For the first time in a year, Rakana’s mountains were covered in red leaves.
“Oh, Lamprogue and his party are back!”
“Our savior! Another big haul?”
“Leave some for the rest of us!”
“Ah, Seika! If you’re here to sell, please come to this open area.”
All sorts of voices called out to me when I returned from the dungeon and entered the guild. With an awkward smile, I waved my hand and replied to them.
It had been several months since we’d left demon territory. Back in Rakana, we were keeping ourselves busy. It was now autumn, over a year since the stampede, and the dungeons around Rakana had mostly returned to normal.
After stepping down from my position as Demon Lord, I had returned to life as an adventurer. I delved into dungeons with Amyu and the others, sold the materials we gathered, and lived like any other adventurer would. Things had essentially returned to how they had been six months ago. However, the weight on my shoulders felt lighter now.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You sure are popular, Seika,” Yifa said, settling into her seat at the guild tavern we were now regulars at. After we finished selling off our materials, we decided to drop by for a quick bite to eat. It was still a bit early for dinner, but after so much time in the dungeon, we were starving. “People talk to you anywhere you go.”
“I wonder if it’s because we’ve been gone for a while,” Amyu replied, resting her chin on her hands. “Adventurers can’t resist making a scene over people who only show up every once in a while.”
“What am I, a rare animal sighting? Though I guess I did disappear without warning,” I mumbled.
We didn’t tell anyone when we left Rakana for Keltz back in the spring. We planned on returning immediately after completing the request, so we didn’t think it was necessary. Then we ended up meeting Lulum and Nozlow in Keltz, and after some trouble, we traveled all the way to demon territory. While there, I met the rulers of all the demon races and dealt with the volcano, and before I knew it, we had been away from Rakana for several months.
As a result, our acquaintances were surprised to see us when we finally returned. Cyrus, the leader of Rakana, had apparently been quite concerned, since Fiona had asked him to look after us. I felt a little guilty when I found that out.
“Say what you will, but you’re the one who’s settled in here the most,” Amyu said with a weary smile. “Even though you were calling it savage and uncivilized at first.”
“I didn’t say that. At least, not out loud.”
“But you thought it.”
Still, now that she mentions it, maybe I have settled in here.
“I think I get why people always wanna talk to Seika,” Mabel suddenly chimed in. “There’s just something about him that makes you wanna interact with him. It doesn’t have anything to do with him being a rare sighting.”
“Huh? That wasn’t the case back at the academy.”
“I get that too,” Mabel said with a nod. “You’re kinda scary. I was basically an adventurer, so I didn’t mind, but nobles probably found you hard to approach.”
“Scary? Even back then?” My life after attacking the imperial palace aside, I had tried to act like an ordinary noble son back at the academy. I looked to Yifa for support, but she just laughed awkwardly.
“Ah ha ha... Umm, maybe.”
“You agree with her, Yifa?”
“Yeah, kinda.” Yifa nodded. “Not so much when you were talking, but you had a sort of scary atmosphere around you when you were quiet. If we’d first met at the academy, I might’ve had a hard time starting a conversation with you too.”
“Huh? Really?” Amyu asked. “I never felt that way.”
“That’s because you’re an adventurer, not a noble,” said Mabel.
“That’s true. I’ve been dealing with scary people since I was little, so I’m used to it.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel as I listened to their conversation. Maybe I had been on edge without realizing it. I had still been fired up back then, trying to scheme in ways I wasn’t used to, determined to make the most of my time in this world. Perhaps my school life never had a chance of going well from the very beginning.
“But you’ve grown less scary lately,” Mabel said, her expression unchanged. “Maybe that’s why everyone’s trying to talk to you.”
“Yeah, I feel you’ve softened up a little,” Yifa agreed.
“It definitely seems like you’ve been more cheerful,” said Amyu.
“It’s not that I’m more cheerful. If anything, I’d say it’s more like a weight’s been lifted.” I was aware of it myself. After all, the demon-related problems had pretty much been resolved. Both the assassins sent after Amyu, as well as my being the Demon Lord. Regarding the former, given that the band of demons who showed up at the academy had ultimately forced us into a life on the run, it wasn’t something I could afford to take lightly either. As for the latter, it had been the biggest issue weighing on me ever since Lulum had pointed it out.
Whether they were allies or enemies, the demons were constantly causing troublesome situations. But this summer, when I went to demon territory and interacted with their rulers, most of those concerns had been resolved. Those kids were hoping for unity among their races and peace with humanity without relying on the Demon Lord. Although they were still young, the empire’s sabotage had allowed each of them to seize real power. I was confident that in time, the wills of their races would follow suit.
Of course, that didn’t mean demons couldn’t still show up regardless of their races’ will. With both the Hero and Demon Lord present, it was still very possible, but the odds should at least be lower than before. I’d even managed to come to an understanding with those I thought I’d never reconcile with. That made me feel like things would somehow work out. Because of all that, perhaps I had let my guard down a little. Maybe it had even started to show in my face and mannerisms.
I let out a short breath. “Well, maybe I’ve finally started to settle down.” In this world, more so than in Rakana. “We’re gonna be here for a while longer. No point in staying tense all the time.” It wasn’t a crime to live more normally instead of constantly worrying about people deceiving me or stealing from me. I decided it was okay to let my guard down a little.
“You sound like a berserker who’s grown old and finally mellowed out,” Amyu said, her chin still on her hands.
“Did you not have any better comparisons?”
“It’s fitting, though. You’re pretty belligerent.”
“Th-That’s not true. Seika always tries to talk things out first. He only gets like that when it doesn’t work...”
A stiff smile appeared on my face. Yifa’s defense of me wasn’t much of a defense at all. Come to think of it, Lizolera had said something similar back in demon territory, though it wasn’t like I particularly enjoyed fighting or anything.
“Oh, perfect timing. Hey, Lamprogue!” A voice suddenly called my name, and I turned around to see Eik, the wholesale merchant, descending the staircase with his hand raised.
“It’s been a while, Eik. How’s Tio doing?” I asked.
“He’s doing great. Giving my sister a real headache.”
“Tell him Amyu was to play with him again,” Mabel added.
“I never said that!” Amyu protested in return.
Ignoring Amyu and Mabel, Eik rummaged through his shoulder bag. “One of my suppliers gave me a letter addressed to you, Lamprogue.”
“Huh? For me?” Caught off guard, I accepted the white envelope.
In this world, letters were generally delivered by merchants. There was a postal service that traveled between major cities on horseback, but unfortunately, it didn’t extend all the way to Rakana. If you wanted to send a letter to a remote city, it was typical to entrust it to a traveling merchant headed there. It wasn’t my first time receiving a letter in Rakana.
Just as I was trying to remember who the last person I received a letter from was—
“Are you acquainted with any nobles? It’s a pretty fancy envelope, and it was given to me directly by one of the company’s higher-ups. It made me nervous. Anyway, play with Tio again sometime.” After that, Eik went on his way.
I looked down at the envelope in my hand. It used quality paper that I remembered seeing before.
“Is that from Fiona?” Amyu asked in a subdued voice.
“Yeah.” I nodded, pulling out a knife. It felt too late to be a reply to my previous letter, yet too soon to be the next update. Which meant...
“Please, don’t be anything annoying.” I peeled the seal off with the knife. Unfolding the paper inside, my eyes drifted over what was written.
“What does it say, Seika?” Yifa asked nervously.
After looking the paper over once, I folded it back up and stuffed it in my breast pocket. Unsure how to proceed, I began to explain. “Apparently, the imperial court—”
“You must be Amyu.”
A voice echoed through the guild’s tavern. We all looked over at the person who had called out Amyu’s name. A young man dressed in finely tailored clothes was standing there.
“Ugh, already?” Realizing the situation, I couldn’t help but grimace as I muttered to myself.
“Umm, he’s from the imperial capital...” said Airia, the guild employee who had guided the man to us.
“I’ve been sent by His Majesty, Emperor Gilzerius,” the envoy said, his cold eyes fixed on Amyu. “Hero Amyu, you will accompany me to the palace. Take this as a direct command from His Majesty.”
Guess I can’t keep relaxing forever.