Axel — Adventurers' Guild
At this moment, practically every adventurer in town had gathered inside the guild hall.
The atmosphere within the Adventurers' Guild had completely shaken off its earlier gloom. Excitement and cheers filled every corner. Even now, many adventurers still couldn't quite believe it themselves—that not only had they survived an encounter with the Demon King's army, they had actually turned the tables and taken down one of its commanders.
"You guys have no idea—when that Death Knight charged straight at us, it was a good thing I stepped in and stopped him in time! Otherwise, even though Ren Kuroda is strong, his rhythm would've been totally thrown off!"
"Yeah, yeah, exactly! I backed you up when we held that undead knight back. That thing was no joke. If you ask me, aside from the Headless Knight, it was definitely the strongest one in their squad."
Drinking, bragging, and blowing things way out of proportion—this was the Adventurers' Guild of Axel in its most natural state.
At the moment, Dasuto, Kisu, and Kazuma—the trio of hopeless troublemakers—were clearly drunk out of their minds, arms slung over each other's shoulders as they loudly exaggerated their "heroic contributions."
From the way they talked, you'd think Ren Kuroda's victory over Beldia had been entirely thanks to them. They even made it sound like every move Ren made had been secretly planned and directed by the three of them.
After all, bragging didn't cost a single coin. And since Ren had an easygoing personality and usually didn't bother calling them out on their nonsense, Kazuma and the others only grew bolder by the minute. By the end of it, they were claiming that Ren's combat techniques themselves had been taught by them.
And the reason was simple.
Whenever they spun their stories this way, curious female adventurers would inevitably come over to listen.
To begin with, Ren had already been famous in Axel before this. But after leading the fight against a Demon King army commander, his name had become known to literally everyone in town.
Overwhelming strength, gentle consideration for his companions, and a willingness to put himself on the line—those qualities had elevated him straight to the status of Axel's very own super hero.
Kazuma and the others quickly realized that just by saying they knew Ren, young women would happily come over and ask all sorts of questions about him.
And at that point, all they had to do was casually sprinkle in a little talk about how impressive they were as well—and suddenly, finding a girlfriend and becoming a "winner in life" didn't feel like such a distant dream.
"Alright, that's enough already. Seriously, how on earth did Ren end up knowing scumbags like you?
"And you're exaggerating more by the second. Do you really think Ren needed you to block a Death Knight? Didn't you see how he wiped out a whole group of fleeing undead knights with a single slash at the end?"
Watching Dasuto, Kazuma, and the others shamelessly use Ren's reputation to deceive the naïve guild staff girls, the two female adventurers in their party—Lynn and Luna—finally couldn't take it anymore.
They mercilessly exposed the lecherous trio's ulterior motives just as Kisu was on the verge of successfully inviting a girl out for a romantic night together.
"I seriously can't stand them," Lynn muttered, her expression full of helpless resignation as she watched her teammates finish boasting at one table, then immediately move on to the next."They barely survived against a Demon King commander, and now they're already acting this recklessly. The ones who only know how to flap their gums won't shut up, while the real hero isn't even planning to attend the victory party. Who knows where he's gone off to now."
In truth, not just Lynn—every adventurer in Axel knew perfectly well that their successful defense against the Demon King's army had been almost entirely thanks to Ren Kuroda.
This celebration had originally been held for him.
And yet, the main character hadn't shown up at all.
"Well, it is Ren we're talking about," Luna said with a gentle smile. "He's never been good at handling this sort of scene, so he's probably hiding somewhere.
"But we did protect Axel in the end. Even if everyone else's contributions don't compare to Ren's, they still fought hard. A celebration should be fun, after all.
"Thank you all for today's efforts! All drinks are on the guild today—so please celebrate to your heart's content!"
"Miss Luna, you're the best! I'm drinking until I have to be carried out!"
Compared to the lively chaos of the Adventurers' Guild, Ren Kuroda returned shirtless to Wiz's magic item shop in a much quieter state. As for the so-called victory party, he had little interest in it.
If it were just drinking and talking nonsense with people like Dasuto and Kazuma, Ren didn't particularly dislike that kind of atmosphere.
But news of him defeating a Demon King commander had spread far too quickly. Now, practically the entire population of Axel was curious about this "hero" and had gathered around the guild, waiting for him to appear.
Ren didn't mind drinking and joking around—he liked the guild's atmosphere well enough. What he hated was being stared at like some kind of exhibit.
"Ren, as we agreed, this is your payment."Wiz said softly, holding out a bag. Her expression was oddly downcast."All of the high-quality magic crystals are inside this item pouch."
Seeing Wiz like this, Ren was momentarily stunned.
"What's this? Did you finally realize you were wrong for ordering stock on your own? Or did I do something wrong…? Are you trying to fire me early?"
The magic crystals made Ren's eyes itch with temptation—but he had no idea why Wiz was suddenly doing this, so he didn't reach out to take them.
"After what happened earlier, I think someone as sharp as you must've already noticed," Wiz said quietly."Yes… I know Beldia. And my true identity is also that of a Demon King army commander. Even if it's mostly just a title now, in terms of status, I really am part of the Demon King's army…"
In this world, people usually became adventurers either to make a living, or because they harbored grand ambitions—dreams of one day defeating the Demon King and earning eternal fame.
Otherwise, no one would willingly choose such a dangerous profession. Fighting monsters was no joke. The rewards were generous, yes—but death was always just one mistake away.
From Wiz's point of view, Ren's strength clearly meant he wasn't an adventurer out of financial desperation. That left only one possibility: he aimed to defeat the Demon King's army and become a hero.
And judging from how decisively Ren had cut down Beldia and the undead knights, Wiz believed that Axel's new hero—and an adventurer through and through—must harbor no goodwill toward the Demon King's forces.
No matter how much she disliked admitting it, Wiz herself was undeniably part of that very army.
Facing someone like Ren, who held no affection for the Demon King's army, she found herself deeply conflicted.
Though they hadn't known each other long, Wiz truly cherished Ren as a friend. In him, she had even found echoes of her former companions.
She could have chosen to hide her identity.
But if she truly regarded Ren as a friend, she felt she shouldn't deceive him.
Even knowing that revealing the truth would make it nearly impossible for a lich like her to remain his friend… what Wiz feared most was that Ren might not only cut ties with her, but turn against her entirely.
"So that's why you're paying me in advance?" Ren said calmly."Well, that does clear up something I'd been wondering about. I always thought it was strange—you're obviously not a normal human, so why stay in an adventurer town like Axel?
"And despite the shop running in the red nonstop, you always had enough money to burn on reckless purchases. Turns out it was Demon King army funding all along."
Hearing this, Wiz grew even more uneasy.
Truthfully, she loved this town. She loved the warm-hearted adventurers here. But once her identity was exposed, she would have no choice but to leave—just like she once left her old companions behind.
If the kingdom learned that another Demon King commander was hiding in Axel, they would never let it slide. And the ones who would suffer for it were the town's adventurers.
As Wiz stood there, her face filled with loss, Ren suddenly smiled lightly and placed the bag of magic crystals back onto the table.
"Didn't we agree on this already? I only get paid after the shop turns a profit.
"And thanks to someone, our books aren't just empty—they're drowning in debt, aren't they?"
"But Ren… I'm part of the Demon King's army—"
Wiz froze. She tried to say more, but Ren cut her off.
"A Demon King commander, huh? So what?""I could tell from the moment we met—you were never a normal human.
"And if I genuinely want to be friends with someone, I don't care what their identity is. I only became an adventurer on a whim anyway. I don't have some grand dream of saving the world.
"Wiz is Wiz. No matter your status or race, that will never change. Right?"
Ren understood Wiz's fear and hesitation all too well—because he had once felt the same.
After being reincarnated into this world, before his system ever activated, Ren had lived on edge once he realized he wasn't fully human.
Among ordinary people, a half-demon like him was an undeniable anomaly. That sense of being out of place had slowly pushed him into isolation, making him distant and guarded.
People in this world despised monsters. Wiz, for the sake of her companions, had been forced to become one of the undead. Overnight, her human identity vanished. Her former comrades became lovers, while she alone remained behind, guarding this small shop and waiting for their return.
By the time Ren finished speaking, Wiz had already broken down in tears.
She had never imagined that one day, she might regain something as precious as genuine friendship.
After becoming a lich, her kindness made her incompatible with the Demon King's army—yet humans feared her very existence. She had lived in solitude for so long.
Too afraid to grow close to others, she had ultimately chosen to open a magic item shop. Watching adventurers come and go each day had become the highlight of her life.
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