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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hmm…”
Hare woke early, the unfamiliar sleeping arrangements disrupting her usual slumber. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, noticing an unsettling absence beside her.
“Huh…? Where’s Luna…? She was sleeping next to me…”
She had seemed to be snoring just moments ago…
What happened? A terrible thought crossed Hare’s mind.
“Did… did the lizardmen take her…?”
Had Luna been captured and eaten for breakfast?!
“H-Heroes are full of nutrients…!”
This was an emergency!
Hare scrambled out of the tent. Mister seemed oblivious to Luna’s disappearance, calmly preparing breakfast. Hare rushed towards him.
“M-Mister…! E-Emergency…! Luna’s gone…! She must have been eaten by the lizardmen…!”
“A lizardman so stealthy that even I didn’t notice…! A powerful one must have taken her…! It’s… it’s an emergency…!”
Lee Jun-woo listened patiently, thinking to himself,
‘Luna’s sleeping in my tent…’
Captured by lizardmen? Just how far had Hare’s imagination run wild?
He looked at Hare, her breathing ragged with panic.
‘…Well, at least she’s worried about Luna. Maybe I should tell her the truth.’
Seeing Hare’s genuine concern for her missing friend, Lee Jun-woo placed some meat on the grill.
“Luna’s safe.”
“Y-Yes…? But she’s not in the tent…”
“Go check my tent. Breakfast will be ready soon, so wake Luna up while you’re at it.”
A chill ran down Hare’s spine.
‘M-Mister’s tent…? Don’t tell me… Luna, you…?’
Composed once more, Hare cautiously approached Mister’s tent.
She gulped, staring at the closed flap.
‘It… it can’t be what I’m thinking… Luna said she liked Mister… but not like that…’
Taking a deep breath, Hare opened the tent. The sight that greeted her was completely unexpected.
“Y-You… thief… traitor…”
“Mmm… hmm…”
Not captured by lizardmen…
But hiding in Mister’s tent…?
While I was sleeping…?
‘What… what did Luna do with Mister while I was sleeping…? What… what did they do… what did they talk about…?’
Hare’s imagination ran wild, conjuring up all sorts of scenarios.
The possibilities were endless, and eventually, she reached a breaking point.
“M-My world… is ending today… I-I’ll do the same to you…! Y-You traitor-!!”
I’ll kill you!
And then I’ll kill myself!
Hare lunged at Luna, dagger raised.
“W-What…? Eek…! W-What’s going on…!!”
“…I missed. How did she notice…?”
“What are you doing with a dagger, Hare?!”
“S-Stay still, Luna. As a friend… I’ll make it quick…”
“Mister! Hare’s gone crazy! She’s completely lost it! Waaaah-!!”
Luna, now wide awake, screamed and bolted from the tent. Hare, her eyes cold and dead, followed in pursuit.
A game of tag in broad daylight.
Lee Jun-woo sighed, watching them.
“Sigh…”
Just another noisy morning.
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We arrived at the lizardmen’s cave sooner than expected. The Hero’s party was in better shape than I anticipated, and Hare had expertly guided us through the forest.
I looked at the cave entrance and whispered,
“There are two lizardmen at the entrance.”
“How do we deal with them?!”
“I… I have an idea…”
Hare raised her hand, eager to share her plan.
“We use Luna as bait…! While they’re distracted, we take out the Lizardman Chief…! How about it, Mister…?”
“Try to think without letting your emotions cloud your judgment, Hare.”
“Tsk…”
Hare clicked her tongue in disappointment. Ever since that morning, she had been growling at Luna like a wild animal guarding its prey.
“Anyway, Hare’s plan is rejected. Any other ideas?”
“Me!”
“Go ahead.”
“Mister just goes and kills them all!”
“Impossible. I’m not participating in this quest.”
I had already made my decision. I wouldn’t interfere in this quest. Luna and Hare needed to learn to think and act for themselves.
I would simply observe.
“So, no matter what happens, you have to figure things out and act on your own. Don’t hesitate.”
“O-Okay! We’ll handle it! Mister, just stay put! It’s cheating if you move! Got it?!”
“Yes. I won’t move of my own volition.”
With my assurance, Luna nodded vigorously and turned to Hare, eager to formulate a plan.
“Hare! What do we do? Besides using me as bait! Think of a plan!”
“The best approach would be assassination…”
“Assassination! We each take one out?”
“That…”
Hare glanced at me, then stood up, dagger in hand.
“I’ll do it alone… I can take care of them in an instant…”
Hare slipped into the undergrowth, her steps confident and silent. She moved quickly and stealthily, climbing above the cave entrance.
“Kuek-”
“Kueek-”
When the lizardmen momentarily shifted their gaze, Hare dropped down, swiftly eliminating one.
“Kuek-!”
Startled by the sudden disappearance of its companion, the remaining lizardman opened its mouth to raise the alarm. But Hare’s dagger, thrown with deadly accuracy, silenced it before it could make a sound.
A swift and efficient assassination.
“You’ve grown a lot. That was a good assassination.”
In the future, she would be even faster and more precise.
Luna, as if a switch had been flipped, exclaimed,
“That’s all?! I can do that too! That’s super easy!”
“Then you should have done it.”
“I-I was just being considerate! I let Hare have her turn! Got it?!”
I decided to ignore Luna’s outburst and walked towards the cave entrance.
“Well done, Hare.”
“He… Hehe… thank you…”
“Except for one small detail.”
Hare seemed to understand.
She picked up the lizardman’s body and tossed it into the bushes. Cleaning up the evidence. If another lizardman returned to the cave and found the body, it would raise the alarm. It was best to dispose of the body just in case.
“Next time, do that without me having to tell you.”
“Yes, Mister…! I’ll do my best…! I won’t disappoint you…!”
Hare’s voice was filled with determination.
Now that the outside was taken care of, it was time to enter the cave and complete the quest.
“The lizardman population has increased, so there’s a high probability that the Lizardman Chief is inside. Your primary objective is to subjugate the lizardmen. Any questions?”
“Me! I have a question!”
One last question before entering the cave.
Luna waved her hand excitedly.
“If the primary objective is to subjugate the lizardmen, what’s the secondary objective?!”
“You’ll see when you get there.”
Explaining it would defeat the purpose of this quest. It was better for them to see it for themselves. I entered the cave, heading deeper into the darkness where the Demon Lord awaited.
“Remember, this time, you two have to handle it yourselves.”
This was solely for Luna and Hare’s growth. What happened to me was irrelevant.
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One-on-one, lizardmen were formidable opponents. They had long tails, thick hides, and a certain level of intelligence. They wielded sharp scimitars and could crush weapons with their teeth. But those tactics were only effective against opponents of equal strength.
Luna and Hare had long surpassed that level.
“Kueek-!!”
“Shut up, lizard! You’re not a dragon!”
“Kuek-”
Slash-!
With each swing of Luna’s sword, a lizardman’s head went flying.
The Hero’s strength and instincts were overwhelming. The lizardmen couldn’t even get close. It was a complete mismatch.
“That’s five… Mister! Are these guys really strong?! They’re so weak!”
“T-They’re not even good training…!”
Luna and Hare carved a path through the cave, slaughtering dozens of lizardmen. But since each lizardman fell with a single blow, they seemed to be losing interest.
‘I wonder if they’ll be this relaxed in the next encounter.’
In the future I had seen, they had struggled considerably.
“You’ll see.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Focus.”
Did they understand the true meaning of my words?
Luna’s gaze sharpened, and she shouted at Hare,
“H-Hare!! Move aside!! Incoming attack!!”
Crash-!
A deep crater appeared where Hare had been standing just moments before.
‘If Luna hadn’t been paying attention, Hare would have been impaled by that tail attack.’
The scene from the future flashed through my mind. I turned towards the source of the attack. A massive lizardman emerged from the depths of the cave, surrounded by a crimson aura.
“D-Dragon!! That’s not a lizardman! It’s a dragon!”
Perhaps.
It was much larger than a normal lizardman. Anyone who didn’t know better would mistake it for a dragon. But I knew its true identity.
“Greed, the Demon Lord of Greed.”
“…H-Huh? D-Demon Lord…?”
“You abandoned your injured body and chose to possess a lizardman?”
A lizardman that rivaled a dragon in size.
Greed.
Having taken over the body of the Lizardman Chief, Greed opened its massive jaws and roared, its voice deafening.
-Don’t even think about escaping-! Give me your strong bodies-! Not your reptile bodies-! Give me your human bodies-!!!
Greed, still recovering from his previous injuries…
Last time, I had fought in the Hero’s party’s place. But not this time.
“Luna, you remember him, right?”
“…Yes.”
“You can do this. Work with Hare.”
Their first battle against a Demon Lord without me.
Saten and Estia weren’t here, but I had no doubt Luna and Hare would prevail. The desire for revenge could unleash power beyond their normal limits.
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