The sight of the memory began when the Falcon, who had been turned into a dragonman, escaped his captivity by some means.

　Running through windowless and dimly lit passages, he took care of the guards before they could make any noise, and continued his escape while searching for something.

　One of the skills Falcon has is called [Mapping].

　It's a labyrinth-killing skill that projects a map of the surrounding area on a piece of paper, but it seems that information flows into the user's head in the process.

　Probably he relies on it to get through the labyrinthine passages in the castle.

　From my point of view, which is merely reliving my memories, I don't know what exactly Falcon is looking for.

　But - I was soon made to understand that too.

'...... there, you're there ......!

　The walls of this passage were lined with a series of small windows with iron bars.

　As if led by something - surely a [Airborne Detection] skill - Falcon rushed to one of them and peered at the scene behind the iron bars.

　A stone pedestal with an altar-like atmosphere was set up in a small room that looked like a stone prison.

　On it, a dragon man with an even more inhuman appearance than the Falcon was lying limply.

''Julia!''
"...... far ...... con ......?

　The dragoness looks up.

　Her empty eyes, as if her soul had been drained out of them, were filled with life, and then immediately filled with tears.

　They were not tears of joy at being reunited with their friends, but tears of sadness.

'I'm sorry ...... me, mata ...... my foot, limp ......'
"............!

　Even as I just watched the memory, I could feel the simmering rage.

　Falcon tried to break through the stone wall in an impulsive rage while spewing flames from the corners of his mouth.

　You will be able to get a good deal more information about the particulars of the particulars.

'd*mn it ......!　What the hell do you think we are? ......!

　He lifted Julia, still deflated, and dragged her tail down the stone hallway.

　Then, when they came to an open space with high ceilings, Falcon sensed a sign of something and stopped, carefully setting Julia down and letting her lie down.

'Get the hell out of here!　I don't have time for your bullshit.

　The next moment after Falcon shouted, the four dark elves descended in unison.

''I didn't know you were already acclimated to the point of being combat-ready. I must admit that I was not prepared for this.''

　A formidable warrior in metal armor - the Ice Norzuri.

'Just as well!　I haven't done enough fighting with you!

　A huge body flaunting its equivalent size - Austri the Storm.

"Kaka. I don't want you to kill me.

　An old elf on the shoulders of a giant earthen figure - an earthen vestry.

'The second specimen still has its purpose. Subdue it as alive as possible.''

　I'm sure the swordsman who wears a cloak and covers his entire body is the fourth demon general I have yet to see.

You're not going to be able to find out what you're looking for.

　And then the one-on-four fight to the death began.

　The battle was tremendous anyway, and the battle unfolded in every direction, breaking through many walls, ceilings, and even floors.

　Whenever the Falcon released flames, the Demon General's interceptions and collisions caused numerous explosions, causing the Demon King's Castle itself to vibrate violently.

''Nunn!''
"......!

　Austri accelerated with a stormy wind and grabbed the Falcon by the neck and slammed him into the wall.

　The momentum carries him through the wall, exposing his upper body to the outside of the castle.

　Falcon grabs Austri's arm and tries to regain his position.
　Out of the corner of his vision, he sees a human running frantically away from the castle - Noir's figure.

　However, Falcon didn't try to show any interest in it with a single glance, and with all his strength, he pushed Austri back and resumed the battle.

　--I don't need to tell you how it ended.

　Even if he was a brave man who was fused with a dragon, there was no way he could stand a chance of winning by taking on the four demon generals at the same time.

　They were unable to give effective damage to the four demon generals, leaving extensive damage to the demon king's castle and being overwhelmed.

　And the reliving of memories ended when the subdued Falcon was brought out under the control of a majestic dark elf who seemed to be the Demon King, and the curse mark was carved into it by magic.

　Just before the memory was cut off, the Demon King Gandalf seemed to have said some words, but they ended up not reaching Falcon's ears - and that was it.










'Whoa!　Haha!

　As soon as his vision returned to normal, he retracted his arm, surprised that Falcon had coughed violently.

'...... Yeah, my throat has cleared up considerably. Luke, I'll thank you for this. I wouldn't have thrown it away if I'd been able to do this in the first place.
Thanks, but I can't do it. But I'm afraid I can't do that, not in the least bit.

　He replies to Falcon's lighthearted remark without much emotion.

　If I didn't have that experience, my 【Restoration】 skill wouldn't have been enhanced, and even if I were to return to the past with my memories and abilities intact, I have no intention of being hired by this guy ever again.

　No matter what assumptions I made, I could assure you that there was no way that I, in the state of my evolved [Restoration] skills, would only be working with Falcon.

''You should be grateful for Lord Luke's warmth. Let's go.

　As soon as Captain Hazel judged that the [Restoration] was done, he immediately took the Falcon and started moving out of the building.

''However, I didn't expect the kingdom to embark on a serious war. That's what you mean when you say the Golden Fang has moved on, right?
I'd like to tell you to cut the crap ......, but at the very least, I'll have to tell you what to do.
What do you mean?
''The Royal Palace gave them many opportunities for a secret diplomatic solution, but the Demon King's Army silenced all of them. They had no intention of avoiding war.
Well, for me, it's a good thing. You can beat the demon king without saying a word.

　Captain Hazel continued to respond to the Falcon who was speaking lightly to me, but Captain Hazel continued to deal with the situation in a matter-of-fact manner.

　I thought for a moment and then threw a voice at his back.

'Falcon. I think your goal is not to retaliate against the demon king as you said before, but to save Julia.
............!

　For the first time in this place, an expression other than a spare smile appeared on Falcon's face.

　You could say that his demeanor changed abruptly in an instant.

　It was a very human reaction, a mixture of surprise, impatience and fear.

''That in itself is fine, but it would be a lot of trouble if they used that female swordsman as a bargaining chip and turned on the other side.
Oh ...... you know what!
'How do I know anything? You and I don't have much of a relationship, you know. I don't know if you're a good sleeper or not, and I have no idea if Julia would appreciate it or not.

　What's more, it was almost as if Falcon and Julia were only now realizing that they even cared about each other that much.

　Falcon was gritting his back teeth and seemed to be holding back the urge to scream.

　A strong sense of impatience - the frustration of a plan that has no end in sight and is collapsing in an unexpected way.
　I could sense such an atmosphere in his attitude.

''As you can guess. The goal is to retaliate against the Demon King, and if the Golden Fang fights on his behalf, that's all the more satisfying....... You were planning to let your guard down by pretending to be on guard, and then run away when you see an opening?
Shut up!　Shut up, shut up!

　Four knights forcefully stop the barking Falcon.

　I didn't give a d*mn and continued to speak my reasoning in a matter-of-fact manner.

''The reason why you didn't tell me honestly what you really want is because if the Golden Fang finds out that Julia has become a dragonborn, she could become a target for defeat and be killed, right?
............!
After all, even the heroic Sama is now an enemy of humanity. How could you let your fellow swordsmen go unnoticed?

　Falcon was suddenly speechless and crumpled up, supported by the knights.

　Just as the Golden Fang regarded Falcon as an enemy regardless of the circumstances, Julia would definitely treat him the same way.

　This time, it was half a coincidence that he had captured the Falcon alive.

　He only did so because he happened to be in a situation where it was possible to capture him, and if he had appeared as a full-fledged enemy force, he would have fought with the premise of killing him.

　If the Golden Fang was going to fight, there was no way they could hope to save Julia's life.

'...... Luke ...... If you know that much, why do you say it in front of the Golden Fang (these guys) ...... do you hate us so much?　You wanted to laugh at me for letting a demon fall and die miserably and be d*mned: ......?

　Falcon's weak voice trembled, and he looked up at me as if clinging to me as he was about to collapse.

　Maybe this change in attitude, the attitude he had just had was a mask he was deliberately mending.

　Maybe he knew that the Golden Fang was going to fight the Demon King's army, and feared that Julia, who had undergone a terrible modification, would be killed as a demon, so he crawled up in desperation.

　But it doesn't matter to me.

''Of course you have a grudge, of course you do. But that's not what this is about. Your idea of a vendetta is moot from the start. It's a known fact that Julia was turned into a dragon man, and I and the Golden Fang both know that.

　Falcon stopped moving with his mouth open to say something, and then he crouched down with deep despair.

　He seemed to have lost the luxury of even choosing the game-like option of storming out here and attempting to escape.

　So I cut off the words at once and looked behind me over my shoulder.

　Garnett, Sakura, Noir, and Alexia.
　The people who know about my situation are watching the situation with bated breath.

　What kind of response do they want me to make?
　What kind of feelings does Sylvia, who is not here, have?

　At the very least - they won't deny me when I cut down and trample on them in cold blood, but they must never admire me either.

　In fact, it's precisely because they're like that that I can get along with them.

　I'm sure that a little bit of flaunting will not go unpunished.

But there's no reason for me to follow the Golden Fang's policy. I have a self-proclaimed best friend on staff, so I'll try to capture him when I can. Of course, if it looks like our guys are going to be harmed, I'll do my best to fight them.
"Luke...... you're feeling sorry for me, you ......!　Take pity on me and do such things: ......!

　Falcon gritted his teeth with a complex mix of joy and anger.

　I replied briefly, "No way," and then moved my face a little closer to his.

'I just wanted to be more satisfied with those guys now than I was with you guys in the past. It's just for show. If you're feeling faint and want to thank me, tell those guys who have made my life so much better.

　I remember hearing someone say a long time ago that 'the best revenge is to be happy'.

　At the time, I only thought he was a sweetie, but now I felt like I could understand it a little bit - just a little bit, but not too much.

'Even if you guys are judged as human beings and have to pay for your sins as human beings, I'll be fully satisfied. That's all there is to it.