Chapter 66

Since Freise worked seriously in the afternoon, the tasks progressed quite well.

If only she’d work that honestly all the time, but she really does chatter too much… Then again, a workplace where everyone is silent and you only hear the scratching of pens has its own atmosphere problems, so maybe this is fine.

I was clocking out on time today. I wanted to spend more time with my family.

The sun was still high over the farming village where our house was located.

The downside of Demon lands is that they are almost always gloomy and dark. Because of that, I’ve heard the rate of depression is quite high. Even Demons are better off getting some sunlight—well, except for the occasional ones who are physically sensitive to it.

When I got home, I could hear the voices of several young girls chatting.

One look at the table told me everything.

It was Angelica, along with her party members: Selene the Mage and Naharin the Priestess.

I see, “girls’ talk,” is it? That’s nice.

“And so, they say that temple has a secret underground passage.”

“Eh? That has to be a lie. Naharin, you actually believe that?”

“It is written in the scriptures. It cannot be laughed off so easily.”

Naharin looked like a child, but she was a proper priestess. Having her story dismissed by Angelica made her look a bit miffed. That reaction was rather childish too.

“Now, now. I think those kinds of legends have a certain romance to them.”

Selene, the Mage, offered some backup.

She was the most mature member of the party and gave off the impression of being the group’s leader. Since Angelica was the type to charge ahead recklessly, they needed someone to hold the reins.

“Speaking of legends, there are many about the Hero as well, aren’t there?”

“Most of them are nonsense. I’ve never really had anything like a miracle happen to me.”

“The fact that you are now the successor to the Demon King is a miracle in itself.”

Naharin muttered that under her breath, and she might have been right.

It wouldn’t be good to look like I was eavesdropping, so I decided to head to my room.

Selene and Naharin noticed me and gave a polite nod. It seemed I was properly recognized as Angelica’s father.

—However, even after entering my room, their voices carried quite clearly.

It wasn’t that the house was poorly built; it was because my stats as the Demon King were so high. Unless they were whispering in secrecy, a single door wasn’t going to block out a conversation.

It couldn’t be helped… it would be weird to plug my ears…

“So, hey… can I talk to you guys about something a bit complicated?”

“Speak as much as you like. Listening to troubles is part of a priestess’s job.”

“We are members of the same party, after all. It is better not to have too many secrets.”

“This might just be my own feeling, but… I feel like I get along with you two better than before. Like, we can talk about things other than just adventurer stuff now.”

“I see. I suppose I understand.”

“Hearing you say that makes me happy as well.”

What was this? It was actually a very heartwarming conversation.

Angelica was clearly feeling a sense of true friendship with the two of them.

“But… well…”

There, the tone of Angelica’s voice changed.

This was the sign of someone about to say something difficult to bring up.

“It’s just that, compared to before, I feel like I don’t click with Zenkei or Jaunis anymore… It’s like there are more and more moments where things just feel… off.”

Zenkei was a male martial artist who looked like a girl. He had actually confessed to Angelica once and been rejected.

Jaunis was a somewhat flashy, obnoxious-looking guy, but he seemed surprisingly serious at heart.

But what did she mean by not clicking with those two?

In Zenkei’s case, maybe she was just being self-conscious because of the confession incident.

“Isn’t that just because they are both men? It can’t be helped if your values don’t align with theirs.”

“Though, Zenkei does possess the values of a girl.”

True, Zenkei’s position in the group was rather complicated…

“Regardless, there is a difference between men and women. It is only natural for you to feel out of sync. There is no need to worry about it too much.”

Both Selene and Naharin’s opinions were meant to support Angelica.

I agreed. If anything, Angelica had always been quite tomboyish due to her profession as a Hero.

I didn’t necessarily think she’d become particularly graceful or anything, but it was natural for her to start noticing the differences between the sexes.

“No… it’s different from that. It’s really something else…”

It seemed Angelica had anticipated they would try to explain it away as a gender difference. The way she denied it sounded like she’d already considered that angle.

“I know it’s rude to say this, but… lately, even when we go into dungeons, I catch myself thinking it quite often… That Zenkei and Jaunis just aren’t very smart…”

I could tell she was hesitating quite a bit as she spoke.

In fact, because I could only hear her voice, that feeling came across even stronger.

“It’s weird, right? I mean, compared to Selene, who studied magic so much, or Naharin, who read so many scriptures as a priestess, I’m an idiot too. I can only use the bare minimum of magic; I basically just became a Hero through brute force. But recently, the level of Zenkei and Jaunis’s conversation has suddenly started to feel so low… like there’s a wall between us…”

I swallowed hard.

This problem might be deeper than I imagined…

“Eh… Angelica, what are you saying all of a sudden…? Those two aren’t exactly fools. That’s why we’ve been able to function as a party all this time, isn’t it…?”

“Mm… such delusions are common. They will eventually fade…”

I could hear the agitation in the voices of the two trying to back her up.

And I, for one, was almost certain of the cause.

It was because Angelica had started studying lately and had actually become smarter!

As a result, her interests had shifted to align with Selene and Naharin—the educated side of the party!