CH 118

Defeat the Demon Lord. That’s the question I’ve always avoided. When a precipice appears in front of me on a journey of “go as far as you can and then turn back,” I don’t think it was wrong to choose to turn back rather than considering ways to overcome it and risking danger.

But now, a bridge had been unexpectedly built on that precipice in front of me. Moreover, it was a stone bridge, not a ragged suspension bridge that looked as if it might fall down at any moment, but a very solid bridge. With such an arrangement in place, there was no way I could turn away from the end result……. that is defeating the Demon Lord by choosing to cross the valley.

That’s why my hands couldn’t stop shaking. I couldn’t easily grab the two hands that were held out in front of me.

――Why bother taking the risk when there’s no problem if you’re just banished in between the journey like you always have been?

――The Demon Lord is strong, right? Can you really win against such a thing?

――Shouldn’t the affairs of this world be left to the people of this world?  Isn’t it a bad idea for us, outsiders, to get so involved?

In just a few moments of hesitation, countless negative thoughts flow through my head. I don’t have to. I shouldn’t have to. … The torrent of willpower became a storm, blowing around trying to blow me away, not letting me take a single step forward.

“…….”

I frowned and slumped down, even though there was no physical wind blowing. What jumped into my field of vision was a sword swinging at my waist.

[My dream is to forge a sword that can defeat the Demon Lord!]

“…… Master.”

I heard clearly …… in my ears the voice of my master, who was not here and already dead in the world beyond the door.

I have earned the right to pursue my master’s dream, which I thought I would never be able to fulfill. But if I run away, I will get my ass kicked by my master.

“There is no guarantee that we will make it back alive. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes! That’s what I want! I mean, isn’t that what I, who has defeated a Demon Lord before, should be asking Ed?”

“Defeating the Demon Lord is the long-cherished wish of everyone living in this world. I myself have no hesitation in doing so.”

“….I understand. Then let’s do it!”

“Yeah!”

“Yay!”

My hands were no longer shaking. As I laid my hand on top of the two offered hands, a smile naturally broke out on my face as the three resolutions became one. With a vigorous call, I had finally become a true member of the Hero’s party.

******

The days that followed were the same mundane …. and common adventures I had experienced many times before. We went to various towns and villages to gather information about the Demon Lord, and to acquire weapons, armor, magic tools, etc., to strengthen our forces.

However, there were some differences from the past. I used my [Banishment skills] and [Memories of the first round] without hiding them. We went around to places where problems might occur later and dealt with them in advance. We easily obtained magic tools, the location of which would not have been known without going through several countries to gather information, and by continuing to make the first move, we were able to minimize the damage brought about by the Demon Lord and keep the situation in our favor.

“Gueh!? W-Why!? Why does a mere mortal have such high defensive powers!?”

“Hehehehe, that’s… because I can see through all of your tricks!”

In the corridor of a castle. I appeared from behind a pillar with my companions, laughing and pointing a finger at the Demon Lord’s army leader who failed to attack the minister of that country. After defeating the enemy, the minister, who had been stunned by the first attack, stood up and took Riel’s hand with tears in his eyes.

“Oh, thank you, Saint-sama! And your friends! I was skeptical when I first heard your warning, but I never thought we would really be attacked by the demon Lord’s army. ….”

“This too is God’s will. God is watching those who do righteous deeds closely. Please continue to strive for a good government and help us defeat the Demon Lord.”

“Of course, of course! We, the Kingdom of Alderaan, will fully support the Saint!”

Tia approached me, who was watching from a little distance in front of the minister, who said this in a voice filled with enthusiasm.

“Is this going to be enough for this country?”

“Maybe. If the minister has not been captured, the country will not be disturbed, and they will support us with their national power. Even if they use the same tactics, they will probably take countermeasures when something like this has happened once before, so it won’t be so bad.”

“Thank you for waiting, Ed-san.”

And there, after talking with the minister, Riel joined us. From what I had overheard, she had been invited to a dinner party, but apparently she had successfully turned it down.

“Thank you for your hard work. I’m sorry Riel, We need to hurry for the next one.”

“That’s fine. Where to next?

“It’s a nameless village on the frontier of a neighboring country. There, a plague breaks out. …. Its true nature is a curse disseminated by the Demon Lord’s army. If misunderstood and persecuted, the power of the curse will brew and cause considerable damage, as well as complicate relations with the elves who live nearby. But only if we know the species from the start. ….”

“Yes. If you need a curse lifted, leave it to me!”

“Please. Well, in that case, I’ll lose the chance to get involved with the elves, but you can bring Tia to greet them.”

“Oh, that’s right. Yeah, leave that to me!”

At my words, Tia thumped her chest and said. If the relationship is not strained, it is unlikely that a visitor accompanied by a kindred spirit will be rejected. If we then solve the problem those elves are having— that is, the Sacred tree in the middle of the village is weakening because of the magical beasts gnawing at its roots—they should be much more willing to assist us than they were in the first round.

“But then again, Ed, you look like you’re having a lot of fun, right?”

“Hmm? You get it? Well, I’m having more fun than I thought I would, being able to help people without having to worry about detailed excuses and stuff. I think I’m going to get addicted to this.”

The more ridiculous our demands were, the harder it would be for them to believe us. If Tia and I had gone directly to the castle and told them that there was a Demon Lord’s Army trying to kill the minister and replace him, they would not have taken us seriously.

Or rather, “How do you know such information?” and we ourselves would be detained. In that case, the Demon Lord’s Army would realize that the information had been leaked, and in the worst case scenario, we would be caught and punished, which could very well lead to a terrible end.

It was only because of Riel’s reputation as a Saint that we were able to reverse this situation, and it was only because we were able to gain such Riel’s trust that we were able to prevent the incident from happening.

An environment that I could not have wished for before. With such a set-up, it should be possible to break most of the currents that should have greatly disturbed the world, and …. in fact, the effort has paid off.

“So we are finally here….”

“Uwa, that looks like the real deal.”

“This…Demon Lord’s Castle.”

It had been about eight months since we left the Holy City. Around the same time that we should have been “banished” halfway through our journey, we had arrived in front of the Demon Lord’s castle, fully prepared.