The night was shrouded in deep darkness. With the new moon barely casting its light, the shadows within the forest were so thick that it was nearly impossible to see inside. The soldiers on watch were on even higher alert than usual, their tension palpable.

Shashak.

And amidst this meticulous guard, there was a puppet gliding through effortlessly. The guards, even with someone passing just beside them, perceived it merely as a gust of night air, feeling no sense of alarm.

Well, there’s no need to speak as if I’m talking about someone else here. This is obviously about me. Even though the guards were standing their post diligently without slacking off, it was naturally impossible for them to detect my presence with their skill.

Even in broad daylight, they would struggle to notice me, let alone in the dead of night, when assassins thrive and the new moon shrouds the world in darkness. Of course, such darkness posed no obstacle for me.

It wasn’t absolutely necessary to sneak away from my allies, but honestly, going through the extra procedures felt like a bother.

Despite my friends trying to keep me from going with their insistence that I absolutely must not, I managed to get their permission after persistent persuasion. After all, I wasn’t heading out to fight; I just intended to scout a bit.

Now, I may be acting as a Hero, but in reality, in my previous life, I was at the pinnacle of being an Assassin. Even if I were to be discovered by the enemy, slipping away would be an utterly simple task.

You might wonder why I was caught last time by Selian and the others, but honestly, that situation isn’t quite comparable. Back then, I wasn’t hiding like I am now; I was the one caught off-guard.

Looking back now, I think for the first time that I’m actually grateful they captured me then. If I had succeeded in escaping, I might not have been able to mend my friendship with them as I am now.

As I embrace the darkness again, moving my body feels nostalgic. Lately, I’ve only been moving with my friends as a Hero or a swordmaster, completely hiding my identity as an assassin. Even if being raised as an assassin feels like a curse, the identity I built over so many years is undeniably a part of me.

Gradually, I sensed the sticky air that indicated I was entering the territory of the Demon King’s Army. I could hear murmurs and the growls of demonic monsters. As I ventured further, the thickening malice made me frown, but it was just an unpleasant feeling; it didn’t truly impede me.

Now that I had entered deep into enemy territory, I needed to be cautious, so I halted my hurried steps and began to walk slowly. Although I wasn’t worried about being discovered, it never hurts to be careful. Occasionally, I spotted a few low-level and mid-level demonic monsters, but none piqued my interest.

While taking down a mid-level demonic monster would certainly be a huge help for my allies, I didn’t feel the need to make a move. Even though it seemed simple, if I drew attention while trying to create a few corpses, I would have to return empty-handed after coming all this way. Since I bothered to come here myself, it would only make sense to at least see Vulcan’s face before heading back.

As I moved freely as if in my own home, I soon spotted a significant presence. It seemed that, as a newly awakened high-level demonic monster, it was carelessly leaking its malice, making it easier for me to find.

The brute was a physical type, appearing quite sturdy. Its inability to manage its own malice to the point of leaking it even became an advantage, likely making its skin as tough as armor. I could easily imagine even regular soldiers’ swords bouncing right off of it. It made sense why my allied soldiers were struggling against such a creature.

Having identified one of the primary scouting targets, I began looking for another presence. Not far away, I sensed another presence matching the size of the first brute. As I casually moved closer, I soon laid eyes on it. Like they were a set, this one was a demonic creature with a bird-like head.

In contrast to the brute, this one was a sorcerer type, absurdly adorned with a skull-tipped staff.

Then, I suddenly noticed, just as with the brute, this bird-headed creature was also leaking its malice as if it were wearing ill-fitting clothes. Naturally, this posed no harm to us. Their level being subpar among high-level demonic monsters was more of a windfall than anything else.

“Huh….”

At that moment, I sensed a newly appeared presence. It was a terrible malice that exceeded that of the brute or the bird-head creature by leaps and bounds. Even from a distance, the ominous aura was suffocating.

Naturally, there was only one that could exude such a frenzied malice in this place.

Vulcan.

Among the aggressive demonic monsters, he was particularly insane about fighting, though in a sense, he was simple-minded enough that dealing with him isn’t too complicated. It’s just a matter of overpowering him. That’s precisely why I had chosen to come here first to take him down.

Vulcan, like the high-level monstrosity, was leaking his malicious energy, but the difference was that while he didn’t control it, he deliberately radiated his power to showcase himself.

The aura he exuded didn’t feel particularly different from my previous life. After having seen the significant changes from my past, I came here with a cautious mind, only to realize it was needless worry. Indeed, the only real difference from then is that I took Selian’s place as the Hero; how much impact could that really have on Vulcan, who is on the opposite side of the continent? Lilith was just a special case.

Feeling curious if I should take a closer look, I took just one more step forward. In that instant, Vulcan’s head, previously still as a statue, turned toward me. Our eyes met, and our gazes clashed. Through the dark glimmer of his eyes, his madness radiated.

He was sharp enough to notice. I felt a bit guilty toward Karina, who had been working hard to keep my identity hidden from the enemy, but ultimately, I was discovered. Well, it doesn’t change much. On the contrary, seeing the enemy’s power revealed that my friends and I greatly tipped the scales in our favor.

Among the chaos, Vulcan was the only one to notice me. However, instead of shouting to his subordinates, he merely looked at me, grinning madly, almost creepily.

Regardless of what he may do, with the distance between us, escaping wouldn’t be too hard. I appreciate him not causing any unnecessary trouble. Of course, he wasn’t being considerate; it was simply that he wanted to fight me for real tomorrow.

– I will be waiting.

It seemed he was keen on fighting me. Silently, he mouthed his words, conveying them to me. Just when I thought of turning back, his reception compelled me to respond.

I raised my middle finger toward Vulcan in reply and turned to retrace my steps.

Enjoy your meal~.

*

Having seen two high-level demonic creatures and Vulcan, I decided I had enough of a look and headed straight back to the tent where my friends were waiting. The guards on watch still hadn’t noticed my absence nor did they recognize my return. This is how it should be.

“I’m back.”

“El!”

Even before they sent me off, I could tell they were worried because of my past life’s memories. As soon as I lifted the tent flap, Selian rushed in and hugged me. I gently patted Selian’s back to calm her down, and soon the other friends turned to look at me as well. Some of them wore quite displeased expressions, clearly unhappy about my insistence on visiting the enemy camp.

“Tch, I was a bit late…”

“Eh? Late?”

“Oh, nothing! So, Hero, were you satisfied with running off and ditching us?”

In response to Mariel’s question, I released my embrace with Selian and explained in detail what I had observed during my reconnaissance. Naturally, the points to be cautious about were just the high-level monsters and Vulcan, but simply having confirmed that fact with my own eyes was immensely helpful.

“It doesn’t seem like we need to change the initial plan. Selian and I will take on Vulcan, and I’ll leave the rest to everyone.”

“Okay! So you mean the brute? Leave that one to me!”

Seeing Anne assert her confidence was really reassuring. No doubt she could slice through his tough skin like pudding.

…No, with that ridiculously large great sword of Anne’s, she might just crush him entirely.

Of course, the enemies we are to face won’t be limited to just Vulcan and the high-level monsters. We’ll also need to hold back the waves of mid-level demonic monsters. Our soldiers are more than capable on their own, though having our assistance would significantly reduce casualties.

After quickly reviewing the clear and concise plan, I immediately fell asleep, ready for the decisive battle tomorrow, unable to engage in idle chit-chat.

   

---