I nearly got caught by Kyle.
I quietly calmed my pounding heart and passed by him as if nothing had happened. Walking back along the moonlit forest path, I glanced over my shoulder at him trailing behind.
Here’s what happened: upon waking earlier, I thought I heard a bird singing, so half-asleep I followed the sound. When I reached a clearing bathed in moonlight, something suddenly spoke to me.
“Master, you’re safe!”
“…Master?”
Still half in a dream, I murmured softly.
“Yes, Master! It’s me, Larry!”
Before me, a crow was fluttering its wings. At first I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things. But as my vision cleared, the black bird’s form grew distinct.
A small head with red eyes, body and wings covered in jet-black feathers—undeniably a crow.
“What is this? A crow?”
“Don’t you remember? I’m your loyal retainer, Larry…”
The crow claiming to be Larry drooped its wings sadly. I mulled over its words. Clearly this crow was a faithful subordinate of the Black Flame Dragon. Since it never appeared in the original novel, I had no reason to know it.
“Were you perhaps the right hand of the Black Flame Dragon?”
“Yes, exactly! I always ran errands for him. After carrying out Lord Rishian’s orders, I returned to the lair… only to find it utterly destroyed, leaving nothing but ruins!”
The Hero’s party had destroyed the lair at Kyle’s request.
“The lair was destroyed by the Hero’s party.”
When I spoke frankly, Larry flapped his wings and huffed.
“I thought as much! But I’ve been following you since yesterday—why are you traveling with the Hero’s party?”
“You followed me since yesterday?”
That implied a long tail, yet no one—Kakaros with his keen senses or the others—noticed.
“Yes. I may not know much else, but I’m good at stealth. Were you hiding among the Hero’s party on purpose?”
“You’re right.”
Too weary to explain the full story, I replied briefly. The crow lifted its wings overhead and shook them from side to side. At first it was creepy hearing a crow talk, but in this light, it was almost cute.
“You really are a genius, Lord Rishian! Didn’t you once disguise yourself in the human world to gather intelligence?”
Hearing Larry reminded me why I’d played the Great Sage in hiding among humans.
“What information were you trying to discover?”
“Huh? You never told me, so I don’t know either.”
Larry seemed in the dark too. Still, I thought I could use him as an occasional informant.
“Will you keep following me?”
“If you tell me to, I will. Since the lair’s gone, I have nowhere else to be.”
“Fine, then do so. By the way, I have a question…”
As I opened my mouth to ask more about Rishian or the Black Flame Dragon, I heard twigs crack behind me. I startled and turned—Kyle emerged from the darkness.
Had he heard everything? I tensed, fearing he might spot Larry and demand an explanation.
“Weren’t you just talking to someone?”
Luckily, Kyle showed no sign of seeing Larry.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I was looking around,” I mumbled, glancing where the crow had been. Nothing remained—so clean I wondered briefly if I’d dreamed it.
“Why wander alone in the forest at night? It’s dangerous.”
“It’s just an ordinary forest. What danger could there be?”
Kyle tended to overprotect me. Even here, in a peaceful wood, he insisted on watching over me.
“Before everyone worries, let’s go back.”
I looked at Kyle’s large palm offered once more. The memory of him taking my hand behind prison bars warmed me—and my face burned. Fearing he’d notice, I hurried past him.
Today marks four days since we left the capital. The Hero’s party, resolved to continue our quest, guessed where the Black Flame Dragon might have gone. Gerard insisted it headed north—rich in mines—while Elonen argued it would go south, where people were plentiful.
No matter which direction, finding its trail seemed impossible. In the end, we decided to head north first.
“Carry your pack properly.”
Gerard’s reprimand fell on me as I walked silently. I adjusted the bag on my shoulder. I chose to bear this load rather than stow it in Gerard’s Subspace because—
“If you can’t do anything else, the least you can do is carry your own gear!”
Gerard had insisted. Someday soon I’d snap his staff.
“Gerard, don’t be so harsh.”
Kyle defended me, relieving some weight from my shoulder.
“Kyle, are you secretly getting paid to cover for him?”
“Gerard connects everything to money. If he’s so fixated he’ll end up bald.”
Gerard protested, but Elonen’s laugh drowned him out.
“Wait, what’s that sound?”
Suddenly Kyle stopped. Gerard fell silent, listening. Even Kakaros held his breath.
“There—someone’s calling for help.”
Kakaros was the first to sprint toward the sound; Kyle followed.
“I swear, trailing after that Hero is exhausting,” Gerard muttered, trudging along, with Elonen and me trailing behind.
Kakaros and Kyle dashed down a hill. There, a man was under attack by a monstrous eagle.
“Ah! Save me! Please!”
The beak had battered him so badly he bled profusely. Nearby lay a broken cart and the terribly mangled bodies of others.
“Can’t you leave that man be?”
Kyle drew his sword and leapt. With a single arc, he severed the creature’s neck.
As its head flew off, the man who had cried for aid shrieked.
“I save him, and he still screams,” Gerard grumbled. Meanwhile Elonen rushed to the man’s side.
“You’re badly hurt. I’m Saint Elonen. I’ll heal you—just wait a moment.”
A bright light glowed from Elonen’s hands as he began mending the wounds.
“Hey, who are you?”
Gerard approached the man and Elonen with a crooked question. I took the opportunity to examine the monster’s severed head. Embedded in its forehead was a magestone—clearly, this beast had been an ordinary creature before.
“I… I run the inn in a nearby village. I was gathering supplies when monsters attacked.”
Following the man’s gesture, we saw a village below the hill—quite large, not far off.
“There could be more monster attacks. Once you’re healed, we’ll escort you.”
“Thank you so much. How can I ever repay you?”
“We are the Hero’s party. We do not accept payment.”
One reason they were called the Hero’s party was they helped without taking money—unlike mercenaries. Gerard alone objected.
“T-the Hero’s party…!”
Realizing who had saved him, the man’s eyes widened and he leapt up.
“Rather than payment, please allow me to offer you a hearty meal at my inn.”
Accepting non-monetary thanks was fine.
“I’m starving—let’s eat!”
Kakaros exclaimed happily. Kyle nodded with a pleased smile.
“Right. It’s been a forced march. We work to eat. Let’s eat and then move on.”
As Kyle declared it, I tucked the magestone into my pouch. I had a bad feeling something ominous awaited us in that village.