The First Demon Hero, Lancer Salamae
"Let's keep it smooth and stick to the plan, Lee!"
Labin patted Rin on the back as they walked out of the guild house.
The plan was simple.
To frame Labin, the Mercenary Guild and the Merchant Guild had hidden a magic beast in the city's black market.
They had paid a wretched beggar to pose as a black market merchant trading with her.
Their goal was to expose her, claiming that Labin had conspired with demons and smuggled magic beasts into the city to seize control of Waltercroix.
That was their scheme.
To counter this, Lucy and Rin would secure the magic beast and the fake merchant beforehand. Then, in the middle of the Triumvirate meeting, Labin would strike first by shouting, "You bastards are the ones colluding with the demons!"
Amid the ensuing chaos, Adora, acting as an information officer, would secretly plant letters—forged in the exact same style as the Demon Hero invitation Labin had received—into the pockets of the other guild leaders. Then, she would pretend to "discover" them.
Finally, Lucy and Rin would appear with the magic beast and deliver the killing blow with the testimony of the beggar-turned-merchant.
It was incredibly simple and highly effective.
Assuming everything went smoothly, that is.
"Stop acting so close to Rin!"
"And you, stop throwing tantrums over nothing and ruining the mission!"
Naturally, Lucy and Labin were already at each other's throats.
It was a vicious cycle: Lucy's endless jealousy clashing with Labin's deliberate playfulness around Rin, which only fanned the flames.
"Sigh..."
Leaving the two to bicker, Adora handed a map to the sighing Rin.
"Here, this is the black market, and the marked spot inside is the cage holding the magic beast."
"What type of beast is it?"
"It's canine. Looks like a cross between a wolf and a hyena."
"A mutant?"
"Yes, but it hasn't reached Unique rank."
Canine beasts were troublesome because once they evolved past the mutant stage—where only their strength and size increased—and awakened as a Unique beast, they immediately gained the skill Pack Summon.
In other words, a single howl could multiply their numbers exponentially.
If Pack Summon were cast inside the city, it would result in massive civilian casualties.
Since it wasn't a Unique, they didn't need to worry.
"Tsk. The information officer gets deployed, and I'm stuck on lookout duty."
When Jiyol grumbled, Labin stepped in to placate him.
"It can't be helped. No one monitors the checkpoints as thoroughly as you, Jiyol. We don't know when those bastards might call in reinforcements from outside forces."
"I know, I know."
"Once this is over, I'll buy you a massive feast."
"You better! We're taking over the top spot in Waltercroix!"
"Damn right! I'll make sure the table is groaning under the weight of the food!"
The two of them got along surprisingly well.
Just as he had complained, Jiyol was tasked with watching the checkpoints on the outskirts of the city to see if any external reinforcements attempted to enter.
It was a crucial but tedious position, which was why he disliked it, but Labin had a good reason for assigning him to it.
It was Jiyol who had intercepted the crow flying through the skies of Waltercroix just last night.
The letter it carried—instructing them to find the Hero's weakness and kill them if the opportunity arose—had been read by Labin, Rin, and Lucy.
"Lee, what's the move?"
Rin's mind raced.
At the same time, the dice of fate rolled.
"Labin, who are the Empire and Shield Knights' agents in this city? The biggest players."
Who the agents were, and how many of them existed—all of it was determined by the game's random chance.
Just like how Lucy's Demon Hero rival was randomly selected.
"If we're talking about the biggest players..."
The usually cheerful Labin sighed, looking troubled.
"It's the other two members of the Triumvirate."
Well, we're screwed.
Usually, it would be just one of the Triumvirate or someone of a lower rank. Instead, he had rolled the absolute worst-case scenario.
Rin had never possessed good gacha luck.
As he squeezed his eyes shut, Lucy called out to him softly.
"Rin."
"What is it, Lucy?"
"Personally... I want to kill them all. But if you want to spare them, I'll follow your lead."
After a brief hesitation, Lucy added,
"I will only ever obey you."
"I'll follow Lee's lead too," Labin chimed in.
Everyone was waiting for Rin's decision.
But Rin didn't need to think twice.
"Capture them alive, extract information, and then kill them. If they try anything funny, kill them on the spot."
Normally, the standard route was to frame them for colluding with demons, prove it, and then execute them. However, Rin believed it was best to prepare for any variable.
One of those variables was the possibility that the agents were actually making backroom deals with the demons.
If that were the case, a Demon Hero might show up in the middle of their clash.
"Alright. Capture them if possible, squeeze them dry, and then slit their throats, right?"
The decision was made, and the guidelines were set.
Labin cracked her neck, a relaxed smile spreading across her face as she glanced back.
"Let's go, guys."
Hundreds of Thief Guild members immediately fell in line behind her.
"Yes, Boss!" they roared in unison.
Tragically, Rin's decision to prepare for the worst turned out to be entirely correct.
"...Hey."
"I am aware."
Arciel and Tigria had received Rheinfold's reply via magpie.
Having finished their day of preparation, they were about to head to Waltercroix when a blatant, piercing gaze forced them to halt.
"Come out while I'm still asking nicely."
Arciel spoke flatly, pulling on her Dragon Scale Gloves.
Every time she clenched and unclenched her fists, white holy power crackled like lightning.
But only silence answered her.
Exchanging a glance, the Saint held up three fingers to the Mage.
One.
Her thumb folded down.
Two.
Next, her index finger.
Taking a deep breath, she folded her middle finger.
Three.
"De—!"
Just a single syllable.
Tigria had barely uttered a sound.
Normally, she would have said "Detect," channeling her mana to set the spell's range.
But the moment she opened her mouth, a blue-skinned demon burst through the trees. A spear thrust forward, already inches from Tigria's face.
"You bastard!"
Arciel lunged forward and kicked the spear aside.
Despite the heavy impact, the spear barely wavered. It instantly pivoted, sweeping toward Tigria's abdomen.
"Not on my watch!"
Clang!
Twisting her torso with all her might, Arciel brought her fist down, slamming the spear into the ground.
Only then did the spear retreat, resting back on its owner's shoulder.
"How strange."
The demon, with her blue skin and white hair tied in a side-tail, possessed a thoroughly languid demeanor.
She had a cute face, but she was surprisingly tall.
While not quite as voluptuous as Lucy, her chest was ample, and her hips were firm and shapely.
"I thought I'd be able to kill you easily."
"Hey. You bluffing in front of a Saint, you bitch?"
"Did I focus too much on speed? Hmmm."
A vein throbbed on Arciel's forehead.
"Why, you little..."
Arciel ground her teeth, furious at being ignored, but the demon didn't pay her the slightest attention.
Tigria, on the other hand, was frozen solid with tension.
Although the demon was yawning and acting full of openings, Tigria could feel that the creature's entire focus was locked onto her.
Forget speaking or chanting a spell—if she even shifted her stance slightly, another light-speed thrust would pierce her.
"Yawn... Seeing as you blocked my attack, you must be the Hero's party?"
"And you're obviously a demon."
Arciel had never heard of a demon who wielded a spear with such terrifying skill.
Faced with this formidable new foe, Arciel drew on her combat experience and deliberately kept the conversation going.
Her instincts screamed at her.
We can't beat her right now. Extract as much information as possible.
"You have the Mage and Saint of the Hero's party right in front of you, and you're yawning?"
"Mmm... That Mage isn't moving at all. Should I just take out the guard first?"
"Hey, you bitch!"
"Sigh... 'Bitch, bitch.' The Illusionist told me. People who do nothing but swear, using the same few repetitive insults, are always the weakest."
"...What did you say?"
"Yeah. Going by the Illusionist's logic, you must be the weakest. I'll just get rid of you first, then deal with the Mage."
It was bizarre.
Usually, melee fighters were simple-minded warrior types who were easy to talk to.
Though she felt a seed of doubt, Arciel's cheeks trembled with sheer rage.
Even when she lived in Gutter Alley, she had never been looked down upon like this.
"Oh! Right. The Illusionist told me to check what to do when fighting you guys. Let's see..."
Pulling a piece of paper from her waistband, the demon nodded and read the writing on it.
"'First, introduce yourself... even your name?' Ugh, we haven't even introduced ourselves to each other, and I have to give my name to the enemy?"
Despite how full of openings she seemed, neither Arciel nor Tigria could make a move.
It wounded their pride, but this lancer was someone only Lucy could stand against.
"'They are needed, so do not kill them... and do not cripple them either...' Sigh... everything is so annoying."
Crumpling the paper and stuffing it back into her pocket, the demon waved lazily.
"Hellooo? I'm Salamae. I'm the vanguard and lancer of the Demon Hero party."
"The Demon Hero party?"
"Ah, would it be easier to understand if I said we're the demon version of your Hero's party?"
"There's no way demons could have a Hero!"
"Wow, it's just a title. You really are an idiot."
"Urgh...!"
For the record, the paper the Illusionist gave her had instructed her to provoke the enemy as much as possible.
But Salamae hadn't intended any of her insults.
"Unfortunately, I was told not to kill you. I just need to buy time this time."
"Salamae, vanguard of the Demon Hero party! What is your goal?!"
"Our goal? Ah..."
For the first time, a bright smile broke through her languor.
"Our goal is to carry out the will of the Demon God, resurrect the Demon King, and destroy the Empire and the Holy Kingdom."
"What?!"
"And my personal goal is..."
She made sure to draw a clear line.
Unlike before, this next statement was a deliberate provocation.
"To take Rin and keep him by my side."
"Rin? The porter? Why is the porter brought up here?"
But Salamae ignored Arciel once again.
"Shh..."
Placing her index finger to her lips as she looked at Tigria, the lancer returned to her languid expression.
With just that, the brilliant Mage understood.
The porter's presence in this world after the subjugation of the Demon King was far greater than they had realized.
And that Rin shared a deep, childhood connection with Arciel.
It was only a hunch, but Salamae acted as if she already knew everything.
Could the boy Arciel had once called cute actually be...
"Stop ignoring me, you spear-wielding bitch!"
Cr-crack-crackle!
Clad in holy power from head to toe, Arciel lunged forward.
"Did you know?"
But the lancer was already floating upside down in the air like a bat.
"I was originally created to be the counter to the Hero, Luciena."
Their compatibility was similar, making Salamae the exact rival for Lucy that Rin had envisioned.
Speed, physical strength, and tactical judgment in battle—she was a perfect warrior who lacked nothing.
"So I thought I'd be the one going to meet Rin this time."
She adjusted her stance.
Flipping her body mid-leap, Salamae gripped her spear short and raised it above her head.
"But in this world, the Illusionist is the best fit. Even though the worldline is fixed, and this is the only world we have, past or future."
So,
"I'm going to take my frustration out on you guys, okay?"
A blue light flared in her eyes.
Simultaneously, blue mana surged around her spear, erupting like flames.
Spear Throw: Dart the End
"Spear Throw: Dart the End!"
The spear, carrying the destructive force of a blue meteor, was hurled toward the two.
"Con-cen-tra-teeeeeeeed Compressed Hardened Defense!!!!!!"
Though the defensive spell had been chanted at an incomprehensible speed, the blue spear tore through the barrier like wet paper.
Simply passing between them, the spear severed and incinerated the Mage's left leg and the Saint's right arm.
"...Agh!"
"Severe injuries...!"
As the two collapsed helplessly, Salamae raised her spear, which had already returned to her hand.
"What are you doing?"
Rin's prediction had been correct.
"Heal up, quickly. Aren't you a Saint? I'll wait."
At some point, this world had devolved into a trash game ruled by terrible RNG.