"..."
The hero gently lowered his eyes at the gloomy future that kept coming to mind.
If there was truly a world or a god who decides all and watches over all of this, it may take some form, but it will probably never take the form of a 'human.'
Humans are beings with the richest emotions among all other living creatures.
If they had presented themselves as beings who, no matter how hard they tried to make rational judgments, could not help but be swayed by their emotions, they could not have been so cold-hearted and merciless.
Death was just around the corner. Unable to control his slowly collapsing body, he leaned on Deon Hardt.
Now he couldn't even keep his head up, so he tilted his head back, and a complex expression filled his field of vision against the black night sky with three round moons in the background. An expression that didn't know what to say.
The hero just smiled helplessly.
You don't have to say anything. All you have to do is live.
But if he had to choose what he wanted to hear…
'My name.'
His name, not the title of 'hero.'
But Deon never knew. There was no way for him to know the hero's name, which even he himself had forgotten.
No matter what kind of life you had lived before becoming a warrior, the value of your existence came down to 'killing the Demon King.'
No one called him by his name, and he was so absorbed in his purpose that he could not even repeat his name to himself...
'...I will correct this. I don't want to see you lose your name, too.'
He hoped the next hero will be someone other than Deon Hardt.
The hero slowly closed his eyes as he saw death slowly reaching out its hand.
In any case, the result has come out, so he was relieved regardless of whether it was successful or not. On the contrary, he was even happy to die.
Because it means he could rest now.
'My name will probably be mentioned at least once at the funeral.'
If only he lived to see his funeral.
Would Deon remember his name?
─His vision turned black.
***
The administrator in charge of the 'First City', one of the four main cities with the approval of the Demon King, came to the gates of the castle with a rapidly beating heart.
Originally, an 'administrator' was a being that could be compared to a 'lord' in the human world.
It went without saying that this was the reason why the administer, who was at least like the lord of the city, was so nervous.
The visit of the '0th Corps Commander', whom he had only heard about through rumors.
He was a being to whom even other Corps Commanders would have to bow down to and throw up their hands, a giant among giants whose tendencies are not even known.
If you were to ask him how he felt, he would say, "I'm in trouble."
Think about it.
Since you don't know their tendencies, you can't flatter them easily, and you can't be too stiff, either.
'If you make a mistake, you die. If you make a mistake, you die...'
He couldn't help but sigh. His back was already wet from sweat. Likewise, rubbing his clammy hands on his trousers, the administrator waited for the door of the carriage that ha stopped in front of him to open.
In the end, there was only one way.
Behave as little as possible against his will and understand his tendencies as quickly as possible.
So, he needed to stay alert. The Commander of Corps 0, who was rumored to not be able to treat even the Demon King carelessly. It was obvious what would happen if he offended him.
'I want to live a long time and enjoy this power!'
Soon, the carriage door opened and a tall man jumped out from inside.
Neatly combed hair and neat look. A ferocious magical power that did not seem to match his aristocratic appearance.
Is this the Commander of Corps 0? No, there is magic. The Commander of the 0th Corps clearly said he was a 'human,' so he would not have any magical power.
As expected, the man must have been the right-hand man of Commander of the 0th Corps, and with an extremely polite gesture, he held the carriage door as if waiting for someone to come out. Then, a black-robed being slowly stepped down the steps of the carriage.
'It's him.'
He felt like he knew it without even having to say it.
Those leisurely gestures, that calm attitude, even the aura of intimidation that emanated even though he was wearing a robe.
In the first place, he was wearing a robe that is the symbol of the 0th Corps commander, but who else would be the 0th Corps commander if not him?
His size was not as big as expected. On the contrary, he was so insignificant that if he had met him on the street while he was too drunk and couldn't understand the atmosphere, he would have started a fight.
But right now, he wasn't drinking, he was sober, and because of that, he could read the mood better than anyone else.
Who is this tall man with great magical power treating him so kindly? Who is the man carrying a visitation bag with blood all over his body taking care of him so much?
Likewise, who were those who have blood all over their bodies, as if they had battled a monster?
And finally...
'Who is the most relaxed?'
Gulp. He cleared his throat quietly, and took a step forward.
Then, he bowed politely towards the man in the robe and opened his mouth.
"Welcome to the First City."
***
Our arrival was delayed a bit due to the successive attacks of monsters, but I didn't think it was going to stop there forever, and I figured we would arrive eventually.
Yes, I was just thinking about it.
So, in other words, I was not mentally ready yet.
"..."
I sat down and looked blankly at the open carriage door.
'I don't want to get off.'
It's already late anyway, but if I got off here, won't I really have to do something to protect this city from terrible monsters?
The probability of my lack of skills being revealed will increase accordingly. Oh, when I think about it like that, I don't want to get off even more.
As I hesitated, pulling on the hood of the robe that Ed had put on me before getting off, Ed, who was holding the door from outside the carriage, called to me as if he was puzzled.
"Commander Demon?"
"...Coming."
I reluctantly stood up.
As I slowly stepped down the stairs of the carriage, I made eye contact with a chunky demon who seemed to be the city administrator.
I didn't know if he always had that kind of expression, but his expression was stiff.
'...It couldn't have been a natural expression. It's clear he doesn't like this.'
He would have had high hopes that they would send a Corps Commander to protect the city, but how could he smile comfortably when such an unprecedented small child came?
He was probably frustrated by now, saying 'Our city is ruined!' or 'That damned Demon King!' He may be exploding with anger.
I was not a person who is tactless enough to say hello cheerfully in a situation like this.
Because of this, I kept my mouth shut and remained silent, but perhaps he had just sorted out his emotions, as he took a step forward and bowed politely.
"Welcome to the First City."
And the words that followed were one after another of praise towards me.
He said that this was an honor that would never happen twice, and that everyone in the city would feel relieved that the Commander of the 0th Corps was visiting. In some ways, praise is praise, but it is an unnatural praise that does not seem to be flattering.
I could guarantee that.
This kid is a pro! As for the quality, this was not a skill that came from doing flattery only once or twice.
I didn't have the courage to speak up, so I was just exclaiming to myself. Ed took a quick look at me and took a step forward with a stern expression.
"Enough with the flattery."
"!"
Aren't you being too extreme?
I already felt like he's not in a good mood when a small child comes, but how will he feel if that small child even abuses him?
Usually, in these cases, the superior who stands still behind gets criticized rather than the subordinate who acts in front.
As expected, the administrator's eyes widened as if he was surprised.
But soon, like a professional, he nodded, hiding his expression with a cheeky smile.
"Okay. I was so excited about the unprecedented visit of Commander of the 0th Corps that I was too hasty. I apologize."
"I am Ed, the Deputy to the Commander of the 0th Corps, Demon Arut. If the goal was simply sightseeing, we could have listened to you until the end, but unfortunately, our goal is to protect the city, so let's get to the point."
"Thank you for your generous treatment."
When the administrator, who had bowed deeply again, looked up again, Ed had become a superior who was receiving thorough reports.
Holding a pen, he began to look through the documents he was holding inside the carriage and ask questions.
"The monsters have been attacking exactly how many days apart?"
"Ah... there was no particular regularity. Still, if there's one thing we can be sure of, it's that they will attack again within at least a week."
"How big was the last offensive and what were the numbers? Was it to the point where you could see that almost all the monsters around you had come?"
"Yes that's right. They also have to eat to survive, so it seemed like all the monsters around here had gathered because their survival was at stake. The offense was just as fearsome. In fact, the battle was a battle, but it would be more accurate to say that we were greatly pushed back in terms of momentum."
"The momentum... I guess they were that desperate... Well, if momentum was a big problem, it's been solved now."
'It's been solved now.' I like it because it seemed like a positive thing to say, but... why is it that he was looking at me while saying that?I thought it might have been an illusion, but when our eyes met, I could sense an ominousness in his natural look.
There's definitely something there!
Something there? Wait a minute...
"Anything special?"
Ignored!
"Rather than thinking of the opponent as a monster, it seems better to think of the battle as a battle of attrition. If I may ask, Commander Demon."
"...Yes?"
Until now, he has been talking without me, but now called me at a time like this. What do you want from me?
So I kept my mouth shut, wondering what to do, and Ed, who had been quietly waiting for an answer, spoke again as if urging me on.
"What do you want to do?"
"..."
There is nothing to say.
I don't plan on going out to look for monsters and getting into trouble, so I'll just stay here and wait patiently until they come.
But I can't say this.
"Commander Demon?"
"...He said they would return within a week, so we have to wait. There's no need to go outside to meet them."
"Then, in the meantime, the 0th Corps members..."
"They are free until the monsters attack. It's great for drinking and shopping. However, if there is an attack, they must be able to respond immediately."
The words seemed so good that the faces of the Corps members became brighter.
Confirming with my own eyes that my choice was right, I opened my heart with pride for the first time in a while.
They said it might take up to a week, but you can't just wait and see, so it was a natural choice.
Of course, he would have done so even if I had told him to wait since I was the superior, but it would not have been a very good decision since his level of resentment towards me would have continued to rise.
So, it would be better to show some condescension at this time and build up some goodwill toward me.
That way, my chances of survival will increase even a little.
'Got it? So, if a monster attacks, you have to protect me first, okay?'
While I was smiling happily to myself, the administrator, who had been watching for a while, seemed to think it was time to speak up.
"We prepared a place to sleep. Would you like to go?"
"Oh."
From words to actions, he is very good at pleasing others. As expected, he's a professional.
I nodded and looked back at the Corps members whose eyes were shining brightly.
"Then just find out the location of the accommodation, and after that, you are free. Do whatever you want."
"Waaaa!!"
"Long live Commander Demon!!"
As I listened to the cheers of the corps members, I nodded happily.
Yes, yes, have fun.
Because I will do whatever I want, too.
'It's been a while since I had a drink.'
It was a city that had quite the reputation. In fact, the nickname for the first city here was 'City of Entertainment'. Things related to pleasure, such as alcohol, gambling, and prostitution, were the representative symbols of this city!
Of course, the thing that caught my eye was alcohol.
I was so excited at the thought of drinking, but I couldn't show it outwardly for the sake of respect, so I just hummed to myself and followed behind the administrator, who was leading the way.