The Man Who Remained — His Second Life Began with a Humble Bow of Apology. - Chapter 76: Humans, as Seen from the Perspective of Demons.

Humans, as Seen from the Perspective of Demons.

Cross gazed at the card in his hand.

It was small enough to fit into his palm, unusually thick, and had a peculiar illustration drawn only on one side.

It wasn’t imbued with magic or any special power. It was just sold casually at the candy store, three for ten Blueds – cheaper than a single juice, worth barely a gold coin. That was the extent of its value.

And yet, these cards possessed a mysterious allure that made one want to collect them all.

It was a card depicting what seemed to be a woman.

Cross stared at it with quiet concentration and then – with unwavEllieng focus – slammed it down onto the ground.

He wasn’t angry, nor did he dislike the illustration. That was simply the proper way to play with these cards, known as “Menko.”

With a sharp smack, the card struck the ground forcefully, and the gust of air flipped over three of the surrounding cards at once.

Seeing this, many of the children around him grimaced with frustration.

“Ahh! Don’t lose to a Menko card with a girl on it…!”

One of the kids said that, on the verge of tears.

Beside him, Cross quietly collected the cards he had flipped over.

Any cards overturned by a player’s throw could be claimed as theirs. That was the greatest appeal – and simultaneously, the greatest flaw – of this game.

“Sorry, but… rules are rules.”

Cross spoke calmly, showing the children the cards he had won.

Though their eyes welled up with tears, none of them voiced complaints. After all, they did the same when they won.

Instead of crying or protesting, all their gazes turned in unison.

Toward the girl standing nearby.

Cross didn’t know her name.

But the children called her “Kisara.”

They believed she would avenge them – the girl also known as “Menpachi Kisara.”

Arms crossed, she wore a fearless smile.

“My, how pathetic. There’s no such thing as revenge in a match. Within this circle, it’s just you or your opponent. Don’t think I’m your ally just because we’re on the same side. …That said, it does piss me off to see an outsider acting so high and mighty. Can’t be helped – I’ll take you on. Not out of revenge, but… I’ll deal with you.”

With that, Kisara’s golden, cat-like eyes gleamed intensely.

Incidentally, Cross understood that all of this bravado was an act.

He didn’t know her real name because, during their first meeting, the girl had blushed furiously – redder than her vivid crimson hair – and couldn’t even introduce herself out of shyness.

Usually too embarrassed to talk to anyone, it seemed that only when playing Menko could she speak without hesitation.

She had developed this intense and theatrical persona just for the game.

Kisara’s eyes sparkled sharply as she, with lightning speed, slammed her card onto the ground.

Its illustration was of a six-armed, green-skinned half-naked giant.

Despite such a fierce depiction, the timid girl’s throw landed softly with barely a sound.

It was a feeble throw – truly weak.

Yet even that gentle throw was enough to flip Cross’s card and send it flying outside the circle.

There were three ways to lose:

If your card was flipped over, if it was pushed outside the circle, or if the thrown card slid completely underneath it.

In this case, Cross’s card had been forced out of bounds…

“Well, sniping a card like this might seem sneaky… but it’s a fine way to show the difference in our skill, don’t you think?”

With that, Kisara proudly held up the card depicting the woman, showing it off to Cross.

Seeing this, Cross smiled.

He felt happy to see the shy girl receiving respect from those around her. Even more so, seeing her enjoying herself like this warmed his heart.

Above all, he simply found the game itself to be so much fun that he couldn’t help but smile.

“You’ll… let me have a rematch, won’t you?”

Saying so, Cross showed her the few cards he had won from the other kids along with the remaining two cards of his own.

“You really are a foolish man. …Fine. Come at me. I’ll take every last one of them.”

Kisara grinned with fearless confidence.

And just five minutes later, as if fulfilling her promise, the girl had taken every single card from Cross’s possession.

“…U-um… I-I’m sorry. I… I’ll give you some of them back.”

Once the match was over, Kisara reverted to her timid self and spoke hesitantly to Cross.

For her, speaking to someone as tall as him must have been nerve-wracking.

But her kindness in offEllieng those words made Cross smile warmly.

“Don’t worry about it. I lost, and it was me who challenged you.”

Even after he said that, Kisara remained flustered, glancing up at him with eyes full of sympathy.

“But hey, didn’t you only buy Menko for the first time today? Losing everything you bought… that’s pretty rough. At least take one back.”

A boy with horns said this, and the others nodded in agreement.

The first cards one buys are special – a memory to chElliesh for any child.

Three cards for ten Blueds, purchased randomly, only once per day.

Losing all of them must have seemed tragic enough to make even children pity him.

“It’s fine, really. But… you remember our promise, right?”

When Cross asked this, the children nodded with troubled expressions.

“Yeah… but… you don’t have any cards left, do you?”

“Tomorrow, or the day after – whenever I get the chance, I’ll challenge you all again. Next time, I’ll be taking a whole bunch of cards back with me, so be ready.”

He spoke with a teasing grin.

Seeing that he didn’t look upset about losing, the boys and girls around him smiled happily.

“Got it! Next time, it’s another match… though it’ll be Kisara fighting you, not us.”

The boy said this openly, admitting they could never beat Cross themselves, and Kisara looked flustered, unable to respond.

“So, we’re off to play somewhere else now. What about you guys?”

“Yeah, we’re heading elsewhere too. This is it for today.”

“Alright, see you around!”

With that, the children waved energetically and ran off into the distance.

“…Thank you for your hard work. Did you have fun?”

It was Ellie’s voice, who had been watching Cross play with the children from afar.

Cross nodded.

“Yeah. I thought if I played sEllieously, I’d definitely win… but kids are no pushovers. Games really are profound.”

“Hehe. You didn’t look out of place among them at all.”

“Well, I was a kindergartener not that long ago.”

“That’s true. By the way, Cross, you have a guest waiting for you.”

“Hmm?” He tilted his head and looked in the direction she indicated.

Standing there was Unyou, wearing a slightly exasperated smile.

“Unyou. What’s up?”

“…No, I should be asking you. What were you doing, Cross?”

“Playing cards with the kids.”

“I see… Well, that’s fine. I play sometimes too.”

“Really? Then teach me some tricks later. I want to win next time.”

Faced with Cross’s genuine request, Unyou didn’t know whether to feel happy or exasperated and could only give a wry smile.

“For now… shall we head somewhere to sit and rest?”

At Unyou’s suggestion, both Cross and Ellie nodded.

In the private room of a dango shop guided by Unyou, Cross nibbled on a warm soy sauce dango served with hot tea.

“So… I made a promise to the kids… munch munch. Sweet and salty… soy sauce has such a mysterious, irresistible taste.”

“Eat first, then talk, Cross. …Though I do understand how you feel.”

Ellie replied softly before biting into her own pure white dango topped with sweet red bean paste.

“…Yours looks good too.”

“…I’ll share if you give me one of yours.”

When Cross nodded, Ellie took one of his soy sauce dangos with her chopsticks and placed one of her own onto his plate.

“…You two really get along. So, what did you promise those brats anyway?”

“The location of their secret hideout. It’s partly for appearances, but also simple curiosity. I thought there might be something interesting hidden there.”

“Ha. That’s just like you. You don’t look like a dignitary at all.”

“I don’t feel like one either.”

As Cross replied, Unyou burst into hearty laughter, and Cross joined in, laughing just as freely.

Ellie continued eating her dango silently, unfazed by their antics.

“Hey, this is a quiet dango shop with little business. Plus, this private room is tucked away where no one will overhear… so, I have a rather awkward question for you. Is that alright?”

Hearing Unyou’s unusually hesitant tone, Cross tilted his head but nodded.

“Sure. What do you want to ask?”

Feeling a tense anticipation at the formal atmosphere, Cross asked back, and Unyou spoke softly.

“Cross… is it true that you were once human?”

“…Hmm. Ah, yeah, it’s true.”

“I see… So it really is true… That’s why… that’s why you’re so strong…”

“Ah… is that bad? That I was human.”

“I don’t mind… but you probably shouldn’t go around telling everyone.”

“Yeah, you’re right. …Was that all you wanted to ask?”

“No. That was just to confirm. …This next question… if you don’t want to answer, just say so. It’s purely my own curiosity.”

“Go on. Don’t drag it out – you’re making me nervous.”

“Right… so… why did we monsters lose to humans? Since you were once human, I thought you might know.”

Unyou asked quietly.

“…That question… is something I’ve always wondered myself.”

Cross could only reply with honesty.

Ever since becoming a monster, the more he learned, the more his old human beliefs were overturned. The differences in biology, civilization, and knowledge were immense. Monsters even sent spies to humans, but not vice versa.

By all logic, monsters should have been unbeatable.

Yet, it was humans who continued to win.

“…Though I can’t speak for all of history, I do know why we lost the last war.”

“If you don’t mind… tell me.”

“Sure. But it’s a simple, boring answer. The hero was just too strong. That’s all.”

“…That strong?”

“Claude could level an entire forest with a single strike.”

“How big a forest?”

“Everything you could see, horizon to horizon.”

“…Well, a dragon could do that too—”

“With just a sword. No magic, no special power, and the sword itself was just a mass-produced blade. Pure swordsmanship alone could do it.”

“…What…?”

“He could also swing his sword to cut trees in separate places exactly as he intended.”

“…What…?”

“The reason he never used magic was simple – he didn’t need to. With his sword, he could do anything. Literally anything.”

“What about flying enemies?”

“He’d either use them as stepping stones or jump dozens of meters straight up. He could even send sword slashes flying through the air.”

“…Is he really human…?”

“There’s no ‘hero’ race, so probably.”

“…Humans are terrifying.”

“Yeah. Heroes really are terrifying.”

With those words, Cross and Unyou crossed their arms, closed their eyes, and nodded in solemn agreement.

“…Well, the current Hero is such an outlier compared to all those before him that he’s practically an exception, but if you’re asking why humans have always won in every Human-Demon War until now, I can explain.”

So said Ellie, as she gently wiped her mouth to clean away bits of dango.

“Oh, really? And why is that?”

“It falls within the scope of the lessons I must teach you about the Human-Demon Wars and humanity itself, Cross. So I’ll explain it now. Would you care to listen as well, Lord Unyou?”

“Yeah. If you’re willing to teach, I’d like to hear it.”

At his response, Ellie nodded and, for the first time in days, resumed her duty of compulsory education.

Humans and demons have been at war since time immemorial, a conflict so ancient it defies comprehension.

Even when demons were not called demons – when they were known as the Mazoku, the Nightkin, the Makki – whatever name they bore, the struggle between humans and demons never ceased.

However, that does not mean they clashed with their full might at all times.

Had they done so, one or both races would have been driven to extinction.

After intense bouts of conflict, both sides would inevitably be exhausted, leading to long periods of dormancy that could last years.

For example, since the death of the previous Demon King, humans and demons have not engaged in any large-scale battles, only minor skirmishes.

Within this repeating history, when the Demon King rises and a Hero emerges to oppose him, and war spreads like wildfire, demons refer to such events as the “Human-Demon War.”

And every one of these wars has always ended the same way.

With the Demon King’s defeat, and humanity’s victory.

There are several reasons for this.

One is what Cross mentioned: the existence of the Hero, an entity beyond all reason.

They are strong, able to wield magic, the unbreakable shield of humanity, and their immortal guardian.

Moreover, even if a Hero is slain, another will soon rise to take their place.

But to say that it is solely because of Heroes that humanity has triumphed… would not be entirely true.

Heroes are indeed a major factor, but they are not the only pillar of human strength. If humans relied on Heroes alone, the demons could have conquered them long ago through propaganda and internal betrayal, reducing all humanity to slaves.

No, humanity possesses other advantages, hidden in the shadow of the Hero’s brilliance.

Compared to demons, humans have short lifespans, little power, and fragile bodies that break easily.

Yet, it is precisely these weaknesses that give rise to three unique strengths that demons do not possess – excluding Heroes.

First, their uniformity as a single species.

Unlike demons, who comprise many different kinds, humans share the same physical structure and abilities.

This not only allows them to share and reuse tools efficiently, but also enables easy exchange of knowledge between individuals. At the same time, it fosters a strong hostility towards any beings different from themselves.

This may be considered a flaw, but it is undeniably a formidable strength.

Second, their reproductive ability.

Compared to demons, humans multiply at an astonishing rate.

Even if a dragon were to annihilate an entire kingdom, humanity would quickly replenish its numbers.

In prolonged warfare, this capacity to replace their losses is an overwhelming advantage over demons, whose populations grow slowly.

And third – as living creatures, humans are more cruel than demons.

Though demon civilization is far more advanced, when it comes to the military-industrial complex, humans and demons are nearly equal.

This fact itself proves how innately suited humans are for conflict.

Unlike demons, humans are born without natural fangs or claws to fight with.

Precisely because of this, they create superior weapons – tools that can kill more efficiently, more indiscriminately.

They invent them, mass-produce them, and continuously improve them.

In terms of military technology, both sides stand almost evenly matched, each excelling in different fields.

However, human-made weapons are often more ruthlessly designed for destruction.

That, in itself, is a testament to the power of the human species.

“In summary,” Ellie said, smiling brightly, “compared to demons, humans are more unified, have greater reproductive capabilities, and excel at creating weapons with higher lethality. It is these strengths that have ensured our continued defeat at their hands. Do you understand now?”

Contrasting her cheerful expression, Cross and Unyou sat pale-faced, their eyes dull with shock.

“…I underestimated them. Humans… are terrifying.”

“…I’m sorry… It’s from the distant past, but still… I’m… sorry…”

As the heavy, dark atmosphere settled around them, Ellie alone continued to smile serenely.

That only made her seem all the more frightening, causing the two men’s expressions to darken further.