I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

40 – 40. Light of Omen

The night breeze was cool.

Even if it feels cold at night in the city, people who fill the market are walking the streets smiling brightly.

There is nothing particularly dark about the market of demons, so if you look at it this way, it seems to be a human culture.

Oddly enough, demons resemble humans.

However, since we continued fighting each other to death, only a very ironic feeling remains.

“Alfred, have you been here often?”

“Not much. I rarely came here personally, but most of them came to run errands for the Demon King.”

Alfred and Arcel are sitting on a roof overlooking the city.

It’s noisy downstairs, but I felt a calm and calm atmosphere when I went up a little bit.

“Comparing then and now, has this place not changed?”

Arsel looked down at the demons and asked.

“What is change?”

“It is a story about people disappearing or the number of orphans on the streets increasing.”

“Well… In the first place, the orphans live in an orphanage run by Grandma Clen. There is a lot of floating population here.”

There were only a handful of demons living in this territory itself.

In the first place, demons do not live in large-scale communities like cities.

However, in order to secure living conditions to some extent, a market was needed, and this is the place that was created that way.

“Still, if you look at the remaining demons like this now, there won’t be a big difference, rather it seems to have increased.”

“…Human cities couldn’t do that. Because of the war, young men were mobilized as soldiers, and as a result, orphaned children flooded the streets.”

Arcel buried his face in his lap and said bitterly.

“There was a limit to the number of children that the orphanage could accept, and as the war continued, many directors ran away with subsidies as the economy became difficult.”

So I wanted to end the war more quickly.

I never slept for more than an hour a day in order to train soldiers and knights myself, create an elite army, and somehow not lose more land.

On some days, they traveled thousands of kilometers in one day, and it was not uncommon for them to go back and forth from the north to the south of the front.

“But for some reason, the situation got worse. Hungry people end up rebelling or rioting. Orphans risked their lives to steal bread in order to live one more day. And there were more and more corpses on the streets.”

“But the demons don’t look like that. Is this?”

Arcel nodded his head.

Even in the same war, the demons suffered little damage.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

However, Arcel only wondered why humans couldn’t do the same.

“Of course, you already know the answer to that question. From my point of view, the very existence of the hero, who is said to have been created to stand against the demon king, is a problem.”

“What is it?”

“It’s like turning a bomb. Because the demon king is too strong, he makes an arrow holder called a warrior and leaves everything behind. Besides, even if there is a problem, we only blame each other for wrongdoing, but we are in such a rush that we don’t really think about solving the cause.”

Alfred said, pointing at Arcel.

“…I see.”

Arsel remembered the nobles who always quarreled at the meeting.

Those who wouldn’t go to war anyway.

Those who may have never held a sword in their hands decide the direction of war and control the lives of soldiers.

“Still, the situation of the hero of this generation was relatively better, right? Did you at least provide military support? Thanks to that, the concept of war was established.”

“Come to think of it, is that so?”

What’s even funnier is the fact that Arcel’s situation is better than the previous warriors.

In the play that little Alfred showed, in that play, the warriors before Arcel often shouldered the burden of being the Demon King alone.

Compared to those warriors, Arcel also had companions, and even soldiers and knights went to war together.

“…Why did war happen in the first place?”

“He is never satisfied with what he has.”

“Why was he not satisfied? If you look at it this way, it seems that demons don’t just live a very bad life.”

Arsel was talking about the Demon King.

“Why can’t a race that can use magic, is strong, and has a moderately long lifespan live longer than humans?”

But Alfred seems a bit puzzled.

“…But the demon lord was a bit strange, but the demons are greedy as well. Strangely, he also seems to have a grudge against humans.”

I didn’t know the details.

Anyway, he didn’t already exist in the world, and Alfred was reluctant to be with the demon king, so he didn’t even try to see his face very often.

All Arcel knew was that the Demon King was strong and greedy, but he didn’t know what he was moving for.

“So, let’s just assume that all demon lords are evil and greedy. Just thinking about it further makes his head hurt.”

Alfred said with a laugh.

“Isn’t that too stereotyped? It doesn’t seem like the demon king is unconditionally evil.”

“Yes, you are right. But stereotypes exist for a reason, right? In reality, demon lords were all evil and warlike.”

Because it was a fact recorded in history, Arcel could not particularly refute it.

The demon kings were all those who started a war.

“You are too nice to wear a mask. Sometimes think about it while disregarding the idea of the chosen people or moral consciousness. If you did, you would have subdued the demon lord faster than usual.”

“…”

“Even though I had to train to subdue the demon lord, you didn’t ignore people who were in trouble, like taking a lost child home. I used to carry the old man’s heavy burden instead.”

“How do you know that?”

Arsel was surprised by Alfred’s knowledge of even the smallest details.

It happened quite a long time ago, even before he became widely known as a hero.

“I told you before, I was watching you all. Of course, we respected your privacy to some extent, so you can rest assured.”

“…Sometimes I think you are dangerous in many ways. No, on second thought, isn’t it sometimes?”

In the end, Arcel puts his hand on his forehead.

Even so, Alfred smiles like he’s in a good mood.

Alfred just seemed to like spending time with Arcel.

“Isn’t it all in the past anyway? Don’t dwell too much on the past. Nothing will change if you get caught in the past.”

“This?”

“The ones sold at the store over there aren’t bad, right?”

At the same time, he buys a drink with ice floating on it, knowing when he bought it, and hands it over to him.

It tasted like cider plus the flavor of grapes.

But when I drank it, it was alcohol even though the alcohol content was weak.

“I think it tastes good.”

“Then it’s good, anyway, don’t dwell too much on the past. Even if you do your best, there is nothing you can do about it.”

Alfred stood up, dusting himself off.

A gentle breeze blew the hem of her dress.

I don’t know what he was looking at, but the starlight of the night reached the end of his gaze.

And the place where the starlight is directed is the moon.

“Looks like it’s about time. Are you interested in an auction? It starts tonight.”

“Auction?”

Come to think of it, I heard that the auction for the flowers of this estate will start tonight.

As there are various precious items brought in from all over the country, there must be many things that you would not normally see.

In addition, it is said that at the auction house, even a variety of aged wines that were not sold in the market are given away free of charge.

“I was curious. Are you going now?”

“Yes, since the main products were stolen, the security will be rather tight, but it will be fine. Grandma Clen sees you favorably, so she won’t be particularly suspicious.”

Although the main item was stolen, it was said to be revealed on the last day of the auction.

There were still two days left, and the thief couldn’t leave the territory.

I thought it would probably be caught sometime tomorrow.

As long as the item is recovered, the auction can be held without any problems.

“However, I heard that only high-ranking demons whose identities have been confirmed can go to the auction house…”

“I’m just watching, so it’s okay, you can’t catch me with that level of security in the first place.”

Seeing the confident Alfred makes me nervous for nothing, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to cause a big fuss.

“Why don’t you just go in confidently, have you forgotten who I am? Now, the boss died and I left the company, but I was the one who was able to control the demon lord army with one finger.”

“You are, but I am not. What would happen if he was found out as a hero…”

No matter how Clen is, if a hero who is no different from the enemy of the entire tribe appears, he cannot stop them all.

On the contrary, there was a possibility that her position would be in danger.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be a problem as long as you prove the identity of one of them if you go with a married couple.”

“What?”

The wind was blowing so hard that Arsel couldn’t hear Alfred’s words.

Alfred corrected his words, still smiling.

“We’ll allow at least one attendant, so don’t worry. We can’t just say things like that who locked us up in the territory in the first place.”

“I see… I get it.”

Arselin made her subtle expression and nodded her head.

I think he said something different, but he seemed to be bothered because he didn’t hear it properly.

“Then let’s go, you are comfortable. I’ll take you.”

Alfred hugged Arcel again.

“…Isn’t it that you’ve lost your qualms about it now?”

“You got used to it anyway, right?”

“That’s right, but it’s because you seem used to touching her lady body. I’m fine no matter what I do, but I’m a little concerned.”

That’s because it was unexpectedly very comfortable.

If she continued to hold her like this, she would want to leave her body, and if she closed her eyes and counted the numbers in her heart, it seemed like she would fall asleep.

This means that it is not a skill that has been tried once or twice.

“Have you forgotten that there are dozens of princesses I kidnapped?”

“Ah…”

It really wasn’t something I’d done once or twice.

It must have been practiced dozens of times, as well as several times.

“If you feel uncomfortable, can you change your posture, carry it on your shoulder, wrap it in a bag, or carry it around your waist?”

Arsel remembered Alfred kidnapping princesses from various kingdoms.

Princesses who had quite a bit of power were tied up with chains and then rolled up in blankets and taken away.

“No, I like it as it is.”

“Then I’ll go on like this, but you can be proud of yourself. You are the only one who carries a woman by my will, not someone else’s order.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ll leave that up to your imagination.”

Arcel asked, blushing slightly.

Without answering, Alfred stepped on the roof and flew into the sky.

†††

“There seems to be nowhere to escape the barrier. As long as you are trapped inside the barrier, the magic that uses space is also limited, so there is no way to secretly escape.”

A man in black silhouette lowered his head and reported.

Situated in a cave near the city, they seemed to be seeking a way out of the territory wrapped in a barrier, carrying swords wrapped in red cloth.

“It’s more troublesome than I thought.

The man in the robe receives a report from his returning men.

In the hands of his subordinates, several identification cards presumed to belong to the demons were clutched.

It must be theirs, seeing as there are several bloodstained corpses deep in the cave.

We were preparing the things we needed in advance.

“Can’t you break this barrier?”

“It is not difficult to unlock. This barrier is intentionally designed to be easy to puncture. However, that is also what the demons of this land are aiming for.”

If you forcibly penetrate the barrier, it is certain that the location will be discovered immediately.

The barrier of the territory was also to induce it from the beginning, and as proof, there were magic circles that could summon numerous soldiers at any time throughout the territory.

As soon as there is an abnormality in the barrier, the corresponding magic circle is activated.

There, even if you are lucky enough to get out of the territory, the pursuers will immediately chase after the reverberation.

The domain of demons was wider than expected.

It’s hard to come back alive once you’ve stepped out like that.

“…I have no choice but to move up the plan a little more, I just wanted to share a toast.”

In the end, it seemed there was only one way.

“Once the start comes down, we start working. If you get caught by the demons, take your own life.”

“Yes, I understand.”

A man in a robe holds a dagger with bloodstained hands.

The man’s eyes turned to the city where many demons came and went.

In those black eyes, there was already a scene of a blazing city.