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

Someone Who, Even If It’s Hopeless, Simply Cannot Stop Struggling.

Cross wasn’t a smart man.

Originally just a villager with no ties to formal education, there was no way Cross could ever compete intellectually with monsters for whom compulsory education was the norm.

But that hadn’t been a problem.

Whatever knowledge he lacked, Ellie, his knight and attendant, would supplement.

As Ellie carefully explained Hourai’s current situation described by Gyokuran, breaking it down with detailed documents and patient words, Cross’s ignorance ceased to be an issue.

First, it wasn’t the result of some conspiracy or hidden mastermind.

Second, every possible measure had already been taken.

All surplus budget, along with profits from the jade shops and Gyokuran’s own funds, had been allocated to special budgets to try to overcome the situation.

Even so, the annual surplus continued to decline year after year.

And finally—

Gyokuran herself had long given up hope.

What she sought from Cross wasn’t help.

It was a final mercy.

She had concluded that having Hourai’s city come under the direct control of the Demon Kingdom was the only way left to save its people.

Hearing all this, even Cross could understand.

This was a problem with no solution.

“…Ellie. Really, there’s nothing you can think of?”

At his words, Ellie nodded.

She had confidence in her knowledge and connections. But even she could not imagine any way to save this land from its destined collapse.

Besides, Gyokuran, who had lived as its leader for so long, had already tried every possible method she could think of.

There simply wasn’t anyone who could change this outcome so easily.

No—there was one person.

Someone who possessed power so great that saving this land would be a simple matter.

The current Demon King, Aurafeel.

If it was her, with her unique nature specializing in governance, she could surely save Hourai.

But unfortunately, asking her for help wasn’t an option.

Rather, this time, she was the very blade acting as Hourai’s executioner.

“We can’t rely on Aurafeel. Ellie, you’re out of ideas. Gyokuran has no moves left. That’s what it is, right?”

At his words, both Ellie and Gyokuran nodded.

No matter how many times Cross repeated it, no matter how many times he thought it over, the answer remained unchanged.

Hourai’s village was about to end.

That was… nothing but fate—

“In that case, it’s my turn to think. Ellie. It’ll probably be a pain dealing with an idiot like me, but I’m counting on your advice.”

Cross declared something completely incomprehensible.

“I thought you’d say that, Cross-san. Please, use my wisdom and my strength as much as you like.”

Ellie responded, bowing deeply in a manner befitting a knight.

Yes—she understood.

There was no way Cross would ever give up just because something was deemed ‘fate.’

No matter how many times he was struck down by reality, no matter how many times his heart broke or he faced defeat… giving up simply wasn’t in his nature.

That was exactly why Ellie remained by his side even now.

“Um… what exactly are you two saying…?”

Gyokuran was bewildered.

She couldn’t understand what Cross and Ellie were talking about, or why they were smiling.

“Sorry. I said I’d help, but I haven’t thought of anything yet. So, I’m going to think about it for a while. I’ll walk around the village, see it with my own eyes, and struggle to find some way to make things work. …Well, it’ll mostly be Ellie doing the thinking. I’m not too bright. Unfortunately, all I can do is keep struggling.”

He smiled gently as he spoke.

“…You really are… unfair, you know that…”

Unconsciously slipping into her natural dialect, Gyokuran muttered quietly.

“Does that mean I’m cool, at least?”

“Forgive me. You’re just such a strange one.”

She chuckled softly, and Cross smiled in return.

“She just called you strange, Cross-san.”

“Same as always, huh, Ellie.”

“Indeed.”

Ellie smiled too.

“Well then, I’m going to take a look around. I’ll be back.”

He called out to Gyokuran, who seemed amused by him.

She nodded and looked up at him with gentle eyes.

“Welcome back anytime. I’ll have plenty of good food waiting.”

“Looking forward to it. I’ll be back by lunch.”

Waving his hand with those words, Cross left the room with Ellie in tow.

“Really… such a troublesome man…”

Gyokuran didn’t notice how cheerful her own face looked as she whispered those words.

About an hour after Cross and Ellie had left, there was a knock on Gyokuran’s door.

“Come in.”

She answered calmly, as she always did.

Entering were Kiryuu Unyou, captain of the Azure Dragon Gate, and Hakuryuu Haku, its vice-captain.

“’Scuse us—”

Unyou entered casually, while—

“Excuse us.”

Haku entered politely and quietly.

Their contrasting attitudes were nothing new.

“Haku. Please give me your report.”

At Gyokuran’s words, Haku nodded and began reporting calmly, reading from her documents in detail. She described everything about guiding Cross earlier, including Unyou’s antics.

“And so… we got his permission and let him have some fun, so forgive us.”

Haku frowned at Unyou’s carefree tone and forced him to bow his head to Gyokuran.

“It’s fine, Haku. I have no intention of punishing the gate captain.”

“But this sets a bad precedent for the subordinates…”

“Don’t worry so much, Haku. I’m not abandoning anything or anyone. Truly… I’m simply not going to do anything.”

She smiled gently to reassure Haku.

“But… why…?”

Haku couldn’t help voicing her doubts.

To pick a fight with the Demon King’s representative could easily be construed as treason. Gyokuran, who always prioritized the village, could have justified a death sentence. Yet not only was there no punishment, it was complete forgiveness. Haku couldn’t understand it.

“No, let me put it correctly. When the envoy came, this outcome was already within my expectations.”

Gyokuran smiled softly as she spoke, her jade-green eyes seeming to see through everything.

That gaze… terrified Haku.

“Now then, Unyou and Haku. Tell me your impressions of him—of Cross Necronia.”

She wanted to hear their personal impressions rather than mere factual reports.

“Yes. To be honest, I was underwhelmed. As the face of the Demon King’s nation… he seemed too… no, Cross himself isn’t at fault. In fact, he’s straightforward and likeable, someone I can genuinely respect. Kind, honest, perceptive… but…”

“He’s too ordinary?”

Haku nodded at Gyokuran’s question.

He seemed admirable, but not someone capable of rising to political power as the Demon King’s envoy.

“Yes. That impression is probably correct…”

Gyokuran smiled softly, almost happily.

“Hm? Lady Gyokuran?”

“Ahem. It’s nothing. Now, Unyou, your thoughts?”

“Hah? Which thoughts do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean, don’t you?”

“Heh… Women really are scary…”

He shrugged exaggeratedly.

“Hey! We’re in front of Lady Gyokuran! And what are you even talking about?”

“Hm? Basically, Haku, she set it up so that I’d test him—draw out his strength and hidden nature. An advanced intelligence-gathering tactic.”

“That’s… there’s no way she could plan something like that. She couldn’t even know where he’d enter from—”

“She probably ensured any gate he chose would lead to the same situation. Am I wrong?”

Gyokuran smiled and denied it.

“No, I couldn’t do anything so elaborate… I just made sure the path through Azure Dragon Gate was most natural.”

She smiled sweetly.

Haku shrank back in fear, while Unyou laughed dryly.

“So, my impression after fighting him…? It felt mismatched.”

“Mismatched?”

“He clearly had the air of someone used to combat. Not just casual scuffles, but someone who lives constantly in battle… practically a demon of war. Yet his movements were awkward, like his body wasn’t originally his own.”

“…I see. That’s an excellent observation.”

“Thanks for the praise. So, what will you do with that info?”

“Nothing. But information is never a bad thing to have, is it?”

She replied cheerfully, and Unyou sighed softly.

“Um, Unyou. In the end… who was stronger, you or Cross?”

“Hah? That’s obvious.”

“Right? As the Azure Dragon Gate’s captain, surely even Cross couldn’t match—”

“Wrong, idiot. No matter what I did, I’d never beat him.”

“That’s… impossible. You’re one of the strongest in the village…”

“Top hundred, maybe.”

In truth, Unyou was within the top ten, perhaps even the top five. Haku overestimated him a bit, but Unyou himself underestimated his own strength.

“So… you mean, if you hadn’t been holding back…”

“Why do you keep praising me so much?”

“Because… it’s you, Unyou. Your skills are unrivaled. Yet even you lost to Cross…”

He scratched his head awkwardly.

“Look. I wasn’t trying to kill him; it was just a scuffle. But so was he. If anything, he was holding back more than I was. Even if I went all out, I guarantee I wouldn’t win.”

“Holding back…? He didn’t seem like it…”

“I suspect he’s the type who uses both sword and magic, or enhances himself with magic. Against me, he didn’t use any spells at all.”

Haku listened silently, though her expression suggested she wasn’t fully convinced.

“Sigh… stubborn as always…”

“She’s just like you, Unyou.”

Gyokuran’s words made him smile wryly.

“Haku. I understand you can’t accept it. That’s because to your eyes, he just seemed… ordinary, didn’t he?”

Haku nodded.

Yes, Cross looked so normal.

She couldn’t imagine him as someone who could defeat Unyou, who had devoted everything to the way of the sword.

Seeing her expression, Gyokuran, who knew everything, smiled brightly.

“Now then. Speaking with him, I felt the same as you both. He is kind, honest, simple… and somewhere, a little foolish. So terribly… ordinary.”

Haku nodded.

She couldn’t imagine him capable of any kind of cunning.

“But that’s only natural. You can trust everything he says. In fact, you can regard his words the same as my own.”

“How… how can you trust someone you only met yesterday so completely?”

“Because he is a Sage.”

She smiled happily.

“But… there is no Sage with the name Cross…”

“There is. One person…”

Hearing this, Haku froze while Unyou clapped his hands in realization.

“…No way… but he’s human… or… no, impossible… a spy for our side… no, if that were true, the previous Demon King would have been eliminated… then… an agent directly under the Demon King… no… but…”

Haku fell into a half-panicked mutter, unable to process it all.

Gyokuran watched her with amusement.

“I see… if that’s true, it explains why his strength felt mismatched. But that’s not the only reason you trust him, is it?”

“Hmm? What do you mean, Unyou?”

“You’re not the type to trust someone just because they’re a Sage.”

“Whatever do you mean…”

“Heh… he must really be something, to thaw your frozen heart on the very first day—”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Your mask is slipping~”

He pointed at his own mouth, and Gyokuran realized, clapped her cheeks lightly, then cleared her throat and returned to her composed demeanor.

“…I apologize. I suppose I’ve reached my limit…”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything.”