The Porter Has No Interest in the Hero’s Party

“So, what do you all want to accomplish by sending me back to the demon realm?”

After the funeral, Keiberess had finally composed herself and asked this question with a calm expression. The serene atmosphere in the carriage froze at her cold inquiry. The hero answered:

“We’re not expecting you to do anything for us. We’re sending you back because that’s the agreement.”

Keiberess said:

“Let me tell you in advance, even if I return, I won’t be able to voluntarily do anything for you. I’m already a commander who was once captured by the enemy, and my family has quite a name in the demon realm. To prevent a possible second disaster, they’ll likely send me to the Demon King’s castle and confine me to a mansion.”

The hero responded coldly. Since it was right after the funeral, there was a slight edge to his voice.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“I’m not asking for your sympathy.”

“Now that the funeral’s over, you’ve become quite talkative, haven’t you?”

Lena sneered at Keiberess’s words with a curl of her lips. Keiberess looked at Lena silently before asking another question.

“Commanders must count frontline soldiers merely as numbers.”

Just then, the carriage jolted, and we all experienced our bodies shaking. The shock traveling from our legs to our shoulders wasn’t particularly pleasant. Keiberess, startled by the impact, grabbed my arm tightly, then blushed and quickly removed her hand. She awkwardly brushed back her hair with her handcuffed hands and said:

“A few soldiers died. A few were killed. I was taught that compassion shouldn’t be part of such statements. But I already know that humans are living beings just like us. I can no longer fight as a warrior or commander of the demon realm. Even if the kingdom loses, I won’t be able to live normally like before.”

Keiberess said this while looking at me. I stroked her head, and Lena frowned slightly and said:

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“If I desert the Demon King’s army and side with the kingdom, would it affect the agreement?”

Lena looked at the hero. She seemed displeased that Keiberess had explicitly expressed her intention to defect, but she refrained from further mockery. The hero stroked his chin with a serious expression and said to Keiberess:

“The agreement would break. The purpose was to safely return you, and without that objective, the Demon King’s army has no reason to act honorably.”

“So for the sake of the land, it’s better if I quietly return to the demon realm.”

The hero nodded at Keiberess’s words. Keiberess took my hand again and asked:

“What do you think? Would you also prefer me to go back?”

Bearing the weight of guilt is a terrible thing. I knew that too. As a demon, she deserved divine punishment, but she was seeking a way to repent and atone for her sins. I knew a certain man who had knocked on the door of the porter selection competition for the hero’s party, seeking a path for the Empire.

Knowing that man, I couldn’t bring myself to be harsh with her.

“Well…”

As I dragged out my words, trying to choose them carefully, the hero cut in:

“This isn’t something we can decide at our level. This isn’t about your personal feelings, but about the kingdom’s territory. You’ll be released after we reclaim the kingdom’s land and confirm that all the territory has been safely liberated. Let’s discuss this within the kingdom until then.”

“…I understand.”

Keiberess nodded while tightly holding my hand. I massaged her hand before squeezing it back. Just from my hand pressure, Keiberess blushed and whispered to me:

“It’s okay. I’ll come back.”

Not knowing what expression to make, I simply nodded and smiled at her.

Upon arriving at the border village, we decided to send Keiberess away first. After all, she was separate from our operation.

“So this is goodbye for now.”

“It seems so.”

I stroked Keiberess’s head and lightly kissed her forehead. She smiled just from that, while the soldiers watching this scene from the side gave me disgusted looks.

They probably thought I was a crazy person with a strong stomach, kissing a demon in these circumstances.

I deliberately ignored their gazes and watched as Keiberess entered the cage. Even inside the cage, Keiberess was burning with firm resolve, and the hero said to her:

“Think it over carefully in the capital, Keiberess.”

“…Alright.”

Keiberess’s figure receded. She kept her gaze fixed on us, turning her head until we appeared as mere dots, then crouched down and lowered her head. Once Keiberess disappeared over the hill, Lena patted my back with a smile.

“Feels refreshing now that she’s gone. Right, sir?”

It was a peculiar feeling. Watching someone who committed crimes struggling to atone was never a pleasant experience. But for Lena’s sake, I smiled and said:

“I suppose so.”

Perhaps my smile seemed awkward. Lena nodded, but she didn’t continue badmouthing Keiberess. Instead, she twirled her hair, went over to Mille, hugged Mille’s head tightly, and looked elsewhere.

Ashuria, surprisingly, didn’t join in and kept looking in the direction Keiberess had gone. After focusing her gaze, she turned to the hero and said:

“By the way, Hero, what should we do now? The Keiberess matter will take quite a while, but we can’t just return to the capital like this.”

The hero also spoke with a troubled expression:

“You’re right. I’ve already sent a report about today’s events through a messenger, but where should we go?”

“Why don’t we just go back to the capital? It would be good to receive the mission briefing right away, and if we’re staying long, the capital is the best place.”

Lena suggested. The hero shook his head and replied:

“No, we don’t know what might happen at the front. We need to stay somewhere for a while…”

There were many places we could think of, but none seemed good for a long stay. Ashuria, myself, the hero, and Lena all looked like fools, staring blankly into space or tilting our heads left and right like wind-up dolls, pondering.

“I have a good idea.”

And then, Mille raised her hand high. Our eyes focused on Mille’s hand and then moved down to meet her face. Mille checked our reactions and cautiously said:

“How about Elbiron? It’s the elf village where I lived. You can stay there as long as you want if you pay for lodging, they don’t mind, and it’s near the front, so it’s good for responding to situations. The air is nice too.”

“I’m fine with that.”

Lena nodded readily. Ashuria also thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

“That sounds good.”

The hero was rubbing his chin when our eyes met. He cautiously said to me:

“Well…”

“What is it?”

I was smiling broadly, but tried to hide my expression somehow. But the hero awkwardly smiled and said:

“Nothing. It’s just that your expression is too… open.”

“Me? My goodness, what are you saying?”

I wasn’t smiling. I wasn’t thinking about elf widows. I wasn’t recalling the fact that elves are generally very beautiful, nor was I thinking about how they’re rational beings who don’t form unnecessary attachments and draw the line at one night of pleasure.

Mille, seeing my smile, put on an even brighter expression and said:

“Oh that’s right! There are many married women that the porter likes!”

“Ahahahaha!”

Lena, who had been waiting for our decision, burst out laughing. Ashuria was also chuckling while looking at me, and the hero held his head in his hands, deep in thought.

But no matter how much the hero deliberated, our destination wouldn’t change. The truth was, not just me, but everyone had been curious for a long time. What kind of elves were Mille’s parents who raised her? And just how difficult were these elves who were said to have terrible personalities?

We weren’t pondering because we had nowhere to go. We simply couldn’t think of the best place among those available to us.

There was no way we would exclude a candidate that had good facilities and location, and could also satisfy our personal curiosity.

The hero probably couldn’t overcome his curiosity either. Since Mille was our companion, we were bound to visit the elf village at some point. The hero smiled and said:

“Mille. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Yes! It’s fine!”

Mille said with a smile. Her gaze was sparkling toward the hero, and Lena, gathering her belongings and putting them in my backpack, said:

“Look at those sparkling eyes. We could use them as flashlights at night.”

I let out a light laugh at her joke, making a “kik” sound, and Lena flashed me a V-sign. The hero’s voice spread across the sky:

“Then, our next destination is Elbiron.”