My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's

"So, are you going to kill whoever killed Gram the same way you killed Gram?"

Master asked me, looking straight at me.

"Maybe the one who killed saran hermes was someone summoned just like you. They're the most unencumbered and defenseless person in that country."

"Is that question part of the contract too?"

The hero and Kyousuke swallowed hard; the sound echoed through the basement.

I had considered the same possibility about the perpetrator. I just hadn’t said it in front of the hero and Kyousuke.

To be able to catch commander saran off guard and kill him from the front inside Reytis Castle would require someone who could make him that complacent—Mr. Zeal, the Vice Captain, and otherwise only a classmate who lacked the strength to kill commander saran and thus had no reason to be suspected. Besides, we summoned from another world have no backing; if twenty‑eight people were summoned, someone might think it acceptable to use one as expendable. If I were in their shoes, I might think that too.

I squinted my eyes and Master shrugged playfully.

"No, it’s just my curiosity. You don't have to answer."

He said that, but his eyes seemed to be asking for my answer.

I sighed and worked my brain. Even I didn't have a clear answer yet. It was hard to put into words.

"...I killed Gram because he laid hands on Amelia, because I needed Crow’s cooperation to go to the Demon King's Castle, because—however indirectly—he had wronged commander saran, to stop the war between the Human race and the Beastmen, and as proof of my own regret and resolve."

The real perpetrator who could be called commander saran’s true avenger—the one who ordered it, King Reytis, or the demon king or Mahiro who planned it—are still alive, so the revenge I vowed in the Cantinen Labyrinth isn't over yet. If they show up before me, this time I would drive the "night blade god" straight into a vital spot.

If that's the case, I should answer Master’s question with yes. But after seeing the heroes desperately try to save people in Morte, I also felt that if I could avoid killing, I didn't want to kill.

"Regret?"

"The day we were summoned, I had an opportunity to kill King Reytis when he was defenseless and turned away. If I had, things might be different now. I still don't know if letting Reytis go or killing Gram was the right thing. I still waver. But..."

Saying that, I choked up remembering the conversation with Amelia when I returned to my hotel room the night I killed Gram. 'What matters most is what you do from now on'—she was right.

I let my gaze wander as I searched for words.

"But I want to return to my family and I want to always be with Amelia and Yoru. Those two hopes are the only things I want for my future. I won't compromise on that. I'll do anything to make it happen. So if anything stands in my way, I'll kill to take it. If commander saran's avenger stands in that path, even if they're a classmate, I won't hesitate to kill them."

"Revenge is just a side benefit?"

"Yeah. I act for myself. I always have."

That's right. Unlike the heroes, from the moment I chose to hide in Reytis Castle I acted for myself. I showed myself at the Cantinen Labyrinth to kill the minotaur not because someone ordered me to, but because I chose to. That won't change. I will return to my original world, to my home. But I won't separate from Amelia and Yoru. I'll do whatever it takes to make two contradictory wishes come true.

My words were a messy jumble of thoughts, but Master seemed to catch what I meant somehow.

"Hah, childish selfishness and arrogance. It would’ve been almost endearing if you at least said you were doing it for the world."

"I'm only seventeen. Besides, this world forced us here against our will. Whatever motives were behind the summoning aren't our concern. We'll do as we like. And really, it's odd that previous heroes willingly contributed to this world."

Master snorted, but for this Demon Clan being, even Crow might count as a child. Thinking that way, being treated like a kid didn't anger me.