"W-wait a second!" Shinobu tried to stop Hiiro from leaving.
"What?" Hiiro replied coldly. But, Shinobu still bravely asked even though there was an Evila in front of her. The fact that he didn't get rid of her was proof that she should be alright for a time being.
"You're really Okamura, Okamura Hiiro, aren't you?"
As Hiiro was currently taking the form of an Oni, her confusion was not unreasonable. However, from what Shinobu could tell, his voice, physique, and even his attitude clearly belonged to Okamura Hiiro himself.
"If it's me, then what?"
"I'm sorry." Shinobu lowered her head to apologize. She carried on. "I know that you have no obligation to listen to my request! But besides you, I don't have anyone else I can rely on!"
"What do you want?"
Shinobu thought for a moment. The little girl who brought them knew that Hiiro knew both of them. Thus, she decided to gamble and let Shuri, who was wounded, could rest.
They knew the little girl called Hiiro, a teacher when they participated in a war. At that time, they met the little girl when the war happened.
Different from the original story, Hiiro was already prepared for the war. And since he knew Nikki was already strong enough, it was also a chance for Nikki to gain experience.
Then, Nikki excitedly rushed to the front line to take down so many of Gabranth soldiers. Shinobu and Shuri witnessed how strong she was. All of the heroes were frozen still by the amount of bloodlust overflowing on the battlefield.
King Rudolph told them that they only need to suppress them. But, what they witnessed was brutal slaughters between the two sides. They couldn't do anything since they didn't prepare beforehand. The pretty suppression they'd been thinking wasn't pretty as they thought. Instead, it was replaced with one word, War.
The war was quite brutal before Hiiro came to take down the elite ones. But, he didn't take care of everything and instead teleported somewhere.
The war couldn't be stopped and some stronger ones appeared one after another after Hiiro left. Since Nikki couldn't do anything to the stronger ones, Liliyn and Silvan took a step forward and sent Nikki back. It was at that time Ornoth joined the front line as well.
Since a higher-level battle was started, the heroes who were frozen on the spot were caught in the middle of the battle. As a result, they were thrown away and separated into two groups.
Shinobu and Shuri were lucky enough to meet Nikki. However, two of them didn't know what happened to the other heroes.
Thinking about that made Shinobu shudder. She looked at Izumi. Although she didn't know who he was, the fact that Izumi's appearance was similar to Hiiro's, she concluded that they knew each other pretty well.
After taking a deep breath, she started to speak.
"We can't carelessly leave here since we are participating in a war. And Shuri-chan is still yet to recover. I—"
"Please shelter us for a while…is basically what you're getting at, isn't it?"
Shinobu shuddered when she heard Hiiro's cold tone. But, she mustered her courage to ask.
"Can you… do it?"
Hiiro stared at her eyes for a while, then let out a sigh. He was truly amazed by her as if she didn't consider her current situation at all.
"Look here, you guys are the enemy that came to attack this country, don't you know? In addition, although it's due to a request, I'm currently placed in a position where I have to protect this country. You really have the gall to be able to ask such a thing." He stopped for a moment while looking at Shinobu. He carried on. "You guys are heroes, aren't you? You are the saviors summoned by the Humas race in order to destroy the Evila race thoroughly. Yet, you guys are asking "since we can't fight anymore, can we please live here until our wounds heal?". You really have quite some nerve."
Shinobu bit her lip since she couldn't say anything in the face of Hiiro's bitter words.
Hiiro didn't stop.
"In the first place, didn't you guys think something was strange? For example, the reason why a group of carefree, game brains like you was sent to the battlefield. No right? You are made into pawns because you are too stupid!"
"S-such a thing can't be true!"
At that moment, Izumi sneered.
"Heh, are you sure? Two of us already met that stupid king and confirmed directly."
"Two of you?"
Izumi nodded in confirmation.
"I participated in the conference as a new member of the Cruel Brigade. And Otamegane teleported there just in time for that stupid king to show his true nature. Well, if you don't believe me, you can ask the princess who is currently in Judom's care."
"…it…it can't be…"
Then, it was Hiiro's turn to say.
"In the first place, how were you guys able to put your trust in such a king? A king that sacrificed his own daughters for revenge can't possibly be a good king."
Shinobu didn't know what to say. It was as if reality was trying to topple her mentality.
"You see, the king lied when he said the key to return to earth is in the demon lord's grasp. And you believe in such an obvious lie. That's why you're so stupid. Why would the demon lord know of it? Suppose that they did know it, why would the Humas who know summoning magic not know it?"
After that, Hiiro used his magic to teleport. His figure disappeared, but then reappeared with several books in his hands.
He threw those books out to her. Shinobu tried to catch the books nervously, but only caught two of them.
"What are these?" Shinobu asked timidly.
"Books. Can't you tell?" Hiiro replied shortly.
Shinobu twitched her cheek.
"I know these are books, but what for?" Shinobu wanted to say that but didn't dare to do so.
Seeing her expression, Izumi was the one to reply.
"Those are the books that tell about the summoned heroes. Basically, what he wanted to say was, in these books, no summoned heroes can go back to their world. Instead, they strangely sacrificed themselves in order to purify the land and whatnot. Until now, none of the news said that there was a descendant of the hero in this world. That means they died when they were young. Do you understand what that means?"
Shinobu received an incredible shock, she did not blink as she was rendered petrified. Following this, her face gradually grew pale.
"B-but, that was just a story."
"Yes, it's just a story. But it's a story based on real life. The fact that heroes couldn't go back to their world and how they sacrificed themselves didn't change at all. It's a good thing if it's just fictional. But, the worst case scenario is when that story is real, what will happen to you? Do you want to sacrifice your life? Well, from these stories alone, I bet you didn't know if you guys were gonna sacrifice yourselves." Izumi held his chin and started to ponder.
Hiiro furrowed his forehead and his thoughts tingled as he wanted to ask him.
"What do you mean by that? Brainwashing?" Hiiro decided to ask.
"No. Think about it! Deep in their heart, humanity tends to believe that they are a superior race. Because the Humas race was the same as the heroes from another world in terms of appearance, they blindly believed that Evila was a wicked race. That's why they are easy to use. For example, these heroes over here believed that the demon lord held the key to letting them return to earth. If hypothetically they were able to defeat the demon lord, they would definitely bring the demon lord to the Holy Oldine temple so they could return to earth. However, instead of getting their ticket back to earth, they were trapped in a formation that was used to prevent them from escaping the sacrificial ritual." Izumi explained the possibility that happened to the heroes.
After hearing Izumi's explanation, Hiiro also considered that ritual might be the reason why every hero summoned to Edea couldn't go back to earth and was sacrificed in that temple.
"This is the biggest possibility." Hiiro murmured. Then, his gaze shifted to Shinobu.
"Anyway, it was the fact that you useless bunch incapable of killing people still naively thought that the Evila would easily surrender even if they were outnumbered. That stupid king was most likely aware, that's why he turned you into disposable pawns in this war. On the premise that you guys would die in the war, that stupid king would use that to fuel the people's anger and spark a further war. Something along those lines."
"Y-you're lying. There's no way such a thing would happen."
"It's up to you whether you admit it or not. Anyone would try to hide their mistakes anyway. The script is like this… The heroes fought with all their might. However, the Evila used cowardly methods to deceive and kill them. Such a thing shouldn't be allowed. Then, to dispel the regrets of those deceased heroes, the stupid king fanned their people to take revenge for the heroes… In other words, he will orchestrate your death as a detonator."
As if she were expressing disbelief, Shinobu held both hands to her cheeks and made an expression filled with despair.
"No way… if that's the case, what should we do? We can't go back to Victorias if it's like this…"
"That's none of my business. From the start, they were too suspicious. I was amazed that you guys didn't even notice. That's why I left."
"Wouldn't it be great if you told us at that time?"
"Don't be so fucking naive!"
Hiiro coldly replied.
"Don't be so fucking naive!"
Hiiro assaulted Shinobu with his gaze infused with killing intent. Shinobu was overwhelmed. She felt this kind of intent before, which was when she was on the battlefield not long ago.
Hiiro was kinda pissed off now. He spat out whatever was in his mind.
"It was something that anyone would understand if they thought about it a little. But, you guys were in high spirits, right? This is a game-like world and you're heroes. There's nothing to be afraid of… or something to that effect." He stopped for a moment to take a breath. Then, kept on, "In the first place, you guys didn't notice anything strange as you enthusiastically thought that things would somehow work out. Without properly looking at any of the uncertainties, you followed the words of a stranger as you lived your daily life. This is the consequence you received due to living in such a dangerous world without carefully thinking of your surroundings."
Shinobu lowered her head, afraid to meet Hiiro's gaze.
Hiiro carried on.
"This world is not as accommodating as games on earth. In this world, you only have zero points in life. Which means, dying equals game over. Although you may be a hero, this world is not that beautiful enough to let you become a savior without doing anything. The current situation is the result of your naivety. When that stupid king spoke of return is back with magic, I was certain that you two, unlike the other stupid duo, held slight doubt in your expressions. However, it appeared that I was simply mistaken."
Shinobu hung her head, wearing a downcast expression that indicated it was hard for her to speak, she was utterly convinced.
"Even if the slightest doubt floated into your mind, if you discussed it with the other two, then you would have been able to hold doubt toward the stupid king's actions. The two of you who didn't do so have brought about this result due to your naive situational decision-making. Your foolishness is so deep that it's so astonishing. I can't believe your delusions "It will work out somehow. We have four friends on our side. As long as we look out for each other, we'll someday return to our original world," can disregard your safety and your lives just because all of you got the title of heroes."
Shinobu said nothing in response to Hiiro's words because she understood that what Hiiro said was right. Certainly, if she had voiced her doubts at that time, she might have been able to create an opportunity for the four of them to have a discussion.
However, they were elated by the bright future before them, forgetting any of the small discrepancies that may have appeared. And that little mistake made their fate worse after being ignored.
The silence followed after. The atmosphere was quite grim. Even Liliyn who was outside listening to the conversation didn't dare to let out any sound.
"It seems like we were terribly mistaken, are we? But, what can we do? We've already made a mistake and we can't go back to the way it was before."
In the midst of that atmosphere, Shuri, who was supposed to be asleep, raised her voice.
"S-Shuri-chan… you…"
Shinobu involuntarily rushed toward the bed and stared at her face. Shinobu was relieved to see that she was alright.
Since the grim atmosphere already died down, Izumi decided to leave everything in Hiiro's care.
"Otamegane, it seemed like it wouldn't end soon. So you should take care of them for a time being since I don't have a maid in this mansion."
Hiiro furrowed his forehead.
"Hey, why should I bother to do that? This is your mansion, so you should be the one taking good care of guests." He said while pointing down with his finger. However, Izumi sneered in response.
"I will consider if you're stronger than me."
"You—"
"What is it?"
"Tsk, so annoying."
"You should look into the mirror before saying that!"
Seeing Izumi and Hiiro's conversation, Shinobu and Shuri were astonished. They already saw how strong Hiiro was. But to think that there was someone who was domineering enough to subdue Hiiro.
"Mark your words! You will pay this soon enough." Hiiro declared firmly. But, he got a chuckle as a response.
"Pffftt."
"What's so funny?"
"Let me tell you a thing. Some of my abilities are sealed. Maybe two, ummm, a month. If you can't get stronger than me within a month, forget about your wishful thinking to defeat me."
"What??? Are you kidding me?"
"Well, just guess if I'm lying or not! So, do your best! But, first of all, come with me for a bit!"
Izumi grabbed Hiiro's collar to forcibly drag him out.
Then, he ordered Hiiro to change back his appearance
— — — —
Izumi slowly walked toward Kyouko's room. He was slightly nervous just because of what happened to her. Remembering what Hiiro spat out previously, Izumi let out a bitter smile.
What Hiiro said stabbed him deeply because he also ignored the possibility of the 6th person who was summoned to this world.
Izumi knocked on the door and entered a moment later.
He saw Kyouko who sat down on the bed while hugging her knees. Somehow, she looked dispirited and even ignored Izumi who walked toward the bed.
"Kyouko!"
It was only after Izumi called out to Kyouko, she came to her senses afterward.
Izumi saw Kyouko's terrified expression just after looking at him. But then, her expression turned normal.
Izumi didn't feel good about that. Although his expression didn't change, he was hurt inside. There must be something that Kyouko hid from him but didn't dare to say.
Izumi immediately hugged her to calm her down.
"Kyouko, are you alright? You can rest assured that no one will hurt you here."
Izumi could feel that Kyouko was trembling in fear.
"I'm sorry. I should have been looking for you from the very start. I'm sorry that I came too late."
Kyouko shook her head.
"Do you want something? You haven't eaten yet, you must be hungry, right? What do you want to eat? I'll cook it for you."
Kyouko didn't immediately reply. But then, he heard Kyouko in a low voice.
"I want to go home."
"I see. So she misses home huh? Can't be helped, it's been half a year since she was summoned. It's no wonder she wants to go home. Moreover, she is worried about her family because she disappeared for no reason." Izumi said inwardly. Then, he said.
"Alright, I'll send you back home."
"B-but, I don't know how to explain…"
"You don't need to worry! I'll go back home after you. After that, I'll help you to explain."
Izumi immediately took out the transmigration card. Before he activated the card, he wanted to kiss her. But somehow, Kyouko turned away. Izumi was stunned at first. But, he didn't mind at all. He thought the timing wasn't right. Thus, he immediately activated the card to send her home.
— — — —
The next day.
Izumi, along with Hiiro and his companions, got an invitation from Eveam. It seemed Eveam had prepared a banquet to celebrate their success in overcoming the surprise attack from the Gabranth race. However, her real intention was simply to calm down while meeting Hiiro face to face.
The reason was, she felt incompetent to lead her country. Aquinas and Izumi didn't tell her what's the real plan to counter Avoros' sly movements. Both of them even hid the fact that Iraora and Kiria were the real enemies. She was so angry. But, she was also aware that even if Aquinas or Izumi told her they were traitors, she wouldn't believe them.
That was why she felt so incompetent as a demon lord.
In the end, to relieve her stress, she decided to prepare a banquet as a reason to meet Hiiro.
Arriving at the castle, they were greeted by Grayald. Grayald had seen Hiiro, Liliyn, and Silvan before. As for Hiiro, Grayald only thought that he was from the same tribe as Izumi. But he didn't know Liliyn's identity as well as the two people behind her who seemed to be Liliyn's servants.
To his surprise, he saw two Humas behind them. He knew who they were. When he tried to ask, Izumi told him first.
"I think you're aware of who they are. But, fret not! They can't do anything while I'm around."
His words were filled with arrogance. But, Grayald understood pretty well how strong Izumi was.
"In that case, I can rest easy."
Then, Grayald led them inside.
Upon arriving at the hall, Izumi and the others were greeted with a neat table setting and food lined up. Prismatically arranged stacks of glasses also add to the luxury of the banquet.
"Welcome everyone!" Eveam greeted Izumi and the others with a smile. Even though Izumi knew, she tried to hide her depressed feelings in her heart.
Her childhood friend's betrayal was unexpected. She didn't want to believe that Kiria was just a weapon planned by Avoros to kill her. She wanted to wake up from her nightmare, and after she woke up, Kiria was beside her once again. However, the reality was simply too cruel. It was as if reality told her to stop her delusions by slapping her with a friend's betrayal.
Still, her mood was getting better after seeing Hiiro willing to come to the castle.
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