When Caro opened her eyes, she realized something had happened.

That much was obvious.

The grand church had turned into a complete mess before she even knew what was going on. Some places were still burning. She hurriedly climbed up from the floor and scanned her surroundings in alarm. Only after confirming she wasn't in immediate danger did she duck behind a low broken wall and hide.

Then she saw him.

That drunk-looking man.

He was dressed all in black, with black hair too. Honestly, that hair color felt oddly familiar to Caro, though it wasn't exactly unheard of in this world.

He was holding an enormous sword. Just from its size alone, it looked bigger than he was. But that was strange. When she'd seen him earlier, the sword had clearly been strapped to his back while he leaned against the wall. From that angle, it should've only reached from his head to his waist at most... and yet now, there was no doubt about it. The sword in his hand looked larger than his entire body.

The mismatch was so strong it felt wrong on a gut level.

And standing opposite him was some kind of "monster" engulfed in flames.

Caro instantly got excited. If she wasn't mistaken, that had to be one of the so-called demon race, or maybe a monster, a lifeform from the Demon Continent. She'd been in this world for two whole years and still hadn't seen one before!

This flame-covered creature had a vaguely humanoid shape. Judging by the scene, the explosion had probably come from it.

So by that logic... that unpleasant man was actually on the human side?

Caro couldn't help feeling a little guilty about how she'd misjudged him at first. But right now, the smart move was still to stay hidden and hope this man could defeat that bizarre creature.

"You shouldn't be here."

The monster spoke in clumsy human language. It was clearly an intelligent being.

Caro's ears perked up at once. She smelled gossip. As someone who had just become a Bard, she smelled a story.

The man narrowed his eyes. His grip on the greatsword was perfectly steady, but his tone was loose and streetwise.

"So even a weak little demon like you has heard my name?"

"False Hero Arnold~ Your name rings like thunder among demonkind. Since I ran into you, I guess I'm dead for sure."

The demon was still speaking in human language, but even while saying it was doomed, it didn't sound panicked at all.

Arnold?

That name sounded familiar to Caro. If she had to say where she'd heard it—

She searched through everything she'd learned in this world. It didn't take long before she found the match.

A Heroic Rank Adventurer party member. The so-called Dragon Slayer. Arnold!

Caro immediately sucked in two sharp breaths out of pure respect. She'd made eye contact with him earlier. What had her look meant to someone like him? Once the demon was done for, wasn't it going to be her turn next?

If she stripped naked and knelt down to beg to become his slave, would he forgive her?

Caro had no choice but to consider the worst-case scenario.

"You Flame Demonkin really are calm about this stuff—"

Arnold clicked his tongue.

"As long as the Primordial Flame hasn't gone out, even if I kill you now, you'll crawl back out of the fire in a year or two. And right now, going to the Demon Continent and kicking over the Primordial Flame myself doesn't seem too realistic."

The flaming figure laughed at that.

"You jest, sir. If you truly went all out, you might actually be able to do it. Even alone."

"You demons are better informed than I thought. I only got called the False Hero less than half a month ago."

Arnold slung his sword back onto his back. As he did, Caro watched the blade keep shrinking. In the end, it rested neatly behind him.

So cool.

Caro wanted a sword like that too.

"Well, your affairs are important~ Maybe meeting you here is my lucky day."

"I'm more curious why a high-ranking demon would attack the church of some little town. Doesn't that feel beneath you?"

Arnold actually started chatting with the demon.

The demon's flames fluttered like it was sighing.

"Lord Arnold, I don't want to either. But fate is what it is. Just like with you. This meeting may well be a stroke of luck for both of us."

Arnold gave a half-smile.

"So what, you want to recruit me? That way you get credit, and I get to show off my talents too? Is that it?"

"You truly are clever. The facts have already proven that humanity isn't worthy of your trust. You may still be human yourself, but your party cast you out, the Adventurers' Guild blacklisted you, and the human kingdoms have put out a warrant for you. Those are all facts. Even if you still love humanity, humanity no longer trusts you."

Damn it.

Some gossip you can hear. Some gossip you really can't.

Caro might've been a spoiled rich girl, but she wasn't stupid. Right now, she desperately wished she were still unconscious. She was sure both of them had noticed her hiding earlier. Really, if they hadn't silently allowed it, how could she have moved at all?

She wished she could pass out again.

Hearing this kind of thing felt like it could get people killed.

Curiosity kills the cat. If she apologized by kneeling naked...

It wasn't that Caro was actively thinking about that sort of thing. But if she really had to apologize, then all she had to offer was this body of hers that wasn't even all that developed yet...

Then she slowly took her hands off her ears.

She'd already heard this much, so she might as well hear the rest. Better that than die without knowing why. A day as a Bard meant a lifetime as a Bard. She had to record this story.

"What humans did to me has nothing to do with demonkind."

Arnold seemed completely unaffected.

"My circumstances don't need a demon's sympathy. Even if I've grown to dislike humans, that doesn't mean I'll start liking demons."

"As expected of the False Hero! Still putting on that act!"

The demon's voice carried a bitter kind of mockery.

"Though I would've loved to ask about you and the Demon King's daughter, hearing that much is enough for me. Otherwise I'd have a hard time explaining things to the Demon King."

Arnold lifted his chin.

"So, are you going to make me do it, or kill yourself?"

"...Lord Arnold, I think we'll meet again. As for this body, I'll leave it to you as a gift. I imagine your financial situation isn't all that good."

The flames on the demon's body gradually began to die out.

"Then, until two years from now, Lord Arnold."

Right before Caro's eyes, the burning flames went out.

What fell to the ground turned into black crystals, shattering into many pieces and reflecting a dazzling sheen.

One look told her they were worth a lot.

Arnold picked up all the crystals, sounding oddly emotional.

"Honestly, demons can be pretty decent sometimes. Setting aside our positions, I actually kind of like them."

After gathering up the crystals, he looked toward the low broken wall where Caro was hiding.

"Kid, you woke up pretty fast. Normally, the shockwaves from me fighting it should've knocked you all out for a long time. What class did you choose?"

Caro stepped out from behind the wall, a little scared.

"I-I chose Bard."

Arnold froze for a second.

"Bard? Seriously? People still choose Bard these days?"

He looked her over.

"You don't exactly look rich, either..."

"...It's my dream."

Arnold nodded.

"Bard, huh. That explains it. Your type naturally has some resistance to sound. You saw what happened just now, right?"

"I did."

Even though Caro really wanted to say she hadn't.

Arnold asked again, "Then if your dream is to become a Bard, you've probably heard my title."

"The D-Dragon Slayer... the one who killed a dragon with a greatsword..."

"Enough. Don't call me the Dragon Slayer anymore."

Arnold suddenly cut her off. Then he took out a very small black crystal.

"This crystal's worth a fair bit, so I can only give you a piece this size. Too much would be bad for you. Let's call it hush money, okay?"

Hush money?!

As expected of someone at Heroic Rank. He was way more broad-minded than she'd imagined! He was giving her hush money instead of cutting her down—

"Thank you very much, Lord Arnold! I'll remember your kindness for the rest of my life!"

Caro expressed her gratitude with complete sincerity.

And slipped in a tiny bit of flattery too.

If things worked out like this, she wouldn't need to spend another year or two working odd jobs before setting off for the next city. If this was the remains of some high-ranking demon, and even a gift meant for the Dragon Slayer, then it had to be extremely valuable. Even if it was only a tiny piece, it might be enough to buy a high-end harp.

But Arnold's expression turned a little ugly.

"Don't do that. It's just hush money. Of course, if you want to talk, that's fine too. Maybe once the news reaches this place, you won't feel grateful toward me anymore. Maybe you'll feel regret. Or fear."

Was he talking about the part where humanity betrayed him? About being called the False Hero?

Even if she asked, Arnold probably wouldn't tell her the answer.

But... once the news reached this place?

The hero glanced around at the wreckage.

"You don't need to explain what happened here. If anyone asks later, just say you woke up first, found nothing, and only discovered the crystal in your hand. Say you don't know what happened. Since you're a Bard, you woke up earlier. Then you got scared and ran. The others will wake up one after another."

He'd thought it through more thoroughly than she'd expected.

He actually seemed kind of careful.

"Anyway, that's it. I'm leaving."

He waved a hand and walked off into the distance. He didn't seem to be moving fast, but in just a short moment, he vanished from Caro's sight.

Was that some kind of shrinking-the-earth-to-an-inch skill?

This guy really knew how to act cool.

Even so, Caro decided to follow his instructions.

After all, he was a man who carried the title of hero.