My Status As An Assassin Obviously Exceeds The Hero's Chapter 103

Happy Wednesday!

Here's the chapter, enjoy. It's somewhat longer than usual, so there'll be people who would be happy about that, I'm sure. 

ED: Ignite

「…nn.」

When I woke up, I didn't know how many days had pa.s.sed since then, but it was pitch black outside. 

The room I was in felt oddly familiar. 

It was the same room in Kurou's house that he let me sleep in when my magic power was exhausted by『Shadow Magic』.

I heard the voices of Amelia, Yoru and Kurou in the next room. 

I was relieved when I heard Amelia's energetic voice.

After we had left the dungeon, we dragged our exhausted bodies to Kurou's house.

We didn't confirm whether Mahiro and Aulum had left the dungeon as well. 

It was more than likely that they were gone by now anyway.. 

「Well then, first, eat and then sleep. We'll talk after that.」

Just as we arrived at the house, Kurou said that, and held fruits and bread out to us.

I didn't know how long the battle with the two demons took, but one thing was certain; my stomach was empty and so I graciously accepted his offer. 

However, everything after that was a blur. 

I had no recollection of getting into bed either, so somebody definitely carried me to bed.

Was I so tired that I fell asleep in the middle of eating?

It was like this when I used『Shadow Magic』as well.

「…it seems that your master has woken up.」

In the room next door, Kurou said this.

There was a commotion, and then Amelia and Yoru came into the room.

I squinted at the bright light that was coming from the room next door.

「Akiraaa!!」

『Master-donoo!!!』

My eyes had yet to adjust to the light, and they had thrown themselves at me. I quickly fell back into the bed.

It seems that I had yet to make a full recovery.

「Akira, I…I….」

I patted Amelia who said that in a trembling voice while rubbing her face on my chest.

There was nothing I could say.

She didn't intend for it to end up that way, but I was on the verge of death. 

If『Shadow Magic』hadn't healed me, I would've been dead by now. 

No matter what I say, Amelia would still blame herself. 

There was nothing I could do but wait for her to get over it. 

Meanwhile, Yoru had jumped onto my shoulder like usual and made himself comfortable.

「Yoru, how long did I sleep for?」

When I asked him this question, he helplessly shook his head. 

Somehow, that annoyed me.

『This time, it was only a day. Though you did not use as much magic power as you did before, you are undoubtedly fatigued. Even though Miss Amelia and I woke up after a few hours, how pathetic.』

I knew that he intentionally said this to cheer Amelia up, but it's annoying.

Aah, how annoying.

I suppressed these emotions, involuntarily lowering my fist. 

「Well, did something happen?」

There was no way that nothing happened the entire day.

When I asked, the look on Amelia's and Yoru's faces suddenly stiffened. 

「Talk about that here. You have a visitor.」

Turning around at Kurou's voice, there was an unexpected person at the door.

Surprised, I threw off the quilt which caused Yoru to fall off of my shoulder

Usually, I would hold him in my arms, but right now, that just wasn't possible. 

「Vice-Commander Zeal!?」

「Aah, it's been a while.」

When I ran up to him, Vice-Commander Zeal, who had the usual worried look on his face, gave a wry smile. 

He was not wearing the knight's armor that I had last seen him in, but lightweight equipment meant for traveling. However, he was, unmistakingly, the Vice-Commander of the Retice Kingdom's chivalric order, Zeal.

He looked over my shoulder at Amelia and Yoru.

Yoru was complaining after having been thrown off my shoulder, and Amelia was comforting him.

Vice-Commander Zeal smiled gently. 

「It seems that you were able to meet good friends.」

I scratched my cheek in embarra.s.sment. 

Somehow, I couldn't keep secrets from Vice-Commander Zeal.

Since he was much more of a psychic than Commander Saran.

「Maa, yes.」

His smile grew increasingly wider at my ambiguous answer. 

Getting back on my shoulder, Yoru looked at me with a smirk.

『Why don't you say it honestly? Master-dono.』

As expected, it's annoying.

I grabbed onto Yoru's scruff and threw him onto the bed.

Gyao, Gyao, I ignored the screaming cat. 

I held out my hand to Amelia.

「Amelia, let's go.」

「U, un.」

Amelia timidly took my hand.

Her movements were somewhat awkward, but that hand was warm as it usually was.

Entering the next room, I was surprised once again. 

Vice-Commander Zeal was not the only visitor.

My eyes widened in astonishment when I saw the people sitting in the chairs.

「Yo, Akira.」

「Kyousuke….」

The seven cla.s.smates who left Retice Castle were right there. 

Satou, the hero, Kyousuke…and I don't know the rest. 

I remembered the names of my cla.s.smates and their occupations when we were summoned, but various things happened, and even though not much time had pa.s.sed since then, I had forgotten everything.

Their eyes weren't fixated on me, but rather on the sight of Amelia and I holding hands right in front of them. 

「Why are you here?」

I took the seat across from Kyousuke as I asked this. 

Unfortunately, I'm not the type of person who responded to my cla.s.smates' unspoken question. 

「My skill,『Intuition』, said that Akira was here. That, and having decided on going to pay a visit to a skilled blacksmith, we met Zeal-san on the s.h.i.+p that headed to Ul.」

It seems that Vice-Commander Zeal was acquainted with Kurou, and he was coincidentally on his way here.

He then joined Kyousuke and the others and came here to Kurou's smithy. 

His personality was like that, but Kurou was, without a doubt, a skilled blacksmith.

「Is it ok for Vice-Commander Zeal to leave the castle?」

When I continued the conversation and asked this, Vice-Commander Zeal was fidgeting as if uncomfortable. 

「Ah–, about that, please don't call me Vice-Commander anymore. Since I retired from knighthood.」

He uttered those shocking words. 

My eyes wavered.

Certainly, I thought that his tone of voice had become much gentler than before, but to think that he was no longer a knight. 

「No, rather than saying I retired, I was discharged. It seems that the king thought that our chivalric order was a hindrance.」

I see, I nodded. 

Now that Commander Saran had pa.s.sed away, the strongest within the castle was Vice-Commander Zeal, and so I thought that he had to stay in the castle, but it seems that I didn't need to worry. 

「So, Kurou. Why are there so many people?」

It would've been too much of a coincidence.

When I looked at him, Kurou frowned. 

「How should I know. I only invited Zeal boy. The brats over there came along on their own.」

Was Zeal-san referred to as "Zeal boy' by Kurou? 

Perhaps it was because barely any difference in appearance could be seen, there was an extreme sense of discomfort. 

「Putting aside the other six people, I came to join up with Akira. Akira, can I go with you?」

Yoru jumped onto my shoulder. 

『I've said it before too, no way! Master-dono's partner is me only! Where did you come from? As if we'd let an unknown into our party so easily!!』

It seems this was why I could hear Yoru's voice even in the room next door.

Was Amelia trying to pacify Yoru.

I knew where Kyousuke came from though.

In my opinion, rather than Kyousuke it was Yoru whose origins were truly unknown. 

「I'll listen to Akira. Sorry, but Yoru, please be quiet.」

『Don't call me as if we're familiar with each other!』

Just where was the majesty of the monster "Adorea's Nightmare" that was feared by others. 

And Kyousuke's taciturn setting disappeared. 

My cla.s.smates were looking at Kyousuke with surprise as he was too talkative. 

First of all, he was so noisy right next to my ear, so I once again grabbed him by the scruff and dropped him onto the table.

「Sorry, but go fight outside. I had just woken up and your voices are hurting my head.」

It was truly the voice of authority. 

From that statement alone, the arguing ceased.

Amelia looked over at me with admiration. 

「Is your body alright? Akira.」

The hero who I had been ignoring up until now opened his mouth to speak for the first time.