Which One Is Right? (2)

The duty of the Hero’s party was to protect people’s peace.

The ultimate goal for that was to defeat the Demon King.

However, the only thing that threatened people’s peace was not the Demon King.

“Resistance, you say?”

“That is what they call themselves. Truly troublesome.”

A week had passed since the battle with Barbatos.

We had arrived at a large city called Nepart.

We had not stopped here by coincidence while heading for the Demon King’s castle.

We had come to this city because of a certain request, taking a detour from our original route.

The client was Duke Wardab Dobsor, the lord who governed this city.

He was the fat old man sitting right in front of us.

“About a month ago, facilities and warehouses under my management were attacked by those calling themselves the Resistance. The damage was not severe, but they have repeated it many times since.”

“So you asked us because of that?”

“Yes. I heard the Hero’s party had set out, and I was clinging to any hope I could find. I truly thank you for coming. Please accept this.”

“—!”

Duke Wardab held out a huge sum of money.

I doubted my eyes.

I had never seen that much money in my life.

“T-this is…?”

“An advance payment. Once the job is complete, I will add the same amount again.”

“Double?!”

“Is it not enough?”

“No, no, it is more than enough!”

Was this not too much?

My eyes went wide in shock.

“Y-you are incredibly generous.”

“What are you saying? I am making a request of the Hero’s party. Paying an appropriate reward is only natural.”

The duke smiled.

He looked like a nouveau riche, the very image of a corrupt lord, and I could not bring myself to like him…

But, well, if he paid, I could not just refuse outright.

We had lost most of the supplies supported by the Kingdom during Barbatos’s attack.

The townspeople we helped had prepared a carriage for us, but the journey would continue.

Money was never a bad thing to have.

“Erika.”

“…Yes. If the city’s residents are being harmed too, we cannot ignore it.”

“Will you accept the request?”

“We came for that purpose in the first place.”

“Thank you! Now I can finally sleep peacefully.”

The duke looked truly relieved.

He must have been genuinely troubled.

He had a villain’s face, but abandoning someone in need would not be very heroic.

It was definitely not only for the money!

“Your eyes have turned into money.”

Shut up.

Money mattered too!

“Please use my mansion during your stay. I will prepare rooms for you as well.”

“Thank you.”

“Yay! So we are not sleeping outside tonight!”

Arka was happy too.

Ever since we left the town, we had camped outdoors every night, so it had been a while since we had a proper bed.

We probably could not relax, since we did not know when the next attack might come.

The duke clapped his hands.

A woman in a maid outfit appeared.

What stood out was not her clothing, but her physical traits…

“Show them to their rooms.”

“Yes.”

“Stop dawdling! Hurry up!”

“Ow!”

The duke slapped the maid across the cheek.

Everyone froze in shock.

The first to react was Arka.

“H-hey! What are you doing?!”

“My apologies. I did not mean to show you something unsightly.”

“That is not the point! Why did you hit her?!”

“Why? It is discipline for a servant. There is nothing strange about it.”

The duke said it without the slightest shame.

Arka was speechless.

It was not just that he called violence “discipline.”

She had only followed his order.

She had started moving immediately, and I did not think she was slow at all.

This was too much…

“Isn’t that… going too far—”

“If I may, this one is, as you can see, a beastfolk.”

That much was obvious.

Dog-like ears and a tail—she did not look like a normal human at all.

There were races in this world called demi-humans.

They were few in number, extremely rare…

“This one is a slave I purchased. Not even a person. As discipline for an animal, it is appropriate.”

“Y-you…”

An animal?

I had heard that demi-humans held a lower status than humans.

They were said to be few because they had lost a great war long ago.

In modern times, demi-humans were targets of discrimination.

I had heard it, but was it really this horrible…?

“You… even if she is beastfolk, she is still a person!”

“What an amusing thing to say. In this country, only humans are protected. Demi-humans are not included. Is that not so, Lady Erika?”

“Erika?”

“…It is true, yes.”

The Kingdom of Etoile was a human nation.

If there was such a thing as human rights, it applied only to humans.

Erika had taught us that.

But she had also said this:

“That is the current reality. However, slavery is forbidden.”

“That is just a figure of speech. In truth, I rescued her when she was wandering with nowhere to go. Is that not right?”

“…Yes.”

She sounded like she was being forced to say it.

This lord really was corrupt, just as he looked.

“You…”

I understood why Arka was angry.

But as long as the maid served this mansion, what to do with her was, in the end, the duke’s choice.

We calmed Arka down before she could explode, and night fell.

“What is with that guy?! He makes me furious!”

“I get it.”

“Right?! Let’s just ignore this request!”

“We cannot do that. Setting aside the lord’s personality, if the residents are being harmed, we cannot leave it alone.”

“Ugh…”

She had been angry nonstop ever since.

This was nothing like when I had mistaken her gender.

I understood the anger, but it felt like there was more to it.

Maybe she had a demi-human friend.

“If only there were a way to free her.”

“Yeah.”

I would think about it before the job ended.

I did not know if I could actually do anything, though.

Just as I was thinking that, I sensed presences.

At the same time, an explosion boomed.

“An attack. There are multiple presences to the north of here.”

“North. Everyone, move!”

We all headed toward the explosion.

Inside the duke’s estate.

A warehouse that was usually unused had been destroyed.

Exactly where the duke had predicted.

“Why not the main house?”

“They may have some intent. Once we see them, their aims should become clear.”

Right.

We rushed in and found guards who had already been stationed there—other than us—lying on the ground.

They were all injured, but conscious.

No one had been killed.

“New ones?!”

“—! These people…”

They were hidden under robes and hoods, but not well enough.

We could see beastfolk traits.

So the Resistance were beastfolk.

“Damn it! This time we’ll break through for sure!”

“Wait! Why are you attacking this mansion?!”

“Arka!”

The enemy had taken battle stances.

But for some reason, Arka did not grip her greatsword and instead stepped in front of them.

“Out of the way! Move!”

“Watch out!”

“—!”

I drew the cursed blade and knocked aside the Resistance’s incoming attack.

“W-what?!”

“Soji-kun!”

“What are you doing?! You were about to get killed!”

“B-but they’re beastfolk!”

So what?

I almost said it, but Arka’s eyes were desperate.

She was trying to tell me something.

“Ice Burn.”

“—!”

Erika froze the ground with magic.

The Resistance, distracted by us, had their feet frozen and could not move.

“Damn it! There’s a mage too?!”

“Princess!”

“We will hear their story after we capture them.”

“Tch—this little bit of ice!”

Beastfolk had high physical abilities.

They forced their way through the freezing magic.

“If you resist, I will freeze your whole body next.”

Erika raised her magic again.

Before she could cast, Arka lunged forward.

“Wait!”

“—!”

“N-now’s our chance, run!”

Using that opening, the Resistance retreated.

They fled fast, and before we knew it, they were gone.