Published: March 21, 2026
In short, I didn't die.
Neither Amelia nor I were injured.
"…You're safe?"
It was because this guy came to help.
A black tail swayed in front of my eyes.
'Crow… why are you here?'
When Yoru asked, Crow glanced at Ria and snorted.
He didn't answer the question.
He only looked at Ria for a moment, and the next instant he wasn't looking this way anymore.
"Human race next, and now Beastmen too. And of all people, that Crow…"
"Which Crow do you mean? I'd like to know how the Demon Clan has been told about me."
Crow curled his lip in a combative way, while Mahiro's face wore a smile that looked almost like panic.
While the two of them were throwing sparks at each other, Yoru ushered us to the wall to take cover.
The magic that had been controlling Amelia's body had vanished without my noticing.
And the "shadow magic" that had been using my body had disappeared as well.
"Yoru, are Crow and Mahiro acquainted?"
I, battered and bruised, leaned against the wall and breathed out.
Next to me, Yoru in the form of Commander Saran was doing the same.
Amelia was a little farther away from me.
Even though she had been controlled, she must be worrying about almost killing me while conscious.
Thanks to the "shadow magic" there's no symptom other than anemia, anyway.
'Crow, who was a member of the previous Hero's party, returned after failing to defeat the demon lord and wasn't punished by the king or the people. That's because Crow and the hero at the time had nearly breached the Demon King's Castle together—just the two of them.'
I widened my eyes.
Amelia apparently knew this already, showing no particular surprise.
True, it's odd that someone who ran away and returned could still live in a fine house with a proper smithy, even if it's in a remote area.
Normally you'd expect someone to end up committing suicide in despair.
Still, if only the two of them almost breached the Demon King's Castle, it's plausible they weren't punished.
I'm curious about the "almost" part, though—why they didn't actually conquer it.
'I was close to the demon lord at the time, so I only recognized that the hero party had been taken out and fled on their own. It wasn't until later, when my subordinates told me, that I realized they had been pressed close to the demon lord.'
How does that relate to Crow undoing the magic on Amelia and me?
Sensing my gaze, Yoru signaled for me to wait a bit.
'Apparently it was Mahiro who delivered the final blow that made Crow and the hero decide to retreat. But Mahiro hadn't faced Crow at full strength either.'
Yoru said that and looked toward the two of them.
I followed his gaze.
Mahiro's face, unlike when we were fighting him, looked strained—no composure.
I thought I had been stronger than him, but it stung a bit.
"Long time no see, Mahiro Abe."
"Beastmen live about a hundred years longer than the Human race, right? Why haven't you croaked yet, old man?"
Indeed, "Adrea's Nightmare" was a hundred years ago, and Crow's trip to the Demon King's Castle with the hero party was even earlier. It would take time to reach the level needed to be chosen for a hero party.
So his lifespan should be catching up, right?
Beastmen are hard to judge for age.
"Don't underestimate me, punk. I'm not in my prime, but I'm far from done."
Crow bared his teeth and growled.
Mahiro glanced over at us.
"So it seems. He dispelled my magic in an instant."
As expected, it seemed Crow had undone the magic on Amelia and me.
Crow snorted again.
"'The physical puppet' was almost dispelled already. Did he lose concentration? Or was he forced to by some attack?"
"You know that already, you shitty old man."
Mahiro's remarks grew more bitter.
He always smiles, so he should switch to polite speech sometimes.
Crow just laughed at Mahiro's spiteful mouth without flinching.
"Seems this hero summoning wasn't a bad pick this time. At least one of them had guts."
Was he talking about me?
His assessment was completely different from our first meeting.
The two of them glared at each other for a while, and then Mahiro stepped back.