Dekan and His Friends: A Story

A town in the northern part of the Holy Kingdom.

As evening fell, the sky turned a pale purple, and smoke and the aroma of dinner wafted from a large tavern.

The tavern was so crowded and noisy that it was almost deafening.

The tavern owner brought out his secret recipe fire liquor for everyone to drink, and many of the warriors, whose bodies were wrapped in bandages, choked and stared wide-eyed after taking a sip.

Soldiers were performing strange dances in the aisle, livening up the banquet atmosphere.

The waitresses in the tavern were running around like spinning tops.

Laughter, singing, drinking, and another round of revelry.

But the most eye-catching figure is undoubtedly the knight captain in heavy armor at the center of the tavern.

He raised his glass high and shouted passionately:

"For our victory, for our achievements, for this town, for the Holy Kingdom..."

The knight captain's gaze swept over the group of wounded city-state warriors gathered in the tavern.

"And a toast to the heroes who rescued the Saintess of Darkness!"

Led by the captain of the knights, the knights, mercenaries, and adventurers cheered in unison and raised their glasses to drink in succession.

This was the fifth or sixth time they had toasted, but they didn't seem to care.

They gathered at the tavern, their bodies still damp with the blood splattered on them during the battle, and celebrated wildly.

This was a resounding victory.

They were already weary and fearful of the demons.

I suddenly received some exciting news today.

The Saintess of Darkness was miraculously rescued.

The Saintess of Darkness not only possesses eighth-tier combat power, but is also one of the top scientific researchers in the Holy Kingdom.

She is not only proficient in dark magic and poison magic, but also has an extraordinary understanding of Magic Engineering.

Having been in a prolonged slump, their morale soared, and today they surprisingly advanced triumphantly, repelling the demon race's assault force.

The assault force of over a hundred demons was completely routed.

Although they have a variety of high-level species, they are no match for the city's defending army, which is full of high morale and large numbers.

Of course, the defending troops were not without casualties as well.

There will always be people who are unlucky.

That's why they celebrated even more lavishly, as a way to commemorate those who died in battle.

Since everyone has voluntarily thrown themselves into the battle against the demons, it might be their turn tomorrow.

But none of them seemed afraid of that day coming.

Not only them, but also some clerks and businessmen came to the tavern as usual, and the banquet was very grand.

In an inconspicuous corner of this bustling tavern, several young men and women sat on either side of a long table against the wall.

They were enjoying a lively and cheerful atmosphere while having a sumptuous dinner.

The last day in the Shadow World is almost over.

Before they knew it, the time for the Demon Realm rescue team to part ways had come.

After leaving the Shadow World, Morion and Clay will return to the port where they entered the Shadow World.

That is, the territory of the Southern States in the present world.

Meanwhile, the Royal Capital Bully Trio and the Cat Teacher will return to the Havenlit Academy.

Surprisingly, Clay got along quite well with the group.

Aside from Dekan and Morion, everyone else felt the Clay were too honest.

It's worth mentioning that Morion, unusually, showed no intention of causing any trouble.

Together with them, we peacefully enjoyed the leisurely time after the mission was completed.

This made Dekan feel slightly uncomfortable.

Happy times always seem too short.

However, the atmosphere of this tavern might be a good setting for their parting.

Dekan sat on a bench against the wall, holding a Holy Gold Coin, watching the lively banquet through its gleam.

Before arriving at the tavern.

They still had a lot of extra Holy Gold Coin left over from their escape from the Demon Realm.

Unfortunately, the northern border is vast, plagued by war, and plagued by bad weather and difficult transportation.

Dekan couldn't find anyone trustworthy to help him store the Holy Gold Coin or bury them in a suitable place.

So, just as the Shadow World was about to end.

After the group unanimously agreed, they disguised themselves as traveling merchants and donated the remaining huge sum of Holy Gold Coin to the city-state's military.

However, the military was taken aback by the squad's extravagant spending.

And seeing that they were willing to donate all their possessions.

The military side firmly stated that they could not accept so many.

After some discussion, the two sides finally agreed to accept the donations only after Dekan agreed to leave behind a Holy Gold Coin, due to the military's insistence.

Later on...

The Beautiful Soul Squad was mistaken for philanthropists and inexplicably invited to this tavern for a victory celebration.

I don't know if it was a coincidence or fate.

Dekan felt surprisingly good listening to the townspeople singing enthusiastically about the heroes who rescued the Saintess of Darkness.

He accomplished his task and left without a trace, concealing his merit and fame.

Let's just leave like this.

A relieved smile appeared on Dekan's lips.

"Huff... huff..."

The soft breathing made Dekan shift his gaze from the Holy Gold Coin in his hand to his side.

If we were to name the person who worked the hardest during those ten days or so, it would be...

That must be Cornelia.

Because she was the only girl in the team.

Therefore, the task of caring for and protecting the Saintess of Darkness was entrusted to her.

Sometimes she couldn't even get a good night's sleep.

Dekan gently placed the Holy Gold Coin into Cornelia's hand, who was sitting beside him.

Cornelia had been smiling when she first arrived at the tavern, now rested her head on Dekan's shoulder and was snoring softly.

"She must be so tired, meow."

Standing on the table, the Cat Teacher gently extended its front paw and waved it in front of Cornelia's eyes.

"Um."

Dekan became unexpectedly quieter, and his voice was much softer than usual.

It seemed he was too close to Cornelia and worried that his every move would wake her up.

"Hey Meow, are you going to confess something to her now that you're back in the real world, Meow?"

Cat Teacher also lowered his voice and asked with a mischievous grin.

At that moment, Morion also looked at Dekan as if he had triggered a radar.

Croix also looked over with some curiosity.

Dekan quietly shook his head:

"The same as usual."

"... I see, meow."

Cat Teacher sees through it but doesn't say anything.

Sometimes Dekan can be stubborn.

And he's incredibly stubborn.

Dekan simply didn't want Cat Teacher following him and bothering him.

Seemingly sensing several gazes focused on her, Cornelia let out a low groan, her brows furrowing slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

What comes into view.

In the tavern, whether wounded or uninjured, meritorious or unsuccessful, all the survivors rejoiced at human courage.

Perhaps in the future, many of these people will also be saved by the Saintess of Darkness.

This was Cornelia's first reaction while in a trance-like state.

Cornelia was awake, but she didn't immediately remove her head from Dekan's shoulder.

"... Thank you."

She uttered this softly, as if half asleep and half awake.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for working so hard to fight your way from the first floor to the Ninth Floor and rescue the Saintess of Darkness."

"... It's just a mission."

Dekan spoke very coldly.

"Hmph."

Cornelia sat up straight with a smile.

Actually, we got here from there.

In their daze, they actually found it hard to distinguish between the Shadow World and the real world.

Even if this is a projection of history.

Is it really fake?

At least their journey was incredibly real, every single moment.

And in the history of this world, there must have been some people who risked their lives to save the Saintess of Darkness.

There was a moment of silence between them.

It was not an unpleasant silence.

They both believed they understood each other's thoughts.

"Now I understand. The reason why the Saintess of Darkness, an eighth-tier being, is described in the Shadow World's lore as someone who can influence the course of battle is because she can significantly advance the Holy Kingdom's Magic Engineering and technology. No wonder..."

Morion had only heard about the Saintess of Darkness today, and couldn't help but sigh.

Judging from his expression, he seemed to have a hint of regret.

It seems like letting go of such an excellent employee as the Saintess of Darkness was a huge mistake.

Unfortunately, this is the Shadow World.

Exploiting her is pointless.

"Let's accumulate some good karma every now and then! Consider it as doing good deeds for your sister!"

Dekan patted Morion on the back and said.

"Tsk."

Morion was furious at the thought of Dekan dragging his sister into idol worship.

What he found most unacceptable was...

On his way back from the Demon Realm, Dekan used the popularity of his live stream to promote the girl group's new song at a high intensity.

Morion felt incredibly conflicted upon hearing this.

Even more frightening is...

Even the brilliant Clay seems to have become a fan.

Later, he even started cheering along with Croix, and became quite addicted to it.

And when Morion asked Clay with great concern, "Whose push are you?"

Clay replied with great distress, "There's no way to choose just one person!"

Fortunately, when Morion asked Clay about his ideal type of partner, Clay hesitated slightly before replying that he might be a little attracted to a super-rich woman who was incredibly wealthy.

Morion was finally relieved.

It seems Clay is just a die-hard fan.

Unlike Croix, who wanted to make her favorite character the future Countess.

"So, you already knew about the Saintess of Darkness's characteristics?"

Morion suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Dekan beside him, asking a question.

He recalled Dekan's performance on his way back from the Demon Realm.

I have a feeling that Dekan already knew all along.

But it's also a bit strange.

Given Dekan's personality, if he encountered a research expert, he would definitely be unable to resist discussing or even debating Magic Engineering with her.

They might even start torturing people to extract information.

But Morion didn't know why Dekan had suddenly become so kind and was so polite to the Saintess of Darkness the whole way.

Just as Dekan said when the group parted ways with the Saintess of Darkness, he considered her a friend.

"Yes, of course, Cornelia, you figured it out a long time ago, didn't you?"

Dekan turned his head to look at Cornelia and winked mischievously.

"Does anyone not know this?"

Cornelia asked, feigning confusion.

Throughout their journey, Cornelia and the Saintess of Darkness lived together every day, spending every moment together.

Although the Saintess of Darkness's attitude was rather hostile.

Cornelia didn't find the Saintess of Darkness annoying at all; on the contrary, she felt very close to her.

It's like I've traveled and stayed with her before.

She just doesn't recognize herself anymore.

Unbeknownst to her, Cornelia had come to regard the Saintess of Darkness as a good friend.

Morion: "??"

Shouldn't I be a character with an intelligence-based role?

Did I miss watching some episode again?

Morion looked at his childhood friend Croix as if she were his savior.

The two counts exchanged glances.

Morion was convinced.

Even Croix had a rough idea of Saintess of Darkness's characteristics.

Let's not talk about Cat Teacher.

They must know that too.

Then it must be that you missed an important part of the plot.

Fortunately, I wasn't the only one kept in the dark.

Clay, being an outsider, certainly wouldn't know either.

However, Morion noticed that Clay listened to their conversation without offering any opinion.

He was remarkably calm.

Morion was startled.

With a slightly trembling voice, she asked Clay, "You couldn't possibly know too, could you?"

"Hmm. Didn't you notice the Saintess of Darkness's characteristics?"

Clay asked in return, puzzled.

"How do you know that?!"

"She reminds me a lot of a friend of mine, um... am I a friend? I guess so, after all, she lent me money, and she's the only one of those jerks I don't dislike, at least I consider her a friend."

Clay thought for a moment before answering, then seemed to be recalling something and muttering to himself.

Morion clutched his head.

How come everyone knows this, but I'm the only one who doesn't?

Was I the outsider?

Morion was suddenly plunged into a state of existential doubt.

Dekan and Cornelia exchanged a glance at Morion and couldn't help but chuckle.

"You'd better just go back to the group, meow. Some storylines require an immersive experience, and I can't tutor you on them, meow..."

The Cat Teacher raised his paw and patted Morion, offering earnest advice.

Dekan thought for a moment, then took out a [Party Card] exclusive to the Beautiful Soul Squad and handed it to Morion.

"Yes."

Dekan had an "take it or leave it" attitude.

"Snort."

Morion didn't hesitate for long before taking the card from Dekan's hand.

As for Clay...

Dekan was also somewhat inclined to give him one.

But considering that Clay disappeared from his sight, it's hard to guess what kind of trouble he'll cause.

Therefore, Dekan still didn't dare to give the [Party Card] to Clay.

[25 seconds remaining in the Shadow World.]

I checked the countdown to the Shadow World.

"Clay, see you again someday."

Dekan said to Clay.

"Ha, I don't want to see you again, lest we end up fighting to the death..."

Clay sneered again.

However, Clay hadn't finished speaking.

"Goodbye, Clay."

Dekan repeated himself in a firm tone, interrupting Clay.

"..."

Dekan's attitude left Clay slightly stunned.

But Clay seemed to understand quickly, shaking his head with a helpless smile, revealing the proud smile that was rightfully his:

"Then let's look forward to our next meeting, my enemy, my friend!"

The two waved and high-fived.

The next second, the scene before both of them changed.

Finally, the Shadow World entered the settlement phase.