Closing In

"You're too loud. You'll attract something troublesome."

Sith walked out from the shadows between the trees, his face remaining expressionless as he gazed coldly at Latte and the woman.

"Captain..."

The woman shuddered the instant she locked eyes with him, her legs trembling involuntarily as though she were staring at a ferocious beast. Not daring to stir up trouble anymore, she glared fiercely at Latte before walking away with a dissatisfied expression.

...Why does he keep getting more and more heartless these days? And that terrifying look in his eyes, what on earth did I ever do to him...

The blond youth ignored the woman's grumbling. Although he also felt Sith had been a bit strange lately, and had no idea where he got the means to move such a massive scale of monsters around—acting just like the demon race—as long as he could make more money, no matter what Sith became or what he wanted to do had nothing to do with him.

After all, the only reason he had joined this party in the first place was because he valued Sith's superb swordsmanship and formidable strength. Following a powerful adventurer to complete commissions would drastically lower the risk coefficient, giving him the confidence to take on even high-hazard commissions.

Risk and reward coexisted; the more difficult the commission, the more bountiful the compensation.

"Hey! Once we finish this job early, do you want to go paint the town red with yours truly?"

"You? Heh, I wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with trash like you and your fellow gamblers."

The woman cast a disdainful glance at him. Having known each other for quite some time, she naturally knew what kind of virtues the youth possessed behind closed doors.

Not only did he frequent underground gambling dens everywhere and suffer from a severe gambling addiction, but he also spent all day wallowing in the company of women and living a life of debauchery.

That was also why every time a commission was completed, the compensation he brought back was spent down to the last coin before it even had a chance to warm up in his hands.

Under normal circumstances, adventurers of their tier could accumulate a considerable amount of wealth after a few commissions.

"Hmph."

The youth did not feel annoyed after being rejectedly spurned. His restless eyes swept across the woman's body, finally lingering on her chest with a lecherous look.

"Disgusting! Do you believe that if you look again I'll gouge your eyeballs out?"

Seeing his wretched demeanor, the woman instinctively took two steps back and could not help growing angry.

"Hah, do you think you can beat me at this distance?"

Watching the youth's mocking expression, the woman gnashed her teeth in anger.

She naturally knew that at this distance, the other party only needed a single thought to easily subdue her. In close-quarters combat, a magic caster was no match for an elite warrior.

"Are you two ever going to finish."

A terrifying gaze filled with murderous intent stared fixedly at the direction where they stood, sending a chill straight down both of their spines as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.

"If you keep arguing, you can go die right along with them."

Hearing this, both of them looked at Sith in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe those words could come out of his mouth. Yet the eye contact for that single split second compelled them to look away involuntarily.

That feeling was completely unlike looking at teammates or human beings; it was as if, in Sith's eyes, the two of them were merely livestock penned up for slaughter, while he was a cold and ruthless butcher.

Latte swallowed hard with a deeply uneasy look in his eyes. He nervously watched the others, while quietly plotting alternative plans in his heart...

"He is a member of the demon race."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Glenn was the first to raise a question.

"Even though that bird-man certainly doesn't look like anything good, calling him a demon without any solid proof is going a bit too far, isn't it?"

"It's not without proof,"

Reno looked at them very seriously.

"Previously I intended to observe a little longer, but back at the guild, he seemed to have already recognized me. It appears the other party already knows his identity might have been exposed. The monster attack we suffered on the road here just now was most likely his doing as well. The reason I am so certain he is a demon is because I used to know that youth named Sith."

"You know him?"

"Before I came to work at the Rogley Church, I traveled alongside him for a time. Although he was an arrogant, rude, and overbearing person even back then, he still possessed a heart to help the weak at his core. I remember that Latte in their current team joined precisely because he was helped by him."

He paused, pulling his thoughts back to recent days.

"I only started feeling that something was off with him recently. That day on my way back from the church, I saw him. When I called out his name twice from behind, he actually took a moment to realize I was calling him. At first I thought he was just feeling unwell, and despite his refusal, I checked his body with [Magic for Detecting Disease]. But precisely because of that, I discovered that he could not possibly be that Sith."

"Why? Can this magic really detect the difference between a human and a demon? Yet earlier at the guild I couldn't see anything wrong with him either."

Theresia felt somewhat puzzled. If the other party truly was a demon, she should have been able to sense it immediately. Furthermore, someone in the guild—where adventurers flocked—should have spotted the anomaly as well, so how could he have hidden it until now?

"That is a very advanced disguise magic... I had previously used [Magic for Detecting Disease] to check Sith's physical condition after battles, but the feedback from those two inspections revealed... that their internal bodily structures were completely different people."

Hearing these words, Galan's brow knit together as well.

"When I raised my head and locked eyes with him again, I realized that there wasn't a single trace of human emotion in the eyes he used to look at me. Facing an old friend after a long separation, I saw only a faint murderous intent in his eyes, so I told him his body was still as healthy as before and then found an excuse to leave... But even after walking a very long way, when I looked back, he was still standing right there watching me like that, as if waiting for me to slip up. Fortunately, it was inside the city where people bustled about, and he didn't want to make a big scene either, which is the only reason I escaped with my life."

"Then why didn't you expose his identity right there in the city? If he really is a demon, wouldn't a place with more people make it easier to deal with him?"

Glenn scratched his head, seemingly failing to understand Reno's circuitous approach, while Galan at the side gave him a speechless roll of the eyes.

"If no one has been able to see through his disguise magic up to this point, it means he is an extremely powerful demon. If we rashly started a fight inside the city, there's no telling how many people would be implicated. You know how many civilians are inside the city..."

Reno swept his serious gaze across the three of them.

"I have already passed word of this matter out in secret, but not many people believe me. The reason I chose to join your party this time is because I'm gambling that you have enough strength to deal with him. [Black Sword] Glen, Miss Theresia, and Mr. Galan, you are all formidable adventurers. I've been observing you this entire journey, and I believe you have the capability to kill that demon... Moreover, even if I didn't want to drag you into this matter now, judging by the other party's demeanor, he likely has no intention of letting us return alive either."

The four of them sensed at almost the exact same moment that a large horde of monsters had suddenly appeared all around them. They lay buried within the forest, slowly closing in toward the direction of Windmill Village, just as if someone had been guiding them from the shadows all along.

"It looks like we really did take on an incredible commission. I sure have a habit of crossing paths with this bunch of demons."

Glenn pulled the greatsword from his back, holding it out in front of him. The wiped-clean blade reflected the rare, solemn expression on his face.

This was the second time Galan had seen this expression on his face. The last time he saw it was when Glenn had been conscripted to crusade against the remnants of the Demon King's Army, right before he came to Galan to share a parting drink.