'By now, the Inquisitor and Deathbringer must be listening to all sorts of stories about me. They must have heard the entire story about how I cried.'

Recalling that fact, I pressed my hands to my eyes. I really had no way of figuring out where it had all gone wrong.

"Should I have struck first...?"

Should I have asked them beforehand to keep the fact that I cried a secret?

But it's also a bit ridiculous to make such a request when I never even assumed anyone would ask about it. There was even a child who would easily forget even if I had asked.

"Or maybe I should've outrun them..."

In that case, should I have jumped out the back door as soon as those three left earlier and visited them first? Just to ask them to keep the fact that I cried a secret since someone was going to come and ask about it soon?

"... Ah, whatever. How am I supposed to predict something like this?"

... Even crazy imagination has its limits.

Rather than clinging to something impossible, I just tossed it away in relief. It was obvious that continuing to hold onto it wouldn't turn back time or make all of this go away.

If it was something irreversible anyway, I would rather just accept it with a humble attitude. That was less stressful.

"... Still, I'd like to hold out a little bit of hope."

That was definitely less stressful, but... the human heart just doesn't work so cleanly.

I stealthily let my hopes rise.

Just in case, meaning if I was really lucky.

Since they were such intelligent and considerate people.

What if they left out the fact that I cried when they told the story...?

That was the kind of hope I had.

"No way that'd happen."

However, just thinking about it for a moment made it easy to predict that such a thing wouldn't happen.

Right, even if they didn't bring it up just for fun, weren't they the type of people to tell their nephew's past to a total stranger? It was unlikely that such people would leave out the fact that I had cried.

As expected, there was no hope. Only chaos remained.

"Don't tell me this'll spark another demon issue."

The Demon Knight cried?! That man only has blood in his veins. Therefore, the one shedding tears is a demon! It's crocodile tears! Or something like that.

Or maybe they had too good a memory and would recite exactly what I said, leading to: He knew how to speak that much?! He knew how to use polite language?! He's a demon after all! Or something like that.

I was afraid that things would develop like that. Especially since I'd have no way to deal with it if they did.

"... This is bullshit, really."

I ended up feeling fed up once again by this unexpected turn of events. I then placed my hand over my eyes. Just trying to calculate the aftermath of this was already making me feel sick and tired of it.

"... I should just get some sleep."

In the end, I took emergency measures.

Agonizing over it now would only tangle my thoughts further and double my annoyance, so I judged it best to get a good night's sleep and come up with a plan with a clear mind. After all, it wasn't like there was an immediate solution anyway.

Furthermore, I had something that made this possible.

If this were reality, I wouldn't be able to sleep right now even if I wanted to—closing my eyes would've just triggered a gradual rage of 'No, but really, they started it' that would've jolted my brain awake—but all I had to do was press the sleep system button.

I think this every time, but the sleep system is an absolute godsend.

Thinking that if I had to choose something to take back to reality, it would definitely be this, I turned on the system.

「 ▲ Sleep for 7 hours 00 minutes ▼ 」

Suddenly, the still-raucous noise of the tavern reached my ears.

"He's a slacker husband, but Cleor, I still love you! I love my little cutie Clara too! Thank you for being born as my child!!"

"Wahahaha! Drinking as soon as your postpartum recovery is over?!"

"Look at the state of Cleor! He's the one acting like the mother! Who's the real mom here?!"

"Ah, who cares! Let's drink to celebrate Clara's birth!"

At the same time, my vision was submerged in darkness. It was a darkness that pooled in like streaks of rain.

* * *

"Why is this machine so..."

"I'm trying..."

"Keep your voice... the kid will hear..."

The quiet murmur of my parents' voices drifted through the crack of the slightly open door.

It seemed I still hadn't fixed my habit of not properly closing my door from my days living alone. Now that I was back in my family home, I needed to fix this too.

"Is it going to be much longer?"

"Hold on. This, I mean... do I go in here...?"

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Aside from that, it seemed the two of them were doing something...

Normally, if they couldn't figure something out at all, they would ask me for help. However, they didn't seem inclined to do so today.

I stealthily stood by the door and eavesdropped on their conversation.

My concentration was broken anyway. I wanted to see when they would call me, or if they didn't, how the two of them would manage it on their own.

"You'd look at scenarios and stuff on this anyway, wouldn't you."

"... I only look at scenarios; why would I look at this?"

"Phew."

"Ahem. Still, I got it right this time. Look."

"Is this really right...?"

But really, what were they doing?

I opened the door a little wider. Thankfully, the two of them didn't notice.

"No, look, it says webtoon right here. Web. Toon. Isn't this right?"

"I suppose so... but are these all comics?"

Webtoons...? Why were they talking about webtoons?

I panicked. It was because I never thought the subject I was considering for my new career path would pop up here. Especially since my parents had never been interested in the field of comics.

"There's a lot..."

"Yeah."

Why were these people, who had zero interest in comics, suddenly acting like this?

Unable to hide my bewilderment, I focused even more on their conversation.

"Which one is the most popular?"

"Mmm... There are so many, geez..."

"Just pick one of the ones at the top for now."

"Got it, hold on a second..."

In the meantime, the two of them somehow managed to find a popular comic. I couldn't see the screen, but from the sound of it, they seemed to have picked one at random from the top.

"Take a look."

"Just a second..."

More importantly, what had gotten into them? Were they curious because I mentioned I wanted to be a webtoon artist?

"... Mm."

"... Mmm."

Wondering what they were looking at, I shifted my body.

However, seeing their brows gradually furrowing through the crack in the door, it seemed they hadn't chosen a very good comic.

"... Am I too old?"

"I know young people... well, they like provocative things, but... this is..."

What on earth did they pick? Did they accidentally click on a mature comic?

I scratched my head, lamenting whether I should check their search history later.

"... Um, honey."

"Yes. Go ahead."

"I really want to support everything he wants to do, but... even so. This, this is a bit... shouldn't we stop him?"

Wait a minute. It dawned on me that dark clouds might be gathering over the career path I had finally decided on. A chill ran down my spine.

"... Well. But if it's what he wants to do..."

"This is just too... the content is a bit..."

"Even I've shot a few crime movies. Just like movies vary by genre, wouldn't comics be the same?"

"But those get censored. This doesn't seem to have any age restrictions, and it's too easy to access..."

"Let's wait and see. Besides... you know him. There's no way our son would draw something like this."

"... Right?"

Thankfully, my father came through for me. Saying 'There's no way he would draw something like this' was a bit unfortunate, but still.

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Still, you never know... should we ask him?"

"Yes, yes. That would be best."

But upon hearing their exchange, I hurriedly closed the door. Of course, I couldn't let them know I was listening, so I was as careful as possible not to make a sound.

And after shutting the door completely, I dashed over to my chair. The reference materials I had laid out for croquis practice were shoved aside, and an unfinished drawing was instantly pulled onto the desk.

Knock, knock.

Right on cue, a knock echoed through the door.

"Come in."

I pretended to set down the pencil I was holding and spun my chair around. My mother and father were just opening the door and walking in.

"Son, there's something I want to ask you..."

"Yes."

"By any chance... um, that job you said you wanted to do... It's not like you only draw... gruesome things like this... right?"

As she spoke, she held out her tablet, displaying a comic that just barely avoided an adult rating.

It was highly immoral, centered around a young protagonist committing acts of violence for pure pleasure.

It might be one thing for someone used to this sort of stuff, but for the two of them who weren't familiar with comics—and especially for my mother, who was deeply invested in advancing children's human rights—it was a highly provocative story.

"... They aren't all like that. Don't worry."

'There are plenty of slice-of-life and romance comics too, but of all things to look at, you chose this...'

I let out a dry chuckle and eased their worries. As an aside, after showing them a few exemplary comics, their serious expressions softened.

"Right?"

"Ahem... Yeah. That makes sense."

It really was a ridiculous day.

... Except for the minor problem that the genre I was trying to tackle was a fantasy crime thriller.

"I'm sorry for barging in so suddenly to talk about this."

"It's fine."

I rubbed the back of my neck, worrying about whether I should hide the work I was going to draw...

"Son."

But after my mother stepped out first, my father called out to me before following her. His face, which had grown more dignified with age, wore a faint smile.

"Even though she talks like that... if it's something you really want to do, your mother will be the first to support you. You know that, right?"

"... Of course."

"That said, don't just draw overtly gruesome things. Something that's merely brutal and sensational without any narrative or meaning..."

"Isn't a piece of art, but just something chasing thrills. I know."

"Yeah. I figured you'd know that well."

But was it just my imagination, or did his outline seem quite blurry?

"Hang in there. Like I told you last time, Dad is always rooting for you. Mom is, too. We're always on your side."

Yet, if his warmth felt as deep as the ocean, that was...

"Okay."

I forced a smile.

Because I couldn't bear to cry in the face of love.

* * *

"Ah."

Yesterday, and waking up today too. Why did I feel so unsettled when waking up?

I sat up, feeling a strange sensation as if I had dreamed, or perhaps hadn't. Since it was the day we were supposed to set off for the next city, dawdling was out of the question.

Swipe. My hand unconsciously rose to my eyes and wiped away the moisture.

"Let's go."

Neeiiigh!

I wasn't really in the mood to eat. I just checked out right then and went to pick up Frederick. Frederick, who had been up since dawn, had a glossy coat thanks to the stable hand's care.

"Thank you! Please come again!"

Leaving behind the stable hand who was thrilled after receiving a tip, I headed to our meeting spot.

For reference, this was my first time meeting up with the party since that first night. It seemed the issue with the Inquisitor who came looking for me and his family had been resolved nicely, because no one had come looking for me since.

"I apologize for what happened back then."

Ah, I should take back what I said about having no visitors. Even if it wasn't the party, that Heresy Inquisitor from before had come to see me again.

Although I had no idea how he knew I was planning to leave on this day, at this time. Well, did he hear it from the party?

"I also apologize for the delay in my apology. With the help of the others, I managed to peel away what was blinding me... but I still needed time to think. I have no face to show you. I am truly sorry."

Still, what was done was done. Rather than wondering how he found me, I focused on his apology. Feeling strange as I listened to his apology was a bonus.

It was because I hadn't really expected to receive an apology after all that. If I had been in his position, I probably would have acted similarly.

"There is no need for apologies."

"... Even if you do not need them, I will apologize. Because it is the right thing to do."

So while I might be dumbfounded by the crazy coincidence, I had already forgotten the malice the Inquisitor had directed at me...

Wondering if all Heresy Inquisitors possessed this sort of stubborn honesty, I discarded my last remaining grievance. It was a pretty good feeling.

Snort.

"Behave."

Well... Frederick didn't seem to think so. It seemed he recognized him as the person who had tried to attack him. At any rate, he was certainly smart.

"Um... It's not much, but this is a gift of apology."

Whether he noticed Frederick's aversion to him or not, the man gingerly held out his hands. It was a round wooden container.

"I don't need—"

"My aunt and uncle told me I absolutely had to give this to you. If you don't wish to accept it as my apology, please accept it as a gift from them."

Wait, he was using an unblockable move here to make it impossible to refuse?

"... If I take this back as is, my cousin will be disappointed, too."

Even a follow-up attack?

I scrunched up my face and snatched what the Inquisitor was offering. I could feel the warmth of the wooden container through the leather.

"It's a packed meal. If you've already had breakfast, it should be more than enough for lunch."

I had already packed my meals... but it seemed like today's lunch was newly decided. I placed the packed meal into my inventory.

The man's eyebrows twitched at the suddenly disappearing meal. Although his expression smoothed out quickly, likely realizing it was magic.

"Do you have any other business?"

More importantly, why wasn't he leaving? He gave his apology, did he have anything else to say?

"... I heard you specialize in hunting demons. I also heard you've caught a great deal of them."

The Heresy Inquisitor asked in a cautious tone at my irritable reaction. Was he going to make a fuss about demons or something again? My eyes sharpened.

"If by chance, someone wielding black fire, with a youthful voice..."

But it didn't seem to be that kind of conversation.

The Inquisitor squeezed his eyes shut mid-sentence.

"Have you ever encountered a demon whose words constantly contradicted themselves?"

It was an out-of-the-blue question. Or rather, it would have felt that way if I hadn't heard what I did the day before yesterday.

"... Not to my memory."

Seeing as he seemed to be looking for his parents' killer, part of me wanted to give him an earnest answer to the best of my ability. However, I wasn't sure if the Demon Knight before me had caught it or not.

I casually gave an answer that wasn't a lie. The Inquisitor's expression became a bit empty. "I see..." But that emptiness didn't last long.

"Then, by any chance... if you ever meet a demon with those characteristics... and if you happen to kill it, could you please keep something that proves its identity and send it to me?"

I wondered if I should say this considering the man's circumstances... but no matter how I looked at it, this was a quest.

"I know it is a shameless request. But... please. Even if I cannot avenge my parents with my own two hands, I wish to at least receive proof of its death."

No. It was definitely wrong to make such a joke considering his circumstances.

Suppressing the urge to smack my forehead in guilt and self-reproach, I focused on the man.

"In my heart, I wish to kill it myself, but I cannot bring myself to ask you to let a demon roam free... Ah, of course, if you are against it, you can pretend this request never happened. I am not forcing you."

I'll accept it. Even just out of guilt, I wanted to fulfill it for him.

Furthermore, this was something acceptable for my concept. It might be different for someone with no will to fight, but the man wanted to exact revenge himself and was only making the request assuming I might get to it first.

It didn't do me any harm, and it was a reasonable enough request to accept.

"Leave, if you have nothing more to say."

However, I would absolutely not speak kindly. I pulled Frederick's reins and moved forward.

The Heresy Inquisitor opened his mouth slightly, then bowed his head in greeting.

"Once again, I apologize... and I pray that God's blessing follows you, Adventurer."

Compared to our first meeting, it was a pretty decent parting.

My steps felt lighter as I left the inn and headed toward the promised meeting spot.

"Demon Knight!"

And when I arrived there, a new problem arose.

"I... I will try harder! So that the Demon Knight can lean on me! I will get stronger so you won't have to be sad alone! Please look forward to it!"

Right... there's no way they would have left out the fact that I cried. And I knew full well that was why she was saying this.

"I will never give up!"

In that same vein, I also firmed my resolve.

From now on, I'd maintain my concept perfectly, even to passersby. I would never, eeeeever cry again. Got it?