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Chapter 280 – All-Heaven Festival Contest Final Stage “Demon King Castle Bloody Field” (2) / Everything Up To Today

280 – All-Heaven Festival Contest Final Stage “Demon King Castle Bloody Field” (2) / Everything Up To Today

『And lastly…! Led by the third person in this era to form a contract with the Four Great Spirits… the Wraith Party!!!』

Among the final four groups, including the world ranked 10th “Hero of the Surging Sea and his Bloom Party, the world ranked 8th Hero of the Ten Bows and his Jack Party, and the Immortal Lions of the Regulus Party led by the leader of the Knights’ Order, our party was the one who had come out on top.

『With that big body of hers, she’ll protect her friends and destroy her enemies…the Miner Melania!』

Melania was a half Cyclops, so she was very large compared to the average human being.

Her hair was green like a lush tree, and behind her bangs was her single eye, which was typical of her race.

She was equipped with a shield and an ax.

She was also a kind-hearted girl, to the point where she could even come across as somewhat timid. But today she was firmly looking ahead, puffed up with pride.

Of course, she was probably nervous as well. Still, I could see that she was determined to win this final battle with her comrades.

『Skillfully handling both the supernatural strength of an ogre and the power to heal… the White Sorcerer Josh!』

Josh was a young man with white hair and an androgynous appearance. He could very well be mistaken for a beautiful girl, but he was actually a male.

He had the typical staff of a White Sorcerer, with its only difference being that it was heavier than the average staff. This was so that he could also use it as a blunt weapon in case he ever needed to fight in close-quarters, where his superhuman physical strength would help him deal with enemies.

As mentioned in his introduction, Josh was an Ogre.

This meant that he was of the same race as Furcus, the Reaper Knight, and one of the Big Four of the Demon King Army of the Demon King’s Castle.

But the Job he awakend to was that of the White Sorcerer. A non-combat Job, despite being from a race that is very good at fighting.

This could give out the impression that Josh is rather half-baked, but that was not the case.

Wouldn’t it be possible to incorporate the good aspects of both his race and his Job?

He himself understood that now.

『Her small body conceals an overwhelming offensive power! …The Destroyer Fran!』

A girl with pure white hair and bright red eyes. She’s the same age as Wraith, her childhood friend.

Her monstrous right arm, which was usually covered by a cloak, was extremely powerful in battle.

Recently, she had shifted from a fighting style that was focused around her instinct into one that adjusted the ratio of reason and instinct every time she fought, and was learning to fine-tune it with tremendous momentum.

『Where’s his old bad reputation now? A heretical user of a Holy Sword who brings his friends to victory while also fighting for himself… the Black Sorcerer Lem!』

That’s me.

A plain young man with black hair and black eyes.

Former member of the world ranked 4th party. After leaving them, I changed occupation, becoming Chief of Staff of the Impregnable Demon King Castle.

Currently a member of the Wraith Party.

Has the Flame Hero as a childhood friend, the strongest Demon King as a teacher, and a black spirit as a buddy.

Perhaps reading my mind, Dark, the spirit disguised as a black chick, laughed happily above my head.

『Ahahaha, there aren’t many people with a career like yours, buddy.』

Why yes, thank you.

『The usual cold treatment, huh? Oh well, that side of yours is cute as well, though.』

I had decided to ignore Dark.

While I was grateful to her for things like the Holy Sword, I still hadn’t forgiven her for creating an Original Dungeon in my hometown and getting the villagers involved while calling it a “trial”.

So I put Dark aside and made an effort to listen to what was going on.

『After having awakened to his Job this year, he participated in the main tournament and climbed up to this point. The new strongest candidate for mankind… the Water Hero Wraith!』

Both his hair and eyes were reminiscent of the deep sea. He had a charming and well-groomed appearance. He had a deep understanding of Adventurers as a form of entertainment, and at his age, he was a next-generation hero who could perfectly handle the task of giving the fans what they wanted.

Recognized by the true soul of the Water Spirit, he was the third Contractor of the Four Great Spirits of this era.

The leader of the Wraith Party, whose father is the Unyielding Hero.

Shrill voices echoed here and there, and Wraith responded to them with a smile.

Whenever he winked, the female fans in his line of sight would hold their chests and drop down to their seats.

Fran, who was standing next to him, remained expressionless and gave off a cold air in response to the other fans’ envious stares.

『Buddy. Hey, buddy. Aw, how mean of you to keep ignoring me…』

Dark fluttered her wings in front of me, remaining in mid-air.

I can hear you.

『You should look over there, those are some familiar faces.』

I looked at the audience seats, following Dark’s line of sight…

「Ah.」

My voice came out involuntarily.

And it seemed that those people also noticed I was looking at them.

They were my parents, and Fenix’s parents.

My mother seemed nervous. Well, her son who became a Black Sorcerer was standing on such a big stage. It’s understandable that she would be anxious.

My father, as always, was lacking any sort of facial expressions. But I knew he was enthusiastic about all this. He seemed to be nervous after all.

I gently stroked the sword my father gave me. As I did that, his tense expression loosened up a bit.

Mr. Hawk, Fenix’s father, was smiling and holding his hand in front of his chest.

I nodded quietly.

The problem was… Well, it wasn’t actually a problem, but what stood out the most was… Fenix’s mother, Ms. Canary.

「Fenix! Lem! My beloved children! Do your best! You two are the strongest in the world!」

She was yelling and throwing kisses at us.

Ms. Canary, saying it like that would cause confusion….

You could say that Mr. Hawk and Ms. Canary were no different from being my own parents as well, and while I see Fenix as a brother, we’re not related by blood.

As I unconsciously turned to look at Fenix, I could see that he was also looking at me. His face was a little red and it looked like he was feeling a bit embarrassed.

「Lily, please do your best too! Please come back to our house anytime!」

「What…?!」

The Elf Lily was completely astonished, and her eyes were wide open.

After clearing the Original Dungeon, Fenix became worried about both my hometown and me and flew on a dragon to check on me, but Lily was there too.

At that moment, Lily found herself instantly in Ms. Canary’s sights, and Milla was also extremely interested in her.

「Oh, what’s that, Lily? Did something happen in those guys’ hometown? Which one was it? Lem? Fenix?」

「I will fill your entire body with arrows if you don’t shut up.」

Lily’s shocked expression quickly disappeared when Alba started teasing her.

Lark seemed completely dumbfounded, and Bella was slightly shaking her head.

I smiled bitterly at their reactions and then looked at my best friend.

「So you prepared the ticket for me?」

Fenix nodded.

「Well, you would’ve forgotten to do it.」

「…Right, thanks.」

Hmm, the one who prepared the tickets for Cashew and the others was the Demon King, so I guess a lot of people see me as an inattentive person.

「Lem!」

There was no mistaking that voice.

Sitting in the front row was Cashew, my dog-eared secretary.

A smile spontaneously appeared on my face. To acknowledge that she was looking at me, I waved my arms at her..

She was joined by her mother Hazel, her older sister Maca, her younger siblings Nuts and Mia, and the shopkeeper Blitz.

And that was not all.

「You guys know this, don’t you? The cheerleaders should always keep their voices high, and hold their banners and fans where they can be clearly seen. Those in charge of the cameras should make sure to not miss a single one of Lem’s best shots. And of course, you all have to make sure not to disturb the spectators around you. Please understand that the behavior of the fans will affect the impression others have for the one we cheer for.」

「YES!! ONE, TWO… YOU GOT THIS, LEM!!!」

It was a blond red-eyed woman in a dress and a group of people wearing suits.

Or should I say, it was Milla and her group of vampire subordinates.

The sudden shout of the suited-up crowd was probably a “heave ho!” of sorts to cheer me on. I had never heard anything of the sort before, so Milla must have made it up.

Meanwhile, Wraith, who was standing next to me, was holding his belly while laughing.

「Pffft… Ahahaha! What an interesting bunch, Lem! They really love you a lot, huh?」

I was very happy to see that they were supporting me, but for some reason, my cheeks felt incredibly hot.

Besides the vampires, I could see many other people from the Demon King’s Castle.

Our Demon King was participating as well, so it wouldn’t be strange to see that everyone from the castle had come here running as well.

…No. While that was true, I had to stop lying to myself.

They were coming to support me as well. I understood that well.

That’s just the kind of people the companions I got at the Demon King’s Castle are.

And they were the only ones that had come all the way here to support us.

「Chief of Staff… no, Mr. Lem! Give it your all!」

The goblins, kobolds, and orcs who fought by my side in the Beginner’s Dungeon…

The guys who fought with me as “Lem” in tag battles…

The people who joined me in exploring the Original Dungeon…

All the adventurers and monsters who fought in this All-Heaven Festival Contest…

Everyone from the Knights’ Order, like Astrea, The Scales of Justice.

The Mauri Party, which consisted of only Black Sorcerers…

And every other spectator who called my name, even though I’m not as good as Fenix or Aerial…

「Phew…」

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

This heat filling my chest was making my body feel hot.

I needed to cool down a little.

It hadn’t been in vain… None of it.

Even though I had withdrawn from my previous party, since I continued to work hard as an Adventurer and doing what I thought was right, I was able to meet Milla. I was able to become the Chief of Staff of the Demon King’s army.

I acted as “Lem” at times, and at other times as “Lemegeton”, but all of my experiences as both have led me to where I am now.

I was finally able to realize that by seeing the faces of all of the people who had run over to this place today.

「Hold your tears till after we win, Lem.」said Wraith.

「No, even if we win, I won’t shed tears. My master will kick me out if I do.」

「Yeah?」

「Yes, my master is very strict. I’m not even allowed to go to him and say that something is “no use” or that “I can’t do it”. Now that I think about it, maybe all of that just means that I should avoid whining and letting my emotions take that direction.」

After listening to my story, Fenix’s face had a hint of doubt.

I supposed he was thinking that my master imposed strict conditions to quickly do away with troublesome brats.

…And I couldn’t deny that, but I still wanted to believe in my master.

「Huh… Well, there is no absolute correct way to guide people. If you’re here today because of your master’s teachings, then he must have been a good master for you, Lem.」

「That’s right, I’m proud of my master.」

I smiled and nodded.

「Young ones, it’s fine to have fun talking, but… it’s about time.」

The one who wrapped his arm around my shoulder while also stroking Wraith’s head was… Aerial.

「Could you get off me, Old Man Air?」

Wraith quickly pulled himself away from him.

With his now free hand, Aerial drew the nearby Fenix close to him, wondering what he was thinking about.

「Don’t you get it? You’ll hear the footsteps of those who built legends. You’ll feel their bloodlust and magic.」

Before I knew it, everyone in the final round had listened to Aerial’s words.

「That’s right, here they come. They are our opponents. If we defeat them, then that… that’ll be the strongest proof.」

From the other side of the field, they were coming.

The living legends were coming.