.

“Yes, I am...unfortunately, it seems I am still drawing breath...”

“So you are.”

All the haughtiness he had displayed during our initial encounter was gone. In its place was only the pensiveness of someone coming face to face with the end of a long, long life.

“But before you go, there’s something I want to ask you,” I said.

“What...is it?”

“From the very beginning, you actually had no intention of eating the woman that you called the Demon Lord’s daughter, did you?”

This was something that I had noticed halfway through the fight. Every time Viktor unleashed an attack, he’d made sure that it didn’t hit the bound demon. Early on, he had said that no attack of his could destroy the seal or even touch the woman, as he did not possess the human trait. I highly doubted that he had forgotten that fact.

He forced a chuckle. “You...really have a sharp eye...”

“Why did you lie to us? I can’t see how it benefits you in any way.”

“If I hadn’t...you wouldn’t have come at me...in full force, would you? I was entrusted...by Gustav-sama...”

Viktor’s words were slow to come now.

“I...probably do not have long left. I’ll keep it short, but allow me to...share with you...the story of the previous era’s Hero and Demon Lord...”

◇ ◇ ◇

Demon Lord Gustav was a tyrant. He was extremely ambitious, and once he became a king, he invaded his neighboring countries again and again, spending every day reveling in the fervor of war. Eventually, the rest of the world started calling him a Demon Lord, and the Hero-summoning Ritual was performed when a call to overthrow him went out across the land.

His tyrannical nature led to even his own men fearing him, but there was one person with whom Gustav could be his true self: Sera, his beloved daughter. With his days mired in war and his wife having passed away, the degree to which he loved and doted on his daughter was striking, to say the least. He never let her outside, not even once, and took every measure to hide the knowledge of her existence from all but his closest retainers. As such, Sera did not know the world, and spent her life speaking only to a limited number of demons.

When the Hero reached the Demon Lord’s Castle with a huge host in tow, Gustav was convinced of his impending defeat. The Four Demonic Generals had all been struck down at different battlefields, with the only one left being Viktor, Sera’s dedicated caretaker. The forces at Gustav’s disposal were dismally insufficient. He did not lament the loss of his country or his own life, but was filled with misgivings about the safety of his daughter. The Hero was already at their door. If Sera’s existence was discovered, she would surely be chased down and killed without a second thought.

As a desperate measure taken in the eleventh hour, Gustav bound his precious daughter with a spell and locked her up in a teleportation room. The effects of the spell caused her body to become frozen in time and made her fall into a deep slumber. The instant that Gustav died, the magic circle in the room would activate automatically and send her to a hidden location. At the same time, the activation of this mechanism would form the chains that made Sera’s binding unbreakable except by a human. The Hero wasn’t the only threat to her; she would also make for a very desirable target for monsters and other demons. Therefore, Gustav decided on humans, the weakest race overall, to be the trigger for her release. Although she wasn’t quite at Viktor’s level, she was still rather powerful among demons. As long as it wasn’t the Hero who found her, her chances at escaping alive after being found were quite high.

Before heading off to face the Hero, Gustav ordered Viktor to serve as Sera’s guard. Viktor himself wanted very much to fight alongside Gustav, and voiced his discontent accordingly. However, the instant he saw Gustav’s face, the moment he beheld the tender expression of a father, which he had never before seen on the face of this Demon Lord who commanded such fear and terror from all, Viktor found himself unable to utter another word. He accepted Gustav’s orders and set off for the hidden location where Sera was to be teleported to.

It was two days later that news of the Demon Lord’s death at the hands of the Hero finally reached Viktor’s ears. Repressing his heartache, he somehow managed to arrive at the hidden location without being discovered. However, what he found was a hidden door underground that he could not open. Just like the seal on the chains, this door had also been set up so that it could only be opened by humans. In addition, it was very cleverly hidden, so much so that even professional adventurers would have had a hard time noticing it. Viktor could only sit and wait for an adventurer to stumble upon the place and unseal it.

He had passed a long, long time lying in wait. By all appearances, there was only a common shack up top, which hardly helped the chances of drawing someone’s attention, much less getting them to find the trapdoor that led underground. Viktor could have kidnapped someone and forced them to open everything, but doing so would have risked the Hero hearing about it. Therefore, he decided to wait until a time when the Hero was no more. Humans had limited lifespans, after all, so Viktor waited, and waited, and waited.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Until finally, this new age came. Countries went to war, but...their wars were mere child’s play...compared to that of my Lord’s...”

The place was eventually discovered as an underground dungeon, and finally, adventurers happened to open the door. Viktor stayed hidden, waiting for someone with actual skill to show up so that he could eat them, free Sera, and abscond with her.

“And yet, look how awry...my plans became...” Viktor coughed up some blood before continuing. “I have a request...would you accept Sera-sama...as your party member and comrade...?”

“I’m...totally fine with it. But what brought that on?”

“You...are strong...and you are trusted by your comrades...monsters, too, it seems...” Viktor shot a look at Clotho and Gerard.

“Clotho I get, but you realized that Gerard is a ‘monster’ too?”

“After exchanging all those blows...I could tell immediately...right, Summoner-san?”

So he figured it out...

“Sera-sama has never...left the castle...if possible, please...let her see the world...”

“I’ll make the offer, but I can’t guarantee she’ll agree, all right?”

The edges of Viktor’s mouth lifted slightly in a smile. “She will agree...for sure. She...has a very...inquisitive mind. And besides, with how...loudly we were fighting...I believe...her consciousness has already...woken up...”

“What? She’s awake?”

“As soon...as you undo her binding...she should open her eyes...immediately. She’s probably...also listening to this conversation...”

::He is not lying.::

Thanks for checking, Melfina.

“What about you, though? Would you be interested in becoming my Follower too? If you want, I could heal you up right now.”

“A truly attractive offer...but my Lord is Gustav-sama alone...in any case, it’s already too late...”

Viktor looked like he was having trouble holding on to consciousness.

“Heh...how funny...for a demon...to be making requests...but if you feel like it...I leave her...in your hands...”

His last bit of strength drained away, and Viktor fell limp. At the same time, a fanfare rang out inside my head.

“I leveled up...”

Most likely due to the difference in our levels, I had earned a massive amount of XP from the victory. The fanfare continued to ring on and on, but somehow, it sounded a bit hollow.

“Well then, let’s free this Sera person, shall we?”

“Are you sure about this, Master? Didn’t Melfina-sama say there is a chance this girl could become the next Demon Lord?”

Efil’s concerns were warranted.

“Well, as it turns out, I’m a pretty sentimental person,” I replied with a sigh. “It seems I really am bad at following through with things...”

All it took was for me to touch the chains and they shone with a bluish white light before shattering and falling away.

“Hey, can you hear me?”

The red-haired demon slowly opened her eyes...

“Both Father and Viktor are such idiots!!!”

...and started bawling her eyes out.

◇ ◇ ◇

All of us emerged from the Hidden Cavern of the Sage and climbed back up to the rundown hut. I’m so exhausted that I just want to dive into bed and sleep...

Contracting with Sera had taken quite a bit of effort, but I’d managed it in the end. As for why it had taken so much work...well, it was because she just couldn’t stop crying. After waking up, her tears had flowed nonstop, several centuries of pain and grief hitting her all at once. The rest of us did everything we could think of to calm her down. We practically spent as much energy on it as we had during the fight with Viktor. Which reminds me, my first encounter with Efil pretty much went the same way, didn’t it?

Eventually, I was able to bring up the matter of the Contract, and got her consent for it.

“Sniff...okay, I agree...”

There we go, Contract formed.

Despite her appearance as a beautiful lady, my impression was that her mental age was still rather young. It made sense, after listening to Viktor’s account of how sheltered Demon Lord Gustav had kept her. Then there was also the fact that I didn’t know at what age demons matured into adults.

At the moment, I was carrying Sera on my back, and she was still crying. I enjoyed the sensation of her breasts on my back, but very much did not enjoy the continuous sobbing right into my ear. If she could just start walking by herself sometime soon...

The reason it was me giving Sera a piggyback ride and not Gerard was that he was currently incapable helping. To be more specific, he was on the verge of Evolving, so it was taking everything he had just to walk. The plan was to have him hold on until we got out of sight, at which point I would Unsummon him.

Upon noticing us, the mage managing the barrier looked up from her meditation. “Looks like you’re back — hey, who’s that lady?”

“We successfully subjugated the demon. It seems it was possessing this woman when it was bound, and she was trapped together with it,” I replied, following the cover story that I had hashed out with Melfina and the others beforehand.

The adventurers who had first discovered the hidden room had seen Sera’s form, so if we said nothing, people would draw the conclusion that she was a demon. Since she was going to join our party, having such rumors about her floating around would be rather troublesome. What with her being the daughter of the previous Demon Lord, it seemed like a no-brainer that we should keep her identity a secret.

“Is that true?! Have you truly subjugated the demon?! That’s right, proof! Do you have any proof?!”

“This is the proof. If you have someone with Analyze Eye examine it, I’m sure it will confirm our claim.”

I handed the woman a piece from Viktor’s carapace. I felt somewhat apologetic towards him, but we had to paint him as the demon who had possessed Sera. With this, our account would check out. As for Viktor himself, we had already given him a burial and even performed a memorial service for him.

::M-My king, I...can’t hold on much longer...::

You were the one who said it, right? “How could a knight keep a crying lady waiting?!” wasn’t it? I told you I didn’t mind if you waited a bit before Evolving, didn’t I? Take some responsibility for your own words.

::Y-Yes, my king...::

You can do it, Gerard.

To our relief, Sera was in possession of an item that alleviated our worries about her horns and wings. The “Clip of Camouflage” that her sidetail was tied with had the effect of hiding the physical characteristics that differentiated her as a demon, in effect allowing her to pass as a normal human. I had no way of knowing for sure whether Demon Lord Gustav gave her the item with the assumption that things might turn out this way, but considering Viktor’s account of how much he doted on his daughter, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that were indeed the case.

“She’s grown very weak, so we’re going to go ahead and bring her back to Parth. Can we leave the clean-up to you guys?”

“Of course, we’ll take care of it. The poor girl, she’s crying so much...everything’s going to be okay now. You can rest easy, all right?”

Luckily, the mage’s misunderstanding of the situation worked in our favor. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to make a quick exit.

After passing through the magical barrier surrounding the hut, we made our way to the clearing where Uld-san and the other Rank C adventurers were standing guard. As expected, he and his party rushed towards us, which prompted the others to look over as well.

“Oh, you’re back safe and sound! Wait, what’s with the beauty, Kelvin? And your knight friend also looks quite the worse for wear! Did you guys get done in by the demon?!”

Uld-san peppered us with questions. It was clear to see that they came from a place of concern, but it was really not the best time for all that.

::Ughhh...I feel like something might be coming out...::

Right, we don’t have time for this!

“Uld-san, I’ll fill you in later! Gerard is in a really bad state right now from our fight with the demon. To heal him, I’m going to need a special medicine that I’ve left back in Parth. So sorry, but we’re going on ahead!”

After spitting out a volley of words at a speed that surprised even myself, I continued running on past.

“Hey, Kelv—”

Sorry, Uld-san, but later! Gerard, run carefully so you don’t jolt yourself!

At top speed, our entire party dove into the forest and out of sight.

◇ ◇ ◇

Eventually, we found ourselves back on the road to Parth.

::Phew, all refreshed. I was really worried about what would happen for a while back there.::

That’s the first thing you say after Evolving?

Having been Unsummoned in the nick of time, Gerard had completed his Evolution within my magic pool. His race was now “Hades Knight Captain” which, according to Melfina, was a unique subspecies of the Hades Knight race that could be found in Rank S dungeons. Very much living up to the name, Gerard’s black armor had grown even fancier and tougher than before, and his stats now matched what Viktor’s had been. In a surprising turn, the Dreadnought shield that had been destroyed had reappeared in his right hand, having been similarly strengthened and transformed.

::Mwahaha, this is the fruit of my dedication to the Way of the Knight!::

All I could see was an old geezer trying to hold in his pee...

Honestly, there was no better way to describe what he looked like near the end.

“Oh, hey there, you’ve stopped crying, Sera.”

“Mmm...”

I suddenly noticed that Sera was quietly listening to our conversation. As she had officially become one of my Followers, she should already have been capable of telepathic conversation, but I decided to speak out loud to give her some time to grow accustomed to it first.

Apparently, Efil had the same thought. “How do you feel, Sera-sama?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for worrying about me, umm...”

“My name is Efil. I am Master’s slave and maid.” Efil lifted the edges of her skirt and curtsied gracefully.

::I’m Gerard.::

::And my name is Melfina.::

Everybody exchanged greetings, and Clotho bounced cheerfully on Efil’s shoulder a few times.

“As I mentioned during our talk about the Contract, my name is Kelvin.”

“I’m Sera. Thank you for having me. As you’ve already heard from Viktor, I’m Demon Lord Gustav’s daughter. Uh...it might be a bit late to ask this, but are you sure about accepting me as a Follower?” asked Sera worriedly from behind my shoulder.

“Oh, we’ll manage. You might not guess it from how I look, but I have the Concealment skill at Rank S. At the very least, nobody will be able to discover your secret with Analyze Eye.”

“You’re strong enough to defeat Viktor and now this too? Who are you? You’re not a Hero, right?”

“The Heroes are elsewhere, don’t worry. I’m just your average adventurer who kind of enjoys fighting.”

::Kind of?::

::Kind of?::

::Kind of?::

Did you guys really have to harmonize on that?

“Haha, you guys are funny. And you all worked so hard to comfort me when I was crying, too.”

“You’ll get used to it soon. Oh, there’s Parth. Your clip is properly activated, right?”

“It’s working just fine. Oh, but...”

“Something the matter?”

Sera stammered a bit. “I’ve...never been in a city before. The farthest I’ve gone outside was the castle garden...”

“Are you feeling nervous?”

“A bit...maybe.”

Well, makes sense, I guess. She was raised hidden from the world, after all. Which reminds me, despite having been crying the entire time, she kept an eye on the mage lady and Uld-san while I was talking to them. Maybe she’s a shy person.

“For now, we’ll enter the city, then head straight to our inn. I’ll carry you the whole way, so take all the time you need to get used to the air and the sights.”

“Mm, thank you.”

“Don’t worry, Sera-sama. Everybody’s really nice!”

“I-I’ll do my best.”

Guess it’s going to take some time. Without bringing any more attention to Sera’s nervousness, our party continued to make its way towards Parth.

◇ ◇ ◇

Once we entered the city, Sera found herself in a highly excited state. It was her first time in such an environment and her first encounter with crowds, and everything looked curious and unusual to her.

“Kelvin, what’s that?”

“A fruit store. At this time of year, there are a lot of really sweet fruits.”

“What about that?”

“A weapons store. Those shops sell everything from your standard swords to staves used by mages. Ever since I took up smithing, I haven’t really needed to go to them, though.”

“You can smith, Kelvin?! Even though you’re a Summoner?”

“If possible, I like to fight up close. Unfortunately, my Strength stat isn’t really going up, so I have to struggle quite a bit.”

“You’ll have to make up for it with technique, then. I’ll teach you! In exchange —”

“Don’t worry, I intended to make a weapon for you right away. We’ll be counting on you as a party member from now on, so ready yourself!”

“Sweet! Hold on, Kelvin, what’s that store?”

In this manner, Sera bombarded me with questions the entire way. She might have looked like a big child from a third party’s perspective, but...well, this was far preferable to her being nervous.

Sera had already changed out of her ragged clothes into a normal-looking outfit made by Efil. After all, she certainly would have stood out if she’d remained in her original getup. During a break on our way back to Parth, Efil had taken Sera’s measurements and proceeded to use her Sewing skill to whip up an outfit that, in spite of being made on the spur of the moment, turned out to be a Rank C item. The outfit was even tailored with holes for Sera’s wings and tail to pass through, even if they were hidden thanks to the Clip of Camouflage. Efil, your proficiency has grown yet again.

“You sure seem to be enjoying this.”

“It’s my first time outside! Of course I’m enjoying it. A city is pretty much the embodiment of all the things I’ve only read about in books before! The only difference being that the residents are not demons, of course.”

The version of Sera who was shrinking into herself before we entered Parth was no longer anywhere to be seen. Looks like she’ll be okay after all.

Efil and I continued to field her questions, and found ourselves at the Fairy’s Song before we knew it.

“Efil and Sera, you two go rest up. I’ll drop by the guild to make our report first.”

“If Master is going, then I’ll —”

“We can’t very well let Sera be by herself, can we? I’ll also leave word with Clare-san, so please attend to Sera in the meantime.”

I could have just Unsummoned her, but I thought it a good opportunity for Sera to get used to interacting with people outside of our party.

“Geez, I’m not a child, all right?”

“Very well, Master. I will take good care of her.”

“Uh, you listening to me, Efil? I’m technically older than you, right?”

Sera looked slightly miffed, but we had no other choice. Honestly, if I brought her along while appearing in front of Rio, I wasn’t confident that I could hide her identity from him. If there was one thing that I’d learned from dealing with the guildmaster, it was that older people with a wealth of life experience possessed almost supernatural mental capabilities. Maybe I should consider getting a skill related to negotiation next.

◇ ◇ ◇

When I got back to the Fairy’s Song after delivering my report to the guild, I found the adventurers inside all gathered together. Wondering what was going on, I looked around and found Efil and Clare-san in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Sera was sitting at the head of a table, at the center of the crowd. What is this?

Before I even had a chance to voice my question, someone answered from right behind me.

“It’s your celebration party for reaching Rank A, Kelvin!”

“WHOA! Oh, it’s you, Ange. Wait, how long have you been there behind me?”

It was true that I had Presence Sensing turned off, but to sneak up behind me without a sound...could it be that she’s actually an adventurer too?

“Ahaha, I got to see Kelvin’s surprised face! Looks like my luck is really good today!”

“All right, all right, you got me. Any chance you possess the Covert Action skill?”

“Hahaha, of course not. It’s just a difference of basic specs between you and me, Kelvin-kun.”

“You sure know how to talk, eh? So, how do they know about my promotion? I only just learned of it myself.”

After I had delivered our account to Guildmaster Rio, he had pronounced me ready for promotion to Rank A. Apparently, if the demon this time had turned out to be higher than Rank A, the subjugation quest was meant to serve as my promotion exam. Naturally, I had not heard a thing about this beforehand. Damn, you really were Rank S, Viktor?

Ange laughed happily. “I was so excited about it that I told Clare-san right away! Then things just ended up snowballing.”

“You’ve abridged the entire story!”

Abruptly, Sera’s voice came over the Network. ::K-Kelvin! S-Save me! A ton of humans that I don’t know are talking to me!::

Oh hey, looks like Sera’s figured out how to communicate telepathically.

Her face was as red as her hair with embarrassment and she was quite flustered, but otherwise looked fine.

::No, really, please save meee!::

Mental maturity aside, her appearance was that of a drop-dead gorgeous woman. It made sense that she would stand out and that people would want to talk to her. True, the intention was to have her get used to people, but this might be a bit much. Let’s lend her a hand.

“Efil, Sera, I’m back!” I said, purposely raising my voice a bit.

“Ah! Welcome back, Master!”

When Efil noticed me and turned to bow to me, the adventurers who had been solely fixated on Sera all turned in my direction as well.

“Hey, guys, Kelvin’s here!”

“Kelvin-san, I heard the news! Congratulations on being promoted to Rank A!”

“Who is this pretty lady, you bastard?! Is Efil-chan not enough for you?!”

“Oh my god, can I have your autograph please?”

The adventurers shifted the focus of their attention from Sera to me and bombarded me with questions.

“Whoa, where did all this come from?!”

“Isn’t it obvious, Kelvin? You are the first adventurer in Parth’s entire history to have reached Rank A. Right now, you’re an icon in the eyes of all the adventurers of this city!”

“Seriously?” It’s my first time hearing about this, too...

“Oh, tonight’s guest of honor has arrived? Kel-chan, I’ve already heard about your promotion!”

“Congratulations, Master!”

Having finished making their last dish, Efil and Clare-san made their way out of the kitchen.

“I only learned of it just now myself. Looks like Ange’s way ahead already.”

“Ahaha, sorry not sorry!”

“Oh, go easy on her, Kel-chan. She did it for your sake, right? Tonight’s feast is our crowning achievement. Enjoy it to your heart’s content!”

“That’s right, Master. And I’m confident that tonight is the night my cooking has finally surpassed Clare-san’s!”

“Hah, I’ll make you swallow those words of yours!”

What, are you guys going to start a cooking tournament or something?

“Kelvin!”

All of a sudden, Sera’s arms wrapped around me from behind.

“Why did you leave me?! What with Efil going off to cook and a whole bunch of people surrounding me, I was really lonely!”

I almost heard my neck creak from the strain. Stop that, Sera! It’s no laughing matter if you squeeze me so hard — not with how strong you are!

“Ohhh, you two are already that close?”

“That’s Kelvin-san for you! The speed at which he gets girls is truly second to none!”

“What is this?! Kelvin-san, don’t you already have Efil-chan?!”

“Can you write ‘To Suzu-chan’ when you sign the autograph for me, please?”

People were talking and making a ruckus all around me, but nothing was entering my ears. My consciousness...

Right in the nick of time, a voice from heaven — wait, no, it’s Uld-san’s voice — cut in. “Hey, young woman, Kelvin’s going to die if you keep that up, you know?”

“Oops! S-Sorry!”

I was finally released from Sera’s chokehold. I think that was actually the closest I’ve been to dying since coming to this world...

“Thank you for that, Uld-san. You literally just saved my life.”

“Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration...”

If you knew Sera’s stats, you would know it was not an exaggeration at all.

“Oh, hubby, you’re back?”

“Yes, I am. Sorry for being away so long.”

“It’s just the usual, eh? Don’t worry, I’m not bothered by it.”

“Wait, please be at least a little bit bothered? Please?”

The conversation that had started up between Clare-san and Uld-san almost sounded like a husband and wife’s comedy act — wait, husband and wife?

“Umm, could it be that Clare-san’s husband...is Uld-san?”

“Hm? That’s right. Did I not tell you, Kel-chan?”

“I’ve been living here for quite a while, and this is my first time hearing of it.”

Uld-san, aren’t you away from home a little too much?

“Hahaha, well, after Efil’s promotion exam, I was hospitalized for a while.”

Oh my god, it was my maid’s fault?! Please accept my deepest apologies!

“Setting that aside, I heard the news. You got promoted to Rank A —”

“Hubby, a whole lot of people have said the same thing to him already, so let’s just move on, all right?”

“I can’t even congratulate him?!”

A wave of laughter roared up. With that, the comedy act was broken up, and the food was carried out from the kitchen.

::My king, may I join in too?::

Hm? Can you?

It was the first time that Gerard had ever asked to come out during a meal with other people around.

::Actually, I’ve gained the ability to materialize a physical body thanks to my Evolution.::

Oh, hey, good for you!

::Indeed. Now I can finally taste Efil’s cooking!::

Uh, that’s the first thing you think of?

::But I’ll never take off my armor, all right? My armor is my soul!::

Uh...sure. Take care not to get food on your armor when you eat, I guess...

And with that, it seemed Gerard would be joining in on the feast.

::Honey, you think you’re about ready to Summon me yet? Maybe give it a try?::

::I can’t very well do it right now, can I? Want me to give it a try tomorrow?::

::But Efil’s cooking...::

To have stolen a goddess’s heart so...what is Efil’s cooking supposed to be, sinful temptation?

“Kel-chan, we’re all good to go. Should we get started?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

Before I knew it, all the preparations had been completed.

“All right then, hubby, lead the toast.”

“What? Me? Really?”

Uld-san looked slightly taken aback at being called out so suddenly.

“I could not ask for anyone more suitable, Uld-san. Please.”

After all, he was the person who had saved my life.

“You sure? Ahem...well then, to the pride of our city, Parth’s first adventurer to ever be promoted to Rank A, Kelvin! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Bang!

“Oh, goodness gracious, I missed the toast!”

Having been Summoned in the alleyway outside of the inn, Gerard barged into the room just slightly late to the festivities.