After deciding that everything was finally sufficient, I ended up living the miserable life of a middle-aged man.
I continued the role of a man who had died on the battlefield earlier.
They called him:
Jagger.
That was the name of the random NPC I used as a vessel.
Right now, I am in the place they believe to be the protector of humanity.
The people here believe that the threat of demons has truly come to an end. They think the four heroes successfully saved the world. However, they do not know the truth. The Demon King will never truly be destroyed.
He was forcibly buried by my will.
His very existence rests in my grasp.
I know. That is an extremely selfish act. But there was no other choice. I was already sick of the role of Demon King. I wanted to experience a free life like before, not a figure who constantly dictated the rules of the demon race within his territory.
And now, I have achieved it.
I have completely stepped outside the narrative.
I do not know what will happen when I am eventually fated to die by the hands of the true hero. Will this world close its curtains and erase me entirely, or will I perhaps return to my original world as Itou Satoru?
Everything remains a mystery.
For now, all I can do is act behind an even larger stage.
The heroes have already obtained proper positions and are acknowledged by society as honorable figures.
Especially Rosse. Or to be precise, Rosse Niathena. She has now assumed the position of ruler of the kingdom.
It is said that after the war ended, the king of the Dragon Cross Kingdom died of old age. He had no descendants or family to inherit his throne. The only person he truly trusted was Rosse.
Because of that, Rosse was forced to lead the people of Dragon Cross.
I only learned this recently.
In the original scenario, after the Demon King was defeated, this world was supposed to reach a happy ending. However, the reality I have just discovered is that this world continues on its own path.
For example, when I was at a bar reserved for revolutionary troops, someone spoke to me in a hazy state of consciousness.
"Hey, old man. Why don't you decide to retire from duty? It's already been three months, you know… since Satanos was defeated."
He sounded like he was giving me advice.
For context, the one speaking to me was merely an ordinary soldier who somehow managed to sneak into this restricted bar.
He did not have much experience. He had only joined the military a few weeks ago. The reason was simple. His background was… rough.
From what I know, he was a skilled con artist who enlisted out of financial necessity.
Since Rosse took control of the kingdom, she introduced a system where soldiers' salaries were increased by 25 percent from before. For those in need, it was an irresistible offer.
Including the man speaking to me now.
"…Ah, I've already planned for that."
I replied in a tone befitting a man who appeared weak and insignificant.
"Nahh!! That's a good decision, old man! If you don't plan that far ahead, you'll be dead in no time once the fighting starts again…"
Oh.
So he was looking down on me, indirectly.
Well, what can I say. I have been getting judged like this a lot lately.
I could have shut his mouth using unconventional means. I could have grabbed his head in my palm, completely enveloping it with my hand.
And within seconds, the head caught in my grasp would be reduced to dark ash, scattered away by the wind.
But I cannot do that. Absolutely not.
Warning… 404.
Lol.
"Ugh, I see…"
Before I could offer more empty pleasantries, he suddenly moved closer to me as I focused on eating the food on the table.
He wrapped an arm around me with the raw vigor of youth.
Then he whispered directly into my ear.
"Anyway, this next war is going to be much bigger, you know!? I heard the connections between allied nations are breaking apart… And they, the ones starving for power, are rushing to seize the capital of Dragon Cross… because of something that's buried there…"
That was what I heard.
Although I felt slightly uncomfortable with a man speaking so closely to another man, I ended up obtaining some important information.
After whispering that, he returned to his original position.
Sitting beside me, but now his face was turned toward the pretty receptionist girl.
Then he said,
"Yeah… basically, they won't waste the moment when a strong head has already been taken away by time."
"..."
I understood what he meant.
Perfectly.
It was already clear that the protagonist's enemies were not limited to the demon race. He also had personal conflicts. Just as the game's title suggested, 'The Hero with Too Many Enemies.'
That meant the scenario following Satanos's death would shift toward ideological warfare among mortal beings. There was nothing wrong with that. It was a common pattern in complex worldbuilding.
It seems this game chose a route closer to the real world.
…Well, that is its obligation.
If the world chooses such a route, then it seems I must soon become active within the shadows, working behind the scenes.
I have to protect Rosse from afar. If I do not, sooner or later, she will be killed by her new enemies. I am absolutely certain of that. The rough mindset of an ordinary NPC like the man earlier already proves that the other NPCs in this world possess their own intelligence.
There is no other choice.
I do not want this world to reset again just because Rosse dies at their hands.
That would be extremely troublesome for me.
First of all, I need to create an organization that will function as shadow heroes.
No. That is a huge mistake.
Wait.
Isn't that way too edgy for someone like me, with a sunken, malnourished body? Even personality-wise, I already feel zero compatibility with such a cool-sounding label.
Alright. Let's call them reserve heroes instead.
That label fits perfectly. Not too edgy, and not too awkward to say. Besides, "reserve" itself is something that exists beyond the main role. That is precisely why I chose it.
If there is no reserve, the main role would be meaningless in this vast world.
Okay. Let's end that shallow conclusion there.
Anyway, right now I am outside the kingdom's jurisdiction.
I have just arrived at a place that could be called a black market.
A place that sells things no one should legally own.
Some sell forbidden artifacts that are extremely rare at absurd prices. Others sell monsters as pets. And some even sell people, to be claimed as high-quality merchandise.
My purpose here is probably to buy one of those currently being traded.
My money seems to be enough for only one slave.
Usually, they go for around a thousand silver coins.
I have one thousand two hundred silver, wrapped inside a drawstring pouch. This money is the result of days of hard labor after I met that con artist of a man.
On top of my soldier duties, once my shifts ended, I always took the initiative to go to the local market, doing small odd jobs.
Yeah. Basically, I did all of that just to add a little more to my savings on top of a revolutionary soldier's base salary.
…Now it's time.
I head toward a shop located not far from the carriage station.
I walk casually through the noise of hundreds of people in the middle of transactions.
From time to time, they look at me with cynical gazes. At other times, their stares are cold. Perhaps they see me as someone without much money.
Tch. Such shallow conclusions.
People like them will never experience true progress in their lives.
Do not lump me together with them.
It's not that I feel disgust or hatred toward them. It's just that their behavior is far too adorable for me to destroy instantly.
"Oi, oi! What's up with that old man!? For some reason, I'm sensing an incredibly strong dark energy from him!!"
"….."
Holy shit.
A group of hooligans noticed something from a narrow alley.
It seems my earlier monologue leaked my true dark aura.
I was careless in concealing it.
"What are you talking about… He's just a gloomy old guy! Don't make a big deal out of it. Maybe his life is just that miserable….."
Phew….
Thankfully, another man immediately denied his sharp-instincted companion. I am deeply grateful to that guy for covering for him.
Thank you very much, delinquent man. Truly.
With that sincere gratitude in my heart, I promptly continued walking toward my main destination. I completely ignored them with light steps, as if nothing at all had happened just a few minutes ago.
::::::
"Hey, sir! Interested in buying them?"
I've arrived.
In front of me stands a massive cage, trapping three beings inside. They are not human. I know that much. Even though their appearances resemble humans, they were born from a different race.
"Yes. But is this really all that's left?" I asked the seller, a bald man with a huge build, like a brown bear.
At a glance, he's intimidating.
I have to tilt my head just to meet his gaze.
Seriously. Talking to this guy is a pain.
And don't mock me just because I might look short. Jagger is 180 centimeters tall. That's plenty tall and perfectly normal. It's the bald guy who isn't normal.
"Yeaah… this is all that's left. But don't be disappointed, sir! All three of them are wolfkin hybrids, wolf race mixed with humans. They have sharp instincts, and their bodies are quite agile… even across all kinds of terrain."
Tch.
So this is what they call marketing tactics.
If only I had pursued marketing back then… I might have fired back with the classic arguments of someone who always haggles shamelessly.
"Oh, I see. But I…"
Just as I was about to voice a quarter of the sentence I had prepared in my head, the bald man suddenly slapped my shoulder hard.
"Come on, sir! You'll regret it!!" He dragged me closer to the rusty iron cage. "Look… they're still young. You can do whatever you like with them. You just need to clean them up."
Then he flashed a lewd grin at me.
Damn it.
That's not what I want.
It's true. All three of them have straight postures and are still young. Compared to humans, visually speaking, they look like they're in their early teens.
They're filthy and miserable.
Iron collars are fastened around their necks. They sit in separate corners. Long chains hang from both their hands and feet. Their clothes are tattered. Maybe they've been here for a long time because no one wanted to buy them? Ugh, let's just assume that.
Hmph…
I'm worried they might be expensive.
"So, how much are they?" I asked, staring at them with my hand pressed against my chin.
The man answered while chuckling.
"Let's see… well, these are the last items in stock. I might give you a discount. On top of that, I feel sorry for you since you look pretty poor…"
"..."
Huh?!
Again. And again.
I get underestimated again.
Seriously, I'm already full of this crap!!!
"Ugh… thank you for your generosity."
That's the response I'm supposed to give.
"Don't take it personally, sir! Ha-ha-ha!" He laughed loudly. "Alright then… I'll give you a price of 300 silver each! How does that sound?"
That's clearly a great deal for me, even though I didn't use any bargaining strategy. It just fell into my lap. Though in a rather humiliating way, being looked down on as some poor man.
If only this guy knew the struggle I went through doing odd jobs.
But that no longer matters.
300 times 3 equals 900 silver coins.
I'll still have 200 silver left. Maybe I'll use it later to buy necessities for them.
"Alright. I'll take them."
With that, I immediately handed over the agreed amount. He laughed in satisfaction and promptly brought the slaves out. The bald man handed me a single chain that bound the three girls together.
No matter how I look at it, this feels like someone holding their pets, with one leash tying three creatures together.
"Alright, sir! Thanks for the transaction! Enjoy your purchase! You won't regret it!"
…Will I really?
Is what he said truly correct?
I don't know.
I looked at them, and they looked back at me with eyes hoping to be treated kindly. It makes me want to cry and scream for some reason. Somehow, it feels like I've stepped into one of those overly touching films…