What the Hero Is Doing Now
The Hero's party had temporarily disbanded after the triumphal ceremony. Yet, Yu Jin refused to settle down. Giving up on a peaceful life, he sought to return to the battlefield. By his side stood his former companions: the dwarf Balder and the elf Eina.
"Now that we're actually back on the battlefield, I'm already feeling the fatigue."
"Still, it's what needs to be done!"
Yu Jin felt a pang of guilt toward the two comrades who had accompanied him.
"I'm sorry. But you both know this is necessary."
"That's exactly why we follow you, Yu Jin."
Yu Jin offered a bittersweet smile.
"According to the latest intelligence from the front, there seems to be infighting among the demons."
The reason was glaringly obvious. The ruler of the demons—the Demon King—had fallen.
"Taking down the Demon King first was definitely the right call."
Thanks to that, humanity had managed to hold out until Yu Jin's group returned to the front, even though they had wasted precious time on things like triumphal ceremonies.
Upon arriving at the front lines, the first person they met was the commander.
"I cannot thank you enough for returning to the battlefield so soon."
The commander welcomed Yu Jin and his companions warmly, expressing his deep gratitude.
"The war isn't over yet."
"And that is precisely why I am grateful. Haven't you already achieved the monumental feat of slaying the Demon King? You deserve to rest, yet you've come back out here. I am truly thankful."
"I'd like to know the current situation."
"Ah...! Due to the infighting among the demons, we are currently reorganizing our forces."
"Have you not considered launching an offensive?"
"We feared that if they faced a common enemy like humanity, the demons might unite once more. So, for now, we are simply observing."
Yu Jin found the commander's judgment sound. There was no need to shed blood unnecessarily.
"I see."
"Yes. According to the intelligence we've gathered so far, the succubi are currently being pushed back severely."
The succubi... The legion of succubi and nightmares that had once plagued humanity the most...
"It seems the Hero's party defeating their Queen played a major role in this."
The commander of the succubi and nightmares—a formidable foe whom humanity classified as one of the Four Heavenly Kings—had been discovered and slain by Yu Jin and his companions during their journey to the Demon King's castle.
He vividly remembered the immense struggle they had faced back then, as that apparent opening had actually been a trap laid by the Queen. Eina and Balder seemed to share the same memory, their expressions turning complicated.
"The succubi are losing ground..."
"What do you plan to do next?"
The commander seemed intent on giving Yu Jin's party the freedom to act as they pleased.
"For now, we'll rest and think it over."
"Very well."
The commander assigned them a suitable tent, where they rested and discussed their next move.
"Aren't we going to move in a small group anyway? Why don't we just strike them from behind when they least expect it?"
Balder spoke with his usual lack of deep thought.
"We have to remember that we don't have a healer right now."
The Saintess, who had always provided them with steadfast support, was no longer in this world.
"Didn't the Order promise to support us whenever we needed it? We can just bring someone suitable along."
Yu Jin worried whether there was anyone capable of keeping up with their pace.
"I'll leave that part to you, Eina."
"Understood."
Eina left the tent to request support from the Order, leaving Yu Jin alone with Balder.
"Are you still conflicted about what to do?"
"I'm not sure if it's better to prolong their infighting... or just watch from the sidelines."
If they intervened to support the weaker side, would the succubi and nightmares hold out longer? Wouldn't it be better to let the civil war drag on so they could destroy each other?
"We'll need to look into the situation more closely, then."
Balder agreed after hearing Yu Jin's thoughts. It was indeed wiser to gather information first rather than make a hasty decision.
They spent a few days resting while monitoring the situation and gathering intelligence. Their diligent efforts yielded a wealth of information.
They even managed to uncover the internal dynamics of the demon forces: the legion under the Succubus Queen had clashed with the Orc Lord's army.
The two factions had always been on terrible terms, to the point where they refused to cooperate even when launching attacks against humanity.
The orcs, who prattled on about honor despite being mere monsters, and the succubus legion, which wore down their enemies with underhanded tricks...
Being polar opposites, they had clashed constantly.
At least when the Demon King was alive, they had minded their manners under his watchful eye. But now, he was gone. With no one left to fear, they were free to do as they pleased.
The other demon legions were largely standing by, though some were starting to intervene in support of the Orc Lord.
And not a single demon faction was willing to aid the succubi. Their defeat was practically set in stone.
"Hmm..."
Holding out was virtually impossible for them, and even if the Hero's party and humanity intervened, it seemed unlikely the succubi could escape extinction.
Unless humanity completely annihilated the orc army, or unless the two demon factions somehow reconciled, there was simply no way.
In the end, Yu Jin went to bed without reaching a conclusion, his mind still heavy with worry.
And in his dream... the past came back to him.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the Saintess fighting all by herself to protect their comrades.
"Hero? You idiot! You actually fell for their trap?!"
Yes, that was the Saintess Yu Jin knew.
"I'm sorry. But I'm not too late, am I?"
"If you know you messed up, then do your job!"
He could see how hard she had fought on her own. And that... made him angry at himself. He had known it was an illusion, a dream... He should have broken free much sooner.
"I'm sorry."
This was... the dream of that time. The illusionary dream he had seen when they fell into the Succubus Queen's trap.
Ah, this is a dream too...
Suddenly, the Holy Sword appeared in Yu Jin's hand. The sword, which shouldn't have been there, had materialized out of nowhere...
"W-Wait a minute!"
Just then, someone appeared. She was a lovely woman—save for the slight flaws of horns sprouting from the sides of her head and a tail dangling from her rear.
"Reina, the Nightmare."
She was a direct subordinate of the Succubus Queen... and the very Nightmare who had lured them into the trap back then.
"You've got some nerve showing your face here. Do you want to die?"
"N-No! I came to make a proposal!"
A proposal from a demon wasn't even worth listening to. Yu Jin raised the Holy Sword once more...
"Y-You can at least hear me out!"
The Nightmare's shrill shriek grated on his nerves.
"Fine, I'm listening."
There had to be a reason a demon had come to meet him in person. The fact that she came from the succubus faction, which was currently in a dire situation, was also a factor to consider.
"We want humanity to take us in."
"We?"
"Yes, all of us—the succubi and the nightmares!"
Yu Jin didn't immediately call it nonsense. It was nonsense, but he decided to hear her out.
Her explanation went on and on. The Succubus Queen had fallen to the Hero's party, and their elites had been slaughtered, leaving their legion severely weakened. To make matters worse, they were now being raided by the orc army.
"Those damn orcs treat us like toys."
By nature, succubi and nightmares could not survive without absorbing life force, making them entirely dependent on other races.
"The other demons treat our kind like playthings and discard us like trash... They handle us like convenient tools! Even we succubi can't survive under such treatment..."
Things had been different when the Demon King and their Queen were alive, but losing both had cost them dearly.
As the current leader of the remaining legion, Reina was begging for clemency.
"Do you say this knowing that we are enemies?"
"Do you think we wanted to be enemies? We only did it because the Demon King ordered us to."
In other words, now that the Demon King was gone, they were jumping ship.
She went on to pitch various proposals, suggesting they could run succubus brothels or offer nightmare sleep therapy, appealing to how they could be of use to humanity. She claimed they would only need to absorb a tiny, minuscule amount of life force in return... and argued that surely, such a small price wouldn't be an issue.
"Given how much harm your kind has inflicted on humanity, surely you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"
"I know. But humanity still has to fight the other demons, don't you? If we side with you, we can be of great help."
That was...
Even Yu Jin couldn't easily dismiss her words.
While his individual combat prowess was unmatched, he wasn't particularly outstanding in other areas. Strategy? Tactics? Honestly, he didn't know much about them. Thus, it was hard to refute the Nightmare's claim. Even to his own mind, it sounded like it could be beneficial...
Using the very methods humanity had suffered from against the other demons? Wouldn't that be highly effective?
"Hmm..."
"How about a peace treaty?"
Reina, the Nightmare, had made a bold decision to join forces with humanity to ensure her race's survival...
"This isn't something I can decide on my own. You know that, right?"
"I know..."
"But I will pass the message along."
Honestly, he had no idea what choice the higher-ups would make. There were hardliners who insisted on fighting until every last demon was eradicated, but there were also moderates who argued that since the Demon King was dead, they should negotiate a peace. Their stance was that humanity had already shed too much blood and deserved to enjoy peace.
Sigh...
Still, he had no idea why he had to dream of that of all things.
After waking up with a restless mind, Yu Jin conveyed the peace proposal brought by the Nightmare to the commander and the high command. It would likely take time for a decision to be reached. But since the succubi and nightmares couldn't be allowed to go extinct before then...
"I guess I'll go beat up some orcs to pass the time."
Hoping to shake off his complicated feelings, Yu Jin gathered his companions and headed back out to the battlefield.