My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's

Who—or what—is this informant?

If he runs a restaurant, he shouldn’t normally leave this place. The sign on the door even said the shop only has one day off per week. And judging by the staff, there’s just the shop mascot girl and this master. Even if he gathers information via hearsay, could someone really collect such precise details? I don’t see any skill in his status that would allow that...

“You look like you want to know what I am.”

The master read my expression and gave a faint smile.

He stood, took a dark amber bottle from the shelf and poured it into a glass, then took a sip. Wasn’t he supposed to be on duty? Well, he’s collected this much alcohol, so he probably has a high tolerance.

“I get my information mostly from outside the Demon Clan territory. Of course I receive payment, but not in coin. For example, for decades I might trade information in exchange for helping a sister who can’t leave the Demon Clan territory to escape. Something like that?”

Earlier, the price he demanded for the information was help moving three brothers across the continent. So that’s what he meant.

“I’m curious about the Demon King's Castle back entrance and commander saran, but how do the crystals sold to the Human race fit in?”

It sounded like a piece of information unrelated to us at first.

“No, no—this concerns you the most. Your friends are still under the control of those things.”

The master tapped the table impatiently with his fingers.

Only when he said that did I realize how the crystals related. They were the crystals the princess of Reytis Castle used as a medium to brainwash the heroes. Saran commander was killed, and on the night before leaving the castle I broke the hero’s crystal, Kyousuke destroyed six, leaving around twenty remaining. Because of that, our classmates might still be cursed.

Allow me a short excuse for having forgotten the classmates I left in the castle. The people I met in this world have become stronger memories than my classmates from the original world, whom I treated more like gaps between part-time jobs than true friends. So I completely forgot. Those who actually bonded with the hero and their classmates probably couldn’t forget that easily, I suppose.

“Right, that’s what happened.”

I answered calmly as if nothing had happened. The master tilted his head—were we on bad terms?

For me, neither good nor bad is more accurate. They say the opposite of love isn’t hate but indifference; that’s exactly how I felt. Aside from Kyousuke, I didn’t care much about the others. Now I remember Hosoyama and Nanase, but the names of the other classmates left in the castle still escape me.

“Alright. Come to the shop at the same time tomorrow. I’ll hand over the information and explain the payment then. If you don’t come, this conversation never happened. That’s all.”

With that, the master left the room in a hurry.

Leaving us in the room meant we should talk things over ourselves, I suppose. We could have done that on the ship; no need for a room.

“Oh, that’s mine, so I’ll drink it!”

Crow’s hand grasped for the last glass that rightfully belonged to Lord Lattice Nail, but found only air. The glass was already in Lattice Nail’s hand; he downed it in one go.

He doesn’t look much older than me, but being of the Demon Clan he must be quite a bit older. He can drink, then.

“You okay?”

I watched Lattice Nail closely—this was the first time I’d seen him drink.

“It’s fine! Not everything they poured was alcohol! It’s just juice!”

I hadn’t checked for poison with the World Eye earlier, so I refocused my sight with magical power toward the droplets left in the glass.

――――――――――――――――――――

Oranga fruit juice — Condition: very sweet

- No poison

――――――――――――――――――――

So it really was just juice. That explained Crow’s fast pace; he was simply thirsty.

“Then why did you drink the last one, Lattice Nail?”