The Man Who Remained — His Second Life Began with a Humble Bow of Apology.

The End of the Traitorous Knight.

The first floor had four private rooms and two large rooms.

One of the large rooms included a kitchen, while the other came with a fireplace.

The second floor had six private rooms and one large room.

Both the first and second floors, though small, were equipped with a bath.

In addition to all that, there was also a basement, which served as a cellar for storing food and alcohol.

For a private property, the cellar and kitchen were remarkably spacious, and with this many rooms, the building was well-equipped enough to be turned into an inn immediately.

Though they still hadn’t checked the furniture and tools in each room or the attic and surroundings of the house, after roughly confirming the main areas, the two of them chose their respective bedrooms, tossed their belongings into their private rooms, and gathered in the kitchen-equipped large room.

“Here you go.”

With those words, Liber gently set down a cup of tea and some cookies in front of Cross at the table.

“Thank you. Come, Liber, join me.”

Seeing Liber waiting behind him with a tray, Cross smiled wryly and spoke.

It made her look more like a maid than a knight.

“Understood. Then, please excuse me.”

She smiled softly, sat across from him as invited, poured herself some tea, and slowly raised the cup to her lips to take a sip.

Watching her, Cross found himself completely captivated.

Usually, since she called herself a knight, Liber wore armor, but today she was dressed entirely in casual clothes – a simple outfit of a cute miniskirt and shirt, yet stylish enough to show her good fashion sense.

Besides, Liber herself was extraordinarily beautiful to begin with, so nearly anything would look good on her.

Moreover, until now, she always looked at Cross with harsh, hateful expressions, but seeing her now – calm and without suspicion – for the first time like this, it was no surprise he found himself entranced.

“Cross-san, is something wrong?”

Called out, Cross snapped back to his senses and muttered,

“Ah… no. It’s just… looking at you like this makes me think even the way you were before wasn’t so bad.”

Her current gentle expression was adorable, but the way she used to sneer at him with contempt suited her in its own way, too.

Of course, Liber had no idea what he was thinking, so she tilted her head in confusion.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“? I see. Oh, by the way, I’ve placed all the Harvester brand alcohol in the cellar. I’d like to drink some with dinner later – will you join me?”

“Of course, I’d be happy to. What man would refuse a beautiful woman’s invitation to drink? Speaking of dinner, what should we do about food?”

“What indeed? Cross-san, aren’t you good at cooking?”

“Well… yeah, I’m decent at it, but…”

“But?”

“It’s just… it’s only human cooking, you know? Ever since I came here, I’ve lost a bit of confidence.”

He gave a bitter smile as he spoke.

When he was still human, traveling as a hero’s companion, Cross was in charge of cooking during their journeys.

It wasn’t because he was treated like a servant, but rather because he felt he was the least useful in battle and wanted to contribute at least in small ways.

Because of that desire to make good food, he had put in considerable effort and developed decent skills, giving him confidence in his cooking.

However… the level of food between the human world and the monster world was fundamentally different, rendering his skills rather meaningless here.

Even if he cooked his best human dishes, in the monster world it would probably just be considered the clumsy efforts of an amateur.

“Then how about studying it again? If your technique isn’t the problem, gathering knowledge might let you cook just fine. You could buy a cookbook, for example.”

“…Huh? There are cookbooks here?”

“Yes. Books that list recipes, ingredients, and preparation methods. Though, their quality varies.”

“I see… in that case, maybe I should brush up my skills and give it a try. But with something that convenient around, does that mean everyone here is good at cooking?”

“No, not at all. Some can’t cook at all. Some don’t even have hands or are solid beings without forms suitable for cooking. It seems those closest to bipedal human-like forms find it the easiest.”

“Huh… interesting. Still, I doubt I can study enough today to prepare dinner tonight. How about eating out?”

“No, if that’s the case, I’ll prepare dinner today.”

“Oh? That would help. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes, please do.”

She smiled gently as she said this.

“In exchange, if I may, could I ask one favor from you, Cross-san? The Demon King has told me to settle this promptly.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“It’s about what you call me.”

“Ah, right.”

Cross understood what she meant and nodded.

Liber wasn’t her real name. It was a derogatory title she gave herself meaning ‘the traitorous knight.’

Until now, she kept using it to hide her true identity and to lie to the world.

But now that she no longer needed to do that, she found herself not even caring about her name anymore.

From Aura’s perspective, having a subordinate continue to use such a self-deprecating name wasn’t preferable, and Cross, too, didn’t want a girl to call herself something so belittling.

Thus, it was officially decided to change her name, and the right to rename her was given to her new master, Cross.

Although Liber interacted with Cross in a friendly manner due to his personality, she was deeply loyal to him – to the extent that she believed he was worth offering not only her name but even her life.

“…Hey. Now that I think about it, why me? I understand that you’re genuinely following me, but I don’t really get why.”

Cross voiced his doubt.

He was unaccustomed to being respected or admired by anyone. Even now, he felt out of place in the monster world.

Yet, Liber wasn’t simply treating him with respect like others did. Her loyalty seemed to come from a deeper place, and Cross wanted to know why.

“…Well, I’m not sure if I can explain it properly, but… I’ll try. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

She gave a bashful smile, cleared her throat once, and began to speak.

“In the past, I was conceited enough to believe there was nothing I couldn’t do. It was the Demon King who shattered that arrogance and brought me down to earth. After that, I was left with nothing. When I joined her ranks, I was completely empty. That’s why… I craved status, position, honor – anything that would let me acknowledge my own worth.”

She wanted to be able to recognize her own value, to approve of herself.

But that also meant she didn’t accept who she was at the time. In truth, back then, she didn’t like herself.

“That was the only value system I had. I clung to it because there was nothing else. But even that was shattered… by an ordinary, worldly man.”

She looked straight at Cross as she spoke.

“Worldly… yeah, that’s about right for me. I still don’t understand why they call me a sage.”

“But I understand. You gave me credit for achievements that were rightfully yours.”

She spoke with a slightly indignant tone.

Indeed, that gesture had meant a lot to her, though it had also left her deeply shaken.

She knew what status meant, and she had ordinary desires – to be admired, to eat good food, to be surrounded by cute girls. Yet Cross, despite having the same desires, casually gave up the achievements that would fulfill them.

He didn’t simply decline the highest honor he could have received – he threw it away without a second thought.

How could someone do that?

It meant his world was so vast that he wasn’t bound by status or fame. Even though such desires usually narrow a person’s vision, Cross remained unbound. He wasn’t a saint who renounced all worldly desires either; he accepted his desires as they were and could suppress them when needed.

He lived valuing his desires, and if necessary, could cast them aside and pick them up again later.

That broadness of mind could even be called enlightenment.

“That’s why… when I realized I could never have such a mindset, I understood that I couldn’t keep living with my old values. And so, I decided… I wanted to follow you.”

She could no longer bear her own smallness. The freedom of his mind shattered everything she once held dear.

Cross wasn’t particularly special. He wasn’t self-sacrificing or entirely selfless. He was just a man honest with himself, simple and straightforward.

But he could remain that way no matter the situation – even when turned from a human into a monster, he was still Cross.

For Liber, who always sought something special, that was an unthinkable state of being.

“…I think I understand, at least a little.”

“Really? To be honest, even I don’t fully understand these feelings myself, so I wasn’t sure I could explain them well.”

“Yeah. But I get what it’s like to admire someone who can do things you can’t. I feel the same way about Aura’s dream – I’d stake my life on it.”

He gave a sheepish smile as he said this.

“The Demon King’s dream?”

“Yeah. She wants to live alongside humans – not to destroy them or push them away, but to keep a moderate, proper distance.”

Hearing that, Liber’s mouth fell open in shock.

“…But that sounds… incredibly difficult…”

She swallowed down the word ‘impossible’ and replied.

“Yeah. It probably is. Different ways of life, different species, different thinking. Right now, we’re not fighting, but it’s just a ceasefire. Normally, we’re killing each other. That’s why… I think it’s an amazing dream.”

His eyes sparkled as he spoke, sincerely believing in that fantasy.

Looking at him, Liber gave a troubled smile.

“I cannot bring myself to believe in that dream. I can’t even imagine it becoming reality.”

“I see. Well, that makes sense. Even Aura said it would take thousands of years.”

“But… I can at least help someone who believes in it. Please, use me as your knight, your sword, and your shield.”

“…Thank you. That makes me happy.”

“No, thank you.”

She smiled and bowed her head slightly.

Cross sipped his now-cold tea, exhaled softly, and asked again,

“So, what name would you like? If you have any preferences…”

“Anything is fine. Even nicknames like Pochi or Chibi, or titles like Knight or Servant, or even my real name.”

“Wait… your real name? I thought Liber wasn’t your real name…”

Hearing such an unbelievable statement from her, who hid even her species, Cross asked again in surprise.

“I guess after my values were broken, I just stopped caring. So… may I reintroduce myself? Using my real name.”

Looking like a mischievous child about to play a prank, she asked with a playful smile.

“Yeah. Please do, my knight.”

Nodding at his words, Liber stood up and bowed deeply with grand formality.

“Understood, my lord. Then… my name is Eleonore. My birth is a bit unique, so I don’t have a family name, but when needed, I use my foster parent’s name, Mastic.”

“…Unique birth? Ah, no, sorry. You don’t have to say if it’s painful.”

Seeing Cross fluster to reassure her, she smiled gently.

“It’s nothing tragic like you’re imagining. It’s just a characteristic of my species. I actually get along well with both my birth and foster parents… though I haven’t seen them in a few years because I’ve been sulking.”

“I see. Then you should visit them. Also… can you tell me what species you are?”

Even though Cross could usually identify monsters at a glance, with her he had no idea. At most, after learning magic, he felt that her magical aura was extremely pure and clean.

Seeing his puzzled look, she smiled softly, and then floated lightly into the air.

Not by using magic, but as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Beneath her feet glowed a faint green light.

It was fantastical, divine, almost as if she didn’t belong to this world.

With a mischievous smile still on her face, she asked Cross,

“Have you heard of a species called spirits?”

The intent to surprise him was clear in her words.

Spirits, or elementals.

They were an ancient species, present since the earliest days of monster history. They were extremely rare, highly powerful, and often described as magical power itself taking form.

They had little dependence on their physical bodies, so as long as their magic remained, they could survive any amount of bodily damage. However, if their magic ran out, they became completely powerless.

Their most famous trait was their ability to bond with the land.

Though they held little political influence since they never formed factions like vampires, they had significant local influence – lands with resident spirits flourished with magical power, abundant plants and animals, and fewer diseases.

For that reason, spirits were rare, precious, and often targeted by rulers. That was part of why she had kept her species hidden.

“Bow before me… just kidding.”

She landed lightly, ending her ‘spirit presentation’ with a smug, proud grin.

Seeing that, Cross quietly rose from his chair.

Everyone wants to be recognized, to be admired. Liber was no exception – especially by her master.

She wanted to say, “Your knight is of such an amazing species.”

But instead of praising her as she expected, Cross lowered himself to the ground and bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the floor.

It was a perfectly executed dogeza.

“…Huh?”

His reaction was so far from what she expected that she tilted her head in shock.

She didn’t know.

She didn’t know that in the human world, spirits were considered divine beings, revered as gods of the land.