The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 95



Ennen (3)

To be honest, I had entertained a slight glimmer of hope.

What if the information about ‘the Moon’ hadn’t been discovered yet? That was a naive thought.

But seeing her reaction, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Cold sweat trickled down my back. Various questions arose in my mind.

When did she start to notice? Could it be that she knew from the very beginning?

‘…No, that’s not it.’

This was the second time I was meeting her.

Even during our first encounter, I had already entered that mysterious hole once, but she hadn’t said anything in particular.

So it’s highly likely she didn’t know back then.

Then when? When did she find out?

‘…No, wait a moment.’

In the midst of this, I suddenly noticed a certain discomfort.

Compared to my investigation of the moon, Enen’s reaction was too subdued.

Given that I mentioned the moon, I thought she would at least bring up the fact that I had picked up that cheat-like stone.

Strangely enough, there was no sign of that.

Usually, if that stone were to be discovered, it would be such a sensitive topic that they would delete the character immediately.

Because of that, I was able to make a somewhat bold inference.

‘Could it be… that she doesn’t know?’

She knows about my investigation into the moon.

Up to this point, that makes sense. I had been searching through books for a long time and even asked the saintess about it.

However, she didn’t know that I had picked up the stone related to the goddess of the moon.

To confirm my inference a bit more, I decided to test her slightly.

Feigning as calm as possible, I casually let out a line.

“Haha, I’m sorry about this. I was just looking through some books and got curious, so I asked Yulis. It seems to be quite a sensitive topic, huh?”

“I won’t say anything against such curiosity. But I do hope you keep it to mere curiosity. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to issue a stronger warning.”

Hearing her response, I thought to myself.

‘As expected.’

Her reaction was too subdued. In the game, finding that stone would have caused quite a ruckus.

I at least expected her to try to take the stone away from me, but there was none of that.

I awkwardly smiled while continuing my deductions in my head.

‘It’s clear that Enen has some means of seeing me.’

After all, she is a goddess who oversees the world. She must have plenty of eyes to observe her own world.

Especially for someone like me, the hero, it wouldn’t be strange for her to have something to observe me closely.

‘But that means of observation must be somewhat limited.’

You can’t always be watching me, or perhaps there’s something that’s getting in the way.

As I reached that thought, something suddenly came to mind.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Whenever I entered the exile of the moon, the status window would always malfunction.

As if it were saying that it wouldn’t allow it here. Not only that, but the curse would also disappear.

So, if that exile is a space that blocks her gaze, including the curse and the status window?

And what if she doesn’t know that?

‘…It’s plausible.’

Of course, it was merely a hypothesis, so it wasn’t accurate. But it seemed worth checking.

So, if I find it next time, I’ll go in once more.

If I get caught, something quite frightening might happen, but if I remain unaware then… it might just serve as a decent refuge.

With that, the conversation began to wind down. As I tidied up the wine bottle and glasses, I prepared to leave.

“Oh, speaking of which.”

Then I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten. Upon reflection, there was an important matter left.

I asked her directly.

“Who will the next Four Heavenly Kings be?”

I needed to know who they were to devise the next plan.

To be honest, I was confident.

Hadn’t I worked hard to build up my strength?

I had two powers of the Four Heavenly Kings, and even without them, I was certainly among the strong.

‘Perhaps, capturing the next Four Heavenly King won’t be that difficult…?’ I even entertained such a complacent thought.

Anyway, I asked with that mindset, but Ennen showed a strange reaction.

Her face, which had been gently smiling the whole time, shifted to a faint grimace, as if she were imagining a bad memory.

But that was only for a moment; soon, her expression returned to normal as she slowly opened her mouth.

“The next Four Heavenly King is──.”

*

Bali McGuff.

The Supreme Commander of the Demon Realm’s Allied Forces, known as the Swordmaster of the Empire.

A figure already inscribed in history while still alive.

—

I hope this captures the essence and atmosphere of the original text!

He marched through the surface of the demon realm and thought.

When did he come to despise the demon race?

The answer was painfully clear.

Since childhood. From a time long past, now a distant memory, he had learned to hate the demons.

The reason for this was equally simple and straightforward.

The 20th hero… that is, when the previous hero died, the demon king’s army invaded the human realm.

It was because of that invasion that his parents were killed.

The cause of death was battle (killed in action). It was the most glorious death for a warrior, but for the young boy he had been back then, it was a difficult fact to accept.

The reason he became the supreme commander of the anti-demon army was not particularly for humanity.

Rather, it was because he continued to fight to vent his anger towards the demons that he became the supreme commander.

Becoming the strongest was not solely due to overwhelming talent, as people might think.

It was true that being born into a prestigious martial family played a part. Even though his parents had died, they had clearly fostered his growth. He would not deny that his talent was exceptional.

If he had lacked talent, he would not have survived until now.

However, reaching this level was possible only because he had tempered himself endlessly with hatred.

The path he had walked was not particularly bright, and instead, the ground beneath his feet was soaked with the blood of his subordinates and demons.

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It had not been a particularly happy life.

Still, MacGuff did not regret it.

At least he had made an effort. He, who had engaged in endless battles under the pretext of slaughtering the demon king’s army, was akin to a well-worn, discarded sword.

But because of that…

“I hated the hero.”

That person, who had received immense power simply because he was chosen by the goddess without any commendable effort.

To see him rampaging here and there as if that was his own strength only struck MacGuff as pathetic.

Of course, the curse of Luke played a part in this, but that did not mean his hatred would disappear.

Yet there was someone he hated even more than Luke, and more than the demons…

“Finally arrived.”

In a clearing of the demon realm.

MacGuff, having arrived there with his forces, muttered this.

In the center of the clearing, a single guest who had already arrived was waiting.

Wielding an extremely thin sword, he swung it endlessly in the air.

Swish! Swish!

The sharp sound of the wind echoed quietly in the open space.

MacGuffin opened his mouth as he looked at the guest.

“I have been waiting for the day I would meet you.”

At that moment, MacGuffin’s heart was pounding with tension and excitement.

Ultimately, he was the one who provided the culprit that killed his parents. The criminal who broke the barrier between the human realm and the demon realm.

And the first of the previous generation’s Four Heavenly Kings. The Slayer of Heroes.

“I have already gathered enough information to capture you. I know you come here to wield your sword whenever you have the time. And that this place is particularly weak against magic.”

The place MacGuffin had arrived at was the Void Demon Land.

The surface of the demon realm. The place where the human realm and the demon realm meet. Thus, it is where the two types of mana collide and extinguish each other. As the mana itself is sparse, it weakens both demons and humans equally.

“I don’t know why you come here, but that habit will send you to hell. I have mobilized all the forces I can summon to capture you.”

As MacGuffin said, there were numerous troops behind him.

102 knights, 560 soldiers, and 53 mages.

It may seem like a small number for a commander’s forces, but for a hastily assembled group, it was quite substantial.

Above all, there were as many as 102 knights. Warriors he had personally trained and nurtured, who had fought alongside him in countless battlefields.

The combat power of each one far exceeded that of an ordinary knight.

MacGuffin gave the order to encircle the guest who had come to the Void Demon Land.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Well-trained troops formed ranks to surround the guest.

All kinds of murderous intent enveloped the guest.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh…

Only then did the sound of the guest’s sword, which had been ringing out continuously, come to a halt.

Then he looked at MacGuffin and spoke.

“… Did you say you don’t know why I’m here?”

The guest was a handsome man.

With long, light blue hair reminiscent of the clear sky, a completely emotionless white face, and a well-balanced, solid physique.

Unlike those in the demon realm, his appearance did not resemble that of a demon at all.

And that was only natural. He was not a demon.

“The reason is simple. You already said it. It is because the mana here is the most barren.”

He adjusted his stance again and pointed his sword forward.

“You can feel that whatever action you take, the mana responds slowly. Whether it’s casting magic, unleashing sword energy, or even circulating mana within your body. You are constrained.”

I raise my sword.

“But that’s precisely why this is the perfect place to train with a sword.”

And once again, the sword swung downward.

Swish!

Once more, a small sound of wind echoed all around.

A strike, honed and tempered countless times, infinitely sharp.

It was a perfect stance that inspired awe just to behold.

MacGuff grimaced at the sight. He drew his great sword, channeling all his strength into his body.

“… This training will be the last for today. Warriors! Slay him!!!”

At last, the command was given, and hundreds of soldiers charged toward the man who stood as the guest.

“…”

The man silently raised his sword.

*

──Several hours later.

“Cough… cough, hack!!”

Blood was everywhere. Scattered around were severed weapons and armor.

Even the countless soldiers who had fought alongside him were now mere chunks of flesh, ready to return to the earth.

The massive great sword that MacGuff cherished so much was now broken in two, embedded in the ground.

MacGuff pressed against his gaping chest and thought.

‘What happened?’

He had certainly prepared to the best of his ability. He had diligently researched information about the enemy.

His forces were undoubtedly superior, and he believed he had secured the intelligence.

Yet, he did not think it would be easy; he remained vigilant, taking every precaution.

No matter how strong he was as the empire’s mightiest, the opponent was formidable.

And yet…

‘Is there really this much of a difference?’

MacGuff looked at his opponent.

Just a bit of sweat and breathlessness.

The man with the light blue hair appeared unscathed, his calm expression completely intact.

He had anticipated it would be tough. He had expected his opponent to be incredibly swift.

But in the middle of it, that was…

‘In the blink of an eye, dozens died.’

His own heart was pierced at that moment as well.

In the literal blink of an eye, dozens of warriors fighting alongside him were cleaved in two. That someone with his level of dynamic vision couldn’t even perceive it.

This wasn’t a matter of discussing the heights and depths of skill.

It was absurd.

It was, quite literally, a physically impossible strike.

As MacGuff pondered this, his opponent caught his breath and trudged toward him.

MacGuff, spitting blood, glared at the creature.

“…You monstrous thing.”

“Don’t worry. You were a worthy adversary. It’s just that the opponent was unfavorable.”

“If it weren’t for you, if it weren’t for you… my mom and dad wouldn’t have died.”

“…So you were from that era. I’m sorry, but it was an indispensable calamity.”

“Why… why on earth…”

MacGuff continued, his words faltering as blood kept rising.

Perhaps it was due to the emotions mixed with rage. Still, he pressed on.

“Why did you betray humanity…?”

“…”

The man with the azure hair remained silent. He merely frowned slightly.

Instead of answering, he raised his thin blade high into the sky.

And then he brought it down.

Swoosh!

MacGuff’s head soared into the air.

The Supreme Commander of the Demon Realm’s Resistance and the Empire’s strongest met such a futile end.

“…”

After finishing the battle, the man silently swung his sword toward the sky.

Swish!

The precise strike sliced through the air. To the man’s eyes, the strike pointed toward the sun.

Of course, bringing down the sword wouldn’t sever the sun.

“…Still.”

As the man watched the strike cleave through the air, he murmured quietly.

“Still, my sword does not reach the heavens…”

The man’s name was Evan. The eternal Evan Clockwalker.

The fallen hero who had slain the previous champion.

One who had forsaken the most glorious position and betrayed the goddess.

The next of the Four Heavenly Kings that Luke would face.