A boy raised by a demon king and a dragon king seems to be peerless in his school life.

Volume 7 Chapter 34 Hostage

“Russo was taken down so easily…!? What’s happening!?”

With Russo’s defeated, further anxiety spread among the demon kind.

Russo, known as the “Smoking Phantom,” was a famous figure among the demon mercenaries. For someone like him to be defeated by a young boy was beyond their comprehension.

There was no longer anyone with the will to resist, and everyone cast their eyes down to the ground, wearing expressions of resignation.

Ruisha approached them, trying not to provoke and inquired, “Where is your boss? If you tell me honestly, I won’t harm you any further.”

Although Ruisha tried to phrase it as gently as possible, upon hearing the word ‘boss,’ the demons began to tremble.

“W-what’s the matter?”

“I… I can’t say. Indeed, you are frightening, but our boss is even more terrifying. If they find out we’ve betrayed them, we’ll face unimaginable consequences…”

Even battle-hardened mercenaries were trembling to this extent. Ruisha raised his assessment of the danger posed by the enemy within his mind.

However, he was in a bind. If he forcibly extracted the information, the curse would activate, and they would die. He had some knowledge of dispelling curses, but he didn’t possess the expertise to handle it in a high-pressure situation.

What should he do? As he pondered, a demon who had been staying at the inn the demons were in came out through the door.

“Hey, you brat! Take a look at this!”

Shouted the demon, holding a young human boy. The boy, about five years old, had his mouth gagged with a cloth, tears welling up, and his eyes swollen from crying.

“Even a little movement, and you can imagine what’ll happen to this kid! Got it? Drop your sword!”

Saying this, the demon pressed a knife against the boy’s neck. The boy trembled.

If resisted, the knife would truly cut through his throat.

“How despicable…”

“Shut up! Drop the sword, now!”

The demon yelled at Ruisha, who looked at them with pity.

Ruisha reluctantly dropped the Dragon King Sword on the ground.

“T-that’s good… hehe, who would’ve thought that the brat we kidnapped yesterday would come in handy.”

While Ruisha was engaged in the battle with Russo, this demon had returned to the inn and brought the kidnapped boy as a hostage, thinking he could be of use.

Sensing the situation suddenly turning in their favor, the demons who had been downcast until now regained their confidence and became aggressive.

“Heh, humans are indeed weak. To see a brat like that make you so submissive.”

The demons, reinvigorated, surrounded Ruisha.

He could easily slaughter them in an instant… but at that moment, the knife would pierce the boy’s neck.

“What should I do…!?”

Ruisha was frantic. The enemy’s leader was likely advancing their plan to massacre the kingdom’s citizens even as he stood here.

If only someone could come to his aid, they might find a way, but his comrades were likely engrossed in their own tasks.

If it came to it, sacrificing the hostage might be the only option… Ruisha grappled with this bitter decision.

“Hahaha! Evil prevails!”

The demon laughed maniacally, pressing the knife against the boy’s belly.

However, oddly, the sensation of holding the knife suddenly disappeared.

“…Huh?”

Puzzled, the demon looked down, examining his own arm. To his astonishment, the arm that should have been there moments ago was now missing.

The arm he had carried for years was severed from the shoulder and lay at his feet.

“AAAAHH!!”

The moment he realized it, the demon let out an inhuman scream. The pain was so intense it felt like his brain was searing.

Instinctively, the hand that had been gripping the boy loosened. Seizing the opportunity, a certain individual brushed aside the demon’s hand and rescued the boy.

“Are you alright, young lad? Any injuries?”

The person who suddenly appeared was a man clad in silver full-body armor. His face was obscured by a helmet, making it impossible to discern his features. In his right hand, he held a shining silver sword. The blade had a faint trace of blood; this armored man had approached the demon undetected and swiftly severed the arm wielding the knife.

“Young man! This child is safe! They have no hold over him anymore!”

The armored man shouted towards Ruisha.

Not knowing who this person was, Ruisha saw the man in armor as an ally and flashed a triumphant smile. He swiftly struck the demons surrounding him with fists and kicks at an incredible speed.

Amidst this, the silver knight hurried to Ruisha and picked up the Dragon King Sword that had fallen to the ground, handing it to him.

“It’s a fine sword. Take good care of it.”

“T-Thank you. By the way, may I ask who you are?”

Ruisha had no clue about the person before him. He had no memory of sensing this kind of magical energy, so there was no familiarity with the face beneath the helmet.

“Hehe, I… no, we’re adventurers, Ruisha-kun.”

“Adventurers? Us? Wait, more importantly, how do you know my name?”

A perplexed expression formed on Ruisha’s face, marked with a question.

The silver knight chuckled slightly beneath his helmet and pointed to the direction behind Ruisha.

“You should take a look over there. He’s the one who brought us here.”

“Over there?”

Turning to look in the direction he pointed, Ruisha saw several individuals running towards them. He didn’t recognize most of them, but there was a familiar face leading the group.

“M-Max!?”

At the forefront of the group was Max, the leader of the adventurer group ‘Jackal,’ whom Ruisha knew well.

Noticing Ruisha looking their way, he waved enthusiastically and shouted, “Big bro!! I brought reinforcements!!”

◇

Volume 7 Chapter 35 Adventurer’s Guild

A few tens of minutes earlier.

Jackal’s leader, ‘Max,’ and the mage ‘Marl’ were visiting the adventurer guild’s building.

This wooden structure located in the commercial district stood significantly taller and larger than the other buildings, being a four-story structure. This was to showcase the strength of the adventurer guild. In fact, despite not being directly affiliated with the country, the adventurer guild wielded significant military and political power.

The ground floor had numerous papers pinned to a bulletin board, containing requests submitted to the adventurer guild, the so-called ‘quests.’ Adventurers would pick the quest papers that suited them and bring them to the reception.

The ground floor also doubled as a tavern, always bustling with adventurers looking to unwind or those seeking a break from their adventures. Here, adventurers could eat and drink at a lower cost compared to other taverns, so foot traffic was constant.

With a bang, Max pushed open the guild’s door amidst the lively atmosphere of adventurers.

Startled by the sudden noise, the adventurers turned their attention towards the door. However, upon seeing the newcomer, Max, they quickly lost interest, resuming their drinking or shifting their gaze to the bulletin board.

Seeing the indifferent reactions of the adventurers, Max felt disheartened but gritted his teeth.

“A-Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Marl. This kind of reaction was expected.”

Max said this to Marl and took a deep breath before shouting loud enough for all the adventurers inside to hear.

“The demons are attacking!! Lend us your strength!!”

Max’s loud voice reverberated strongly, reaching the eardrums of the adventurers.

The sturdy adventurers looked at Max, some intrigued, some displeased. There was no turning back at this point. With that resolve, Max began to speak in the now hushed room.

“It might sound unbelievable, but the demons that have come to this country are planning a massacre of humans. If we don’t act now, it’ll be too late. Please, can you all lend us your power?”

Max appealed with a serious expression.

The adventurers heard his words… and after a few seconds, burst into laughter.

“Heh, can you believe this? They’re planning a massacre!”

“Haha, what a masterpiece! I wonder what kind of scheme for profit they’ve come up with this time!”

The adventurers laughed and ridiculed Max. Not only were his words not believed, but he was also made a fool of. Frustration welled up in Max’s eyes.

However, receiving such a reaction from the adventurers was unavoidable. The reputation of Max and the Jackal trio had spread to the extent that they were seen as clever adventurers making money by dubious means.

“I know you won’t believe me, but I’m begging you! Someone I deeply respect is in danger!”

Max pleaded desperately, placing his hands on the ground. But even that wasn’t enough to change the adventurers’ perception.

At that moment, a person approached Max, seeming indifferent. With a muscular physique and slicked-back black hair, this man looked like a delinquent.

However, the fighting spirit emanating from his body equaled that of a seasoned warrior, if not surpassing it.

“Hey, Max, let’s stop this charade. You’re ruining the taste of the fine drinks we have. Geez.”

“Munba…!”

The person Max called out to was Munba, also known as ‘Munba the Ripper,’ a gold-ranked adventurer.

A gold-ranked adventurer was a prestigious title, equivalent in prowess to someone with a high-ranking insignia. Munba, holding the rank, was a first-rate warrior embodying the ‘Claw Insignia.’

“Sorry, Munba, but I can’t back down here. Can you overlook this as a favor to our shared history as fellow initiates?”

“Our shared history? Indeed, our years as initiates align, but you, you’re at the copper rank, while I hold the gold rank. The difference in status is quite apparent, isn’t it?”

Munba spoke with a mocking tone.

Indeed, as he pointed out, the difference in status between Max and Munba was significant. No matter how they started as fellow initiates, that gap was unbridgeable.

“In fact, you should be thanking me. I, your fellow initiate, who is no one but me, came here to stop your foolishness.”

Saying this, Munba reached out towards Max.

Caught by him, there was nothing Max could do. With his limited physical prowess, escaping from Munba’s grip was practically impossible.

It seemed like the end. Max had resigned himself to this fate. But an unexpected interruption occurred.

“Hold on a moment, Munba.”

Saying this, a man clad in a full-body silver armor grabbed Munba’s hand forcefully.

With an extraordinary grip, he pulled Munba’s hand away and turned to face Max.

“I’ve heard your words. However, that alone won’t convince those present here.”

He said so, drawing his sword from its sheath around his waist, pointing the blade towards Max while gripping the hilt.

“Show us your determination. Then, others will understand.”