Chapter 66

“Welcome back! How did it go?”

“It was a no-go. They weren’t willing to compromise at all, and it was really troubling.”

Seri Arata, my childhood friend, who always takes good care of me, greeted me warmly.

However, just recalling the earlier exchange made my expression twist with frustration.

Kunimatsu… Just how selfish can one person be?

He has the advantage of knowledge about this world, but instead of taking care of us, he acts entirely on his own.

“He really is selfish, huh?”

Her words echoed my thoughts. The one who was just as upset as me was Tomoka Hara.

Arata, Tomoka, and I used to always hang out together in our previous world, and even here, that hasn’t changed.

We became the group leaders in our class, and that role has continued even in this world.

Ideally, Kunimatsu, who knows more about this world, should have been the one to lead and take care of everyone.

“But I might have heard some useful information.”

“As expected from Takemi. You can always rely on him.”

“What kind of information? Could it be the way to defeat the Demon Lord?”

It would have been great if that had been the case, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Kunimatsu probably knows how to defeat the Demon Lord as well.

However, just like before, it’s clear he’s trying to infiltrate this country on his own, without teaching us anything.

“It’s information that will make them reevaluate us.”

“Reevaluate? You mean the people in this castle?”

“Ugh… it’s so frustrating. When we first arrived here, they were all polite, but now they don’t even talk to us unless we approach them.”

“They’ll at least greet us, though.”

This problem was caused by Kunimatsu. He managed to raise his own status by ingratiating himself with everyone.

After that, we’ve been compared to him and deemed inferior, no longer expected to do anything.

The fact that we’ve been fighting monsters every day seems completely forgotten.

So now, we’ll prove that we can do the same as Kunimatsu.

“I heard Kunimatsu talking with the soldiers about a dungeon where no monsters appear. We’ll conquer it and show that we’re capable of dungeon-crawling too.”

“No monsters at all? That sounds easy enough.”

“B-But… could there be some other big challenge we don’t know about?”

As Arata suggested, it wasn’t just empty of monsters.

Still, according to what they were saying, various races had visited the place without any problems.

I’m sure we’ll be fine too.

“They did say there are traps, though. But as long as we’re careful, there’s nothing to fear, unlike monsters.”

“Traps, huh… Do you think they’re like pitfall traps? I could end up twisting my ankle or something.”

Tomoka seemed a little worried, but there’s no need to be concerned.

If a normal person were caught in a trap, they might twist an ankle or even break a bone.

But we have the powers given to us by the goddess when we reincarnated.

“If that happens, I, the hero, will go ahead!”

“If Takemi gets hurt, I’ll heal you!”

With Arata’s reassuring words, I was even more confident that our challenge to the dungeon would succeed.

After all, my childhood friend is a saint, so even if something goes wrong, we’ll be fine.

“I can heal too, you know!”

“Of course, Tomoka. You’re a sage, so you can do more than we can.”

“As long as you understand.”

Kunimatsu never taught us any of his powers.

But no matter what powers he has, we’re not inferior to him.

With a hero, a saint, and a sage in our group, we’ll conquer the dungeon for sure.

“What about the others?”

Arata’s concern was about the other reincarnators who were supporting us.

They agree with my stance on prioritizing safety, and if I suddenly tell them we’re going into a dungeon, they might distrust us.

“They can stay as they are. We’ll conquer the dungeon on our own, and show Kunimatsu and the people in the castle how wrong they are.”

“That’s right! Kunimatsu and the castle people will see!”

“Haha… Tomoka, let’s try to relax a bit.”

There’s no problem.

A dungeon that guarantees safety.

That’s something a hero party like ours is more than capable of clearing.

“Rei! Look, it’s a candied apple!”

“What’s that about?”

What Fiona showed me was exactly what she said – a candied apple. It was one of those things you see at festivals.

Where did she even get that from… now that I think about it, there was a stall outside the dungeon that was selling them.

“Demon Lord, did you go outside for no reason?”

Primilla  was on the verge of scolding Fiona.

Noticing this, Fiona hurriedly tried to explain herself.

“No, I didn’t go out for no reason! I had Tokito buy it for me!”

“Demon Lord, you shouldn’t bother him when he’s busy.”

Ah, since Tokito is a beastman, it’s probably fine if he’s seen buying things outside.

Even Rigma lightly scolded her, and I felt a bit sorry for Fiona. I decided to step in and help her out.

“Well, well, she didn’t do anything reckless. Tokito was probably free when she asked him, so let’s leave it at that.”

“Those kids are quite useful, so as long as we don’t overwork them, I’m fine with it.”

“…Fine. If you really want apples, I’ll grow them for you.”

“Huh, can apples really be grown in a field?”

Of course, I thought that was impossible, but maybe in this world, that’s the norm.

I asked the question, but Primilla  shook her head to deny it.

“Normally, that’s impossible, but the field prepared by Lord Rey is something different from a regular field, so it seems like it could even become something like an orchard.”

“I see… Well, it’s not a bad thing if there are more things that can be grown, right?”

“Of course. It’s something worth putting effort into.”

Primilla  clenched her fist slightly, showing her enthusiasm.

It seems like she’s managing to get a good balance between her hobby and practical needs for a change of pace.

“Don’t worry, Lady Fiona. Eventually, even the underground demon realm will become a place as lively as that.”

“Yes, I’d like that.”

Alright, her mood’s improved.

Still, I really hope we can make it like that someday. Not just for Lady Fiona, but for everyone living there, including the Four Heavenly Kings; it would be nice if the place was more vibrant.

“Then, to increase that liveliness, I’ll do my best with the treasure chest gacha!”

“Yes… I hope you win something.”

Really, I do.

I’ve been working hard, so I’d like to be rewarded soon… though it’s probably not going to happen.

“Alright! I’ll also do my best to increase my magic power for Lady Fiona!”

“For me… Yes! Just like Rey! Let’s revive the Demon Lord Army together!”

She grabbed my hand with so much emotion, but I hope she’s not trying to drag me into the gacha trap…

Even though I’m in a situation where a beautiful woman is holding my hand, I’m not the least bit embarrassed—Fiona really is something else.

“Aren’t you forgetting about us? Hmm… if things keep going like this, Rey will outshine us, so maybe I should focus on increasing my magic power too?”

“Don’t bother. Those two are hopeless.”

“Rigma. That’s disrespectful to the Demon Lord.”

“No, it’s an undeniable fact that the Demon Lord is pretty much beyond saving.”

“P-Primilla  too…”

I hear you. I can hear you. Please say that kind of thing at least where I can’t hear it.

After all, if I can hear it… then obviously…

“Rey.”

“Yes?”

And so, I ended up just comforting Lady Fiona, whose eyes were welling up for a reason that had nothing to do with romance.

“How trivial…”

“It’s not trivial at all. We’ll defeat the Demon Lord and enjoy various foods, including candied apples, in a peaceful world.”

“Do I look like someone who could be easily defeated?”

“It’s not just the Hero. We’ll all defeat you.”

“How unpleasant. You dream of a hope that doesn’t even exist, and you don’t even understand the difference in strength between us.”

“It’s natural to dream of hope. The Hero is humanity’s hope.”