Mental Rebirth: The World's Savior Was Not Me, but My Childhood Friend and Stalker

“Kuhahahaha! Incredible, these guys! They blew through all that gold! Are they real idiots?!”

A man’s laughter filled the air. A rough-looking man stood before us, laughing at our plight. I had no energy to get angry; the fact was, we had acted foolishly. Rubure was in the same state, tears streaming down her face, sniffling, and looking down.

“Hey, don’t look so glum! I’m praising you, you know? Spending all the gambling winnings on the same day! That’s the spirit of a true gambler, manly and utterly foolish. I like it, bro! Not many like you around, and the girl, too. You should be proud!”

Contrary to us, the man seemed in a good mood, slinging his arm around me and offering a drink. It was an expensive beverage… and it tasted good.

“That’s not fair! I want some, too!”

Rubure, who had just been crying, suddenly perked up and demanded juice, but the man had none left. I reluctantly handed her my half-drunk glass, and she happily sipped.

“Well, maybe… it’s a man’s way to spend lavishly for a day’s dream…?”

I reluctantly agreed with the man, which improved his mood even more as he patted me hard on the back. It hurt quite a bit.

“I thought only those with rotten cores would enslave elves, but you’re different! Prejudice is bad, huh? And elves, I thought they were all gloomy, smelling like rotting twigs, but occasionally you find such fools, which makes it interesting.”

“Slave!? What do you mean!? How did you know!?”

Rubure reacted sharply to the man’s words. Her contract crest was on her abdomen, hidden under her bunny suit.

“Huh? When you reach my level, you can see the contract crest. It’s like a flow of power bound by a string. Don’t worry, elf; I immediately saw your relationship with your master. Who else goes bankrupt playing slots with a slave… Kukuku… my stomach hurts from laughing…”

Rubure puffed up her cheeks at his speaking style but seemed satisfied and quietly returned to drinking her juice.

“I saw a gloomy elf recently and thought you were the same. But you’re different.”

“Huh? You’ve seen that elf? We’re looking for them. Do you know where they went?”

I asked, not expecting much, as our initial goal was to find Rubure’s father, about whom we had already gathered some information at the gaming arena.

“Hmm, they were gathering mercenaries for a dungeon challenge. Elves love antiques, you know. I can’t talk. If you’re looking, the guild is your best bet. You can find out from the mercenaries’ hiring records.”

This information matched what we’d heard from a senior earlier. An unexpected gain. This meant we could report back to Mei with confirmation. We might have lost our coins, but meeting this man was something to be thankful for.

“Hey, wait… that person… I mean, that figure… is it…?”

“No way… Why are they here…?”

“What are they doing here… I mean, why are they present…?”

I noticed something odd in the atmosphere. Everyone was keeping their distance from us. I thought they were just reacting to our loss, but it was different. They seemed afraid of something.

“Truly, they are here! My apologies, Lord Eldora! We should have greeted you if we knew you were here!”

A pompous man came running from the back, bowing profusely to the man named Eldora. He then glared at us.

“You guys, aren’t you our staff… Why aren’t you bowing down… And you, the elf, be more humble…!”

“Eh, no way, he just laughed at us. Right, Rubure?”

“Yuusha, he gave us juice. We shouldn’t say that. Thank you, Eldora-san.”

Rubure said, giving a slight bow. I followed suit, bowing as well.

“What’s with that attitude towards him? Are you mocking Lord Eldora!?”

“I mean… you’re being too formal. Customer service is important, but being too submissive can make the other person uncomfortable…”

“I’m the manager of this casino! Staff should remember that! And this man is Lord Eldora! The Dragon King who eradicates evil! Are you a country bumpkin? Haven’t you ever seen him before!?”

The manager… that explains it. We had made a complete blunder. Rubure also seemed confused, realizing our rude behavior.

“Sorry, Mr. Manager! Sorry for being rude… So, who’s Eldora?”

The manager was dumbfounded by our attitude as if seeing something unbelievable.

“Eldora, the Dragon King who eradicates evil, heads the forces opposing the Demon Lord in this world. He is the king of all dragon tribes, one of the few who can stand against the Demon Lord. This is the first time I’ve seen him in person… Indeed, if he’s a high-ranking dragon, it makes sense that he can appear in human form. Nice to meet you, Lord Eldora. I am Mei, a servant to these people. Please forgive their rudeness…”

Mei stepped in between us, her demeanor instantly conveying the gravity of the situation. I noticed she was sweating; it was clear that Eldora was dangerous.

“Ah? You guys are boring… I’ll kill you?”

Eldora’s muttering about killing us made most of the people around freeze in terror. It was the kind of deadly intent that made you believe you were already dead. For Eldora, it was just a casual remark made in irritation.

“Ah, it’s a letdown… Hey you! What’s your name?”

Eldora pointed at me and demanded.

“Hurry up and answer! It’s rude to keep Lord Eldora waiting!”

The manager urged me to respond quickly, to which Eldora was annoyed.

“Sigh… You’re boring… Just be quiet.”

As Eldora commanded, the manager suddenly kneeled, trembling and unable to move.

“And you? Your name?”

“…Yuusha, but… Lord Eldora? Are you the type to remember names for later… ‘visits’?”

I understood the situation was dangerous. It was clear not to antagonize this man.

“Nah, just found you interesting and wanted to remember your name. See ya, Yuusha. If you do something stupid again, call me. I’ll join in, kuku. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.”

Eldora leaped up, breaking through the roof and flying into the sky. It was a grand exit, leaving a gaping hole through which the sky was visible.

After a while, the tension in the casino broke. People were relieved to be alive. The manager was foaming at the mouth, having wet himself.

“Hey Mei… that guy just now… who’s stronger, him or the Demon Lord?”

“Well… There are no records of them fighting, so it’s hard to say, but they are considered equals. Why do you ask?”

“He’s stronger than me. What should I do… I might not be able to protect Yuusha…”

Touko sensed Eldora’s immense power. He was holding back; if he had unleashed his strength, the manager might have died from shock. Such an extraordinary being. And a Demon Lord of the same caliber? Were people from this world summoning others from different worlds to defeat such beings? What a misguided idea.

But more than that, Touko had another worry.

“Well, it should be fine. Eldora is fortunately neutral towards us humans. He seemed to take a liking to you, Master. If he sides with us, the Demon Lord is no match.”

That was the problem for Touko. If Eldora decided to help Yuusha, she would become unnecessary to him. The thought of being discarded was unbearable.

Mei sensed something ominous from Touko’s mumbling and kept her distance. Touko’s curse was palpable and intimidating.

“Sigh… losing all our winnings hurts… Oh, Mei, thanks for stepping in. I don’t know much about this world, but…”

“Yuusha, don’t associate with that man. He’s dangerous.”

Touko cut off Yuusha’s words, grabbed his shoulders, and slammed him against the wall. The wooden fence cracked slightly from the impact.

“Ouch! What are you doing? Let go!!”

“Sorry…! I still can’t control my strength… But listen, we can’t be around that man. I can’t explain why, but we just can’t.”

“Hah!? I don’t need you to tell me that! That guy’s dangerous; if I’m near him, not even a dozen lives would be enough! No way I want to be around him!”

From a tense, tearful face, Touko’s expression brightened as she hugged me tightly, the wood creaking under the pressure. I thought I was going to die and lost consciousness, preparing for the end.