Hidden in the Bustling Streets
"Hik?!" After leaving the royal palace, finding Iris and Master wasn't difficult. Even without Master's presence, Iris's aura lingered faintly. If that wasn't enough, I could always track down the knights keeping an eye on them.
"You two. Put these on right away."
"Pardon?"
"Why these?"
"If things get too noisy and people start gathering, we won't be able to see anything."
I held out the hoods. Gerard and Iris tilted their heads for a moment, then quietly pulled them on.
"Are we heading straight to Lady Daisy's residence?"
"That's the plan. It's been a while since I last saw her, and I'm curious how she's doing. Of course, we won't go there immediately. Since we've come all this way, we might as well take a look around the capital."
They say the best place to hide a tree is in a forest. The best place to hide a person is among a crowd. The Demon God Worshippers would know that too. If they were plotting something in the capital, it wouldn't be in some remote hideout or deserted area. It would be right in the middle of the busiest streets—somewhere no one would ever think to look.
Blending into the crowd like that required exceptional skill. But there was one thing they couldn't hide: the stench of blood and the foul reek of negative emotions clinging to them. No matter how hard they tried, that condensed, repulsive odor was impossible to erase.
"…"
From the moment we left the palace and entered the residential districts, I expanded my senses and scanned every corner within sight. If I caught even the slightest whiff of something suspicious, I planned to investigate immediately. Moving freely in the capital might not be wise, but I was the master of these Heroes. Why should I tiptoe around? Besides, I wasn't doing anything wrong—I was trying to do something good.
"…"
Yet strangely, I sensed nothing at all.
According to the memories Iris had shared with me, the capital had fallen without any chance to resist. That meant the royal palace, which should have served as a control tower, had been destroyed, and the elite forces guarding it had vanished in an instant. I had expected the stench to linger near the palace or not far from it, but there was nothing.
"Master, are you that fascinated by the capital? You're looking around so much."
"Does it really look like I'm just sightseeing to you?"
"Isn't that what you're doing? You've been examining everything since earlier."
"…Forget it. Explaining it to you wouldn't make any difference anyway."
Iris had an extraordinary natural talent for sensing things. It wasn't something acquired through training like mine. That was why, even when she swung her fists without much thought, her seemingly random actions often turned out to be exactly right. Trying to explain sensing or detection to someone like her was pointless. She would just say something like, "If I smash everything, it'll come out eventually." The truly strange part was that doing exactly that often worked.
"Do you really intend to look around a bit before we go?"
Even Gerard seemed to think touring the capital was just sightseeing. I was about to explain that wasn't my intention, but then I reconsidered. Spending a little time like this might not be so bad. After a brief moment of thought, I nodded slowly.
"Have you two been to the capital before?"
"Iris has only been here once. I've been here several times."
"That one time was only because Senior kept insisting I come. Remember?"
"You were so busy fighting that you never showed your face, so it was necessary."
"Senior, you should worry about showing Ester your face instead. The youngest—well, she's not the youngest anymore. Anyway, she wanders around alone more than I do."
Iris's words brought to mind a certain extremely timid girl. Whether it was because she was the last remaining member of the demon race or because those who threw the world into chaos shared the same roots, she had a habit of digging into the ground and lying there quietly when left alone. Her specialty was hiding in shadows and darkness, and if no one called for her, she wouldn't appear for days. It went far beyond mere shyness.
"Gerard. From what I've heard, Ester is still keeping to herself."
"Yes. Even when Lady Garam and Lady Lily tried to persuade her, she kept avoiding them and hesitating. She doesn't seem interested in getting closer to anyone."
"She's being foolish. Who cares if she's a demon? Most people don't even know what a demon is. They say it's a race that only existed in the ancient kingdom era."
"Iris, watch your words. That's still a sensitive topic for Ester."
"It's a problem because she's the one hiding underground and wasting time, Senior. At this point, the Demon God Worshippers seem better than her—she's so gloomy and dull. Not a single person has even seen her face."
Listening to my two disciples, I felt a twinge of concern. I had hoped Ester would change a little, but it seemed she had only grown worse. Still, as a Hero, she would inevitably meet people through her duties. Once she realized no one cared about her being a demon, I thought she might gradually open up. But if she still had no intention of doing so herself, that part of her identity could turn into something negative.
In the game story, there had been a similar development. After learning that Ester Marigold, the Poison Hero, was a demon, the Demon God Worshippers had approached her and said something along those lines—that as a demon, she must be a creation of the Demon God, and as the last remnant of that creation, it was only natural for her to join them. They had urged her to take their hand and erase the world together in service of the Demon God's will. They had spouted that nonsense right in front of her.
—The outcome was obvious.
The game story hadn't elaborated on what happened afterward. It simply stated in one line: "After that, the Demon God Worshippers were never seen again."
"Leave Ester alone, Iris. She's still very sensitive about it."
"Why don't you meet with her instead, Master? She's completely different around you—like a little kid."
"She is like a kid. But she's a Hero just like you. Don't belittle her too much."
"It's frustrating, that's all. Her skills are truly the best, but she's so shy she won't even show her face. I'm worried she'll end up being forgotten."
Iris wasn't the type to exaggerate like Daisy. She was brutally honest—a walking fact-checker. The fact that she was saying this meant Ester really was operating alone without showing herself to anyone.
So far, she had handled everything from regular monsters to high-grade ones diligently and well. But things were different now. From here on, whether she liked it or not, whether she was embarrassed or not, there was a reason she needed to stay close to others. The Fragment of the Demon God had already appeared, defying causality. In this situation, Ester, whose specialty was ambushes, would struggle greatly if left alone. Not just in combat—escaping would be difficult too.
"Gerard."
"Yes, Master."
"Have you been in contact with Ester through letters?"
"Yes. Even though she doesn't show her face, she responds to letters promptly. I've already informed her that you've left your residence. With her personality, she'll come running right away, pushing everyone else aside."
I nodded slowly at Gerard's words. While the other disciples had their eccentric or loose-screw moments, they also showed strength and reliability. Ester, however, was always a timid demon girl, constantly on edge. Naturally, I spoke to her more gently than sternly, offering comfort rather than lectures. Thanks to that, she had slowly opened up and treated me with relative ease. Later, she had even shown herself to her seniors and juniors to some extent.
The small problem was how heavily she relied on me—not intellectually, but emotionally, as if I were a parent. It was to the point where I occasionally worried it might turn into obsession.
"Master. The youngest is up ahead. Grandmaster is with her too."
At those words, I looked up and saw Iris and Master ahead. They were sitting in front of a food stall, chatting with each other. They seemed quite close now, and I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
"The youngest seems quite sociable. She's even having a conversation with Grandmaster like that."
"What are you talking about, Senior? Grandmaster is just a kind person to begin with. There's so much to talk about."
"Junior, please remember that not everyone discusses topics like how to throw punches or kicks the moment they meet someone."
"But Grandmaster seemed to enjoy it? She laughed heartily while saying things like, 'Hit the same spot again, and the bleeding one too!' and 'Hahaha!'"
"…"
As always, Iris had the makings of a demonic cultist. She would have fit right in if she had been born in the martial world that was Master's domain. She probably would have gone around smashing everyone while laughing "Hahaha!" under Master's guidance.
"…You've arrived."
While listening to Iris, Master glanced my way and spoke. The expression on her face clearly said, "Someone get this kid off me."
"You foolish disciple. You said you were going to look around, but you've just been sitting here stuffing your face?"
"I was wandering around diligently! And the one who was hungry wasn't me—it was you, Grandmaster!"
"Y-You insolent brat! How dare you lie! W-When did this seat say she was hungry?!"
At that, I quietly examined the table. There were a similar number of empty bowls on both sides, but slightly more on Master's side. She had claimed she could go without eating, but apparently, even the Heavenly Demon couldn't resist delicious food.
"Let's go, Master. I've finished my business here. I was thinking of heading to where my disciples are."
"You finished early. Very well, let's go quickly."
As Master stood up while saying that, Iris suddenly grabbed her and shouted, "No!"
Master froze halfway up in an awkward posture.
"Why?"
"There's still one more thing. You have to eat dessert before we go."
"Haven't we eaten enough already?"
"But if you don't have dessert, it's rude to your body, Grandmaster. Ah, here it is."
Iris placed a plate in front of Master as she spoke.
"…What is this?"
"Just try it."
I knew what it was. Ice cream topped with plenty of honey. Master might not look it, but she had a weakness for sweet things. Iris had somehow figured that out and prepared the perfect dessert.
"Hmm… This seems like honey. I'll give it a try."
And just as Iris and I expected, Master tilted her head and carefully put the ice cream in her mouth.
"…Hik?!"
Startled, her eyes sparkled.