"W-Wh-What the hell are you!? Where did you come from!?"

The man standing in the center — clearly the ringleader — was shocked by my sudden appearance.

This was the rooftop of the Devil’s Tower, but it was overwhelmingly spacious.

That’s why when I grabbed the top edge of the outer wall with a tentacle and pulled myself up onto the edge of the roof, they hadn’t noticed me yet.

However, the monstrous stone statue standing in the middle of the roof was impossible to miss.

It was over 3 meters tall, with six arms and four legs. If that was the sealed Demon King Gulaad, then it was easy to imagine how dangerous it would be if the seal broke.

And in front of the statue was a magic circle, with Fileontina laid out in its center.

No matter how you looked at it, this was a shady plan to sacrifice Fileontina and resurrect the Demon King Gulaad.

Why would the kingdom leave such a dangerous statue on top of this tower?

Why weren’t they properly managing and defending the tower to prevent something like this?

Had they not even considered a defense system for emergencies?

There were tons of things I wanted to retort about.

In light novels, it’s important for the story to progress with some convenient conveniences. Tempo is a very important factor for readers.

But reality doesn’t have such conveniences.

That’s why, even with mountains of traps and monsters inside the tower that should repel knights and soldiers, these guys had somehow easily brought Fileontina all the way to the top floor.

There were only two possible reasons.

One: Even if the Demon King himself hadn’t revived yet, his underlings were already moving in the shadows.

In that case, since the kidnappers were working with them, the tower’s monsters wouldn’t attack them. That would mean the Devil’s Tower was being controlled by the Demon King Gulaad or his subordinates.

The other possibility was far more troublesome.

The country itself was involved... In other words, if the kingdom was managing the tower, there was likely a "Tower Master" — not a Dungeon Master — who could control the monsters and traps inside to some extent.

And that person was likely connected to the kingdom.

Moreover, even though the tower was inside Tarbal territory, they had kidnapped someone connected to Count Tarbal and blocked soldiers from entering. That meant there were people within the kingdom who wouldn’t mind if the Demon King Gulaad revived in Tarbal territory.

That would be extremely troublesome.

Because whether the entire kingdom thought that way, or if it was just a faction plotting to overthrow the kingdom, would completely change the situation.

If the whole kingdom was behind it, they probably planned to contain the damage within Tarbal territory and not let it reach the royal capital. They might even have a way to control the Demon King. But if it was a plot to overthrow the kingdom, they might not care even if the royal capital turned into a sea of flames. They could always rebuild after the current royal family was wiped out.

"...Though I have no idea if they actually have a plan to control that Demon King..."

Why do so many villains have such low intelligence?

They release uncontrollable monsters to destroy the world they don’t like.

But how many of them actually have a solid plan for what comes after? I feel like most of them are just winging it. Usually a righteous hero shows up and defeats the monster, bringing peace.

Occasionally there are troublesome psychos who try to destroy themselves along with everything else, and those are the worst. I wish they’d just do that by themselves. At least only hate the people who directly opposed you. I can’t understand hating the entire world or trying to kill people you’ve never even met. There are plenty of people working hard and living honestly.

While I was thinking about all that, I had walked over to the panicking ringleader, so they finally noticed me.

"Where did I come from? From the ground, obviously?"

"That’s impossible!? The inside of the tower is filled with monsters and traps! There’s no way someone like you could break through!"

Calling me "someone like you" right after meeting... What exactly do you know about me?

Even from a single exchange like this, you can gauge the opponent’s level.

There’s probably some mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes.

This guy is probably just a disposable pawn being manipulated with his own desires.

...Ahh, I really hate this kind of enemy.

I’m the guy who was called the Light Novel Great Demon King of Kita-Senju and spent most of his salary on light novels.

I’ve read enough light novels to die from it.

Of course I understand there are all kinds of stories. Dark revenge stories, standard cheat harem stories, etc. Among them, there’s one pattern I particularly dislike.

It’s the pattern where the main enemy appears, then keeps reappearing. They escape again and again, come back with new schemes, and the protagonist fails to finish them off every time.

As a story, I get it. It’s easy to maintain the plot and create flow.

Having a consistent enemy makes the story easier to follow.

But what about in reality?

If you had finished off the enemy who escaped right then and there, the next victims wouldn’t have appeared. You could have prevented more people from becoming unhappy. Of course there are youthful patterns where they fight many times and eventually become friends, but that’s usually one-on-one. Letting an enemy who sets up traps repeatedly escape can lead to fatal consequences.

In that sense, ever since coming to this world, I have two conflicting thoughts: "I don’t want to kill people if possible," and "Once I decide someone is an enemy, I must show no mercy — ’Evil must be slain immediately.’"

Because in a world where the interpretation of laws set by countries and towns is much looser than on Earth, and magic exists, ignoring retaliatory acts only distances your own peace.

Still, when I was alone by the spring at the beginning, I thought it was fine. If it was just me, I could handle it. It was my own life. If I messed up, I’d bear the responsibility.

But now it’s different. I have Irina. I have the people of Caso village. I’ve made acquaintances in Solenarini town. I have the Coluna Frontier Count family. If I’m targeted, it will cause trouble for those around me. I must eliminate any situation where my enemies get a "second chance."

...Though of course I’d need sufficient investigation before deciding someone is "my enemy."

Finishing them off and then going "Oops, my bad" would be inexcusable.

Well, anyone who tries to kill me is my enemy! So "Evil must be slain immediately" should be fine.

"What are you standing there muttering for!? You couldn’t possibly have broken through the tower traps! That’s cheating!"

"No, what do you mean by ’cheating’? This isn’t a game. It’s reality. And you’re a despicable kidnapper. On top of that, you’re attempting murder by trying to kill the beautiful woman you kidnapped. Let me say it again. You’re nothing but a despicable criminal. That’s reality."

I strongly emphasized reality.

"Don’t fuck with me! Don’t fuck with me! Don’t fuck with me! No one understands me, they’re all idiots! Just like that man said, I have to resurrect the Demon King and cleanse this rotten world!"

Ahh, so that’s the type. Cliché... though saying that might be a bit mean.

And of course there’s a mastermind behind him.

Another pattern I dislike — enemies who scheme in the shadows but never show themselves. The kind who only appear in side stories with no proper name, vaguely talking about their evil plans. So annoying. Just come out already and get beaten by the protagonist!

...Well, that’s probably because I dislike villain-heavy stories and prefer happy ones.

"Even if one guy like this shows up, it doesn’t matter! Continue the ritual and resurrect him!"

The ringleader shouted to the ten robed subordinates standing around the magic circle.

I say "ringleader" because that’s what I think he is.

Probably correct, though.

"What are you doing!? Hurry up and chant the ritual spell!"

"Well~ Isn’t that impossible?"

The moment I said that, all ten robed subordinates collapsed with a thud.

"Wh... What did you do!?"

They had been talking so much that I had plenty of time to prepare countermeasures.

I had extended thin tentacles without them noticing and strangled all ten subordinates at once.

I made sure they only passed out instead of killing them.

"Wh-Who the hell are you...?"

"Well, who I am doesn’t really matter. Now then, hand over Lady Fileontina."

I took one step toward the ringleader.

"Don’t move! If you move, I’ll kill this woman!"

The man dashed toward the magic circle. He was certainly closer to Fileontina. In terms of distance, yes.

Fileontina’s body was gently lifted into the air by the wind. Then she softly landed in my arms. It was magic borrowed from the wind spirit Sylphie. Nice work.

"Nn... Ara... I was supposed to have been kidnapped... Are you the one who kidnapped me?"

"No, that’s not right. I was asked by Lord Coluna and Lord Tarbal to rescue you. I’ll safely return you to Sistina-san."

"My... You know Sistina? That girl got married to Count Tarbal but never told me she had such a wonderful gentleman as an acquaintance."

Fileontina gave a charming smile and pouted slightly.

...Cute.

"No, yesterday was actually the first time I met Sistina-san and Count Tarbal."

"My, is that so? Then you came to rescue me at the request of my sister and Count Tarbal, whom you only met yesterday...?"

"Well, yes. Also because I had the power to save you. And I heard that you were Sistina-san’s sister and an unparalleled beauty, so that was a little bit of motivation too."

I winked, but I was still wearing the suspicious robe.

I was worried whether Fileontina, who called this suspicious robed man "wonderful," was okay. It’s sad to say it myself. Let’s just call it the suspension bridge effect.

"My, you’re even more wonderful... What exactly did my sister and her husband, Count Tarbal, offer you as a reward to send you to such a dangerous place...?"

She tilted her head cutely. An older sister with both seductive charm and adorable devilish appeal! This is one of my favorite genres!

"Now that you mention it, we never talked about a reward. I came straight here after arriving at the tower. I thought you were in danger, so I didn’t even greet Count Tarbal. He might say it’s disrespectful and have my head."

I shrugged my shoulders jokingly.

"My, I don’t think my sister’s husband, Count Tarbal, would do anything so unreasonable, but if that happens, I’ll stay with you. If possible, it would be nice if the two of us could run away together. I’m quite confident in my fortune-telling, you know? I can make a living just from fortune-telling."

Fileontina gave me a captivating smile. Dangerous. If Irina and Luciana weren’t here, the dam holding back my rationality would have burst instantly.

"That also sounds like a wonderful life."

We gazed into each other’s eyes. We were pretty close, but was my face okay?

"F-F-Fuck off! You two should just die here! What the hell are you flirting for!? Damn it! Explode!"

"Nn...? Your lines sound exactly like the typical unpopular, pathetic guy. You were talking about how the world is wrong or whatever, but don’t tell me the real reason was just getting dumped?"

I sighed in exasperation.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Guys like you who can talk so easily with girls don’t understand anything! Guys like you who are popular should just die!"

"That’s ridiculous. There’s no way a suspicious guy wearing a robe like this could be popular, right?"

"But Fileontina is clearly into you right now!"

"Well, that’s because I saved her right before she was going to be killed. Of course she’d like me more than usual."

"Fufu, it’s not just that, you know?"

Fileontina smiled sweetly.

"See!? You are on the popular side! I can’t forgive that!"

"Hahaha, until very recently I wasn’t popular at all. And until a few months ago, I was at rock bottom."

"Wh-What!?"

The man looked shocked.

Even Fileontina looked puzzled.

"My job was piled up so high I couldn’t sleep, but my salary never increased and stayed at the minimum. Meals were tasteless, and every day was just work and sleep. Of course I never went on dates with girls, I didn’t even have chances to talk to them."

"...!"

The ringleader was stunned.

"My only pleasure was reading light novels. To put it simply for you, ’reading made-up stories.’ They weren’t real, just fantasies. But because reality was painful, I dreamed through those fantasy stories. Still, I didn’t run away from reality. No matter how painful it was, I couldn’t escape anyway. So I decided to find at least one thing I enjoyed in life and keep going. Because if I worked hard, I could enjoy that thing I found."

The man fell to his knees and put his hands on the ground.

"But...! I had nothing! Nothing I could enjoy! No dreams!"

"I didn’t have any either."

"Eh!?"

I gently spoke to the man who was sobbing.

"I didn’t have any. For the longest time. Even as a child, when I realized it, I had nothing. I was always watching people’s expressions, trying not to cause trouble, reading the room... But there was no enjoyment in that kind of life. The number of times I truly felt happy was tiny. But then I found it. Light novels. The stories in light novels. And color started returning to my life. For the first time, I thought it was fun to jump into a fantasy world with my own feelings. Even someone like me found something. So why do you think you can’t? I’m sure you can find it too. Something you can enjoy. As long as you don’t give up, anyone can."

The man stood up.

"D-Do you really think... even someone like me can find it...?"

"I told you, right? If you don’t give up, you’ll find it. Anyone can."

I smiled at him. He probably couldn’t see my face, though.

The man wiped his tears and smiled.

Even Fileontina, still in my arms, whispered "What a kind person..." with an entranced look. Am I popular now? Has my era finally come? Irina’s not here, right?

That was when it happened.

A massive amount of magical power suddenly manifested above the demon statue.

The power compressed violently and then burst. A suspicious mage-like man appeared.

"No way!? Teleport!?"

I accidentally spoke out loud.

"Teleport" — the signature cheat ability in light novels. Naturally, I didn’t have it since I had no cheats. I had never even heard the word or concept of teleport in the towns and villages of this world. So I thought teleport either didn’t exist here or was a legendary ability.

"You useless pawn. Offer your flesh and blood for the Demon King’s resurrection. ."

"Wha!?"

A light bullet instantly pierced through the ringleader’s chest from behind. Blood sprayed out.

"Ahh!"

Fileontina looked down sadly. The man had been on the verge of redemption, but now this had happened.

"I too... this time... will find..."

The man who had collapsed onto the magic circle whispered his last words and died.

"..."

"Fufu. I don’t know who you are, but if that woman is important to you, take her and leave. The ritual has already begun. Even with just this man’s blood, it will take time, but the Demon King Gulaad will resurrect."

His way of speaking alone made it clear this man was not a subordinate of the Demon King.

And the situation was heading toward the worst possible outcome.

"Go ahead and struggle as much as you like. Farewell."

The man tried to disappear with "teleport."

"..."

"Wh-What!? The spell... won’t activate!?"

"..."

"What is this!? Did you do something!?"

"..."

"U-Uwaaah...!?"

The man seemed to be having trouble even maintaining the spell he had cast on himself. His body began shaking in mid-air.

"Wh-What the—!?"

And then he fell from the air and slammed into the ground.

"Guh... This is...!?"

『Yabe! This is bad...』

『Big brother... That thing is dangerous...』

Wintia and Sylphie warned me.

The magic circle had absorbed a large amount of blood. Moreover, the enemy mage had possessed considerable magical power. Fileontina was probably chosen not only for her beauty but also for her high magical capacity. The magic circle began glowing and ominous magical power raged wildly.

"N-No way..."

Fileontina looked at the stone statue and muttered.

Cracks appeared on the statue’s surface, and a ferocious body could be seen underneath.

The Demon King Gulaad was reviving.

I gently set Fileontina down on the ground.

"Wintia, Sylphie, take her and get away from here. Protect her."

『What about you, Yabe?』

『Big brother, you should get away too!』

"I have to... take responsibility."

I smiled and took off my robe.

『Eeeh!? Yabe, that appearance...』

『Big brother... So this is your true form!』

"..."

The two spirits were shocked when they saw me. Fileontina seemed speechless.

Right now, I had revealed the form of Hiroki Yabe, wearing a magic cloak and a mithril chestplate.

"Alright. Let’s take care of this Demon King."

I smiled fearlessly and stepped forward.