Chapter 6

A high demon with ebony wings flapped down to land where the Hero, Mako, and Nicoletta were standing. Her beautiful long silver hair fluttered in the wind, and her eyes, irises and all, were as black as an abyss. Her expressionless face suggested a coolheaded personality, and her dark clothing covered nearly her entire body. Despite her eye-catching attire, her wings were still the most striking feature. They were spread wide when she touched down in front of the Hero, but they then quickly shrunk in size thereafter. The Hero, Mako, and Nicoletta stared at the new arrival in silence, and she spoke up in an indifferent voice. “I am Pino, one of the Demon Army’s Four Demon Generals. Nice to meet you.” “…” Given his extreme shyness, the Hero couldn’t respond. “…Pino, what are you doing here? Did our master order you to join us?” asked Mako, voicing the question on everyone’s mind. “N-no, of course not!” Pino hastily replied. “Okay.” “The Demon Lord did not ask me to do this, okay?!?!” “She really didn’t, huh?” “Guess not.” Nicoletta’s and Mako’s answers were dry and unamused. Without any effort at all, the two had seemingly slipped into a comedy routine with Pino. “S-so I have absolutely zero intention o-of being your friend or anything like that! But if you all insist, then I can try to…get along…” “You just said almost that exact thing in our group chat.” Mako and Nicoletta were quite antagonistic toward Pino. The pair didn’t hate her, but protecting the Demon Lord was their first priority, and they were unsure why Pino had left her side to join them with the Hero. They couldn’t help but be on edge. [Hey, let’s all calm down.] Unable to say a word out loud, the Hero tried to ease the tension by sending a group chat message. “…Anyway, is this the Hero?” inquired Pino, returning to her coolheaded personality and glaring at the young man standing with Mako and Nicoletta. “Hold on, what’s with these abrupt mood swings? Why are you suddenly cool as a cucumber?” asked Mako. “It’s because her personality is a little unstable. Kind of like mine,” Nicoletta explained. “I don’t want to hear that from a masochist of all people,” quipped Pino. I wonder if this is how she usually acts. She looks like a calm and intelligent person, thought the Hero. He sent a message to Pino, saying [I agree with you there.] “You sent me a message? Don’t ignore me. I asked if you’re the Hero.” “The Hero has an extreme communication disorder. He can only speak through texts,” Mako detailed. “Go easy on him, Pino. He’s as shy as I am and a hardcore masochist to boot, so it’s not his fault,” said Nicoletta. Mako and Pino ignored Nicoletta’s comment, but the Hero nodded in agreement. “Oh, so you’re a masochist, too…,” Pino said. “No, he’s not,” Mako quickly corrected, helping the shy young man out. The Hero plopped his hand on Mako’s shoulder with a self-satisfied grin, appreciative of her understanding. However, Mako hastily rejected the gesture. “Gross!” “Well, regardless. I’m not acting on the Demon Lord’s orders, but I shall join this party as well. I am coming along, and you have no choice in the matter. If he truly bears the human title of ‘Hero,’ I cannot take him lightly,” Pino declared, staring down at the Hero with flaring nostrils. She was the tallest of the Demon Army’s Four Demon Generals and the only one in the party the Hero had to look up at to meet her eyes. “You should know, though, the Hero is stupid cursed and incredibly weak,” Mako revealed. “…Huh?” “There’s really no need to be wary of him. I asked him to inflict pain on me during my morning training the other day, but he was so frail that he ended up healing my body,” added Nicoletta. “You’re only saying that because you’re a masochist.” “No, really. I’m serious.” As the Demon Generals continued to chitchat, the Hero felt depression settling over him. Even if it was due to the curses, it was unpleasant to have women call him weak, and he felt ashamed. “…Huh. He really is suffering from numerous heavy curses. A powerful spellcaster must have placed them,” Pino remarked. “That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you,” Nicoletta said. The Hero looked at Nicoletta with a puzzled expression. “Ah, Mako and I aren’t especially skilled at magic, but Pino is a supremely adept sorceress. Undoubtedly, she can see all the details of the curses on you,” Nicoletta elaborated, speaking seriously for the first time in a while. The Hero wished she would behave like this all the time. “Well, it appears I have no choice. I would rather not do this while traveling, but I’ll investigate this issue for you, Hero. You could become an enemy of the Demon Lord any day, after all. It is best to be informed about one’s foes.” The Hero wasn’t certain if Pino was kind or simply meddlesome. Still, despite the coldness of her words, he felt a warmth in her actions. “That’s our Pino!” “She wasn’t named after the Demon Lord’s favorite ice cream for nothing.” “Shut up, you two.” Humans fear demons, but these three seem like good people to me, the Hero thought as he watched the trio interact. If he had set out to travel to the Demon Lord Castle with a group of humans, they probably would have ridiculed him for being useless and kicked him out of the party. He shuddered at the thought. Strange or not, the Hero was grateful for his current situation. “Ah, but, Hero! D-don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not looking into your curses for your sake or anything like that! I’m definitely not!” Pino suddenly appended. Man, is she annoying, mused the Hero.