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

The Vermilion Bird Gate Disturbance (Part One).

It was unexpected, and yet, in a way, it was perfectly natural.

That was Cross’s impression of Ellie after what had happened this time.

Ellie, who had gone from being a soldier to a Demon King’s knight and was now serving as Cross’s knight, had spent much of her life in the military. Naturally, that meant harsh training and grueling living conditions. Thanks to those experiences, she possessed an ironclad self-discipline, always calm and collected, and usually the one to rein in Cross when he acted foolish or carefree.

For such a self-controlled Ellie to forget herself completely and give in to anger was something Cross had not quite expected.

Yet, he could understand it.

Back then, Ellie hadn’t had an ounce of ease in her demeanor, always tense and on edge. But ever since she had come under Cross’s care, she had carried herself with a certain tranquility.

That wasn’t because Cross had changed her; rather, it was because what she held dear had changed.

But that didn’t mean she had become a different person. Her stance remained exactly the same.

Her way of living—cherishing the most important thing to her above all else, living solely for that purpose—had not changed at all.

That was why, when someone insulted what she held dearest, it was only natural that Ellie would explode with anger.

Of course, for them as envoys in Hourai Village—someone else’s domain—to cause a commotion was far from ideal. Depending on how it escalated, it might even trouble Aura.

Even knowing that, Cross would not scold Ellie.

Because…

“Even if I know it’s wrong… it still makes me happy she got angry for my sake.”

Murmuring that pathetic thought to himself, Cross let a smile slip as he headed toward his loyal retainer who had defended his honour.

“Hey, Ellie. I think it’s about time you calmed dow—”

The scene before him left Cross speechless.

No one was rampaging. The place was enveloped in silence.

But to say Ellie had calmed down would be a lie.

She was seated proudly atop the back of an ogre, forced down on all fours, her foot casually resting on the back of another man beneath her. Anyone who saw this and thought she was calm would have to be some kind of masochist or deviant.

“Oh, my Lord. Please wait a moment longer. I am currently teaching them precisely who stands above them.”

Without standing up, Ellie drove the heel of her boot into the back of the man beneath her foot.

The beast-eared man trembled under her, head hung low.

“E-Ellie. Listen, just stop it already, okay?” Cross spoke gently, trying to calm her down.

“Please, just a little longer. Especially this mutt here—he’s still showing defiance. Once he’s properly broken in, I’ll stop.”

“I’m telling you, that’s probably useless.”

“And why would that be?”

Cross looked down at the beast-eared man she called a mutt.

Head bowed, trembling, flinching slightly every time she called him “pooch” or “mutt.”

That reaction… it was…

“Yeah, I think he’s awakening to it… no, scratch that. He’s already completely awakened.”

“I beg your pardon? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean… probably. I’m not into that stuff so I’m only guessing here, but… he’s enjoying being humiliated.”

“…Huh? …Ew… gross…”

Ellie spat out the words with a shockingly cold glare.

That alone seemed to hit the man’s sweet spot, as his breathing grew ragged beneath her.

Without another word, Ellie stood up as if nothing had happened, moving to stand beside Cross, deliberately ignoring the pathetic figures of the groveling men left behind.

Cross had no such fetish.

But… seeing Ellie look down with that chilling gaze… just for a moment, he felt like he understood how someone could feel that way. He firmly resolved in his heart never to admit this to anyone for as long as he lived.

“Ah… honestly, I’d rather just pretend none of this happened and leave, but… I suppose I have to ask. Ellie, why is there one missing?”

Cross turned to Ellie, frowning.

Four men lay collapsed around them.

Originally there had been five.

One was missing.

Did he escape? That wasn’t possible.

Even without thinking deeply about it, Cross knew Ellie was not the type to let a target slip away in her current state.

Which meant there had to be another reason.

“That would be because… it seems these worms groveling here weren’t the gatekeepers. Their boss is apparently the real gatekeeper. So, I let one go to go fetch him. I thought the boss should take responsibility.”

Ellie spoke with a bright smile, as if announcing what was for dinner tonight.

“I see… so this isn’t over yet, huh.”

Cross simply nodded, deciding not to think too deeply about it.

When Cross got angry, he would erupt like an explosion, but his anger cooled just as quickly.

In contrast, once Ellie’s anger surfaced, it lingered for a long time.

Realizing this anew, Cross reminded himself to avoid angering her whenever possible.

“And… it looks like he’s here now, my Lord. Their boss.”

At Ellie’s words, Cross looked up to see two figures approaching from afar.

One was a green-skinned creature he had seen among the five earlier—its entire body an opaque green, with small webbed fingers like an amphibian. Even through that green skin, its face looked pale as it beheld the scene before it.

The other was child-sized, with small horns.

A kobold? No—it was a goblin. Not of the Oni clan, but the goblin race Cross knew well.

Apparently, this goblin was their boss and the gatekeeper in question.

“…So, you’re the ones who disrupted public order, caused chaos, and assaulted my subordinates.”

The goblin glared at Cross and Ellie as he spoke.

Ellie moved as if to retort, but Cross stopped her with a hand, answering himself instead.

“We had no intention of doing that. Besides, your men’s idea of ‘public order’ was harassing people in the street.”

He said it partly to confirm the situation.

The goblin sneered.

“My men would never do such a thing. If my men say it’s public order, then no matter what they do, it’s public order.”

“…Okay. If you’re all the same, there’s nothing left to say.”

Cross spread his hands in surrender.

He had held a faint hope that maybe the underlings had acted alone.

That illusion now shattered, he let out a small sigh.

“They tried to abduct us. We merely defended ourselves,” Ellie muttered coldly.

“I didn’t hear anything. And now… you’ve defied me—the gatekeeper. I’ll be taking you in for questioning. After that, if you tend to these poor injured men properly, I might just let you go.”

Both Cross and Ellie gave wry smiles.

His official tone aside, what he was saying was no different from his lackeys before.

“I thought the demon realm here was run more properly than this…”

Back when he was human, such corruption was sadly common. Soldiers more focused on exploiting civilians than protecting them, officers obsessed with covering it up and currying favor, until their actual defensive strength was utterly hollow.

But to see it here in the demon realm was Cross’s first time, and he felt a pang of disappointment.

“Well, it happens. Not near the Demon King’s castle, of course, but in places like this, far out…”

“I see… yeah, I suppose so.”

With a resigned sigh, Cross nodded.

“Whatever. Let me just finish this with the usual line. Resist… and be prepared to die.”

Drawing his sword from its sheath, the goblin pointed it at Cross and Ellie.

Seeing his stance, both felt a chill run down their spines.

Goblins were often spoken of as kin to the Oni, but bore none of the Oni’s traits. Many had no horns, and physically they were weaker even than humans.

But in exchange, they possessed extraordinary dexterity and agility. Their ideal roles were hunters, scouts, and trap experts—never front-line warriors.

By racial capability alone, they weren’t strong enough to be feared.

Yet no one, not humans, not even heroes or Demon Kings, ever underestimated goblins.

Because occasionally, from among them, emerged monsters of unimaginable ability.

Cross had heard the tales, both as a hero and after arriving in this world.

Of goblin heroes.

Heroes who felled legendary warriors, enslaved dragons, and sometimes even rose to become Demon Kings themselves.

And so, Cross and Ellie discarded all carelessness as they faced the goblin before them.

Not because he looked strong.

In fact, he looked pathetically weak, holding his sword so awkwardly that even a child in Cross’s old kindergarten class would look tougher unarmed.

He couldn’t even hold the sword properly, his posture was full of openings—nothing but an awkward display.

And yet, precisely because he seemed so weak, Cross and Ellie felt dread.

There was no way someone so incompetent could be the gatekeeper.

Which meant… he was a swordsman skilled at hiding his true strength.

Thus, Cross and Ellie steeled themselves, bracing to face someone far above them.

“…Hm. It seems your instincts understand who’s stronger here.”

The goblin spoke with a smirk.

Neither Cross nor Ellie replied.

Because the truth was… they understood nothing.

Even as they stood on edge, his strength remained completely unreadable.

That alone terrified them.

“…Forgive me. I let my guard down,” Ellie said softly, her earlier rage now dissipated in the chilling atmosphere.

“Don’t worry about it… the world really is vast. To think there are opponents whose strength is completely invisible to me…”

Cross had faced countless strong enemies, and even those who concealed their power.

But never before had he faced someone so thoroughly disguised as incompetent.

The goblin smiled wickedly at the trembling pair, then stepped forward and swung his sword.

His lunge was so slow it seemed almost in slow motion, the slash painfully sluggish.

They watched in fear, waiting for the moment he revealed his true form.

But… it never came.

His sword cut only air.

“…Huh?”

Cross tilted his head in confusion.

Ellie remained tense, retreating step by step, while the goblin wore an equally puzzled expression.

Calming himself, Cross thought it through—and realized a possibility.

If this goblin was truly one of those heroes, they stood no chance.

But… what if…?

The goblin, puzzled by his miss, swung again.

This time, Cross didn’t even bother to dodge properly. Without using magic or special footwork, he merely shifted his leg aside slightly—an opening so obvious anyone would have cut him down instantly.

Yet the goblin didn’t react. Instead, he tripped over Cross’s foot and slammed face-first into the ground with a loud thud.

Only then did Cross finally understand.

“Ah… damn it. Ellie, it’s the opposite. We shouldn’t have been comparing him to the Azure Dragon Gatekeeper.”

At those words, Ellie’s eyes widened in stunned realization.

They had gotten it backwards.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t sense the goblin’s strength.

He was so pathetically incompetent that he couldn’t even grasp their power, and yet he carried himself with inexplicable confidence.

They had assumed his self-assuredness meant he was hiding immense strength.

“…What now, Ellie?”

Eyes narrowed and drained of motivation, Ellie replied softly:

“Honestly… at this point, I no longer care.”

“Yeah… same here.”