Chapter 2

2 Report at the Royal Castle “…And so the demon lord is gone.” I was in the king’s private chambers. After defeating the demon lord, I’d reported the good news to King Randolf, the man who’d hired me for the task. “Oh! Ohhh…! You did an excellent job!” A tad over forty, King Randolf was a good-natured man who I’d describe as neither overbearing nor foolish. “I never would’ve guessed that the strongest, and quite possibly most sinister, demon lord in history would be so easily…” “The report may have made it sound easy, but had Almelia and the others not been there, I never would’ve even been able to step foot in the castle.” While I was probably the strongest in the party when it came to one-on-one fights, Almelia the hero and Lina the mage were more powerful against multiple opponents. My ability just didn’t have the kind of firepower necessary for large groups. Serafin the high cleric was an unexpectedly good problem solver, and Elvie the paladin protected everyone, her strong sense of justice often helping us make the right decisions. With everyone’s unique qualities combined, I thought we made a good team. “Even if I was the one who asked it of you, I still find it hard to believe that you defeated the demon lord on your own…” “An assassin’s specialty lies in one-on-one battles. That’s all there is to it.” I couldn’t speak for other assassins, but my elimination techniques didn’t assume taking on multiple enemies. That was how I’d been taught, and that was the sort of combat style to which I’d devoted myself. Heroes, mages, and the other classes would build up their training with the assumption that they’d face all kinds of situations, but that wasn’t the way of the assassin. We’d wait for particular circumstances, or even create them, and aim for the opportunity to make a guaranteed kill. That’s what assassination work was. “Did you use some kind of special skill?” asked the king. “Not particularly,” I replied. All I could use was Unobtrusive. Naturally, I couldn’t call something like that “special.” Actually, it was considered to be one of the washout skills. I could use some magic, but a capability in that regard would’ve amounted to child’s play when facing a demon lord. Apparently, it was generally accepted that direct abilities used for attack, defense, healing, or boosting were the winners. I’d heard that from all over while I was with the party. Sure, if an ordinary person used my skill, it’d be a big flop. All they’d accomplish would be keeping others from noticing them for a fleeting moment. It didn’t truly make you invisible, after all. Supported by my assassination techniques, physical prowess, and battle experience, however, that loser skill of mine took on a different light. Ever since I realized that Unobtrusive held a kind of useful synergy with assassination, I’d been hard at work every day trying to devise new ways to capitalize on that. “I suppose the assassination of the demon lord could be called the culmination of your career.” “It’s not nearly that dramatic. I just…needed to do it in order to live.” “By the gods, you’re a modest man.” “It’s the truth.” “Well, I’ve received personal reports from Almelia and the others. According to them, things weren’t going well before you joined. Their battle capabilities and cooperation seem to have climbed rapidly since you got involved.” “They give me too much credit.” “Nonsense. You slew the demon lord—a feat said to have been impossible. And you did it single-handedly, no less. It wasn’t just Almelia—Elvie, Lina, and Serafin all said the same thing of you. They told me they never would’ve reached the demon lord’s castle without you, Roland.” “It’s give and take… The same could be said for any of them.” “You really won’t admit what a triumph you’ve accomplished, will you? Your victory over the demon lord will make you a living legend.” “Please, that’s quite enough. Such renown is too heavy a burden to bear. It doesn’t suit me. I’d much rather remain in obscurity.” “Well, all right, but you will allow me to prepare a banquet for you. You may spend some time in the castle at your leisure.” “I’ll have to politely decline. In the end, it was the hero Almelia and the others who defeated the demon lord… Isn’t that right?” The world’s light was too blinding for a person of the shadows like me. “That certainly aligns with the request I made of you…” King Randolf’s appeal had been for me to support the party of heroes and assassinate the demon lord. However, he’d also asked that the heroes get credit for the victory. “The hero Almelia Felind is also the Felind Kingdom’s first princess. Her pedigree and talents make her the ideal candidate to be made a legend. As a proud father, surely you agree?” “You forgot to mention that she’s intelligent and beautiful as well, Roland.” He’s right, I thought as I gave a forced smile at King Randolf’s coddling remark. It was true that Almelia was intelligent and beautiful. I’d thought that the reason the king had asked me to kill the demon lord and protect Almelia and the others had been to maintain the Felind Kingdom’s image of strength and political influence over other nations. In actuality, he might’ve simply been concerned about his daughter. “Still, sending home a legendary assassin empty-handed would be a disgrace to the Felind royal family, Roland. Is there nothing you desire? I can give you damsels of beauty beyond compare. If you’d prefer money, name any sum you like. If you wish for a house, I will prepare one posthaste.” “What I desire…” I didn’t have many childhood memories. I’d just been raised by my assassin master in place of parents. Most of my formative years had been spent honing my skills. I didn’t even know my real name. In all honestly, I had no idea what to request. “If you asked me how to kill someone, I’d be able to tell you right away, but I have no idea what I myself desire.” Up until that point, I’d been occupied with killing various people and monsters. “Oh!” King Randolf exclaimed, giving me pause. “I said I’d let you have beautiful damsels, but you can’t have Almelia. Not her. She’s just sixteen. She’s not old enough to become a bride!” Arranging an engagement between a sixteen-year-old princess and the prince of some foreign land didn’t seem all that odd to me, but apparently, the king had no plans to marry off his daughter so easily. Even if he didn’t give her up, though, there were likely to be as many suitors for her hand as there were stars in the sky. “Harrumph.” King Randolf crossed his arms as he grumbled. “How…however, Roland…if you were to say you want Almelia’s hand in marriage…! I, Randolf, would cry tears of my very own blood, but I’d let her—” “No thanks. I don’t need her.” “You don’t?!” Ahhh, good. King Randolf seemed genuinely relieved. He really was a pretty likable king. “However, it’s a bit disappointing in its own way to hear that you don’t want her…” Apparently, this proud father just couldn’t accept that I’d declined the hand of Almelia. Bringing up the princess brought something to mind. Back during some point of our journey, Almelia had said she wanted to try “living a normal life.” We’d wondered about what “normal” actually was, but none of us knew. No one in our party had ever experienced such a thing. The only lifestyles I’d ever known were living deep in the mountains with my master during training and my days working as an assassin. I doubted any of that was normal. “…A normal life.” “Hmm? What about it?” asked the king. “I’d like to try living what you’d call a ‘normal life.’ Instead of living as an assassin, I’d like a plain, mundane life. The kind an average person would lead.” In such a position, I could earn money without having to kill people or monsters. I could be at peace without deceiving anyone. I wouldn’t have to worry about betrayals. “Are you sure that’s all you want? Being surrounded by a crowd of beautiful women and spending your days cavorting with them isn’t a bad life, either.” “Don’t lump me in with the likes of you, King Randolf.” “What are you saying? Begetting children is a legitimate part of my work,” King Randolf replied indignantly, though jokingly so. “Do as you like, I suppose. I believe I understand why normal is relatively difficult to obtain. In addition to allotting you your new, average life, I will provide anything else you may require.” The original reward was that he would fulfill any desires I had. “I imagine you’ll need something to cover living expenses,” the king declared, giving me a sum of about a million rins. “Is that enough?” he asked, seeming uneasy. “It’s plenty, and I’m sure it’ll be a great help. Thank you,” I replied. “What are you saying? I’m the one who should be thanking you.” King Randolf and I exchanged a firm handshake. Scritch-scratch. Scritch-scratch-scritch. A scraping sound could be heard outside, and a black cat entered through a crack in the door. “A cat…? Did a stray wander in…? No, it seems to have a collar,” muttered the king. Meow. The black cat gave a cry. I patted its head and scratched its neck when it came up to my feet. “Roland, if you should find that there’s anything else you need—” I shook my head and cut King Randolf off before he could finish. “This is enough. It’s your job to make the world into a place where my services aren’t required.” The king gave me a strained smile. “That it is. Then let us pray we never meet again. Especially not as enemies.” “That should be fine. I don’t think normal people regularly have audiences with kings.” After saying that, I left the king’s chambers behind me. The black cat followed. Meow, meow, it cried and started to scratch at its collar with its hind leg. “All right, I get it.” The collar was a kind of magical equipment. It was a pretty rare item, but I was glad I’d had it on me. After I touched the collar and routed some magic through it, the cat faintly glowed and transformed into a human shape. “That feline form really doesn’t suit me; I cannot help it.” She brushed away the red hair that had come to rest on her shoulder. Her name was Rileyla Diakitep. Since her actual name was long, she’d told me to call her Rila. “I imagine you’ll get used to that soon enough.” “I couldn’t help but overhear that the legendary man who defeated me, the demon lord, desired a normal life… What a strange man you are.” Rila laughed. “Look who’s talking! You’re the piddling demon lord who couldn’t even put up a fight against that strange man for ten minutes.” In addition to shape-shifting, the collar sapped strength from the wearer in proportion to how much mana they possessed. The specialized item, which could even be called Rila’s worst nightmare, was something I’d brought with me to counter her. Selling it would’ve no doubt earned me enough to build my own castle. Back when the demon lord had “died,” we’d left a fake corpse of Rila’s making in that audience chamber. Once that was done, I’d departed the demon lord’s castle. “I crafted this masterpiece by gathering the essence of my magical arts. Even the upper echelons of my demonic army won’t be able to see through such a ruse. And that’s assuming they’ve survived!” Rila had been fully confident. When it came to the humans, I was the only one who’d ever seen the demon lord up close. After defeating Rila, I’d put a collar on her that she could never take off. In that moment, the being known as the demon lord had died, in a manner of speaking. “You are an unexpectedly charitable man.” “The only reason I let you live was because I didn’t have any other way to use the collar. Even if I sold it, there’s a chance it’d be misused. Plus, I wouldn’t have any use for the money I’d get for it.” Even though I’d left Rila to live as a cat for the rest of her days, she’d followed me anyway. “Regardless of how it may appear, I am grateful you relieved me of the responsibility of being the demon lord.” As Rila spoke in a singsong voice, she entangled her hand in mine. For some unfathomable reason, she’d apparently taken a liking to me. “Really now, you’re an assassin, and you failed to get the job done. Ha-ha-ha-ha.” “Yeah, that’s right. That’s why I’m retiring from assassin work starting today,” I replied. “So where are you off to now?” Rila looked gleeful as she latched onto my elbow. Since that made it hard to walk, I tried brushing her off, but her arms were like a vise, and she refused to let go. Despite having lost her mana, it seemed she still had the strength of a normal woman. “That’s obvious. I’m heading to a place that’s neither urban nor rural—I’m going to a normal town.” “Oh, that normal rubbish again… The prospect scarcely sounds thrilling to me at all…” “I’m not doing this for you.” Rila flashed me a pout as we disappeared into the royal capital’s crowds.