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As the demonic races split into two factions and clashed, Lilith and I carefully slipped away, unnoticed.

Once we got far enough to a place where few presences lingered, it wasn’t long before a familiar presence approached nearby. Normally, I would be on high alert, but knowing who it was, there was no need for concern.

After waiting a moment, Frecia, in the form of a cat, bounded over lightly and settled beside me.

It seemed she had returned immediately after setting fire to the supply store since I could still sense her presence nearby even while we were surrounded. Of course, she must have witnessed from beginning to end when Lilith and I got caught by the demons.

That said, I couldn’t help but worry—what if she suddenly tried to rescue us with some ridiculous spell? Sure, it might get us out of our current predicament, but it could also expose her identity to the demons.

Thankfully, luck was on our side, and there was no such incident.

“While the demon factions are busy fighting each other, let’s make a quick escape before we come to our senses again.”

I lifted Frecia, who was looking at me with her cat-like eyes, into my arms. Naturally, one hand wrapped around Lilith’s waist, while the other cradled the originally beautiful Frecia. This truly felt like holding a bouquet in both hands.

…It was just a moment ago that we were in a dire situation, and here I was, allowing my mind to wander into absurd thoughts.

Fortunately, it seemed no one in the city noticed our presence, and we managed to exit the city safely without crossing paths with anyone.

Just as the city was disappearing from view, Frecia jumped down from my arms and landed lightly on the ground. With a soft sound, she transformed back into her original beautiful form.

Now that we had no reason to remain wary of anyone’s gaze, I released Lilith from my other arm. How pent-up she must have felt; her face was as red as a ripe apple.

“We should hurry and rejoin the others; they must be worried.”

While they might have received the barest details about our situation through Tokki and Gomtaengi, they had no means of communication aside from gestures, so they likely didn’t understand the full story. I needed to return quickly to ease their worries as much as possible.

Hmm… I imagined how Gomtaengi was flailing his arms trying to explain, and it piqued my curiosity.

Yet, instead of answering, Frecia gazed up at me, then slowly walked around to stand behind me with little footsteps.

“Boss?”

Wondering what she wanted, I turned my head to call her, but there was no response. Instead, Frecia suddenly raised one hand.

Smack!

“Hyah!?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected pain, I yelped in surprise and jumped instinctively.

“W-What was that for all of a sudden?”

Tears welled up in my eyes. To ease the sting, I instinctively rubbed my sore backside with both hands and asked, but Frecia still didn’t reply.

Smack!

Like she had with me, she daintily walked over and raised her hand again, delivering a similar blow to Lilith, who was staring blankly beside her.

“Gah!?”

Lilith jumped up just like I had, and she too, caught by surprise, had tears glistening in her eyes as she looked back at Frecia in a daze.

“M-Master?”

After suddenly smacking both me and Lilith, Frecia wore an expression of dissatisfaction and continued to look down at her hand.

But soon, contrary to her nature, she let out a deep sigh and lowered her hand.

“It’s a punishment for making me worry. Honestly, I would have liked to hit you a few more times, but… I’ll settle for just one.”

One was already stinging; if I had taken a few more, my backside would have been so red I wouldn’t be able to sit down. Whether I should feel unlucky for getting hit suddenly or lucky for only receiving one blow was unclear.

“I-I wouldn’t mind if you hit me a few more times…”

In the meantime, I couldn’t help but be taken aback by Lilith, a succubus, subtly revealing her true nature. I felt like giving her a hit as well, but worried it might reward her instead.

*

No further disturbances occurred. I stopped sending Lilith on errands, concerned that it might lead to similar situations again. While it certainly brought about its own inconveniences, it was much better to endure some troubles than to invite danger.

By now, quite some time had passed since we entered the realm of the demons; nearly two months had gone by. Rumors about our sudden disappearance were probably circulating among both humans and demons.

Some might say we ultimately fell to the demons and perished, while others might speculate we had gone undercover in the demon territory to capture the Demon King.

Regardless, I couldn’t help but feel anxious. It was surprising, as I had never considered I would make it this far without being discovered.

Of course, I did my best to postpone detection, but apart from Lilith, I had completely given up hope of evading Keltus, the last of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Keltus was a strategist within the Demon King’s Army. In my previous life, I had fallen into one of his traps, having underestimated him and not foreseen my demise.

Thus, I had promised myself that upon detection, I would dash straight to the Demon King’s Castle without hesitation, yet I felt no hints of danger approaching.

Despite all this, it was common knowledge that our ultimate goal was, of course, the Demon King himself. Keltus would surely be thinking the same; even if we had vanished, he wouldn’t find it hard to predict we were headed straight for the Demon King’s Castle.

But had we really slipped off their radar completely?

It seemed more plausible they had foreseen our arrival and set traps. Alternatively, they might have been too preoccupied with other matters to bother keeping track of us.

In any case, we had no choices left. Even if it meant stepping into potential traps, we had to push through. If we managed to evade detection, all the better.

With that thought, I resolved to move more cautiously yet steadily toward the Demon King’s Castle.

*

One month had passed since I tightened my grip on suspicion and cautiously advanced. Despite everything, we had finally reached the vicinity of the Demon King’s Castle without encountering any significant interruptions. The day to put an end to this long, arduous journey was close at hand.

The castle loomed at the horizon, exuding an overwhelming aura of dread despite its distance. Every time I glanced that way, goosebumps arose on my arms.

Only a few twisted trees sporadically decorated the desolate plain, and the demonic monsters that had seemed like adorable puppies at the entry of the demonic territory now roamed around, savage and hostile, looking for prey.

The demons awaiting us in the castle would likely be just as formidable.

From now on, it was truly a race against time. Once the ambush began, the enemies would immediately sense our presence and would pour every effort into halting us for their final battle.

The issue lay in this being deep within enemy territory. The longer we delayed, the more support would arrive for the demons, while we would be left to bear the burden alone without any assistance.

Even if we were fully aware of an imminent trap ahead, we had no luxury to turn back. We could only foolishly move forward. If we could manage to bring down Keltus and the Demon King, then maybe we would find a way to turn the tides.

Ultimately, the outcome of the conflict between humans and demons hinged on the battle between the Hero and the Demon King.

Reflecting on how I had gone from the worst assassin who had once brought humanity to the brink of destruction to now becoming humanity’s hope, it was hard to express how profoundly moved I felt.

I turned my head to look back at my friends. The reason the worst assassin could become humanity’s hope was their unwavering dedication.

Always walking beside me, they tugged me back onto the right path whenever I strayed. Through them, I learned that friendship could be immensely beautiful and noble.

With this in mind, as we had previously discussed, I nodded toward Frecia to signal her. She returned my gesture with a nod of her own and took hold of her staff, raising it high, despite rarely using it before.

She swung the staff gracefully through the air. In response, the magic that began at her fingertips climbed up the staff, illuminating the sky. Her mana sparkled beautifully like the constellations in the night sky.

Then she swung the staff once more. The immense magic she had woven began to move hastily, responding solely to her intent. It was an exquisite sight, but the power contained within it was far more violent and fierce than anything.

Once more, she twirled. Her mana filled the night sky to such an extent it was hard to distinguish what was truly a star above.

The monstrous creatures roaming the open plains must have sensed something was amiss, as they roared and began thrashing about. Some rushed toward us, but they could barely even scratch the surface before collapsing.

After swinging her staff multiple times, Frecia finally brought it to a stop. Instead, she let it fall gently.

The galaxy, densely woven across the night sky, rained down towards the Demon King’s Castle.

 

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