Unable to hide his anger, Eugene disappears from before Will’s eyes. Will stands dazed for a while but then senses his own growth through real combat. And then, beyond life and death, the sensation of transcending himself was engraved into his soul, beyond words.

“…Ah, ah.”

His hand trembles. His very soul is quivering. It was just a momentary occurrence, but it brought new strength to him.

“Hero Dan… foresaw this growth…”

An unfathomable master. Thinking that he too must have experienced this strange sensation countless times… the more he knows, the more distant the hero’s back seems to become.

(Do they suspect my true identity…? Hmm, but I don’t think they’ve completely figured it out…)

(Also, my way of speaking is too varied…)

(Should it be like Hero Dan’s egotistical version? Or Adventurer Ban’s good-natured Will when talking to younger people? Or Adventurer Ban’s polite version when speaking to elders? And then there’s my own natural way of speaking…)

(My mental state will get weird. Too many faces…)

Thinking about such things and following Lin, he ends up talking to her outside on the veranda.

“How’s the adventurer activity feeling? Are you working hard?”

“Ah, once a week, if I can manage, is probably good…”

“Once a week? I had an image that newcomers usually do something every day…”

“I’m quite busy with other things.”

“Oh, I see.”

As they engage in idle conversation, a certain person approaches the two.

“My, my, it’s been a while. Great Sage Linlin.”

“Ugh… Oracle Voyager.”

“Don’t say ‘ugh.'”

The white-haired old woman and Linlin exchange greetings as if bickering.

“You don’t know Ban, do you? This person is Voyager, who delivers the divine messages. I’ve received many prophecies from her.”

“I see.”

“I’m also working as a fortune-teller now, but I’m still delivering prophecies.”

“Why is Voyager here?”

“You know, it’s because of the decline in those who believe in gods lately… I mean, the earnings, you know… So, I’ve been making money here by doing love fortune-telling.”

“Hmm, I see.”

As Linlin and Voyager continued to chat, Voyager, feeling bad for leaving Ban behind, started a conversation with him.

“So, you are… an adventurer, huh?”

“Yes, I am.”

“How about I do a love fortune-telling for you then?”

“Ah, well, sure, go ahead.”

“Leave it to me… Hmm? I can’t see anything… I’ve never been unable to see like this before… No, there’s only been one person like this before…”

Using a small crystal to predict Ban’s fate, Voyager tilted his head, unable to foresee anything.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you see Ban’s fortune?”

“That’s right. The only time I’ve ever been unable to see was with Hero Dan… You, are you an existence with a star so large that the fortune can’t be seen… or is it so small that it can’t be seen?”

Ban just listened absentmindedly, apparently uninterested in fortune-telling. Then, a couple of adventurers came over, wanting Voyager to tell their love fortune, and Ban and Lin were left alone again.

“You mean you can’t see fortunes?”

“Well, I guess it happens. I don’t believe in fortune-telling, so I’m not interested.”

“You don’t believe?”

“Yes… I don’t believe in it at all. Like reading palms, I wonder what you can understand by looking at the lines on the hand.”

“Well, when you put it like that… But do you believe in divine revelations?”

“…If that old lady says so, I might believe it a little. But generally, I feel like gods are often just blowing their own horns.”

“You better not say that outside.”

“I’ll heed your advice.”

Ban really didn’t care about divine revelations, and the conversation didn’t develop any further. Ban then left, saying he had something to do. Voyager appeared again by Lin’s side.

“Oh, what happened to the kid from earlier?”

“He’s gone home.”

“I see, I wanted to divine his fortune in more detail.”

“Hey, is Ban’s fortune really the same as Dan’s?”

“Not the same, I can’t even tell. But Hero Dan used to say this often. Fortunes are nonsense. Divine revelations have no value. There is nothing in this world that can measure an existence like me.”

“He’s as arrogant as ever.”

“Indeed. But it’s also true that people are gradually losing faith in divine revelations and fortunes.”

“So, Dan’s faith has strengthened, huh. Calling the gods mere bluffers…”

“Yeah, I heard. That’s why the marriage proposal was canceled, right?”

“That’s right… The reward for defeating the Curse King was supposed to be marriage to me… But then, one of the Fairy Clan told Dan, ‘Thanks to the “divine revelation,” I’ll be grateful my whole life,’ and…”

“That’s a famous story. ‘If you have time to be grateful to a mere bluffer like a god for the rest of your life, never turn your feet to me for the rest of your life,’ he said, right?”

“That’s right… Ever since the Fairy Clan believed in gods, I’ve been called the ‘Child of God,’ and it’s been chaos. As a result, the marriage talks fell through…”

“Ho ho ho, that’s interesting…”

“It wasn’t interesting for me at all… The marriage talks were gone.”

“I know. But he said that for your sake; you understand that much, don’t you?”

Lin understood. Hero Dan was concerned for his comrades and therefore despised the ambiguous existence known as God.

“I’ve caused Dan a lot of trouble regarding divine revelations… Because of that, Dan has come to hate gods… I’m always causing trouble.”

“I don’t think he’s too burdened, so don’t worry. Besides, as I’ve said many times, divine revelations are gradually losing accuracy… They don’t come true, and demons even come from completely unexpected places. Even the existence known as Hero Dan might not even be recognized; he doesn’t touch on it at all.”

“…So there are many existences that even gods can’t grasp?”

“That’s probably correct. Even the Curse King was never mentioned in the divine revelations. Nor was Hero Dan’s birth. The birth of a hero that could not be touched by divine revelations had never happened in history. Just that alone shows how extraordinary it was; it was really chaotic back then.”

“…Originally, Sakura was supposed to become the hero, right?”

“That’s right. That man took it from her… A strongman that even divine revelations can’t grasp… He’s at the pinnacle of them.”

“…I know. I can’t even imagine Dan losing. His true depth is hidden from everyone, even the gods and the Demon King.”

“A deviant from the world… We may not even have seen a glimpse of his power yet.”

+-+

“Lord Demon King Balkan, no, the new Curse King Balkan… Preparations for the invasion are complete.”

“Ho ho ho. Thank you for the report. Shall we go and take it soon… the land of the other world?”

This place is the demon world, another world that exists in a different dimension from where the heroes live. It is inhabited by cruel creatures known as demons. And their king is Curse King Balkan.

“Then, let us declare here. Under the name of the true Curse King Balkan, we shall bring down the hammer on the detested heroes and rule over all the worlds.”

Again, just as the former Curse King Daidalos once invaded the elf country, Frontier… the evil hand of the true Curse King Balkan was approaching.

“There’s no need to fear weakened heroes. Besides, with my power, I can defeat even the heroes at their prime without any problem.”

Speaking to the demon masses, the new king was ready to lead his minions into an invasion of the other world.