Chapter 1

Thinking about becoming the hero who defeats the Demon King is something everyone has probably done at least once.

However, it is as difficult as winning the lottery.

One must reach the Demon King before anyone else, defeat him, and return safely. The place where the Demon King resides is a harsh environment, so some die on the way back and become heroes only after death.

Even if one returns safely, the hero who defeated the Demon King possesses power surpassing that of the Demon King, so there will be those who fear them.

Even if recognized as the hero who defeated the Demon King and attain the pinnacle of glory, if one doesn't handle the situation well, the aftermath can be troublesome.

Then, what should one do? I was always worried about such things even before defeating the Demon King.

Even if called a coward, since I was fortunate enough to join the party to defeat the Demon King, I naturally wanted to minimize the risks and maximize the returns.

I don't need the pinnacle of glory. I just want to live quietly and unobtrusively, obtaining what I desire.

For that, during the process of defeating the Demon King, I should not take the front role but rather stay in the back. An advisor role would be just right.

--- I don't want to be a member of the hero party; I just want to be a bystander who cooperates to help the hero defeat the Demon King. I continued to think this way until the Demon King was defeated.

◆◇◆

The strength required to defeat the Demon King, in simple terms, is the strength recognized as SSS rank by the Adventurer Guild.

In this world of Grangarum, in the Kingdom of Albein, the strength of adventurers affiliated with the guild can be measured accurately. Physical strength, magic power, skills, and other connections are considered to quantify the 'Adventurer Strength.' If this value exceeds 100,000, one is recognized as an SSS rank adventurer.

It is rare for someone to possess such strength at a young age, and throughout the kingdom's history, the SSS rank adventurer position has been mostly vacant.

However, our generation was an exception. The young boys and girls, around ten years old, who responded to the request 'Wanted! Demon King's Defeat,' known as the 'Miracle Children,' were born with an abundance of talent that could only be described as divine, and they polished their talents to achieve the guild's standard strength of 100,000 purely through their own power.

Each of these five 'Miracle Children' has a nickname based on their individual characteristics.

'Radiant Light Sword, Cody'

'Lovely Catastrophe, Miralca'

'Silent Requiem, Yuma'

'Seductive and Demonic, Aileen'

And me—though I technically exceed the strength of 100,000, I am a rather obscure existence and am called 'The Forgotten Something.' If they wanted to give me a nickname, they should have done some research. My name is Dick Silver.

These shockingly strong rookies who exceeded the strength of 100,000 had a clear weakness.

They were all brainless. Each and every one of them, being naturally too strong, was poor at devising strategies to win.

Cody, for example, was a straightforward boy who wouldn't engage in swordplay until he announced his name, no matter how troublesome the opponent's special attacks were. The other three girls were so strong that ordinary men would faint before they could even get close, but each had their own quirks, and initially, the Demon King's Defeat Party did not function as a team.

The role of coordinating this party was given to me, as I could get along well with the four of them.

I provided strategies to the other four and utilized their strengths. I didn't lead the charge in battle but let the other four do the fighting and took it easy—this is not an exaggeration. In reality, I couldn't match Cody and Aileen in close combat, and in terms of attack magic and holy magic, I couldn't match Miralca and Yuma. Therefore, it could be said that I was in the right place. My abilities, while versatile, were not outstanding in any particular area among the 'Miracle Children.'

Thus, I commanded the four companions and easily reached the Demon King.

Miralca attacked the Demon King with her signature annihilation magic, Yuma sent the spirits summoned by the Demon King to heaven, Aileen transformed into a 'demon' and overwhelmed the Demon King in a physical battle—finally, Cody defeated the Demon King with his light sword.

I gave them strategic instructions and cast power enhancement magic, then observed the battle from the sidelines. Everyone had exceptional individual combat strength but lacked the ability to support others. Even Yuma, the high priestess with the power of requiem, did not know healing or defensive magic. The Demon King's attacks were powerful enough to blow off the limbs of SSS rank adventurers, so without my enhancement magic, there might have been casualties. Well, since that didn't happen, it's all good.

I was always concerned about being a shadowy figure, but that was also my goal. I could gain a certain amount of credit for being a member of the Demon King's Defeat Party, but I didn't want it to be widely known how I contributed. I thought that many people would only see me as someone who supported and cheered from behind, even if it was known that I enhanced and assisted everyone.

"Ugh... to make me kneel. Humans, I recognize your power."

"Is that true? If you promise not to cause trouble again, I'll let you off this time. You won't threaten humans again, and you won't leave your territory."

"Are you leaving your territory as it is...? You are too lenient. Or do you not need the land ravaged by monsters?"

"Everyone needs a place to live. That's what I believe."

Cody, who had just been in a bloody battle, said this with a refreshing tone. I wanted to tell him to stop the bleeding quickly, but only I could heal. Ideally, I would have wanted a dedicated healer to join us on the way to the Demon King's castle, but let's put that aside for now. I cast 'Healing Light' and subtly healed Cody.

"Hmph... humans, even if I submit to you now, where there is light, there will always be darkness, and the power of evil will surely cover the human world again..."

"Enough of that. Hand over something that proves you've been defeated. If you don't, I'll strip you and take it."

"Ah...!"

As befits her nickname 'Lovely Catastrophe,' Miralca's threatening words are still lovely. Her completely straight golden hair and strong, large eyes. She is only 11 years old, two years younger than me, but she is completely unbothered by her appearance and strength, and according to her, age doesn't matter.

Her personality is as harsh as it looks, and she is quite merciless. She tries to strip the Demon King, who is dressed like a dark elf, and the Demon King screams.

"I wanted to see what the Demon King's soul looks like and perform a requiem... it's a bit disappointing."

"That's... based on killing. It's not something a priest should say."

"Yes, why not? I want to comfort all the souls in this world. Even Dick's soul..."

Yuma, who looks like a crazy psycho priest, is just a 'requiem fetishist.' This genius priest is only 9 years old, the youngest in our party, but I still wonder what happened to her at such a young age. She says, "That's what a priest is," but it doesn't feel right.

"So, what do we do? Proof that the Demon King has been defeated... like the pendant around his neck?"

The red-haired martial artist girl, Aileen, says this with a face that looks like she's tired of waiting. She is a half-human, half-demon, and grows faster than humans. At 12 years old, she already has an adult-like figure. Her self-proclaimed "boin boin" chest is as ample as the Demon King's, who looks like she's in her early twenties, and sometimes confuses my young heart... but let's put that aside.

Cody looks at the Demon King's neck and finds the pendant. His face visibly turns red, and his behavior becomes strange.

"P-Pendant... Dick, can you take it?"

"What are you so scared of... huh...?"

The Demon King is wearing a bondage-like outfit, and the pendant is nestled in her ample cleavage.

Cody has no immunity to women—though, at 13 years old, it's normal to be inexperienced, he is very weak against feminine charm. On the other hand, I have a burning desire for this chest and would be more than willing to retrieve the pendant from the cleavage.

"Hmm... so, you're going to take this amulet... without it, my elemental resistance and automatic recovery abilities will be gone... if ordinary humans wear it, they will be cursed, and just holding it will drain their life force..."

"Hmm... that's quite..."

While the Demon King explains, I smoothly pull the string—out comes a gold ornament. It's a simple design, like a magic array, but the overflowing magic power is extraordinary.

"Looking at the Demon King with such perverted eyes is the lowest... you pervert. Pervert Dick."

"Hehe, Miralca, you're jealous. Don't worry, you'll grow up eventually. Just like me♪"

"W-Well, I'm not really bothered by it..."

When Miralca sees me, she glares at me and turns away. She is a strong-willed and tough girl, even if she looks delicate—though I'm used to it by now.

More importantly, the amulet. I need to remove this pendant, which still retains the warmth of the Demon King's skin, and take it back.

"You won't be cursed if you don't wear it, so I'm taking the Demon King's amulet."

"Hmm... w-well, if I behave, will you return it to me?"

"I can't promise that, but sure... come back in about five years. If you're still following my orders, I'll return the amulet."

"...I underestimated you as a child, but you have quite the courage. Young hero, what is your name?"

"You were asked before, but it's Dick. Dick Silver. You can forget it if you want, but it would be nice if you could remember. Otherwise, I can't return the amulet."

I take the Demon King's amulet—though ordinary humans would be cursed, I can suppress its power with my strength. I wonder if equipping it would make me the Demon King, but that's not my goal.

--- Right, there's one more thing I forgot to say.

"Also, I'm not the hero. The hero is Cody. I just followed everyone."

"Wh-Why are you being so modest? It's clear that you are the center of this party..."

I left the Demon King's castle without listening to the Demon King's last words. The surviving monsters didn't attack us as we left.