The resurrection of the Demon Lord. The ferocious group of demons involved in that resurrection—are beings known as Devils.
After leaving behind quite an unexpected parting gift, Laruway-chan left.
I wish she could tell me a bit more about them. But I doubt Laruway-chan knows much about them either. If she did know in detail, she would surely tell me. So, does that mean there’s very little information about this group of demons?
…I pondered. What was it like 120 years ago when the Demon Lord was resurrected? Back in those days when the war between humans and demons was fierce, were there such things as Devils…?
I ascended from the basement to the second floor and once again whispered words into the message bird.
The recipient, this time, was Mamiya-san.
—(Please investigate whether there were beings called Devils 120 years ago.)
Outside, darkness has fallen. Illuminating the street in front of houses are magical lamps installed by the kingdom. They emit a faint bluish-white light, illuminating the night with a color reminiscent of high-density mana. And then there are the moon and stars hanging in the sky.
Placing the fist-sized message bird on my palm, I sent it off to the Adventurer’s Association. Mamiya-san should still be there. Such a diligent and serious person wouldn’t just think, “I’ve formed an investigation team, so it’s okay,” and return home.
Now then.
I basked in the summer night breeze for a while. It just felt like the right thing to do. And then, my thoughts naturally drifted to my companions. What’s Spica doing? Where’s Shirayuki? Will Dragon come back soon? Razuri, you should hurry back too. Why am I even involved in this situation? I don’t have the strength to handle such situations alone…
…Ah. It’s probably all because of the title of hero. Especially the title of S-rank hero. Ah, I want to retire! I really want to retire! I want to retire right now! But I’ve been assigned to the investigation team. I have to do my job properly. Even if it means just “following behind two parties.”
I sighed and then closed the window.
Oh well.
There’s no point in thinking about things that can’t be helped. Besides, one of my skills is not thinking. It’s quite a handy skill to have. People are creatures who tend to overthink things, but I don’t. I’ll just rest for tomorrow without overthinking.
I boiled water with mana and took a bath for about an hour. I like taking baths. And I also like playing with rubber duck toys while soaking in the tub. Sometimes I play with floating mana toys too. After all that, I got out of the bath. Next, I went to eat dinner.
I used a mana bike to get there. I thought about using levitation magic, but considering that it was nighttime, I decided against it. Plus, it consumes quite a bit of mana.
I pedaled the mana bike, and as mana was supplied to it, the pedals became lighter. Eventually, I arrived at a small tavern in an area about ten minutes away.
The customers right now mostly consist of elderly people. Being a local establishment, the customers are all familiar faces. Moreover, it wasn’t particularly crowded tonight, so I didn’t feel any odd stares upon entering. Even if someone noticed me, they wouldn’t approach me. Yeah, it’s a cozy place, just the way I like it.
I had a casual meal of salad, fried food, and white rice, accompanied by a pint of ale. As usual, my appetite increased with alcohol, so I ordered more snacks—a seafood platter and miso soup. I devoured everything voraciously, then left the restaurant for home.
Outside my room’s window, the message bird was huddling, looking cold. It’s getting chilly tonight. A sign that autumn is approaching.
When I played the message, Mamiya-san’s voice came through.
—(I’ll look into it, but I won’t make it in time before your departure. Please note that I can only prepare it upon your return.)
Thank you.
I let those words drift into the night sky. It’s already late at night, and expressing gratitude doesn’t require sending a message bird. I could simply convey it in person when I meet them. So, I brought the chilly message bird into the room, providing it some warmth while I sat on the bed.
Considering I need to clear my head by noon, waking up around nine should be fine. Assuming I need eight hours of sleep, I have about three hours left. Both oversleeping and sleep deprivation can affect my condition negatively. Managing sleep time is one of the habits adventurers must develop as second nature.
With that in mind, I decided to pass the time for about three hours. Fortunately, I’ve never had trouble finding ways to occupy myself. I enjoy watching videos and live streams.
I activated the display on the ceiling.
I spent about an hour watching animal-related and food-related videos on ManaTube. Then, I flicked my finger to open Manatch and watched streams from my favorite streamers. …One of those streamers was playing a game from [Jipangu Empire], an Eastern island nation that is also known as the gaming powerhouse. It was an FPS game… Wait, is this the game Laruway-chan mentioned?
I watched the streamer play for a while. It’s amusing to see the comments scrolling on the edge of the screen.
By the way, I have a friend who is a streamer and video creator. She seems to be quite popular on ManaTube and Manatch. However, I’ve never watched any of her videos or streams… Well, I did once, but it was so embarrassing that I closed it immediately… Her character was just too different from what I expected.
As I pondered, I felt the onset of drowsiness. Without resisting the urge, I flicked my finger, shutting down everything—the display, the lights, everything. Instantly, darkness enveloped me, a darkness that could feel unsettling. Yet, I knew darkness wasn’t something to fear. I knew it was an ally. So, I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to a peaceful slumber.
Time to sleep.
And get ready for tomorrow.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
What a chill chapter.
One of my skills is also not thinking. Except that it’s on passively.
Star Rail just can’t stop releasing stupidly op characters. Archeron is so stupidly strong.
Footnote:
- None