Chapter 75: Reunion, the Crimson Hero

The story rewinds to the day Karl and the others arrived in the capital city, Pedia.

"Alright then, let's break up for now. Everyone, go get equipment suited to yourselves."

"Yees, very well~"

After dropping off their belongings at the cathedral—

Each of them headed out into the city to prepare their gear for the upcoming battle against the demons.

"What about you, Ilyu?"

"Let me see... I was thinking of earning a bit of travel money."

"Since you're at it, why not do a job hunt? Who knows? You might find a nice place to work~?"

"Yes! In that case, I’ll just wander the city for a bit!"

"Do your best, Miss Ilyu!"

But Ilyu wasn’t considered a combatant, so there was no need for her to gear up.

Prompted by Sakura and her retainer, she set off into the city to look for a job.

In truth, Ilyu’s combat power was feeble, and she would likely be useless in a fight against the Demon King—

...Even if she really were one of their allies.

---

"Mmm. There's a rather suspicious-looking shop down that alley."

Of course, Ilyu had no intention of finding employment. After all, she was the Demon King.

The only reason she was traveling with Karl was to find his weakness—and, if possible, land a sneak attack.

She had merely come into town to play.

"Oh my, this place looks fun! I’ll enjoy myself for a little while!"

Sadly, Ilyu currently had no means of attacking anyone.

Though she possessed more magical power than even Irine, she had no aptitude for offensive spells.

So instead, she chose to lie in wait—patiently biding her time to ensure she could kill the Hero Karl without fail.

"Tile!! This time it’s tile for sure!!"

"Hey, little missy, you sure about this? You already blew all your cash, didn’t you?"

"If I win this one, I can get it all back!"

Trying to earn easy money, she went all-in at a shady gambling den run by some thugs...

"This is nonsense!! It’s a scam!! There’s no way I could lose five times in a row! You’re cheating for sure!"

"Shut your trap!! You did lose, didn’t ya!?"

Instead of earning anything, she got carried away and ended up shouldering a massive debt.

"You’ve got a trash personality, but you don’t look half bad. I’ll hook you up with a nice money-making gig—so come with us."

"Stop—please stop! You’re trying to make me do something indecent, aren’t you!? What did I even do wrong!?"

"Debt."

The thugs swiftly and smoothly restrained Ilyu.

This was their usual tactic—trapping dumb girls in debt and forcing them into the red-light district.

"I’ve had enough of this, you filthy humans..."

"What’s with her?"

"You’ll regret mocking me, in the afterlife. I might risk being exposed to the Hero, but whatever—I'll just kill all of you."

"Hah? You wanna go, brat!?"

If word got out she’d racked up debt at a gambling den, there was no doubt Ilyu would be abandoned. Maika, for one, absolutely would.

At this point, her only choice was to cover it all up.

The Demon King Ilyu awakened the dragon gene within her, glaring at the thugs with fierce, predatory eyes.

"It’s a bit early, but allow me to bring your lives to an end—"

"Bring it on, you little bitch!!"

Feared as the Demon King, the Mighty Dragon, who once plunged the world into terror—

She had now, for the first time in ages, bared her fangs against humanity because she lost a gamble.

"Begone, humans."

"Uwaaaaaaaa!!!"

But the truth was, most of her power had been sealed, and she was traveling the world in an effort to reclaim it.

To be blunt—

Unless she regained her former might, Ilyu’s current combat ability was exactly what it looked like: unimpressive.

A few minutes later, Demon King Ilyu got beaten up by some human thugs and ended up as a slave.

---

Thus, the ancient calamity known as "Mighty Dragon" suffered defeat at the hands of humanity. (Second time in a few hundred years.)

What awaited her after that loss was an unprecedented humiliation.

“We’ll give you a chance to earn some money.”

“Remember this, you damn humans... sniffle sniffle”

“There’s a slave expo happening today. If you put on a good show, someone decent might buy you.”

“If you get some tips, we might even count that toward your debt.”

“...Sniffle sniffle. A stage?”

Yes—defeated and bound in chains, the Demon Lord was to be paraded before humanity on a humiliating stage.

And upon hearing this, the Demon Lord said—

“That’s not a bad idea... A stage, huh.”

“Huh?”

Her eyes sparkled at the thought of standing in the spotlight on stage.

Because the Demon Lord was, quite frankly, an outrageous attention-seeker.

---

Ilyu’s stage performance became an overwhelming hit.

Whether due to her naturally high entertainer stats or not, everyone who heard her sing showered her in tips.

She instantly became a crowd favorite, and her debts were completely paid off in just one day.

“So, how much did I make today, human? I assume I’ll be released now?”

“Don’t be stupid. Ever heard of interest? Add in the stage rental fees and such, and you haven’t even covered half.”

“That’s absurd! I should’ve paid off twice my debt just with today’s tips!”

Of course, no street hustler in their right mind would let such a money tree walk away.

Ilyu was fed various excuses and kept enslaved, forced to continue her servitude.

By the way, her usually dependable companions were all in a panic at the time due to Karl’s accidental love confession to Irine, and had completely forgotten about Ilyu.

Only Sakura and Master noticed she hadn’t come back, but assumed she must’ve landed a job and thought nothing more of it.

In the end, Ilyu remained under the thugs’ control until she was found and rescued by Karl and Irine the next day.

---

“Miss Ryu, how old are you, if I may ask?”

“Eh? Uh... maybe four or five hundred years old?”

“Oh right, you were supposed to be a Demon Lord or something. ...You sure that ‘setting’ is okay?”

“I keep my face hidden so that it won’t be a problem even if someone finds out.”

On the way back, neither of them showed any sign of suspecting Ilyu’s true identity.

Then again, this was the airheaded Irine and the oblivious Karl—they couldn’t possibly figure it out.

“But the Demon Lord’s resurrection did actually happen. This isn’t exactly a joke, you know.”

“Even as a joke, you shouldn’t say things like that.”

“S-Sorry.”

The Demon Lord got scolded by the Hero for calling herself the Demon Lord.

“By the way, I was wondering—has news of the Demon Lord’s return spread widely already?”

“Yeah, I heard some people in the audience saying that.”

“Um, I only heard this from one of the thugs, but apparently someone named Garius is going around warning the public. Telling them to be cautious because the Demon Lord has returned.”

“Ah, Sir Garius.”

“I see. So you just used that to build your dumb backstory, huh.”

In truth, Ilyu hadn’t thought that far ahead, but she silently nodded to avoid trouble.

“He’s always been efficient. I wonder if Lady Rita is doing well, too.”

“Oh yeah, his daughter. Haven’t seen her in a while... Hope that tomboy’s settled down.”

“Wait, you two know royalty!?”

“Eh, just a little.”

Learning that the Hero had royal connections made Ilyu panic a bit. That could mean the national army would mobilize against the demons.

Even if the country had grown complacent, facing the entire army would be a hassle. Demons may be vastly stronger than humans, but their strength still wasn’t enough to handle a Hero.

Even top-tier humans could stand their ground. In fact, Irine—who wasn’t even a Hero and had no combat training—had already taken down demons herself.

If sending a demon horde couldn’t kill a Hero, then Ilyu regaining her power was now a top priority. But if the kingdom’s army got involved, even that would become difficult.

“Sir Garius is apparently laying down countermeasures already. Much appreciated.”

“He certainly looks competent, at least.”

“Ha-wa-wa.”

As the leisurely journey continued, Ilyu finally realized something—bit by bit, the demons were being cornered.

At this point, there was no choice. It was reckless, but maybe... maybe it was time to seriously consider ambushing Karl.

---

“…Hm. A familiar face. So you lot came to the capital as well?”

“Oh?”

Just as Ilyu was scheming to assassinate Karl—the very man who had once saved her from a hopeless situation—she suddenly heard a voice and flinched, snapping her head around.

“Ah, you’re…”

“Hmph.”

Ilyu’s facial muscles involuntarily twitched.

Because standing there was a far more terrifying figure than the good-natured Karl could ever be.

“It’s been a while! Have you been well?”

“Wah—! Don’t just jump on me out of nowhere!”

“Oh-hoho, how silly of me. Good day to you. Thank you again for everything back in Yowin.”

Clad entirely in crimson, she was the Hero of Infernal Flame.

In many ways, she was probably far more of a “true Hero” than Karl—a key figure in the current Demon Lord subjugation effort.

“Yo, Aldebaran. Still a shorty, huh.”

“Yo, Karl. Still pathetic, I see.”

It was Hero Aldebaran and her party, passing by Karl purely by chance.

---

On the way back from my date with Karl, we ran into a very familiar face.

It was the red-haired girl hero, wearing the same outfit as when we met in the academic city of Yowin.

“What are you doing in a place like this? Where are your other companions?”

“I’m on a date with Irine today. The rest of the crew is resting at Lady Sefa’s cathedral.”

“Hmph! To think you'd waste your time on romance... You truly are pathetic.”

As always, she and Karl didn't seem to get along.

Despite not seeing each other for several weeks, they immediately locked eyes and exchanged barbed glares.

“And what about you guys? All gathered here like this—what’s going on?”

“We received word that someone claiming to be the Demon King is stirring up the people. We’ve come to confirm the truth.”

“Ohh?”

Hmm. That rings a bell.

“If it’s the real deal, we must take them down before they brainwash the people and bring harm to the state.”

“Yeah, that would be bad if it’s actually true.”

“E-Eeep!”

The very person at the center of the discussion—our little songstress—let out a yelp and hid behind my back.

Well, that’s what you get for calling yourself the Demon King.

“By the way, what does this ‘Demon King’ look like?”

“I heard she wears a demonic-looking mask and specializes in rhythmic music. Supposedly a woman.”

“Ohh?”

Karl, having caught on, responded with deliberately vague interest.

Now then... what should we do here?

“More importantly, I just overheard something about a date with my sister... Irine-san. Care to explain?”

“Huh? What’s your problem, rabbit freak?”

“What kind of ‘date’ are we talking about, huh? What happened while I wasn’t looking? Mind if I peel off your face real quick?”

“What the hell is this psycho!?”

While the bunny-masked one went for Karl’s throat, the other members of the Aldebaran party were glaring sharply at the songstress hiding behind me.

Now, now. Well, it’s obvious she’s not the Demon King, so I guess I’ll step in to protect her.

“By the way, Lady Irine. Would you mind introducing the person hiding behind you?”

“Of course. This young lady goes by the name Ryu.”

“…She’s wearing a demonic mask, huh. Kinda suspicious, don’t you think?”

Just like Aldebaran’s intel said, Ryu had donned a demonic mask, taken on the title of “Demon King,” and was stirring up the populace.

That part was true.

“Aldebaran, as you mentioned, she has indeed called herself the Demon King and performed as a songstress to earn money.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I’ve heard her song as well. How should I put this… it was beyond description.”

Truly incomprehensible. It’s been a while since I listened to a song with such a blank face.

Hearing my words, Ryu trembled slightly behind me. She was scared.

“But I can assure you, she’s not a dangerous individual. You needn’t worry, Aldebaran.”

“Oh? And how do you figure that?”

“Because she was enslaved by outlaws in this region. Perhaps impressed by her talents, they drowned her in debt and exploited her. We rescued her from that situation.”

“…Hmm?”

Aldebaran furrowed her brows at my words.

Yeah, yeah. Just keep listening.

“I see. In fact, there were reports she had appeared in shows run by slave traders.”

“She told that grand lie about being the Demon King in order to earn money and draw public attention. It was the only path left for her to survive.”

“…Even so, calling herself the Demon King? Are you sure she wasn’t actually brainwashing the people?”

“I don't believe so.”

I gently rubbed the back of the trembling songstress behind me.

Don’t worry. Leave this to me.

“If she truly served the Demon King, there would be no point in calling herself one so openly.”

“…Hmph.”

Well, it’s common sense, really.

“If she wanted to manipulate people, it would’ve been far smarter to claim to be some god or start a new religion. If someone actually held a live show under the title of ‘Demon King,’ how idiotic would they have to be?”

“Huh?”

“W-When you put it that way, you have a point…”

Exactly. If this girl were seriously plotting a coup, she wouldn’t take such a reckless gamble as branding herself the Demon King.

“This is more the desperate action of a ‘slave’ who wants to make a name for herself, no matter what—even if it means being watched by the state.”

“Well, that possibility had crossed our minds as well. If she were truly affiliated with demons, how utterly brainless would she have to be?”

“I’m of the same opinion. I did, of course, give her a proper scolding for using such an inappropriate method to gain notoriety during such a sensitive time.”

“…”

Hearing my explanation, Aldebaran and the others finally began to drop their suspicions.

Well, I mean, think about it—no Demon Lord would go around calling themselves a Demon Lord, right?

"Besides, the slave crest engraved on her was genuine. If she truly were a Demon Lord, that would make her the weakest one ever—defeated by some random outlaw in the streets."

"..."

"If that's true, then she's way too weak. No way a wimp like that could call themselves a Demon Lord."

"A so-called Demon Lord who’s dumb as bricks and can’t even fight, huh? Yeah, hard to believe someone that pathetic could actually exist."

"Precisely. Which makes it clear she’s not genuinely aligned with the Demon Lord."

With that, Aldebaran and her crew finally looked convinced.

Heh, how about that? My masterful eloquence at work. A proper lady handles things with intelligence and composure.

"I'm glad we've cleared that up. Ryu, you mustn’t act in ways that give people reason to doubt you anymore, alright?"

"...Yes, understood."

"Huh? Are your eyes dead all of a sudden?"

What’s up with her? Was she that scared of Aldebaran?

"Anyway, we’ll let this girl off the hook."

"Thank you very much."

"And? You lot came to the capital too, so you must know a disaster's about to hit this place soon, right?"

"...Huh?"

Aldebaran said something outrageous like it was the most natural thing in the world.

A disaster… in the capital!?

"...Don’t tell me your goddess hasn’t said a word again?"

"Sh-She told us to head for the port city of Anat. So we figured something might be going down there."

"We only stopped by the capital because it was along the way."

"Hmm."

Hold on, seriously? Disaster in the capital—could it be a demonic invasion...?

"What I heard is that in a few weeks, the Demon Lord's army will launch an assault on the capital."

"...We weren’t informed of that. A few weeks from now, you say?"

"Yeah. It’s still a ways off, but I came early to the capital to gather intel. I was hoping you might know something too."

"...I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about that."

"No worries. You lot seem to have your own tasks to deal with."

There was no lie in Aldebaran's expression as she said that.

An attack on the capital—this is big. Honestly, Aldebaran's goddess might be more capable than ours.

"Should we stay in the capital too?"

"No. We still don’t know what might happen in Anat. If your goddess says head to Anat, you’d best follow that."

When I made that suggestion, Aldebaran just snorted in response.

"Leave the capital to us. You focus on your own duty, Karl."

"...Got it."

"Most likely, the enemy will launch a two-pronged assault. Since our factions don’t exactly see eye to eye, it’d be best if we fought separately."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Alright then—I'll leave the capital to you without hesitation."

So, if we stay here, we’d be abandoning Anat…

…The capital worries me too, but Aldebaran's here. She's reliable. It's smarter to trust her and let her handle it.

"We were told to arrive in Anat by next week. If the attack on the capital is a few weeks away, we might be able to offer reinforcements after we finish things there."

"No need. We’ve got it covered."

"...You sure talk big, considering we couldn’t do a thing in Yowin without Irine’s help."

"What was that, oh mighty hero who was utterly useless in Yowin?"

Crackling sparks flew between their glaring eyes.

Now, now, let’s not fight here.

"But anyway... yeah. Apparently, someone you know will be visiting the capital soon."

"Someone we know?"

"That dozy-looking fortune teller girl. So once you’re done with things in Anat, coming back to the capital might be a good idea. She seemed pretty eager to see you."

…A dozy-looking fortune teller girl.

Immediately, the face of a masochistic, boyish girl with a big smile popped into my mind.

"...Ah, Yuri, huh. Aldebaran, you met Yuri somewhere?"

"Just happened to run into her during training in the volcanic city Saikoro. According to her, she was summoned by Prince Garius to perform her precognition magic."

"I see, preparing for the Demon Lord Army, then. Sounds like Lord Garius is taking this seriously."

Yuri... it's been a while. I wonder if she’s still doing okay.

Hopefully she’s not still stressing over her father and giving herself stomach ulcers.

"So in the end, we should head back to the capital after all."

"Personally, I’d like you to guard Yuri. She’s a friend of mine too."

"Heh, I don’t mind if you play bodyguard while I take down the Demon Lord."

"What a stupid joke. You’d be biting off more than you could chew."

For a moment, the two heroes locked eyes.

Then, as if that exchange had settled everything, Aldebaran and I turned our backs on each other.

"Later. Don’t screw up."

"Likewise. Make sure to protect your companions."

We’d said what needed to be said. Shared what had to be shared.

Which apparently meant there was no reason to linger in friendly banter.

"Hey, you! This conversation isn’t over! A date with Irine?! You bastard, Irine has never shown interest in anyone before and you—"

"Someone peel this rabbit off me, seriously. She’s annoying."

"Excuse you! Who are you calling annoying!? I’m a rabbit!!"

"E-easy now. Unit One, if you’d like, I can offer you comfort in bed, so please step away—"

"Get off me, you pervy lesbian maid!!"

At this point, some of them seemed to be starting fights on purpose.

Man… I really would like the two of them to work together. But with a dynamic like this, I guess it’s wishful thinking.

"Then, let us meet again somewhere down the road, Hero Karl. And Fräulein."

"Y-yeah, see you again, Karl-san, Irine-san!"

"Tch, I was secretly aiming for that girl too..."

The rest of Aldebaran’s group seems pretty friendly, at least.

"My job is to crack that guy’s balls like walnuts—"

"Sorry about that, Karl. That rabbit’s in heat all year round."

"That’s just what rabbits are like, right? Take care, Aldebaran."

In the end, Aldebaran knocked the rabbit unconscious with her staff and carried her off. Honestly, they’re always like a whirlwind whenever we meet.

And so, after a bit of chaotic fumbling, we parted ways with Aldebaran.