The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 67

Episode 67: A New Step

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“Master, please excuse me.”

As she spoke, Minami entered the room.

Ever since returning home, it had been like this every single day.

Morning to night, she practically spent all her time in my room.

“Oh, you’re early again today.”

“Yes, because I am your slave.”

“Isn’t it about time we processed your release?”

“I refuse.”

And so, as always, she took a seat on the chair beside my bed.

Then—

“I also have to keep an eye on Lady Kua, in case she does anything improper.”

“Oh my, I’m a cleric, you know? What is there to worry about?”

“A normal sister wouldn’t lift her skirt or cling to a man.”

“Ara~, ara~, ufufu.”

Thus, our usual exchange began across the bed.

Honestly, it was uncomfortable.

That said, my treatment was still ongoing, so there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Ah, seriously, can someone—anyone—just send a guy over here already?

Just as I was thinking that—

“Kitayama, it’s me. I’m coming in.”

Along with a knock, the branch chief poked his head in.

You bastard, what the hell are you doing here—

“I’ve been waiting for you, Chief! Thanks for coming!”

“O-Oh? What’s gotten into you?”

It had taken two days by carriage to return to town from that forest, and another three days had passed since returning home.

During that time, Kua had continuously cast healing magic on me.

To the point where she collapsed from mana depletion every single day.

Yet, she had told me from the start that her healing magic alone wouldn’t be enough for a full recovery.

Even if my arm reattached, she had said with a pained expression that it likely wouldn’t move as it had before.

And in the worst case, it might not move at all.

However—

“I’m surprised. It’s moving properly.”

“Yeah, it’s still a bit numb, but there’s no real issue. It’ll take a little more time, but they say it’ll fully heal.”

Then there was the girl we rescued—Noa.

A Demon.

Her magic was a buff that strengthened others.

And it turned out to be far more powerful than expected.

With Noa enhancing both Kua and Annabelle, the two of them focused entirely on treating me.

Thanks to that, my arm healed at an unbelievable rate, and once my body fully recovered, it was expected to regain its previous mobility.

Honestly, after everything, I really owed my companions big time.

I was a little afraid of how they’d treat me from now on, but well… I’d deal with that when the time came.

“Still, I got a report from Airi, but… it’s been one unbelievable thing after another. To think you actually brought back a ‘Demon.’”

“I didn’t ‘bring her back.’ I rescued her. Noa will be raised as part of the orphanage. If anyone tries anything… not even you will be spared.”

“I understand. I know your personality—and how much of a pain you can be.”

“Tch, you sure have a way with words.”

“Hah, do you have any idea how much extra work you’ve given me?”

Chuckling to himself, the branch chief turned to look out the window.

Beyond it, human children were playing together with Noa, the Demon.

I had worried that the children or staff might be afraid of her.

But—

“The director and the leader of the Hearty Eater brought this child in, right? Then of course we’ll take care of her!”

That was what the staff ladies had said, scolding me instead.

“Whoa! Horns! So cool! Can I touch them!?”

And the kids had accepted her just like that.

Now, Noa was playing happily with the other little ones at the orphanage every day.

I’d have to find a way to thank her properly sometime.

“Now then, Kitayama. You’ve caused another problem, haven’t you?”

“Tch, what now? Another complaint from the king?”

“Well, the usual complaints, yes. That you interfered with the Hero. But when I tried to press them about why the Hero was in that forest, they fled back home.”

“Hah, so what’s the issue then?”

If it was about me injuring the Hero or beating up his lackeys, I couldn’t exactly deny it, so I’d have to apologize.

But if it wasn’t that, then what?

“First, let me clarify—our top scouts investigated, and there’s no evidence that you secured a ‘Demon.’ However, they suspect it.”

“Yeah, I figured. So what’s the real problem?”

“You recruited someone from the Hero’s party, didn’t you?”

“Ah, that’s what this is about?”

Kagemori Hatsumi.

From what she had told me, she had been treated terribly.

I thought it wouldn’t be an issue if I took her in.

Her food had been awful, her room had been terrible, and when she was on solo missions, she had been treated like a near-slave treatment.

I had assumed no one would care if I took her under my wing…

Instead, the bigger issue had been with the Hearty Eater, especially Minami in particular had been outright hostile toward her at first.

Her tail would puff up, her ears would shoot straight up, and she’d hiss like a cat.

“Because of her departure, they lost their scout, and their ability to conceal their presence was compromised. We received quite a furious complaint about it.”

“Hah… Hahaha. You’re kidding, right? They’re really that stupid? I mean, seriously?”

“Her treatment was… well, ‘that.’ Right? The higher-ups only care about those who shine brightly. If they were more perceptive, it might be different, but those who repeatedly attempt ‘Hero Summonings’ don’t bother evaluating individual competence. They only realize their loss after it’s gone.”

“Sigh… Hatsumi, you here?”

“Yes, right here.”

The moment I called her, she suddenly emerged from my shadow.

Only to be immediately dragged off the bed by Minami.

“This Hatsumi is ‘useless,’ huh.”

“Hah… Hard to believe. Is the ‘Shadow’ title really this convenient? Or is it some kind of unique magic of hers?”

With a sigh, the branch chief and I turned our gazes to Hatsumi, who was being restrained by Minami.

That black rider suit and red scarf-like getup really hit some niche preferences.

But whenever she gets involved with Minami and the others, she ends up looking kind of like an idiot.

Even now, she was thrashing around, desperately trying to escape Minami’s submission hold.

She’s competent, though. So why is she treated as such?

“Well, we can justify it however we want. Individual party movements happen all the time. She’s already been registered as a Walker. That means she’s officially one of us now. And one more thing—this isn’t exactly a complaint, but…”

“Noa’s future?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Yeah… that’s the real issue here.

She’s a Demon.

A terrifying existence to humanity.

But in reality…

“I’ve received the report. She can only use enhancement magic on others, she has no concept of levels. And… as much as I hate to acknowledge it, a group suspected of being Walkers attacked her settlement and captured multiple Demon.”

“What do you make of it?”

“Honestly? These so-called fake Walkers are probably soldiers sent by the country. Assuming the bigwigs in the government know the truth about the Demon, they disguised themselves as Walkers to avoid direct blame from any particular nation or faction. Their goal was likely the Demon’s powerful enhancement magic. The kind of magic that healed your arm completely—something normally impossible. That power is something any nation would kill to obtain.”

So that’s how it is, huh?

Demon were devalued so they could be enslaved for the benefit of the country.

Painted as enemies of humanity and persecuted by the masses.

Then, based on reports of sightings, the government sent out capture squads, and once caught, the Demon were used as tools.

Since Demon can’t even rival humans in power, capturing them isn’t exactly difficult with sheer numbers—unless people like us interfere.

Have they been doing this for ages? Or is there something else at play here?

The scale of this whole thing is too massive for me to wrap my head around.

“And if we believe what the young Noa is saying, Magical Beast meat doesn’t turn people into Demon. A Demon is simply a Demon. In cases like Annabelle, where a human evolves into a ‘witch,’ it might be more accurate to call it an ‘evolution’ rather than a transformation. In other words…”

“The entire foundation crumbles. The core of their discrimination is overturned.”

“Exactly. But humans don’t change their beliefs just because new information is presented to them. And this time, the source of that information is a child… That makes it even harder to trust.”

“I get what you’re saying. I get it, but… I can’t accept it.”

“Neither can I. I feel like killing the bastards who came up with this whole mess in the first place.”

We clenched our teeth and let out frustrated clicks of our tongues.

“But regardless, this is a step forward. And setting aside the ‘Demon’ issue, it’s highly likely that consuming Magical Beast meat contributes to human growth. The proof? You guys.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed. Your level-up speed is abnormal. Others take years, even decades, to raise their levels. But you guys? You’ve been gaining levels in mere weeks or months. Just like now—who would believe you were all Level 1 just a few months ago?”

“Yeah… I see your point. And we’re still just ‘humans’ too.”

“Exactly. And if you weren’t born with superhuman physical abilities… then your basic stats must be skyrocketing beyond normal levels. I haven’t seen it firsthand, so this is just a theory, but… doesn’t your body feel way more agile compared to when you started? Almost like you’ve surpassed human limits?”

That was an unsettling thought.

The fear of becoming a Demon was gone.

But even so, the branch chief’s words made it sound like we were being classified as something ‘abnormal.’

We’re… human.

“Don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not blaming you. This is a more fundamental issue.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Magical Beasts are said to be animals transformed by corrupt mana—miasma. Since they also emerge from dungeons, that theory might not be entirely correct. But either way, magic essence flows through our bodies as well. The point is, their meat might contain nutrients that allow for rapid strength and evolution. Even if you remain ‘human,’ it lets you grow stronger and surpass normal limits. That’s what I’m getting at.”

Honestly, I didn’t fully understand.

We’ve been eating Magical Beast meat ever since we got here.

Leveling up happens when you kill a strong Magical Beast.

That’s all we really thought about.

So maybe both our understanding and the branch chief’s were flawed.

Either way, there was no way to prove anything yet.

“We don’t know for sure. But that’s exactly why we need to investigate. What we do know is that you guys are way stronger than others at your level. Differences in talent, determination, and circumstances all play a role. But the fact remains—you are strong. You know ‘Wind of War’ Kyle, right? His level was over 10 levels higher than yours. And yet, you fought on par with, or even surpassed, him.”

“You’re overestimating us. That guy’s strong.”

“Maybe. But so are you. That’s something we need to look into further.”

The branch chief turned back to the window, a calm expression on his face.

“That’s why I need to observe you guys a bit longer. Young Noa, too—she’s your responsibility now. But keep her hidden. If anything happens, it’ll cause a huge mess. Officially, the guild will report that you guys encountered a Demon and learned that ‘Magical Beast meat has no relation to Demon transformation.’ That’s all. And of course, I’ll include your usual appraisal results.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Sure about what? I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary. All I saw were a bunch of children of different races happily running around. This place… doesn’t care about race, does it?”

“…Yeah, I guess not.”

Damn it.

I swallowed my words of gratitude and just bowed my head in silence.

Seeing that, the branch chief let out a small chuckle before standing up.

“There’s still a lot to do. Keep me updated, ‘Hearty Eater.'”

“Yeah… I’ll be counting on you.”

With that, he left the room.

Damn it. I owe him another favor.

He’s willing to keep quiet about Noa living at the orphanage as long as we don’t cause trouble.

I know I shouldn’t be saying this after asking for his help, but… he’s way too softhearted.

“Master.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Minami, who had apparently just choked Hatsumi unconscious, approached my bedside.

You’ve gotten pretty ruthless.

You were so scrawny at the start.

“There will always be people gathering around you, Master. Some will be good, some will be bad. But I’ll stand by anyone you trust as a comrade. So please… don’t carry everything on your own. I will bear the burden with you.”

Her ears twitched as she spoke, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“W-Why are you laughing, Master? I’m serious—”

“I know, I know. Thanks, Minami.”

I patted her head, and she closed her eyes in contentment.

Really… I’m lucky to have them.

At first, I had no idea what to do in this world.

But now, I have comrades willing to put themselves on the line for me.

“That’s exactly why… I need to stay strong.”

My clan members. The orphanage kids. The Walker Guild, including the branch chief.

Even the Fortia family, who support us—they’d suffer if we messed up.

And now, Noa.

If we fail, she might lose her place entirely.

Same goes for the orphanage kids.

Even if the orphanage disappears, we could still feed them.

But if we don’t survive, neither will they.

That’s why I can’t afford to take another injury like this.

I’m the leader of Hearty Eater.

“I’ll survive. No matter what it takes.”

“Yes, Master. I will follow you—wherever you go.”

Her voice was unwavering.

Maybe that’s what true sincerity sounds like.

Man… I really am blessed with good people.

As I lay on the bed, I found myself with nothing to do but reflect on that.