Chapter 1

"Balad!"

That kid let out a childlike cry and came flying over naked. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, with pink hair and reddish-brown eyes, and a fair complexion with a well-proportioned figure. She was an incredibly beautiful girl.

Thud!

She made a big splash in the hot spring and landed right in front of me.

"What are you doing, acting like a kid?"

I lifted my wet bangs with my silver prosthetic hand and scolded the reckless fool. The fool, with her long, voluminous pink hair spread out on the water, laughed foolishly with a "Hehehe."

"Don't put your hair in the bath."

"Okay."

The girl brushed her hair back, but it was long, reaching down to her buttocks, and had a fine, fluffy texture. It was completely out of control. Ten years since we met, five years since I left the party, and she hasn't shown any signs of growing up.

"Can't help it. Turn around."

I lifted her pink hair from behind and wrapped it up with a bathing cloth. There was a long, thin scar like a twisted thread on the back of her slender neck. It had been there for ten years and was still there.

"What are you doing here?"

The girl tilted her head with a "?"

"Didn't Balad call you?"

"I did say to come because the sword was ready, but I didn't say to jump into the bath."

I said this with a sigh, but the girl was unfazed.

"I wanted to see you quickly."

The fool said this with a full smile. She was probably unaware, but she was strangely flirtatious. She had the air of a demonic fool.

"What about the others?"

"They'll be a bit late, I think."

"You rushed here."

If you let your guard down, she would immediately leave her companions behind and get lost.

"Hehehe"

"That's not 'hehehe.' You're really hopeless."

She seemed to have grown stronger, but her bad parts were still bad as ever.

The girl's name is Verkto.

Hero Verkto.

She looks like she's around sixteen or seventeen, but her exact age is unknown. Officially, she is said to be in her early twenties.

My name is Balad. I'm forty.

I was the first companion of Hero Verkto, a merchant.

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I was soaking in a hot spring at the border of the territories of the warring demon and human races, near the Southern Great Forest, in a city called Myra. Until recently, it was under the control of the Demon King's army, but it was liberated thanks to the efforts of Verkto and her party, and now serves as a major logistics hub for the Hero Party and the Human Alliance Army.

Verkto and I, who had left the hot spring together, headed for Inverse Kigeki Alley, which is near the center of the city. I was wearing a navy blue jacket and pants, a merchant's suit, while Verkto, who usually wore a sword and a cloak, was now in a skirt prepared by my secretary. Even so, she attracted a lot of attention because of the large bag she was carrying, which was filled with swords and armor, and her bright pink hair.

Inverse Kigeki Alley is a street of food stalls that we started by scouting chefs who had lost their businesses due to the war. The street, lined with stalls from various regions, was bustling with merchants, logistics personnel, military personnel, and our company's employees.

"Wow, it's amazing."

Verkto, who is basically a country girl, exclaimed at the crowd in the alley.

"You can eat whatever you like."

It seems that Verkto, as a hero, leads a rather restricted life. As a merchant who has left the front lines, it is my job and privilege to pamper her as a little girl.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, you can eat anything."

It wouldn't be a problem if she ate everything in the alley.

After eating at a few stalls, Verkto and I finally settled down at a barbecue restaurant. It was a place where you grill raw meat on a wire mesh over a fire and eat it with special sauce or salt.

"What is this, it's cold."

Verkto, who was poking the raw meat with her fingers, widened her eyes.

"Don't touch the meat. The meat is frozen and stored in the company's cold storage and served here."

"Frozen storage?"

"Yes, we have a cold storage facility with an ice magic circuit in the Myra branch. If you put fresh food in there and freeze it, it can be stored for a long time without spoiling."

While explaining, I placed the meat on the wire mesh of the fire pot. The beef sizzled as it touched the heated wire mesh, releasing the smell of fat. Verkto exclaimed again.

"It's delicious!"

"At least wait until you've eaten it."

I said with a wry smile and flipped the meat.

"Is it ready? Dip it in the sauce and eat it."

"Delicious!"

Verkto exclaimed and put her hand to her cheek. It's good that she's moved, but her reaction is too fast. It didn't take a second from my "eat it" to her reaction.

As I watched Verkto quickly pile up a mountain of plates, I noticed a familiar figure of a nun. She was a woman in her early thirties, wearing a black monk's robe and a cloak, with a staff adorned with the image of the High Priestess of the Martial Church in her hand.

The Holy Maiden Tasha.

She is a member of the Hero Party and the Holy Maiden of the Martial Church, the world religion. She was a member before I left, so I know her.

Next to her was a figure in black clothing with a black mask, apparently a swordsman. His name is Isuma. He is a recent addition to the party, a former Demon King's army officer and a moderate demon. I had heard about him, but this was the first time I had seen him.

Noticing my gaze, Verkto turned around and waved, saying "Faa-faa! Fima!"

"It's not 'Faa-faa,' really."

Tasha, the Holy Maiden, approached with a sigh and slapped the fool on the forehead, ignoring her cry of "Ouch."

"Are you together?"

"Yeah, I just met her. She seems to be doing well."

"More or less. Your business seems to be thriving."

"Thanks to you. What about Prince Meishin and the others?"

The current members of the Hero Party are five: Hero Verkto, Holy Maiden Tasha, Demon Sword Knight Isuma, Magic Knight Meishin, and Spy Asura. Meishin is the second prince of the Aresta Kingdom, the central country of the Human Alliance that opposes the Demon King's army. Asura is a person that Prince Meishin brought from Aresta as his assistant.

"They're at the Aresta consulate."

"I see."

Myra is an important base for the Human Alliance Army, and many foreign consulates of various countries, centered on Aresta, are also located here. They are probably reporting their activities to their home countries.

"Who is the swordsman? I think this is our first meeting."

"Ah, right. I'll introduce you. Isuma, this is Balad, Verkto's first companion and the president of the company with the special license."

"Nice to meet you, Isuma."

I stood up and offered my hand to Demon Sword Knight Isuma. Isuma responded with a quiet "Nice to meet you" and shook my hand. His hand was unexpectedly slender and delicate. I wondered if he might be a woman, but I didn't ask in this situation. Instead, I offered him a seat. Isuma seemed a bit hesitant, but Tasha smiled.

"Sure, let's have a drink."

Tasha, who sat down, ordered a strong distilled liquor and additional meat, and started grilling it on the fire pot.

"You should join us."

Tasha pounded the chair next to her. Tasha is the strongest in terms of personality in the Hero Party. Isuma, unable to resist, sat down and removed only the mouth guard part of his mask. He had a tanned complexion, a narrow jaw, and no beard. He seemed to be a woman.

Tasha, a heavy drinker, drank the distilled liquor in quick gulps, while Verkto, who doesn't drink, continued to devour the meat with a smile. Isuma, compared to the two, had a more refined manner, quietly sipping a light drink and occasionally eating the meat that Verkto offered, saying "Isuma, it's grilled."

After eating, Verkto seemed to be sleepy. Her face became drowsy, and she eventually fell asleep on the table, snoring softly.

"She's as relaxed as ever."

It's amazing that she can be a hero like this.

"I've never seen a hero so relaxed before."

Isuma muttered.

"Is that so?"

When I was with the Hero Party, it was a common sight to see such a relaxed state.

After paying the bill, I carried the sleeping Verkto on my back and headed to the inn. Isuma carried the bag with the swords and armor.

We walked while talking about the battle against the Demon King's army. My current company supports the Hero Party and the Human Alliance Army, and is involved in the reconstruction of areas liberated from the Demon King's army. Information from the Hero Party is a source of business for me.

When we entered the inn where Tasha and the others were staying, we encountered a troublesome face in the entrance lobby.

"You seem to be in a good mood. What were you doing?"

The high-pitched voice belonged to a man in his late twenties, dressed in fine noble clothing. Asura, a member of the Hero Party, the seventh of the seven spy families serving the Aresta royal family, the Yaksha family. Due to his complicated background as both a spy and a noble, he had a haughty and unbearable personality.

"Seems like he went to see Balad. We were just exchanging information."

Tasha responded.

"Is that so?"

Tasha, as the only Holy Maiden of the Martial Church, has a higher diplomatic status than Asura. Asura didn't complain to Tasha, but instead directed a sharp gaze at me.

"We are a responsible Demon King extermination team. Even though you are a former member, it is not commendable to be so friendly with a lowly merchant."

His voice was full of sarcasm and venom, but I am a forty-year-old merchant. I decided to ignore it. Tasha, the thirty-something Holy Maiden, also didn't take it seriously and dismissed it with a "Sure, sure."

"Which room is it? Holy Maiden?"

"This way."

We headed to the room while talking, and I threw Verkto onto the bed.

I could feel Asura's hostility, which had been casually dismissed, piercing my back.