After the isolation wall was completely lifted, the reward status window popped up.
< ⧉ You have repelled [Corruption – Hiaka]. >
< ⧉ With a force of [Total Combat Power 59.2M], you faced seven one-horned demons, Trappycche. You killed one and successfully saved the city of Redmilk from the remaining six. Within the [Isolation Wall], you kept 97.3% of the population alive and succeeded in preserving key individuals. >
< ⧉ Achievement: SS >
< ⧉ This is an outstanding feat! >
A very welcome window.
This time there’d been no brutal battle or brushes with death, but so what? A paycheck is always more satisfying when you didn’t have to work hard for it.
Below that, the pay breakdown began to roll in.
< ⧉ As a reward for [Corruption], you receive 1 「[Rare] Lucky Box□」. >
< ⧉ For achieving SS rank, you receive an additional 2 「[Heroic] Lucky Box□」. >
I opened them right away.
Two [Stigma] weapons popped out — the Spear of the Blazing Constellation of Fire and a set of 10 Arrows of the Thunder Constellation of Lightning.
Fwoosh! A blade that burst into flames.
Crackle! Arrows that sizzled with electricity.
I liked them. For me right now, the more weapons the better. I tossed them into the 『Armory of the Celestial Soldier』.
Next—
< ⧉ As a reward for [Corruption], you receive 50 Star Shards! >
< ⧉ Of the 33 Stars, 6 have watched you. They grant you modest support for a rather uneventful battle. >
Here we go.
< ж is disappointed by this uneventful battle. [5] >
< ↑ felt no particular sense of thrill. [5] >
Some negative sentiment.
Since they were still handing over Star Shards, I accepted it with a smile. They can badmouth me all they want.
< ♥ is pleased you saved many lives. In addition, it is gradually finding more joy in seeing into a certain person’s heart. [20] >
< ☮ is proud of you for protecting peace. [30] >
Two stars with Dante bias looked on favorably.
I didn’t understand what Life♥ meant by that.
And then—
< ⁺₊⋆ is happy, but also frustrated. It wonders why you haven’t accepted its Constellation sponsorship yet, and urges you to do so. [30] >
This guy.
I recalled something — back half a year ago, I’d wondered why the Radiant Constellation⁺₊⋆ had suddenly tried to sponsor me, but now I thought I knew.
Because Abraxas was the Radiant Constellation⁺₊⋆.
It’s like seeing a dog again after a long time — you think it’s the familiar one with pink eyes, but then realize it’s the dog you lost as a child. Of course you want to bring it straight home.
...Not yet.
It’ll be best to accept somewhere around Main Story 5 or 6, when the [Ranked War] or [United Humanity] plotlines begin.
And even after taking a Constellation seat, it’s not wise to get too close to them.
Among those monsters obsessed with rank and thrill, all it brings is more rivalry.
< │ㅅㅇ)’s viewing fee [1] >
Welcome, minimum wage.
< Total Star Shards: 91 >
< But 91 is not a clean number. >
< ⧉ adds 9 more. Total: 100 >
The bonus 9 felt nice.
Still, fitting for a [Corruption] that started and ended so abruptly, the rewards were stingier than last time. I’d gotten 300 last time.
A pity, but nothing to be done.
...? But what’s this?
I thought that was the end of the rewards—
< ○ drops by to watch. [10] >
< ⚉ drops by to watch. [11] >
< ○: ? >
< ○ adjusts the reward share. [12] >
< ⚉ adjusts the reward share. [13] >
< ○: ?? >
Two of Hiaka’s representative Stars had suddenly appeared and started a dominance contest.
What are these round things?
Why are they doing this?
< ○ adjusts the reward share. [14] >
< ⚉ adjusts the reward share. [15] >
< ○ adjusts the reward share. [16] >
< ⚉ adjusts the reward share. [17] >
Well, it seemed fine to me. Good job. Whatever they’re fighting over, let them fight a bit more.
< ○ adjusts the reward share. [30] >
< ⚉ adjusts the reward share. [31] >
< ○ adjusts the reward share. [50] >
< ⚉ adjusts the reward share. [51] >
Wow. It really jumped like that?
From 100, the total shot up to 201.
But then—what?
< ○: ? >
< ⚉: ? >
< ○: ? >
< ⚉: ? >
< ○ glares at ⚉. >
< ⚉ pretends not to notice. >
< ○: ....... >
The messages cut off there.
< Total Star Shards: 201 >
< But 201 is not a clean number. >
< ⧉ removes 1. Total: 200 >
Who the hell takes away a reward?
Still, ⧉ had given me +8 Shards in total, so I let it slide.
< From now on, some Stars will pay a little more attention to you. Depending on your choices, [Stigmas] may be granted. >
⋮
That was it for the events in Redmilk City.
On the way back to the Academy, I took a passenger train.
With Gula and other eyes watching, I had no choice but to share a compartment with Rebecca.
As the royal son-in-law, gossip would do neither of us any good.
***
Glory was staring at Eve.
Eve, who’d been absentmindedly eating bread, felt the gaze and looked back.
“......”
“......”
Two blue gazes regarding each other warily.
The compartment was for two, and for some reason, I’d stuck Glory and Eve together in one room.
Eve had just come from the hospital, wrapped in bandages here and there, with an IV drip in her arm.
Glory looked at her injuries and frowned.
“Who are you?”
“......?”
“I’ve wanted to ask for a while now. Who are you? How can you wield the Holy Sword? How is it that Professor Dante is keeping you around? And what is that unpleasant feeling I get from you... what is it?”
“......?”
“You won’t answer?”
Tilt—
Eve tilted her head, then shook it, a slight frown in her eyes.
Because she couldn’t hear him.
Glory didn’t know Eve was deaf — he was the type to be pathologically indifferent to others.
“......??”
They’d been in the same space before, but Glory had always been the sort of man to stare blankly into space all day, so they’d never spoken.
But during the battle with Trappycche, every time Eve swung the Holy Sword, Glory had stolen glances at her — and Eve had felt those looks.
“Was that too abrupt? If I’ve been rude, I’ll start by introducing myself. I’m Glory Wonderland. I think of myself as a Hero, a man who will one day save the world in the fight against the Demon King.”
“......?”
“According to Professor Dante, you’re also a Hero. But I don’t understand that. I have no sense of you at all. There is no member named ‘you’ in the Hero Party.”
“......”
“And to damage your own body from using the Holy Sword, no less.”
Whatever Glory said, Eve just shook her head vaguely, saying nothing.
“......”
“......”
Silence again.
Eve, sitting on the long bench, hunched slightly — because Glory’s triple pupils were glaring at her like he might kill her.
Then Glory suddenly said—
“You. You’re a demon, aren’t you?”
“...!”
Gasp!
Eve’s mouth fell open.
...Truthfully, she had no idea what he’d said, but it felt like that was the right reaction.
“That [Illusion] [N O V E L I G H T] on your head — Professor Dante put it there, didn’t he? It’s probably [Illusion] related to [Invisibility]. Break it, and there are horns under there, aren’t there?”
“......”
“......”
“......”
“...I knew it. Demon.”
Eve only kept shaking her head.
Glory’s eyes started spinning a little more.
“...Why you, of all people? Not me... It should be me... I’ve lived since childhood bleeding myself dry to grasp the Holy Sword... with nothing but the resolve to save the world...”
He kept muttering.
“...But forgive me, you don’t even look desperate... Yet you can hold the Holy Sword and I can’t? How can the world be this unfair? You think it’s about that one killing? It wasn’t even a killing I wanted... I can just save more people, right? So can I get the Holy Sword from you? Why does a demon qualify, but I fall short? Answer me. Why?”
His sharp gaze locked onto her, and Eve shook her head a little faster.
Then, with her hands, she carefully signed—
'What are you saying? You lunatic.'
But Glory’s eyes just spun even more, and suddenly he stood up.
“What the hell was that hand sign? Why are you giving me the signals you and Professor Dante use? Are you ignoring me? Because I can’t wield the Holy Sword?”
“???”
“Right? You think so too, don’t you? That I’m trash for calling myself a Hero yet being unable to wield it? And isn’t it funny that a demon can hold it while a human like me can’t? Well? Go on, say it. Criticize me. Call me a lowlife. A fake Hero.”
“?????”
Eve, cornered!
With no idea what to do — which only made him feel even more ignored.
In a low, gloomy voice, Glory said—
“...You know, I’ve lived my whole life with people ignoring half of what I say, but I’ve never hated anyone for ignoring me...”
Slowly—
“...You’re starting to annoy me.”
At that, Eve shot to her feet and bolted for the door.
Save me, demon!
“Ah.”
Left alone, Glory slumped into a seat and covered his face with his hands.
A deep sigh escaped.
“...I’m sorry.”
He couldn’t stand how pathetic he was.
***
While sharing a compartment with Rebecca, we didn’t exchange a single word.
I considered tossing her a “Your magic was impressive” — but figured if I opened my mouth, she’d just shoot back something like, So what?, so I stayed silent.
“......”
“......”
Rebecca silently watched the scenery, and I leaned back and closed my eyes.
For the two hours the train ran, the compartment was filled with nothing but stillness.
Bang!
Then someone suddenly slammed the sliding door open hard enough to break it — Eve.
“...What is it, all of a sudden?”
As Rebecca frowned at the commotion, Eve tilted her head toward her in a brief nod and hurried to sit beside me.
'...This. Happened. Very. Surprised...'
Then she started explaining rapidly, like a squirrel startled out of its wits.
“Hold on, hold on. You’re talking too fast.”
“??”
'Slowly. Explain.'
'Okay...'
Eve explained slowly — that Glory had suddenly glared at her like he was about to kill her and went “Waaaugh!!” in anger.
Probably because she was a demon.
I’d assumed he knew that much as a Hero... apparently not?
I’d left out the long, tedious explanation before because it wasn’t sexy — but maybe it was time to tell her properly.
I was about to convince Eve to go back to her compartment when Rebecca, who’d been quiet, spoke.
“You speak well.”
“Huh?”
“You’re quiet with me.”