The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
Three more days passed after I woke up.
During that time, everyone fussed over me endlessly…
And on top of that, I received a massive lecture—just like I did back when Kanade and Tania were involved…
I reflected on it.
Even if it was to defeat Altera, I really did push myself too far.
I won’t do anything that reckless again… probably…
…Yeah, I can’t promise that.
Well, let’s just keep that a secret.
Anyway, three days passed, and I finally recovered enough to move around freely.
Apparently, I had pushed both my stamina and magical power beyond their limits. That left me bedridden for three days, and then it took another three days of rest to make a full recovery.
The very first thing I did once I could move again was…
Take a bath.
I infiltrated the western continent…
Fought Altera…
Then spent three days unconscious and another three days resting…
I had gotten pretty filthy.
They had wiped my body down, but I might still smell.
“If you say, ‘Rain, you stink, nya…’”
—I’m confident I’d take a massive emotional hit.
So I took a bath and felt completely refreshed.
After that, I ate until my hunger was satisfied, changed into brand-new clothes, and felt clean both physically and mentally.
Once I had my appearance in order, I went to Yuki’s room.
More accurately, I had been summoned.
“Come in.”
When I knocked, I heard Yuki’s voice from inside.
I opened the door and stepped in—
“Huh?”
“It’s been a while, Rain Shroud.”
Not only Yuki was there—the king was too.
Caught off guard by the unexpected development, my eyes widened…
But I couldn’t just stand there frozen in front of the king.
I hurriedly dropped to one knee and bowed my head.
“That will do. Raise your head.”
“But—”
“This is not a public setting. Besides, if word got out that I made a hero do such a thing, the people would harbor great resentment.”
“A hero?”
“That blank look is so like you, Rain.”
Yuki chuckled softly.
“You rescued the captured citizens and even defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings. If that’s not a hero, what is?”
“Uh…”
Saving the prisoners aside, defeating Altera was mostly a matter of circumstance.
And it wasn’t something I accomplished alone.
It was everyone’s strength, Yuki’s strength… and Gray’s strength.
“Well… we can set aside the ‘hero’ talk for now.”
Perhaps he sensed my thoughts—the king shifted the conversation.
“I have already received a report from Yuki regarding this incident… thank you.”
“Huh?”
The king stood up—and bowed his head.
“P-Please raise your head!”
“No, I cannot. You not only supported Yuki, but also saved the lives of many citizens. And by defeating one of the Four Heavenly Kings, you avenged their grievances. After all you’ve done, offering my thanks properly is only right.”
“Ugh…”
Unexpected, to say the least.
Unlike Yuki, the king was quite stubborn.
There were similarities between them, and also clear differences.
A strange parent and child.
“As for concrete rewards, I would like to consider those at a later date.”
A standard amount would be fine, but…
I had a bad feeling that all sorts of extras might be added, which was scary in its own way.
“Today, there’s something I wanted to discuss with just the three of us. That’s why I asked you to come, Rain. Sorry to call you when you’ve only just recovered.”
“No, don’t worry about it. I can move around just fine now, so it’s no problem.”
“I see—thank you.”
As Yuki and I exchanged a few casual words, the king watched us with a gentle smile.
It looked less like a king’s expression and more like that of a parent.
Was he happy that Yuki had made a friend?
But that expression quickly turned serious.
“Now then… let us get to the main topic.”
With those words, the atmosphere in the room tightened sharply.
“I have received a detailed report from Yuki regarding this matter, but… I would like to reconfirm something. What impression did you form of the demon race?”
“That would be…”
“I want to hear your honest opinion.”
“Well… let me think.”
As I recalled what had happened on the western continent, I carefully chose my words.
“…They didn’t seem all that different from us humans.”
“Hm.”
“I thought demons loved destruction and chaos, and were the natural enemies of all living beings… but after actually interacting with them, that wasn’t the case.”
“You were able to communicate with them normally?”
“Yes.”
They laugh when something makes them happy.
They cry when something makes them sad.
No different from humans at all.
“Altera was completely unreasonable and committed acts that could only be called vile… but there are humans like that too. When I think about it that way, I feel there isn’t really much difference.”
“I see… so you share the same opinion as Yuki.”
“Yuki does too?”
“Yeah. Rain and I think the same way. I can never forgive Altera, but with someone like Cassion, I felt like we might be able to become friends if things went well… I don’t think all demons are exactly what we imagined them to be.”
“Yeah, I agree with that.”
Now I understood why the king had cleared the room.
This wasn’t something others could be allowed to hear.
It overturned long-held beliefs—
Handled poorly, it could shock the populace and cause widespread confusion.
“That’s not the only problem. There are hardliners, moderates… and neutral factions. Even among the demon race, there are factions, and they are in conflict with one another.”
“Depending on which faction wins, the future course of the war will change dramatically.”
If the hardliners prevail, the conflict between humans and demons will grow even more brutal.
But if the moderates win, perhaps a ceasefire…
Or if one dares to dream, even peace might be possible.
“Still, there is too much uncertain information. We cannot draw firm conclusions yet.”
“If possible, peace would be the best outcome.”
“Yuki, that is a naïve way of thinking. Even if peace were achieved, there would inevitably be those who oppose it. Many humans harbor resentment toward demons, and many demons surely harbor resentment toward humans as well.”
“You’re right…”
“Even so, I have no intention of giving up before trying. After hearing both of you again, I realized we must better understand the demon race. Exploring even the slightest possibility may well be my duty.”
How humans would face the demon race from here on out—
That, I didn’t know.
But still…
I couldn’t help but pray that a better path would emerge.
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