The Light That Shines on Its Own
"That child is my disciple."
"...Hm?"
Frey, who had been about to ask a question to the little girl sitting beside him, turned his head at the voice coming from behind.
"So don't even think about doing anything strange."
"........."
Spotting the Magic Tower Lord standing behind him, Frey fell silent upon hearing her words.
"Are you really going to stay there? You could come with me..."
"I'll watch from here!"
"Good grief, didn't you come to see the hero? What's with the sudden change of heart..."
Meanwhile, the Magic Tower Lord, who had been speaking while gazing at Glare, shook her head at the girl's bold response and began walking away. Though known to those around her as the eccentric witch or the quirky mage, she always softened when it came to her disciple's words.
"......."
With the Magic Tower Lord gone, Frey sank back into heavy silence, his expression dark.
"Um, excuse me."
Glare, who had been staring at him quietly, scooted a little closer and asked her question.
"Does it hurt?"
Frey's shoulder was soaked in blood from where the girl had clawed it earlier with her nails.
"...Mind your own business, kid."
Even so, Frey coldly brushed her off and focused his eyes on the verification ceremony.
"I ask you: Can you swear here and now that it is true you received an oracle from the Sun God?"
"...Yes!"
In his view appeared the bishop posing the solemn question in a grave voice and Ruby answering with a serious expression.
"".........""
But the nobles' gazes were fixed not on the ceremony, but on him. Most of them hoped to see Frey—who sat there dejectedly, shoulder bloodied yet not rampaging like he used to—show even more weakness.
"I declare! This person's words are true!"
The nobles, who had been staring at Frey for a long while, finally turned forward as the bishop made his pronouncement and applauded vigorously.
"Ugh..."
Only then did Frey tear his eyes from Ruby, look down at the ground, and bite his lip.
"Hmm....."
Glare, observing him intently, cautiously reached out her hand.
"What."
Frey flinched back like a wary cat, shifting his body away. The sight was both amusing and rather pitiful.
"I won't hurt you, so come here for a sec."
"........"
With an enigmatic expression, Glare approached Frey, pulled a crystal vial from her pocket, and poured it onto his shoulder.
His shoulder rapidly began to heal.
"Ow."
He'd claimed it didn't hurt, but apparently it did, as he bit his lip slightly. Still eyeing Glare, who watched him intently, Frey asked in a voice thick with suspicion.
"Why... are you doing this for me."
"Huh?"
"...Why are you being nice."
Frey's expression looked like a haughty cat with its pride wounded, wearing a hurt look.
"Well..."
Feeling an oddly ambiguous vibe, Glare tilted her head, then recalled her master's words.
"That guy's the worst scoundrel in the empire. He'll probably get stripped of his status right here in front of everyone today."
"Ah, that 'Frey' they were blasting in the papers...?"
"What, you know him too?"
Having secretly decided to help the hero, Glare naturally knew about the villain Frey. But for some reason, the Frey she'd met by chance today didn't seem as bad as the papers made him out to be. If anything, he seemed a bit pitiful.
"Hey, big bro. Put this on."
"...What now."
"It's an ointment. My master developed it—great for wounds."
And so Glare offered Frey the healing cream made by her quirky master.
"Your arm looks kinda bad too..."
As Glare said, the bandage on the arm stabbed by Aris was heavily stained with blood.
"What are you waiting for? Take it."
"........."
Frey stared at the cream Glare held out, then turned away with a cold expression.
"I don't need help."
"Huh?"
"I don't need your help."
His voice was laced with self-mockery.
"Don't pity me. It pisses me off."
"......."
"Got it? Stop butting in. Go somewhere else before people notice."
"You seem like a wary cat, big bro."
"...Shut up."
"Pfft..."
Glare burst out laughing at Frey, who hissed like a cornered cat.
"What the—really... Huh?"
Frey shot her an exasperated look, but when her robe shifted slightly, revealing her face, he squinted.
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere..."
He scratched his head, mumbling.
- Swish...!
Glare seized the moment to smear cream on his bandage.
"Big bro, are you a bad person?"
"...Yeah."
After a brief hesitation, Frey answered and slapped away Glare's hand as she spread the cream.
"So you shouldn't get involved with me."
"But saying that makes you seem nice..."
"I'm a bad person."
"Hmm..."
Frey shifted one seat over, as if ignoring her completely, but Glare scooted right after him.
"Hey big bro, you go to the academy, right? Do you know what this is?"
She held something out to him.
"......."
"Hey~? It's super important..."
Frey ignored her at first, but when Glare flailed and dangled the button in his face...
"...Sunrise Academy uniform button."
He replied in a listless tone.
"Really? It really is an academy button... That shady detective was right... I gotta get in next year somehow..."
Glare mumbled, staring intently at the button in her hand.
"...Told you that as payback for earlier."
Frey, still looking away, spoke in a low voice.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not grateful or anything."
His voice was wary, but laced with shy thanks, so Glare was already smiling.
'For some reason... I wanna help him.'
Was it her kind heart? Or her keen intuition reading Frey's true nature? Even as malicious stares poured in from all sides, Glare pitied Frey, who pretended not to care while trembling at the impending doom.
"I read a little article in the church newsletter."
She gently took his slightly shaking hand—as if from tension—and spoke softly.
"They said no direct evidence of your crimes was found..."
"I hid it all."
"Or maybe... you didn't actually commit them?"
"Quiet, kid."
Frey roughly shook off her hand again.
"...Leave me alone."
His voice trembled.
"...Therefore, the imperial family and church hereby declare!"
And at that moment, a solemn voice echoed through the ballroom.
"The Sunrise Empire hereby appoints the commoner girl Ruby as the Second Hero!"
"...Thank you."
Ruby bowed slightly, receiving the seal proving her heroism.
"...Pfft."
She shot a smirking glance at Frey in the back corner.
"Woooow!!!"
Cheers erupted through the ballroom simultaneously.
It was the moment the fates of hero and Demon King reversed.
"...Grind."
".........."
In that scene, Glare—hood pulled low—ground her teeth quietly, while Frey hung his head in silence.
".......?"
The two soon looked at each other and tilted their heads.
"Why the long face, big bro?"
"Why are you grinding your teeth..."
They'd been staring for a while when they asked each other almost simultaneously.
"Then, everyone please stand and move to the adjacent hall to enjoy some dancing and refreshments while you wait."
The attendant beside Ruby announced loudly.
- Scraaape...
Chairs scraped and chatter filled the air.
"...Phew."
Thinking he could finally slip away with a sigh, Frey quietly stood—but then...
"Frey Raon Starlight."
A soft voice came from beside him.
"Why are you all the way in the back? Took me forever to find you."
Ruby, having descended from the stage, scratched her head with an innocent expression.
"Pfft!"
"Heh heh..."
Anyone could see Ruby as a naive country girl landing a solid hit on Frey, so laughter burst from those leaving who caught the amusing scene.
"I have some private matters to discuss with you... Would you come with me?"
"...Me?"
"Yes, um... y'see... Hero Party! You gotta give advice on the Hero Party, right? And after talking with me, about your future disposition..."
"...Hero."
"Ah!"
Ruby, chattering brightly, covered her mouth in surprise as her escort knight cut in.
"Th-this was classified, right? Sorry..."
"...No, it's fine."
The knight bowed deeply to Ruby, then looked down at Frey.
"After speaking with the Hero, you'll need to meet with our side briefly."
"Why?"
"...You don't need to know."
The knight—who had guarded his mansion during the third trial—brusquely dismissed Frey's question.
"Have a good day."
She sneered, lip curling, then left with Ruby into the corridor.
"......."
Frey fell silent, unable to retort.
"Pathetic."
"What a loser..."
"...Sneaking in just 'cause you're invited. Doesn't know his place."
As nobles passed him toward the corridor, tossing barbs...
"...Ugh."
Frey clasped his hands in his lap, face pale, eyes downcast.
Quite some time passed like that.
"...Annoying."
A clueless newbie maid, cleaning up after the nobles left, scowled at the lingering Frey and muttered before vanishing.
"Tch."
Frey, who had kept his head bowed in pale terror, suddenly changed expression and muttered.
This week's Villainy Points settlement complete: 300,000 points
"They'll regret it."
Gazing indifferently at the points window before him, Frey stood to leave—but then...
"Um, excuse me."
At the 'excuse me' he'd heard all day, he sighed deeply and glanced aside.
"Go home, kid."
Glare stared at him with worried eyes—the picture of worldly innocence—and he glared back.
"Like I said earlier, I don't want your pity..."
He closed his eyes to say it, but...
"...You can do it."
The kid's words made him freeze.
- Clink.
Wound treatment creams were suddenly tucked into his arms.
"........"
Was it because it had been so long since a total stranger showed him such warmth? Frey felt a lump in his throat and stood dazed for a while.
"Her eyes do look kind... She kinda reminds me of that person. Quite a bit..."
Muttering as she eyed him, Glare soon made an offer.
"Um, if you become a commoner... come to the Magic Tower. My master needs an assistant lately. It's such grueling work it's considered imperial punishment, so you could handle it."
"........."
"You look like you'll get beaten to death otherwise—better than that, right? My master will beat you half to death, but not kill you. So..."
"...What's your name?"
As Frey turned to leave down the corridor, leaving the little girl behind, he asked softly.
"Me?"
"Yeah. So I can remember."
The kid, who for some reason pitied him, tilted her head at the odd feeling.
"My name is Glare."
"What?"
"Glare. It means sparkling light."
She turned and said as she walked away.
"My parents—who I barely remember—named me that, hoping I'd be a light that shines on my own in this dark world."
".....!"
"See ya."
Leaving those words, Glare vanished as if by magic.
"...Glare?"
Frey stood frozen for a long time before finally speaking.
"No way... That kid from back then?"
He muttered in shock.
"For real?"
"What's 'for real'?"
Then came a haughty voice from ahead.
"My frail, pitiful Frey..."
The innocent expression gone.
"You wouldn't come, so I came myself...?"
Demon King Ruby approached, opening the main hall door, her face arrogant and thrilled.
"Shall we two have a deep, secret little chat?"
She coiled around his arm, whispering huskily.
"Hm~?"
......
Meanwhile, at that moment.
"Ah, h-hello..."
Rosewin, who had arrived quite late to the verification ceremony due to extravagant primping, bowed hastily at the Hero Party waiting room entrance.
"I-I'm a bit late, aren't I?"
"N-no..."
"Then, excuse me...!"
Being late to meet the hero—what a disaster. Anxious she might have rubbed the hero the wrong way, she entered without hearing the knight's explanation.
"......Huh?"
And tilted her head.
"I-is this the right place?"
She asked the knight beside her.
"No one's here?"
Surprisingly, the waiting room was empty.
"W-we don't know either..."
"Huh?"
"We'll look into it... You're the only one who's arrived, Miss Rosewin..."
Rosewin's expression went blank.
"Wh-what do we do...? The hero's supposed to come here, right? How do we..."
"F-first, have Miss Rosewin sit!"
"Wh-wha?"
The knight grabbed her arm and dragged her to a chair; she followed in a daze.
"D-don't go anywhere, just stay put!"
"........?"
The knight left after seating her.
"What in the world..."
She'd definitely been late, so why was the Hero Party absent? As Rosewin muttered alone in confusion...
"Wooow!!!"
"...Eek!!"
A high-energy cheer came from beside her; startled to the point of tears, she whipped her head around.
"Hello!!"
"...Uh, wha?"
In her sight was Perloché, who had been pouring divine power into Ruby the whole way here and was taking a break.
"N-nice to m-meet—"
"You're... such a ridiculous person!"
"...Pardon?"
Calming her trembling heart and extending a hand to Perloché, Rosewin looked puzzled at the words.
"Welcome to the eternal Hero Party!!"
Perloché grabbed her hand, shaking it vigorously with a dumb grin.
"I mean it!!"
She stared straight at the flustered Rosewin and repeated it.
"...Ridiculous Miss Rosewin!!"