Chapter 30

Leonard shrugged dismissively at the demon. He was wrong. I’d named Carmine the Hero. He had certainly not been a phony. “But hey, I should thank you. Now your bounty’s even higher. Gotta say, my luck’s with me today. Sorry about you and the kid, though. This sorta thing happens, y’know? You and him oughtta commiserate in the afterlife. Real tearjerker stuff. Hell, I bet even God would feel sorry for you.” “Cease your prattling!” Infuriated by Leonard’s wisecracks, the demon swung his mighty sword. Leonard must have seen it coming, however, because he swiftly stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and the demon in the blink of an eye. He’s fast. The thought ran through my mind as Leonard’s sword traced an arc through the air. Not many warriors were so quick on their feet. The next second, Leonard swept past his foe. There was a deep slash wound right on the demon’s flank. The demon attempted to swing around, his face contorted in agony, which only left him wide open for another attack. Having anticipated his opponent’s move, Leonard drove the tip of his sword straight through the demon’s throat. “No hard feelings, man. Today just wasn’t your lucky day.” Leonard was standing right next to his opponent, a cocky smile on his lips. When he yanked the sword out, blood gushed from the demon’s neck like a fountain. Slowly, he collapsed to the ground. For all his pride as a member of a hard-to-kill race, he had breathed his last. “Nice taunting, as usual. You’re a world-class asshole, I’ll give you that,” the spear warrior, a tall man with gray hair, said with a chuckle. There was something languid about his expression. “It’s good to be a world-class something, Evsei,” Leonard replied, unbothered by the warrior’s sarcasm. “Gets those demons killed and the coins in our pockets.” “What did I tell you? The kid didn’t have the mettle,” the bespectacled mage declared with a hard tone. The purple streaks in her long black hair were rather eye-catching. When I looked at Carmine’s body, I saw the red-haired priest offering up a prayer. “…That so?” Leonard asked. He walked over to Carmine’s remains and started rifling through his pockets. The priest reproached him with a sorrowful expression. “Leonard, you mustn’t steal from the dead.” “Hey, I’m digging the dude a grave. Don’t you think I deserve a fee for my time, Nina?” Leonard retorted as he plucked a pouch full of coins from the corpse. I felt sorely tempted to avert my eyes. This was not something a human being should be doing. The priest named Nina chided him further. “Leonard, you do know that God is always watching us, right?” “Guess he is.” Leonard flashed a sardonic smile. “But he only watches. He does jack shit otherwise. No smiting the Demon Lord’s army or lending the humans a hand. I’m so grateful I could cry.” “Oh, Leonard…” Nina’s face fell at Leonard’s utter lack of piety. “It doesn’t matter if God is watching or not. Either way, your actions aren’t exactly praiseworthy,” the mage girl interjected, leaping to Nina’s aid. “What are you saying, Sophia? No one’s getting anything out of it if we just bury him as is. Insects don’t eat coin. ’Sides, he won’t need money where he’s going. The living might as well use it.” It appeared Leonard was just as money-obsessed as the stories said. He did not show the slightest hint of remorse even when his party members reprimanded him. The mage named Sophia let out a long sigh of resignation. “Oh? Look what we have here.” Meanwhile, Leonard’s eyes fell on the shortsword on Carmine’s person. It was an heirloom passed down through Carmine’s family, a gift from his father. The sword was of a rare make, and it was even blessed with a magical enchantment. Leonard drew the sword from its scabbard without an ounce of hesitation. “Leonard! That has to be important to him. Please, just bury it with him. Or give it to his relatives,” Nina implored, her green eyes welling with tears. “Nina, this dude wanted to beat the demon. He was willing to be the Hero, even. Wouldn’t it honor him better to use his sword to kill the demons? I’m carrying on his will. Now that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” Leonard uttered this made-up excuse without batting an eye. “…Are you telling the truth?” Nina asked slowly. “’Course I am.” Leonard shrugged. Frankly, this did little to show his sincerity. Nina hesitated. “…Fine.” Even as her expression clouded over, the red-haired priest accepted Leonard’s excuse. She caved much too quickly—perhaps she was desensitized to his logic. Unsurprisingly, Leonard’s party members were enablers. After that, Leonard and Evsei dug a simple grave for Carmine. Nina offered another prayer—a beautiful one with a sonorous, songlike resonance that would have tugged the heartstrings of any listener. I suspected she had considerable skill as a priest. To my surprise, Leonard closed his eyes too and offered a genuine prayer—even though just a moment ago he had spoken as if he did not believe in God. I found myself feeling curious about the man. He had none of the traits I’d looked for in any of the Hero candidates I’d chosen thus far. Besides, there was still plenty of time left before World Revision activated of its own accord. Although my failure was already guaranteed, I no longer had the energy to start a new loop. I figured I might as well name this man the Hero and see where it took him. Not too long in the future, this man was fated to die. He would reach a fitting, ignoble end. If I was going to restart the loop, it might as well be then.