The Porter Has No Interest in the Hero’s Party

“Mister. We have a business trip.”

We were like fishermen waiting for a storm, having to move quickly according to news that came like the wind. Like sailors tying anchor ropes and folding sails, we had to move anywhere to respond to all kinds of events the Demon King’s army was causing.

But before setting out on the journey, I had something I needed to clarify.

“Are we returning to the fortress? Or are we moving on to the next front line?”

Hearing my question, the hero opened his eyes wide, then covered his lips and giggled. I always thought the hero’s laugh wasn’t manly, but I didn’t bother mentioning it. The hero said:

“Mister. Have you already grown attached to Keiberess?”

“It’s not that, but are we just leaving like this? I think we should clarify something about her treatment before we go.”

Keiberess had become very cooperative with our kingdom since she began ‘sharing love’ with me. But no matter how cooperative she had become, she was still a demon. Her cooperation was merely something temporarily obtained through my love becoming her shackles.

If we left her like this, no one knew how she might suddenly change.

“Ah, don’t worry about that. The reason we’re going on this trip is because negotiations between the demon side and the kingdom have been concluded. We’ll take Keiberess with us.”

Only after hearing that did I understand the business trip. Someone like the front-line commander Daemon’s fiancée would be talent the demon world wouldn’t want to lose. It was clear that the demons had proposed some significant condition and demanded Keiberess’s exchange, which the kingdom had accepted.

I asked the hero:

“What condition?”

“They proposed to liberate land that was formerly kingdom territory and leave that land as a safe zone until this war ends. So, even if the kingdom falls, they’ll leave a corner of land where we can live. This time, they’ll liberate territory in front of our eyes, and on that condition, we’ll first confirm Keiberess’s safety for them.”

A promise not to invade a corner of the kingdom’s territory again. This was a significant loss even for the demons who still had the upper hand in terms of power.

“Keiberess must have been very important.”

“She’s Daemon’s fiancée, after all. And they say her family is good too. When your family is good, many people try to save you. I’m more worried about whether the demons will keep their promise.”

Along with demons using poison, there were also those using deceptive tactics. Demons were the kind who seemed likely to break promises at any time. If the kingdom really fell, they might suddenly change their minds and invade, or they might completely forget what they had said once the situation became favorable to them.

Demons only remember words that benefit them.

Like the hero, I didn’t trust what they said much either.

“But if we return Keiberess safely, they won’t be able to attack openly. We’ve shown that we have the capability to capture key figures of the Demon King’s army, so as long as we continue to be active, they’ll have to think about the next step.”

But I believed in our efforts. As long as we continue to demonstrate the ability to capture major forces of the demon world as prisoners at any time, the safe zone they propose will always remain a safe zone, and we can negotiate again next time.

Ashuria said as she put light luggage into my backpack:

“That’s right. Ability is a more certain guarantee than anything else.”

Lena and Mille followed behind. Lena stuck to my side with a smiling face and asked me:

“Mister. Today, you should walk with me, right?”

“Yes. Alright.”

I answered pleasantly because she seemed to be in a good mood.

I put my backpack on the carriage and then climbed into my seat. This time, since we were officially going to confirm the fulfillment of the demons’ requirements rather than a special operation, there was no need to move secretly by walking.

Even I, the porter, was being sent on the wagon. Mille checked the soft cushion and spacious area and threw herself in while humming.

“Mille. The corner is hard. Show some restraint.”

Ashuria entered while grabbing Mille’s nape, and Mille looked at Ashuria while sticking out her tongue as if disappointed. Ignoring Mille’s gaze, Ashuria opened a book and looked at me. I felt strangely about her sudden attention and asked:

“What’s the matter?”

“This time, part of the kingdom’s territory is being liberated, and there are demon stones scattered throughout that territory. The message about liberating territory means…”

“It means liberating the demon stones.”

Several cases of liberating demon stones had already been reported in the kingdom. All were desperate stories of people barely escaping with their skin and bones or emerging in a severely weakened state.

I already knew this terrible fact.

The hero made a bitter expression and hugged his sword, and Ashuria looked at me silently and then said:

“Even liberation isn’t a pleasant thing; the demons only bring harm.”

“But Ashuria. Isn’t it better for us to release them from the demon stones and bury them than for them to remain trapped? Those people would be happier about that too.”

Ashuria closed the Bible and looked at Mille. She was looking at Ashuria with a clueless expression. Ashuria rolled her eyes for a moment and then placed her hand on Mille’s head. And ruffling her hair, she said:

“That’s right, Mille. But if you say such things elsewhere, there will be people who get angry. Because when you forcibly present reality to people who don’t want to know the truth, they tend to become sad.”

I nodded at Ashuria’s words. It was the first time she, who always clashed with my opinions, was presenting an opinion that matched mine.

“People are all fools, so they think there’s a possibility until they confirm with their own eyes. You know those experiences, right? Experiences like when someone tells you that a store is sold out, but you don’t believe it and rush to the store.”

“Which side is the porter on?”

At Mille’s question, I laughed. Stroking my chin, I closed my eyes, then nodded and said:

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Do I believe that I can save the Empire’s people? Or do I want to be satisfied with the fact that the Empire’s demon stones are all filled with rotten corpses and that liberating them is enough?

I couldn’t give a proper answer to Mille’s question.

The village that was the criterion for liberation had demon stones placed here and there, giving it the feel of an abandoned mine. Rotten food on tables and demon stones beyond what were probably cow or pig enclosures. The obnoxious landscape without a single corpse exuded an even more eerie feeling than a cemetery.

Keiberess, who had gotten off the carriage, gradually approached my side and caught her breath, and Lena frowned and drew a line between me and Keiberess.

A straight trench clearly divided the two of us, and Lena said:

“If you stick close here, they’ll find it strange over there. Keep your distance.”

The hero didn’t stop Lena’s action either. The soldiers who followed pulled Keiberess’s chains strongly, and she realized once again that she was a criminal here and bowed her head. The hero asked Keiberess:

“You must have visited many sites, are there demon stones connected to you too?”

Keiberess shook her head and said:

“No. I came as a late deployment. War in the demon world doesn’t use tools like these demon stones. The climate there is already adapted to demons. I’ve heard that such systems were used to purify certain areas before I was born, but this is the first time I’m seeing demon stones used in actual combat.”

“If you were in a later deployment, that means you weren’t involved in creating demon stones.”

Keiberess nodded once more. She had an expressionless face while looking at the village’s devastation, but she was at least mindful enough to lower her voice, sensing the grim atmosphere around.

“Creating demon stones is a more advanced technology than you might think. It’s not a technique taught to front-line commanders like me.”

“If they don’t teach you, does that mean separate technicians come to the lands you’ve conquered to create demon stones?”

“That wasn’t the method used in the Empire, but it was when conquering this kingdom’s land. Using soldiers to subdue villages and resisting forces, then technicians or commander-level personnel like Daemon would come and turn everything into demon stones.”

“You must have found it fun making them. Looking at how proudly you’re speaking.”

Ashuria sneered with an unpleasant expression after hearing Keiberess’s explanation. Keiberess avoided Ashuria’s eyes and said:

“I’m just cooperating. It’s not a boast.”

“Have you ever felt a pang of conscience? Have you ever blamed yourself for turning innocent people into demon stones so that you could live on this land?”

Keiberess glanced at Ashuria. Not just her, but everyone including me was looking at Keiberess. Keiberess bowed her head again and said:

“I’ve never blamed myself. Because that was our way of war.”

Everyone closed their mouths. It was obvious that forcibly extracting repentance from a demon world commander now would only be like making them prostrate and apologize, and would just make feelings worse. Lena said:

“It’s fortunate we have the pretext of confirming safety today. Otherwise, I would have ripped out your tongue.”

“You can rip it out. I can heal it without a trace.”

Lena looked at Keiberess, who was shrinking at the mention of torture. Keiberess appeared more shrunken and tense whenever Lena snickered. Lena stared at Keiberess as if she would stab her to death, then changed her expression and lightly hit her back.

“Why are you so surprised? Do you think I would really do it? I understand people like you too. When you don’t see people as people, you can do anything. Look at us. We torture you to the extent it seems too much, but we don’t blame ourselves, do we? Just like you making demon stones out of people.”

Keiberess approached me. I didn’t push her away, and Keiberess stuck to me and bowed her head. No one could know what she was thinking as she said nothing.

Only Lena sneered at her strange behavior.

“Sense of guilt, you know. It comes flooding in when you realize the other is an equal being. How about it? Is that mister an equal being to you? Do you somewhat feel the impact of having buried his family as demon stones?”

Keiberess didn’t answer. The hero separated Keiberess and me and said:

“There it comes.”

A fancy carriage was coming from the direction of the horizon.

Keiberess looked at the emblem on the carriage and murmured in a small voice:

“Daemon…”