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Chapter 50

An Afternoon with the Human Hero and the Human Reincarnator

“Is that so? The beastman hero…”

“Our own heroes have only just been resurrected, so it can’t have been long since the beastmen’s were as well. And yet, it seems they ventured into a dungeon and lost their lives again.”

A mixture of exasperation and resignation filled me. This was so typical of Ido. Human heroes tend to be steady and cautious, but the beastman hero is wild and hard to control—it’s just how they are.

“They must not be considering the need to regain their strength first.”

“Or perhaps they intended to recover their strength while clearing the dungeon.”

Typical Ido… I don’t expect them to perfectly align with us in working to deal with the Demon Lord, but I wish they’d at least stop these reckless charges. Resurrections take time, and every time they die, their power weakens. If they exhaust themselves when the critical moment comes, it’ll be a disaster.

“We probably need to talk things through with the beastmen… somehow.”

Then again, even if we did talk to them—this is Ido we’re talking about. With my current stats, they’d probably laugh at me, dismiss me entirely, or, at worst, attack me. What’s that beastman reincarnator even doing? Then again, expecting them to handle Ido is probably asking too much.

For that matter, I don’t even know if there is a reincarnator among the beastmen. If there were someone cautious, they might be keeping the fact that they’re a reincarnator a secret. As I struggled with these thoughts, a pair of young people about my age approached me.

“Excuse us. We overheard your conversation.”

“Heroes…”

“Oh, my! The heroes! You’ve just been resurrected, yet you’re already hard at work!”

“Precisely because we’ve only just been resurrected—we need to fight monsters and get back in form.”

The captain of the guard bowed to the heroes. It seemed they were returning from a hunt to regain their strength.

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard about you from the people at the castle. My name is Rick, and I’m a hero, apparently.”

“I’m Ord. My role is to fight alongside Rick on the frontlines.”

“I’m Stia. As a saint, I protect and heal the party.”

“And I’m Misty. I’m a spirit user—I handle all sorts of things.”

I know them. I know them very well. After all, they’re the protagonist party of this game. I trained them, fought with them, and even defeated that ridiculously powerful Demon Lord with their help. Talking to them like this now feels surreal.

“I’m Yukio Kunimatsu. I’m a reincarnator, taken in by this kingdom.”

“Taken in, you say? That’s modest of you. I’ve heard of your deeds, Kunimatsu. Thank you for your service to the people of this kingdom.”

Modest, huh? It’s rich to hear that from someone calling himself a hero while being so humble and generous with others.

“By the way, I heard Ido has died?”

“Yes, it seems the beastman hero died after being resurrected.”

“I see… Knowing him, he probably charged in recklessly, without waiting for his companions to be resurrected, let alone recovering his own strength.”

That sounded about right. I couldn’t imagine Ido sitting still. If anything, that would be more frightening.

“Would it be difficult for us to deal with the dungeon where Ido died?”

“It would be… Beastmen and humans stepping into each other’s territories can easily lead to troublesome disputes.”

Especially in the Beast Kingdom. Their pride would be shattered if a dungeon where their hero died were cleared by heroes from another nation.

“That’s why, Kunimatsu—”

“Huh? Yes?”

Startled by the sudden address, my voice came out weird. Their tone was polite and far from arrogant, yet I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Perhaps it was because I knew they were leagues above me.

“You mentioned wanting to negotiate with the beastmen, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but… It’s not like I have a plan or anything…”

Wait. Maybe I do have a lead. I couldn’t manage this with just the soldiers and me. But if the heroes helped, it might be a different story. There’s one person I might be able to rely on.

“You do have an idea, don’t you? Please, let us help.”

“Are you sure? As heroes, don’t you have other priorities?”

“Our main priority right now is regaining our strength. Whether we fight near here or near the Beast Kingdom, no one will complain.”

How shrewd. They were the least problematic of the human heroes—cooperative and willing to work together. They likely planned to talk to Ido directly and stop his reckless behavior. And they’d succeed. There was even a similar scenario in the game.

Their offer was invaluable to me. What unnerved me, though, was their uncanny intuition. The way they steered situations toward favorable outcomes felt almost supernatural. In the game, it came off as convenient storytelling, but now it was a blessing.

“Could you accompany me to the Beast Kingdom?”

“Kunimatsu and the heroes leaving the country!?”

The captain of the guard exclaimed in shock.

Of course, there would be opposition. Even I, let alone the heroes, wasn’t allowed to stray too far from the kingdom. It was a sign of how much they valued us, but it also restricted our movements.

As I was racking my brain for a solution, Rick spoke up.

“It’ll be fine. The king won’t object. This is a time when we must unite across species to defeat the Demon Lord.”

“Heroes…”

The guard captain seemed genuinely moved, perhaps inspired by their compassion for non-humans.

“Understood. If it’s for humanity, I won’t complain. We’ll handle things here in your absence.”

“Thank you. Please take care of the kingdom.”

The issue was resolved with just a few words from Rick. His charisma—or maybe it was something closer to brainwashing—was both impressive and unsettling. Either way, this gave me the chance to talk to the other reincarnators. Even if I couldn’t find the beastman reincarnator, I could at least recruit some capable beastman allies.

One candidate stood out: Luf, the swordmaster. A lion beastman with unmatched swordsmanship, Luf had no qualms about crossing species boundaries in his pursuit of strong opponents. He would be a valuable ally, and securing his support would open doors within the Beast Kingdom.

“Let’s head to the Beast Kingdom together, Kunimatsu.”

“Yes, I’ll be in your care.”

And so, I temporarily joined the heroes on a journey to the Beast Kingdom.

“The difference in strength is obvious. Are you still determined to fight?”

“Of course! That’s what it means to be a hero!”

His companions had fallen, leaving only the hero to face the Demon Lord. Yet there wasn’t a trace of despair in his eyes. Only a steadfast resolve to defeat the enemy before him.

“Very well. Come at me with all your might. If you believe you can defeat me, then I will indulge you.”

Thus began a battle that lasted several days before reaching its conclusion.


When I Was Reincarnated into the World of an Ultra-Difficult Game, I Ended Up As the Sole Subordinate of the Ridiculously Strong yet Incompetent Demon Lord, Tasked with Creating a Dungeon

When I Was Reincarnated into the World of an Ultra-Difficult Game, I Ended Up As the Sole Subordinate of the Ridiculously Strong yet Incompetent Demon Lord, Tasked with Creating a Dungeon

超難関ゲーム世界に転生したら、ポンコツ最強魔王様のたったひとりの部下としてダンジョンをつくることになった
Score 10
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Japanese
I was deemed a failure by the goddess and ended up reincarnated into the world of a game known for its insanely high difficulty, as the final boss's Demon Lord. My skill is Dungeon Master, and my race is Demon—clearly, I'm on the enemy's side, not the hero's… Lost and confused, I encounter an overwhelmingly powerful being… Wait, you're the Demon Lord? You defeated the heroes but lost your subordinates and dungeons and now have no motivation…? I seem to have some useful skills, so could I serve you as a tool?

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