Ch.4The Reason He Is Needed (2)

# The Reason He’s Needed (2)

Right after the hero Esmeralda declared she would come find me.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In the distance, I could see the hero approaching, slashing down every tree in sight with her sword.

Seeing her commit such violent acts with a bright smile on her face made my knees weak.

“I-I’m fine.”

“Hmm… really?”

The hero, Esmeralda, who had suddenly appeared before me, stared up at me with those green eyes.

I flinched momentarily at her gaze that seemed to pierce through to my essence.

“Then shall we go eat?”

“Ah, yes…”

Is food all this stupid hero thinks about?

It’s quite bitter to think that someone like this is considered strong.

“…So today I decided we’d eat something fancy. It’s not the spicy soup you like, Lug, but it’s Eirene’s special stew with lots of spices!”

“Ooh, that sounds delicious.”

“Right? I secretly took a bite first and it’s…”

Basically, human realm food tends to taste a bit bland to me.

That’s why I prefer soup that’s close to purgatory-level spiciness.

Of course, spiciness alone doesn’t make good food. How rich the flavor is and how abundant the aroma is also determines taste.

Moreover, knowing that the talented cook Eirene went to such efforts for me today brings tears to my eyes.

If she weren’t a saintess, I might have proposed to her even if she were human.

“Come on! Let’s go, Lug.”

“Yes.”

When I responded, Esmeralda smiled brightly and pulled my arm.

Her usual reckless behavior with that innocent smile.

…But why does it feel like I’m being escorted away? Is it because I have a guilty conscience? Probably, right?

***

Hero Esmeralda stared at Lug, who had just been communicating with demons, while eating her stew.

‘So you’re not giving up on helping Lug escape, huh? Amazing. I didn’t know the Demon King’s army had such camaraderie.’

She had been eavesdropping on Lug’s conversation for quite some time. Though she couldn’t hear the other party’s voice, she could infer the flow from Lug’s words alone.

That’s why she was surprised.

The notoriously cruel Demon King’s army continuing an operation just to rescue a lieutenant-level soldier.

They even lost an entire platoon, including a lieutenant colonel, in the process.

It was only natural to find such an unusual situation strange.

“Oh! This is really delicious!”

It was almost comical that the person in question hadn’t noticed it.

The demon named Lug that Esmeralda observed was quite sloppy.

He couldn’t act well and often did things according to his own whims.

“Wow, how can it taste like this? Can I have another bowl?”

“Y-you don’t need to praise it that much, but I’ll give you more.”

At Lug’s high praise, the saintess Eirene blushed and added more stew to his bowl. Esmeralda stared at this scene before putting some stew in her mouth.

It was tasty. It was natural for a stew with plenty of spices creating a deep flavor to be delicious.

But was it worth making such a fuss over? Not really.

Esmeralda looked at the stew again.

She stared at it, trying to understand why Lug was praising it so excessively.

[Eirene’s Stew]

[A delicious stew filled with spices made by Eirene. Made with holy power for everyone’s health.]

[Effect: Purifies demonic energy.]

“Wow, this stew has a taste that makes my tongue melt!”

“…”

Esmeralda clicked her tongue at Lug, who didn’t realize his tongue was actually melting.

If Lug had secrets, it seemed she would need to hear them from someone other than him.

‘I don’t want to cut Lug out.’

A demon infiltrating the hero’s party.

The reason Esmeralda kept such a Lug alive was simple.

‘I need you.’

Esmeralda alternated her gaze between the stew and Lug, then turned her attention to Eirene. Her green eyes began to emit a sparkling light.

One of Hero Esmeralda’s powers was the ability to see through others.

[Emerald Tablet]

The first reason she wanted to keep Lug in the party despite the risk.

[Name: Eirene Saintess]

[Race: Human] [Title: Saintess]

[Trait List]

Holy Magic Lv. 71

Healing Arts Lv. 57

Barrier Arts Lv. 49

Blunt Weapon Arts Lv. 30

Traits specialized in protection and purification.

It goes without saying how helpful Eirene is to this party with just these.

However…

Brainwashing Lv. 32

Incitement Lv. 31

Torture Lv. 40

Intimidation Lv. 47

[Total Estimated Level: 364]

“…”

Esmeralda couldn’t overlook what she hid behind her pure and kind mask.

That’s why she needed Lug.

[Note: She is interested in Lug. Her attention toward you has decreased.]

Only he could bear the risk factors of this party.

***

Eirene Saintess followed Lug excessively.

To an observer, it might look like love, but to the person involved and one other observer, it felt completely different.

‘There’s a grim reaper behind me. Is this how I’m dragged to hell?’

As a demon, Lug felt a chill whenever Eirene appeared behind him no matter where he went.

Her gentle smile whenever their eyes met might have been beautiful to others, but to Lug, it felt like receiving a death threat.

[Note: She worries about the fragile Lug. She fears accidents might happen when he’s out of her sight.]

“…”

And to Esmeralda, Eirene’s behavior seemed less like a loving girl and more like a dog owner watching her pet. Starting with how she subtly belittled him for being weak.

It might not have been malicious on her part, but Esmeralda occasionally felt a chill.

After all, the traits Eirene was hiding were inherently sinister.

‘Still, in a way, it’s good that she’s acting as a restraint.’

When Lug first joined the hero’s party, he had babbled on in front of Eirene trying to blend in, which showed significant progress.

Back then, Eirene didn’t even want to speak with Lug, but somehow she had started initiating conversations with him.

However, it had become excessive, causing Lug distress.

‘I wonder what happened… maybe it’s better not to ask?’

Eirene had originally come to monitor Esmeralda.

With her title as the church’s saintess, Esmeralda couldn’t refuse when she offered to join her journey.

Esmeralda was impressed by Eirene’s acting skills, never revealing her true nature despite what Esmeralda could see. But now her interest had shifted away from Esmeralda.

She didn’t want to ask what had happened and try to form a connection.

[Note: She is checking Lug’s every move, thoughts, habits, and where the boundaries lie in their relationship.]

Esmeralda closed her eyes tightly and prayed for Lug’s soul.

This was preliminary work.

She didn’t know exactly what Eirene was planning, but she was certain it wouldn’t be good for Lug.

‘Well, let’s just leave it be.’

Thinking about Lug’s suffering actually improved Esmeralda’s mood.

***

It happened when the hero, the saintess, and the porter Lug were advancing through the forest.

This was already a conflict zone between demons and humans, so encounters with demons were frequent. Unfortunately, since this space was half-suspended between the human and demon realms, many demons didn’t recognize Lug.

“Kekeke.”

“Humans… humans!”

“Hand over everything you have and we’ll spare your lives!”

Actually, it would have been surprising if these guys had approached knowing who Lug was.

The remnants of the Demon King’s army spouting typical third-rate villain lines while promising to spare lives.

Or should we call them bandits who had deserted their posts?

‘Even low-ranking soldiers like them can desert their posts, but what about me?’

Lug felt self-loathing.

He was suffering for no reason by enlisting as an officer. Why did he, as an officer, have to feel threatened more often than regular soldiers?

Lug sighed deeply while waiting for Esmeralda’s decision.

Would she kill them because they’re demons? Or might she just teach them a lesson?

After all, being a hero didn’t mean she was a murderer who indiscriminately slaughtered demons.

Of course, if Lug’s identity as a spy was revealed, he’d likely be slaughtered.

“Hmm…”

Esmeralda pondered.

The reason for her hesitation was simple.

[Note: Due to extreme hunger, they’ve made a final desperate choice.]

[Note: Tired of killing people, they deserted but lost all supplies while fleeing and became destitute.]

[Note: They hope you’ll leave some food and quietly go away. They hate fighting.]

The harsh reality of demon life.

Since Esmeralda could see through others’ true intentions, she often chose mercy and persuasion.

Perhaps this time would be similar? Esmeralda was planning to first calm the demons and continue the conversation.

But someone had different ideas.

“Oh my, there are bugs.”

Stab!

It was Eirene, the church’s saintess who couldn’t tolerate the very existence of demons.

[Blunt Weapon Arts Lv. 30]

With a gentle smile, Eirene swung her morning star and took off the head of one of the three demons.

“Huh…?”

Confused by the action that didn’t match her smile, the demons couldn’t understand what had just happened.

Eirene Saintess frowned as she watched the blood dripping from the end of her blood-soaked morning star onto her hand.

“…How messy.”

Seeing this, Lug trembled and hid behind Esmeralda’s back.

Esmeralda was aware of Lug’s attitude but ignored it.

She glanced at Lug and then looked back at Eirene.

This was clearly excessive.

She knew Eirene disliked demons, but not to this extent.

[Note: She’s enjoying the sight of Lug trembling in fear.]

“Ah…”

Esmeralda nodded.

It’s common for adolescent girls to tease boys they like.

Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing to be done.

‘I’m staying out of this~’

Esmeralda chose to ignore the situation.