My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's

That night I opened my eyes wide.

Yoru must have been the Demon King’s right hand, holding a respectable position.

He spoke politely and even used honorifics.

So he wasn’t just any Demon Clan member.

“Yeah yeah, you’re Black Cat, right? What’re you doing in a place like this?”

At Lattice Nail’s words, Yoru’s gaze flicked left and right.

"Ah, um… well…"

Purple eyes narrowed, and he wore the mischievous, childlike look of someone who’d thought up a prank.

“Ohooooo— I didn’t think that Black Cat would meekly get killed, but to think he’d sign a contract with the Human race… Does your father know about this?”

Father?

I tilted my head, and Yoru nodded with a bitter expression.

Lattice Nail glanced at my face, then reached over and ruffled Yoru’s head.

“Is that so~! Then I won’t say anything. ‘Nice to meet you’—what’s your name?”

I was completely an extra, but I could tell Yoru relaxed.

His reaction reminded me of Mr. Zeal being tossed around by commander saran.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yoru. I’m my master’s familiar.”

“‘Yoru,’ huh? Good name.”

“Thank you.”

The two who had just reintroduced themselves suddenly looked up at me as if they’d just remembered I existed.

“...C’mon, it’s a festival after all. Let’s have some fun, yeah?”

Lattice Nail grinned widely and grabbed my hand, pulling me along. I sent a telepathic request to Yoru for an explanation.

Yoru frowned slightly and glanced up at me.

“I’ll explain properly later. Including Miss Amelia.”

Amelia had been puffing her cheeks and hadn’t moved an inch ever since. I gave a wry smile.

“Cheer up, Amelia.”

She turned away with a pout.

Apparently she didn’t like that Lattice Nail was clinging to me.

“I’m not in a bad mood. I just don’t like how Akira’s all lovey-dovey. That boy alone leaves a good impression.”

“There’s no way I’d be lovey-dovey. That’s a gross misunderstanding… So you like Lattice Nail?”

Amelia tilted her head and nodded.

“That one doesn’t give off an unpleasant vibe, even as a Demon Clan member… Hey, Akira, did you see that one’s stats?”

I snapped my fingers—of course. Maybe because I’d sworn not to use the ‘world eye’ much, or because I don’t check stats often, or because I wasn’t in combat and was relaxed, I’d completely forgotten I had the convenient extra skill called ‘world eye’.

I activated the ‘world eye’ immediately and checked Lattice Nail’s stats.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

- Lattice Nail

- Race / Demon Clan

- Class / water and fire mage lv. 57

- HP 33,000 / 33,000

- Attack 38,500

- Defense 33,000

- Magical power 44,000 / 44,000

Skills

- Water magic Lv 6

- Fire magic Lv 6

- Charm Lv 8

Extra Skills

- demonic beast manipulation

- magical power concealment

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“……”

Seeing the stats made me want to rub my eyes.

When I’d looked at Aurum Trace’s stats before, I’d felt overwhelming magical power and strength—so while the numbers had been startling, they’d also made sense.

But with Lattice Nail, it was like an attack from an unexpected direction. I realized anew that you shouldn’t judge someone by their looks or first impression.

Who would think that the woman smiling and waving cheerfully at other contestants—so wholesome she radiated no aura of power—actually had initial stats that, while a lower level than Aurum Trace, were still clearly higher.

There wasn’t a trace of killing intent, and thanks to the extra skill ‘magical power concealment,’ she didn’t give off that tumultuous storm of magic typical of the Demon Clan. If Amelia hadn’t mentioned it, I might never have noticed.

“You really should get in the habit of using ‘world eye,’ Akira.”

Amelia peered at my face like a scolding child and I turned my gaze away.

“But still…”

The ‘world eye’ is definitely useful. Being able to peek at someone’s stats is a huge advantage in this world.