Chapter 102

Surprisingly, I was somehow still alive .

Both Amelia and I were unharmed .

「…are you alright . 」

Because this guy came to help us .

There was a black tail swaying in front of me .

『Kurou… . Why are you here?』

When Yoru asked this, Kurou glanced over and snorted .

He did not answer his question .

He merely looked over towards Ria for an instant, and then moved his gaze away in the next second .

「After the human comes a beastman, huh . Moreover, that Kurou, really… . 」

Why don’t you tell me what you mean by that . I want to know how I’m portrayed in the eyes of the demons as well .

Contrary to Kurou who raised the corners of his lips belligerently, Mahiro’s smile had a hint of impatience .

As the sparks lit up between the two people, we moved closer to the wall under Yoru’s urging .

Before anyone realized it, the spell manipulating Amelia was severed .

The『Shadow Magic』which preoccupied my body had seemingly disappeared as well .

「Yoru, do Kurou and Mahiro know each other?」

I leaned my wounded body against the wall and breathed in .

Next to me, Yoru, in the form of Commander Saran, was doing the same .

Amelia was not near me .

Although she was being manipulated, she was still conscious, and had been anxious as she tried to kill me .

Thanks to『Shadow Magic』, I was uninjured, but I felt anemic from the large loss of blood .

『Kurou, who was a member of the previous generation’s heroes, had not received a bit of blame from the king nor the citizens even though he had run away without defeating demon king-sama . That was because Kurou and the previous hero had attacked the demon king’s castle by themselves . 』

My eyes widened .

It seems that Amelia knew about this, as she didn’t look particularly surprised .

Certainly, although someone who ran all the way back home would live in a remote place, it was strange for him to live in a splendid smithy that was attached to a house .

Suicide when on the edge of despair…was that not how it usually went .

Even so, if it were only the two people who commenced the attack on the demon king’s castle, they may not be blamed .

I’m curious about the fact that they had ‘commenced the attack’ and not that they had ‘attacked’ .

『I was right next to the demon king-sama at the time, and I only remember that the hero party got hurt all by themselves and then ran away . But after a while, I heard from my subordinates that they had approached the demon king-sama . 』

What did that have to do with Kurou getting rid of the magic that was cast on Amelia and I .

Perhaps he noticed my gaze, the look in Yoru’s eyes told me to wait a little .

『It seems that at that time, the one whose last attack made Kurou and the hero determined to retreat was Mahiro . However, Mahiro did not fight Kurou who was at his full strength . 』

Yoru said this and looked over at those two people .

I too looked over .

Unlike when he was fighting us, Mahiro did not look calm at all .

I knew that I was not as strong as Kurou, but somehow, I was annoyed .

「Long time no see, Mahiro Abe . 」

「A beastman’s lifespan is about a century longer than that of a human’s, right? Why haven’t you dropped dead yet, old man . 」

Certainly, “Adorea’s Nightmare” was a hundred years ago, Kurou going to the demon king’s castle as part of the hero’s party was before that, and there should be a period of time when he had to attain enough strength to be chosen for the hero’s party .

This meant that his lifespan was approaching its end, no?

It’s really not easy to discern the age of a beastman .

「Don’t underestimate me, damn brat . Although I’m not as strong as when I was in my prime, I’m not that weak either . 」

Kurou bared his teeth and growled .

Mahiro glanced over here .

「That seems to be the case . You dispelled my magic in an instant . 」

As expected, it seems that the one who dispelled the magic on Amelia and I was Kurou .

Kurou snorted again .

「『Living Doll』had almost dissipated . Did you lose your concentration? Or, did an attack distract you?」

「Don’t you already know, ill-natured old man . 」

Mahrio was gradually becoming more bad-mouthed .

He was always smiling, so it would’ve been good if he was a character who used keigo .

Kurou was unperturbed by Mahiro’s abusive language and smiled .

「It seems that the hero summoning this time was not a bad thing . At least there was one person who’s got willpower . 」

Was he talking about me .

When we first met, it was completely different .

The two people talking glared at each other for a while, and Mahiro looked away .

「I will overlook it this time . 」

「That’s my line . 」

It seems that Kurou came out on top in their confrontation .

Mahiro clicked his tongue, and carried the fainted Aulum who was on top of a monster under his arms .

Kurou relaxed his tense body as well .

I got up and glared at Mahiro .

Mahiro noticed my gaze, and came to stand in front of me with Aulum under his arms .

「We’ll withdraw this time, but next time, even if you’re Japanese just like me, I won’t have any mercy, inferior species . 」

「You injured Amelia . I’ll pay you back double, just you wait . 」

Our confrontation ended, and Yoru suddenly pulled on my hand .

『Master-dono, let’s hurry up and go back . 』

When I turned around, Kurou had Ria under his arms and was quickly retreating .

I gripped the hand of Amelia who was hanging her head down low .

Amelia was surprised and looked up at me .

「We’re going . 」