My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's

“So—what did you want to talk about?”

Even though a lamp lit the room, Yoru’s face somehow looked darker than the night.

“Uh—well…”

He hesitated, averting his gaze as if it was hard to say.

I waited for him to speak. I didn’t know what he would say, but I doubted he’d try to dodge something by bringing me all the way here if it was trivial.

I left the room to sort my head out, but half of that was the truth. I hoped whatever Yoru wanted to talk about would be something light.

“Well, uh. After hearing Lord Lattice Nail’s story, what did you think, master?”

I thought for a moment before answering.

“Sorry, but I don’t understand the demon king’s feelings. I’ve never had family die, and the person I liked wasn’t over there either. When I came here and Commander Saran died, before I felt any desire to bring her back I felt the sadness of never being able to see her again and a murderous hatred toward the person who killed her. So I can’t really grasp someone who would accept the sin of weighing other people’s lives on a scale to bring someone back. If there weren’t even the possibility that my family might be dragged into that plan, I could have kept it as someone else’s problem.”

If there was a chance my mother and sister would be sacrificed, I’d have no choice but to move to stop the demon king. The heroes would probably feel the same. After hearing Lattice Nail, it wasn’t enough just to return to the old world. If we killed the demon king, would it stop? Or if we eliminated every person who had the “Exchange” skill, would my family no longer be in danger?

“…Master. The demon king—demon lord—is like a birth parent to me. But more than that, he’s someone dear to me. I don’t even know anymore if that’s my own feeling.”

Prefacing it that way, Yoru began to tell the story of his birth.

I’d thought some of it at the lookout when the Demon Clan territory came into view, but aside from the fact he’s the demon king’s right hand and “Adrea’s Nightmare,” I knew little of Yoru’s past. After we made the familiar contract in the boss room on the eightieth floor of the Cantinen Labyrinth, we briefly talked about ourselves before leaving the labyrinth, but even then Yoru hadn’t said much about himself.

“I don’t know how long ago it was. At the very least, I gained self-awareness after the demon lord’s wife passed away. I don’t know if I existed before then, but that’s when I first recognized my own birth. Normally, demonic beasts don’t have self-awareness. But somehow I developed one and can speak human language. Until recently I thought that was because the demon lord made me like that.”

But he lowered his head, thinking that was probably wrong.

“When I was assigned to deliver a message to you in the boss room, it was the first time I saw the outside world. Until then I’d worked in the Demon King’s Castle, and during ‘Adrea’s Nightmare’ I returned right after my duty ended. The world I saw with you and Miss Amelia was truly beautiful. The demon lord disliked other races and only gave me negative information, but those living now didn’t strike me as the foolish, hopeless creatures he described.”

Being apart from the demon king and seeing us and the world likely seeded doubt in Yoru toward the demon king. He probably didn’t even notice it himself. From my point of view, until he heard from Lattice Nail that the demon king truly intended to commit a taboo, Yoru’s reverent feelings toward him had been genuine.

“The first time I truly felt that foreign thing inside me was when Aitel, who had possessed Miss Amelia, told me I wasn’t just another imitation but a vessel. I thought the fact I’d gained self-awareness was a miracle the demon lord hadn’t expected—that I had a role, that God had said so. That it wasn’t allowed. I knew the demon lord was attempting something extraordinary related to God, but I never imagined he would commit a taboo.”