CH extra 1

[4/1 Expelled! Sakurai-kun!]

“Sakurai-kun, leave the Hero Party.”

I tilt my head to the dismissal announcement declared by the Hero.

Since I don’t get what he’s saying, I turn my eyes to the other members, but like the Hero, they’re looking at me with cold eyes.

“A good-for-nothing like you isn’t fit to be in our party!”

Says the Warrior who played the role of being a wall of the Hero Party.

He was the one who complained the most when I first joined the party, even though he was the weakest.

Doesn’t he remember my kindness of making him stronger by surprise attacking him every day and night? Hasn’t he even become able to avoid the 5-6 dagger I pierced up from under his bed yesterday?

Thanks to me, he has become able to respond sensitively to even the smallest of sound, and now he can react to any surprise attack faster than anyone else.

The dark circles under his eyes are the proof of our friendship. I’ll be sad if he has forgotten that; he may have lost his mind. If that’s the case, then all his statements are no longer credible.

“BANG!!” (Sakurai)

“Eeeek!?” (Warrior)

When I hit the wall and shout, the Warrior holds his head and curls up into a ball; this is what will happen if you don’t steel your will while inside a dungeon.

If my expulsion was decided by majority vote, one of the votes has now become invalid. Satisfied with it, I decide to continue the conversation.

“No way I’ll agree if you just told me to quit out of the blue, let me hear the specific reason.” (Sakurai)

“I think the exchange just now has said enough but, alright.” (Hero)

While having a cold sweat, the Hero raises his point-finger, “The first reason,”

In order to calm him down, I enter the air chair position.

The key to leveling is not to forget experience points even during a serious talk.

“The purpose of this party is to subdue the Demon King, and we’ve been traveling all over the nation to gain strength for that purpose. And one of the means to gain strength is by exploring dungeons.” (Hero)

“Well, there are monsters and various items in dungeons, after all. You can gain experience points from monsters, and equipping yourself with good items can vastly increase your strength. Exploring dungeons is indeed very important.” (Sakurai)

“Then, let me confirm it, Sakurai-kun. How have you been dividing our roles when exploring a dungeon?” (Hero)

What about it? Are they dissatisfied with my arrangement?

I should’ve divided them into basically the same roles as you’d find in common adventurer parties. At that time, the surroundings praised me “As expected of Sakurai-san,” without complaining, so it shouldn’t be a strange decision.

And since the Guild was the one who recommended me to be a member of the Hero Party, it’s no exaggeration to say that they fully approved of me regarding my adventuring capability.

(…Wait, we are the Hero Party. Unlike adventurers whose main purpose is to explore dungeons, our ultimate goal is to subdue the Demon King. I might have made a mistake because of that difference.)

I have enough humanity that allows me to reflect on myself.

That’s why I recall out loud the division of roles in the Hero Party,

“The Warrior is the vanguard, the Hero is the middleguard, the Priestess and the Mage are the rearguards, and following them is the Knight as their bodyguard. The Priestess and the Mage are the pivot of the party, especially the Priestess; if she gets taken down, the party will collapse in an instant. That’s why I assigned the Knight who is excellent in defense and offense to guard them. And on the frontline, there’s the Warrior who’s tasked to suppress enemies and the Hero to finish them off. Of course, I’ve also changed the roles of the Knight and the Hero depending on the situation. While there are other compositions, this should be the basic one that we’ve been going with until now.” (Sakurai)

“Yeah, it is as you said, Sakurai-kun. In actuality, with the composition that you came up with, we should be able to handle any situation.” (Hero)

“Right? There shouldn’t be anything wrong with it…” (Sakurai)

“So, what role do you play, then?” (Hero)

“Eliminating all the monsters ahead of time.” (Sakurai)

“That’s it!!!” (Hero)

All of a sudden, the Hero screams and stands up vigorously; his chair falls and makes a loud noise. Hearing it, the Warrior who is now at the corner of the room shrieks, “Eeeek!?”

Not even sparing a glance at the Priestess who goes to take care of the Warrior, the Hero begins to point his finger at me.

“Why the hell did you eliminate all the monsters!? No matter how good the division of roles is in theory, there’s no way to put it into practice if there are no enemies! Most importantly, we wouldn’t be able to gain experience!” (Hero)

“Well, I’m the senior here, after all. Getting rid of dangerous monsters and having you, my juniors, grow safely and steadily is my policy.” (Sakurai)

“You’ve been saying that for a year now!!! Do you still think that we can’t even beat a goblin!?” (Hero)

“No, I just got rid of the goblins for the experience points.” (Sakurai)

“As a result of that, we only ever get to explore, or should I say PICNIC, in empty dungeons! Let us fight too! Let us gain practical experience!” (Hero)

What’s this guy talking about?

First of all, dungeon exploration is a world with the basis of first-come-first-served, and that applies to not only to items but also experience points.

I’ve taught them about it when I joined the party, and I’ve also given them examples of troubles associated with it. They should have no reason to complain.

“How come first-come-first-served basis is used among comrades!? Moreover, for the one doing it to be the instructor, it’s absurd, isn’t it!?”

“Humans can never be separated from conflict, that’s just how it is.” (Sakurai)

“Don’t try to talk your way out by saying a profound-sounding line!” (Hero)

“BANG!!” (Sakurai)

“Eeek!?” (Warrior)

I’m entitled to all the experience points I’ve acquired as I’ve always been working hard ahead of everyone else. Don’t put the blame on me if you don’t get any; you guys should work harder if you want to get some.

The pies, that are the monsters, are limited. If you want experience points, you guys can just dive into a dungeon when I’m sleeping.

However, I’ve shortened my sleep time to the limit with the power of items, so I can get 6 hours’ worth of sleep in 5 minutes; I’ll pray so that you guys can finish up one battle in that time.

“……Ugh, enough of this. Next is about how Sakurai-kun expelled the Knight from the party.” (Hero)

“Haah?” (Sakurai)

If I remember correctly, I expelled the Knight from the party because I discovered that he and the higher-ups of the church backing him had changed side to the Demon King’s army.

I don’t get why the necessary measures I took to protect the Hero Party, and the humankind by extension, led to my expulsion.

“I can understand up to the point you expelled the Knight, and exposed and denounced the church for having changed side to the Demon King’s army. I agree that it was the correct course of actions.” (Hero)

“Right?” (Sakurai)

“By the way, who did you join hands with to denounce the church again?” (Hero)

“The Demon King’s army.”

“Why!!”

Why, you ask… the church was a huge organization that has spread to all over the continent.

For the Hero Party to deal with such an organization alone would be too much of a burden.

We couldn’t even rely on the power of the nation because the church is deeply rooted in it. So even if we denounced them, we wouldn’t be able to solve the fundamental problem.

That’s why, I shifted my attention to the Demon King’s army.

Their ultimate goal was to create a crack on the strength and unity of humankind. They joining hands with the church, too, was with the intention to betray them at the last moment.

That’s why a temporary alliance could be formed between me, who wanted to denounce the church’s evil even if it would lead to creating a massive chaos, and the Demon King’s army who wanted to smear the church, which was the symbol of humanity.

Then, we launched the operation after careful planning. And we succeeded.

“And thus, the church vomited its rotten parts and was cleansed. Wheareas the Demon King’s army, who had only known to use force to subdue others, was able to learn to use schemes. It’s a win-win, no?” (Sakurai)

“Thanks to you, the church is in turmoil from top to bottom! Archbishops from all over the world are competing against each other to make their own denomination to stand above the rest, causing endless internal strife! And the spies of the Demon King’s army are lurking everywhere, exacerbating it! Isn’t this already game-over for the humankind!?” (Hero)

“Humankind sure is stupid.” (Sakurai)

“You were the one who triggered it!?” (Hero)

However, isn’t it thanks to me that now the Demon King’s army smuggles us the money and items that those rotten bastards accumulated on a regular basis? You like to use the finest potions as much as you want, don’t you Brother?

As long as humankind continues to decline, the Demon King’s army will stay on our side.

The Hero Party only has few allies; what will become of us if we don’t use whatever we can use?

Sure, various problems are occurring due to conflicts between dominions, but it is the fault of the church that its self-cleansing function isn’t working properly, in the first place.

All I did was to denounce injustice and correct the corruption of the church. I still can’t accept that instead of praising me, they branded me as a heretic.

“Hey, Sakurai. You have a guest in front of the inn.”

“Mage, all my acquaintances visit me in the middle of the night, so that’s almost certainly a thug from the church. Put the holy symbol on the ground and tell them to step on it. If they do anything apart from that, burn them right away.” (Sakurai)

“Geez, why do I always have to be the one to deal with the menial stuffs…” (Mage)

The Mage goes out of the room while dragging her feet. This event, which usually occurs 4 times a day, has made her quite accustomed to burning people, I see.

Even though just a while ago, she used to feel sick just by burning a doll monster, now she has become able unleash her magic unemotionally. She sure has grown.

When I return my gaze to the Hero, I see him facing down and holding his head. Is he feeling sick or something?

“And, the last reason.” (Hero)

“There’s more?” (Sakurai)

“Yes! This is the last, and the most important reason!!” (Hero)

Having said that, the Hero points at the bed in the room.

There sits a pretty girl with short black hair wearing a maid outfit so as to conceal her real identity.

What should be noted is that there is a dragon tail and devil wings popping out from her delicate body.

“Why the hell is the Demon King’s daughter here!?” (Hero)

“Can’t help it. The aides of the defeated Demon King entrusted her to us.” (Sakurai)

“Isn’t it strange that they trust us to the point that they entrust the orphan of the Demon King to us!? The ultimate goal of the Hero Party is to subdue the Demon King, isn’t it!?” (Hero)

“The child he left is innocent! Or what, you want to exterminate his family to the root!? Is that what a hero does!?” (Sakurai)

“That’s… not the case, but still! Try to understand my feelings as a hero who has dedicated his life to subdue the Demon King, only for the Demon King to end being killed while he was incognito somewhere, will you!?” (Hero)

Actually, a part of the Demon King’s army who learned the art of scheming, has carried out a rebellion, and now the Demon King’s army is in the middle of internal strife just like the humankind.

The backlash of the Demon King’s army, whom had been suppressed by the Demon King with force until now, was no less than that of the humankind. After killing the Demon King, his generals, and their relatives, the rebels began to proclaim themselves as the Demon King, deny each other’s claim, and kill each other. It’s like they’ve arrived at the Warring States period.

Under such circumstances, she has high political value as the daughter of the preceding Demon King. Understanding that, the demons target her life. Having barely escaping alive with the help of her father’s aides, she ended up taking shelter in the Hero Party.

“Gaa, gaa.”

“Eh? Ahh, you’re hungry? Wait a bit, okay? I’ll get something for you…” (Hero)

The girl, who is sucking her finger, approaches the Hero and cries, flapping her mouth like a chick.

Even though she looks like a 16-year-old girl, she is still less than half a year old.

The Hero also knew that, which was why he couldn’t come on strong.

He takes out a bone with meat still attached on it out of his luggage and lets the Demon King’s daughter bites it.

The Demon King’s daughter, who has jagged teeth like a shark, happily gnaws the meat on the bone.

After she has finished eating, she rubs her head against the Hero’s chest as if to fawn on him.

“…………”

“…………”

“Ain’t you two looking good together?” (Sakurai)

“Shut up!!” (Hero)

I unintentionally laugh at the sight of the Warrior whose breathing became ragged at the scream, whereas the Priestess who is looking after him glares at me. I ignore her glare and go standing by the window.

What I can see from there is a beautiful cityscape— adorned with a scene of people fighting angrily in front of the royal castle.

It appears to be a fight of humanity and justice between an army of civilians whose boiling anger finally erupts and the foolish aristocrats who’s been living lavishly and enriching themselves by levying heavy tax under the name of war expenditure and using financial institutions to give them loans with sky-high interest, squeezing the civilians dry.

I’d say, this is a fitting end for the fools who did such an idiotic thing such as stripping the Hero Party… especially me, of the dungeon exploration permission and asking me to hand over the items I have obtained so far unconditionally.

“Hey, Hero. Due to various reason, there are currently countless civil wars breaking out in both the humans’ and the demons’ side.” (Sakurai)

“Isn’t the majority of that ‘various reasons’ because of you?” (Hero)

“That’s not important, what’s important is what we the Hero Party should do in this chaotic era.” (Sakurai)

To begin with, those in authority who sparked the series of strife are responsible for it, they’re just reaping what they sow.

I commanded the spies of the Demon King’s army to expose them so that even the common folks could learn the truth.

By the way, I had the spies who thought about unnecessary things turned into my experience points, so there’s no need to worry about the future. Good job, me.

“Listen well, Hero. The humans are just and the demons are evil— such two-dimensional value no longer has any meaning. After all, among humans, there are those who are incorrigibly evil, and among demons, there are those who are innocently good. You know it better than anyone else.” (Sakurai)

“You’re right, the incorrigible Sakurai-kun. I think the same thing seeing the innocent daughter of the Demon King.” (Hero)

“Now, all the intelligent beings on the continent are facing unprecedented chaos. If left unchecked, the number of victims will exceed 10,000.” (Sakurai)

“So,” I turn to the Hero who is holding the Demon King’s daughter on his lap.

“We will become the light! The light that points to a path where both humans and demons can walk together! Those who pioneer that path can be said to be a hero in the truest sense… don’t you think!?” (Sakurai)

I clench my fist and ask the Hero.

He takes a look at the Demon King’s daughter on his lap.

Not understanding the meaning of his gaze, the girl just smiles at the Hero.

That smile of hers is what a true hero should protect.

“……You’re right. It’s as you said, Sakurai-kun. I also think that I should work towards true peace that transcends the boundaries between humans and demons in order to become a true hero.” (Hero)

“So, you understand, Hero.” (Sakurai)

“Yeah, that’s why—”

Saying that, the Hero takes a deep breath to relax himself, turns his eyes that are filled with a strong determination towards me, and continues his words,

“—I can’t keep a troublemaker like you around. Please leave the Hero Party, Sakurai-kun.” (Hero)

“Are you sure? If you release me into the wild, I’ll have more freedom, you know.” (Sakurai)

“……Fuck!” (Hero)

“Fuck! Fuck!”

“Oi, Hero. Don’t teach strange words to the kid.” (Sakurai)

“It’s your fault!! Ahh, that is a bad word, so don’t say it, okay!?”

I leave the room to join the civilian army of this nation so as not to disturb thesweet interaction between the Hero and the daughter of the Demon King.

I don’t care if they’re humans or demons!

All of the hostile troops are my experience points, hyaahahahaha!!!