One night.
　The second day began after welcoming the brave men to Lax village.

　Well, what the brave men had to do here was done yesterday.
　I thought it would be fine if they would just take it easy until the weapons were completed.
　However, I was naive in my perception.

''I've written a letter to the Center Guild.

　A brave man came to me first thing in the morning.
　There was a letter in his hand.

This is a letter requesting that a compulsory requisition be issued against you. If this is accepted, you must join my party regardless of your intentions.
You're being very pushy again.

　In.

'What's the point of having a mate who gets it that way?'

　If they despise your intentions, they will never be able to trust you again.
　On a battlefield where life and death are on the line, there is nothing more meaningless than a companion whose life cannot be entrusted to you.

''You're right. I am only asking you to join my companions of your own volition.
My thoughts are the same. The most important thing is right here.
'I know, I know. So I've decided to tell you something else today.
Another story?
It's not something you can just talk about. It's not something to talk about casually. It's a story about someone's inner life. But I'm going to tell you this because I think it's the only way I can convince you.
A man?　On the inside?
Arantzill. Mr. Arantzill, the former hero.

　A man who was a hero before Reedy.

　Legend has it that he is the strongest man of all time and has fought many fierce battles with his predecessor, the Four Heavenly Kings.

He is the longest-serving hero of all time. It is said that he served for more than 30 years. Of course, much has happened in that long period of time. Both happy and sad.

　But the saddest thing that ever happened to him was....

The murder of his family.
".........?

　The brave man speaks of the not-so-peaceful topic in a hurry.

''It was just after Arantzill-sama had been appointed as a hero. That gentleman was married to a female adventurer with whom he had been partying. They had one child. They were a happy family that lacked nothing.''

　But was that happiness destroyed...?

'It is said that the Demon King's army attacked his absence while his predecessor was away on a mission to defeat the Demon King. His wife, a former adventurer, fought valiantly, but was killed and the child, who was still a baby, was taken away.
....
'My predecessor pursued and finally killed one of the then Four Heavenly Kings who were the main culprits in the attack. But his son, whom the enemy had supposedly gotten rid of, was never found. They thought the enemy had killed him on the run and thrown his body away in despair.

　My heart hurts.
　I'm a father now, so it's even more so. Those who fight for a living should never lay a hand on those who don't.

　A fighter's pride is only complete when those who fight kill each other.

''From then on, I became a demon. That's what my predecessor had said. Because I lost everything and had nothing to protect, I gave everything to battle. I was able to push forward with the defeat of the Demon King. ...But it was never the right thing to do.

　A brave man approaches me.

''If we leave the demons unattended, another tragedy like the previous Arantzill-sama will happen again!　Please help me to prevent that from happening!

　I was nowhere near accepting her wish.

　This is because the form of a terrible brave man was vividly replayed from my memory.

　Arantzill, the previous hero.

　I've met him in person many times.
　As the assistant to the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's army, I've met him many times in person on the battlefield.

　He had an uncanny fighting style. Does his demon god-like strength have such a secret?
　The pain of losing something so important, the strength that comes from grief.

　That is one of the foremost reasons for strength.
　It made sense to me on many things.

　But.....

I can't believe that story.
What?
Demons are a proud race. Especially when they're chosen to be the Four Heavenly Kings.

　Would such proud people take such despicable measures as targeting their families, even if they were enemies?
　It was probably an incident that happened long before I became the Fourth Heavenly King's assistant, and the perpetrator was probably a previous Fourth Heavenly King even before the previous Fourth Heavenly King, whom I don't know.

　However, I don't want to believe or even think that someone who has earned the title of the Four Heavenly Kings would be willing to commit such an ugly act.

''Why are you, the human race, defending the demon race?''
''Anyway, I don't know about the old days, but this generation's Demon Army wouldn't do anything that dirty.

　I'm fine.
　You're going to be okay. You're okay, right?
　The current Four Heavenly Kings are okay, right?

So there's no basis for your claim. I'm not going to leave the village of Lax to protect what's important to me.
Well then, I have no choice.

　The brave Radie held up the letter in his hand.

''I will contact the Center Guild and have them issue a compulsory requisition letter to you. It's impossible to refuse this!
Are you sure about that?
'We need you!　If you come to travel with us, you will understand. The meaning of our fight!　"We're going to be a trustworthy bunch!
This is a lot harder than it sounds at this rate.

　I turn my back on them and leave.
　If they issue a compulsory requisition, it's certainly going to be a problem.

　The best way to stop it is to take or tear up the letter in her possession, right now.
　But let's not do it.

　Force is not a smart thing to do.

Let me tell you one thing.
What is it?
You say you need my power, but really, what do they really need from you, a brave man?

　I could see the girl who was called brave widen her eyes for a moment.

'The brave man is the only power that cannot be replaced. There are plenty of replacements, including the friends around it. Even if you're concerned about the members, you won't achieve your goal if your core, you, is wobbly, right?
..............

　The brave man didn't say it back, but left the scene.

'I'm still not sure I can reach my predecessor in that one.

　I wanted to be up front with her.

"You're still weak.

　And.

　It's true that her skill is somewhat lacking, at least for me, who has seen the fierceness of my predecessor's bravery in person.

　But I can't say that.

When I said to my face, "You're weaker than your predecessor," he asked, "Where did you see your predecessor in action? Because I'm sure it would be a trend.
　It's not something I would point out by bringing my past to light, so I decided to keep it quiet.

　Rumor has it that she is said to be 'a genius who surpasses her predecessors' and so on, but who has been going around making a big deal out of it?

　Of course, it's no use comparing a newcomer who is still a chick with her predecessor who has accumulated more than thirty years as a brave person.

　What she needs is more than new weapons, more than new friends.

　Maybe it's something else.

◆

　Then another few days passed.

　It was under the guise of waiting for the weapon to be completed, but they were clearly waiting precisely for the letter of compulsion to me that they had requested to the Center Guild to arrive.

　And finally, the letter from the Center Guild came.

　But it was a reply that was very different from what the brave man had expected.

'It looks like you're having a lot of trouble, Radie.

　The one who was sent by the Center Guild was a very large man with a very large build.

If you want a companion, you can join the party, you know.　The invincible man who once vied with you for the title of hero. Noltiya is!