An Offer from the Demon Hero Party

Rin, who had been dealing with Lucy since dawn, sat on the roof of the Thief Guild building with his knees pulled to his chest.

Although it connected to the underground sewers, the building was incredibly tall, ranking among the five tallest in Waltercroix.

"There's a certain charm to looking down like this."

He said that, but Rin had always been the one looking up.

Or chasing after someone's back.

Neither Arciel, nor her, nor Lucy, nor any other member of the Hero's party had ever stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Though Lucy had stayed by his side recently, looking to his side or looking down was still entirely foreign to him.

"The view is lovely, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to focus."

The information officer, who had approached silently, sat down beside him and gazed out into the distance.

Rin hid his surprise and casually played along.

Why is this person showing up instead of Labin?

It deviated from his expectations.

"It's not about looking at any one thing in detail. You just take in the entire landscape from this height, like looking at a painting."

"Hmm, I don't really get it."

"Just look at the whole picture, as much as your eyes can take in."

"The whole picture, huh... Doesn't the Thief Guild make its living by digging up the tiny, detailed secrets hidden within that picture?"

"But since those details gather to make the whole, isn't it fine?"

Well, it's killing me because the details of this story keep changing.

Rin rubbed his tired face and looked up at the sky instead.

Looking down really didn't suit him.

"Where did you leave the lady who was with you?"

"She's sleeping."

"Liar."

When Rin glanced at her, wondering where she got the confidence to say that so definitively, the information officer grinned.

"Even during the brief tour yesterday, her eyes never left you for a single second."

"We're in an unfamiliar place, so she was just looking to me as her only companion."

"No, no, no. No matter how unfamiliar a place is, nobody matches their walking speed, stride, breathing tempo, and even the timing of their inhales and exhales to someone else."

Lucy did that?

He hadn't noticed at all, and honestly, he hadn't wanted to know.

Still, it explained why she had expressed her disappointment to him at dawn.

Lucy's affection was simply too heavy for Rin to bear.

"We had a fight."

"Oh? The two of you? Over what?"

When he told her he needed to be alone in the morning for an operation, she had immediately rejected the idea.

'I told you, it's for an operation.'

'What kind of operation?'

'Just like last time, I'm checking if there are any demons nearby, or if anyone else harbors ill intent toward us.'

'I can do it with you.'

'We are doing it together. I'm asking you to keep an eye on my surroundings from a slight distance.'

'How is that together!'

Lucy had burrowed into Rin's side and quickly hugged him.

'If we aren't stuck together, it's not together!'

Pouting, Lucy had dug in her heels.

No matter how much Rin shook her, or walked and ran around the room with her clinging to him, she wouldn't budge.

'Lucy, why are you being so stubborn?'

'Why are you the one trying to push me away, Rin? Who are you meeting at the crack of dawn? Why leave when you were just hugging me? The timing was so perfect... If we had gone a little longer, I could have marked all of you with my tongue...'

'Huh? What did you say?'

'...Nothing. I don't want to. I'm not letting go. Rin is mine. And I'm everything to Rin. We don't need anyone else.'

If he wanted to trigger the dawn event with Labin, he had to get to the roof immediately.

Rin had desperately tried to persuade Lucy.

'Lucy, you seem to have forgotten, but we are currently being hunted by our former companions.'

'If you want, Rin, I can make it the other way around. They'll be the ones running from us, and we'll be the ones hunting them.'

Out of the question.

To defeat the DLC's final boss, the Hero's party had to remain intact.

'The Crown Princess is highly suspicious, so she must have scattered her eyes and ears all over the Empire. Labin has surely mapped them all out. I need to use my connection with her to gather as much information as possible, starting with that.'

'Can't I be there too?'

'Lucy.'

Rin sighed.

'I know you were staring at Labin yesterday while clenching and unclenching your fists.'

'...Then I won't use my fists.'

That's not the point.

He couldn't delay any longer.

Getting information on the Crown Princess's lackeys from Labin was important, but he also needed to start preparing for Arciel.

Nydrian's wish had already been set in motion long ago, so that was fine, but Arciel's wish couldn't be prepared in advance. Chronologically, it was only possible starting from now.

In any case, he had to free them from the Shield Knight, who held their leashes under the guise of granting their wishes.

Otherwise, they would remain aligned with the Crown Princess and the Shield Knight, constantly interfering with Rin and Lucy.

But Lucy simply refused to let go.

As they struggled silently, Rin noticed Lucy clinging to him, her eyes turning red.

If she wanted to use raw strength, she could easily drag him around, yet she was holding back just enough to avoid hurting him.

Left with no choice, Rin played his trump card.

'Lucy, if you behave while we're apart for a bit, I'll make sure we have some private time together whenever you want later.'

'That doesn't mean anything. I want to be with you all the time, Rin.'

'No matter the situation, if you want it, we'll immediately go somewhere where it's just the two of us.'

Lucy pondered while listening to Rin's heartbeat.

Though she seemed to act purely on whim, she was actually quick to calculate when she could push her luck and when she couldn't. She knew exactly how extraordinary Rin's offer was.

Eventually, Lucy asked him cautiously.

'How long can we be together?'

'Hmm, for as long as we're apart starting now?'

'I don't want that.'

Lucy shook her head.

'A whole day. A full day with just you and me, Rin.'

'A whole day?'

'And you have to do everything I want to do. No vetoes.'

Just waiting for Lucy to make up her mind had already eaten up too much time.

Dawn was breaking.

Rin had no choice.

'Fine.'

'Pinky promise.'

'Even a pinky promise?'

'Yes.'

Lucy smiled brightly as she hooked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her pinky with his.

'If you break it, I'll break both of your legs and carry you around for the rest of my life.'

Thanks to that dramatic compromise, Rin was finally able to sit on the roof.

In exchange, Lucy completely concealed her mana and lay in ambush nearby.

When she set her mind to hiding, even Nydrian would have trouble finding her.

"She told me not to talk to other women for no reason."

"Ah... That's a very simple reason, and very typical of her."

But things had gone awry.

The one who came to meet him wasn't Labin, but the information officer.

Fortunately, before Rin could ask, the information officer handed him a letter.

"The Boss actually spotted you first, but an envoy from the Guild Coalition arrived, so she's stuck in her office."

"What's this?"

"Two forged IDs, one bottle of hair dye since that lady's hair stands out too much, five sets of women's underwear the Boss bought after sizing up the lady with her eyes, and finally, a request form the Boss is sending to you personally."

"A request form?"

"She says you need to earn your keep."

The information officer stretched and yawned.

"Whew~ Well, now that I've delivered everything, I'm going to sleep. I've been up all night since yesterday."

"Ah, wait."

Rummaging through his Luggage Carrier's Bag, Rin handed the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠information officer a couple of small spray bottles.

Taking them in a daze, the information officer asked him what they were.

"Deodorizer. A highly effective deodorizer."

To demonstrate, he sprayed it directly on her, front and back.

Though he hadn't said anything, a stench strong enough to make his nose sting had been wafting from her, likely because she was in charge of the sewers.

Not long after spraying it, the odor vanished completely.

"Oh my goodness."

Sniffing her sleeve, the information officer looked deeply moved.

"No matter how much I washed it, the smell wouldn't come out..."

"I'm glad it helps."

Rin, however, remained expressionless as he handed over the spray.

"Good work, information officer."

But the information officer just stared at Rin, clutching the deodorizer.

She tilted her head slightly, looking up at him with the sly, coquettish angle of a cat or a fox.

"Adora."

The information officer smiled with her eyes as she revealed her name.

"It's Adora. The Thief Guild's information officer, Adora."

And before Rin could even reply, she spun around.

"Thanks for the deodorizer, Rin."

She waved her hand lazily ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as she walked away.

Now that I look closely, Adora's skin is as pale as Lucy's.

Is it because she's always cooped up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the underground sewers?

She had a subtle but distinct presence, yet she was an extra who had never appeared back when he was the reincarnated Lee.

"Rin, did you tell that bitch your name?"

"No. I rarely tell anyone my name in the first place. Giving them my last name is usually enough."

"Then how does she know your name?"

However, Rin, who had eavesdropped on the office yesterday using his skill Advanced: Eavesdropping Device in My Ear, had a good guess.

"Lucy, did you tell my name to anyone recently?"

"Uh..."

"It was Labin, wasn't it?"

"...Yeah. I'm sorry."

"Since we're being hunted, we need to be careful about giving our names to others."

"I'm sorry..."

To comfort the dejected girl, Rin opened his arms.

Lucy immediately lunged forward and buried her face in his chest.

As he patted her back, her expression softened instantly, and she began to purr like a cat.

Rin opened and read Labin's letter, which Adora had delivered, and handed it to Lucy a moment later.

Reading the letter with a puzzled look, Lucy's face crumpled in a scowl by the end, and she violently crushed the paper.

"Lucy, what did you think of that information officer, Adora?"

"I didn't like her, but I didn't sense any demonic energy from her."

This is going to get complicated.

For the first time in a long while, Rin muttered to himself, returning to his roots.

"Ah, this wasn't in the plans."

If the information officer had been hostile to us, it would have been an easy checkmate.

The letter contained exactly what Rin had predicted and feared.

There was a large, thick ink smudge, as if Labin had gotten pissed off while writing.

"Ha, it's finally here."

And enclosed was an invitation with red letters written on a black background.

The Demon Hero.

They could be considered the demonic counterpart to the Hero's party.

Like the Hero's party, they referred to each other by their classes rather than their names, but every single one of them was a formidable and troublesome foe.

The new characters and main antagonists of the DLC had finally begun to move.