"Were you trying to do that on purpose?" he demanded.
"No... no, how could I..." The inn girl was startled by his attitude, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Do you know who we are?"
"We are the Summoners' party!"
"We came from another world to save you!" he shouted excitedly.
Chapter 50: What's that sound?
As soon as he said that, it drew many curious and admiring glances towards them.
"I didn't realize they were the Summoners; it's my first time seeing them."
"They're so young, and I heard each of them possesses extraordinary power."
"Didn't they successfully conquer the Orcus Great Labyrinth a few days ago? That's truly amazing."
Shimizu Yukitoshi basked in these gazes, his vanity greatly satisfied.
He was about to say something more when a voice interrupted him.
"Well then, how about we ask the guests in that room if they would be willing to switch rooms?"
It was Amanogawa Kouki.
"Look at the Holy Sword on his hip! He's the Hero!"
"It's true! To think I'd see the Hero in such a remote town; I can boast to my adventurer companions when I get back!"
"I heard he defeated the Guardian on the final floor of Orcus Great Labyrinth by himself, I wonder if it's true..."
As soon as Kouki appeared, everyone's attention was drawn to him.
"Kouki again... Why do people only pay attention to you!" Shimizu Yukitoshi's face twisted with jealousy and hatred, as he muttered under his breath.
He kept his voice very low, so no one heard him.
"Hero-sama! This child doesn't understand; please ask me if you have any questions!"
A burly man who seemed to be the owner rushed out from the back kitchen, replacing the tearful girl.
"Oh, I don't mind, so what do you think of my suggestion just now?"
Kouki paused for a moment but continued to ask.
"Oh, about the guests in the other quadruple room... I'm afraid they won't agree."
The owner chuckled awkwardly.
"Why? We can compensate them for their lodging; isn't that enough?"
Kouki asked, puzzled.
"It's not about the lodging fee; those guests are a bit special..."
"Special?"
"They are a party of one male and three females, so they won't easily separate, Hero-sama, you... understand, don't you?"
The owner became even more embarrassed.
"???"
Amanogawa Kouki looked utterly bewildered; he suspected the owner was speaking in riddles!
Why couldn't one male and three females separate?!
Only a few adults present understood the owner's meaning, and Aiko-sensei was naturally one of them.
Her face flushed red, and she hastily tried to smooth things over: "Kouki, don't ask any more questions; can't you see the owner is already in a difficult position?"
"Sensei, but..."
"That's enough about this topic."
"How about this, the girls will stay in the quadruple room, and the remaining boys will spread out into other rooms."
Aiko-sensei arranged.
This arrangement was barely acceptable, so everyone reluctantly obeyed Aiko-sensei's command and went to find suitable rooms.
The remaining Kingdom soldiers and Temple Knights could only go find other inns for lodging.
.....
"Shizuku, do you know what the owner meant just now?"
At this moment, the girls, having finished their bath, were walking back to their room when Kaori suddenly asked.
The other girls also pricked up their ears.
"Ah... uh... about that question..."
Yaegashi Shizuku's face momentarily showed a hint of panic, unsure how to answer.
But from her reaction, she likely knew the correct answer.
"Rei knows!"
"What the owner meant was, that man..." The petite Taniguchi Rei raised her hand to speak.
But before she could even finish her sentence, Shizuku, quick as a flash, covered her mouth, leaving her to make only futile "woo woo" sounds.
"I think she meant that man must be someone with a strange temper."
"The owner didn't want us to hit a wall, so he refused our request..." Shizuku said with a dry laugh.
"Is that so?"
Kaori finally managed to accept this answer, albeit reluctantly.
She just wondered why Shizuku's face was so red; was it because she soaked in the bath for too long?
"Speaking of which, it's like a school trip staying together as girls! Sensei said so too."
A female student said happily.
"Well done, Yu Hua-chan!"
Someone changed the subject, and Shizuku couldn't help but give her a silent thumbs-up.
"Yes, it's like a school trip..." Kaori said, her face suddenly darkening.
"It's a pity Hiyama-kun isn't here; he might never be able to go on a school trip with us again..."
The more Kaori thought about it, the more dejected she became.
Shizuku was dumbfounded; why was Kaori starting again?
One wave hasn't settled, and another rises?
Can't a person have some peace of mind!?
Just as she was thinking about how to comfort Kaori.
From the room they were currently passing, a strange sound suddenly came...
Shizuku's face instantly flushed red.
There were only two rooms on the entire third floor; their room was at the end of the hallway, and the one they were passing now was the room that was already occupied.
"Huh? This is..."
Kaori also stopped, listening for a while.
Her face also turned red, and even her ears slowly became crimson.
The other girls were no better off, all turning red-faced.
"We... we should go back!" Shizuku quickly suggested.
"Ye... yes! Let's hurry back; we have to get up early tomorrow!" The other girls agreed.
So, the girls quickly fled from the doorway of this room.
Kaori, for some reason, seemed a bit reluctant to leave; she seemed to sense a hint of a familiar presence, but she was quickly pulled away by Shizuku.
When the girls returned to their room, they found that the soundproofing of their room was not good at all.
The sounds from next door continued....
That night, all the girls suffered from insomnia.
Chapter 51: A Traitor Emerges?
"You are the one truly suited to be a Hero."
The bright moonlight shone dazzlingly on the mountains.
Amidst the eerie glow of the eternally red autumn leaves, regardless of the season, these words were exceptionally clear.
The man who spoke extended a hand as if inviting, his skin a dark purple, and his eyes long and narrow. If someone knowledgeable were present, they would surely recognize his identity.
A Demon!
"! I, I..."
The male student named Shimizu Yukitoshi swallowed his saliva, along with the words he was about to utter.
He clearly understood that he was standing at a crossroads in his life, and he felt the intense danger and temptation violently shaking his heart.
He looked around; there were the figures of the monsters obeying him. This was a mountain north of Uru Town, far away from it.
The reason he left his companions behind and came here alone in the dead of night was because he desperately wanted to change his current situation.
Such a wonderful thing as being summoned to another world only happens in fantasies.
But he, despite being chosen as a participant, was placed in a "supporting role." He could not accept this.
Most importantly, he resented the one called the Hero.
Therefore, he desperately longed for power, hoping that those around him would acknowledge him.
Then, this man suddenly appeared before him and persuaded him, saying, "You are special."
The man's words shook his heart violently.
Even if the cost was something irreversible!
"You, will you really make me a Hero? You're not planning to betray me later, are you?"
"Yes. As long as you are willing to abandon everything you've had until now, come to our master, and take on the Hero's party as your opponents, we will believe in you and welcome you as our Hero!"
"We cannot betray you; it is no one else but you, the special one, whom we wish to join our ranks!"
"I am the Hero! I am the protagonist of this story!"
Shimizu Yukitoshi couldn't hide his silent excitement.
"Alright, I'll become your Hero!"
His ugly and twisted expression, to anyone who saw it, did not fit the title of "Hero."
"That is truly wonderful. We look forward to working with you from now on... our Hero-sama."
The Demon revealed a gentle smile but sneered inwardly.
He mockingly imagined the horrific scenario that was about to unfold, a result that the enemy themselves would bring about.
In a corner of the North Mountain Range, two silent sneers overlapped. And quietly gazing at this scene were only the moonlight and the mindless monsters.
.....
"What! Shimizu-kun is missing!?"
Aiko-sensei heard this news from Kouki early in the morning and immediately felt dizzy.
"What happened? Wasn't he supposed to be safely in the inn?"