My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's

My complaints must have worked this time, because Crow’s habit of lashing out his irritation at anything and anyone had quieted down, and the arrogant Crow who looked down on everyone was back.

“I'm more reassured by the original Crow than the irritated Crow,” Amelia said.

I chuckled, and Ria next to me nodded—she too seemed thrown by seeing Crow’s uselessness for the first time.

The only one who had little contact with Crow despite traveling together, Amaryllis, tilted her head and was brewing something while watching us.

Every time we stopped to rest she brewed something, but what on earth was she making?

She stayed quiet, thinking as always, but with Crow clearly back to his usual self leading the group, we steadily advanced and finally found signs of someone else’s campsite.

There shouldn't be any other groups out here besides the hero party.

“Is everyone still alive?”

Amelia, who had been friendly with the girls from the hero party, asked me anxiously as she looked at the place where a fire had likely been lit.

I scanned the surroundings, thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I can only tell roughly, but there are traces of spilled food here. Over there is where they’d been sleeping. They were probably attacked by demonic beasts during or just before a meal. Judging by the amount of spilled food and the number of beds, everyone was likely together before the attack. They dropped their gear halfways and their tracks aren’t covered, so we can track them.”

I couldn’t tell what happened after the attack, of course.

It looks like they abandoned anything unnecessary while fleeing. I decided to pick up what they’d left behind since it might be useful later.

Hero, Kyousuke, Mr. Zeal, Hosoyama, Ueno, Kazuki, Tsuda, Nanase.

Yeah, all there.

“…Still, they managed to find this much food?”

I muttered, looking at the spilled dishes.

The demonic beast meat must have come from whatever beasts attacked them, but did someone have a skill for identifying harmless herbs among plants? I didn’t think Mr. Zeal had much survival skill either.

“All of this has nothing harmful to humans in it, so someone must’ve learned an ‘Identify’ or ‘poison-tasting’ skill. The poisonous herbs are gathered over here.”

Amaryllis murmured as she looked at the food soaked into the ground, pointing to a heap of weeds.

As far as I remembered, none of the hero party had that kind of skill. So someone must have newly acquired it.

“I want to join up with them soon.”

Ria said softly, staring at the gouged ground that suggested a battle had taken place.

Her words made me realize my own feelings and I gasped.

From the bottom of my heart, I felt the same way.

Apparently I’d been more worried about the hero party than I’d thought—enough to remember names I previously had no intention of learning.

“As we get closer to Demon Clan territory, the demonic beasts’ strength only grows. You can hope, but don't expect too much.”

Crow’s cold words echoed in my mind.