Episode 36: At That Time, They… [Side: Hero Party]
*Third-person perspective
While Loin and the others were looking up at the sky, confirming the appearance of the Demon Lord Army Executive Delormeria—
At that very same time, there were others gazing upon it.
Yes, it was that Hero Party, defeated by Loin and forced to flee to the neighboring town.
Hero Alester Lyos saw this as an opportunity to restore his honor.
“Haha… So the Demon Lord Army has finally shown itself. It’s finally time for me, the Hero, to take the stage.”
The title of Hero he held was precisely for moments like this.
“Yeah, let’s show that guy Loin what we’re made of.”
Geord Lark—the large man ranked 3rd—agreed with him.
He, too, found Loin to be an annoyance.
The female members of the party, Momoka and Elena, felt the same way.
“Yes, we’ll reclaim our honor!”
“We can’t just keep getting beaten!”
For them, who had always reigned at the top of the rankings, Loin’s existence was a significant threat.
With their high pride, they took that defeat very seriously.
“If this keeps up, we might lose our number one spot in the rankings… If we defeat the Demon Lord Army Executive here and return to town, we can make a comeback.”
Right now, every guild was buzzing with quests to subjugate the Demon Lord Army Executive.
The town they had fled from was no different; it was all the adventurers talked about.
Who on earth would repel that terrifying demon…?
Of course, expectant eyes also turned towards Alester and his party.
“First, what’s the plan? That Delormeria person said something about setting up a base on Dragon’s Peak, but…”
The cautious Geord asked Alester.
However, Alester didn’t have the luxury for such things.
“There’s no plan. We go to Dragon’s Peak and defeat her. That’s it. If we dilly-dally, that Loin guy might just pull the rug out from under us again…”
“That’s right. There are plenty of other parties aiming for the glory. It seems best if we depart as soon as possible.”
Momoka seemed to agree.
The Hero Party was overconfident in their own abilities.
This was only natural.
They had remained at the top of the rankings for many years in the town where the most adventurers gathered.
It was merely that Loin and the visitors from the Demon Realm were exceptional; they themselves had always been top adventurers.
If they were to lose, it would only be if the opponent was overwhelmingly strong.
“Alright, then let’s head out to Dragon’s Peak!”
◇
On their way to Dragon’s Peak, they received a request from a certain town.
That town was the closest one to Dragon’s Peak.
According to the man, many monsters had swarmed the town, and it was in a state of near annihilation.
It seemed that various monsters were emerging one after another from Dragon’s Peak.
This was undoubtedly the work of that Demon Lord Army Executive.
“I see. So the enemy has established a base and is attacking from there, reinforcing their numbers…?”
Alester said this pompously, crossing his arms.
“P-Please, Hero Party-sama! We’ll do anything! We beg you to stop by our town before heading to Dragon’s Peak!”
The man grabbed Alester’s shoulder, pleading.
However, heading to the town from here would require a detour.
Alester and his party had chosen a route that went straight to Dragon’s Peak, ignoring the town.
“Ah, I understand! I swear on my name as the Hero, I will surely reclaim the town from the monsters!”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The man bowed his head repeatedly, expressing his gratitude.
After the man left, Geord said to Alester.
“Hey, hey, are you seriously planning to take such a detour?”
“…Hah! Of course I just said that to get rid of him! I need to defeat that Demon Lord Army Executive as quickly as possible. We can leave the other small-fry monsters to some other weaklings.”
“That’s what I thought!”
“I’m not that stupid, you know? I absolutely refuse to have my glory stolen! The one who acts faster than anyone else is the one who laughs last.”
Unbelievably, the words Alester had sworn to the man were a lie.
They had chosen to prioritize their own achievements over the feelings and lives of the townspeople.
How this would resonate later—
That, no one yet knew.